Chapter 248 Peach Banquet
"Master Lu, I have to go do my business first. We can chat later when we have time."
Su Shi clasped his fists and then ran away, walking very quickly.
Although this little fat boy likes to eat snacks outside all day and likes to brag, he will still be serious when it comes to doing serious work.
Lu Sen smiled, paid the bill, and continued shopping with a paper umbrella.
After walking around, I arrived at Liu Yong's house.
A bamboo fence surrounded a small yard, inside which a little boy was stepping on the snow, laughing happily.
In the hall of the courtyard, Liu Yong, whose hair had turned completely white, held a bamboo cage with two pieces of burning red charcoal in his arms, and was quietly watching over his only son.
Then he saw Lu Sen and immediately laughed.
After a while, the two sat down in the hall and drank around the charcoal stove.
Lu Sen felt that he had been drinking all day. He drank with Lu Xianxian and others at home in the morning, drank with Su Shi just now, and now he was drinking with Liu Yong.
After taking a sip of the warm wine, Liu Yong smiled and said, "Lu Longtu... ...Longtu Pavilion Direct Scholar! You know, when I was still thinking about becoming an official, I really wanted this position."
Lu Sen was aware of this. Liu Yong used to be a little obsessed with being an official, but he had no real talent for officialdom. Not to mention compared with Bao Zheng, his talent for being an official was far inferior to that of Su Shi.
You know, Su Shi was also famous for his "straightforwardness" and often offended people with his words, but in the original history, Su Shi also got the honorary title of "Longtu Pavilion Direct Scholar".
Apart from writing lyrics, Liu Yong's other abilities are really average compared to these monsters.
"This is just a way for the court to win over people's hearts." Lu Sen shook his head: "Even if I were given a different surname, it would be meaningless."
"What is my treasure is his discarded shoe." Liu Yong smiled helplessly. It's not that he hadn't let it go, but he just felt it was a pity.
Being an official, being a responsible official, and serving the country and the people are the lifelong wishes of these Confucian scholars.
Lu Sen didn't care. Liu Yong no longer had the obsession to become an official. He just felt sorry for Lu Sen.
It’s just that the two people’s thoughts are completely on different channels, and there are some subtle differences in their world views.
Lu Sen changed the subject and said, "Last time I came here, I heard you say that you were going to leave Hangzhou after the Chinese New Year? You had something urgent to do at that time and didn't have time to explain in detail. Can we talk about it now?"
"She is definitely going to Guangzhou." Liu Yong sighed, "My wife was separated from her family when she was young. When she had some spare money, she couldn't find her relatives. Recently, I ran into an old acquaintance and after a detailed conversation, I learned that her whole family had gone to Guangzhou."
Lu Sen was stunned for a moment: "I remember that Madam Liu was sold to a brothel by her family."
Liu Yong smiled bitterly, "Yes. But my wife is sentimental after all. She often said that the family was so poor that they could barely make ends meet, and selling her was something they had no choice but to do. Now that she knows where her family has gone , she wants to go back and be filial to her parents."
Lu Sen was speechless now.
How can you know the difficulties of others if you have not experienced their suffering?
But he was confused again: "What about you? What do you think?"
"I am alone and have no relatives. If I can borrow the help of my wife and have my relatives by my side, it will be a happy event."
After hearing this, Lu Sen completely understood that these two people were simply too lonely, so they had such thoughts.
Now the Northern Song Dynasty is an acquaintance society. Liu Yong and his wife grew up in such an era. In their subconscious, they feel that they need to survive in an acquaintance society. If they are separated from the network of acquaintance society, they will instinctively feel uneasy and lack a sense of security.
Although Lu Sen was familiar with Liu Yong, he was not a relative, but at most a friend.
"Then I wish you all the best." Lu Sen did not persuade, but smiled and said: "Give me a definite message when you are leaving, and I will come to see you off then."
Liu Yong bowed and said with a smile, "Thank you, Master Lu."
About half an hour later, Lu Sen returned to the cave. Before he could even sit on the stool, he heard the family servant Ah Huang come to report: "Sir, Mr. Zhang from the Bitian Pavilion just sent a message, asking you to come to your Bitian Pavilion. The Nanshan Society's ship has returned."
Lu Sen was stunned. So fast?
So he didn't have dinner, but went directly to Bitian Pavilion.
At this time, the Bitian Pavilion was decorated with lights and people were coming and going.
As soon as Lu Sen arrived, Mr. Zhang, who was waiting outside, came up to him and said happily, "Master Lu, Mr. Lin and the others are waiting for you inside."
When Lu Sen entered the Bitian Pavilion, he saw a group of sea merchants sitting in the lobby on the first floor, chatting happily.
"Old Li, how much did you earn from those ships?"
"Not much, just a few hundred thousand strings of cash. The main reason is that my steward fell ill and had diarrhea when he arrived in India. He almost died. Fortunately, there was a doctor on the ship, otherwise it would be disastrous. But even so, it wasted more than ten days. Where are your ships?"
"It's barely 100,000 guan, mainly because the ship is small. This time I plan to buy two large ships and make more money by taking advantage of this business opportunity."
"Manager Zhao, how are you doing?"
"It's similar to you, except that I brought back more gems."
"You want to prolong your life ."
"Who doesn't want to? Don't tell me you don't want to!"
"Hahaha, Shopkeeper Zhao is honest."
"Stop chatting, Master Lu is here."
Lu Sen glanced at everyone and then walked to the podium where there was a large table, which was also the main table for the dinner.
At this moment, everyone fell silent, and a dozen sea merchants looked at him with shining eyes.
Lu Sen walked to the main table and sat down. He looked around at everyone and said with a smile, "It seems that all of you have gained a lot."
The merchants clasped their fists one after another. Some said they dared not, some said they were grateful for the guidance of Master Lu, etc.
When everyone had finished speaking, Mr. Lin stood up, clasped his hands and said, "This time, we, humble merchants, were able to make a lot of money, thanks to the kindness of Master Lu. He also promised to give us the magical peaches. This favor is like a rebirth, and we will never forget it. From today on, Nanshan will follow Master Lu's lead and obey his instructions without hesitation."
Mr. Lin is indeed an educated man. He speaks much more pleasantly than the average maritime merchant.
Lu Sheng looked at Mr. Lin and said with a smile, "Does Mr. Lin want to tie me up in the Nanshan Society?"
Mr. Lin's face suddenly changed, and he looked terrified. He lowered his head and said, "I dare not. I dare not have such an idea."
Looking at the way he was sweating profusely, it seemed that he really didn't dare.
But Lu Sen did not believe it. After this trip by sea, these sea merchants present had completely left the category of small businessmen and could be said to be nascent capitalists.
The instinct of capital is to tie all factors that are conducive to making money to its chariot.
Once it loses its value for exploitation, it will be discarded without hesitation.
Mr. Lin may not have such an idea, but this is what he does. To put it more alarmistly, he is now almost a puppet of capital. He is being invisibly manipulated by capital without realizing it.
However, Lu Sen could see some clues from his behavior.
Smiling, Lu Sen said, "Mr. Lin, please sit down. I don't mean to blame you. Since everyone is here, I will speak frankly. I have the peaches, and you have the gems, which you also brought back from Tianzhu with great effort. We will barter and we will owe each other nothing from now on. I don't need Nanshan to do anything for me, and you should not use my status to support yourselves!"
When everyone heard this, their expressions were shocked.
Mr. Lin sighed subconsciously.
I don’t know whether it’s because Lu Sen didn’t blame me, or because I feel a little disappointed that Lu Sen didn’t have anything to do with me and others.
Seeing that all the merchants were sitting upright, Lu Sen continued, "Everyone, relax. I, Lu, am not a man-eating tiger. Now let's talk about exchanging gems for peaches. I think you should like it very much."
Lu Sen then took out the peaches from the system backpack and placed them on the table.
The peaches have their own special effect of "light dust". When fourteen peaches are piled together, the light dust is very dense, and the light spots are flickering, which is extremely beautiful.
Looking at this pile of magical objects, everyone swallowed subconsciously.
They knew that as long as they ate the peaches in front of them, they would live 140 years longer.
But no one dared to take action, and no one even thought about taking one more step forward.
They didn't dare... The Master Lu in front of them was the only half-immortal in the world. They wanted to snatch something from him? They really wanted to die.
At this time, Mr. Zhang from the Bitian Pavilion stepped forward, bowed and said, "Master Lu has already released the sacred objects. Now it's your turn. Come one by one, and each person can only exchange one at most. Of course, if two or three of you are willing to pool your money to exchange for one, Master Lu has no objection."
There are a total of seventeen people in this room. If everyone has enough gems, three people will be "eliminated".
But Lu Sen knew that it was impossible for everyone to bring back so many gems.
Even though India is rich in gems and they are relatively cheap, you can't exchange them for a large amount at once.
The 'amount' that Lu Sen had set before was after careful consideration, and it was impossible for everyone to be able to exchange it.
Sure enough... among the seventeen people, only six people have the ability to exchange a peach individually, and the others have to "work together" to exchange.
Mr. Lin was one of them, and he was also the first to exchange for the peaches.
After getting the peaches, he did not eat them immediately, but put them carefully in his arms.
A merchant nearby asked curiously, "Why didn't Mr. Lin eat it?"
"Leave it for my old mother!" Mr. Lin smiled brightly. "I am in good health, free from illness and pain. My mother is old and weak, and often suffers from rheumatism and bone pain. If she can live ten more years, she should be ten years younger and will no longer suffer from rheumatism. I will tell you when I come back from the next sea freight."
Everyone couldn't help but praise Mr. Lin for his filial piety.
The second fat merchant who exchanged for peaches ate all the peaches on the spot. Everyone watched as his wrinkles became less and less, and even saw fat oozing out of his skin. He lost more than ten pounds and became stronger and more imposing.
The sea merchant took off his clothes, called someone to bring a towel, and while wiping his body, he watched the loose fat turn into delicate tendon meat, and laughed excitedly on the spot.
The bystanders were stunned, and then their eyes seemed to emit fire. They looked at the peaches, wishing they could swallow them all in one bite.
But when they looked at Lu Sen sitting behind the table, no one dared to act rashly.
The peaches went into the stomachs of these sea merchants one by one. Those who bought them in partnership did not argue, because they had already discussed who would eat first and who would eat later.
Lu Sen put the remaining four peaches back into the system backpack, then looked at the merchants in front of him with a smile.
These sea merchants also looked at him, each of them with eyes filled with undisguised greed.
Lu Sen tapped the tabletop lightly with his fingers. This was his habitual action: "Lu saw the desire for gluttony in your eyes."
Taotie generally refers to a foodie in later generations, but in serious ancient books, it is a metaphor for greed.
When these words were spoken, everyone felt a little ashamed, but no one curbed their greed, not even Mr. Lin.
Lu Sen continued: "There is nothing to be ashamed of. If a businessman is not greedy, how can he be a businessman?"
At first they thought Lu Sen was speaking sarcastically, but seeing that Lu Sen's expression was very serious and didn't seem to be the case, they found it a little strange.
"If you are not greedy, how can I ask you to help me do things?" Lu Sen said with a smile: "I will continue to collect gems. In addition to Tianzhu, there are other countries that are rich in gems. I will collect as many as you can bring back."
When everyone heard this, they immediately felt relieved and were able to continue their lives.
People are greedy for money, but they are even more greedy for life.
The merchants knew very well that, under normal circumstances, money could not buy life, but now that there was a huge opportunity in front of them, they had to grab it with all their might.
If you miss it, you will never meet it again in this life, let alone the next ten or so lives.
Lu Sen looked at their expressions that were almost crazy with joy and felt quite satisfied.
The gems in this world are "limited". There are indeed many gems in India, but they cannot withstand the efforts of these merchants to transport them back.
When there are fewer gems in India, the price will naturally go up.
Then, due to cost reasons, these merchants need new sources of gemstones, and they will find ways to search for gemstones all over the world.
If you don't want to carry out the 'Great Geographical Discovery', then I will force you to do it.
Besides, truth cannot be hidden.
When those who have eaten cricket peaches go back, they will definitely be asked by others why they have become younger.
After further inquiries, he found out that Lu Sen was collecting gems and selling peaches. Why didn't he try his best to build a boat and escape?
When thousands of ships flow into the sea, Lu Sen just doesn't believe that he can't come up with a "Northern Song Dynasty" version of the Great Geographical Discovery.
At this time, the Bitian Pavilion was peaceful. The sea merchant was smiling happily, and Lu Sen was also smiling happily.
Everyone feels that they have made a profit, a true win-win situation.
When Lu Sen left the Bitian Pavilion and walked into the alley next to it, a young man in white suddenly appeared in front of him.
"Brother Bai, please protect Mr. Lin. I'm afraid someone will harm him. Until he brings the peaches home and feeds them to his mother." After saying that, Lu Sen handed over a peach: "This is your reward."
The young man in white was naturally Bai Yutang. He looked at the peaches with his eyes full of excitement, but after a while, he closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, he was clear-headed: "Master Lu, one peach is not enough, can you give me five bottles of honey!"
Lu Sen was stunned for a moment, and with some admiration in his heart, he took out ten bottles of honey from the system backpack: "Thank you, Brother Bai."
Bai Yutang took off his coat, folded it into a bundle, and picked up the ten bottles of honey. He said gratefully, "Thank you, Master Lu. By the way, what if Mr. Lin wants to eat the peaches halfway and doesn't want to take them back to his mother? Should I stop him?"
"No need." Lu Sen chuckled and said, "This is a test he created for himself. It doesn't matter whether he eats it or not. Brother Bai just needs to tell me what happened."
Bai Yuting nodded, then jumped to the roof of Bitian Pavilion with a whoosh, waiting there for Mr. Lin who was about to come out.
