North and South groceries

The warmer the weather, the more lively Chang'an City is. Many people say that this year's Chang'an City is even more lively than in previous years.

Because first, there was the spacious cement road from Chang'an City to Mengmen Pass built by the emperor, and then there was the cement road built by Luo Yong on Guannei Road, which made the north of Hedong Road and the north of Guannei Road wait. It is very convenient to go south.

In addition to the northerners who went south, there were also many merchants in Chang'an who came and went on this commercial road, and brought a large amount of high-quality and cheap cashmere and soap from the north.

There are many merchants coming and going, competition is inevitable, and the profits are relatively not that high, but doing business on such a business road, the safety is relatively more secure, and the various supporting facilities on both sides of the business road are also more complete, food and clothing Degrees are readily available.

Transporting goods on wide and flat cement roads can save a lot of manpower and animal power, which also reduces transportation costs to a certain extent, and correspondingly, commodity prices are also reduced.

Even if the suet soaps from the north were dumped a few times by those merchants and vendors, after they arrived in Chang'an City, their prices would still be a bit cheaper than the local suet soaps in Chang'an.

Now in Chang'an City, there are also some workshops for processing soap and soap. They specially purchase suet soap from the north, and mix it with various spices to make soaps with different fragrances and colors. Such soaps are also popular in Chang'an City. There is a great market, and ordinary wealthy families can afford it.

Speaking of which, in the past days, those foreign Hu merchants came and went to Chang'an City, and most of them were engaged in high-end consumer goods such as spices, ivory and precious metals. It is not something ordinary people can afford.

The reason why this is the case is that on the one hand, merchants seek profits and supply luxury goods to the privileged class of the Tang Dynasty. Of course, they earn more than doing business with ordinary ordinary people. The remote transportation is inconvenient, and the cost of doing business is too high. If you don't waste some valuable things, you won't make any money at all.

In the past two years, due to the improvement of road conditions, this situation has changed a little bit. Things like cashmere sweaters and suet soap are not cheap, but they are generally available for ordinary small rich families. affordable.

Like Luo Yong and their neighbors, many people have Yan Erfei in their homes, and some people have bought cashmere sweaters and pants, most of them have used suet soap, and there are also various commodities from south to north The east and west cities of Chang'an City are crowded with people every day, and there are all kinds of things.

At the beginning of June, the emperor had someone get a batch of canned mutton from a warehouse outside the city and sell it in the eastern and western cities.

Next to the shop selling canned food, there are many peddlers who recycle canned food. Selling a canned bottle to them can get seven or eight yuan.

These hawkers took away the cans, and most of them only used the Eucommia rubber pads inside the bottle caps. They melted these rubber pads to make shoe soles, and made rubber-soled leather boots. A pair can sell for a lot of money.

Nanbei Grocery and Ajie’s Food Store also accept this kind of cans. As long as the jars are intact, they will be recycled at eight cents.

In fact, for Luo Yong and the others, it is more cost-effective to pay half a penny for the jars without rubber pads. After all, their hometown in Xipo Village can produce Eucommia gum, and then they will make the rubber pads themselves. A small rubber pad can't cost six and a half cents.

The price of eucommia gum in Chang'an City is really too high, at six and a half cents, you can almost buy a bucket of corn in Chang'an City, and those vendors are not too expensive for that small piece of rubber pad, and they snatch it up one by one. close.

At this time, Luo used to look back and think about it. Yan Erfei, who bought two batches of eucommia rubber wheels from Lishi County before, is now sold out. Those people bought Yan Erfei and went back to get the wheels. Do you use the eucommia gum on your face?

Tsk, thinking about it this way, I really feel a little uncomfortable in my heart, after all, it is something made by my disciples with hard work.

Speaking of which, in Lishi County now, the Heng's car manufacturing company run by Heng's father and son, and the Yin's wheel shop run by the Yin family have developed very well in the past two years.

Especially the Yin's wheel shop. At the beginning, Mr. Yin didn't really want to own this wheel shop. He thought it would be shameful to provide accessories for the Heng family. Now the development prospects of the Yin's wheel shop are better than that of the Heng's car manufacturing company. better.

The Yin family's wheel manufacturing technology has been continuously improving over the years, especially in the development and research of bearings.

At the beginning, Mr. Yin was fortunate enough to see a sketch about bearings drawn by Luo Yong. Later, they first used wood as bearings, and then switched to ceramics. Now they are slowly developing iron bearings. Skilled craftsmen were invited from other places to go back, and a lot of refined iron was bought. A few days ago, a batch of wheels with iron bearings were manufactured.

When it comes to royal manufacturing, the emperor asked people to dismantle it for research as early as when the first batch of Yanerfei was released. The craftsmen in the palace had already made iron bearings, although the early works It's still a little rough and not refined enough, but their technology has been improving in the past two years.

Time entered the sixth month of the lunar calendar, and the weather in Chang'an City was sweltering, and Luo Yong became less and less fond of going out.

Some people in the West Market sell cold melons, that is, watermelons, which are quite expensive, but Luo Yong and the others like to eat them, so Aunt Luo often buys them for them. On this hot day, she sits in her yard to enjoy the cool and eat a few bites There is nothing more pleasant than cold melon soaked in cold well water.

It's just that this man is sitting at home, with the pot coming from the sky, and Luo uses all his heart to avoid the heat, but some people refuse to call him quiet.

In the afternoon of this day, the emperor and several of his close ministers enjoyed the scenery in the back garden to enjoy the cool air, while discussing state affairs, chatting about gossip, and getting closer to each other.

During the banquet, a minister talked about the wheels produced in Lishi County, and then mentioned that Luo Yong is an extraordinary person, and the technology handed down from him is beyond the reach of ordinary people. Let's look at his actions Style, could it be the heir of the Mohist school?

Mohism was extremely prominent in the pre-Qin period, and it was called the prominent school together with the Yang Zhu school. There is a saying that it is not Confucianism or Mohism. After the Warring States period, it gradually declined, and after the Western Han Dynasty, it gradually disappeared.

At this time in the seventh century AD, the Mohist group was mentioned in the inheritance of many big families. They mastered the most advanced production technology in the society at that time, and had wide support among the people. Their organization and discipline were strict and they were united.

If Luo Yong is from the Mohist school, there are indeed some similarities, especially his behavior of building roads in Guannei Road last year, and this year's deadly confrontation with Prince Gong Li Boyi, which is a bit of "prosperity for the world". , Eliminate the harm of the world".

I heard that Mohists can endure hardships the most. They all wear short brown straw sandals and take self-suffering to the extreme. Although Luo Yong is not to that extent, but he was able to go to Guannei Taoist road for more than half a year at a young age, obviously he is also a person who can endure hardships. of.

"Where is the Mohism in this world..." The person who said this was not without regret in his tone. After all, the Mohism and his party are respectable and admirable people.

"Perhaps it is hidden among the people and it is unknown." Someone said.

"Where does the coffin board have the character of the Mohist?"

"The Mohist puts a lot of emphasis on production, I think he looks like one."

"This Luo Sanlang also has a bit of character. I heard that among the students of the Taixue, there are also those who admire him."

"Why do I listen to those stinky brats scolding Luo for assigning too much homework?"

"There are indeed a lot of homework assignments. I heard that my nephew hasn't gone out for several days, and he does homework every day when he comes home."

"Good thing."

"nature."

"Why is there no homework here at Guozixue?"

"You should go and find Dr. Chen about this matter."

These ministers chatted all the way from the Mohist school to the after-school homework, and then they were followed by someone with a heart, and the topic was brought back: "Don't you think that Luo Yong has some connection with the Mohist?"

"..." The few ministers who ate melons ate melons, and those who admired flowers, the most face-saving, was to smile at him and say nothing.

Who doesn't know that in the Mohist sect, giants are regarded as saints, which are disliked by those in power. To say that Luo Yong is a Mohist is tantamount to telling the emperor that Luo Yong is a hardcore member of a certain organization, and may even be the big boss. It's obviously not safe.

"Although it's a bit far-fetched, and I have nothing to do anyway, if I don't think so, I will ask someone to invite the assistant teacher Na Luo, and I will ask him face to face." The emperor said at this time.

As for Luo Yong's apprenticeship, what kind of people are hiding behind him, the emperor actually sent someone to investigate it early in the morning. Even now, the investigation has not stopped, but there is no progress at all, as if it is really as he said. As I said, after sleeping for half a year, my mind suddenly opened up.

On this scorching hot day, the palace servants rode to Luo's house under the sun, and took Luo Yong, who was sitting in his yard nibbling watermelon after a rare rest, into the palace.

Luo used the busy work before departure, changing clothes and combing hair, hurried to the door, saw the big sun, and turned back to look for the oil-paper umbrella.

"Assistant Luo is alright?"

"Hey, it's alright, it's alright."

"Brother, what are you looking for?"

"Where's my umbrella?"

"I didn't see it, why don't you just take mine."

"Row."

Besides, in the palace, everyone sat in the imperial garden and waited and waited until they were all a little tired and sleepy. Even the emperor regretted why he said to let Luo Yong enter the palace. After all, the palace is so far away from the Luo family. , It takes a while to ride back and forth on horseback.

Just when everyone was sitting more and more bored, a minister saw Luo Yong coming towards them holding a small pink oil-paper umbrella from a distance.

"Is that man Luo Sanlang?"

"I can't."

"Look, who is it if it's not Luo Yong?"

"Tsk, why did you hold such an umbrella?"

Luo Yong also died unjustly, and it was okay to call him into the palace on a hot day, but he was picked on when he first met, it was just an oiled paper umbrella, what a big deal.

"When I went out, I couldn't find my own umbrella, so I used my Qiniang's first." Luo Yong explained to several big brothers.

"You must hold an umbrella?" A certain boss felt that this small pink oil-paper umbrella was simply too shameful.

"It's such a big sun, how can we do without an umbrella." Luo Yong said as a matter of course.It's just a small pink umbrella, what a fart, those men in later generations dare to greet you even with pink leggings.

"It's hot, you can also come to the pavilion to eat a piece of cold melon." The old emperor greeted.

So everyone was eating cold melon again, while talking happily, this time they were talking about the promotion of water conservancy facilities, which had something to do with Luo Yong.

As for the Mohist, no one mentioned it. The topic just now was so stupid. This is a coffin board. It doesn't look like a Mohist descendant.