Dominate the Country

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The Chen family has been in a low mood these two days. The day before yesterday, Qi Jiyuan's good news had been delivered to Raoshan Town, with gongs and drums all the way, and the red auspiciousness made everyone envious. From the mouths of these messengers [people who reported good news to people who got official positions, promotions, and passed exams in the old days and asked for rewards], everyone knew that Lushan County seemed to have such a person who passed the self-examination this year.

Then everyone continued to wait for a day, and this "seemed" almost became a certainty. Chen, who had just gained fame and fortune in Lushan County for bone china and flush toilets in the past two months, was embarrassed. This mistress of the house is not careful with her words... It's really hard to say.

No one knows that Gao is happy with this "humiliation". She has become a joke in the whole Lushan County, and Chen Hui has also lost face, but what about Chen Gang? Isn't that even more shameless and discredited?

Although this matter is a hot topic, it really has little influence. Just look at the fact that the Chen family and the Li family have been asking for betrothal gifts and asking for names at an unusually fast pace in the past few days, which can prove this point. If the Chen family's reputation is really bad, will the Li family be so warm?

Taking off the melon-shaped hat, Liu Wu took it over at the right time, and Liu Wen stood aside respectfully. He arrived in the county yesterday, but did not dare to step into the gate of the Chen family. After telling Liu Lao at the door, he went to this small inn not far away and asked for a room.

"Liu Wen, young master, I have two things to tell you. First, go and ask me about the little sister of the Li family. I want to know her appearance and personality; second, this is it, you go back to the farm to recruit people for me. Recruit as many people as you can who are over 12 years old and under 20 years old and are willing to eat a bowl of rice from my Chen family."

With the hydraulic forging hammer and the new iron-making blast furnace, the Chen family's secret business will expand many times. Chen Ming needs to cultivate a group of real people from now on. Not a member of the Chen family, but one of Chen Ming's own people. Recruiting people from one's own tenants is the most normal and common phenomenon in this era. If it weren't for the sake of "safety" and not wanting to be too unexpected, Chen Ming would have wanted to directly select people from the young beggars, and then ask the human traffickers to help.

There are not two or three hundred beggars in the whole Lushan County, but there are hundreds of them, including some beggars who are a few years old or ten years old. There are also many children in their early teens in the hands of human traffickers. Many families like to buy servants who are younger and easier to be trained.

Liu Wen was very surprised. Who is willing to eat a bowl of rice from the Chen family? Who in the whole farm is not eating a bowl of rice from the Chen family? He knew what Master Ming meant very well, that is, from tenants to servants. The old Chen family treats servants kindly, look at Liu Wen's own treatment, 20% of the rent, how many families in the whole Ruzhou can have it? They are all jealous.

The Chen family has three farms, big and small, who doesn't dream of entering the gate of the Chen family?

Liu Wen understood that he had received the message. As long as he returned to the manor and shouted, all people of the right age would flock to him. It was not difficult at all.

Then such people could enter the gate of the Chen family, so Liu Wen, as the leader, could also enter?

The six or seven taels of silver he earned by running to Kaifeng City for Chen Ming had already fascinated Liu Wen. He now wanted to serve Chen Ming wholeheartedly, without regrets.

Coming out of the small inn, Chen Ming had already put on a small melon-shaped hat on his head. Without this hat, he was really ashamed to see people. An enlarged version of the golden rat tail, what the hell does it look like? It's disgusting.

But Liu Wu beside him didn't think it was ugly at all. From the moment he was born, he saw this small braid, and he had become accustomed to it. Chen Ming went straight to the old Chen family pig iron shop on Chengxi Street, which was the only iron shop of the Chen family in the county. Scissors, kitchen knives, axes, iron pots, shovels and the like are all sold here.

Chen Ming came here today because this pig iron shop received a batch of goods that have special meaning to Chen Ming yesterday afternoon. The first batch of kitchen knives and axes made by the Chen family using hydraulic forging hammers were transported from Xiaonangou to the city through Tumen Market.

This batch of goods is of extraordinary significance. For the Chen family and Chen Ming, it represents an epoch-making innovation. Chen Ming must see it with his own eyes and listen to the evaluation of the masters in the pig iron shop on this batch of goods, so that he can have a bottom line in his heart.

Yesterday, the Chen family also received a letter from the second uncle, who was full of confidence in this batch of goods, saying that the quality is very good, and the hydraulic forging hammer is like a flower, saving labor, time and materials. Even though the old man was very unhappy in the past two days, he smiled at Chen Ming at dinner in the evening.

However, Chen Hui's "heart" has not changed much, and he still believes that the wealth of the Chen family depends on the chair under his buttocks. He really valued Chen Gang's success in the imperial examination. He had not received any good news in the past two days, and he knew that Chen Gang had no chance. His family had become a laughing stock in the city for nothing, and he was disappointed and angry. He didn't care about the hydraulic forging hammer at all.

There was a big sign outside the Chen family's pig iron shop, with scissors, kitchen knives, axes, shovels, iron pots and other items for sale, and red cloth underneath.

When Chen Ming walked into the shop, there were two customers in the shop, one was trying out scissors, and the other was stroking the blade of an axe. Chen Ming winked at the shop owner and walked into the back of the shop from the other side.

There was naturally someone to entertain him in the shop. As soon as Chen Ming sat down on the chair, a waiter brought him tea.

After about ten minutes, the shopkeeper came over. "Brother Yongde, how is the quality of this batch of goods? Compared with the previous ones, which one is better or worse?" Chen Yongde is of the same generation as Chen Ming, although they are five generations apart and have a more distant blood relationship. Another thing is that the Chen family does not have many generation names. The Chen family, who were born from yamen runners, were still pariahs in the time of Kang Mazi. From Emperor Yongzheng to the 30th year of Emperor Qianlong, there was no scholar in the main line for more than 40 years. It would be too much to continue the generation name compared with the high-ranking families.

The Chen family is more of a "family", taking the same character.

"Good quality, good quality. Much better than before." Chen Yongde mentioned this batch of axes and scissors, with a smile on his face. Chen Ming was relieved that Chen Yongde did not need to lie to him.

The interests of the Chen family are no longer in the small market of Lushan. As long as there is a shipment, the Chen family's caravan can transport the goods to Zhoujiakou. That place is extremely prosperous, and the goods are transported from north to south. With the current situation of the Chen family, all the output can be easily digested by Zhoujiakou.

Chen Ming will not take this small scene in Lushan to heart.

How many people in the whole Lushan County are eyeing the iron material. Although the flow of Lushan County itself is not worth mentioning in the eyes of Chen Ming and the Chen family after the successful test of the new blast furnace, it is a piece of fat meat in the eyes of many Lushan gentry and landlords.

With the new blast furnace and the hydraulic forging hammer, the Chen family has the ability to go out of Lushan and Ruzhou. Of course, this three-acre land in Lushan cannot be said to be a snail's horn dispute, but it is not in the eyes of the Chen family.

In order not to stimulate these local tigers in Lushan, and also to keep it confidential to the maximum extent, the Chen family's business in Lushan can only be maintained, not expanded.

Everything must be done step by step. Now the Chen family has its own unique skills, and making money is not a problem. But we must not forget that the current society is a purely official-oriented society, and we must not think that officials and gentry are so morally noble. Chen Ming always remembers a saying: A man is innocent, but he is guilty of possessing a treasure!