Liu Chengdong received a military order from the commander Han Shizhong and led his troops to Huzhou, intending to attack Huzhou with Han Shizhong first, and then divide the troops into two ways to fight in Hangzhou. So Ma Chaobei informed the fleet to return to the ship, and he also rushed to Huzhou with ordnance and dried meat, and his heart was full of thoughts of cutting people and making meritorious contributions.

Northwest of Huzhou, thousands of miles away in Kaifeng.

The Great Xiangguo Temple in Bianjing is famous in the Great Zhou, but when the people of the Great Zhou Dynasty mention the Xiangguo Temple, the first thing that comes to mind is definitely not Buddhism, but the "Three Treasures" of the Great Xiangguo Temple.

First of all, there is the scenery. Daxiangguo Temple began to build a lot from the end of the Tang Dynasty, the stupa inside, the Buddhist temple and the Buddha forest have their own merits, and there are many relics of the senior monks. It is said that the emperors of the Great Zhou Dynasty liked to relax in the Great Xiangguo Temple and understand the Buddha's principles.

Then there's the food. The dim sum of Daxiangguo Temple is popular in Bianjing, up to the emperor Zaizhi, there are gentry and wealthy merchants, down to the peddlers and pawns all like to eat, the taste of hundreds of years of precipitation makes people never get tired of eating. There is also Master Huiming, who has become popular in recent years, actually "kills pigs and preaches the Tao" in Nanxunmen, and can sell tens of thousands of catties of pork every day.

Finally, it is the main source of wealth for thousands of monks and 3,000 monks in Daxiangguo Temple, and the "Ten Thousand Surnames Trading Conference" is held three times a year. When Li Xiang heard the news, he suspected that a traverser was coming to grab a job, and he was apprehensive for a while. But this grand event in Daxiangguo Temple is not what Li Xiang suspected, but a kind of fair, exhibition and trade fair that began to rise in the troubled times at the end of the Tang Dynasty, divided into areas such as home furnishings, jewelry, and strange tricks, as well as all-night opera storytelling and boiling snack restaurants.

The Buddhism of the Great Xiangguo Temple is also counted in the Great Zhou, and thousands of monks are not raised in vain, not to mention that the Great Xiangguo Temple often poachs in other temples, especially the Puhua Temple, which leads to the famous temples around the Great Zhou Dynasty to prevent the Xiangguo Temple like a thief. Today's abbot of Daxiangguo Temple, Master Yuanguang, has made great achievements in the way of wealth and goods, and as for Buddhism, it is a bit ...... Fortunately, Daxiangguo Temple has a deep heritage, and there are several old monks and Yuanguang's junior brother Master Yuanzhi to support it, otherwise we have to start poaching again.

Li Xiang put down the information in his hand, and his mouth was a little unbelievable. Cheng Jianghai, who was busy eating barbecue on the other side, sighed a few times, and then put the freshly cut meat slices on the iron plate, and brushed pepper, spice powder and salt on it.

After eating another big bite of meat, Cheng Jianghai exhaled with satisfaction, "Owner, this charcoal stove is really easy to use, and this secret room is warmer than the room above." It's just how to make the people of the Great Zhou accept it? This is a new thing, if it is promoted too slowly, people from all over the world will start to build it, and the owner's plan will be greatly affected. ”

Li Xiang snorted, admiring Cheng Jianghai's overall view, and then pinched his eyebrows with two fingers, "That's why I asked you to investigate this Ten Thousand Surnames Trading Conference, our breaking point is here, if it doesn't work, you can only find my cheap master...... Mr. Qingshi said that it is good, and it is used by the royal family and celebrities from all over the world, let's promote it well, maybe the effect will be better. ”

Cheng Jianghai was choked, "That's Mr. Qingshi, one of the few great Confucians in the Great Zhou, the owner actually wants Mr. Qingshi to give this ......" Cheng Jianghai was incoherent, and knocked on the black charcoal stove below with chopsticks, "Endorse the charcoal stove?" Then Mingyuezhuang recruited partners in various places, and used these channels to stuff other commercial goods into it, and Mingyuezhuang has been hiding behind to make a lot of money since then? ! ”

However, Cheng Jianghai's discipline cannot be overestimated, "Wonderful! Ming Xiu plank road, dark Chen Cang, not to mention the good name, the big profit is not falling, in the next admiration. I have always believed that doing business is nothing more than buying low and selling high, and then becoming bigger and stronger, and I have never heard of the practice of using a hard currency to attract partners first, let these partners open up the downline, and then hide behind to control these channels. In the end, these channels are used to sell other commercial goods, which is equivalent to preparing business routes, sales channels, store managers and collaborators at once, and you don't have to pay too much money yourself?! ”

The more Cheng Jianghai thought about it, the more frightened he became, he could barely hold the chopsticks, and looking at Li Xiang's gaze was like a ghost. Li Xiang coughed a few times to remind him to keep a low profile, and said in his heart, you have never seen pyramid schemes and telephone fraud, what is so strange about this semi-smuggling practice of borrowing chickens and laying eggs? However, Li Xiang is still a little proud, after all, not everyone has such ideas, courage and overall view.

Li Xiang made an unfathomable expression, and calmly took a sip of tea, "Calm down, I just want to make some money in a low-key way, I want to sell the production of Mingyuezhuang Workshop generously, aren't I afraid of being targeted?" In the end, this approach is just to better hide yourself, and it is just a last resort. ”

Cheng Jianghai hesitated for a while, his face was pale and uncertain, and finally he couldn't help but say: "Has the owner of the village ever thought about ending this rigid Great Zhou?" ”

Li Xiang's hands trembled a few times, and when he saw Cheng Jianghai's eyes full of expectation, he remembered the conversation when he first met Cheng Jianghai. About the Great Zhou, about the clans, about Confucianism, about the gentry, about the cycle of chaos...... Cheng Jianghai's thinking is equivalent to being given wings by Li Xiang, and when he sees a little sprout, the weeds will burn.

Unable to defeat Cheng Jianghai's fiery eyes, Li Xiang had no choice but to say vaguely: "First of all, we must have the power of self-preservation, and it is good to be strong before the situation is clear." Then it is to persuade the Shonai clan and win over the majority of the people. In the end, it depends on the situation of Da Zhou, you can't do it rashly, otherwise how different is it from a butcher? ”

Cheng Jianghai understood what Li Xiang meant, if Da Zhou really couldn't hold on, he could make a move! So he held back his excitement and said in a low voice: "My subordinates have read countless books in the clan, and I privately think that the situation in the Great Zhou is not optimistic, and the uprisings of displaced people in various places are an example. There is also the situation in the north, and the subordinates have the same opinion as the owner of the village, and they also feel that the Jurchen will not let go of the weak Great Zhou after destroying the Liao...... The subordinates believe that only when the owner makes a move, the people of the world can be spared the suffering of troubled times! ”

Li Xiang was so stimulated by Cheng Jianghai, an angry young man, that he couldn't stop coughing, and hurriedly changed the topic, and then the two heard the coquettish laughter from Liu Susu's room diagonally above. Cheng Jianghai was a little gloating, and Li Xiang drank tea depressedly.

Today's wind is strong, and the fallen leaves of Bianjing are flying everywhere. Li Xiang hid in the secret room and talked with Cheng Jianghai, Xiong Chengwu and Yang Yingdong's group of crazy people ran out to shoot arrows, saying that it was rare and windy, and they must hurry up and practice. In this kind of weather, Pujing'an is also a lot more leisurely, Xiao Jianglan is wrapped like a ball, carrying a few bags of dim sum from the back kitchen of Daxiangguo Temple to come to the door, Liu Susu and Ma Rulan pull her to eat fresh charcoal oven iron plate barbecue.

Since Xiao Jianglan appeared, Liu Susu ran to Pujing Nunnery whenever she was free, and Li Xiang said that she was very hurt. There are even more injuries, every time Xiao Jianglan arrives at Ma's house, Ma Chaobei is thrown to his grandparents by Ma Rulan, but Ma Chaobei always wants to be courteous in front of Xiao Jianglan, but Xiao Jianglan always ignores him.

After Jiang Lan's fever subsided, she stayed in the bedroom in Pujing Nunnery for several days before Jiang Zhi allowed her to play at Ma's house. On the surface, it is still the lively and cute little Jiang Lan, but Xiao Jiang Lan doesn't like to be hugged by others, and only hugs her closest sister and aunt.

Jiang Zhi brought snacks for Ma Rulan and Liu Susu, and then went to Ma's house under the protection of several martial artists. A few novices, of course, were treated to meat, and the little monks pretended to shout a Buddha name, and went straight to the kitchen drooling. Xiao Jiang Lan was pulled directly to the inner room, where a middle-aged woman, a seventeen-year-old girl, and a five or six-year-old girl were eating barbecue around the charcoal stove.

Xiao Jiang Lan innovatively put the braised pork on the iron plate to heat, and pressed the meat with chopsticks, listening to the sound of "zizizi", watching the oil and water flow out of the meat in the trembling, and then suddenly picked it up and took a bite. Scalding, Xiao Jianglan put down the meat piece again, and then opened her mouth to eat the vegetables handed over by Liu Susu, at this time, the fresh vegetables in Bianjing are not cheap, and they will be even more expensive in winter.

Ma Rulan touched Jiang Lan's pigtails dotingly, "Your sister Jiang Zhi came back with three hundred people, how can you support yourself?" If you are short of money, just say it and tell your sister not to be reckless......"

Little Jiang Lan puffed out her cheeks and hurriedly shook her head, "Thank you, auntie, Sister Jiang Zhi is very good at making money." After Jiang Lan finished speaking, she raised her little head, her eyes were full of small money, and she looked proud.

Liu Susu was curious, "So powerful?" Then little Jiang Lan said, how does Sister Jiang Zhi make money? ”

Xiao Jiang Lan swallowed the meat slices and gestured with her greasy little hands, "It's that some aunts and grandmothers in big carriages come to eat fast, and Sister Jiang Zhi cooks and recites scriptures to them, and then when the beautifully dressed aunts, grandmothers and sisters go out, they will leave a lot of things." ”

Seeing the incredible faces of Ma Rulan and Liu Susu, Xiao Jianglan became even more proud, and began to count with her fingers, "There are delicious food, beautiful cloth, copper coins, and gold leaves...... But Sister Jiang Zhi only took a little bit each time, and handed over the rest to the nunnery outside the city. ”

Ma Rulan has a good impression of the evil Jiang Zhi, and it is rare to know how to advance and retreat, no wonder she has become the head of a child.

Liu Susu thought of something, "What about those little novices?" Is it also your sister Jiang Zhi to feed? ”

Thinking of the two elder brothers, Jiang Zhu and Jiang Shu, Jiang Lan's little face was a little excited, "The good-looking brother went out to recite scriptures, the strong brother became a warrior monk, and some brothers worked in the backyard...... Jiang Zhu and Jiang Shu's brother are learning martial arts, and they always knock on the door at night, asking Jiang Lan for meat to eat, don't be ashamed to ......" After speaking, he stuck out his tongue, and then drank honey water, and his eyes were bent into crescents.

Liu Susu was dumbfounded, this Great Xiangguo Temple is really amazing, it absorbed more than a hundred small novices so quickly? Ma Rulan had heard some rumors about the fat-balled Yuanguang Master, and she was not surprised by this.

The well-fed little monk went out under the name of the Buddha, and a tall novice picked up the little ginger orchid and covered the little little one tightly with his own robe. Little Jiang Lan poked out half of her little head, waved her sleeves goodbye to Liu Susu and Ma Rulan, and burped.

A few days later, Ma Rulan found Li Xiang, who was reading a letter in the study, "Second brother, is our butcher's shop really going to be set in the middle of Wuji baked cakes and Li's soup and rice?" It's all food that can be taken away, will it affect people's business? ”

Li Xiang asked her sister to sit down, "Sister Lan, I have thought about this matter carefully. First of all, the tavern between the yakiniku shop and the soup restaurant had to be moved, and the store that was left was just right. That place may seem like a desolate little corner, but our main diners in the future, that is, people who are more than enough to be more than above, and many people have to pass through the neighborhood to get in and out of Bianjing, and this is the biggest benefit. ”

"Finally, there is the issue of conflict. Sister Lan must be afraid that our braised pork will squeeze out those two families and leave those two families without food and clothing, right? ”

Seeing that his eldest sister nodded embarrassedly, Li Xiang admired his sister's pure goodness, but also missed his mother in another time and space. Li Xiang explained carefully: "Sister, you might as well change your perspective, it's not just a fight when the shops are gathered together, why can't our Ma family braised pork and the two small shops complement each other?" My sister should have also noticed that the braised pork is wrapped in the pancakes, or served with rice. By the way, little ginger orchid likes to take a bite of meat and stuff a mouthful of rice. ”

Ma Rulan and Li Xiang thought of the greedy little Jiang Lan at the same time, and they didn't know what the little Jiang Lan was doing after a few days. Li Xiang gently swept away the ashes on the charcoal stove, looked at the broken charcoal balls and frowned, and then continued: "I have tasted the baked cakes and soup rice of those two families, and they taste good, but unfortunately they did not make full use of the lot, and the food they provided was not distinctive, and the things that could be made quickly at home were not competitive after all. ”

"What's even more rare is that those two are honest families rooted in Bianjing, and their ancestors have guarded the small shop for generations, and there won't be too much trouble inside and outside the stove."

"So our barbecue restaurant only makes braised pork as a dish, and the baked cakes and soup and rice are taken from these two houses, and the price can be given a little higher, what does my sister think...... Whether the guests eat in the hall or choose to take the meat home, they can't eat it dry, they have to go with something, right? Baked cakes to fight hunger, soup and rice to relieve greasy, plus a few side dishes and pickles, the business of the two will only get better and better. ”

Ma Rulan was very happy after listening to her brother's plan, she had always been worried about threatening the livelihood of other people's families, and she was relieved to hear Li Xiang say this. Ma Rulan suffered a lot in her early years, and after her husband died, she was used to seeing the hot and cold world, and she survived strongly, and she would never accept that she had become that kind of person. It is also for the recovery of Ma Chaobei to accumulate virtue, Ma Rulan often thinks so.

Ma Rulan was embarrassed to accept Zhang Qingping's super high shackles, not to mention that she could teach almost the same, and some sumo sisters who couldn't do it also asked Ma Rulan to find a job, and Li Xiang had to find a way to earn money for her sister. The back house of the Ma family wanted to send a large number of braised pork to Xiangguo Temple every once in a while, of course, it was secretly at night, so Li Xiang had an idea. The monks love to eat, don't the people in the market like it?

In line with the purpose of stability, Li Xiang fell in love with a small remote corner in the southwest of Tianshuijing Street to make a braised pork restaurant, which has both a market and is not easy to be targeted, which is in line with Li Xiang's purpose of making a fortune in a muffled voice. Li Xiang believes that the fragrance of braised pork is enough to open up the market for passers-by, and if it doesn't work, Li Xiang will also use some marketing methods in later generations, and he will not stop until Ma Rulan has a decent entry.

Of course, Li Xiang wanted to pull Ma Rulan into his own and Mingyuezhuang's huge plans, such as the production of charcoal stoves and charcoal balls, and Ma Rulan had an advantage. With Ma Rulan's connections in the forbidden army, she will soon become rich and wealthy, but she politely refused, and Li Xiang certainly would not force it.

Ma Rulan could introduce Li Xiang to her deceased husband's friends and subordinates in the forbidden army, but she vaguely felt that Li Xiang's intentions were not as simple as doing business, so she politely declined the invitation to worship her younger brother. She just wants to raise Ma Chaobei, serve her in-laws well, and live a stable life as a family, which is Ma Rulan's greatest pursuit.