Cutting over the end of the Ming Dynasty: a dog-leg knife at the beginning

Chapter 193
Cheng Ji originally recuperated from his injuries in Qianhu House. After he recovered from his injuries, he moved out. He spent his own money to buy a small house next to Qianhu House and decorated it casually.Wuyang Qianhu House has only been prosperous for a few months. The conditions are average, so naturally you can't expect to find a good house there. This house is quite ordinary, and there are only a few servants.But Cheng Ji didn't care. He was still in the entrepreneurial stage and had to go all out to work hard. Moreover, there were too many opportunities in front of him. He really didn't have the time or interest to pay too much attention to it. It would be nice to come home after a busy day. Have a nice hot meal, and then take a bath in the newly opened luxury bathhouse. While taking a bath, you can exchange experiences with businessmen who are also working hard in Wuyang and talk about business matters. It will be a very busy day. Enriched.

The old servant Cheng Zhong had been waiting at the door for a long time, and when he saw him coming back, he immediately went up to meet him, pointed at the ashes on Cheng Ji's body and shouted in surprise, "Master, you... have you fallen into the chimney?"

Cheng Ji said: "That's not true, I just made it when I was watching the iron making in the iron factory... Uncle Zhong, do you know that the blast furnace made by Mr. Yang can really make iron, and the first furnace made a piece of iron?" Ten thousand catties of iron!"

Cheng Zhong was taken aback: "Ten thousand catties of good iron was smelted in the first furnace? Master Yang is really amazing. No matter what he wants to do, he can always achieve great success. It's amazing!"

Cheng Ji said: "That's right! He said that he would give me half of the iron and let me sell it as an agent. I have long wanted to get involved in the iron and steel business, but I haven't been able to find an opportunity. Now it's all right, and the opportunity will come to you Already!"

Cheng Zhong was sincerely happy for him: "That's great, young master, you've worked hard for so many years, and you've finally made it through... By the way, young master, the master is here!"

This time it was Cheng Ji's turn to be surprised: "Father is here!? When did you arrive?"

Cheng Zhong said, "I just arrived a few hours ago."

An old voice came from inside: "Is Ji'er back?"

Cheng Ji responded hurriedly: "Dad, it's me who's back!" He patted the ash on his body, straightened his clothes, and walked in quickly.

In the small living room, an old man in a blue uniform was sitting there drinking tea.This old man is about sixty years old, his face is full of wrinkles, his beard and hair are grizzled, and he is kind-hearted. His clothes are cut out of high-quality silk and satin, which are gorgeous and generous. The clothes are extremely valuable overseas.Sitting on his left side is a man in his 30s. He is tall and dressed in white clothes. He looks good, but his eyeballs are spinning a little too fast, and he is shrewd. It is best to be careful when dealing with him. One point; an eighteen or nineteen-year-old girl is admiring a landscape painting with her hands behind her back.She is wearing a light yellow dress. She is a little over 1.7 meters tall and quite outstanding. Her long hair reaches her waist, her fingers are habitually twisted together, and her oval face is clear and light. The one who looks more and more beautiful the more you look at her, with sharp eyes and thin and delicate lips, like cherry petals. You can tell at a glance that she is a well-spoken person.It wasn’t long before the Cheng family made a fortune. The old man Cheng Shi was 14 years old and went out to work with his fellow countrymen. He started as a boy in the grain store, step by step, and worked hard to save more than 20 taels of property. The next three children, the eldest son Cheng Jun, the second son Cheng Ji, and the youngest daughter Cheng Qi, are considered sparsely populated in a big family with more than a dozen children at every turn.The old man withdrew from the business world ten years ago and divided the property into three. The eldest son inherited most of the property, and good grain stores and sources were given to him. Running around in search of new food sources.As for the younger daughter, she also received 3 taels of silver. It was a loss, and giving too much would only be an advantage to her husband's family. 3 taels of silver was enough.Cheng Qi obviously doesn't plan to marry so early. She usually helps Cheng Jun manage the accounts, and she has accumulated some experience. Now she is planning to use the 3 taels of silver as the capital to open a silk shop, but the location and supply of goods are not yet available. There is no whereabouts, and the two eldest brothers have to fight guerrillas.When Cheng Qi heard footsteps, she immediately turned around and saw Cheng Ji running in covered in charcoal ashes. She pursed her lips and smiled: "Brother, why did you become like this? Did you fight with the Stove Lord?"

The old man put down his teacup and looked at his son, good guy, no part of his body is clean!He frowned and said, "Ji'er, you have some status anyway, but you are so sloppy, what's the matter?"

Cheng Ji saluted respectfully, and said, "I just came back from the ironworks, and I got all covered in ashes and didn't have time to wash...Father, brother, third sister, why are you here?"

Cheng Jun snorted and said, "Let's come and see if you have been cheated out of your fortune!"

Cheng Ji was startled: "Brother, what do you say?"

Cheng Jun said: "Are you really confused or are you pretending to be confused? Look what nonsense you said when you wrote home. The potato yield in Wuyang is more than [-] dan per mu, and you are inviting fellow villagers to come to Wuyang to invest and set up factories. You Are you crazy? How can there be an acre of land in the world that can produce twenty shi of grain?"

It turned out to be the case.Cheng Ji smiled and was about to speak, when Cheng Qi also complained: "Second brother, you are doing too badly. Last year, you sold all the grain shops that were running well last year, and returned the funds. , We thought that something serious happened to you, and we were worried, and none of the letters we wrote home in the past few months were reliable, do you want everyone to worry about you?" Her tone She is much gentler than her eldest brother, and obviously she has a better relationship with her second brother.

Cheng Shi frowned and said, "Second brother, I know your business is difficult, and you really hope to get ahead. I can understand your feelings for my father, because my father also came here like this! But you can't..."

Cheng Ji said in his heart: "It seems that he came here to inquire about the crime." That's right, in the past few months, he sold the store to get back the funds, and spent tens of thousands of taels of silver in this small place of Wuyang, and he continued to invest more. The series of almost crazy actions frightened the family members. People from all over the world said that the Cheng family's second child must be crazy, or his brain has burned out!It is reasonable for the family to worry.With a warm heart, he said with a smile: "Father, brother, third sister, don't worry about it, I know what I'm doing!"

Cheng Jun said angrily: "Do you know what you are doing? I don't think you know what you are doing at all! You actually spent tens of thousands of taels of silver in this remote village, and you want to drag everyone to throw money together. Are you crazy? Already!"

Cheng Ji said: "Brother, let me change clothes first and then explain to you, okay?"

Cheng Ji's body is very dirty now, and it doesn't look good to force him to talk here, Cheng Ji snorted and agreed.Cheng Ji bowed to his father, and quickly walked into the back hall to take a bath and change clothes.Cheng Jun picked up the teacup and wanted to drink it, but when he saw the poorly made tea set, he lost interest again, put it down heavily, and said, "I really don't know what kind of evil my second brother has, he has lost his entire fortune here, and he even got along with a gang of teacups." Poor military households are mixed together!"

Cheng Shi closed his eyes and said, "He just wants to stand out too much..."

Cheng Qi sat down and said in a manly voice, "Father, elder brother, I don't think the second brother seems to be lying."

Cheng Shi snorted, "How do you say?"

Cheng Qi said: "I came along this way, and I saw that the wheat seedlings in the wheat fields along the way were either dry and yellow or were dying of insects, but most of the wheat fields in Wuyang County were green and verdant, and there were waterwheels and bamboo canals. It is rare in other places to transport water in the wheat fields! Wuyang County and Qianhusuo are densely populated and crowded with merchants, which is not seen in other counties in Nanyang. It can be seen that Wuyang County does have its unique features. Furthermore, in the Battle of Shahe in Wuyang Qianhu in July last year, four thousand bandits were wiped out in one battle, and the bandits around Nanyang fell upon hearing the news. It is not easy to find such a stable and densely populated place in the north, and the second brother probably has his reasons for investing heavily here."

Cheng Jun thought for a while and said, "Even if this is an emerging food source, he doesn't have to invest his entire fortune in it, right? He can just come over and buy it when he sees a good harvest. Why tie himself to this land?" together?"

Cheng Qi said, "I don't know about that."

Cheng Shi pondered and said: "My little sister is not unreasonable... Let's listen to what the second child has to say, maybe this is really an opportunity..."

Cheng Jun stopped talking.He couldn't believe in his heart how valuable this ghostly place could be, it was worth investing tens of thousands of taels of silver, and the second child was still too young.

At this time, Cheng Ji had already showered, changed into clean clothes, and was preparing meals.Huizhou people are out all year round for business. It is normal not to go home for three to five years. Some people get married in a hurry and go out before their honeymoon is over. They come back after more than 20 years, just in time for their sons to get married or even their grandchildren to be born. , it is rare for the family to get together, so naturally they have a happy meal.Cheng Ji's servant cooked several delicious dishes, ordered a pot of noodles, and served them deliciously. He first served a bowl of noodles for Cheng Shi, and then another bowl for his elder brother and younger sister. He said with a smile: "People in the Central Plains like noodles. , I’ve been here for a long time, and I also like noodles. Come on, let’s eat while it’s hot, and we’ll talk while eating.”

Cheng Shi picked up the bowl, picked up a few noodles and put them into his mouth to chew. Hey, the noodles are mellow and attractive, smooth and refreshing, soft and chewy, which is quite different from the noodles he has eaten before.Cheng Ji added a little more chili powder to his bowl, and mixed it again, the color was bright and spicy, and his saliva came down just by smelling it.Cheng Qi added some chili powder to the noodles according to the gourd painting ladle, and after taking a bite, her face turned red, she kept breathing hard, and kept shouting: "Delicious, delicious! I have never eaten such delicious noodles! "

Cheng Shi was a little surprised and asked: "Second brother, what kind of noodles are these? Why is it different from other noodles?"

Cheng Jun chewed slowly, savoring: "Soft, elastic, chewy, spicy, and a unique flavor, as for what it is, I haven't tasted it yet..."

Cheng Ji said: "This is potato noodles. Select high-quality potatoes and beat them into flour, and add a small amount of flour. It has a unique flavor and is very popular."

Cheng Shi stopped his chopsticks: "Is it the kind of potato powder you mentioned that has an yield of more than [-] shi per mu?"

Cheng Ji said: "Yes, it's that kind of potatoes. Last year, the Wuyang Qianhu Institute planted 80 mu of potatoes, and harvested more than 60 shi of potatoes. Turn them into potato noodles, and then sell them at seven renminbi per shi, and after excluding all costs, you can make a net profit of three renminbi per shi, with a profit of more than [-] taels."

Those three were all dumbfounded. They stopped their chopsticks and looked at Cheng Ji, especially Cheng Shi, their beards trembling.He worked hard all his life and only earned two hundred thousand taels of silver. The second child earned 10,000+ taels a year, which is too scary!Cheng Jun looked at the noodles in the bowl, then at Cheng Ji, and stammered, "Really... can it really produce more than 20 stones per mu, and can it be processed into noodles?"

Cheng Ji said: "It's true! This year Master Yang planted another [-] mu of potatoes, which is still the same. Two-thirds of the [-] mu of potatoes were sold to me. Last year, I spent money and worked day and night to build warehouses and potatoes. It’s a processing factory, in order to catch up with the progress, I don’t hesitate to pay the craftsmen double wages, just to finish the work before the potatoes are harvested!”

Cheng Qi asked: "Then how much money did you invest, second brother?"

Cheng Ji shrugged and said, "The construction of warehouses, factories, and sulfuric acid plants, plus the recruitment of a large number of workers, basically put all the money earned last year into it."

The family of three were dumbfounded again.This is not doing business, it is obviously throwing money, and it is tens of thousands of taels of 10,000+ taels, it is scary to death!

Cheng Qi managed to squeeze out a smile: "Fortunately, if this year's potatoes can produce such a high yield, then 10,000+ taels of silver can be earned back soon." Although she has never done a grain business, she also knows the current grain supply The gap is very large, as long as you can get it out, you don't have to worry about not being able to sell it.

Cheng Ji said: "Yes, 60 shi potatoes were processed into more than 50 shi potato noodles, all of which were sold out half a month ago, and they are very popular, so I am not afraid at all that I will not be able to recover the cost."

Cheng Shi put down his chopsticks and said, "Second brother, tell me why the harvest of potatoes is so high. I remember that they were grown in other places, but the yield was very low..."

Cheng Ji said: "It's a long story. When talking about this potato, I have to mention Yang Qianhu from Wuyang Qianhu Office, Mr. Yang!" After hearing that Cheng Ji was robbed by bandits, Yang Menglong personally led troops to suppress the bandits, snatched back 6 taels of silver, and returned a lot of money to Cheng Ji. During a series of feats such as building waterwheels and eradicating locust plagues, Cheng Qi's eyes sparkled and she praised her, while Cheng Jun kept her mouth shut and said nothing, except envy or envy...

(End of this chapter)