Traveling to another world and becoming a local owner

"We have to find a way to get some money as soon as possible. The simple distillation device can only distill fermented wine. Not only is the process cumbersome, but it is also extremely wasteful and difficult to achieve scale and output. Therefore, the steamer and condensation facilities must be redesigned. And the subsequent packaging must also be high-end and classy, ​​and all of this costs money!" Zhang Ling sat alone at the table, looking a little depressed.

"I don't think I can do anything today. It's going to be dark soon. I can only think of a solution tomorrow." He felt helpless and flipped through the books and story books he bought in the afternoon. He had no intention of appreciating the stories of talented men and beautiful women at this moment. As he was flipping through the books, a collection of poems suddenly caught his interest.

This collection of poems was a thin book. Zhang Ling vaguely remembered that he seemed to have spent one or two taels of silver to buy it.

Looking through the dozens of poems above, except for a few, most of the others are just flowery words but have no artistic conception at all.

"Since this collection of poems can be sold for money, I will write twenty or thirty poems and take them to the county tomorrow morning to see if I can find someone to print them and make some money." Zhang Ling thought to himself as he picked up the small calligraphy brush and began to write on the rice paper, stroke by stroke.

"Long Song", "Encouraging Learning", "Ode to the Classroom", "The Hard Road, Part One", "Bamboo and Stone", "Lime Song", "Landslide", "Little Pine", "Climbing the Stork Tower", "Two Autumn Poems, Part One", "Two Farewell Poems to Dong Da, Part One", "Looking at the Mountain", "To Li Yong", "Untitled, It's Hard to Meet, It's Hard to Part"...

Zhang Ling spent more than half an hour reciting more than 20 inspirational poems that impressed him deeply. Looking at the poems written on the sheets of paper, he smiled knowingly, slowly put down his brush and stretched.

"The poems should be enough, but there seems to be something missing. It would be perfect if there could be one more finale!" Zhang Ling held his cheek and pondered for a long time at the table. Suddenly, he thought of Li Bai's "Drinking Wine: Don't You See" which has been passed down through the ages.

“Have you not seen that the water of the Yellow River comes from the sky, rushes to the sea and never comes back. Have you not seen the white hair reflected in the mirror in the hall, which was black in the morning and turned into snow in the evening…” Zhang Ling raised his hand and wrote with the speed of a dragon and snake. It didn’t take long for him to finish writing.

He gently blew dry the ink stains on the paper, carefully put away the written poem, stood up and left the room.

Da Niu and his colleagues worked quickly. A thick layer of thatch had already been laid on the roof of the shed. All that was left was to surround it with wooden boards so that people could live in it.

The weather in July was already a bit chilly, and the nights in the mountains were even colder. So Daniu and Zhang Ling agreed to let the five people stay at his house tonight and move in when the wooden house was built tomorrow.

Soon, Cui Er came to call everyone to eat. Since there were more people today, Wang Ma started preparing meals in the afternoon. The old lady said that it was the first day for everyone to come, so she asked the kitchen to add more dishes.

Zhang Ling pulled Da Niu to the living room. When he heard this, he quickly waved his hands and said that he was used to being casual and couldn't let go when eating with the old lady. He led five young and strong men to the kitchen to eat a big pot of rice.

Zhang Ling had no choice but to stop forcing himself. As soon as he arrived in the living room, he saw his mother Liu chatting with a woman.

The girl was 28 years old, with eyebrows as green as willows, a face as rosy as peaches, bright eyes, white teeth, and skin as white as cream. She was very pretty. When she saw Zhang Ling coming in, she stood up and bowed politely. She was obviously a lady from a wealthy family.

"Ling'er, come here quickly. This is Miss Lin Xin'er. Mother has just told her that she will be your personal maid from now on. Don't bully others, okay?" Zhang's mother was very satisfied with her daughter. She was smiling happily when she saw her son coming.

"Lin Xiner greets the young master." The voice sounded like the singing of a nightingale, so pleasant to the ear.

"Well, no need to be so polite, just sit down and eat!" Zhang Ling woke up from his daze after hearing that, and inevitably felt a little embarrassed.

Maybe the old lady liked this girl too much, and even gave her the clothes she wore when she was young. Zhang Ling had seen many beautiful girls, not to mention the stars in TV and movies, but a girl like Lin Xiner gave him a different kind of pure and moving feeling.

The meal was a bit awkward, with Zhang's mother asking questions and Lin Xin'er answering them. Even Cui'er was silent, looking unhappy. Zhang Ling was not feeling any better, with a lot of black lines on his forehead, wishing he could find a hole to crawl into. It was because Zhang's mother kept talking about his childhood embarrassment, which made Lin Xin'er cover her mouth and laugh non-stop.

After dinner, two women came to help clean up the dishes. Since they came to Zhang's house, Wang Ma and Cui'er could hardly find anything to do.

"There are still two empty rooms in the west wing, Xin'er, you can move in and live next to the young master. You have been educated and your handwriting is beautiful, so teach him more when you are free, so that he won't run around doing nothing all the time." After dinner, Zhang's mother said with a smile.

Zhang Ling wanted to say something, but after thinking about it, he refused. Just like that, the lonely young master Zhang suddenly had such a personal maid.

He went straight back to his room, and seeing Lin Xin'er following him with her head down, Zhang Ling felt a bit overwhelmed. Although this girl was pretty, he was at least an outstanding young man who had received a higher level of ideological education in the 21st century, so he naturally would not have any dirty thoughts about a girl he had just met for less than half an hour.

"Um, Miss Lin Xiner, this is my room. Your room is next door. It's a cleaned-up guest room with bedding and everything. You can move in right away." Seeing the hesitant woman standing at the door, Zhang Ling wanted to laugh.

"Well, my lady asked me to teach you how to read and write. I'll go back to my room after you've rested." Lin Xiner seemed a little embarrassed. She held an enlightenment book in her hand, her pretty face slightly flushed, and spoke in a mosquito-like voice.

"Oh, okay then! I'll trouble you, Miss Lin Xiner." Zhang Ling wanted to refuse, but he didn't know how to say it for a moment, so he could only agree.

"You're too polite, young master. This is my job. You can just call me Xin'er. That's what my parents used to call me." The girl was a little shy and kept her eyes on her toes.

"Okay, Xin'er, you and I are of similar age, so we can address each other as equals. This will be your home from now on, so there's no need to be so restrained."

"Got it, young master. Let me teach you how to read first."

"Ah."

Lin Xiner walked to the table, spread out the book in her hand, and looked up to find a pile of books on the table, her eyes full of confusion.

"Oh, I bought this when I came back from the county town this morning. I haven't seen it yet." Seeing her strange expression, Zhang Ling hurriedly explained.

"But didn't your madam say that you don't like reading? You can only recognize some simple words. I went to the study in the afternoon and saw that the books inside had not been touched." Xin'er frowned slightly, a little confused.

"I just don't like reading those complicated historical books, but I do read some poems, songs and vernacular novels occasionally." Zhang Ling seemed a little embarrassed. If Lin Xiner hadn't mentioned it, he would have almost forgotten the original owner of this body, who was a lazy person in the past.

Zhang's mother had saved money to buy him a lot of books since he was very young, hoping that he could pass the imperial examinations and become a scholar or a juren, just like his ancestors. She also sent him to a private school and hired a teacher, but Zhang Ling was too naughty and never studied hard. After Zhang's mother found out, she still taught him the same thing after many attempts, so she let him do what he wanted.

"Oh, no wonder." Xin'er nodded thoughtfully, and her eyes happened to catch a glimpse of the folded poems on the corner of the table. "What is this? Master, your handwriting? Can I take a look?" The girl looked curious, no longer as timid and shy as before.

"I wrote a few poems when I was bored. You can read them if you want." Zhang Ling saw that she was interested and did not stop her. Anyway, these things could not be kept secret for long even if he wanted to, and there was no need to hide them.

"The handwriting is very good! Eh? A long song, green sunflowers in the garden, morning dew waiting to be dried by the sun..." Xin'er's face was full of surprise, and she couldn't help but hold the poem and recite it in a low voice.

"Master, did you write this?" Xin'er saw that the ink on the paper had just dried, and her face was full of shock and disbelief.

"Haha, I had nothing to do, so I wrote a few poems, most of which were written in the past. I plan to go to the county tomorrow to find a book club to print them into a collection of poems, so that I can sell them for some money to supplement my family income." Zhang Ling touched his nose, looking a little embarrassed.

Xin Er did not reply upon hearing this, but picked up other poems in her hand and continued to recite in a low voice: "Youth must be used early, how can you stay young forever... There will be a time to ride the wind and waves, and set sail to cross the vast ocean... Without going through the bone-chilling cold, how can the fragrance of plum blossoms be so fragrant... Thousands of hammers and chisels were used to carve out a mountain, and the raging fire burned without a second thought..."

The more Lin Xiner read, the more frightened she became. As she recited each poem, her little hands trembled more and more violently.

"Master, are these poems really written by you? Great, they are really wonderful. The thoughtful and elegant writing is really like a string of pearls, which makes people's blood boil." She held the manuscript of poems tightly in her little hands, her pretty face flushed, and she seemed very excited.

"It's a crude work, nothing special." Zhang Ling felt a little embarrassed by what she said. His old face turned red and he smiled awkwardly and waved his hands quickly.

"No! Young master, I have been familiar with poetry and books since I was young, and I have read quite a few works on current affairs. Any of these poems are worthy of the style of great masters. If one is not a person of great talent and learning, it is impossible to write such good poems, and more than one. Judging from these poems, young master has lofty ambitions and extraordinary aspirations. If one day he can rise to the top like a dragon in water, he will surely soar into the sky." Xin'er became more and more excited as she spoke, with a light flashing in her eyes.

"No one can predict what will happen in the future. Now I just want to live a life of ease and comfort without having to worry about food and clothing." Zhang Ling put his hands behind his back, looked up at the beams at a 45-degree angle, looked like a hermit, and spoke so calmly.

"But Master, doesn't the poem say 'If you don't work hard when you're young, you'll regret it when you're old'? Isn't that what you think?"

"Haha, I just want to be a comfortable landlord, owning thousands of acres of fertile land, having enough food and clothing, sitting and watching the clouds roll by, and listening to the flowers bloom and fall."

"Sitting and watching the clouds roll by, listening to the flowers bloom and fall. Such a life is indeed something to yearn for. Countless people probably only hope for this throughout their lives!" Xin'er said, looking a little lonely. After thinking for a moment, she became relieved.

"Xin'er, do you think these poems will sell well if they are printed into a collection?" Seeing that she looked depressed, Zhang Ling quickly changed the subject.

"Most of these poems are warnings and good words. They are the truths that all scholars and officials pursue, so they will naturally be sought after by the world." Xin'er nodded heavily with a firm expression.

"Well, that's good. This way I can exchange more silver. I'm really short of money now." Zhang Ling was delighted when he heard that. No man would be unhappy if he was treated like that, let alone the other party was a beauty.

"Master, if you take the book to print, don't sell it to others. It would be better to negotiate a profit sharing with the bookstore. In this way, you can get a share of the profits from each book sold. This is a long-term plan." Seeing him secretly happy, Xin'er quickly expressed her thoughts.

"Yes, it's a good thing you reminded me. If I sell it to the bookstore all at once, I won't make as much as the commission. Even if it's just a small commission, it will be a considerable amount in the long run." Zhang Ling thought for a moment and felt that what he said made sense.

"If we want to share the profits, Young Master must take at least 50% of the profits. The price of poetry collections is high, and the cost is only one-tenth or one-twelfth, so the profit is very high. As long as the poems are good, the bookstore will definitely not refuse them."

"Okay, as you said, I will go to the county tomorrow to have a look. If it doesn't work, I will think of other ways." Zhang Ling nodded in response.

"Okay, young master. If there's nothing else, I'll go back to my room first. Call me if you have anything." Seeing that there was no need for her to be here, Xin'er put away the enlightenment book on the table a little embarrassedly and said.

"Well, go ahead. You've been running around for most of the day, so you should rest early."

"Yeah!" Xin'er felt warm in her heart when she heard that. She bowed and left the room.

After seeing her leave, Zhang Ling calmed down, stood up and called Daniu who was still busy, and headed for Liujia Chong under the cover of night.

When Liu Jie sobered up, it was already dark. He ate dinner in a daze and was about to go to Wangshan Village. Before he left the house, he saw Zhang Ling and Daniu coming.

"Brother Jie, did you just wake up? Haha." Seeing Liu Jie's confused look, Zhang Ling couldn't help but laugh.

"You kid, you just know how to make fun of me. You knew I can't drink much, but you didn't stop me. You made me drunk for the whole afternoon." Liu Jie pretended to be displeased and scolded.

"Oh, I don't know who he is, but once he gets drunk he's like a stubborn bull and no one can persuade him. If I dare to stop you, you'll probably throw me down from the second floor of the inn." Zhang Ling said, pretending to be angry. Every time his cousin got drunk he would look for wine to drink everywhere, and if he wasn't allowed to drink he would throw a tantrum until he was drunk into a puddle of mud.

"Ahem... let's not talk about this. I was just about to look for you. Why did you guys come here?" Liu Jie felt a little embarrassed when he heard this and quickly changed the subject.

"I'm going to the winery to get a few bottles of Huangliang Xianjiu, and I'll come to see you by the way." Zhang Ling directly stated the purpose of his visit.

"Well, let's go together. We've slept for the whole afternoon, so it's a good time to move around." Liu Jie patted his forehead and suggested.

After they left the courtyard and turned a corner, they arrived at the wine shop by the stream. Under the quiet moonlight, the gurgling stream and the cool breeze made people feel overwhelmed with joy.