Li Anren picked up the tea bowl, looked at the dark red tea soup in the bowl, took a sip, carefully placed the tea bowl on the table, and said to Xu Ping on the other side of the table: "It turns out that this tea can still be drunk like this?" The barbarians bought tea bricks and made them into small pieces, boiled them to drink, and could add some condiments. ”

Xu Ping said: "How can there be certain rules for drinking tea? Depending on each person's preference, you can drink as much as you want, as long as you are happy. Moreover, tea is a precious thing to the barbarians in the mountains, and it is even more solemn when boiled. ”

"That's what the general judgment said. No matter what kind of tea, the price of transporting it to the mountains will increase several times, and they can't cherish it, and ordinary barbarians can't drink it. ”

After drinking a bowl of tea, Li Anren leaned back comfortably on the chair and looked around, the furnishings were very simple, except for this table, which was a few potted flowers, and the room seemed empty. The doors and windows were closed, the light in the room was a little dim, and the cool breeze blowing from the depths of the house made people feel no trace of heat.

"This kind of hot weather is the most unbearable, the natives can't stand it, I can't imagine that it is so cool here, it's really heavenly!"

Looking at Li Anren's intoxicated expression, Xu Ping smiled: "It's cool, it's cool, it's just darker and damper, you can't stay in it longer, otherwise it's easy to get sick, that's not good." ”

"It's rare to stay for a while and get rid of the heat."

New houses have been built, and there is no shortage of yellow mud and stone in this area, and they are brick houses. Xu Ping asked Gao Daquan and Tan Hu to build that set of water air conditioning system, although there are many limestone here, and the groundwater level is very deep, fortunately, there is a water source in the place where the house is built, and it is more convenient to use spring water than to drill a well. The only disadvantage is that the water air conditioning system cannot remove moisture, and the humidity in the room is too large, which is not conducive to human health.

After leaving the inspection village, Xu Ping took Li Anren back to his residence in Ruhe County, to understand the market situation in the surrounding area and see if there was any business to do. The sugar cane is still a few months before it can be harvested, and it will take a few months for it to turn into money, and he has to find a steady source of money in between.

After drinking tea, Xu Ping asked Li Anren, "How many years have you been doing business in the surrounding barbarian realm?" ”

"Back to the judgment, the student's ancestors did this business, and it has been for several generations, and it has always been for one or two hundred years. Before the founding of the Great Song Dynasty, the local turmoil and business were difficult. Since Emperor Taizong, three generations of my family have worked hard and worked hard to finally save some money. ”

"It turned out to be a world businessman, and it was also rare." It took time to make money during the Taiping years, and Xu Ping's impression of Li Anren was a little better. In fact, doing business in turbulent times is more profitable, but such a businessman is not an ordinary person, and Xu Ping really doesn't dare to use it in case of accidents.

"Since you have been in business all year round, you should also understand which goods the barbarian realm likes the most, and what they can sell, let me hear it."

Li Anren knew that he had asked the right question, and replied carefully: "Back to the judgment, these can't be generalized, the student will talk about it roughly." If it is the barbarians in Jianzhou County, what ordinary people need most is salt and rice from the inland land, especially table salt, which has always been a major trade item. However, in recent years, Jiaozhi has sold a lot of smuggled salt to the state to which my Great Song Dynasty belongs, and the business has become a little difficult. As for the barbarian chiefs, they loved the treasures of the interior, such as silk and satin, gold, silver and pewter, which they loved. As for tea, although barbarians are indispensable in their daily lives, they used to be mostly sold from Dali, and we rarely did this business. It wasn't until the tea was made here that the students tried to transport it to the barbarians to sell, but it was unexpectedly prosperous. ”

Xu Ping nodded and said: "It's hot and humid around here, the previous tea is easy to spoil, my newly made tea bricks are not afraid to put it, the older it is, the more fragrant it is, you have to explain this to them clearly." You go on to say. ”

"What the general judgment said is that the students have also tried it, and this tea can't be bad on a rainy day, but I didn't expect it to be specially made by the general judgment, so Dali tea can't be compared. - As for the barbarians, in addition to the things that the barbarians like, they also like to buy books from the mainland, and Buddhist scriptures are the best to sell, and the price is better than gold. In addition to Buddhist scriptures, I also love to buy Confucian classics printed in the mainland, especially Dali, Luodian, and Southwest Tibet, from the royal family down, all love to collect Central Plains classics, especially southwest Tibet as the most, the whole country, can speak Chinese, can write Chinese characters. ”

In Guizhou, which is in the southwest of Tibet, there is a garrison left by Prime Minister Zhuge during the Three Kingdoms, which has been multiplied for thousands of years, and the number has been quite large. Although it is regarded as a Fan people, Han culture is still preserved, and it is considered to have the highest degree of Chinese among the surrounding barbarian countries.

"What do these places, and of course other places, produce and ship out?"

"The state to which the Great Song Dynasty belongs, the treasure goods are the first to recommend gold and silver cinnabar, which is produced in almost all places. In addition, there are all kinds of precious medicinal materials, such as clams, rhino horn, and musk, which are produced a lot every year. Then there are Dali horses produced in Dali, and there are a lot of them sold around, and Yongzhou also buys some. The largest is the silk cloth, which is also famous in the Central Plains, and it makes a lot of profits when it is shipped out. ”

Officially, Yongzhou is located in a remote area, and the transportation of money, grain, and cloth is inconvenient, so it is converted into gold and silver for offering, and the exchange cost from the barbarians is much lower. The others are also precious goods, and they will not be sold when they are shipped. Because the climate is suitable for the growth of ramie, the output of silk cloth is also large, before the promotion of cotton cloth, this is China's bulk of textiles, Yongzhou production and fine, is a famous brand product.

Xu Ping's most exciting thing is the Dali horse, there is no motivation to engage in economies of scale, cattle have their limitations, and the use of horses is much more flexible. However, at this time, the Youjiang area has not been developed, and the development is much more backward than that of the Zuojiang, and Dali Ma has no route to introduce it on a large scale, which is a trouble.

After talking about this, and drinking tea for a while, Xu Ping said to Li Anren: "You come with me and see what is suitable for selling to the barbarians, and in the future, this business will be the main thing, and the price will be higher than yours, and I will give you a cut." ”

Hearing this, Li Anren hurriedly got up and thanked him happily. With an official background, business is much easier. Xu Ping, as the general judge of Yongzhou, holds the economic lifeline of Yongzhou, which is even more convenient.

As soon as I went out, the boiling heat wave hit my face, and my whole body seemed to be steamed at once.

Li Anren frowned, looked at the breezy room behind him with great nostalgia, sighed and walked out with Xu Ping.

There are also a few trees in the yard, most of which have been moved from other places, and the branches and leaves have not yet spread, so they can't block any sunlight. Only one large banyan tree is native here, spreading shade in the courtyard.

It's a pity that the weather in Lingnan is not as good as the Central Plains, and you can't stay in the shade on a hot day, and there is no one in the courtyard, which makes people feel panicked quietly.

Walking through the courtyard, Li Anren followed Xu Ping to the door of a wing room on the west side.

As soon as Xu Ping pushed the door open, he heard Xiuxiu's voice inside: "Official, come in, close the door, it's so annoying that this hot air is pouring in!" ”

When Li Anren heard this, he hurriedly walked a few steps, followed Xu Ping into the house, and closed the door casually.

There is also a cool air in this room, although it is not as cool as the living room just now, and it also dissipates the heat, so that people can stay comfortably.

In the center of the room were a few tables filled with various items, each with a piece of paper written on it.

Behind the desk, stood Xiuxiu and Gao Daquan, neatly tied.

Li Anren looked curious, didn't know what it meant, and looked at Xu Ping.

Xu Ping stretched out his hand: "Just look at it, tell me what you think is suitable to sell." ”

Li Anren had never seen such a scene, so he stepped forward with doubts and walked to the tea brick he was familiar with first. Five tea bricks were built up on the table, and a small piece of paper was placed in front of it, which was written in neat words: "Aged tea bricks, weighing five catties." This tea is resistant to storage, not afraid of humid weather, the older it is, the more fragrant it is, and it is good at relieving oiliness. ”

Look at the side again, there are three pickled pepper jars, and the paper in front reads: "Refined pickled peppers, spicy taste, shelf-stable, can be put for many years without breaking." Appetizer, detoxifying. ”

Li Anren looked at it with novelty, and looked at it side by side.

There are all kinds of iron tools, all of which are iron pots and shovels, but there are no agricultural tools. Then there are all kinds of tin pots, bowls, cups, etc., which are used to hold things. In the past, there were several kinds of dried fish and meat, all of which have been smoked and can be aged for many years.

Turning to the other side, the first thing is two jars of liquor, and the paper in front reads: "Newly made liquor, fragrant and strong." Strong alcohol, drunk when drinking, can detoxify. ”

Li Anren looked at it carefully, and couldn't help but turn around and ask Xu Ping: "General judgment, this wine is also sold?" I heard that only Yuxian Lou in Yongzhou City has this wine, and it is not distributed to other wine merchants. ”

"Sell, of course sell!" Xu Ping stepped forward and said, "But this wine is not as mellow as the wine of Yuxian Tower, and it is still as strong." The current quantity is not much, so it can only be sold for the barbarians to taste, and in a few months, it will be as many as possible, and it will be sold openly! ”

The corn in the field has been harvested, and Xu Ping is expanding the area, especially the small plots in the mountains that are not suitable for planting other crops. In a few months, the next corn harvest will be completed, and the liquor will be ready for mass production. Corn wine is not as mellow as sorghum wine, but it is suitable for the taste of mountain people, and the market should not be bad. In addition, when sugar cane begins to be extracted, the remaining molasses can also be used to make alcohol, and it can also be produced in large quantities with the lees of sorghum wine.

Li Anren looked at it again and again, and thought in his heart, the barbarians are good at drinking, and if they can really be transported into the mountains in large quantities, it will really be a new way to make money. I'm afraid that the price of Xu Ping's shipment will be too high, and the purchasing power of the barbarians will be limited, so the quantity will not be able to do it.

Next to the liquor were two small bottles, Li Anren didn't look at what was written on the paper, picked one up casually, opened the lid, and a pungent smell rushed out, strange that it was not unpleasant.

Looking at the yellow-green paste inside, Li Anren asked Xu Ping curiously: "Is this a spice?" ”

"I'll tell you! I'll say it! ”

Without waiting for Xu Ping to speak, Xiuxiu ran over happily, pointed to the small bottle and said, "This is not a spice, this is a special elixir made by our officials." The bottle you are holding is called cooling oil, smell it and feel refreshed, if you are bitten by mosquitoes and flies somewhere on your body, as long as you apply a little bit, it will no longer itch! When you go to bed at night, as long as you apply a little bit, mosquitoes will not bite you, then you can sleep soundly! ”

After speaking, he picked up the bottle next to him, opened the lid and showed it to Li Anren, and said, "The bottle I took is called Huoxiang Zhengqi Water." Do you smell it, does it smell like wine? That's right, there's a lot of liquor in it, but it's precious! Like today's weather, if people are outside, the sun is scorching above their heads, and the water vapor on the ground is steaming, people are prone to heat stroke, right? Don't be afraid, as long as you feel dizzy and uncomfortable, drink such a small bottle, and you'll be fine! What are you going to do alive! Do you think this is a good thing? ”

Xu Ping heard Xiuxiu's call, and couldn't cry or laugh: "Xiuxiu, who did you learn from this messy call?" But then again, that's really the case. ”

Xiuxiu said: "I thought of it myself! We came to Yongzhou, but we all relied on these two things, there was no disease or disaster, this is not an elixir? ”

Li Anren took the two vials in his hand, looked at them and looked at them, smelled them and smelled them, and asked suspiciously: "Is there really such an elixir in the world?" It's more valuable than gold! ”