Approaching the end of the year, Chang'an City is full of people. The people of Jingzhao Mansion, who had been tired for a whole year, took advantage of the rare free days and all poured into the city.

The eastern and western cities, which are open from midnight to midnight, are crowded with guests. From the expensive gold, silver, pearls, and jade, to the cheap needles and threads, as long as the guys can put the goods out, they won't have to worry about finding a market. Even the business of selling haggis soup with a stove at the entrance of the market has doubled compared to usual. Let the shopkeeper behind the stove Sun Da be so happy that he couldn't close his mouth, and several times, he almost dripped saliva into the soup pot.

"Boss Sun, you've made a fortune!" Liu Genbao, a vendor selling charcoal, walked through the sheep soup stall with difficulty with a donkey cart pulling most of the cart of charcoal. Both the man and the donkey looked exhausted.

"Get rich, get rich, get rich together!" Sun Da immediately raised his head and responded with the same auspicious words.

Business people are not scholars, and they never feel embarrassed to put the word "fortune" on their lips. And he and Liu Genbao have known each other since childhood, so the word "fortune" is full of blessings.

Finding that the other party seemed to be in poor spirits, Sun Da grabbed a handful of heart and liver chops that had been cut in the middle of the night from the basket beside him, and a few pieces of fat intestines, and put them into the wooden bowl on the case in front of him. Immediately, he scooped a big spoonful of hot mutton bone broth and poured it on top of the chops, "Come, Brother Xiaobao, eat hot." This bowl, count me as a brother, please you! ”

"No, no, I've eaten in the morning, I've eaten!" Liu Genbao, a charcoal seller, immediately waved his hand desperately, "I've really eaten it." Big brother, I'm not hungry at all, really, not hungry! ”

Although the words were hard, his belly screamed angrily, and suddenly, he was ashamed. And the donkey beside him, as if greedy for the temperature of the fire, whispered a protest of "boom, boom, boom", and refused to go on.

"Okay, let's eat, you're welcome, I don't know about you yet! The two of us grew up playing with urine mud together! Boss Sun was originally righteous, especially when he had plenty of money, and he couldn't see his friends suffering, so he smiled and exhorted in a humming voice, "You have fried soybeans in your pocket, right?" After eating the mutton soup, feed your donkey a handful as well. As the old saying goes, people can lose in their stomachs, but animals can't lose their stomachs. If you lose it today, you will have to pull it yourself another day! ”

"This, this is not appropriate. Sun Da, you are also a small business! All year round, it's good to earn so many days. Liu Genbao, who sold firewood and charcoal, resolutely refused to accept the other party's invitation, and continued to wave his hand with a red face. Immediately, he quickly took out a handful of fried soybeans from his coat, threw a few into his mouth, and then sent the rest to the donkey's mouth.

When the donkey had food, he stopped protesting. Stretching out his steaming tongue, he licked the soybeans in Liu Genbao's palm three times and two times.

And Liu Genbao also saved up enough strength. tightened the belt of his trousers with his hand, stood up straight, and bowed to Sun Da with a smile, "Big brother, I'll go first." Not long after the day came up, I had to rush to deliver charcoal to others! ”

"Don't go, don't go, Xiaobao, I haven't drunk the mutton soup yet!" When Sun Da heard this, he hurriedly reached out to stop him. However, it happened that another wave of people who had finished buying New Year's goods came over and stopped in front of the mutton soup stall. In desperation, he had to greet the guests while continuing to persuade, "I said Xiaobao, why are you polite to me." Ladies and gentlemen, the soup doesn't need money, it's given away for free. Even the soup with two pieces of chops, you add one article, and I will put one or two fat intestines for you......"

The price is actually not kind, but the Chinese New Year is approaching, and many guests don't care about these two jujubes. They threw the copper coins to the sister-in-law of the Sun family who was standing aside to help, and then they took the wooden bowl and asked Sun Dafang to pour the soup with the crumbs.

When this wave of guests dispersed, in front of the stove, there was no trace of Liu Genbao. Sun Da, who sold sheep soup, shook his head, picked up the wooden bowl that had not been touched at all, poured the cold soup and chops back into the soup pot, and then sighed in a low voice, "——,Alas, Xiaobao and their family, this year is sad!" ”

"Who's to blame?" Sister-in-law Sun had long been dissatisfied with her husband's behavior of casually giving people to drink mutton soup, frowned, and responded in a low voice, "Last month, you kindly reminded him that many families in the city are now turning braziers into stoves. Charcoal will definitely get harder and harder to sell, and he thinks that you are deliberately scaring him to drive down the price. And tell you......"

"Okay, don't keep mentioning those things about the old sesame seeds and rotten grains!" Sun Da felt very uncomfortable when he heard this, and whispered to his wife, "At that time, he was also trying to make a few more money and treat his mother's illness." Alas—"

"Where is this Chen sesame rotten grain, and it hasn't been two months in total!" Sister-in-law Sun craned her neck and rolled her eyes.

Her husband is a good person, capable, kind, and filial to the elderly on both sides. However, her husband's problems are too infuriating. Obviously I don't have any great skills, but I'm used to taking care of all the friends I know. It's as if he's a legendary hero.

If the two had just gotten married, Sister-in-law Sun would have endured these little problems. At that time, the two did not have children, so they did not have to worry about future generations. And now, the eldest is almost ten years old, and the second child in her belly will be born in half a year. There are some small accounts, so it can't be less clear.

"That's not the old sesame rotten grain? Besides, didn't we buy his charcoal at the time, so why should you forget it? "I'm very unhappy that my mother-in-law took some small things to heart, and Sun Da whispered a lesson.

"It's not that I don't forget, but that the poor must have something to hate!" The more Sister-in-law Sun spoke, the more angry she became, and her voice gradually became higher.

"Where is he hateful, who can't bargain for a small business? You're careful, but you have to fix it. Otherwise......"

"Goo, goo, goo......" The mutton bone broth in the crockpot next to him was boiled again, and the heat pushed the boiled white mutton bones, making a series of pleasant sounds.

Sun Da didn't care about arguing with his daughter-in-law anymore, moved the crockpot away, and hurriedly pressed the stove fire with large pieces of peat.

This iron-shelled stove is easy to use, but the peat fire inside is too hard and easy to burn the pot. However, for the sake of peat being far cheaper than charcoal, I can bear it. Anyway, the money for the iron stove and the iron pot has already been earned, and when it is not busy this afternoon, you can go to the West Market and move a three-foot-wide iron pot back. At that time, the taste of the mutton soup will disperse faster, and there will definitely be more customers who come to drink the soup and eat chops.

A couple of richly dressed prodigals walked past the stalls, covering their nostrils with their hands in disgust. so as not to be disgusted by the sheep gas. However, more people were attracted by the taste of haggis soup, and under the greeting of Sun Da, they took out a piece of Tongbao.

Sun Da and his mother-in-law no longer had time to argue, one scooped the soup and put the miscellaneous pieces to greet the guests, and the other collected money, and was so busy that he was sweating profusely.

"Master, I'll discuss something with you?" When the two of them were idle again, Sister-in-law Sun had completely forgotten the previous unhappiness. While putting a rope on the copper money earned today, he cautiously tried it.

"What's the matter? Do you want to buy a bracelet? Wait a few days, wait for me to replace the crockpot with an iron pot, and see if I can have any money left. "Sun Da is righteous to his friends, and he is not instigated by his daughter-in-law. While putting the clay pot back on the stove, the urn agreed angrily.

"The bracelet is not in a hurry, I burn the fire here every day and chop it up, and my body is either ash or oil, and it is also bad to wear the bracelet!" Although she was reluctant to spend money to buy bracelets, Sister-in-law Sun still felt sweet in her heart, and shook her head with a smile, "I think, when I was shopping for vegetables this morning, I heard that the White Horse Temple in Weinan County has been converted into a school." No matter what kind of child it is, you will accept it when you sign up. Our big treasure is smart when he is a child, and when he was about to be born, I always dreamed that there was a purple light in front of the window......"

"Yes, I almost named my name Xiaozi, and I don't want to see what my surname is!" Sun Da turned his head and glanced at his wife, grabbing a spoon to scoop the soup for a new guest, while counting it angrily. "Of course, studying is a good thing, and I don't want him to farm for the rest of his life. Originally, Yongye Tian and Kou were divided into half fields, and in the future, there will be more and more people in the village, and the land will definitely be divided less and less. The question is, how much money does the school in Weinan give to Mr. every year, have you inquired? If it is less, we can still earn it for him in the past few days of the New Year, if it is a few hundred or a couple of hangings......"

"It's like saying, don't want money!" Sister-in-law Sun hesitated for a moment and said in a low voice, "It's okay to have a dry meal!"

"What? How can it be? Sun Da was taken aback, and the hot soup scooped in the spoon almost didn't splash all on his feet, "You heard me right, right?" How can there be a school that doesn't need money and cares about food? Then you have to squeeze your head melon seeds? ”

In his memory, only those famous families in the local area could open schools for their children without restraint. However, I haven't heard that the school will also manage the students to eat a dry meal. And Xinfeng's old grandson's family, even if you count up to the Han Dynasty, there has never been a nobleman, how can the descendants have the blessing of free reading?

"You heard it right! I asked a lot of people! Disgusted that her husband was shocked and embarrassed, Sister-in-law Sun gently pinched the other party's thigh with her fingers and added in a low voice, "I just don't want money, but students have to be over eight years old and under fourteen years old." When entering school, the husband also has to test whether the child is smart enough. Our big treasure, anyway, I can't go down to the field to help you farm......"

"Wouldn't that have to squeeze your head?!" Sun's mouth opened slightly, but it was not because he was pinched, but because he imagined the grand occasion of the middle school admissions. "There is really such a good thing, how many people have to send the child over here in Jingzhao Mansion? As the saying goes, if you eat Lao Tzu to death, how much money will you get for just one dry meal a day! ”

"It's a lot of money for us, but it's not necessarily for Zhang Shaojian who opened the school!" Well-informed, but not only sister-in-law Sun, the guest who had just come over to drink haggis soup suddenly interjected with a smile, "I heard that the White Horse Temple, which was converted into a school, was compensated to him by the monks for losing the fighting method, and even thousands of acres of land around the classmate's hall!" ”

"How much?" Sun Da's hand trembled again, and he instinctively whispered a question. By the way, I added a handful of garlic sprouts to the guests for free.

"Thousands of acres, I don't know how much. Anyway, the Buddha field of the White Horse Temple in Weinan is now all his! The guest's self-esteem was immediately greatly satisfied, smiled, and continued to add, "If I have a child, I will quickly take it to register, so as not to be late and not even be able to get in line." Even if you can't study, it's good to follow Zhang Shaojian to get some blessings,"

"That's, that's!" Sun Da was overjoyed when he heard this, and he smiled and threw his hand to the guest, "I closed the stall in the afternoon......"

His brows suddenly furrowed, and he quickly turned his gaze to his daughter-in-law, "This wave of guests is almost over in the morning, and I can be busy myself." Why don't you go home now and sign up with Xiaobao? Anyway, Weinan and Xinfeng are not far away, you can finish registering, and you can still rush home with Xiaobao before sunset. ”

"Then I'll go, be careful yourself!" Sister-in-law Sun got her wish and couldn't wait to stand up. I was about to clean up the stall and hurry home, but in my ears, I suddenly heard a strange orchestral sound. Immediately after, a group of Persian maikoes, dressed in light blue or pale green gauze, barefoot, with bare arms, and only a belly pocket on their chests, but covered their faces with black cloth, came to the sound of music.

Behind the team of the Persian dancing queens was a large group of large Kunlun slaves who were all in pitch black. In teams of two, dozens of huge wooden boxes were carried. Inside the box, glass bottles, glass cups, glass lamps, glass earrings, necklaces, step shakes, and colorful perfumes are all piled up casually, and the treasure light lingers. (Note: The Great Kunlun slaves were African slaves, and the Little Kunlun slaves were Malay slaves.) But they were all brought into China by big food merchants. ）

Further back, there is a huge plaque, a foot wide and five feet high. It was carried by the eight Great Kunlun Nu together to move slowly at the end of the line. On the plaque, there are dozens of big characters vaguely written, half of which are Chinese, and half of which are big food texts, each word is coated with copper powder, and the sun shines brightly.

The weather was just starting to warm up, and the wind didn't have much temperature, but the Persian dancers didn't feel cold at all. As you walk, you can dance your limbs like a flying sky in a painting. The brass bells on the wrists, ankles, waists, etc., accompanied by the dancing posture, keep making a "jingle jingle sound, falling on people's ears, seducing the soul."

Sun Da deals with sheep in the water from morning to night every day, when has he seen such a strange and fragrant scene? Immediately, both eyes lost the ability to turn. And the guests who were standing around the stove drinking haggis soup also all opened their mouths wide, their necks stretched out like ducks, and the soup in their hands was sprinkled all over the placket, but they didn't bother to wipe it.

"A bunch of goblins, what's there to see?" As a woman, Sister-in-law Sun had no feeling for the writhing body of the Persian dancer, put her hand on her husband's waist, and pinched it hard, "Look again, look again!" You're tired and tired all day long, how much money do you make? Is it enough for a bell on someone's body? ”

"Ahh Sun Da was pinched and exhaled in pain, and his soul immediately returned to its original position. blushing and scolding loudly, "You ruthless mother-in-law, I didn't spend any money when I took a look?" ”

When he saw that his mother-in-law's oil-stained head had faint white hair, his voice quickly became quieter. With a bit of begging for mercy, he quickly defended, "Besides, I don't see people, but the glass in the box." Well, it's really beautiful, it's as thorough as the ice cube at the wellhead in the morning, and I don't know how those people made it? ”

"It was brought from far away by the Great Cannibal." Among the guests who drank mutton soup, there was also a person wearing a long shirt, who was scolded by Sister-in-law Sun's husband, blushing with shame, and explained in a low voice, "I kept staring at that plaque just now, and it was clearly written." With the permission of the Municipal Trade Bureau, the big cannibal opened a treasure pavilion in the east and west cities. Specializing in glass products, ivory, coral, jewelry, etc., as well as authentic Daishi perfumes. It will open on the day of the next year's first year. On the opening day, the first 100 customers who enter the store, no matter how much they buy, will be discounted by 6%! ”

"Oh-" Sun Da suddenly realized, picked up the spoon, and continued to stir the hot soup in the clay pot in front of him. Whether it's glass or perfume, it's too far away from him. Just like the body of the little Persian lady, no matter how much it is discounted, it is a luxury that his grandson is not qualified to touch in his life. And the bones in the pot and the haggis on the board are the most real, he and his mother-in-law are busy all winter, and when they are green and yellow in the coming year, they will be able to have more than half of the rice and half of the bran in the family's meal.

"Boss, then I'll take my children to the school first?" Seeing that her husband accepted her heart, Sister-in-law Sun had no reason to continue to pinch people. Gently rubbed the place where Sun Da's waist was pinched, and whispered for instructions.

"Go, hurry up, leave me alone. I deserve it alone! Sun Da immediately jumped up as if he had been stung by a scorpion, and then waved at his mother-in-law again and again, "Be careful on the road, go early and return early." It's best to have someone with you. Although Weinan is not a few steps away from our house, we have to be careful. ”

"Don't worry! I'll bring a knife to kill sheep! Sister-in-law Sun patted her willow waist and was heroic.

"Go, go, go, come back!" Sun Da, who sells haggis soup, was also refreshed by the actions of his mother-in-law, laughing and waving a wooden spoon to his wife. Immediately, with one hand, he quickly arranged the wooden bowls in a row on the table, and greeted the strangers who walked by the stall warmly, "Sheep soup, sheep soup, just boiled sheep soup!" Drink a bowl and warm up and down all day. The soup doesn't cost money, the haggis is two pennies, you add one penny, and I'll cut you another piece of fat sausage——"

When the mother-in-law gave birth to a baby, she always dreamed that purple gas was shining through the window. Lao Sun's family is about to produce a reader! That bullshit glass, bullshit ivory, bullshit perfume and coral, you can't drink when you're thirsty, you can't eat when you're hungry, what a good thing! His third aunt at the east entrance of the village said well, it is better to leave a box of books for his children and grandchildren......

"Zila!" Without paying attention, the mutton soup in the clay pot splashed out, and the soup full of grease fell into the stove, and the green smoke swayed up with dust.

"Ahem, ahem, ahem, ahem......" Sun Da was so smoked by the smoke and dust that he coughed repeatedly, and tears flowed out uncontrollably. However, his face was full of happiness and satisfaction.

…………………………

"Cough, cough, cough, cough......" The smoke was billowing out, making Guo angrily cough loudly, snot and tears flowed together.

"Shaolang-kun, you don't have to stare here! The small ones are coming, there are small ones, you can rest assured! Guo Si, the foreman, covered his nose and mouth with a water-soaked linen, quickly ran forward, and pleaded loudly, "You are an official of the imperial court, so you don't need to do this to yourself." If there is a small one, you can just stand at a distance and command. The small ones are guaranteed not to go wrong! ”

"Don't you see that my senior brother is still there?" Guo Nu raised his hand to wipe a handful of snot and tears, and responded angrily, "He didn't hide far away, I hid, what did it say?!"

"This, this, a small negligence, should be beaten, should be beaten!" Foreman Guo Si looked up, his eyes looked through the billowing smoke and water vapor, and sure enough, not far away, the senior brother of his own Shao Langjun, Zhang Qian, the secretary and young eunuch of the fourth grade, was holding an iron pipe and poking it on the ground. Each poke will cause a deep hole in the ground, and a large amount of smoke and water vapor will emerge from the hole.

"Cough, cough, cough, cough......" Zhang Qian's coughing sound quickly reached the ears of the two. Immediately, there was a series of flowing commands, "Ren Quan, take a few people down to the open pit next to it, step on the wind naan, and make the charcoal burn more vigorously." Zhang Gui, Zhang Fu, you two lead people, poke a few more air holes in the ditch in front of me, and pay attention to covering your nose and face with a linen cloth dipped in water, so as not to suck the smoke into your body. Zhang Ren, Zhang Sheng, you cover all the holes in the ditch on the left with wet soil and ......" (Note: Wind naan, an ancient wind blowing tool. ）

"Yes!" The ladies and men, the shovels with shovels, and the naan with wind naan, were busy around. Someone quickly descended the pre-dug steps into a pit and blew air from the side of several huge stoves. Someone gave a trench two zhang long and five feet wide, which was emitting white mist, to make a hole to dissipate heat. Others covered another ditch with smoke and a thick layer of wet soil, as if there was a fire dragon coming out of the ditch at any time.

"Senior brother, senior brother, you take a break, here I am! With me here, you can rest assured! Leaving the foreman Guo Si, Guo Nu ran around the ditch to Zhang Qian's side, and used the words that Guo Si had persuaded him before, gasping for advice.

"It's okay, it'll be fine right away, you withdraw first!" Raising his hand to wipe the sweat on his face, Zhang Qian shook his head with a smile, the originally white face, black and white, is "good-looking"!

"Then I'll wait for the senior brother to withdraw together!" Guo Nu refused to leave, and stood side by side with Zhang Qian, raising his hand to wipe his sweat.

Why did the elder brother dig pits and ditches? Why bury peat in the trench and then smoulder it over a charcoal fire from the side? He didn't understand it at all. However, he firmly believes that no matter what his senior brother does, he is definitely not tossing around.

This confidence came from a few days ago, when the senior brother took him and the third junior brother to rub the medicine twist. At that time, he and the third junior brother didn't know what the use of the medicine twist was rubbed out? I don't understand, what kind of damage can the five bronze bells that cost a lot of money to build cause to the monk?

However, after the three medicine twists were tied together and ignited, the meteors spewed out by the three bronze bells made the altar on the other side of the river go up in smoke!

In the past few days, in the face of a series of aggressive attacks by the big food merchants, the senior brother was not in the slightest hurry. Just take the time to dig a pit in the Zhuangzi. Presumably, just like last time, he was ready to sacrifice some magic weapon at a critical moment to deal a fatal blow to the big food merchant. At that time, I am afraid that the group of big food merchants who think they are sure to win will not even have time to cry.

"Alright, you're done!" After carefully checking the degree of scorching of the peat in several ditches, Zhang Qian smiled and pulled Guo Nu, and together they retreated to the canal not far away, "It should be okay, and if you burn a few furnaces like this, you can always make up five thousand catties of coke." Although the waste is bigger, it is better than not being able to burn it! (Note: The trench stuffing method is wasteful and extremely polluting, and has long been eliminated.) ）

"Big brother, are you burning charcoal? What comes out of peat is called coke, right? Like charcoal from firewood? Guo Nu didn't seem to understand when he heard it, and while chasing quickly, he asked for advice with excitement on his face.

According to his previous experience, once Senior Brother Zhang Qian began to explain why he did this, he was ready to teach him and Ren Cong his skills. At such times, you must not save face. If you don't understand, just ask, the senior brother will definitely not be angry. And if you don't know how to pretend to understand, when you look back and are discovered by the senior brother, you will inevitably be pulled out to practice boxing.

Sure enough, Zhang Qian didn't have the slightest impatient expression on his face, but turned his head to look at him, his face full of joy: "Yes, it's actually the same truth that firewood turns into charcoal." The peat is smoked to remove impurities, and the final result is coke. I didn't know exactly how to do it at first, so I had to take you with me. Fortunately, I still know a little bit about the general direction, so we didn't have to toss a few times and we're done! ”

"Is coke fire, just as charcoal fire is harder than firewood?" Guo Nu is a very smart student, and he can always draw inferences, "Then can we burn the glass?" Senior brother, you haven't entered Chang'an City in the past few days, I don't know how arrogant those big food merchants are! ”

"There are still some materials and utensils missing, I have to buy them for me with your third junior brother, so we can give it a try!" Zhang Qian smiled and nodded slightly, "The temperature that coke can reach after burning is indeed much higher than that of charcoal. In your words, it's that the fire is hard. The biggest problem with burning glass is that the temperature is not enough. I only have a general direction for how to do it. When your third junior brother comes back from shopping, let's try it together, I estimate that if you fail ten times or eight times, you can always touch a little fur. And then continue to ...... while summing up."

He was only halfway through his sentence when he suddenly stopped again and looked at the path not far away. Guo was furious, and hurriedly looked in the same direction, only to see his third junior brother Ren Cong, supporting an unkempt beggar, stumbling over. And the beggar, who was fifteen or sixteen steps away from himself and his senior brother, knelt on the ground with a puff and couldn't cry: "Young Eunuch Zhang, Wang Yuanbao is sorry for you." Someone bought my shares of the Six Gods Company from my mother-in-law! They're definitely going to deal with your Six Gods Trading House next, so be careful! ”