Xiao Cuo turned his head to look at the rain outside the window, shook his head and sighed: "Say so, but if you don't see it with your own eyes, how can you feel at ease?" This matter is too important, and the clan has entrusted this burden to a certain person, and it has become true that everyone has risen from now on, but if something bad happens, I am afraid that they will have to judge themselves in front of the ancestors' spirits, and they will die and apologize. Anyway, you desperate stars have to rush to such a poetic weather to discuss big things, it's really annoying! Let's go, go to the riverside and inspect it to see if there are any omissions. ”

As he spoke, he reluctantly got up, and with an unhappy face, he instructed the maid to prepare her clothes and put on the carriage.

Wang Qi and the others subconsciously looked out the window at the endless drizzle, and then looked at each other, this annoying weather was very humid and cold, sitting for a while and getting wet as if it was wet, where is the slightest bit of poetry?

However, several people know that although this son-in-law is not the son of the Xiao family, his heart is higher than the sky, and everything is compared to the son of the patriarch Xiao Jing......

After a long time, I don't think so.

Several people got up, each took the lily coat prepared by the maid and put it on, went out of the door and boarded the carriage covered with a layer of oilcloth on the carriage in front of the door under the light rain, and walked along the bluestone paved path in the forest in front of the building, towards the mouth of the Qiantang River.

The Qiantang River under the rain curtain is quiet and beautiful, and the rolling river flows quietly.

In a bay surrounded by hills, dozens of wide merchant ships were neatly parked, sailors were checking their sails in the rain, and countless wagons were parked on the shore, and truckloads of goods were being unloaded in an orderly manner and transported to the hold by the porters by means of makeshift gangplanks.

Not many people talked, but they were busy.

When the oilcloth carriage swayed down the hillside, heavily armed private soldiers had already rushed out from the mountains and forests on both sides of the road to intercept them, and when they saw the big man with a bearded leopard's head and eyes who lifted the curtain, they immediately saluted respectfully, and then retreated into the forest again to continue to be on guard.

Walking along a winding mountain road to the edge of the river, Xiao Cuo took Wang Qi and the two of them to put on their robes again and jumped off the carriage.

Stepping on the muddy ground, Xiao Cuo's face was gloomy: "This ghost weather ......"

The steward in charge of loading had already greeted him from afar, and said after Shi Li: "Childe, the goods have been half loaded, and it is expected that it will be about the same in two days, but if the rain gets heavier and heavier, I am afraid that it will be delayed for a day and a half." ”

Xiao took a look at the busy river bay and said: "We still have to speed up as much as possible, although Fang Jun will take some time to go south, and it will take more time for the sailor to go on the expedition, but we are too big this time, it is difficult to guarantee the leakage of the news, in case it is known by Fang Jun's family, I am afraid of accidents." ”

"Whoa! The old slave will tell the house slaves in the sentry realm that within a radius of several miles, no one will be allowed to step into half a step. ”

Xiao staggered his head.

He was not worried about going to sea, and each of the dozens of ships sent no less than 2,000 private soldiers, although most of them were domestic slaves who had never fought before, but each of them was strong and strong, and it was definitely not worth it to face those pirates who had long since become obsolete.

He was even more worried that if the news leaked out, the ships would be attacked by the sailors before they could go to sea.

The royal sailor is directly loyal to the emperor, except for Fang Jun, no one can influence the will of this army, even if a few nails are buried in it to act as eyes and ears, they will be dug up and disposed of in a few days, it is really ironclad......

As long as it does not arouse the idea of the sailor, these cargo ships can go to sea unknowingly after the sailor goes north, and they will definitely be able to bring huge profits to the major families.

At that time, he Xiao Cuo will be the hero of various families, his reputation will rise, the tide will rise, and with his back against the big tree of the Lanling Xiao family, it may not be impossible to enter the official career......

*****

Even the rainy weather could not stop Fang Xuanling and Li Jing's curiosity.

In the morning, I got up and ate some light Jiangnan porridge, made a pot of hot tea and played two games of chess, and when the rain was a little lighter, the two of them put on their robes together, walked slowly from the residence, and walked slowly along a street behind the town office, looking around.

They were very interested in the wool weaving that Pei Xingjian said yesterday......

As early as when Fang Jun accompanied the army on an expedition to the Western Regions to destroy the Gaochang Kingdom, he pacified the nobles in Gaochang with wine and wool in one hand, which not only enabled the Tang army to take over the entire Gaochang Kingdom smoothly, but also made a lot of profits.

Until now, the wine produced by Fangjia Winery is still a treasure at the banquet of nobles from all over the world.

It's a pity that Guo Xiaoke was arrogant and intended to annex the Fang family's winery to obtain the recipe for grape brewing, which directly led to the withdrawal of all the Fang family's wineries and wool workshops in the Western Regions to Guanzhong, and lost the stability of the Gaochang Kingdom, which directly detonated the war between the countries in the Western Regions.

The imperial court had to send the British Duke Li Ji and the Wei King Li Tai to lead the army westward to pacify the Western Regions and keep the Silk Road open......

Now the Fang family is still in the wool business, and Fang Xuanling knows it.

There is a wool workshop at Fangjiawan Wharf, which buys wool from the Western Regions, spins it into threads, and then weaves and sells it, but Fang Xuanling has never cared much about those merchants, and Wu Meiniang has always been in charge of taking care of the wharf, so he naturally doesn't pay much attention to it, so he doesn't know the details.

Now it seems that this business has been developed to Huating Town......

The rain washes the smooth concrete pavement more and more cleanly, and the air is moist and cold, which makes people feel refreshed.

The two of them took a few domestic servants and soldiers, and they didn't inform Pei Xingjian, so they walked on the streets of the residential area in Huating Town that was only completed last year. It was a house built on a saline ground, apparently planned, with deep drainage ditches dug by the side of the road, covered with stone slabs, and planted in front of the door, all tall and straight, apparently transplanted from the mountains, and although the roots had not yet penetrated deep into the earth, they were already faintly visible in the shade of the future crown.

The houses are all the kind of blue bricks and black tiles of the house, most of them are about five rooms, looking into it from the wall that is not high, some have built a few wings on both sides of the yard, some have planted some melons, fruits and vegetables, some have chickens, ducks, pigs and dogs, poultry and livestock are in the pen, and the yard is clean, tidy and bright.

From time to time, some villagers walked through the street, and when they saw this line, they all showed surprised looks, but they did not look panicked, and they did not come forward to watch, but just glanced at them from a distance, and then left on their own, each busy.

There were children frolicking in front of the door, laughing crisply, seeing Fang Xuanling and the others, they were not afraid of life, they smiled and showed their two little milk teeth, lifted a red fruit in their hands, and giggled: "Seven, seven......"

Li Jing and others were stunned, "seven"?

Only Fang Xuanling, who teased his grandson at home, had a deep experience in this, and knew that this was the little baby asking them to "eat" the fruit, and when he saw this cheerful and white child, he couldn't help but think of his grandson at home, and suddenly his feelings were overflowing, and he took two steps forward and squatted in front of the child, showing a gentle smile, and stretched out his hand to pick up the child......

"Who are you?"

A cry of surprise sounded behind him, and an old woman in Ge cloth ran out of the courtyard in a panic, dragged the child over and hugged her in her arms, and stared vigilantly at Fang Xuanling and the others.

Fang Xuanling still maintains a squatting posture, and says that this is being treated as a human trafficker?

The servant behind him hurriedly stepped forward and shouted, "Country man, dare to be rude to my master? ”

Fang Xuanling waved his hand to stop him, and said to the suspicious old woman with a smile: "Sister-in-law, don't worry, a certain person is not a villain who abducts and sells children, but just came to Huating Town to buy wool products. ”

The old woman hugged the child tightly, took two steps back and stood at the gate of the courtyard, looked Fang Xuanling and the others up and down, and seemed to feel that these people were not like bandits, so she asked suspiciously: "Buying wool products?" What do you charge? ”

Fang Xuanling looked at the courtyard of her house, and the wings were covered on both sides, and said, "What do you make at home?" ”

The old woman said: "My family weaves blankets, but I have already received the deposit from the old customers, and I am rushing to weave it in the past few months, and there is no extra blanket to sell." ”

Li Jing shook his eyebrows, a little surprised: "Business is so good? ”

The door-to-door business is not solicited, which shows that the sales are indeed very good.

"That's nature!" The old woman straightened her chest, and her wrinkled face was filled with pride: "Did you see the largest warship in the shipyard?" Pei Changshi said that the taxes paid by our entire village for weaving blankets and cotton cloth can buy one of those warships every year! ”

Li Jing was stunned.

Although I don't know which warship the old woman is referring to, but from ancient times to the present, isn't paying taxes a thing that is hateful?

Why do you pay your taxes with your hard-earned money, but you still have a proud and proud look?

Fang Xuanling was silent for a moment, and Wen Yan asked: "Even if the business fails, I don't know if I can go into your yard and see how your blanket is in condition?" ”