Chapter 6

Yonghe Spacetime.

Guangzong County, Qihuo Army Old Camp.

The women who came out of Sanhe Village, tears dripping patter patter.

A boxed meal of two meat dishes and one vegetable dish, heavy oil, heavy salt, and spices.

Oily large fatty meat, a whole chicken leg, this is meat that couldn't even be eaten during the New Year.

"Master~~~"

The women were moved to tears.

In these times, feeding slaves meat, even kings, marquises, generals, and ministers aren't this generous.

Master's grace is so great, the only way to repay is with our bodies.

Lin Dao sat on a Hu bed (folding stool), head down playing standalone Dou Dizhu. "Don't talk while eating."

The women ate very attentively.

Even after finishing, they had to scoop water to rinse the fast food boxes, drinking down the remaining grease at the bottom of the box together with the water.

After drinking, they still had to lick the fast food box clean again, that was called a thorough clean.

However, after eating, the women started diligently running to the dry latrines.

Long-term in a semi-starved state, suddenly ingesting a large amount of oil and water, running to the dry latrine is a normal phenomenon.

Lin Dao put away his phone, stood up, and started working.

Taking the obtained gold cakes, melting them with a flamethrower and crucible, casting them into gold bars.

The earliest gold bar had already been cashed, becoming the capital for time-space trade.

Afterwards in Sanhe Village, burning the Hu Cavalry yielded two gold bars.

Trading with the Qihuo Army twice, obtained two gold cakes, melted down to get four gold bars.

Lin Dao brought these six small yellow fish averaging 120-130 grams each, returned to the Modern World.

Dressed neatly, put on hat and mask, in several pawnshops at different locations, sold the six gold bars separately.

A full three hundred thousand huge income, enough to buy a suite in the county city.

"Selling large amounts of gold is a bit eye-catching."

"Need to change the method."

Zhou Shuren once said: When in doubt, ask Baidu.

Consulted online, sure enough there was a way.

Selling large amounts of gold also has a hassle-free place, that is the Financial Port.

"Tongtong Jie."

Inside the Si Hai Yuan private room, Lin Dao enthusiastically poured wine for Su Tongtong. "You've worked hard, I'll drink first as a toast."

Su Tongtong undid her bun, black lustrous hair cascading down like a waterfall.

Sipping the wine, she asked curiously, "You have clients?"

The whole world knows, Central Plains factories produce surplus materials.

Import Export Trading Company, the most important work is to sell things.

With clients, business can continue.

"I do."

Lin Dao nodded seriously. "I'm preparing to take leave to make a trip to the Financial Port."

"Tongtong Jie, come with me for a trip."

"You have clients in the Financial Port?" Su Tongtong's expression was curious. "Really couldn't tell, your connections are quite wide."

"Tongtong Jie helping me such a big favor, just a meal is too insufficient."

Lin Dao said with a smile. "When we reach the Financial Port, we'll stroll the streets properly, buy you some gifts."

What clients could he have in the Financial Port.

His clients are in a distant thousand-plus years ago.

Merely registering a company here in Haicheng isn't enough, still need a matching company to purchase from him, forming a closed loop.

After eating, Lin Dao sent Su Tongtong home.

Perhaps because of the alcohol, the two didn't speak much in the ride-hailing car.

Got off the car, arrived downstairs, the atmosphere gradually warmed up a bit.

"That's enough." Su Tongtong smoothed the hair by her ear. "Thanks for treating today."

"Drank too much, head's a bit dizzy." Lin Dao's gaze was burning. "Tongtong Jie, come up for a cup of tea?"

Su Tongtong was silent for a moment. "Next time."

"Okay."

Lin Dao didn't pester, said goodbye, turned and left.

Su Tongtong's ability is not bad, when Lin Dao was obviously being suppressed, she was still willing to help him.

More importantly, the matching company in Hai Gang Cheng needs to be registered under a trustworthy person's name.

Who else could be more reliable than someone by your side?

Uh~ Not necessarily~~

Lin Dao riding a tricycle, loaded full of rice, came to the Qihuo Army Camp again.

Measured rice volume, calculated payment, transaction completed.

Lin Dao, having obtained the gold cake, rode the tricycle rushing to his courtyard in the Weichang.

Hadn't even reached the front gate when he was startled.

Outside the main gate, people were packed in dense masses.

Seeing Lin Dao riding a mechanical beast over, dressed in strange, outlandish attire.

These people were excited, quickly swarming forward, waving their arms and shouting loudly.

"Lord Lang, take us in~~~"

"We beg Lord Lang to shelter us; we are willing to be slaves and servants."

"Lord Lang, my wife is quite beautiful~~~"

"Through boiling water and blazing fire for you, Lord Lang~~~"

In an era of war and famine, a Lord Lang who could feed slaves their fill, and even let them eat meat.

What kind of Lord Lang is this? He is a living Bodhisattva~~~

To be able to lay down one's life for this Lord Lang, our ancestral graves would smoke with pride.

The Qi Huo Army of Guangzong County, tens of thousands of households.

Not eating their fill, no, it should be said that those who cannot even get food to eat are countless.

Women have loose tongues and love to boast.

After the news of Lin Dao treating slaves well spread, it very naturally attracted many people wanting to serve him with their lives.

This is still with the news only temporarily spreading within Feng Dun's Weichang.

If it spread throughout the entire Lao Ying, the number of people willing to work like oxen and horses for Lin Dao would be unknown.

Lin Dao's expression did not change; he merely signaled for the crowd to clear the road.

This era is truly too cutthroat.

Wages and salaries are not even mentioned; as long as food is provided, they are willing to work like oxen and horses.

In the Modern World, only paying to work could compare with this.

Entering the courtyard, the women all put down what they were doing and swarmed forward to salute.

The people outside the courtyard, wiping away tears, begged to be let in.

Living in a chaotic era where human life is worthless as grass, the women already in the courtyard naturally would not be insensible.

Lin Dao swept his gaze over the courtyard.

The women were mending clothes and quilts, splitting firewood.

In the depths of winter, they relied entirely on clothes, quilts, and burning firewood to resist the cold.

Lin Dao strode into a side wing room under the corridor.

Upon entering the room, the first feeling was dim, dilapidated, and cold.

No warmth could be felt inside the room.

The temperature was about the same as outside in the courtyard; the only benefit was probably blocking the cold wind and keeping out rain and snow.

The room had a row of large communal beds; looking at the quilts placed tightly together and their quantity, it was obviously people packed against people, the kind where turning over is difficult.

Things like heated brick beds — in this era, they are impossible to have.

In such a bitter winter, sleeping in this kind of place is truly suffering.

Lin Dao was also surprised: "The living conditions here are this harsh?"

"Lord Lang, this is already very good."

Jin Lian, who had followed in, spoke truthfully: "At least the house doesn't leak wind, and there are still quilts to use. Inside and outside the Weichang, there are still many families sleeping in earth pits."

Lin Dao hesitated for a moment.

He wanted to say, a house not leaking wind should be a basic function.

Looking at it this way, if those who build tofu-dreg projects in later generations came to build houses, what they built would all be conscience projects.

"The houses in the village still leak wind?"

Hearing Lin Dao's doubt, Jin Lian immediately grew anxious.

"This slave would not dare deceive Lord Lang."

"The family is poor, taxes and corvée labor are heavy; just seeking two full meals a day is already exhausting."

Taxes are heavy, so heavy that a year's harvest, after paying taxes, leaves not enough to survive.

They can only forage wild vegetables and tree bark, hunt and fish to supplement.

Corvée labor is even more life-threatening.

Bringing their own dry rations, working for the Imperial Court for free.

Just like this year right after the New Year, Shi Hu not only forcibly conscripted women in various places, but also launched massive corvée labor, drafting hundreds of thousands to build the Weiyang Palace in Chang'an.

In this environment, being alive is already lucky; where would there be time and energy to repair houses?

Lin Dao stepped forward, reached out and pinched the so-called bedding full of patches and mends.

"Inside this quilt, the filling is dry grass?"

"Yes." Jin Lian softly responded, "The Zhengfang has already been cleaned up for Lord Lang, laid with silk quilts sent by the Grand Marshal."

The so-called silk quilts are silk-filled quilts.

The filling inside is the soft, loose fiber left after reeling silk from cocoons, that is, silk floss.

This kind of thing, throughout all dynasties, only wealthy and noble families could afford.

"Zhengfang?"

Lin Dao didn't expect that a room had been kept for him here.

This courtyard resembles a stretched-out 'Hui' character shape.

Facing the courtyard gate is the north-facing Zhengfang; on both sides are wing rooms, kitchen, woodshed, and so on.

Lin Dao rubbed the hemp vine cloth, the quilt made with dry grass filling, in his hands.

Without a doubt, this hand feel could be called troublesome.

One could imagine how uncomfortable it would feel to have it covering one's body.

"Go."

Lin Dao kept it in mind, turned around, and left the side room, saying, "I'll go check the main room."

The main room was divided into east and west rooms, and according to custom, the east side was the place of honor.

Inside the east room, on a wooden bed, lay silk quilts.

Large numbers of Hu People surged into the Central Plains, and round tables had begun to gradually become common, though they were not as tall as the round tables of later generations.

Beside the oil-paper window sat a round table.

On it was placed a candle.

Lighting lamps and burning wax for illumination was likewise something only affluent households could afford to consume.

Candles were very expensive.

Whether the raw material was beeswax, white wax, or grease, they were all enormously costly things.

There were also other scattered objects in the room; Lin Dao looked around, and his gaze finally settled on Jin Lian, whose small face was full of bashfulness.

He asked in confusion, "Why is your face red?"

"My lord~~~"

Jin Lian lowered her head, leaned her body slightly forward, her voice like a mosquito's whisper: "Wait, wait until night, Slave will come to serve you in bed, all right?"

Lin Dao fell silent.

This was probably the most serious misunderstanding he had ever suffered.

He was just curious, coming to look at the layout of an ancient house.

Yet he was misunderstood as wanting to recharge in broad daylight.

Looking at Jin Lian's figure, thin and weak like an airport runway due to long-term malnutrition, Lin Dao felt not a ripple in his heart.

Without a word, he walked out.

Coming to the courtyard, he looked at the women wearing hemp clothing made of vine cloth, full of patches, saluting him.

Lin Dao simply asked, "Food, quilts, clothing. Besides these, what else do you need?"

The women all lowered their heads, and no one responded.

This was their lord, who held the power of life and death over them.

In this era, losing one's life for speaking rashly was all too common.

Jin Lian, her face panicked, rushed out after him, her small face pale: "My lord~~~"

"It's nothing."

Lin Dao waved his hand, "You just go about your own business."

After speaking, he directly went out, mounted a tricycle, and left the camp.

Returning to the Modern World, Lin Dao began shopping.

He first went to a labor protection supplies store and bought thick cotton quilts, the kind of olive-green military blankets.

He also bought dozens of cotton coats in the store, the kind of green military greatcoats.

In addition, he bought many grains, seasonings, tableware, kitchen utensils, large iron pots, and so on to improve their meals.

After finishing these, the sky had long since turned dark.

Lin Dao simply went home to sleep.

End of Chapter