Ma Cheng thought about it for a long time and didn't think that anything met his goal, could he only sell tea? In fact, Ma Cheng didn't know, tea was also a big item in ancient times, and the speed of money was not much slower than selling illicit salt, but Ma Cheng didn't know.

Ma Cheng couldn't help but think of the iced black tea of later generations when he thought of tea, and he didn't know if there was any iced black tea in this era, and he might be able to invent it if he was free.

Thinking of iced black tea Ma Cheng suddenly thought of white sugar, how could he forget this kind of thing? The form of white sugar is similar to that of heroin, with high added value and easy production, and the most important thing is that this thing is still legal and can be sold directly in broad daylight in various big cities.

Ma Cheng visited the sugar factory when he traveled to Hainan in later generations, and remembered the processing and purification steps of white sugar very well, in fact, there was no difficulty, but it was a little difficult to react with carbon dioxide in the later stage.

Carbon dioxide is easy to get, you can find a carbon stove, the key is how to introduce carbon dioxide into the sugar water compound and react with lime water.

Ma Cheng's high school chemistry is okay, although I have almost forgotten it in the past few years at work, but the basic reduction reaction can still be remembered.

Thinking of it, he did it immediately, Ma Cheng returned to his study and picked up the quill pen and began to draw tools, in order to introduce carbon dioxide into the water, there must be pipes, in this era, there are no glass test tubes, there is no way to use iron sheets instead.

Ma Cheng spent a few iron pipes of different shapes on the paper, and then said to Gu Changwei: "You go to the blacksmith in the city in a while, and make a few pipes according to this figure, it doesn't matter if the pipes are thin and thick, the main thing is that they can't be breathable and leaky, you know?" ”

Gu Changwei didn't know why the second master wanted to tinker with this thing, did it have anything to do with selling illicit salt? But the master didn't dare not agree to the instructions, so he had to nod his head to show that he understood.

Ma Cheng thought for a while and then said: "There are also a few large vats, the kind that holds water, and a carbon stove!" By the way, there are also iron pots, lime, etc. to buy some! ”

The tool should be almost there, and the next step is the raw sugar!

"Gu San, do you know that there are sugar sellers in the city?"

Gu Changwei didn't care about these things at home, and asked him if he really didn't know, Gu Changwei thought about it and hesitated and said, "There should be, I saw Gu Yong eat brown sugar again a few days ago, it should have been bought in the city!" ”

It's good to have it, Ma Cheng nodded with satisfaction: "Tomorrow you will buy sugar after you buy these things, what brown sugar and white sugar, as well as the brown sugar you said, buy some back." ”

Gu Changwei heard that Ma Cheng wanted to buy white sugar, and hurriedly said: "Second master, the villain doesn't know what the price of other sugars is, but this white sugar is very expensive, almost a pound of good Western white sugar costs seven or eight dollars of silver!" ”

You must know that in the late Ming Dynasty, in the south of the Yangtze River, taking the local prices in Suzhou as an example, each catty of salt was only about three cents of silver, and brown rice was only a little more than one or two silver per stone. Silver in the Ming Dynasty was very valuable, and Gu Changwei's family of seven or eight people spent only fifty taels a year, about three or four taels per month, and this catty of sugar cost nearly one tael of silver, which ordinary people really couldn't afford to eat. (The prices at the end of the Ming Dynasty here are not fabricated by me out of thin air, but are based on the reference in Song Lizhong's "Leisure and Elegance and Glitz: Daily Life and Consumer Culture in Jiangnan in the Ming and Qing Dynasties", published by China Social Sciences Press in 2010!) ）

Ma Cheng was overjoyed when he heard that white sugar was so valuable, so that his sugar production plan could hopefully succeed. After Gu Changwei finished speaking, he looked at Ma Cheng, and then asked, "Second Master, these things are not cheap, this money... ”

Ma Cheng originally had less than ten taels of silver in savings, but they were all given to Gu Changwei, and now he didn't have a dime in his hand. Ma Cheng frowned when he heard Gu Changwei say this: "My mother promised to give my little sister a hundred taels of silver, you get the money and use this money first!" ”

Gu Changwei was very reluctant when he heard Ma Cheng say this, Gu Xiaomei's money is a dowry, that is Gu Changwei's money, now Ma Cheng, you want to develop your own career but Gu Changwei wants to pay for it, he is naturally not very happy in his heart.

Ma Cheng looked at Gu Changwei's expression and knew what he was thinking, Ma Cheng scolded: "Look at your virtue, this is just a little more money, this hundred taels of silver will be your share, and the master promised that you can share half of the dividends for what you sell in the future, so you are satisfied!" ”

Gu Changwei was not very moved when he heard Ma Cheng say this, and he didn't know if he could make money now, but the one hundred taels of silver he got was really gone. But Ma Cheng is the master, Gu Changwei didn't dare to have any objections, so he had no choice but to agree.

What Gu Changwei didn't know was that the half-percent bonus that Ma Cheng promised him today would make him a wealthy businessman in the world in the future. Of course, having more money is not a good thing, and Gu Changwei's future wealth has also laid the groundwork for his bad luck.

Ma Cheng and Gu Changwei were discussing the details, when the door of the small courtyard rang, and a group of people came in from outside, led by an old man in his fifties.

Gu Changwei recognized this person, and hurriedly stepped forward and saluted, "The old butler is here!" ”

Ma Cheng heard Gu Changwei say this, and knew that the old guy in front of him was Ma Gui, the housekeeper of his family, this Ma Gui was Ma Shiying's scholar when he was a child, and he followed Ma Shiying all his life, and he was the elder of Ma Mansion.

Such a respected old housekeeper is Ma Cheng who has to be respectful, Ma Cheng hurriedly got up and smiled: "Uncle Gui is here, is there anything wrong?" ”

Ma Gui is an old man who is a good man, he has no meat on his body, and when he saw Ma Cheng come out in person, he hurriedly bowed down and said: "Second young master, the old lady ordered to come and prepare for the second young master to take a concubine at night!" ”

After Ma Gui finished speaking, he waved his hand behind him, a servant came over with a tray, and Ma Gui said to Gu Changwei: "Third master, this is the dowry gift from the old lady to your family, fifty taels for your family, and fifty taels for Aunt Gu!" ”

The old lady rewarded one hundred taels of silver, ten catties of silver, one catty in the Ming Dynasty was heavier than a catty in later generations, so these ten catties of silver are probably equivalent to about twelve catties in later generations, which is also very heavy.

Gu Changwei knew that the money was no longer his own, but he was still very excited to see so much silver, so he hurriedly put on the money and reached out to catch it.

Ma Cheng looked at Gu Changwei, who was flushed with excitement, and said, "Gu San, you go out first, remember what the second master assigned to you!" Tomorrow the day after tomorrow, I will send it over after I finish buying! ”

Gu San returned home with a pile of silver, and Ma Cheng began to prepare for the wedding in the evening. In fact, there is nothing to prepare, just replace the bed in Ma Cheng's house with a red bedding, and then change the cloth curtain into red, and light two dragon and phoenix candles.

This busy meal was busy until dusk, and it was also an auspicious time to welcome the newlyweds. Marriages in the Ming Dynasty were all made at dusk, and in later generations, Jiangnan and other places still retained the tradition of marrying at night. After the sun set, a small sedan chair was carried out of Gu Xiying's house, turned around a few times on Fuqian Street in front of the governor's yamen, and then carried it in from the corner gate behind the governor's yamen, and carried it into Ma Cheng's small courtyard.

The Ma family is a concubine, and it stands to reason that there should be Ma Cheng's good friends to support him, but Ma Cheng has no friends at all, so Ma Cheng's small courtyard is deserted.

Ma Cheng is deserted here, but Gu Changwei's house is full of friends, Gu Changwei is Ma Shiying's house slave, and now the daughter of the Gu family has become half of the master of the Ma Mansion, naturally some of Gu Changwei's colleagues and friends came to celebrate, and even Zhang Guozhu, a Chinese officer from the governor's yamen, also came to congratulate in person.

Gu Changwei saw that Zhang Guozhu, who had always been above the top, came in person and hurriedly stepped forward to greet him, and at the same time his heart blossomed, Zhang Guozhu was the deputy chief soldier of a thousand households, and his position was far above Gu Changwei, and he didn't care much about Gu Changwei before, but today he was able to come in person for the sake of his sister Gu Xiying's face.

Gu Changwei ordered more than a dozen tables of banquets in the restaurant in the city, which had been delivered at this time, and they were arranged in a row in the courtyard of the Gu family, and everyone pushed the cups and changed the lamps and began to eat and drink.

In stark contrast to the Gu family, Ma Cheng is here, after Gu Xiying's sedan chair was carried into the hospital, the other idlers had already retreated. Ma Cheng has no friends, the only eldest brother Ma Luan accompanied his father Ma Shiying to Pukou, and there is a younger brother Ma Xi who has always been unfriendly to Ma Cheng, so now there is no one in the outer courtyard except for a Yahuan.

Ma Cheng looked at the girl, who was about fifteen or sixteen years old, and her appearance was ordinary. Ma Cheng asked, "What's your name?" ”

The maid lowered her head and said, "The maid's name is Chunlian, and the old lady asked the maid to serve the second master and Aunt Gu from today on!" ”

Ma Cheng nodded and said, "Okay, let's welcome Aunt Gu off the sedan chair!" ”

Chunlian agreed, lifted the sedan curtain and took out Gu Xiying inside, and then helped the newcomer into the cave room.

Ma Cheng walked into the cave room and looked at Gu Xiying who was sitting on the bed, and then stepped forward and lifted the hijab, revealing Gu Xiying's pretty face.

People are in good spirits on happy occasions, Gu Xiying is not ugly, plus today is her big day, her red cheeks are reflected by red candles, it is really beautiful.

Yahuan Chunlian helped Gu Xiying into the cave room and went out, now there are only Ma Cheng and Gu Xiying in the house, Ma Cheng looked at Gu Xiying and smiled: "Beauty, are you happy today?" ”

Gu Xiying nodded with a red face, then stood up and saluted and said, "Master, the slave family is waiting for the master to go to bed!" Although the two of them already had a skin-to-skin relationship in the morning, saying the words of going to bed in front of Gu Xiying still made Gu Xiying blush.

Ma Cheng was moved when he saw Gu Xiying's red face, and Ma Cheng said with a smile: "Little sister, you and I will play a fun action tonight!" ”

Gu Xiying was even more ashamed when she heard Ma Cheng say this, and asked in a low voice: "Master, but do you want the little sister to do the work for you?" ”

Ma Cheng laughed when he heard Gu Xiying say this: "No need tonight, master, I'll teach you a new posture, the tigress pouts!" ”

Gu Xiying hadn't heard this term yet, Ma Cheng leaned into Gu Xiying's ear and explained again and again, Gu Xiying took a sip in a low voice, then took off his pants and lay on the table.

Seeing Gu Xiying's posture, Ma Cheng's blood was really boiling, and he stepped forward to measure his height, so he had no choice but to bring in a Mazha from the outside, which would be tall enough.

The two fought again, and after the passion, the two hugged each other and slept together.