Republic of China: Guandong Ginseng King

Chapter 468: Qu Family's Property

On the 20th of the winter month, Qu Jiang brought most of the family's income and escorted Liu Dongshan and his wife to Jilin City.

Liu Dongshan and his wife hadn't seen their daughter and son for a long time. When they met, Lin Ruolan hugged their daughter and son and couldn't help crying.

"Okay, okay, now we've seen the child, haven't we?

They have all grown up and have their own futures. How can they accompany us all day long?
When Xinyuan gets married, we will move in together. You can help take care of the grandson and we can see him every day."

When Liu Dongshan saw his wife crying, he hurriedly tried to persuade her.

Lin Ruolan just hadn't seen her child for a long time and missed him very much, but after everyone persuaded her, she felt better.

The family was reunited, and Zhenbang and others were extremely happy to see their grandparents. They surrounded Liu Dongshan and his wife and chattered non-stop.

Qu Shaoyang took the opportunity to talk about Tianzhi's marriage.

Chen Xiuyun has already picked out three or four girls with good family background and appearance from so many candidates.

Now that Liu Dongshan and his wife are here, they will have to make the final decision.

When Lin Ruolan heard Xiaozhi talking about marriage, she became excited and quickly asked someone to bring the girl's portrait so that she could choose one herself.

Anyone who can pass the screening by Chen Xiuyun and the others must be good. Lin Ruolan was dazzled for a moment and felt that all of them were good.

"What a pity that we have too few sons. If we had two more, we could marry them both home." Lin Ruolan sighed as she watched.

"Master's wife, Xinyuan will be twenty next year, I think you can just pick one for him.

Otherwise, it would be a pity for such a good girl to end up in someone else's family." Chen Xiuyun deliberately joked.

Unexpectedly, when Lin Ruolan heard this, her eyes lit up, "Oh, that's not a bad thing. Our Xinyuan is old enough to get married."

Liu Xinyuan was stunned when he heard this. Wasn't he picking a wife for his brother? Why was he included in the list?

"Mom, sister-in-law, please don't scare me, how old am I?
Let's focus on my brother first. He is already 27. He will be 28 after the Chinese New Year. If he doesn't get married, he will be a bachelor.

I still want to study abroad, and I have no plans to get married at the moment."

Xinyuan has studied in Chongwen College for more than two years, and his grades have always been among the best. He has a wish to study abroad and see the world.

"Study abroad? Where to? Like your brother, go to Japan?" Liu Dongshan asked hurriedly when he heard it.

"Master, Xinyuan and the others are not going to Japan. They are going to Germany." Qu Shaoyang hurriedly explained when he heard it.

Zhenbang and Xinyuan both want to study abroad, and Qu Shaoyang also thinks that the children should go out and see the world.

The two children were not interested in military school. Influenced by those people in the Machinery Bureau, they both wanted to study science and engineering.

Therefore, Qu Shaoyang planned to send Xinyuan, Zhenbang and several outstanding students of Chongwen College to study in Germany.

We have already contacted several well-known schools, including the Royal Technical College of Munich Bayern and the Royal Technical College of Berlin. They require us to pass an assessment before we can study there.

After the New Year, Qu Shaoyang will arrange for someone to send these children to Beijing, and if they can pass the entrance examination, they will be sent abroad to study together.

"Germany, isn't that even farther away? Once you leave, it will take years to come back, right?"

Liu Dongshan had a lot of contact with Anders and others, and had some understanding of those European countries, so he asked.

"Well, it will take at least three to five years. Germany's science and engineering majors are quite strong, but it is a little difficult to graduate." Qu Shaoyang nodded.

"Oh, it takes that long? Won't they be in their twenties by the time they come back?"

When Lin Ruolan heard this, she felt a little reluctant.

She gave birth to two children, Xinyuan and Wanyu. Xinyuan will be away for at least three to five years. What will she do if she wants to have children in the future?
"Twenty-something is fine, children go abroad to study for their future.

This is only possible because Shaoyang has a solution. If it were an ordinary family, they would have no way to get out.

We have never achieved anything in our lives and can only stay at home to farm. Our children cannot be like us.

Germany is pretty good, it doesn’t matter if it’s a little far away.”

Liu Dongshan was quite happy, as only promising children could study abroad.

If their family had someone who was educated abroad, it would be a great thing that would bring honor to the family for generations.

Lin Ruolan thought about it and it was true. Who doesn’t hope that each generation will be stronger than the previous one?
They are also proud that their son can study abroad.

"Well, why don't we get Xinyuan married first? Then he can go abroad and leave his foreign currency, and his daughter-in-law can stay at home with us.

Otherwise, if he falls in love with some foreign girl outside and comes back with blonde hair and blue eyes, I can’t stand it.” Lin Ruolan began to consider the feasibility of this matter.

"No, no, mother, don't do that, won't it delay the girl for several years?

I promise you that I won't mess around outside, isn't that enough? Don't worry, I will definitely come back and get married."

When Xinyuan heard this, he was so scared that his face turned pale and he quickly waved his hands.

Everyone burst into laughter at Xinyuan's behavior.

It's a rare occasion for family members to get together, and everyone gathered together laughing and chatting.

Even Wanyu was much happier than before.

However, when Wanyu occasionally met Zhang Tianzhi's eyes, she would immediately look away and her mood would instantly fall.

In the evening, a sumptuous meal was prepared in the mansion, and everyone gathered together to have a lively reunion dinner.

After dinner, Qu Shaoyang and Qu Jiang went to the study, and Qu Jiang gave Qu Shaoyang a brief account of the revenue situation in Linjiang and Fushun in the past two years.

The gold mines have grown from the original three to six.

The output was quite good. After deducting the taxes and wages of the gold workers, there was still more than one million taels of silver left every year.

The output of several iron mines is also good, and most of the iron produced is used to produce farm tools, knives, etc.

In the past two years, Jilin Province has recruited refugees to reclaim wasteland, which requires a large number of agricultural tools. The demand for agricultural tools in Linjiang, Fusong, Tonghua and Changbai counties alone is huge, and the agricultural tools produced are in short supply.

The output of the four coal mines is also good. In addition to using it in their own factories, a lot is also sold.

The Qu family's various shops were also opened in various counties and cities in the eastern region.

Although business was temporarily not so prosperous in some places due to the Russo-Japanese War, most of them were making quite a bit of money.

In Fusong, Qu Fu has expanded the ginseng garden several times.

Last year, we were able to produce 4,000 zhang of ginseng, and this year we are able to produce 5,000 zhang of ginseng. If we continue to develop in this way, we will be able to produce 10,000 zhang of ginseng in a few years.

Not only has the ginseng garden expanded in size, but the deer farm and other facilities have also expanded significantly.

There are currently four to five hundred deer raised in the deer farm, and the number of musk deer, otters, sables, etc. has increased.

When Meng Lanxin was in charge of the deer farm and ginseng garden, she led people to study the issue of ginseng fertilizer.

After several years of experiments, it was found that fermented deer dung and fermented bean cake powder had a significant effect on increasing ginseng production.

Today, the average yield per unit area of ​​Qujia Ginseng Garden is four or five kilograms higher than in the past, which is quite impressive.

Last year, the war was tense and there was chaos everywhere. Qu Shaoyang did not let Qu Jiang send money to the provincial capital.

Isn't it that Qu Shaoyang is planning to open a few more factories next year? The funds on hand are not enough, so he asked Qu Jiang to send over the two years' income.

After Qu Jiang and Qu Fu checked with the shopkeepers and managers, they escorted over two million taels of silver. "Old Fourth, before I came, the magistrate of Linjiang asked me to bring you a message about building a railway.

Doesn’t the Ji’an Railway only pass through Tonghua and not Linjiang?

Mr. Magistrate, do you think it is possible to build a railway from Linjiang to Tonghua?

That way, it will be much more convenient to go out or deliver goods in the future."

After Qu Fu explained all the accounts clearly, he remembered the entrustment from the Linjiang County Magistrate and hurriedly told Qu Shaoyang.

“Building railways is a good thing, but it costs a lot of money. The Ji’an Railway was invested and built by Americans and merchants from Beijing and Tianjin.

I estimate that the cost of building the railway from Linjiang to Tonghua would be 1.7 to 1.8 million taels of silver.

The provincial capital cannot afford this much money at the moment, if Linjiang can contribute the lion's share, we can contribute the rest and build the railway there."

Qu Shaoyang was naturally happy to build roads in his hometown.

However, the cost of building a railway is very high. The provincial government cannot afford the money, and Qu Shaoyang cannot pay for it all himself.

This depends on whether the Linjiang County Magistrate has the ability. Even if he can raise 60% to 70% of the funds, Qu Shaoyang will cover the rest.

"If we really can't gather that much, we can actually build a small railway track. The cost is lower, but the capacity is not enough."

This is all Qu Shaoyang can do.

"Okay, then I'll tell the magistrate when I get back." Qu Jiang nodded.

Qu Jiang came here to give money to Qu Shaoyang.

The New Year is approaching and the family is busy with business. Qu Jiang is now in charge and cannot leave for too long.

After the silver was delivered, he stayed in Jilin City for two days and then returned with his people.

Before leaving, Chen Xiuyun brought a lot of things back home, filling two large carts.

Liu Dongshan and Lin Ruolan came to the provincial capital for Tianzhi's marriage.

So after taking a short rest for two days, Lin Ruolan suggested that she wanted to find an opportunity to meet those girls.

After all, the portrait is different from the real person, so it’s better to see it with your own eyes to feel at ease.

Chen Xiuyun thought it made sense, so she thought about finding an opportunity to invite the officials and wealthy businessmen's families in the city to gather at her house and meet those girls.

This way it's more natural, and whether it succeeds or not, neither side will feel embarrassed.

If they meet alone and it doesn't work out, it will be bad for the woman's reputation.

But it’s the dead of winter, and there are no flowers or plants outside. It’s impossible to hold a flower-viewing party, and we can’t watch the snowflakes, right?
If Mr. and Mrs. Qu were still here, they could use it as an excuse to celebrate the birthday.

"Shaoyang, how old is Master this year?"

Chen Xiuyun suddenly remembered that Liu Dongshan was in the mansion. He was Qu Shaoyang’s master, the teacher of Heaven, Earth, the Emperor, and Parents. He was also a real elder.

It's not impossible to hold a banquet in Liu Dongshan's name.

"Our master? He is sixty-five this year, and will be sixty-six after the New Year."

Qu Shaoyang calculated carefully and concluded that he should be sixty-six soon.

"Okay, let's do it this way. I'll send a message to everyone, saying that it's an early celebration for our master's 66th birthday.

Invite them to come with their families to celebrate together." Chen Xiuyun clapped her hands when she heard this. This is such a coincidence. Let's do it.

"Ah? Our master's birthday is in April. Is it okay for you to hold a birthday party now?"

Qu Shaoyang was stunned when he heard this. Isn't this a bit too trite?

"What do you know? People say that the 66th cannot be celebrated on the actual day, so it is always held in advance.

It's a rare opportunity for Master and his wife to come to the provincial capital. We have never arranged anything for them before. Now that we have the chance, let's celebrate their birthday in advance."

Chen Xiuyun glared at Qu Shaoyang. This guy could be incredibly stupid sometimes.

When Qu Shaoyang heard this, he said, "Oh," and indeed, this rule exists in many places.

However, my birthday is in April next year, but I am celebrating it in December this year. Isn’t that too early?
"You still have a solution. Okay, then let's do as you say."

Forget it, let’s just do it earlier. Outsiders don’t know the exact time.

By April next year, Xinyuan will probably have gone abroad, and Xiaozhi will be busy surveying Changbai Mountain and Tumen River. Where will he have the time?
For an apprentice, it is reasonable and logical for him to hold a 66th birthday party for his master, and no one can find fault with it.

Just like that, after the couple had discussed it, Chen Xiuyun went to talk to Lin Ruolan and Liu Dongshan.

The two elders thought, it was rare that all the children were around, so it might be okay to celebrate the birthday in advance.

After convincing the two elders, Chen Xiuyun immediately picked a date. The sixth day of the twelfth lunar month was a good choice, so she decided on that day.

So Chen Xiuyun sent invitations to all the prominent families in the city.

It was said that on the sixth day of the twelfth lunar month, a celebration would be held for Qu Shaoyang's old mentor's 66th birthday, and each family was invited to attend the banquet with their families.

Qu Shaoyang has been in Jilin for more than two years. Except for the Chinese New Year, there are very few banquets in the general's mansion on ordinary days.

Even when Yang Chunhong and Lin Yuhuan gave birth to their child, they didn't hold a full-month banquet.

Unlike some officials, who take care of every little thing at home in order to make money.

Therefore, everyone was quite surprised after receiving the post.

I don’t know who the general’s old mentor is, but he deserves so much attention from the general that he even makes an exception to hold a banquet to celebrate his birthday.

There were also people who understood, especially those who had daughters. When they heard that the general's wife wanted to arrange a marriage for her brother-in-law a while ago, they more or less understood that the other party wanted to take the opportunity to meet each other.

Therefore, every family told their daughters to dress well and be careful with their words and actions on the birthday party to leave a good impression on others.

Some families even bought two sets of beautiful clothes for their daughters specially for this birthday party.

At the General's Mansion, people were busy preparing for Liu Dongshan's birthday banquet.

The sixth day of the twelfth lunar month was the day when Qu Shaoyang held a 66th birthday celebration for his mentor Liu Dongshan.

On that day, the general's mansion was crowded with guests, including officials and wealthy businessmen from the entire provincial capital, and even officials from nearby states and counties, all came with gifts.

Qu Shaoyang brought Zhang Tianzhi, Liu Xinyuan, Qu Zhenbang and others to entertain the male guests.

Chen Xiuyun led Wanyu, Meng Lanxin, Yang Chunhong, Lin Yuhuan and others to entertain the female guests.

"Master's wife, this is the wife of President Zhao of the Jilin City Chamber of Commerce. This is the third daughter of the Zhao family."

When Chen Xiuyun introduced the visitor to Lin Ruolan, she deliberately winked at Lin Ruolan.

Lin Ruolan immediately understood that this was one of the girls she had taken a fancy to.

"It's Madam Zhao and Miss Three. Please take a seat."

Lin Ruolan warmly invited the other party to sit down and took a few glances at the third young lady of the Zhao family.

The third young lady of the Zhao family is sixteen years old this year. She is good-looking, elegant, gentle and quiet. Lin Ruolan fell in love with her at first sight.

(End of this chapter)