Red Mansion Huacai

Chapter 153
  What did you buy?
  Li Weijian cursed in his heart, so he hated dealing with rich people. He didn't ask you about the cost of research and development, let alone how much effort you expended, and just bought it.

I heard Cao Yunsheng say: "My son is so easy to play with. Last year, I made a new baby, ugh! For such an old man, he can't even lift a bucket. It seems to be of no use. Mr. Li still has this thing." Very good, this... I will give you two hundred thousand taels for my forehead, and I can make this thing on my forehead at will, what do you think, Mr. Li?"

Two hundred thousand taels? Li Weijian originally wanted to promote steam engines. Who would sell this thing? Why not sell it to the generous old Xi'er?
  Li Weijian had a smile on his face, cupped his hands and said, "It's easy to talk about, but this thing is still a prototype. If Mr. Cao wants to make it, he will have to wait a little longer."

Cao Yunsheng frowned and said, "Well, isn't this good?"

"Mr. Cao, now this steam engine is made of fine copper, and the casting cost is still too high. I'll make it of iron later, and make it bigger, so that it can be used."

Cao Yunsheng looked at the drilling machine, touched his chin and thought, "Master Li, look at how this thing can be turned by burning coal. If it is mounted on a carriage, does it mean that there is no need to raise horses?"

Li Weijian suddenly became energetic, pulled Cao Yunsheng and said with a smile: "Mr. Cao, let's go inside and talk. To be honest with Mr. Cao, I have this intention."

So it is not unreasonable to say that this person made a fortune! Yan Fengzhen had been tinkering for a long time, but he didn't even think about getting into the carriage. You looked at Cao Yunsheng, and after a brief glance, you thought about building a car. Li Weijian, a rich man like this, wished he could have more of them because he was very eager to treat them.

After entering the Zhiyuan Hall, Qingwen was served fruits, snacks, and tea. The two chatted for a while, and then Li Weijian said: "It is an inevitable trend to install the steam engine on the carriage. However, the steam engine is now large and heavy, and has to have a special place to store coal and water. Therefore, it is not easy to install it on the carriage. inappropriate."

Cao Yunsheng nodded thoughtfully and said, "Well, you didn't think it through well. It's not appropriate to put it on a carriage, so wouldn't it be better to put it on a ship?"

Li Weijian blinked and suppressed the urge to slap his thigh, paying more and more attention to Cao Yunsheng. If I had known that this person had such knowledge, I should have made friends with him easily last time.

But it's not too late to make amends.

Li Weijian saw that the teacup was mostly empty, so he stood up, picked up the teapot and poured seven out of it for him. After sitting down, he said, "Mr. Cao has extraordinary vision, and I admire him. Yes, this is just right for the ship."

Cao Yunsheng frowned again and said, "Is it too heavy?"

Li Weijian smiled and said: "What's the difficulty? The steam engine is too heavy, so build a larger ship."

"Too."

Cao Yunsheng lowered his head and thought for a long time, then changed the topic and said: "Master Li, what about the shares of Xishan Coal Mine?"

"It's only been a few days." Li Weijian counted and said: "To be honest with Mr. Cao, the imperial government has already prepared [-] million kilograms of coal, which will be sent to the capital in the near future, enough for this winter. Now there are many coal mines in Xishan, big and small. Under the control of the internal government, the coal company conservatively estimates its annual income to be two hundred thousand taels."

Cao Yunsheng immediately said with a grimace: "There is too little potential, I'm afraid there won't be much stock."

Li Weijian leaned forward and lowered his voice: "I don't have much potential, but has Mr. Cao forgotten what is outside the door?"

"Huh?" Cao Yunsheng saw Li Weijian raise his chin, so he looked outside and happened to catch a glimpse of the steam engine under the awning in front of the door. Blinking and thinking clearly, Cao Yunsheng slapped his thigh: "Wonderful, I can eat as much as I want from this dick!"

Two hundred million kilograms of coal a winter is enough for the capital, but with this, there will be many factories around the capital in the future, and those are the big coal users! Therefore, don’t underestimate the fact that coal companies are small today but have huge potential in the future.

Cao Yunsheng immediately knew what he was doing, and he immediately complimented Li Weijian and praised the elegance of the garden. It's not like the house in his hometown, which is huge and built like a maze, and ordinary people can't get out after entering it for a while.

Li Weijian knew that this was a serious matter, so he stood up and invited Cao Yunsheng to take a stroll in the garden. At this time, when Shenshi was approaching, Li Weijian thought that Yan Fenzhen might not be able to return today, so he invited Cao Yunsheng to stay for a day.

Cao Yunsheng declined, and when Fang passed Shenshi, he took the inconspicuous carriage back the same way.

Li Weijian personally sent him out of the garden and watched the carriage go away, he couldn't help but sigh. If there were more wealthy people like Cao Yunsheng, why worry about not being able to promote industrialization in the future?

There are several more factories in the north and south of Dashun, with all kinds of supporting machinery nearby, forming industrial parks that radiate and spread all over the place, like sparks of fire, which will change the world sooner or later!

Until nightfall, Yan Fengzhen did not return, which made Le Yan, a guest, uneasy and talked to Fu Qiufang for a long time.

There was nothing else to do, and another day passed in the blink of an eye.

Early the next morning, instead of waiting for Yan Fengzhen, Wu Qian, the doctor of the Shenxing Division, came.

This person came with a dozen or so fans, who were in the dust. When they got close, they immediately ordered the fans to block the front and rear exits.

Wu Zhong and the Ding brothers were shocked, and each picked up a stick to be on guard. It was only then that the doctor Wu Qian stepped forward and said, "Is this the garden of Li Xiucai? I, Wu Qian, the doctor of the Shenxing Department, have something to do with Li Xiucai. Please let me know."

Ding Rufeng did not dare to neglect, and hurriedly found a maid to convey the message. Li Weijian was puzzled when he got the letter, and couldn't figure out what the drama was about. Immediately Shi Shiran arrived at the door and met Wu Qian. Wu Qian then said, "Li Xiucai invited me. In February, did the maid named Hongyu who was next to Li Xiucai buy a paper kite?"

Li Weijian thought for a long time before nodding hesitantly: "It seems that something is going on, Mr. Wu, what are you—"

Wu Qian smiled and said: "The emperor's orders are with me, so Li Xiucai doesn't need to ask any more questions. Please find the red jade and bring it out. I want to ask questions. Oh, it's best to bring out the paper kite as well." "

Li Weijian knew that he couldn't reason with such people, so he had no choice but to comply. He sent people to look for Hongyu, and led Wu Qian and four fans inside.

Wu Qian walked with his hands behind his back. This man was short in stature and had a fierce face. At this time, he walked slowly, looked around, and said: "Li Xiucai lives a quiet life, unlike me, who works hard and has no leisure all day long."

"The doctor was joking. I thought that there is no shortage of people in the court who can be officials, but there is a shortage of people who can do things like the doctor. If the doctor can do things, naturally he should work harder."

"Hahaha, Li Xiucai can talk."

Li Weijian introduced him to Zhiyuan Hall and sent the maid to serve him tea. After waiting for a moment, Hongyu came in a hurry. Xu Shi learned that the person coming was the Shen Xing Division, so Hong Yu's face was a little panicked. When he saw Li Weijian, he breathed a sigh of relief and stepped forward to greet Wu Qian.

A pair of triangular eyes carefully looked at the ruby ​​until he felt uncomfortable. Wu Qian said: "It is indeed beautiful. Li Xiucai is so lucky. Did you bring the paper kite?"

Just as Hongyu was about to speak, Xiuying ran in frantically, holding a paper kite in her hand.

"I brought it, I brought it. It's at the bottom of the box, but it's hard to find."

Wu Qian winked, and someone immediately stepped forward to take it. He glanced at the tassels on the end of the paper iris, and saw that the two small copper bells on them were intact as before.

"Sir, everything is here."

The paper was handed to Wu Qian, who looked at it, then waved his hand, his face softened slightly, and said, "Hongyu, do you still remember what happened that day?"

"My lord, I vaguely remember it. The young master took us that day..."

At the moment, Hongyu recalled the past, detailing everything, and told the general outline of that day's itinerary and what she saw.

Wu Qian was quite surprised. When an ordinary strong man meets the Shenxing Division, he will fight with both his legs no matter what. The little girl in front of him was scared at first, but her words became more organized. It's a pity that she is a woman. If she were a man, he would be suitable as a clerk in the Department of Criminal Justice.

Wu Qian listened and asked: "Did you pay attention to the stall owner before and after you bought the paper kite?"

"I didn't pay much attention to it, but he must be an old man."

Wu Qian nodded and faced each other. So he asked again: "Before and after you bought the paper kite, did you ever see anyone else buying it?"

Hongyu frowned and thought, and Wu Qian said: "Don't be in a hurry, think about it carefully. If what you think of can be used, I will give you a big reward." After a long while, Hongyu said: "It seems that there is a man in his thirties. The man was leading a naughty boy, who kept clamoring to buy a paper kite. I bought it and got on the carriage, but I don’t know whether they bought it or not."

"What does that man look like?"

Hongyu said: "I can't remember clearly, I just remember wearing a Lan shirt."

Wu Qian asked over and over again for a long time, but when he saw that he couldn't figure out what to ask, he frowned and thought hard, clicked on a fan, and took a booklet to look through.

Li Weijian didn't say anything, just thinking to himself. Why make such a fuss over a small paper kite? Could there be some major case involved in this?
  Seeing that Wu Qian was silent, Hongyu who was standing suddenly felt uneasy. She bit her lower lip and seemed to look to Li Weijian for help.

Li Weijian thought for a moment and said, "Hongyu, do you still remember what that scholar looks like?"

"Fourth Master, I really can't remember."

"What's your approximate face shape?"

"It's square and square, like a Chinese character face?"

"What about the nose? Is it big or small, tall or short?"

"Moderate."

"Mouth, eyes, eyebrows, cheeks, think about it carefully."

Hongyu hesitated and said, "I really can't remember clearly... By the way, that man had a rouge birthmark on his face."

Wu Qian, who was flipping through the brochure, suddenly raised his head and asked sharply: "The rouge birthmark? How big is it? What is its shape?"

Hongyu said: "It's about the size of a thumb, and it looks like a peach heart."

"Okay!" Wu Qian started to smile. He had an evil look, and his smile was uglier than his straight face. "What Miss Hongyu said will be of great use to our Sentence Department. If we catch the thief in the future, I will not hesitate to reward him heavily."

After saying that, he stood up and slightly cupped his hands towards Li Weijian: "Li Xiucai, I have caused trouble this time. I will offer you a drink to apologize in the future."

When Li Weijian saw off the God of Plague, he stood up and handed over his hands: "The doctor's words are serious, I will see him off."

Li Weijian walked to the gate of the garden and watched Wu Qian lead a dozen people to ride away, still wondering what the big case was. Then he thought that it had nothing to do with him, so he put it behind him for the time being.

Back in the garden, Hongyu felt a little uneasy, so she came over and said, "Fourth Master, are you okay?"

"It's all right."

Hongyu frowned and said, "I don't want to buy a paper kite but I can still attract the Sentence Division."

"Maybe the thief also bought the kite, that's all. It has nothing to do with us, so don't think too much about it."

Hongyu agreed and returned with Li Weijian.

Near noon that day, Yan Fengzhen finally returned.

Because the two were really familiar with each other, there was no need for Li Weijian to greet them, so Yan Fengzhen went into the garden on his own. Li Weijian got the letter and went to Zhiyuan Hall. He saw that the second young master was busy with work and was drinking from a cup of tea.

"Brother Jingwen, why is it so late?"

"Don't drop your book bag, I can't bear to hear this." Yan Fengzhen frowned and said, "It's been a real torment these past two days."

"King Zhongyong cannot be free?"

"Where is it? It's my father who was targeted by a scholar named Wu."

Li Weijian was happy: "My mentor has been tricked?"

Yan Fengzhen nodded and said, "Isn't that true? You are not afraid of wearing shoes when you are barefoot. This man named Wu is also very bold."

Yan Fengzhen told the whole story, but it was a scholar from Guangnan named Wu Shilong who came here in the past few days. In order to catch up with Qiu Wei, this man traveled thousands of miles from Guangnan to the north. When he ran out of money in the capital, he thought about it for two days and came up with a poisonous plan.

I don't know who told me that Yan Xiyao made money from calligraphy and painting shops, so he went to various restaurants to find out about this. He also claimed that if this matter spreads, the person behind the scenes must be eliminated quickly. Because he left a copy of the announcement in the restaurant, he thought that if he didn't come for two days in a row, someone must have plotted against him, and the announcement would be made public then.

Li Weijian smiled and said: "This person really doesn't know how to live or die. I wonder how the teacher will deal with him?"

But Yan Fengzhen pointed at his nose: "My father ordered me to deal with it. After a day's delay, I will deal with this matter."

"Oh? I wonder how Brother Jingwen dealt with it?"

"What else can I do? I went to see the man surnamed Wu, but he was quite unruly. We couldn't reach an agreement, so he just walked away. My father will deal with it afterwards... eh?" Yan Fenzhen suddenly looked at Li Weijian : "Resurrection, why don't you help me deal with it?"

"Where is that Wu Xiucai?"

"It's at the Guangnan Association."

Li Weijian said happily: "It's done, I'll take care of it now."

Having said that, Li Weijian immediately called the Ding brothers and explained in front of Yan Fenzhen: "Is there a gambling stall in the capital?"

The Ding brothers had been in the market for a long time, and they were pure green-skinned lagu, so they knew everything about big things and small things.

"Of course there is." Ding Rushong said.

Li Weijian then explained: "Give that gambling stall some benefits. You two will go to the Guangnan Guild Hall later to find a scholar named Wu and ask him what his intention is in making money while walking around. If he is greedy for money, you cannot directly give him money." , only saying that there is a way for him to win money in the gambling stalls.

Then he took him to a gambling stall and left him alone after he won the money. "

"Loss of money to avoid disaster?" Yan Fengzhen said angrily: "You are really generous to give money to such villains and revive them."

Li Weijian smiled and said: "This man is just a little clever. He got the money this time only with his intelligence. Oh, he can take what I give; he can't rob if I don't give. Brother Jing Wen knows that he is weak. Don't worry about wealth'?"

Yan Fengzhen thought about it and said, "What's the crime with having a jade?"

(End of this chapter)