whale wave

At the turn of spring and summer, the kapok in the Mu Zongyuan had not yet been opened, Zhao Yichun held a banquet in the courtyard, and present were his two sons, friends and disciples of the clan, and two retainers.

Zhao Yousheng and younger brother Youqing were invited to participate in the banquet, and they sat with Zhuang Kun and Zhuang Die.During the banquet, singing and dancing added to the fun, and the guests talked about light and interesting things. Only one member of the clan mentioned that the enemy army was pressing down on the border and that there would be another big battle. His words were quickly drowned out by other words.

As the eldest sons, they should not talk about state affairs, not to mention wars, and the enemy soldiers often invaded in the past, and never endangered the south. In short, the state affairs are decided by someone in the court.

After the banquet, most of the guests dispersed, only a few people were left to watch the fish in the courtyard pavilion. You Qing and Zhuang Die fed the fish. Zhao Yousheng was called aside by Zhuang Kun. A letter from my father from the capital.

After Zhao Shilang returned to Beijing, he had correspondence with Zhao Yousheng. They had a deep friendship, old and young, and they were regarded as friends who had forgotten their age.

With green willows blowing on his face, Zhao Yousheng stood under the pavilion, calmly said to Zhuang Kun: "I received a letter from my patriarch the day before yesterday, which was consistent with what Duanhe wrote, saying that the enemy's soldiers were [-], and they were approaching Longlin City. Many ministers advocated a peace negotiation."

Duanhe went to the capital in late spring, saying it was a study tour, and also to prepare for this year's imperial examinations. He was in the capital and well-informed, so he often wrote letters to inform his friends about things in the capital.

Zhuang Kun scolded: "A bunch of idiots! They want to negotiate peace before the war begins!"

If he could lead his troops to the battlefield, he would definitely kill all the enemy soldiers. It's like this group of scholars who are afraid of death, they tremble when they hear the enemy's attack.Even if you want to negotiate a peace, you have to fight a few hard battles before you have the confidence to negotiate.

Zhao Yousheng said calmly: "The Tai students are jointly asking for a war, and we can't negotiate a peace."

"In my opinion, the treacherous prime minister should be asked to lead the troops to guard Longlin City. It's not that he excludes the talented and promotes all the idiots. How dare the northern soldiers invade!" Zhuang Kun is still very concerned about current affairs, and he can't wait to mention the traitorous prime minister Ma Renyi Kill them quickly.

"Brother Zhuang Kun, it's about the survival of the country, so don't be angry." Zhao Yousheng's words were serious.In the previous life, Prime Minister Ma led the troops to enter Longlin City. However, he knew nothing about military affairs and commanded blindly, which directly led to the fall of Longlin City.

Zhuang Kun calmed down, but stared at Zhao Youcheng with a strange look, and lowered his voice: "Yousheng, did you have me in that ominous dream of yours?"

About Zhao Yousheng had an unlucky nightmare, originally only Zhao Shilang knew about it, but later Zhao Yousheng told them that one was Zhuang Kun and the other was Duanhe.In the eyes of outsiders, his dream is extremely strange, and now the enemy country has sent a large army to attack the frontier fortress, approaching Longlin City, maybe the dream has come true.

"No." Zhao Yousheng didn't intend to tell the truth to his old friend.

In the previous life, the eldest son who was deceived into the official shipyard was unarmed, but he and Zhuang Kun took away the soldiers' weapons and resisted. It was because they stopped the soldiers that they gave Zhuang Die and Duanhe the chance to escape by jumping out of the window. Still completely wiped out.

Zhuang Kun seemed to sigh. He patted Zhao Yousheng's shoulder and muttered: "Brother Yousheng, I didn't mean you. Don't dream about it if you have nothing to do. It's scary."

Zhao Yousheng also patted his old friend on the shoulder and said, "It's just a dream, don't take it seriously."

I hope this will be a nightmare that only I have experienced. Two years later, the old friends who are still alive can use this ineffective dream to make fun of him for scaremongering.

At dusk, Zhao Yousheng will be called away by the chime, and the two brothers bid farewell to Brother Zhuang Kun. They leave the house and walk under the kapok tree, which is in full bloom.The chime kicked away a kapok flower on the ground, and asked: "Brother, is the kapok edible like the epiphyllum?"

"I heard that Cantonese people eat kapok, but they need to be dried and cooked, otherwise they will suffer from diarrhea."

In the eyes of the younger brother, the elder brother simply knows everything. He gave the elder brother a look of how powerful you are, and climbed the branches from the chime, picked three kapoks and put them in his pocket, saying that he would take them home and cook them for the cook.

A few days later, the news of the imperial court increasing troops to Longlin City reached Quandi. It was not Prime Minister Ma who commanded the army, but an old general who had once guarded Longlin City.I heard that the old general and Prime Minister Ma had always had a grudge, and at first they refused to go to the battle, saying that they were too old to use. Later, they did not know who would advise the emperor, so the emperor ordered Prime Minister Ma to invite him in person.

I also heard that because of the emperor's order, Prime Minister Ma begged the old general to come out of the mountain, wishing he could kneel down and beg for mercy, which is also a very happy thing.

On the bamboo sieve, the kapok that has been dried is torn into several pieces by a pair of delicate hands, washed with clean water, and put into the pot for soup.When the Kapok Pork Bone Soup was brought to the dining table, the lid was lifted, and the aroma was tangy. Everyone praised the cook for her excellent craftsmanship.

In Zhao Yousheng's consciousness, the bright red kapok was like bloodstains after a killing. Since then, the bloody image has turned into the delicacy in his family's bowl.

In summer, the ginkgo trees in Nanxi are verdant and dotted in the village. Far away from the village's mountains and forests, there are often fireworks, which are the firewood smoke from the pottery workshop.

In the mountainous forests of Ning County, the most indispensable thing is pottery clay and trees. The pottery workshops are built along the streams and mountains, there are large and small, and there are countless small ones, like stars, built at the foot of the mountain. Only the dragon kiln is built according to the mountain. It pours straight down, like a crouching dragon, with a magnificent momentum.

Yu Entai's family has a dragon kiln, and his family is also a well-known wealthy businessman in Ning County. It is not difficult to find Yu's family. Just ask anyone on the roadside and they will be able to show you the way.

Zhao Yousheng was not in a hurry to ask for directions. He sat on the pavilion where passers-by had a rest and talked with a passing porter. The servant was making tea under the pavilion, and the sound of cicadas was heard in his ears.

Even though he was a humble and poor porter, Zhao Yousheng still treated him kindly and asked his servants to pour him a bowl of tea to cool him off.The porter drank the tea, wiped off the sweat from his forehead, thanked Zhao Yousheng, and took up the heavy burden to leave.

Zhao Yousheng saw the porter staggering away, bowed his head to bring tea, before drinking, he saw a rich man hurried over with two servants, he saw Zhao Youcheng drinking tea on the pavilion, and called him excitedly: "Brother Zhao! It's really you! "

Zhao Yousheng smiled and beckoned him to sit down, and asked the servant to pour him a bowl of tea. Brother Yu didn't want to drink tea, so he hurriedly dragged his friend to invite him home.

The two talked while walking, and Zhao Yousheng asked him why he was not in Xihua Academy, but in his hometown in Nanxi.Brother Yu said that it was because there was a Beijing official from the same village who went out with the army, but unfortunately fell into the hands of the enemy and was brutally killed.When the news of his death came back to his hometown, the whole family cried for half a month, and everyone said that if they didn't become officials, they wouldn't die.

"My father was afraid that there would be many wars nowadays, and it would be easy to lose his life as an official, so he sent someone to Xihua Academy to call me home, saying that he would stop studying and do business at home."

Brother Yu was all smiles. He had never been interested in obtaining fame and fame, and felt that Han Chuang's hard study was pure self-torture.

"It doesn't suit Brother Yu's wishes." Zhao Yousheng knew that Brother Yu, like him, was not bound by common opinions and constraints.

I have to say that Yu's father is quite far-sighted. Sometimes businessmen can see the changes of the current situation better than courtiers.

"Just talking about my business, Brother Zhao wrote in the letter that he wanted a ship dealer for buying a ship, isn't he trying to scare me?" Brother Yu received a letter from Zhao Yousheng the day before yesterday, in which he said that he had a sea-going ship and needed it. Purchase export ceramics.At that time, Brother Yu was very surprised after reading the letter, because it is not easy to engage in maritime trade, Zhao Yousheng is also talented, and he is not from a maritime business background, how could he do such a business.

"I think it's true." Zhao Yousheng's words were precise.

Brother Yu was amazed, and asked which channel his ship planned to take. Zhao Yousheng said that he planned to sell Bin Tonglong.Brother Yu said that there are many sea merchants who come to order from his Dragon Kiln every year, but it is rare to hear that there are sea merchants who come to Bintong Long to do business.

Zhao Yousheng said with a smile: "Bin Tonglong sells very well the utensils made by the Meiwan pottery workshop, such as brown-glazed pots and grape plates. Most of the sea merchants who go to Bintong Long to do business place their orders in Meiwan."

"Brother Zhao, don't you want to go far away?" Brother Yu has heard of Meiwan. The export ceramics produced there are more famous than those in Ning County, and it is next to Quanzhou Port. The fired ceramics are transported to the seaport by water, and can be installed on the same day Shanghai ship, very convenient.

"No, pots, pots, and dishes are daily-use utensils. Many sea merchants are already selling them. I don't have to compete with others for business." Zhao Yousheng has his own opinion. He will not sell hot-selling items. The ability to compete with the Liu family.

"It's true." Brother Yu rubbed his chin. His family is a businessman, and he knows the business well. He asked, "I wonder what kind of goods Brother Zhao wants?"

The two had arrived at the foot of the mountain before they knew it. Zhao Yousheng looked up and saw the black smoke rising from the woods. It was the fireworks from the kiln. He pointed upwards and said, "Go and see first."

Zhao Yousheng was not in a hurry to place an order, this trip was just to have a look, and when Fan Touli came back, he would make the purchases himself.Fan Touli is from Bintonglong, so he should know what kind of utensils the local rich families need.

Brother Yu took his friends around his pottery workshop. Seeing that Zhao Yousheng was very interested in pottery workshops, he called the old craftsmen and asked the craftsmen to tell his friends about the craft of pottery making, and introduced several popular utensils and selling items. What countries are they?

Zhao Yousheng chatted happily with the craftsman. He is familiar with overseas countries and knows a lot about pottery making. He speaks clearly and logically, and Brother Yu who is listening is very surprised.After being in the same class with Zhao Yousheng for a year, Brother Yu already felt that he was not an ordinary person, and what he saw today deepened his thinking.

In Taofang, Brother Yu said that Zhao Yousheng was his classmate, and did not reveal his identity. The craftsmen saw that they had a good friendship, and that Zhao Yousheng knew business, so they really thought that Zhao Yousheng was also a businessman.

In the afternoon, Zhao Yousheng went to Yu's house. Brother Yu truthfully told Father Yu that this person was the eldest son he met in the academy. Father Yu was so enthusiastic and frightening that he wanted to call a lot of people and hold a lively banquet, but Brother Yu tried his best to stop him.

Brother Yu is free and easy, unrestrained and unconcerned about small matters, but he has a wealthy, ostentatious father, which is really helpless.

Escaping from a large group of relatives at home, brother Yu took Zhao Yousheng, who was almost surrounded by crowds, to his quiet summer residence, where they drank and chatted at night.

As in Xihua Academy before, brother Yu drank too much and talked too much. Zhao Yousheng heard him rambling, saying that although he didn't want to take the imperial examination, he wanted to go to the capital to see the world; Anyway, there is an elder brother inheriting the family business, so one day he packs his bags and hides on Zhao Yousheng's boat. Isn't it beautiful to travel thousands of miles overseas.

"Okay, okay, my boat is still small, you have to sleep on the boat." Zhao Yousheng was in a really good mood when he was rarely humorous.

Brother Yu was drunk, hugged Zhao Yousheng's arm, and said to him: "Old Zhao, how can you be so dishonest! You will be bitten by lice and fleas when you sleep in the bunk, and I also heard that boatmen have the habit of Longyang..."

He lay down on the ground drunk, and it didn't take long to hear his snoring, the wine was still the same as before.

Zhao Yousheng drank alone, admiring the courtyard under the moon, the sound of insects chirping, and the fragrance of jasmine. A young and slender ginkgo tree hid in the corner of the courtyard, casting a long shadow.

"Longyang's obsession..." Zhao Yousheng recalled this word, his heart was very quiet, as peaceful as the moonlight.

I don't know if Xiao Yu is asleep in Quancheng at this time?

In Nanxi, how could I not miss him.

The author has something to say: ———————————

Brother Yu many years later: So Brother Zhao became a ship dealer because of his obsession with Longyang.

Zhao Yousheng: You know too much.