Chapter 9 Entrepreneurial Soil, Wilderness Hotel

In the fourth year of Zhenghe, spring came and flowers bloomed, and all things came back to life.

It's the season for sexual intercourse again. The male dog on the roadside lies on the female dog, making satisfying sounds.

Cao Jie felt itchy inside.

Although he had achieved nothing in his previous life when he was approaching thirty, he had at least dated seven or eight girlfriends and could occasionally enjoy foot washing services of various levels!
Since being reborn in this corner of Shijie Village, I have been abstaining from sex for half a year. If I had continued to practice hard in Shijie Village, I would have been able to endure it.

But once he went out to Qinghe County to look for Wu Song, his plan fell through.

In the old Water Margin, the panting sound of Jinlian while bathing seemed to always linger in my ears.

Wu Da is short, ugly and poor, so he can’t play high-end. Only I, Cao, can grasp the Golden Lotus!
Wu Erlang has a majestic figure, a handsome appearance, a pair of eyes that shoot cold stars, and two curved eyebrows that are as dark as painted. Our Cao Erlang is not much worse...

The mule and horse cart creaked northward. Cao Jie thought about it for a while and then set his eyes on the fields beside the road.

During the busy spring season, there are naturally hunched-backed farmers everywhere, facing the loess and back to the sky, as numb as the tools used to plow the fields, without any energy or spirit.

Cao Jie knew that these fields did not belong to them.

Moreover, there are wastelands everywhere and no one is cultivating them.

"Land annexation and heavy taxes have laid the foundation for rebellion."

It’s not that Cao Jie is determined to start a business, but that he is at the bottom of the society and his channels for upward mobility are blocked.

It is indeed good to study and become an official in Dasong.

A rich family does not need to buy good farmland, as there are thousands of bushels of grain in books. A comfortable home does not need to build a high building, as there is a golden house in books. Do not hate the lack of a good matchmaker when you want to marry a wife, as there is a beautiful woman in books. Do not hate no one to accompany you when you go out, as there are many carriages and horses in books. A man who wants to fulfill his life's ambition should study the Five Classics diligently in front of the window.

"Encouraging Learning" written by Emperor Zhenzong of Song Dynasty is the belief in the heart of every scholar.

During the Zhenguan period, when Emperor Taizong of Tang saw the newly-appointed scholars marching out of the Duanmen Gate, he was very happy and said, "All the heroes in the world are within my grasp!"

The Song Dynasty took the imperial examination to its peak.

Sharing the world with the literati is not just a slogan.

But the problem is that Cao Jie’s high school grades were not very ideal, and the imperial examination in the demon world of Water Margin is not just about the Four Books and Five Classics, the core is the conception of a god.

There is no hope for a civil servant, and being a military general is worse than "killing people and setting fires and being recruited."

The one who calls out the names at Donghua Gate is a real hero!
This was the deafening roar that Han Qi made after he killed a fierce general in the army because of a trivial matter!

After field investigation, it was found that the soil for entrepreneurship in Jingdong Road is very fertile.

In fact, the imperial court encouraged the people to reclaim wasteland. As long as the land was reclaimed, the imperial court would grant household registration and land deeds, and even tax exemptions for the newly reclaimed land.

But every policy from the top has its countermeasures. After Zhao Ji, who "was not fit to rule the world", became emperor, all the good policies collapsed into a pile of shit.

Take the Jingdong Road for example. The climate conditions are suitable and the landform features are good. Although the Yellow River is harmful, the mother river also brings silt rich in organic nutrients. Logically, the population should be dense and the people should be prosperous.

The actual situation is that the land is vast and sparsely populated, and the fields are barren!
Just as Cao Jie saw, there were large tracts of wasteland, but the landless people were unwilling to reclaim it and would rather be exploited by the landlords.

Because you have reclaimed the wasteland for several years and finally made it fertile, you can go to the government to register and get a certificate. At this time, a powerful person will jump out and say that this is clearly his land.

Even if the landlords and powerful people do not take action, it will be difficult to deal with the government.

The government doesn't want land, but they want taxes. For example, if you reclaim ten acres of land, when it's time to pay taxes, you will find that you have to pay taxes for twenty acres.

All the above reasons are the reasons for the development of small businesses, and landless people are more willing to flock to the city to work.

Just like Wu Dalang, selling pancakes could support the two brothers.

But those who have no permanent property have no permanent heart. If the orcs from the north move south, this vast country will be destroyed!
"There are still thirteen years..."

Cao Jie muttered to himself.

Ruan Xiaoqi, who was driving a mule-drawn cart, heard something puzzling and turned to ask, "What do you mean by thirteen years?"

"The catastrophe is coming!"

Thirteen years later, the Jingkang Shame would come.

"Then we can still live happily for thirteen years!"

Ruan Xiaoqi didn't ask what the catastrophe was. Being carefree and uninhibited by nature, he continued to hum a tune.

This year, Wanyan Aguda, the future founder of Jin, ordered the Jurchen tribes to swear an oath and come to Liushui, starting a ten-year campaign against Liao.

It was also this year that Aguda would defeat the 3700 Liao soldiers stationed in Chuhedian with a force of only people.

The orcs of the White Mountains and Black Waters have completed their evolution and are beginning to wreak havoc in the north. 'I don't have much time left!'

"To make money, to attract people, to cultivate..."

'Time waits for no one!'

The four men had never done business before, nor had they traveled far. They traveled all day long with their heads down. When they came to their senses, the sun was setting. There was no village in front of them, and no shop behind them. They had already missed their place to stay.

"Erlang, why don't we hurry forward before it gets dark? We might come across a village. It won't be a big problem for us to camp outdoors, but we need to feed these two mules, otherwise we will have to pull the cart tomorrow."

Cao Jie had no experience in this area, so he smiled bitterly and said, "Listen to my second brother."

As luck would have it, the four men driving the mule and horse cart had just passed a pine forest when they saw a tattered wine flag with a large word "Wine" written on the khaki and black flag.

This is a thatched inn in the countryside. Although it is simple, it is clean and spacious.

They supply cheap liquor, dried tofu, rice cakes and peanuts.

As for meat, there is some, but it depends on what livestock the boss received last time.

In the countryside, where the population is sparse, meat is usually only sold on the first and fifteenth day of the month. At other times, it depends on luck.

If the boss received a dead dog the day before, he would cook it with the old soup, and the customer would drink dog meat soup. If it was a donkey, then it would be donkey meat soup.

However, pork is usually the main dish.

The four of them had been traveling all day and were starving. As soon as they arrived at the store, San Ruan shouted for wine and meat, and placed a hundred coins heavily on the mulberry wood table, making a crisp sound.

Hearing the noise, the female shopkeeper, who was dressed in plain clothes, came hurriedly from the back of the shop. She had a sturdy waist and a smile on her full-moon face.

"Sir, please wait a moment. We will make arrangements right away. We will ensure that you have good food and drink. Brother, brother, where have you been? There are guests..."

She is decisive and aggressive.

The four of them sat down, but Cao Jie felt a little nervous.

In the world of Water Margin, most of the wilderness hotels are black shops. Killing people and robbing them is one thing, but cutting meat for stuffing is too much.

Ruan Xiaoqi was slightly stunned when he saw Cao Jie winking at him, then he lowered his voice and asked, "Erlang, are you worried?"

Cao Jie said solemnly: "I don't know if you have heard of this, but no one dared to pass by the big tree cross slope. The fat ones were cut into steamed buns, while the thin ones were used to fill the river."

Ruan Xiaowu sneered: "This is not the Cross Hill. Erlang, you are too cautious."

"Xiaowu, don't be careless." Ruan Xiaoer was still the most stable of the three and said, "Erlang is right. Be careful when you go out. We will take turns drinking later."

After a while, the burly female shopkeeper came over with a jar of wine and gulped down four large bowls of it.

He said enthusiastically: "This is home-brewed. Although it is not as good as the fine wine in the city, it is not too strong and will not delay your trip. Drink it first, and we will go and prepare food..."

The three Ruan brothers stared at each other, then looked at Cao Jie together.

Soon, a waiter brought up pancakes and some unknown meat.

Cao Jie took a closer look and raised his eyebrows slightly. It was not that poison was used, but that his sixth sense as a [Gourmet Hunter] did not find anything unusual.

"Eat it! It shouldn't be a big problem."

The steaming hot pancakes and the meat that was obviously made from animal bones, although the taste was a bit bad, I didn’t dislike them when I was out.

"Ji Lang, is this really okay?"

"I don't know about the wine, but the food is fine."

Cao Jie picked up the pancake and started eating it.

"Xiaowu, you drink first."

“This…” Ruan Xiaowu scratched his head, hardened his heart, and drank a bowl of wine: “Huh, the wine is not bad.”

There is no problem with the food and wine, which is really rare.

Is there still a serious business in the wilderness these days?
Cao Jie shook his head, feeling that he was being paranoid and frightened by the description in the book.

Just when the group was half full and Ruan Xiaowu was a little tipsy, a man came from the intersection and shouted, "Hey, bring a jar of wine, two pounds of beef, and some pancakes. You can eat as much as you want."

Cao Jie turned his head and looked.

'Oh, what an ugly guy!'

(End of this chapter)