Chapter 74: What Was Missed

Wen Gu pondered making something eye-catching to attract the big spenders, something that would also possess practicality.

He sketched out the design, then made minor adjustments based on existing results.

He just wasn't sure if it counted as an illegal structure, so he still had to go find his cousin to report it.

During this period, the Honeycomb Coal Stove entered more wards and markets.

The first edition of the Xinzhou newspaper also came out.

Zhao Shaozhu's subordinates were indeed full of talent, both literary and martial, and they handled the newspaper quickly, but as the person who first suggested it, Zhao Shaozhu still consulted Wen Gu when deciding on the name.

Wen Gu did not directly suggest a name, but instead said, "The gentleman's way is the middle path; the gentleman is always in the middle."

And so, the *Xinzhou Times* was born.

The first printed edition was proper and formal in its language, introducing what big figures had arrived in the south, but the main focus remained on the Honeycomb Coal Stove.

Since it was inconvenient for soldiers to have hot water and hot food in winter, a batch of the rushed-out Honeycomb Coal Stoves was first allocated to the various military wards in the Outer City District.

The first edition of the newspaper did not hide Wen Gu's contribution; this time, besides the upper and middle classes, many grassroots civilians and soldiers also recognized Wen Gu's status and contribution.

In the past, guiding public opinion required relying on people to spread news, but now it was much more efficient, and the scope of influence was much larger.

As long as one could see the newspaper, one would naturally know the content within, and it would also let more people know.

Every military ward had a quota of newspapers; if one wanted to buy extra, they could only go to designated locations.

It was the same for the Neicheng District. Every Ward Chief in the wards, as well as some people holding official posts, were allocated a copy; others who wanted one could go to designated locations to buy them. The newspaper was not expensive, and those who could afford coal could basically afford the newspaper.

Outside the city.

The Tiger Head Flag fluttered in the wind.

The members of the Huwei Escort Agency, who had previously accepted a client's mission and wanted to earn supplies, had returned!

What was conspicuous about this group, besides the flag and Head Escort Lin Biao walking in front, were the dozens of high-spirited escort guards.

But beyond these were the timid villagers and the wandering refugees gathered along the way. There were actually over three hundred of them!

Adding the escort guards from the Huwei Escort Agency who had gone out on this trip, the entire group was nearly four hundred people.

Along the way, they attracted the attention of many groups heading to Xinzhou and the City Defense Army, and they also learned the identity and origin of this Tiger Head Flag, forming a preliminary impression.

Because they had been out of the city for many days and had been in contact with many refugees, the members of the Huwei Escort Agency still needed to be quarantined in the Outer City District for two days.

Unlike the nervousness of their first time in quarantine here, this time the escort guards of the Huwei Escort Agency were much calmer.

If one had to say they were nervous, they actually were. They had hunted along the way and obtained a cart of game, and they didn't know how much the entry fee would be.

When residents in the city went out to cut wood or hunt, they had to pay a small entry fee upon returning, and the game they caught had to be turned in according to a ratio.

When Head Escort Lin Biao took grain to exchange for hot water and hot food, he discovered that every so often, many Soldiers were gathered together, surrounding a strange iron stove.

The place for exchanging hot water and hot food was the same, only the iron stove here was larger.

Nearby, several soldiers were discussing which military leader used what style of coal stove and what grade of Honeycomb Coal.

"Our leader uses that kind of Superior Coal; it has little smell, burns fast, and is expensive!"

"This Honeycomb Coal is indeed quite good; it must have clay added. The newspaper said that after it burns, it can be used to pave roads. Our ward paved a long strip with it, and it's really quite good; it can indeed prevent slipping!"

"I wonder if this burnt coal cinder is of any use against 'Evil Qi'."

"The *Xinzhou Times* didn't write about that."

What Honeycomb Coal Stove? What *Xinzhou Times*?

Head Escort Lin Biao listened, completely bewildered.

They hadn't been out on an escort mission for long, so how was it that upon returning, it seemed they could no longer understand the talk inside Xinzhou City?

What had they missed?!

Carrying a head full of questions, he returned to the group. Before long, someone came over to count the number of new arrivals in the group; this was to calculate how many refugees they had brought, which could count as merit to exchange for things.

At the same time, they also calculated the entry fee that needed to be collected.

When registering the group's identity, Head Escort Lin Biao took out the stamped certificate given by Wen Gu.

The minor official responsible for statistics and recording hadn't taken it seriously at first, but after seeing the stamp on the paper and looking at Head Escort Lin Biao and the others, his expression softened significantly; he was no longer the stiff, bureaucratic person he had been a moment ago.

The minor official returned the certificate and explained to Head Escort Lin Biao: "Nowadays, Xinzhou is in a period of taking in people, so the entry fee is not high."

Head Escort Lin Biao calculated in his heart that even if they turned in twenty or thirty percent of the game, they would still get more from this trip, so it was nothing.

As it turned out, the final calculation for the entry fee was only symbolic, less than ten percent.

There was such a good thing?!

Perhaps Head Escort Lin Biao and his group's expressions were too obvious, so the minor official explained: "You should thank your Ward Chief."

Head Escort Lin Biao: "Our Ward Chief Wen?"

The minor official nodded: "Yes, that is the cousin of the Zhao Family surnamed Wen."

Of all the cousins who came to join the Zhao Family, only this one had achieved success. When he first arrived, the Young Master went to greet him personally, and less than a month after arriving, he had become famous throughout the city.

Now in Xinzhou City, from the wealthy and noble down to the soldiers and the poor, even if they hadn't seen him, they had heard of the great name of Ward Chief Wen.

The position of Ward Chief was not high, but one had to count the accompanying status and fame; only a fool would offend him!

Moreover, this coal stove had indeed brought benefits to everyone, so they in the Outer City District had decided to give the two wards some convenience this month.

After finishing the statistical work, the minor official took the Soldiers to the next location.

A soldier nearby asked: "What was written on that paper?"

The minor official said: "What is written is not important; what is important is the stamp on it. The stamps of Jingxing Fang and Qingyun Fang."

"It's actually people from those two wards! I heard that the Honeycomb Coal Stove first came out of those two wards."

"The names of those two wards were even chosen by the Young Master!"

The conversation over there was very muffled, and Head Escort Lin Biao and the others couldn't hear it clearly. Knowing that they could receive such good treatment because of their Ward Chief was enough.

Head Escort Lin Biao and the others were quarantined in the Outer City District for two days before entering the Neicheng.

The villagers who had left Jingxing Fang together, as well as the escort guards from the escort agency, described the appearance of Jingxing Fang to this new batch of people.

"Although the large stretches of open land look desolate and barren, in reality, everyone's spirits are actually quite good."

"If you work, you can get Grain Tickets, and Grain Tickets can be exchanged for food; if a family has many laborers, they can even save up to build a house."

"The escort agency's large residence should be built even better."

"We don't compare ourselves to the escort agency; if you have money, go buy land and build a house, if you don't have money, go rent a house, and if you don't even have money for rent, then go see if you can be selected for manual labor."

"There is a lot of open land over there, and the people in the ward are all villagers and refugees just like us."

However, as they walked, things felt increasingly wrong.

Why are there so many cargo carts coming and going at these roads and alley entrances?

Some of the Wooden Board Carts are loaded with timber, while others are loaded with bricks, tiles, stone, and earth. They all arrive with full carts and leave with empty ones.

Lin Biao looked left and right, confirmed that this was Jingxing Fang, and led the people inside.

A very large area was fenced off, preventing people from approaching casually.

There were craftsmen and laborers everywhere, and many temporarily constructed sheds had been added. There were also people who looked like foremen running back and forth, shouting loudly about something.

It was a scene of bustling activity.

A newly arrived villager asked a fellow townsman in a low voice: "This... is completely different from what you said! Are you sure we didn't go the wrong way?"

At this moment, Zhou Shan brought some people over: "The Ward Chief knows you have returned, but he is occupied with matters, so I will settle these villagers and refugees."

Seeing an acquaintance, Lin Biao finally let out a sigh of relief.

"I'm glad you came over! I only left for a few days, and now that I'm back, I don't even know how to get around!"

Zhou Shan laughed: "It's normal; our Jingxing Fang and Qingyun Fang change every single day."

Lin Biao asked curiously: "What is being built over there?"

"It's a garden that the Shen Family and some nobles want to build. It won't be easy to start construction in a while, so we are doing some work now while it hasn't frozen solid yet."

"The Shen Family?"

"That is the family of our Ward Chief's maternal aunt."

Lin Biao gasped.

Zhou Shan lowered his voice and briefly recounted to Lin Biao what had happened during this period.

At this time, Wen Gu was in his residence in Jingxing Fang, chatting with his newly acquainted friend.

Pei Jing had come over with the Shen Family brothers today. Although those two brothers stayed for a while and then ran off, Pei Jing stayed behind to chat more with Wen Gu.

They talked about calligraphy, painting, and curios, and for a time, they actually felt a sense of mutual appreciation.

At least in Pei Jing's eyes, it was so. Wen Gu was like another him in this world—physically weak, yet intelligent.

Knowing that Wen Gu still had official business, Pei Jing took his leave, but before departing, he invited Wen Gu to visit his home, saying he had many treasured Water Jade Crystals available for appreciation, and that the design of parts of Wanfu Garden could be discussed further.

After Pei Jing left, Wen Gu returned inside the house.

Just a moment ago, he had noticed that the position of the large wooden table in the room was shifted.

He lifted it and moved it back to its original position; hmm, it was much more pleasing to the eye.

He sat down and thought about this new friend he had just met.

Pei Jing was a person with meticulous thoughts, clear logic, a solid cultural foundation, and excellent artistic standards.

He was truly worthy of being raised by a noble family! We are just lacking such talent with high artistic attainments by our side!

Pei Jing's problems were also very obvious; many of his viewpoints were only at a theoretical level, lacking practical experience.

How could this do!

In this era and at this age, it was precisely the time to enter into social practice!

If his body was weak, he didn't have to run around construction sites; he could practice just as well sitting in an office.

Wen Gu calculated his upcoming work, planning to clear some time to visit the Pei Family and deepen his friendship with this new friend.

(End of chapter)