Shao Yun'an pretended to be ignorant, but didn't ask Wei Hongwen's real reason for coming. He just thought that he had admired his "name" for a long time, as he said, so he came to see him and was grateful. With Mr. Cen, Kang Rui and Jiang Kangning present, Wei Hongwen couldn't tell Shao Yun'an his true intentions. He originally wanted to use the Hengyuan Marquis Mansion to coerce and lure Shao Yun'an into giving him part of the tea and wine business, but in the end not only the relationship between Mr. Cen and Kang Rui and Shao Yun'an caught him off guard, Shao Yun'an was too calm and "naive" It also made him unable to start.
With Mr. Cen, Kang Rui and Jiang Kangning "calling the shots", Shao Yun'an just needs to follow their topic, and he will be absolutely obedient. No matter how anxious Wei Hongwen was in his heart, his face was calm and he talked very freely, but he didn't appear to be high-profile. It can be seen from his speech that he has been to many places, and he really has a way of doing business. What makes Shao Yun'an more interested is that Wei Hongwen can be said to have traveled all over the southeast and northwest of the Great Yan State, and even went to the countries around the Yan State, including the Huhar State that just finished the war with the Yan State to do business. . This Wei Hongwen is only 24 years old, but he looks 30 years old. This is not unrelated to his business and exposure to wind and sun all year round.
Jiang Kangchen told Shao Yun'an. The situation in the Hengyuanhou Mansion is very complicated. Wei Hongru and Wei Hongwen are the legitimate sons of Hengyuanhou's mansion, but they are the sons of Hengyuanhou's first wife. After the mother of the two died of illness, Hou Hengyuan married another beautiful wife. The wife's natal family was a cabinet bachelor and gave birth to a son and a daughter. The son is still young, only ten years old, but his mother is the current Mrs. Hengyuan Hou. But Marquis Hengyuan was more romantic, with more than a dozen side wives and concubines, and more than a dozen concubines and concubines. The eldest son of the concubine is even 3 years older than the eldest son of Wei Hongru.
The maternal ancestors of Wei Hongru and Wei Hongwen were weak, and their power could not be compared with that of the stepmother's family. Without the protection of his mother, although Wei Hongru and Wei Hongwen are very strong, as long as Wei Hongru does not get the title of son, his and Wei Hongwen's status in the Hengyuan Marquis Mansion will not be truly secure for a day. In addition, the new lady was naturally unwilling to let the title of son fall on the head of the son of the former wife, and tried every means to get the master to ask her son to be crowned son. There is no need to say much about the struggle for power and profit.
The eldest son, Wei Hongzheng, has no hope of becoming the eldest son, but he has a disagreement with the Wei Hongwen brothers, and now he is getting mixed up with the new wife, and whenever he finds an opportunity, he will give them eye drops. This time, the Hengyuan Hou Mansion didn't get such a big deal of tea and wine. Wei Hongzheng often took this opportunity to make trouble for the two of them. Therefore, Wei Hongwen had to get the tea and wine business, and ensure that similar things would not happen again, so that he could fight back. But now, Wei Hongwen felt that things were far more difficult than he expected. But he still couldn't find a chance to discuss this matter with Shao Yun'an.
Shao Yunan's heart is like a bright mirror. He didn't mention it, he didn't deliberately make things difficult for Wei Hongwen, he didn't have that bad taste. It's just that he has to see whether Wei Hongwen is worth his investment. Through the conversation between Cen Lao, Dean Kang and the elder brother and Wei Hongwen, Shao Yun'an observed silently. He never thought of offending someone like the Hengyuan Houfu. It's hard to guard against a backstab, and it's hard to provoke a villain, not to mention the powerful son of the Hengyuan Houfu, unless he is a prince himself, no matter how much he has backing, he will not ask for trouble. This is the second reason. The Patriarch hasn't come back yet, what business are we talking about!
When it was getting dark in the evening, Wang Shijing came back with Mrs. Cen. As soon as he came back, Guo Ziyu told Wang Shijing about the important events in his family. He and Shao Yun'an had discussed this matter, they sent the old lady back to the room to rest, and served meals, Wang Shijing went back to the room and changed his clothes, washed his hands and face, and went to see the guest cleanly.
Shao Yun'an was cooking in the kitchen at this time, while Mr. Cen, Kang Rui and Jiang Kangning continued to entertain guests in the main hall. The appearance of Wang Shijing changed the atmosphere of the scene again. After Wang Shijing called "Old Man, Senior Brother, Big Brother", he formally introduced himself with Wei Hongwen. When he saw Wang Shijing wearing a one-eyed eye patch, Wei Hongwen's first reaction was that a fresh bamboo was stuck on the cow dung. Regardless of age or appearance, in the eyes of outsiders, Shao Yun'an was wronged, and Wang Shijing took advantage of it.
Wang Shijing first told Mr. Cen that he had brought his wife back, and then politely expressed his welcome to Wei Hongwen's arrival. Wang Shijing was not as eloquent as Shao Yun'an, but it was precisely because of his introvertedness and his appearance that Wei Hongwen was deeply impressed. After all, he had been on the battlefield and killed people, and with the black eyepatch, as long as Wang Shijing didn't speak, he would give people a strong sense of oppression. Wei Hongwen had met countless people, and he heard from shopkeeper Xu He had been to Wang Shijing before, and after seeing Wang Shijing, he naturally saw that this man had killed people and seen blood, and he was not just a soldier in the army. This couple exceeded Wei Hongwen's expectations, and Wei Hongwen could only take one step at a time.
Not long after Wang Shijing came back, Guo Ziyu appeared at the entrance of the main hall. Dinner was ready, and the host and guest were invited to sit. Elder Cen said expectantly: "Brother An's cooking skills are probably inferior to that of Yizhangxuan's cooks, and the second son is lucky."
Wei Hongwen smiled: "The younger generation has heard about it for a long time and is looking forward to it."
It is the most delicious to eat mutton this winter. This sheep scorpion is also known as the "King of Calcium Supplement". Shao Yun'an has always wanted to cook, but there are too many delicacies to cook. If Zhao He hadn't mentioned that the family wanted to kill the sheep and give it to Shao Yun'an, he wouldn't have remembered it.
Shao Yunan made mutton scorpions with two soup bases, red soup and white soup. The red soup has chilli alone, while the white soup is pure umami. The three children, Mrs. Cen, the two little girls Xia Chun and Xia Qiu couldn't eat spicy food, so they only ate white soup, and the others were free to do so. After asking what kind of soup everyone wanted to eat, Shao Yunan asked Aunt Zhou and Zheng Weishi to make separate pots for each person and put them in front of each other.
I haven't eaten this yet, but just looking at and smelling it, everyone's saliva can't be stopped. After Mr. Cen picked up the chopsticks first, no one else was reserved. Wei Hongwen was depressed, but he was really hungry, especially after the lamb scorpion was served, even he, who claimed to have eaten a lot of delicious food, couldn't help swallowing. And there were not only sheep and scorpions on the table, Shao Yunan also asked Guo Zimu to stir-fry a few dishes, steamed steamed buns, and baked pancakes.
Shao Yunan demonstrated first, using a reed tube to suck out the sheep's spinal cord, and then ate the meat. After the first bite of meat, Wei Hongwen's business experience couldn't stop turning in his head. Normally, shopkeeper Xu would definitely ask Shao Yunan to do this business, or buy the recipe for this dish from him, but now, shopkeeper Xu can't say that.
When there were guests, Mrs. Cen took the three children back to the house to eat. After eating two yuan, Wei Hongwen put down his chopsticks and said, "This sheep scorpion is really delicious. Hongwen claims to have eaten all the delicacies in the country of Yan, but today he can't help but feel ashamed. Brother Shao's craftsmanship really lives up to his reputation."
Old Cen laughed and said, "Brother An's cooking is delicious, and the old man's appetite has already been spoiled by him."
Kang Rui and Jiang Kangning nodded in agreement.
Shao Yunan said: "If you want to raise Diao, you can raise Diao. You live at home, so it's inconvenient to eat anything? But brother and senior brother are going to be busy, right?"
Jiang Kangning said: "If there is nothing important, the official opening of the government office is usually after the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. If it is in the capital, it will be opened on the tenth day of the first lunar month."
Kang Rui went on to say: "The academy starts on the first day of February. Brothers can go to the academy the day before to meet with all the masters."
Shao Yun'an looked at Mr. Cen: "Don't you need to go to the county school?"
Old Cen said: "I've already explained it. On the first day of junior high school, I showed up and gave some advice to the students. The affairs of the county school are in charge of the three vice presidents."
"Brother Jing will send you there on the first day of the junior high school. You will come back when you are done."
"good."
Seeing that they had finished talking about the daily routine, Wei Hongwen said, "Brother Shao's cooking skills are so good, don't you plan to open a restaurant? With Brother Shao's cooking skills, even my cook at Yizhangxuan is far behind."
Shao Yun'an smiled and said, "I'm lazy, and it's very troublesome to open a restaurant. Brother Jing doesn't like me being too busy." After talking, he went to see Wang Shijing.
Wang Shijing answered immediately: "Our family has a small population. The small business we do on weekdays is enough for daily expenses, so there is no need to work hard. Besides, Yun'an is still young, and it is not a good thing for him to be overworked."
Wei Hongwen wanted to complain. Are you a small business! Don't talk about him. Shopkeeper Xu and Shopkeeper Zeng also wanted to complain. Wang Shijing went on to say: "Money is endless, and our family doesn't have that much ambition."
One sentence blocked Wei Hongwen's desire to open a restaurant in partnership with Shao Yun'an.
Jiang Kangning said at the right time: "Mr. Wei is rare to taste Yun'an's craftsmanship, don't waste it."
Wei Hongwen picked up his chopsticks again, and smiled helplessly at Shao Yun'an. Let's eat first. No matter how you finish eating, you have to find an opportunity to tell the purpose of your trip.
Wei Hongwen racked his brains over there, thinking about how to mention him to Shao Yunan. A meal passed in his thoughts. But he didn't expect that before he mentioned it first, someone would mention it.
"Grandpa, senior brother, big brother, I let the kitchen boil water, do you want to make bubbles?"
Elder Cen looked at Shao Yun'an and asked, "Do you have an idea?"]
Shao Yun'an showed a confident Guan Rong: "I happened to have something to ask Shopkeeper Xu. You guys have been tired all day too, old man, go take a bath to relieve fatigue."
Seeing Shao Yun'an's smile, Elder Cen, Kang Rui and Jiang Kangning knew that he had a countermeasure. Shao Yun'an had always had ideas in their hearts, and the three of them were not frank.
When Shao Yunan said that, Wei Hongwen, Shopkeeper Xu, and Shopkeeper Zeng couldn't help but their expressions lit up. Shopkeeper Xu hurriedly said, "I also happen to have something to discuss with Brother Shao. You and I thought of going together."
Mr. Cen waved his hand: "Then Brother An, go talk about business, I will have another cup of tea with your senior brother and eldest brother."
"good."
Shao Yun'an got up and motioned for the three of them to follow him. After saluting to Elder Cen, Jiang Kangning and Kang Ruilue, the three of them followed Shao Yun'an and Wang Shijing away, with eagerness in their footsteps.
"I don't know what Yun'an is planning." Kang Rui said to himself.
Elder Cen shook his head: "Tea and wine can never be handed over to the Hengyuan Marquis's Mansion. On this matter, Kang Ning, you have to send a secret report to the emperor, and write another letter to Kang Chen, asking him to present it to the queen."
"good."
Shao Yun'an brought Wei Hongwen and the others to his and Wang Shijing's study. Guo Ziyu then brought tea. After several people sat down, Shao Yun'an didn't say a word, Wang Shijing asked straight to the point: "Didn't Mr. Wei just come here this time just to see our family, Yun'an?"
Wei Hongwen really didn't expect these two people to be so straightforward. But since the other party was straightforward, he didn't hide it anymore, and said directly: "Exactly. Wei has been in business for many years. A new kind of tea and a new kind of wine suddenly appeared in the capital a few years ago. The dignitaries in the capital can be said to be trending." The price is so high, especially the price of the new tea can be said to be hard to come by. Wei Mou learned that the new tea and wine were made by you and Brother Shao, and it happened that Wei Mou also learned that his subordinates had a lot of contact with you two, so Come here to set up a friendship. To tell you the truth, Wei hopes to do this business with you.
Wei also knew that the owner of the new tea and wine was the Queen. Wei does not want to compete with the Queen for business, but Wei also has a last resort, this new tea and new wine Wei does not ask for much, new tea should be at least 100 catties a year, and new wine should be 200 catties a year. According to Wei's investigation, the production of tea and goat's milk fruit in Yongxiu County is not much. "
Wei Hongwen's original idea was not like this. He originally planned to get at least 30% of the amount from Shao Yun'an. But after that day, he dismissed the idea, as long as these quantities. Although the number is not large, one thing he can be sure of is that apart from him, it is impossible for others to get new tea and wine from Shao Yun'an.
Wang Shijing said blankly: "Young Master Wei also said it. The big owner of tea and wine is the empress. Yun An and I are just grassroots. Do you think we can sell tea and wine to the queen without the consent of the empress?" Are you? Mr. Wei's request is too difficult for others."
Shopkeeper Xu and Shopkeeper Zeng couldn't help becoming anxious when they heard this. Shopkeeper Xu looked at Shao Yun'an pitifully and beggingly, hoping that Shao Yun'an would make it easier for them to see the little friendship between the two of them. Shao Yun'an pretended not to see it, picked up the tea bowl and drank tea. Wei Hongwen took a deep breath, but he was not angry, but said: "The queen also wants to use these tea and wine to sell money. Wei does not go around in circles with the two of you. I want these tea and wine, only for me The reputation of the Hengyuanhou Mansion is not important as for the price. I will accept as much tea and wine as the Empress sells, as long as I can get the tea and wine from the Hengyuanhou Mansion. Can."
Shao Yun'an laughed lightly, and said, "I'm not in the capital, so I don't know how to sell the tea and wine. But Mr. Wei, if you really accept it like this, you will be at a big loss."
Wei Hongwen also smiled slightly, and said: "Sometimes, face is more important. It is also because of the friendship between Brother Shao and Xu and Zeng that Wei went through this on purpose. Brother Shao is a person who values love and righteousness. I hope Brother Shao can Understand Wei's difficulties."
However, Shao Yun'an was unmoved and shook his head. The smile on Wei Hongwen's face couldn't hold back immediately, and shopkeeper Xu couldn't help but say, "Brother Shao, please help me. This matter is for the big boss and Hengyuanhou. The government is really important."
Wang Shijing said: "Unless the Empress allows, Yun'an and I have no control over this matter. Mr. Wei has the Hengyuan Marquis Mansion, and the two of us cannot compare with Mr. Wei."
Wei Hongwen said: "Brother Wang is being modest. Although Old Cen is not in court, he is not an ordinary person."
Wang Shijing asked back: "Young Master Wei, do you mean that Mr. Cen has more face than the Queen?"
Wei Hongwen pursed his lips, and shopkeeper Xu couldn't help but say that Shao Yun'an raised his hand to stop him.
"Master Xu, Master Zeng, it's not that Brother Jing and I don't give you face, and it's not that we take Joe. Although the tea and wine were made by me and Brother Jing, but now, Brother Jing and I have not sold the tea and wine. To whom should the power be given?" Shao Yun'an then said bluntly: "Mr. Wei is actually embarrassing us by making such a request. Shouldn't you be more aware of the value of tea and wine in the capital than we are? Do you think the emperor and queen will let us Do others earn this kind of money and reputation? The Hengyuan Hou Mansion is not afraid of offending the Emperor and the Queen, but Brother Jing and I are not, as we do not have such a big backer."
Wei Hongwen thumped in his heart, and immediately said, "Brother Shao may have misunderstood. How could the Hengyuan Houfu not be afraid of the emperor and queen?"
Shao Yunan said with a "perplexed" face: "Are you not afraid? But what you mean is that you are not afraid. If you are afraid, will you still make this request to me? Will you still come to compete with the queen and the emperor for business?" ?”
Wei Hongwen didn't know what to say. If this word reached the ears of the emperor and queen, maybe the emperor would not do anything to him, but he would definitely do something to the Hengyuanhoufu. Damn it! He really thought too simply! These two farmers are as shrewd as foxes!
Shopkeeper Xu and Shopkeeper Zeng are in a hurry, their bosses will never be able to bear such big hats! The two storekeepers hurriedly pleaded: "Brother Shao, you misunderstood, our boss definitely didn't mean that..."
Shao Yun'an interrupted the words of the two shopkeepers, and said to Wei Hongwen, who looked tense, "Mr. Wei, brother Jing and I want to talk to you alone."
Wei Hongwen's expression changed slightly: "Yes."