More than 100 miles southwest of Xiangcheng, on the riverside, several wooden waterwheels "creak, creak" turning, by the river is a seemingly simple farm compound, in the yard separated by the fence wall, there are more than a dozen thatched sheds, barely the fence wall of the house is pasted with yellow mud, and a few chimneys on the thatched shed in the yard are emitting scorched smoke.

Dozens of workers by the river are busy loading a waterwheel with an iron axle wooden wheel on the frame, this is the fourth waterwheel of the Ji Tie Fang, and it is also the first large waterwheel with iron axle.

On the opposite side of this humble "iron workshop", there are some people standing watching the excitement, facing this scene, envious and discussing.

"The ancestral grave of the Xu family is good, make this fortune together!"

"What kind of ancestral tomb is good, it's not a loss to Xiao Xuanzi, this child is so clever, he doesn't smile or talk when he sees people. It's strange that he doesn't care about anything, as long as he falls into his eyes, he will definitely be able to learn. ”

"He has a craftsman's eye in his eyes, and he went to the city half a year ago to deliver goods, and he got this waterwheel back.

"Listen to me, the situation of the Xu family can't last long, no, I heard that Xiao Xuanzi is alive and wants to go outside to read some foreign books!"

While others were boasting about it, although the shopkeeper Xu of the iron workshop had a smile on his face, he stared at Zheng Qixuan, who was standing there and greeting the craftsman tree iron water wheel, but he could sigh helplessly, and then shook his head, with a trace of hesitation in his expression, he looked up at the sky, let out a long breath, and walked towards the iron mill.

Xu Changmao entered the shop, and his wife stretched out her face and asked.

"What foreign books do you really want Xiao Xuanzi to go to Wuhan to read?"

Xu Changmao lowered his head but didn't speak.

"Hmm!"

Seeing that his face was not good, Xu Li grabbed the dry pipe and handed it over, Xu Changmao took it absentmindedly, and took a few puffs.

"It's still what Xiao Xuanzi said, foreigners' things are easy to use, even the emperor likes foreigners' things, no matter what he does in the future, he must rely on foreigners' things, Xiao Xuanzi's child is shrewd, and he can learn things outside."

Xu Li saw what he was talking about, but there was hesitation on his face.

"But you also said that Xiao Xuanzi is inseparable from the shop, if it weren't for Xiao Xuanzi, wouldn't we Xu Ji still be that little iron shop!"

Listening to his daughter-in-law's words, Xu Changmao turned around in place, then turned around and looked at his wife and glanced at him fiercely.

"Women's families, what do you know!"

Xu Li subconsciously covered his face, then looked at her husband, but didn't say anything...... In the afternoon, there was a table of banquets in the hall of the Xu family. The box for delivering food in the restaurant is put aside, although Xu Changmao's house is not luxurious, but it is also a solid household, after all, it is also a merchant family who has been in a blacksmith workshop for decades, and the furnishings at home are naturally considerate.

In the courtyard, Xu Changmao's eldest son sat on a small horse and wrote a big imitation, and the desk was a small stool, looking seven or eight years old. The youngest son is five or six years old and is pumping a spinning top vigorously.

Watching Zheng Qixuan, who had set up the waterwheel, enter the hospital, came to the eldest son who was writing, and touched his head, "Brother, write well, read well." In the future, the Xu family's family business will depend on you! Wait for the future to take the foreign academy exam, get a foreign jinshi, and look ......back."

The eldest son stopped writing and looked up.

"Brother Xuanzi, my father said that as long as there is you in the family, my brothers will have broken arms and feet in this life, and they will not be hungry, and I will go to the foreign school in the future, and I will not be able to catch up with Brother Xuanzi."

Zheng Qixuan smiled, looked at the dishes in the hall, and was stunned at first.

"Your father is angry with you, and you know that you are crazy when you play, and everyone has to sue themselves to understand it. Brother, when you grow up, you will understand that all people rely on themselves. Write well. ”

At this time, Xu Changmao had already walked out of the side room.

"Xuanzi, the waterwheel is ready, let's have a drink!"

Zheng Qixuan hurriedly walked forward.

"Uncle, why are you still inviting me to dinner!"

Xu Changmao smiled.

"In the past two years, if Xu Ji didn't have you, he wouldn't be able to live like this, and the uncle would have to invite you to this meal no matter what!"

Saying that, he lifted the door curtain, and Zheng Qixuan followed Xu Changmao into the house.

Xu Changmao, who is both an elder and the owner of the shopkeeper, naturally sat on the right side and stretched out his hand to let Zheng Qixuan sit on the next chair.

Looking at his seat, Zheng Qixuan said with a smile.

"Uncle, our grandfather and son are a generation apart, I will sit in front of you, so I can pour you wine."

Moved a stool and sat on the corner of the table, close to Xu Changmao, with respect in his words.

Xu Changmao reached out to take the wine jug, Zheng Qixuan grabbed it in front of him, and pressed Xu Changmao's hand.

"Uncle, if it wasn't for you at the beginning, Xiao Xuanzi would have starved to death if I couldn't keep it, and I was busy all day long in the shop, so I could pour a drink for your old man."

As he spoke, he poured the wine, and his expression was very deferential, like a messenger.

Xu Changmao nodded.

"In the past two years, I said that I rewarded you for your hunger, but you also rewarded the Xu family with food, and you are also full, and you respect you as an uncle."

Hearing this, Zheng Qixuan was stunned.

"Uncle, father and son don't sit at the same table, uncle and nephew don't drink together, this rule can't be broken. Drink, uncle, I'll bring it to you. ”

As he spoke, he picked up the wine. Xu Changmao glanced at Zheng Qixuan, sighed, and drank it all.

Zheng Qixuan then poured wine for Xu Changmao.

Xu Changmao took a sip of wine and sighed.

"Xuanzi, we have been getting along for almost ten years, and my Xu family doesn't know which virtue has accumulated in a lifetime, of course, I actually left you in the shop. Obviously a scholar, but you can do work, and ten of your uncles can't catch up with you!"

Shaking his head and sighing.

Zheng Qixuan poured him a full glass of wine before speaking.

"Uncle, I can't talk about my skills, a little blacksmith, what else can I say! I only know that if Uncle Xu hadn't done the good deeds and took me in, I and my mother would have died long ago, so I did my best. ”

Zheng Qixuan's words are powerful, he sells not only strength in the Xu family, but also the kindness of the Xu family in his heart.

Xu Changmao smiled.

"That's what I said, Uncle has delayed your future in this little shop in the past few years!"

As soon as his voice fell, he took out a small stack of banknotes from his arms, all of which were ten yuan a large bill, as many as one hundred and ten, looking at this ticket, Zheng Qixuan glanced at Uncle Xu, and said with some grievances.

"Uncle, you ...... Do you hate me? ”

Xu Changmao shook his head and said while drinking his own wine.

"It's not that I think of you, Xuanzi, your uncle is an understanding person, and he knows that this little shop in Xu Ji can't accommodate your heart, a few times ago, you mentioned that you wanted to learn foreign things in the foreign school, and your uncle thought about it too! In the past six months, how much money has the shop earned, you know, our shop is a list of political axes, packaging materials, a dime of iron lumps, and the calculation of profits, which is more than 50 yuan a day, which is 1,000 taels of yuan, which is considered to be the coil that the uncle gave you! ”

Zheng Qixuan looked at the money, and then looked at Uncle Xu's expression, and drank a glass of wine if he hadn't been drinking, and then put down the glass and said.

"Uncle, I just said casually, I have lost that book for a few years, so what can I go to the foreign school, if it is uncle, you don't think I have no strength, I will do it in Xu Ji in this life!"

Xu Changmao was taken aback, and looked at Zheng Qixuan for a long time and was speechless.

Zheng Qixuan stood up, and then saluted Xu Changmao.

"Uncle, if you don't like me, let's just say so!"

After the meal, when Zheng Qixuan went out of the house, Xu Changmao looked at his back when the door was closed, nodded meaningfully, and said to himself.

"It's only sixteen!"

In the shed, there are six iron furnaces with foreign iron sheets, and there are standard factory iron ingots neatly stacked next to the iron furnace, and anyone can see that this is a simple iron workshop.

"Pyridium, pyridine ......"

The bellows next to the iron furnace do not have an ordinary box puller, but a coarse bamboo stuck on the bellows handle, with the rotation of the waterwheel shaft, relying on the rotation of a few wooden planks to keep pulling the bellows, this small improvement, but save a lot of manpower. The large pieces of iron in the furnace have been red and soft under the action of coke, and workers wearing sweat lapels have iron molds in front of the iron furnaces, and unlike other workshops, they use pincer cast iron hard molds here.

Picking up a fist-sized iron sleeve from the basket, Zheng Qixuan took a closer look, and his expression became ugly.

"There are too many trachoma, the fire can't be heated, this furnace, all smashed, stuffed in the furnace, recast!"

"Xuanzi, why don't we pick another ......?"

Master Wen looked at Zheng Qixuan, who had just been promoted to the shopkeeper, and said a word, everyone knows that this Xuanzi is very careful about life, and he recognizes the original sixteen children's brains, but now that he is the shopkeeper, he is not convinced, and this is the stove trachoma.

"Pick what to pick! I said smash it, smash it, what kind of work is this, in this case, it is embarrassing to pull it out, and it is smashed! ”

Everyone saw that he was angry, although he was young, but after all, he was also the shopkeeper, and they were all a little scared, and the big root on the side stood up and said.

"Didn't you listen to the shopkeeper? Don't hurry up yet! ”

Seeing that the big guys were busy, Zheng Qixuan snorted coldly, stared at Wen Changying there, frowned at first, and then sighed.

"Master Wen, don't blame ......"

In his heart, Zheng Qixuan had already made up his mind to resign from this person.

"Xuanzi,"

Xu Changmao, who had just entered the workshop, looked at this scene and knew that he was afraid that someone was bullying Xuanzi's young age, but he pretended not to see it.

"The owner!"

As soon as he saw the owner come in, Zheng Qixuan's anger decreased a little, and his eyebrows fell.

"Did you read the newsprint?"

"Huh?"

Zheng Qixuan was stunned, he really didn't have time to read the newsprint in a hurry this time.

"The newsprint said, what kind of Iteng Bowen went to Nanjing to sue for peace, and we won't fight in the Northeast...... You say it'......"

Xu Changmao's eyes looked at the baskets of iron sleeves in the yard, as well as the wooden sticks and sticks piled up like a hill over there, what is this iron thing used for, but he knows that it is all for the front line to fight, and if there is no war ahead, Xu Ji's business ...... As soon as he heard the news, Zheng Qixuan didn't think about anything.

"Uncle, it's okay, don't listen to the nonsense on the newspaper, this was all the news five days ago, yesterday, Section Chief Chen in the county, didn't you send us a list of 30,000 yuan this month!"

"Then there was peace and negotiation, and there was a ceasefire, then ......"

"Uncle, soldiers are not tired of deceit, who can negotiate with their mouths."

(To be continued)