From Chief to Ball

Chapter 33 Willing to be a match and not being a match

"Junior brother, knowledge itself is sacred. It's also because we don't make much money, so those who learn this are those who really love these things. This is a good thing."

"Brother, all the sacred things are actually the most secular things in the end. The sacredness of blood is not for the sake of the sacred itself, but for the secular benefits it brings. The same is true for knowledge. Isn't it all for the most secular things in the end? When money comes in, fewer and fewer people learn, which is a bad thing.”

Chen Jian asked again: "Brother, did you hear that someone in the capital proposed to cancel the enlightenment education?"

"I heard that a group of people who didn't achieve anything were just talking nonsense. Didn't they get rejected? The people who proposed were also smashed up."

"Brother, have you ever seen a cow slaughtered? The cow weighs nearly a thousand catties, has sharp horns, and the strength of its limbs is several times that of a human. But the man who kills the cow can slaughter it with a knife. Why? Because the rest of the cows did not resist. If a group of cows People don't know whether these cows will resist, and those who want to kill the cows will find someone to try. If the cows don't resist, then the people behind them will rush out and kill them; Thinking that these cows actually resisted and even showed their horns, the person who killed the cow was full of scars, but the person who really wanted to kill the cow knew that the cow could not be killed for the time being, but his mind might not change. There are other ways to kill."

Li Yun frowned. She didn't like how the junior brother compared most people in the ethnic group to cows at the mercy of others, but in fact Chen Jian put it nicely - where is the cow?Where is the cow?At best a flock of lambs.

Chen Jian said again: "If you don't want people to kill cows, the best way is not to tell them that killing cows is not good. Instead, find a way to make cows eat grass and produce milk. If gold can be found in the excreted cow dung, then kill them." Those who are cattle will not kill them."

"Find gold?"

"Yes. If there is an industry that makes millions of gold and silver a year, and it needs people who have at least an enlightened education, what about those who oppose enlightened education? They need people to work , instead of rolling up their sleeves and working on their own. The fewer people who start education, the more coins he has to pay every month. At this time, of course he will support more people to start education. There are ten people, I only If I use one, I will give him a silver coin, and maybe someone else can do it for only two hundred coppers. There is one person, and I only use one, so he wants ten. If he doesn't do it, I may lose thirty."

Li Yun shook her head and smiled wryly: "Junior brother, you don't look like a scholar, but a businessman who is a philistine. You only care about profit."

"It's all about profit, and it's also knowledge. Brother, let me show you something."

Chen Jian bent down, and took out a small wooden stick from a wooden box. It was covered with a layer of small yellow heads, and it was somewhat waxy and rough.

Swipe hard on the cloth, a pungent smell gushes out from the stick, a puff of white smoke emerges, and then burns.

Li Yun looked at the small wooden stick in amazement, and saw that Chen Jian held it upside down and let the flame burn to the fabric, igniting the fabric.

He immediately thought that this kind of thing that can catch fire with a light rub is made of something called phosphorus. By the way, he also thought that if this thing can be made, it can make people no longer use fire sickles and sun flakes. It is very convenient to ignite something like that.

Chen Jian stared at the fire, and said quietly: "Brother, when you see this thing, you can think that this thing can improve the way people light fires. But in my eyes, this is not a good thing, at least not now. .So making it out is meaningless except to win the admiration of others."

"Because this thing is very troublesome to make now, the price is very high. Poor people can't afford it, and rich people don't buy it because they have servants to light fire. People don't have a hobby that needs to be lit frequently. This thing may be written in those brochure, but who will pay attention to it except those who like our subject?"

"If this thing is very simple to make, the price is very low, and it is only a little more expensive than the fire scythe, then it will be different. Even if people don't have a hobby that needs to be frequently wiped, this thing will sell a lot. Then Naturally, more people pay attention, even if they don’t like our subject, they will like the money behind it.”

"The most profitable things now are business, land, and small workshops. These things do not require too many people who have received enlightened education, and the benefits of enlightened education cannot be reflected. But if in the future... I mean the long-term future, maybe Large factories with tens of thousands of people working together appeared, and this one factory may earn more money than one hundred thousand acres of land, so those who have received enlightened education and those who have not received enlightened education They are all in such a factory, which one would the factory owner prefer?"

"If there are more factory owners and the factories generate a lot of wealth, then the voices of these people will be louder. Even if they want more people who can be simply trained and thrown into the factory to work, they will support Kaimeng education. Now maintain Kaimeng education What is educated is just an old habit that has lasted for hundreds of years. In the future, it may not be a habit, but a simple temptation."

"Even if it's impossible now, I want to try it. At least in the future, I can make a voice and tell more people with real comparisons. In fact, there is another possibility—at least, some new things that are very profitable. It takes a lot of people with at least an enlightened education to be good hired hands."

Li Yun stared at the extinguished small wooden stick thrown aside by Chen Jian, and asked half in admiration and half in doubt: "Just this thing that can be ignited when you wipe it?"

Chen Jian shook his head.

Of course it won't be this kind of low-grade matches, which don't have much market nowadays.Tobacco has not been discovered yet, so there is no ready market, and this thing is too troublesome to make.

This is not a white phosphorus match, but a dangerous match made of phosphorus sulfide and potassium nitrate.The carbon dioxide produced by heated limestone is used as the protective gas, and the sweet water in the soap workshop is used as the bottom material of the hot bath. The boiling point is much higher than that of water, so it can provide a stable and relatively high temperature without being too violent.

Peach gum from the pharmacy is used as an adhesive to stick medicinal powders such as phosphorus sulfide and potassium nitrate to the wooden stick. The roots are ignited as a means of showing off wealth.

I didn't know how troublesome it was until I made it myself, and it was only for fame at the time, so that things like phosphorus still have a lot of uses.

Now that the effect is better than I expected, this thing can only be regarded as a gadget, at least it is not very useful to him.

Chen Jian did not explain what kind of workshop he was planning to do, but handed the wooden box containing some dangerous matches to Li Yun.

"I admire him very much, and I hope to learn from him. This is my honor."

"But I have something to do now, so I can't go now."

"Maybe it will fail, maybe it won't work at all, but I still want to try."

"Like these small sticks I named matches, in the dark night, lighting a tree may be blown out by the wind, but it may also be possible to light a bonfire. At least, the moment of burning can make people See hope."

"So I asked my brother to bring this box of matches to my husband, and said... Maybe the wind is too strong, but Jian still wants to make a match and try to light something up."

"If you fail, I hope you don't dislike me, and continue to recognize me as a disciple... It is a good way to enter the academy and be a disciple of a real master. I am a vulgar person, so I don't want to have no way out. This is me I hope Mr. can promise... at least don't give up the opportunity to become his disciple just because I won't go to the academy for the time being."

"I know this request is a bit excessive, but I still hope that the master can recognize me as a disciple who did not go to the academy to study."

After saying this, he made a big gift in the direction of the northern capital.

Calling Senior Brother Li Yun cheeky is cheeky after all, and without Mr. Mu's acknowledgment, Chen Jian would not be Li Yun's real senior brother after all.

Yes or no, that is a big difference. Chen Jian needs more labels on himself, and once he really fails on his side, he can also go to the academy to make some academic voice as soon as possible with the help of the old man's reputation.

Li Yun looked at Chen Jian who was bowing in salute, sighed, and hugged the box of matches that represented hope or dream.

"Junior Brother, I think Mister will agree. Mister is not the kind of person who can't change his mind. I think Mister will hope that this single match, Mr. Brother, can light up many things... Even if one day the fire you lit will shine brighter than Mr. He will only praise and comfort."

"I think, Mister will keep the door for you forever, and won't let you find a warm home after the cold wind extinguishes your hope. It's just... Mr. is getting old, and you have been busy with your affairs for a while. Go and see."

Chen Jian bowed again and said, "Yes, I will go as soon as possible, but I can't do it right now. It's really hard to say, so I ask my brother to convey it for me."

Li Yun nodded, not knowing that Chen Jian's unspeakable secret was actually planning to reap the black-hearted money of those who were deceived by him and who might have lost their families and had nothing to return. If they travel to the capital for too long at this time, they will miss some things.Moreover, Chen Jian also hopes to rely on the tree of Mr. Mu Lao to cover up the darkness that may be discovered by the light on his body-a genuinely recommended school disciple is at least a big name, and it is difficult to put such a People are connected with all kinds of dark things.

"Brother, I still have some immature thoughts, and I wrote them down on paper. This time, when I go back, can I bring these things to my husband, and ask him for advice."

"Of course it is possible. Since you are a master, of course you must solve your disciple's confusion."

A few days later, Li Yun took Chen Jian's request and more than 20 pieces of paper full of words, and took the guess about what Chen Jian was going to do, and set foot on the road back to the north.

Chapter 34 The Old Man Who Lighted a Match

At the end of the year, in the new summer of the capital city, in the school palace.

It was freezing cold, snowing, and already dark.It's the last few days of the year - just a few days before New Year's Eve.

It's dark and cold at night, and it's scary.But for the warm room, it is not terrible, on the contrary, there are bursts of laughter in this room.

Firewood was burning in the stove, and thick candles were flickering, both of which drove the cold and darkness far away.

This is Mr. Mu's room, it is very lively and many disciples are there.

The old man was wearing a pair of well-fitting wool felt overshoes, which were warm, soft and well-fitting. They were hand-sewn by female disciples. He would often feel cold when he was warm, like the bluish-purple shoes filled with cold autumn mud. The feet with prominent blood vessels.

He held a handful of poisonous matches in his hand, and the disciples next to him shouted, "Sir, strike another match, just one more, this little brother made is really interesting."

Mr. Mu smiled and said: "No way, your junior brother said that this thing is poisonous, we should not touch it, it is only used to attract those students to learn our subject, after all, it is very interesting."

"Scratch one, sir, and it will shine when you rub it. What a marvelous thing it is."

Unable to resist the pleadings of his disciples, the old man took one out of the wooden box.

laugh……