Volume 3: Dragon and Snake Movement Chapter 324: Venting Anger and Freeloading
It was not uncommon for daughters of wealthy families to show their faces in public during the Qin and Han dynasties. In the Tang dynasty, they were required to bring enough followers with them. In the Northern Song dynasty, they could divorce at any time, and widows who remarried were not discriminated against. On the contrary, royal princesses were strictly restricted and most of them were faithful to one man throughout their lives. By the time of Taizu of this dynasty, even though the war at the end of the Yuan Dynasty had ended several years earlier, it still left the country in ruins, so Taizu issued a decree for equal rights very early on.
As for this right, it is not the right to take the imperial examination, the right to serve as an official, the right to inherit... but only the right to go out and work in general. Commoner women can go out to work before and after marriage, and engage in business, female doctors, recorders, etc. Of course, after marriage, the work must be negotiated between the husband's family. In the past, the capital city also established a women's school, but later the internal struggle was too late, and the women's school died.
As for the daughters of wealthy families and officials, they could go out openly without having to wear a veil or floor-length veils.
But even so, most official families still thought it was too arrogant to wear men's clothes and go out casually like those noble ladies in the prosperous Tang Dynasty. At least, even in Cangzhou, Lao Xianyu and Xiao Huasheng had never seen any young lady so bold. However, it didn't matter to her as a fiancé or a second brother, and they certainly wouldn't say anything.
Moreover, in view of Zhu Ying's gorgeous appearance that could not be concealed even by men's clothing, and her easy-going and talkative personality, they could not help but peek at her from time to time, with their ears perked up high, eavesdropping on her conversation with Zhu Er.
Therefore, Zhang Shou felt much more relaxed dealing with such a distracted old man. He very skillfully led the topic rhythm and soon gradually led to the name of Peanut.
Sure enough, when he heard Zhu Er say that the name of Peanuts came from a kind of food, Old Salted Fish said without paying attention: "Peanuts are really delicious. Whether you boil them in salt water with the shells or peel them and fry them with salt, they are all excellent snacks to go with wine! Alas, I don't sell them very often. I usually cook them myself..."
Before he could even finish the last word "eat", he suddenly shut up and quickly glanced at Zhang Shou. He saw Zhang Shou looking at him with a smile, his eyes showing no sign of inquiry, as if they were just chatting casually. His suddenly tense nerves unconsciously relaxed in such a relaxed atmosphere, and he smiled back at Zhang Shou, but it was a little forced.
"There's not much in stock, and I usually just have a little drink myself."
"Please ask me to try it if you have the chance." Although Zhang Shou really wanted to ignore the workshop and go directly to Lao Xianyu to experience the so-called ketchup and peanuts, he didn't want to alert the enemy too much after finally finding the real clue of the "New World", so he stopped talking about this topic.
When he followed Old Salted Fish and Little Peanut to a small door in an alley, he saw the old man and the young man stopped walking at the same time, and couldn't help but look up at the low wall and the dirty environment. At this time, Zhu Er immediately asked with some suspicion: "Is it here? Isn't it a little too shabby to set up a workshop in this place?"
Zhu Ying immediately laughed at him, "Second brother, where do you think the workshop should be set up? On the busiest street? Preferably in three luxuriously furnished shops? How is that possible? It's not a place where finished products are produced. The more run-down it is, the lower the rent and the cheaper the cost. Do you think everyone is Ah Shou? You open a workshop in your own nice house."
"Yingying, I feel like you're not praising me, but mocking me." Zhang Shou didn't know whether to laugh or cry, and sighed helplessly, "I was poor... Otherwise, when I was looking for a place to hire carpenters and blacksmiths to make things, I wouldn't have chosen the place next to the haunted house... Zhang Garden is such a big place, it's a pity to waste it, and my mother said she's not afraid of quarrels, otherwise I wouldn't have opened my own house."
The eldest prince had been very secretive about the new spinning machine before. In addition, although Cangzhou was very close to the capital, as long as he sent more people to spread all kinds of messy news, he would not be afraid that Zhang Shou's insignificant spinning machine would spread around the city and affect his reputation. As for what happened later... he was powerless to spread the news.
Therefore, Lao Xianyu realized that Zhang Shou hired someone to make the new spinning machine and then opened his own workshop. His eyes flickered for a while, and then he pointed to the big padlock on the door and said, "Dr. Zhang, the work here has been stopped for several days. Look, the door is locked."
Zhu Er was upset that Zhu Ying had just laughed at him, and immediately asked, "With this wall and this flimsy lock, aren't you afraid that someone might pick the lock or climb over the wall and steal the spinning machines?"
"What's the point of stealing this?" This time, the one who looked at Zhu Er like a fool was none other than Ah Liu. Before Zhu Er could say anything, he said calmly, "The cotton is gone."
Zhu Er was speechless. Old Salted Fish added, "And as long as the workshops in Cangzhou replace them with new ones, the neighboring counties and even the south of the Yangtze River can all use them. The important thing is the blueprint, not the machine. How much is this textile machine worth?"
Zhu Er was completely speechless after being choked, but he couldn't help but muttered quietly: "Then what are we doing here?"
Ah Liu ignored him, jumped off his horse and came to the door, fiddling with the lock for a while, and in an instant, the lock that looked so deceptive at first glance fell to the ground. When Zhu Er saw someone open the door and walked in, he couldn't help but look back at Zhang Shou and Zhu Ying, and seeing that they both looked accustomed to it, he could only choose to shut up.
Others are not afraid of being sued for trespassing, so what is he afraid of?
Old Salted Fish's reaction was normal, but Peanut, for some unknown reason, chased after Liu and went in. After a while, before Liu showed up, Peanut ran out in a hurry.
"Uncle, all the spinning machines inside were smashed!" Peanut was confused and stammered, "It's a mess, it looks like robbers broke in and robbed it!"
Hearing this, Old Salted Fish didn't care about anything else and rushed in quickly. Zhu Er was itching to get off his horse and go in to watch the fun, but he saw Zhang Shou hooking his finger at Zhu Ying, and then his sister immediately rode closer, and the two whispered. As for Zhu Hong and the other three behind, they all looked like they didn't see anything.
He was just trying to guess what Zhang Shou had said to Zhu Ying, but he saw the two of them quickly separate, and Zhu Ying suddenly looked at him, then turned her horse's head towards him, and grabbed his reins without saying anything: "Second brother, I need to borrow you to do something! You are more familiar with Cangzhou than I am, a newcomer. Well, it's getting late, let's go!"
When Zhu Er, who looked dazed, was dragged away by Zhu Ying, Zhu Hong and other guards were all confused, but they all nodded to Zhang Shou and followed him. Zhang Shou couldn't help but smile. Soon, he saw Ah Liu walking out of the workshop briskly, but Lao Xianyu and Xiao Huasheng hadn't followed him out yet.
"All the spinning machines were smashed, as if the person who did it had some deep hatred for them. But..." Ah Liu paused, then said uncertainly, "But, to smash them like this, it's impossible that they smashed them with bare hands. It's very likely that they used a hammer or an axe... But there's one thing that's a little strange. All the marks of chopping are very fresh, and the footprints in the dust are also wrong."
Ah Liu only talks so much when he is dealing with serious matters. Zhang Shou verified his previous guess, so he smiled and gave him a thumbs up and said, "It's a good thing I brought you here. If it were someone else, they would definitely think that it was Xian Yunhe and his gang who broke the house..."
"Not Uncle Yunhe!"
Peanut, who ran out in a hurry, only had time to hear the last half of the sentence. He immediately became anxious: "When Uncle Yunhe gave every order, I was by his side. He definitely didn't order such a thing! What's the point of smashing the spinning machine? The government will still hunt us down. Those unscrupulous merchants and tycoons can still make new ones. It won't do us any good at all..."
Old Salted Fish lagged behind Little Peanut by two steps, but he laughed dryly: "Just because Yunhe didn't do it, can you be sure that others didn't do it? Although he mobilized so many people this time, there should be some who don't have the courage to follow him. But taking advantage of the situation and smashing these spinning machines that ruined their lives, is this still possible?"
Peanut was glaring at Old Salty Fish, but when he heard him say that it was someone else who was taking advantage of the situation, his expression gradually changed. In the end, he shouted angrily, "No, it must be those black-hearted and black-lung dog owners. They are afraid that Uncle Yunhe will not die. It must be them! A few spinning machines are worthless to them, but they can frame Uncle Yunhe and us!"
Seeing that Peanut finally came to his senses, Old Salted Fish smiled, and then he noticed that there was only one Zhang Shou left outside. The Second Master Zhu, the Miss Zhu who had appeared before, and several guards had all disappeared. He was a little suspicious, and Zhang Shou gave a straightforward answer.
"Just now, Liu said that the machines were destroyed with hammers and axes, but the marks were fresh, and the footprints were above the dust . I suspected that someone had just come in and smashed the machines, so I asked Zhu Jilang and the others to check other workshops. If it really happened just now, then the other workshops may not have had time to act, and with luck we can catch one or two people."
Little Peanut couldn't help but get anxious: "You should have brought mine! There are several workshops in Cangzhou City, no one knows better than me!"
Zhang Shou chuckled and nodded at the thin boy as if nothing had happened. "Many people in the city know where the workshop is. Even if Zhu Erlang is unreliable, the people following him are smart and capable. They will soon check all the places. Besides, Yingying is very smart. She should send someone back to inform her eldest brother."
Hearing this, Peanut felt relieved. Old Salty Fish glanced at Ah Liu, who had a dull expression, and thought that this strange-looking boy was quite perceptive. He was originally thinking about how to remind him of this without making a sound.
So, he laughed and said, "Since those workshops have been visited, where else does Dr. Zhang plan to go next?"
"I'm new here, so I'll just go to your place." Zhang Shou said casually, "Isn't it just a bit salty? Anyway, I'm covered in dust and it's not much better, I can just take a shower and change clothes. Zhu Erlang kept praising me for your excellent cooking skills, and many of your dishes are rare and exotic. I, who love food, really can't help but bother you a little."
As he spoke, he glanced at Peanut again and said, "Peanut, don't you want to save your uncle Yunhe? Tell me about your story later. Although Zhu Erlang told me some of it before, it was just a retelling, not as detailed as the real person."
Little Peanut immediately nodded his head like a chick pecking at rice: "Okay, as long as Dr. Zhang is willing to listen, I will tell you everything! Uncle's cooking is delicious, he really has all kinds of skills, even the chefs in those restaurants outside are not as good as him! But he is willing to guard that salted fish shop, and he also looks for people to play chess all day long, not doing his job properly, no wonder he was nicknamed Old Salted Fish!"
Thinking about how the young man beside Zhang Shou had also visited him before, and then Zhu Er, Lao Xianyu wanted to refuse, but when he heard what Xiao Huasheng said, he was immediately furious: "You stinky boy, you actually framed me like this? Do you understand respecting elders?"
"But you said it yourself, respect the old and love the young!" Peanut made a face at Old Salted Fish and then hid behind Ah Liu. Although Zhang Shou was about the same age as him, he always felt that this Doctor Zhang from the Imperial College seemed quite majestic, and although Ah Liu was a little weird, he felt that he was more approachable after exploring the workshop with him just now!
The man was hiding behind Ah Liu, so Lao Xianyu was naturally helpless. He glared at Xiao Huasheng in anger, but in the end he led the way in front, while dealing with Zhang Shou's random questions, which were just like a casual chat. When he finally got his attention and looked back, he saw that Xiao Huasheng had sat on Ah Liu's horse without knowing when, and he was shocked.
"Little Peanut, do you...do you understand the rules?"
Peanut shrank his head and whispered, "I just told Brother Six that I have never ridden a horse and I have always envied people who can ride horses. Brother Six asked me to try it out. He helped me get on the horse and it was steady. Uncle, do you want to try it too?"
The old man covered his forehead helplessly. "You are getting more and more daring. It's all because of Yunhe that kid who spoiled you! It's a good thing that you met Dr. Zhang and this guy, otherwise you would have been beaten up!"
"As long as Liu is happy, that's all." Zhang Shou saw Liu's calm face and said to Lao Xianyu with a smile, "Don't blame Xiao Huasheng. He is young and curious. When I first saw the horse, I was also very envious."
"How can he compare with someone like you, Dr. Zhang, who is like a god of literature?" Old Salted Fish deliberately showed an appearance of an ordinary person who had never seen the world. He regretted quoting from the classics just now, but when he saw that Zhang Shou looked normal and was still chatting and laughing, he knew that he was the one who was going to eat this meal, so he had no choice but to lead the way. When he arrived at his own shop, his last hope was completely dashed.
As for the strong smell of salted fish here, Zhang Shou seemed not to notice it and followed him and Xiao Huasheng inside with ease!
Not only that, even though he was following him, Zhang Shou was still like a nobleman who had never seen the lives of the lower classes, looking around and wandering around his shop, even salted fish seemed to have become a rare thing. Old Salted Fish walked around with him for a long time, and when he saw Little Peanut following him, he finally had no choice but to go down to the kitchen.
