Shi Yannian had no relatives in the capital and did not have many friends, so he rushed to Xu Ping's house to celebrate with him, and also helped Xu Ping write a note of thanksgiving.

A big drunk, the next day the two left the capital together, Lin Suniang took Xiuxiu Gao Daquan and others to walk slowly.

As a result of the academy, Xu Ping had the best grades, and the Zhishi Museum was also a relatively high-status librarian. Han Qi is second, and he is the Zhiji Xianyuan. Shi Yannian is similar to Zhao Yannian, both of whom are the school managers of the Secret Pavilion. The museum position has also been promoted year by year, and Xu Ping is only one step ahead. But in any case, as long as you get this status, you will gain great prestige and become a bachelor.

Generally speaking, anyone with a library position can be called a bachelor, but unless there are some special occasions to highlight this noble identity, except for the two systems of true bachelors, other miscellaneous bachelors and low-level library positions will not be directly called bachelors. For example, the Xu Pingzhi History Museum should be called the Xu History Museum more, and miscellaneous bachelors such as Bao Longtu will not be called Bao Bachelor.

It is autumn and harvest season. Not far out of Kaifeng, there are continuous rice fields on both sides. Since Xu Ping promoted rice cultivation on his estate, the rice fields around Kaifeng have increased a lot over the years.

Xu Ping and Shi Yannian simply used some wine and food in their own restaurant outside the city, and then rushed to the horse. Several people in the capital set off separately, and the time difference would not be too much, but Wang Su from Xuzhou had not yet received the news, and he might have been waiting in the grange for a long time.

The restaurant of the Xu family outside the city is now managed by Liu Xiaoyi, and the main business is still wholesale business. Now that the Xu family's method of making liquor has been spread, there are also a few shops in the capital that sell liquor, especially a few powerful families. The production of liquor has impacted Kaifeng's liquor tax revenue, which mainly relies on the monopoly of koji, and the competent branch is trying to find a way.

However, the Xu family has always maintained the opportunity, from the selection of materials to the making of koji to the aging of liquor, which other families cannot catch up with in a short time, and the high-end liquor is still monopolized by Xu Ping's family.

Around noon. The two rushed to Baisha Town.

In front of the Xujia Restaurant, the "Drunkard Pavilion" is still there, and the couplets in Shi Yannian's handwriting have long been replaced with wooden plaques carved according to the words, and now it has become a famous spot in Baisha Town. The literati and scholars who rushed from Luoyang, Xijing to Bianliang, Tokyo, all stopped here to drink a glass of Xu's wine. Admire the handwriting of Shi Yannian, the world's first famous poet.

Xu Ping and Shi Yannian looked at the drunkard pavilion by the river, at this time it was already full of three tables, all of them were literati, but there were no officials who knew the two of them inside, so they didn't go over to join in the fun.

Xu Chang was not there, Tan was in charge of the store this year, and when he saw Xu Ping coming, he hurriedly came up to greet him with surprise.

Xu Ping looked at the store, except for Tan Bennian. There was no one I was familiar with back then, and even the little guys were all replaced. In six years, the Xu family's industry has grown like a year by year, and the old people here have slowly diverted out, become a small supervisor in other places, marry a wife and have children, and start their own lives.

Shi Yannian is a casual person, and when he arrives at the store, he just orders wine. didn't even go to the small pavilion arranged by Tan this year, so he stood at the counter with Xu Ping. With a plate of cooked mutton and a few braised vegetables, I drank three bowls of aged spirits in a row.

"Rejoice! In the past few years in Jingdong, a bird has faded out of my mouth! This time I went to Yunxingzhuang, I will definitely drink upside down and make up for all the wine that has been missed in the past few years! ”

Feeling that he had a sense of wine, Shi Yannian clapped his hands. Stop drinking and don't drink. He still has to keep his stomach, and only then will he let go of the amount of alcohol in Xu Ping Zhuangzi to relieve his alcohol addiction in the past few years. When he was on Jingdong Road, Lin Wensi was not far from him for the first three years, and he would often send a few jars of good wine brought by his family to Shi Yannian to relieve his cravings a little. Later, both of them changed places and took office. Shi Yannian has no source of spirits, water wine is really like water to him, what is the meaning?

After drinking a few bowls of wine and full of strength, Xu Ping and Shi Yannian got on their horses again and galloped straight to the grange.

As the scale of Xujiazhuang grows larger, the road to Baisha Town has also widened a lot, and there are many more pedestrians. Not far from Xu Ping Grange, there is even a grass market.

Before arriving at the village, there were people in the village who were herding cattle outside, and those who knew Xu Ping greeted them loudly.

Xu Ping responded all the way, and after a while, he arrived in front of Zhuangzi.

Xu Chang, who watched the village, got the report, hurriedly came out of the village, saw the ceremony, took Xu Ping and Shi Yan's horses, and said to Xu Ping: "The officials are back well, and several other officials have been waiting in the village for a long time." ”

Xu Ping asked, "Where are they now?" Didn't go around Zhuangzi? ”

Xu Chang smiled bitterly: "Why didn't you turn around?" Since the Wang Guanren of Xuzhou arrived the day before yesterday, they went to the pond next to Zhuangzi several times a day. Yesterday several other officials came, and this morning they passed again with the king's officials. ”

Xu Ping and Shi Yannian glanced at each other, and said in their hearts that Wang Su and these people don't seem to like fishing, so what do they have to look at by the pond? When I arrived at the village, I rested without eating or drinking.

After instructing Xu Chang a few words, Xu Ping and Shi Yannian went all the way to the pond on the edge of the village.

I saw Wang Su in front, and Han Qi and a few people stood behind, pointing and pointing by the pond, and from time to time using wooden sticks to make comparisons on the ground, and I didn't know what they were talking about.

Xu Ping coughed, and Shi Yannian stepped forward to greet everyone.

Xu Ping asked Wang Su curiously: "Zhongyi, what is it that makes a few of you linger here?" ”

Wang Su took Xu Ping's arm to the edge of the pond, pointed around the pond and said, "Yunxing, I have looked around your farm, and it has been well maintained and prosperous in the past few years. It's just too cheesy to have a place to play. This pond is very close to Zhuangzi, the water surface is also broad, if it is good to take care of it, move some strange flowers and plants, different mountains and rocks are here, and Zhuangzi is connected, it is not difficult to renovate into a scenic spot. Planting some rare lotus flowers in the water and planting some plum and bamboo forests on the shore are enough to cultivate the mind. ”

Xu Ping was stunned for a while when he heard this. He also thought about raising fish and lotus root and water chestnut here, but he didn't expect Wang Su and these people to think about flowers and plants, lotus rockeries, and people are really different.

Think about it, Wang Su was born in the prime minister's family since he was a child, and he was really born in the nest of wealth. Except for one of the elder brothers who presided over the family business at home, the others also came out early, and this generation of several Jinshi, when the Sanhuaitang Wang family was thriving.

Wang Su himself has already surpassed the initial stage of wealth and nobility, advocating extravagance, in his eyes, there is no exquisite garden in the village, so can it still be called Zhuangzi? It's best to raise dozens of good courtesans, listen to small songs when you have nothing to do, surrounded by beauties, that's the life you should live. As for the cattle and sheep in the village, what is the use of those things?

Xu Ping thought rationally, and said to the few people around him: "My family was originally from a wine family, a small family, and I have never been proficient in these things, which made a few people laugh. If you have free time these days, you can help me plan and build a good garden here! ”

Wu Yu said with a smile: "We can naturally help Yunxing as a staff officer, but I'm afraid that you won't be willing to make money." ”

Xu Ping sighed: "I have difficulties in doing many things, and the easiest thing for me in the world is to spend money." Although this Zhuangzi is cheesy, it is full of cattle and sheep, and the grain and wheat are like mountains, and the worry is how to spend the money earned! ”

The crowd laughed together.

Xu Ping's family was rich, and everyone knew it when he was a junior sergeant. They stayed in this Zhuangzi for a day or two, and also looked around, except for Wang Su, several other people still have an impression of money, knowing that this Zhuangzi looks inconspicuous, but in fact the output is amazing, Xu Ping said that he can't spend the money is not an exaggeration.

Especially Zhao Yan, although he was born in an official family, he is a small family, and he is not as good as several other fathers who have served as high-ranking officials, and he is so envious of Xu Ping's Zhuangzi. The price of goods in Kaifeng City is expensive, he is a small official, and he has a very difficult life, he has been serving in the capital for several years, and he has no money to move his family over. If you also have such a Zhuangzi, then it will be much easier to be an official, and you don't have to worry about those buckets of rice every day.

It is not easy to live in Kaifeng City, but once you live, there are countless benefits. Not to mention anything else, it is much easier to participate in the imperial examination as a native of Kaifeng than in other places, and this amount of money cannot be bought.

Han Qi said to Wang Su: "Since Yunxing is so rich, we will help him come up with an idea together to build a beautiful scenery by this pond." Colleagues in Beijing are free, and there is also a place to relax. ”

Wang Su said yes again and again, and said to Xu Ping: "I have ordered the servants to return to Beijing, pick some good flowers and trees for you from my house, and slowly cultivate them." Take some more work, find good craftsmen, and slowly rectify it. ”

Xu Ping nodded in thanks.

Speaking of which, sure enough, Han Qi is an official, and everyone else only thinks about elegance and vulgarity, only he thought of making this place a good place and using it as a place for colleagues to gather. With such a place, you can slowly gather contacts, and you don't know when it will work.

Xu Ping also thought of this and echoed the thoughts of these people. Otherwise, according to his meaning, this Zhuangzi is, of course, to grow crops and raise livestock, and the Zhuangzi who engages in agriculture is the Zhuangzi! What Panasonic strokes the qin, and lies on the stone by the water, but it's a pity that he has been a human being for two lives, and he hasn't learned this tune yet.

But the officials and doctors of this era like to play around, and when their colleagues come, there is no decent place, is it difficult to lead them to see their cattle, sheep and pigsty? Or go and see how to grow rice and pasture?

People like Shi Yannian don't care, lead him to the place where the wine is made, where he can drink for three days and three nights. But others can't, people want to enjoy the flowers and the moon, chant poems and lyrics, and don't come here to experience farm life.

When he returned to Beijing to be an official, he was no longer in Yongzhou, where the emperor was far away, and he had the final say alone, and he didn't have to consider the thoughts of his subordinates and colleagues at all. At that time, he turned the entire Yongzhou into a big farm, and no matter how literati and scholars were, they did not say that he was vulgar, and praised him for attaching importance to the people's livelihood and the blessing of the people.

In the capital, I also have to learn to appreciate the flowers, look at the moon, chant poems, and compose lyrics. Whether you like it or not, you have to mingle with colleagues and others around you. (To be continued.) )