This mansion, located in the wealthy area of Pingxi City, covers an area of seven or eight acres. There are many courtyards in the mansion, and many flowers and plants are raised. It is lush and quiet everywhere. On weekdays, only servants, guards and housekeepers come and go in this mansion. Even the neighbors who live nearby don’t know that this mansion is the property of the Lanzhou Zhong family in Pingxi City. Coincidentally, this mansion is only half a street away from the mansion where Ye Xiao had an accident that Yan Liqiang discovered last time.
The housekeeper of the mansion directly welcomed Zhong Hongzhang and Zhong Ruolan into the living room. After washing their faces, hands and arranging fragrant tea, he stood solemnly aside, while Zhong Hongzhang and Zhong Ruolan sat on the left and right sides of the main seat in the living room.
"Just now when we were in the city, we saw a Yan family charity hall. Many beggars and poor people were queuing up at the door of the hall to get porridge. Is this Shanyi Hall owned by the Yan family?" Zhong Hongzhang asked after taking a sip of tea to moisten his mouth.
"In reply to Second Master, the Yan Family Charity Hall was opened by the Yan family of Yan'anbao in Pingxi City. It has been more than a month. After the opening of the Yan Family Charity Hall, they have been distributing porridge and clothes, helping the poor, building bridges and paving roads, and doing a lot of good things for the people in the city. In addition to Pingxi City, there is also a Yan Family Charity Hall in every county town under Pingxi County. The things done by each Charity Hall are similar. In just over a month, the Yan Family Charity Hall has won praise from countless people inside and outside Pingxi County, and the Yan family's reputation in Pingxi County is also growing..."
Zhong Hongzhang and Zhong Ruolan looked at each other, and then Zhong Hongzhang spoke, "Okay, I got it. Go and have someone notify Shopkeeper He and have him come here to see me!"
The butler took the order and withdrew, and arranged for someone to notify Manager He. Manager He was the manager of the Zhong family's Datong Money House in Pingxi City.
"Ruolan, what do you think?"
"If they wanted to gain fame and reputation, the Yan family only needed to set up a Yan's Charity Hall in Pingxi City, but the Yan family opened a Yan's Charity Hall in every county in Pingxi County. This is not as simple as seeking fame and reputation. It seems that either Yan Liqiang really made too much money and wanted to sincerely spend some money to do good deeds, or Yan Liqiang felt that his current reputation and prestige were not enough, and he wanted a higher reputation, greater prestige and greater influence in Pingxi County!"
"I think so too. However, Yan Liqiang is still young, but his reputation is already very high. Especially after he killed Cai Yingwu with one arrow, everyone knows that he is the best archer in the northwest. He can even suppress the Transportation Office and Feitian Gate. Isn't such a reputation enough? No matter what, Lei Sitong can't appoint him as the governor of Pingxi County!"
"Second uncle, have you forgotten that Yan Liqiang has another identity? He is the Qiyun Protector appointed by the emperor?" Zhong Ruolan said with shining eyes.
"Protector Qiyun?" Zhong Hongzhang burst out laughing and shook his head. "No matter how much he tries, the people of Pingxi County will never help him to fight the Shatu people outside Baishi Pass. Although I heard that the Gulang grassland is a bit chaotic now, the strength of the seven Shatu tribes is not something Pingxi County can handle. If Lei Sitong wants to fight the seven Shatu tribes, he won't be able to do it even if he puts all of Ganzhou on the line. He wants to rely on the people of Ganzhou to help him take back the Gulang grassland and keep his position as Protector Qiyun. It's totally impossible. Neither Lei Sitong nor the court will agree!"
"Extraordinary people do extraordinary things. If we can predict what he will do, he is probably just an ordinary person now. Why should we travel thousands of miles to find him? Apart from Yan Liqiang, has Second Uncle ever seen anyone else at his age who has martial arts skills, the art of investigating things, and even the ability to make money that is beyond the reach of others..."
"Ruolan is right!" Zhong Hongzhang's face gradually became serious, and he nodded slowly. "Maybe I thought it was a little simple, but Yan Liqiang is indeed unexpected and unpredictable. Shopkeeper He has been rooted in Pingxi City for many years. He can basically hide the major events and trends in Pingxi County. When Shopkeeper He comes later, we can have a good chat with him first so that we can have a clear idea in mind and deal with Yan Liqiang when we meet him!"
…
Shopkeeper He is a chubby man with a round face, narrow eyes and two black mustaches on his mouth. From a distance, he seems very amiable, but when you get closer, he gives you the impression of being very shrewd. In the business circle of Pingxi City, Shopkeeper He is definitely a well-known figure with an extraordinary status. As long as you do business, almost all parties have to give him some face.
Upon hearing that the Second Master had come to Pingxi City to see him, Shopkeeper He, who had just been drinking tea with a customer at Datong Money House, immediately rushed back here as fast as he could.
Zhong Hongzhang and Zhong Ruolan just sat in the living room, drank two cups of tea and chatted for a while, then Shopkeeper He arrived.
After greeting Zhong Hongzhang and Zhong Ruolan, Shopkeeper He sat respectfully on a chair in the living room with his back straight. After Zhong Hongzhang chatted with Shopkeeper He about the business status of Datong Money House, he went straight to the point and asked Shopkeeper He about Yan Liqiang and the Yan family.
"Even if Second Master doesn't ask, there is one thing I want to send a message to my family via Feixun, so that the heads and shopkeepers in the family can analyze it and see what's going on."
"Oh, what is it? Is it worth it for you to use Feixun to send a letter back to the Zhong family?" Zhong Hongzhang asked curiously.
"It's like this, I found that the Yan family and the Lu family in Huanglong County have been buying wool everywhere in the past two months. This is unusual and even unbelievable. I can't understand it at all, so I want to let the heads and shopkeepers of the family pay attention to it!"
"The Yan family and the Lu family are buying wool, and a lot of it?" Zhong Hongzhang was also a little puzzled and thought he had heard a joke.
"That's right. The Yan and Lu families bought as much wool as they wanted. Although the price was not high, only about ten copper coins per pound of wool, it was not low either. This originally useless wool could actually be folded from the sheep and sold for money. This made all the sheep farmers very happy. They folded the wool of their own sheep and sold it to the Yan and Lu families. There were even large sheep farmers from other counties who folded the wool and shipped it to Pingxi County to sell. After deducting the travel expenses, there was still a profit. Just last month, the Yan and Lu families made a big move and bought several pastures and hillside wastelands that could be used to fold sheep in various counties in Pingxi County. The total amount added up to more than 20,000 hectares, which was a huge expense. After buying these places, there was news that the Yan and Lu families were planning to raise sheep in these places, and now they have people purchasing lambs and recruiting people. I heard that the order to purchase wool was first issued by Yan Liqiang. Now the merchants in the entire Pingxi County don't know what the Yan and Lu families are going to do with so much wool?"
(End of this chapter)