Lu Ming was thinking about how to turn the marriage alliance into a "purchase". The price was not a problem. The land, population, etc. here were very cheap when calculated using the imperial currency. It was just that the local chieftains would never sell them.
Moreover, refusing the marriage and spending money to buy a "dowry"? I'm afraid it would be a great insult to the Popolo family. After all, the marriage partner has sacrificed his ancestors with sincerity. If we refuse, the other party may find it difficult to accept, let alone turning the marriage into a business.
How should I put it? Should I just take it easy today and talk about it in a few days
Just as he was thinking, suddenly, Hawkeye Luo over there forced a smile and said, "Mayor, although my family does not have that much land, I have a lake with abundant fish here. You should also know that in the dry season, water resources are scarce in the area around my Bat City. Bat City only has one private lake, which is my lake. In addition, although the public lake in the south is larger than my lake, it is shared by more than a dozen city-states."
"Your Excellency knows how valuable the fish and shrimp are here."
"Now, I am willing to give my lake and the 47 households and more than 360 fishermen in the lake village as Papa Ya's dowry, and give them to you, my Lord!"
Papaya, who was sitting next to him and was originally reserved and smiling politely, exclaimed and looked at Hawkeye Luo with shock and disbelief on her face.
Eagle Eye Luo avoided her gaze and didn't even look at her, but the corners of his mouth twitched slightly and a hint of pain flashed across his eyes.
There is no doubt that he is a vicious vulture. No matter how much he loves a woman, compared with the future and power of his family, she is not worth mentioning at all.
Lu Ming was speechless. One was sending off the ancestor, and the other was sending off his wife. What was going on
Although the states in the Western Regions do have less propriety and more barbaric customs, which are completely different from those in the East, even in chieftain families, if the father dies, it is also a custom for the heir to inherit the other two mothers who are not the biological mother as wives, and the inherited father's wife is not counted in the number of three wives.
There are many other ridiculous customs.
But despite this, the current situation should be extremely rare.
"My lord, Papa Ya will stay here. I will go and prepare her dowry and send it over tonight." Hawkeye Luo stood up and was about to leave.
Over there, Popolo and Long Xiang were also looking at Hawkeye Luo in surprise. After all, the doting that Hawkeye Luo showed towards Papa Ya was considered as an anecdote by a dozen nearby city-states.
Papa Ya was the most beautiful woman in the dozen or so nearby city-states, and her fame spread throughout the area when she was still a teenager.
When Hawkeye Luo still had three wives, he put a lot of effort into preventing them from getting married. He even competed with the son of the most powerful lord of the nearby White Deer City, and finally won the beauty.
There is also a legend that Hawkeye Luo was worried that time would drag on too long and Papaya would be married off by her father. After all, it was normal for girls here to get married at the age of eleven or twelve. Although Papaya's father got his promise and dragged it on for a few years, when Papaya was sixteen years old, Hawkeye Luo finally worried that the situation would worsen, so he killed one of his childless wives and quickly married Papaya home.
However, these are just rumors and should not be taken seriously.
Anyway, it is well known far and wide how much Hawkeye Luo dotes on his wife. He holds her in his hands for fear of dropping her, and holds her in his mouth for fear of melting her.
Papaya was also very capable, and he quickly helped Hawkeye Luo deal with most of the family affairs. As for those who dealt with Hawkeye Luo outside, they even felt that for many matters, communicating with Papaya would be more effective than communicating with Hawkeye Luo.
And now, Hawkeye Luo is going to give her away
Although a wife is also property, it is a great shame and humiliation for a wife, let alone a beloved one, to be occupied by someone else.
Popolo and Long Xiang, father and son, looked in shock at Hawkeye Luo who was about to prepare the "dowry". After being surprised, Popolo's eyes became a little admiring and a little fearful, while Long Xiang's eyes were full of contempt.
"Mr. Hawkeye Luo, wait a minute!" Lu Ming also came back to his senses, waved his hands helplessly, and said: "How about this, let's not talk about this for now, you all tell me first, what are your hopes for our support projects? Or, what projects have you prepared that you hope to get our support for?"
Popolo smiled and said, "Mayor, I came here just to sign a marriage alliance with you. It has nothing to do with your official business."
Lu Ming nodded and looked at Long Xiang. He had originally looked down on the Popolo family, but now he saw that Long Xiang's cultivation was not as good as his father's.
Hawkeye Luo also laughed and said, "What Fei Bo said is exactly what I feel." He even pulled his seat closer to Popolo and kept a distance from Papa Ya.
Papa Ya just looked at him infatuatedly, her beautiful eyes filled with tears, as if Eagle Eye Luo was the only one between heaven and earth.
"Well, what about the marriage? I..."
Lu Ming had just finished speaking when he heard a clear and childish laugh, "I'll agree to all the marriage arrangements on behalf of my brother!"
Nicole jumped behind Lu Ming and said to Luo Yi: "Why don't you translate it for them?"
Lu Ming had noticed Nicole coming downstairs curiously and whispering something to Luo Er. Naturally, she came here to gossip because she heard it was very lively here.
Then, it seemed like she was laughing so hard that she fell backwards.
It's extremely depressing.
But I didn't expect that she would suddenly come over and interrupt.
Hearing her words, Lu Ming was stunned for a moment and then frowned. He turned around and wanted to tell Luo Yi not to translate it.
Unexpectedly, Nicole was already lying behind him, one hand around his neck, one hand covering his mouth, and chuckled to Luo: "Translate it, I'm in charge, just say my brother agreed."
The soft and surprisingly elastic surging and towering breasts pressed against him, and Lu Ming's back immediately felt numb. He was stunned for a moment, and his mouth was covered by the fragrant, soft and smooth white hand. He didn't dare to open his mouth, for fear that he would be holding the long, dazzling, and delicate white hand with beautiful nails, and it would be like he was flirting with this naughty sister.
There was another fragrant and moist breath in my ears, and Nicole's tender voice: "Brother, they are so pitiful, help them..."
Lu Ming felt his body half numb and he could no longer make a sound.
Seeing this, Luo Yi knew that his master could not do anything to Miss Nicole, so he did not dare to delay any longer. "The mayor said that he is willing to form an alliance with your two families."
"Great! It's getting late, so we won't disturb the mayor's rest!"
Popolo stood up first. They were all old and smart. They could see clearly that it was the naughty beauty wearing golden glasses and a mask. Even though they couldn't see her face, they knew it was the one who facilitated this. They were afraid that it was not Mayor Lu's original intention. So they should leave quickly. The matter was settled. If they came back to regret tomorrow, it would be bad. My ancestor knew about it. Did they want my ancestor to commit suicide out of shame
Hawkeye Luo also stood up, touched his chest and bowed slightly, "Mayor, I'm leaving too!"
Papaya just looked at him with tears in her eyes until Hawkeye Luo's back gradually disappeared down the grass slope. Papaya's pretty white face, which had been trying hard to maintain an elegant smile, gradually lost its color and became extremely pale, looking very desperate.
…
In the bedroom on the third floor of Wolong Castle, Lu Ming frowned as he looked at Nicole who knocked on the door.
Nicole stuck out her tongue. "Brother, I've settled her down. Do you want to go over tonight? I don't think she would have any objection."
"You just want my family to have no peace, right?" Lu Ming was angry and amused.
Nicole shook her head and said seriously, "Brother, I really feel sorry for them. You can take them in. If they want to leave in the future, they can leave. It won't do you any harm. Besides, here, I have a place to stay if I want to travel in the future."
Lu Ming waved his hand: "You'd better help me solve the problem you caused."
Nicole chuckled: "Brother, if you are sure you don't want to go over tonight, then I'll call Luo Yi, Luo Er, and Papa Ya to chat?"
"It's up to you. You'd better ask how to send her back without damaging the relationship between Hawkeye Luo and her. I can take over the fish ponds, lakes and those fishermen."
"Okay." Nicole nodded and disappeared in a flash.
…
The earthen fort has three floors, and with a gentle breeze, I slept very comfortably at night.
It’s just that the wooden bed is a bit hard. No matter how much bedding you put on it, it still feels different from lying on the soft big bed in Donghai.
But this kind of hard bed is very relaxing.
At six o'clock, Lu Ming opened his eyes. It was late in the day in the Western Region and it was pitch black outside.
After getting up, I sat at the desk and looked through the thick files, mainly local laws and customs.
It seems that Lao Liu’s case can only be resolved in court.
Bat City State itself would not want to sue Liu Laocai, but the "victim" could hire a lawyer to file a private lawsuit.
To what extent do the decision-makers at Fila Petroleum want to intervene
In particular, the news has leaked that Liu Laocai's friends have arrived in Bat City.
Will they continue
My identity has no deterrent effect on them, because Fila Petroleum has no direct business in Beiguan. Its gas stations throughout Beiguan are just the layout of the Donghai branch for the entire metropolitan area, and Beiguan itself has no say in this.
Of course, it is not wrong to nitpick about the other party's gas station in Beiguan, but it is meaningless.
This business is insignificant to Fila Petroleum.
Although there is fierce competition among the major oil companies in the empire today, it is more or less a joint monopoly rather than a life-and-death fight.
Moreover, the decision-makers of Fila Petroleum who are planning to exploit the western oil field of Batcheng are probably not even remotely related to the East China Sea oil supply department.
Fila Petroleum is in a period of fierce competition among its heirs. Perhaps these departments have always been in a state of internal competition.
Therefore, one's own identity has little impact on the change of the current situation. At most, if the other party wants to continue, they will pay more attention to it.
"Have a cup of coffee to refresh yourself." Lu Ming shouted to the outside.
Outside, Luo Yi and Luo Er were taking turns on duty, but they didn't expect to have to get up so early.
After leaving Donghai, I usually read books on the train very late and would not get up until eight or nine o'clock. When I get here, it would be even later.
Because here in the Western Regions, it is still pitch dark at eight o'clock in the Imperial Standard Time in February.
Lu Ming continued to read. A cup of fragrant coffee was placed on the table. Lu Ming nodded and said, "Thank you."
"Master, I'm the first one to pick up. Do you think it's okay?" A very stiff Central Asian accent, the voice was soft, a feeling that was hard to describe. How should I put it? It was like the feeling that a neighbor's grandmother has towards a child, even if the other person calls herself "Master".
Lu Ming, who was about to continue flipping through the book, was stunned. He turned his head in astonishment and saw a white figure standing next to him. Looking closely, he found that it was a beautiful woman with silver hair, wearing a long skirt made of thin snow-white fabric. This kind of fabric is actually the Dacron mentioned in his previous life. It is also one of the main chemical fiber fabrics dumped by the eastern part of the empire to the western region. But in Bat City, those who can wear this brand new Dacron fabric skirt must be from an aristocratic family.
The beautiful woman in the white dress seemed to have a slender figure and was beautiful, but her eyes contained a wisdom that young people could never possess. This was the kind of wisdom that only people in their sixties could have, a trait that comes with the accumulation of years.
"Master, I, Sanjinpo, mean, Dragon Girl..."
Lu Ming had already guessed it vaguely, and was stunned for a moment, "Here, it's coming!" He didn't know what to say for a moment and felt extremely embarrassed.
Suddenly, he stood up again.
After all, on the bus, you should probably give up your seat.
The wisdom in his eyes? How could it be forty-five? It was clearly sixty-five.
"I, have, influenced, the master?"
"Ah, no, no..." Lu Ming waved his hands repeatedly, suddenly curious, "Can you speak Zhongzhou?"
"Too idle. I have a little bit of everything, Central China, the West, Japan, and the South Seas."
"Long Xiang's grandson Zhongzhou, too, I..."
Encyclopedia? Lu Ming smiled bitterly. So far, he has never met anyone who has learned all five confederation languages.
"I, enlightened... He, has a great interest, better than me..." she added with some effort.
It seems that she had very few opportunities to communicate with Central Asians in her life. She only learned from books and the radio, and heard them better. The Central Asian and Western language channels on the radio were probably the most popular, and she listened to them often.
Lu Ming coughed and said, "You, you..." He couldn't ask for a moment.
"Slave, forty-five, hair, unknown, white." Although this old lady had difficulty speaking the Central Plains language, she was obviously very intelligent, because Lu Ming's eyes passed over her silver hair several times, so she knew what Lu Ming wanted to ask.
Oh... Lu Ming pondered, and heard from Popolo that his aunt had been fasting since she was a child. Although it should not be the same as being a vegetarian in the East, she was selective about food, so it should be due to a lack of trace elements. However, her hair was a very shiny silver, not the kind of old and dry white hair, which was quite magical.
"Master, no, excuse me, you..." San Jinpo said, kneeling slightly and taking her leave.
Lu Ming was at a loss and almost knelt down.
In fact, these three Jinpo were not very old, and there were many people who got married at this age in later generations.
Moreover, he is only about ten years older than Judge Christine.
But I don't know why, she gives people the feeling that she is a wise old woman who has experienced many vicissitudes of life, and is of the same generation as my grandmother.
Maybe, the old aunt who never got married in her life is really different.
Not to mention the women in a large slave society family like Batcheng who had sworn a great oath since childhood.
Suddenly, I wanted to call Christine. I was a little nervous. I have a concubine who is ten years older than you. Are you still being so arrogant to me? Who are you putting on airs of seniority every day
Then he smiled bitterly, wondering what on earth he was thinking about.
The strange things I've experienced from yesterday till now have had a huge impact on me emotionally.
I have to make this call. When I return to Donghai, if Christine doesn't lock me up in a small dark room for a month, it will be considered a good deed in my previous life.
As for San Jinpo, we still have to find a way to resolve the problem satisfactorily.
While I was thinking about it, there was a light knock on the door.
Luo Yi brought in a piece of paper and said timidly, "Mrs. Sanjin asked me to give it to the master..." She didn't know whether to give it or not.
Lu Ming stretched out his hand, and saw densely packed beautiful small characters. Zhongzhou's handwriting was much better than her pronunciation.
The wording is very respectful, but it's very strange, with an over-abundance of flowery phrases, beginning with "The Supreme Slave shall forever swear allegiance to the Honorable Master with unlimited obedience until death."
Then, he would ask me very carefully if I had any other plans in the next two days.
If not, she would "make an extremely anxious and reluctant request, and kowtow 10,000 times to make a respectful and fearful statement to the master."
The suggestion is to hold a simple ceremony for him, her and Papa Ya during the day, and inform the city lord. In this way, the status and the land and population of the noble master here are confirmed. From then on, the "master who is higher than the sky" began to stretch out the "huge and noble hand covering the sky of Bat City."
Seeing this, Lu Ming couldn't help laughing, thinking to himself, you think you are very wise, but you still underestimate me. It would be more appropriate to change Bat City to Western Regions.
Next, she said that a simple ceremony does not mean a wedding in Donghai, and even if it is a marriage here, it is not recognized by Donghai law, so it has no impact on the "infinitely honorable master". It's just that the master will occasionally come to the West and have this family.
Her second suggestion was that the "giant master whose wisdom is comparable to that of the three dragon gods" should be allowed to participate in the annual "Public Lake Fishing Competition" tomorrow and only need to watch. However, from then on, the master would be regarded as one of their own by everyone in Bat City.
Finally, she apologized in various ways, apologized for daring to write this letter, and signed it with "Sanjin, your humble concubine who will always obey the thundering sound that your majestic body brings down from the sky."
Looking at the letter, Lu Ming scratched his head, started to laugh, and then suddenly felt a chill.
This old aunt is quite scary.
No, no, I’d better find a way to send it away.
Although, he had a vague feeling that if she really helped him, it would be of great help to him in gaining profits in the Western Regions.
But if she still focuses on the Popolo family, it is very likely that she will eat everything here until there is nothing left.
After all, it would be good if I could come to the Western Regions once or twice a year and stay there for ten days or half a month.
Of course, if she really understood who she was and what kind of cards she had now, with her wisdom, she would definitely choose a win-win situation.
Outside, Luo Yi knocked on the door again, "Master, the economic and trade delegation has arrived at Bat City."
Lu Ming agreed and suddenly felt funny. If he really held a ceremony to marry two concubines today, would Sherlock want to beat him to death