Water Margin begins as a captain in Yanggu County

Chapter 111 Is it okay?

As soon as he came back, there was a welcoming banquet, and it was still held at Meng Niang's restaurant.

The person who is actually in charge of the store now is the big tiger Gu Dasao.

Mrs. Gu was very efficient. She was an expert at welcoming and seeing off guests inside and outside the house. All the people coming and going here were prominent figures, not street urchins.

Mrs. Gu also reduced her fierce and aggressive attitude, and even her dress style changed a lot.

Madam Meng knew that it was her husband Su Lang who had brought the person, so she treated her very well and was willing to dress her up from head to toe.

Madam Meng was smart and she knew why her husband Su Lang wanted to bring Sister Gu to his side. That is why he always brought Sister Gu with him wherever he went.

Even the residence in the city was purchased by Madam Meng. Now, much of Su Wu's money is in Madam Meng's hands.

After the banquet, Su Wu did not return to the camp at night, but went straight to a place.

The maid opened the door without saying anything or asking any questions, so Su Wu naturally knew to go to the inner courtyard.

Entering the wing room, Meng Yulou stood up to greet him, her face full of smiles, but her smile was somewhat restrained, and she straightened up and bowed.

"Have you eaten?" Su Wu asked first.

"I've eaten. I'll help Su Lang wash up..." As she said that, Meng Yulou went out and called the maid to go and move the big wooden barrel together.

Su Wu sat in the hall and looked around. The yard was not big, and the room was not wide, but it was cozy. He had never looked at it carefully before, but today he looked carefully. Although the calligraphy and paintings in the room were not of the highest quality, they were also plum, orchid, bamboo and chrysanthemum, showing the state of mind.

A large pot of hot water had already been boiled outside.

The big wooden barrel came in, and Meng Yulou was not idle either. She and the maid poured hot water into it bucket by bucket. After the hot water was filled, they went to fetch cold water...

After testing the water temperature, Su Wu did not hesitate. He waited for the maid to go out, took off his clothes and went into the big wooden barrel.

I have been really tired these days, and a dip in this hot soup makes me feel so refreshed.

Behind him, Meng Yulou slowly untied Su Wu's hair, then took out a soapnut water scoop and washed Su Wu's hair.

Then, a pair of white and tender hands began to scrub Su Wu's broad back.

"How's the matter with Xixi?" Su Wu closed his eyes and enjoyed it, while talking about business.

"A lot of them have been made. Would you like to bring them over to show Su Lang?" Meng Yulou asked from behind.

"Well, let's see..." Su Wu wiped his face with his hand.

As soon as Meng Yulou brought a tray with glasses on it, Su Wu was already surprised before he even took them in his hands. As soon as he took them in his hands, he felt that they were a little heavy, but they were already excellent.

Just wait until Su Wu wears it in front of his eyes again, and it will feel good.

There are eight pairs of glasses, four pairs of myopia glasses and four pairs of hyperopia glasses, which means four specifications.

Su Wu roughly felt it, about 200 degrees, 400 degrees, 600 degrees, 800 degrees, something like this.

There are also two single-lens magnifying glasses with a handle that can be held in one hand, which is also very good.

Su Wu nodded and said, "Not bad, not bad, that's it. You are a really skilled craftsman with extraordinary skills. I guess you must have been worried about it a lot."

Meng Yulou's face was delighted: "Then...how do we sell it?"

How to sell?
Su Wu didn't think about the cost first, but the consumer groups first, Daming Prefecture, Dongjing City, Jingzhao Prefecture, Yingtian Prefecture, Jiangnan...

"The glasses are priced at around one hundred strings of cash, and the magnifying glass is priced at fifty strings of cash..." Su Wu set the price directly.

"Ah?" Meng Yulou was stunned. This price was really... shockingly high.

"These things are most needed by the gentlemen and even the wealthy officials. Ordinary people cannot use them. If they really need them, they can afford them. One hundred strings of cash or ten strings of cash are the same... For those who cannot afford them, whether it is ten strings of cash or a hundred strings of cash, they cannot afford them."

Su Wu said this, even crystal is not a cheap thing.

"Well, what Su Lang said makes sense..." Meng Yulou nodded, and also thought that if she went out from here, she would have 100 strings of cash, and by the time she got to Tokyo City, she would probably have more than 200 strings of cash.

I also know that for the rich people in Tokyo, one hundred or two hundred kan makes no difference...

"When I want to make a mark and carve a few small words, I'll write... Meng Niang 叆叇." Su Wu said.

"Okay." Meng Yulou nodded.

Su Wu added: "Even if the time comes, there will be people who will copy it. Then we should make it more exquisite, beautiful and useful."

There is no real technical barrier to this thing. Shandong is not the only province in the world that produces crystal. There are many skilled craftsmen. When the time comes, someone will come to imitate it.

Those imitations will naturally satisfy the group of people who are between wanting to buy and not willing to buy, which is actually pretty good.

There is no way to prevent these things.

However, no matter where the crystal comes from, it cannot be supplied in large quantities, so the price of this thing cannot be too low.

The first to try something new and establish a brand will eventually gain popularity and market recognition first. Those who come later will have no choice but to follow suit.

Perhaps, it has also indirectly promoted the development of this industry, whether it is the subject of optics, telescopes, or even in the future, microscopes...

Or maybe some people are thinking about alternative materials, which may also promote the development of the glass industry.

If you think too far ahead, just think about the present and make some money first.

Su Wu said, "Once the jade mines in Qingzhou, Dengzhou and Laizhou are settled, there will be more supplies. I will write to urge you, so you don't have to worry."

"Well, I'll be waiting. Su Lang will arrange everything." Meng Yulou nodded.

Su Wu put his glasses back. Meng Yulou put the tray aside and went behind him to comb Su Wu's hair.

He then took out the razor he had bought specially for this purpose, soaked his beard in hot water to soften it, and then trimmed it. There was no more rustling sound.

After a thorough bath, the water gradually cooled down. Su Wu stood up naked and walked out of the big wooden barrel. Meng Yulou took out a dry towel and wiped his body front to back.

Su Wu was really tall and strong. Meng Yulou wiped him back and forth as if he was wiping a statue. If he raised his hand to wipe him, it seemed like he was wiping a window.

As soon as the water stains on his body disappeared, Su Wu suddenly reached out and hugged him around the waist...

It was also scary. Meng Yulou only felt that he was suddenly suspended in the air, a sense of weightlessness, and he closed his eyes in fear: "Oh..."

Just as she was figuring out the situation, she was already on the bed. Meng Yulou was shy but still said, "Su Lang... I haven't bathed yet..."

Su Lang didn't care about all these. He just kept digging for cabbages like a wild boar.

From the bed, he arched his back to the edge of the bed, and from the edge of the bed, he leaned against the side board of the step-out bed...

This step-out bed was made of very fine materials, just like the small courtyards with several entrances. The left and right sides were like houses, with countless carvings, including five "bats" at the door, many children and blessings, many stars holding the moon, flowers, birds, fish and insects, and Guanyin delivering children...

It must weigh at least a thousand pounds and be worth a lot of money.

But the wild boar is so strong that it can even make a thousand-pound bed sway left and right...

I heard that I am going to die again...

As soon as the thousand-pound bed stopped creaking, the two of them lay together and were tender and affectionate.

"Su Lang, I haven't taken a bath yet..." This sentence again.

"But I won't let you go..." Su Lang said.

"The water outside has not been poured away yet..."

"We'll talk about it tomorrow..."

"Su Lang..."

"Su Lang, please don't... don't come again... I am too weak..."

Su Lang really stopped and said, "Just now...just now I was just feeling impatient after being apart for so long, so I might have been a little rude. I won't be like this next time..."

"It's okay... I can bear it, I just need to rest for a while... rest for a while..."

Su Wu fell into self-reflection, thinking that he shouldn't have been so excited just now...

Let's talk business: "We should move to a bigger house and dig a solid cellar. This time I came back with 300,000 strings of cash, so we need a place to store it."

"Ah?" Meng Yulou's eyes, which were originally closed, suddenly opened and asked again: "How much?"

"Three hundred thousand strings of cash!" said Su Wu.

"Ah!" Meng Yulou seemed to be stunned.

"Not much, and it will be spent quickly." Su Wu said.

"So much money, Su Lang... Su Lang, you should keep it in the army or somewhere else..." Meng Yulou was already panicking. This amount of money was too much, beyond imagination.

But Su Wu put it in her hands, how could she not be panicked?
"This amount of money is not much. There will be more in the future. Don't worry about it." Su Wu said with a smile.

"No, no, no, tens of thousands of strings of cash make me worried every day, afraid that something is missing or that something is missing. Three hundred thousand strings of cash... no, no..."

Meng Yulou shook his head repeatedly.

"So, I asked you to buy a big house, dig a big cellar, and then reinforce the cellar."

Su Wu said slowly, in fact, he was not worried about the money being stolen. In this era, it was okay to steal some small amounts of money, but the big money, in fact, whether it was stolen or not, was a pile of heavy metal, and a cart could not carry too much, let alone one or two people to steal. So preventing theft was secondary, and preventing robbery was the most important.

If anyone breaks into Dongping Prefecture, it can be robbed.

"No, no..." Meng Yulou just shook his head.

"No?" Su Wu turned over and pressed on him, asking, "Is it okay or not?"

"what?"

"It has to be done. If you don't help me calculate and manage, what should I do?" Su Wu said, and then said: "This time, I will do it quietly..."

"Su Lang..."

This soft and sticky Su Lang is really nice to listen to.

The softer she is, the tougher Su Lang becomes.

Before the sun rose, Su Wu had already gotten up.

Instead, he took a tray of glasses with him and went straight to the military camp, armed with spears and swords, coming and going in a noisy manner.

Nowadays, the army has become more and more well-organized. Everything looks so regular, and there is a sense of order that is pleasing to the eye.

As soon as you finish practicing, there will be a roll call in the morning.

Wu Song, Lu Da, Lin Chong, Luan Tingyu, Sun Li, Zhu Long, Cao Zheng, Hu Cheng, Li Cheng, Du Xing, Li Zhong, Zhou Tong, Jie Zhen and Jie Bao.

Today, Yan Qing, who had been running around, was here too, as was Sun Xin, and even Sun Li's brother-in-law, Tie Jiaozi Le, was with him.

There are also uncle and nephew Zou Yuan and Zou Run, who were invited by Sun Xin. Now Sun Li is serving as the deputy commander of the battalion beside Luan Tingyu.

The brothers Li Zhong and Zhou Tong, Jie Zhen and Jie Bao, are appointed as captains of the infantry, waiting for them to slowly make some achievements.

Sun Xin still worked with Yan Qing, and Zou Yuan and Zou Run, uncle and nephew, also followed Yan Qing to do errands.

Nowadays, Yan Qing has more and more people under his command.

As they came and went, Su Wu said a few words to each of them, either to encourage them or to chat with them.

As soon as the military roll call is over, it will be time for dinner.

After Su Wu had finished his meal with the soldiers, he rode his horse back to the government office.

I have noticed in the past that Cheng Wanli should be nearsighted because he often squints to see things, but I'm not sure, so I'll give it a try first.

As soon as they arrived at the small study in the back hall, Su Wu directly took out four pairs of myopic glasses.

"What is this?" Cheng Wanli asked in surprise.

Su Wu did not say much, but just tried it on himself first, and then said: "Sir, try it on like this."

Cheng Wanli took the glasses with a surprised look on his face and put them on: "Hey, this is a good thing, it's really a good thing."

Cheng Wanli's mind was wandering around, and then he lowered his head to look at the desk.

Su Wu changed to another one: "Sir, try this one..."

Cheng Wanli immediately changed his tone: "This is good, this is really good, oh... good, good, good, everything is clear, what a good thing this is..."

"Get another one."

"This is so groggy, this is not good..."

More than 400 degrees, more than 600 degrees is too much. Su Wu gave the 400-degree myopia glasses to Cheng Wanli again: "Sir, this is for you. This thing is called 叆叇, made of water jade, the water jade from Qingzhou. Now I have hired a craftsman and built a workshop to make this thing, which will be convenient for scholars all over the world."

"Good, good, good stuff. Great! It will really benefit all the scholars in the world. Su Wu, if this stuff gets out, all the scholars in the world will thank you..."

Cheng Wanli took off his glasses again, looked at him carefully, put them on again, and then left them there. He said, "Hey, this is the first time I see you so clearly. You are so handsome. Not bad, not bad."

Even among the scholars of this era, many read by lamplight at night. Under the dim candlelight, many of them are actually nearsighted, perhaps even more than the proportion of scholars in later generations.

Moreover, reading in this era was a luxury, and even had a certain sacredness. Most scholars were extremely hardworking and motivated, and even the act of practicing calligraphy was something that later generations could not compare to.

The vast majority of scholars can write neat and beautiful calligraphy, which shows the hard work involved.

How can there not be many cases of myopia?

"Sir, I don't know Tong Shumi..." Su Wu asked.

"Yes, yes, yes. If there is good news and good things, how can we not think of Tong Shumi? Quick, find a box to put it in, and send someone to deliver it to Tokyo as fast as possible."

Cheng Wanli seemed to have suddenly realized something, and he said, "Get some more and send them to Tong Shumi. It will benefit our future... Who knows, Tong Shumi may even give them to the government, haha... hurry up..."

Su Wu came here to handle this matter, so he just nodded and said, "Okay, okay, I will go back and prepare."

"Go quickly, go quickly..." Cheng Wanli seemed to be unable to wait any longer.

Su Wu turned around and left. With only three sets left, he decided not to come back. What was this?
Open up sales channels. If Tong Guan and Emperor Zhao Ji each wore a pair of glasses on their faces, hehe...

I don’t know how much trouble this will save. By that time, I’m afraid that everyone in Tokyo will be looking for the origin of this thing.

In this way, all officials in the court and all officials across the country, from top to bottom, will no longer have to worry about business channels.

If necessary, send a few more pairs to Tokyo.

Su Wu left, and the daughter came back. Without saying anything, she looked at the table and saw that there were three sets left. Then she heard Cheng Wanli say, "Dear daughter, this thing is really good. As a father, I feel that the world is brightened."

My good girl tried it herself. She wore one and felt dizzy. She wore another and still felt dizzy.
Then put on the thinnest one, and the good girl immediately looked around.

Two hundred degrees.

Su Wu never imagined that the daughter of the Cheng family was also nearsighted, with a myopia of about 200 degrees. It must have been a lot of reading late into the night since she was a child.

The good girl of the Cheng family turned out to be a girl wearing glasses.

"What a clever idea..." the good girl exclaimed.

"Yes, my dear girl, Su Wu is really ingenious..." Cheng Wanli also nodded, still with an excited look on his face, looking around.

"How does he know all this?" the good girl asked.

"Maybe it's because he read too many books and his eyesight isn't very good, so he discovered it accidentally, so he had a flash of inspiration and came up with an idea." What Cheng Wanli said made sense, as he certainly knew about water jade.

"Why doesn't he take the imperial examination?"

"Father also asked him, he said that he liked to wield guns and sticks since he was a child..." Cheng Wanli answered casually.

"Being able to master both civil and martial arts is the style of a gentleman in ancient times. As the sages said, a gentleman has six arts..."

"Yeah, that makes sense, that makes sense..."

"Father……"

"Hmm?" Cheng Wanli flipped through the book again, looking at it from close up and far away, trying to see how far he could look...

"Father, there are some things that maybe I really need to think about..." The good girl was seriously thinking, mostly about the pros and cons.

"What is it?" Cheng Wanli tried it out, and then said, "From such a distance, I can see the handwriting in the book clearly... What a great thing..."

"There's no rush. Let's wait and see what the Privy Council says..." The number one strategist in Dongping Prefecture is responsible for planning things.

Su Wu was returning to the military camp at this time, but he remembered something and wanted to ask. Lu Da had been writing to Erlong Mountain for a long time, so he should have received a reply.

But as soon as he arrived at the camp gate, he saw two men looking inside, looking around with anxious faces.

Su Wu rode past and asked the gatekeeper, "Who are these two looking for?"

The soldier replied, "General, they are here to look for Du Yuhou."

Du Yuhou, Du Xing, now has a formal military position, Du Yuhou.

But the two men, upon hearing the word "general", hurriedly hid aside. They did not hide their bodies, but lowered their heads and turned their backs, not daring to look any further.

Su Wu looked again and asked, "What's the matter?"

The two men neither answered nor turned around.

Then a soldier came forward and said, "My general is asking you questions. What's the matter?"

The two men had no choice but to turn around and wave their hands: "It's just a small matter. We dare not offend the general. We are just looking for Du Yuhou for some small matters."

Du Xing came running out of the camp. He greeted Su Wu first, then looked at the two men. He knew one of them, so he explained, "General, this man is a public servant in the Jizhou prison. He once saved my life in Jizhou. His name is Yang Xiong. He came to me suddenly. I think he has something to ask..."

Yang Xiong?

Su Wu straightened his eyes and looked at the two people again. Yang Xiong was the one who came to Dongping Prefecture to look for Du Xing, and the other one was Shi Xiu.

There should be another one, called Shi Qian, the flea on the drum.

It’s not a coincidence, it really happened, something interesting!

(End of this chapter)