Chapter 9: You are responsible

The second son of the Yan family in Xiangzhou, Yan Jiang, quarreled with the son of a wealthy merchant over a courtesan in a brothel, ultimately leaving the other severely injured. He was then forced to flee to Cang County to avoid trouble, where he stayed for more than a year

As for the demands made by Shen Mo, they are by no means difficult. The entire estate is under his control, and with just a word, a winery can be constructed within a few days. Loyal estate workers are certainly easy to find, and the investment capital is even less of a concern. Over the years, he has earned countless riches for the Shen family, and he himself is naturally well-off; a mere 10,000 taels of silver is hardly an issue.

"Rest assured, my dear nephew, I will provide my utmost support," Liu Zheng said with a smile. He only required a 10% stake, with 80% reserved for Bi Yu and Lu Liu as a dowry, while he kept 20% to convert into cash for wine, as both he and Old Wei had a fondness for fine wine.

"Good, good, good, I hope you remember today's vow." Liu Zheng was greatly satisfied. The ancients believed that there were spirits three feet above one's head, and thus they did not dare to make a poisonous oath lightly; he was no exception. Silently, he swore by the reputation of the Shen family, and he believed it, feeling reassured.

Hmm? Liu Zheng frowned, his suddenly contracted pupils flashing with a chilling glint. It seems that everyone, including him, underestimated the Widow Xiao; this ghostly woman is even more formidable than imagined.

Liu Zheng stroked his long beard beneath his chin, looking at Shen Mo as he left in silence, his expression complex. He felt a surge of emotions; this little fox truly was impressive. However, it was impossible to distance oneself from the Shen family, for the blood of the Shen family flowed within you, an unchangeable fact. I will help you delay for a while, but let us see how far you can go

With such an unexpected turn of events, the silent guard was finally lifted, and subsequently, both parties engaged in open and honest discussions, leading to very smooth progress

Liu Zheng stroked his long beard under his chin, nodding repeatedly, with a faint smile at the corners of his lips; this little fox truly continues to surprise people more and more.

"Fifth Master, we have found out that the deceased are the assassin ranked 17th on the list, the Poisonous Hand Lord Jiang Hao, and his deputy, the Black Snake Zhao Ye." The weary coachman, Old Wei, entered slowly, his face bearing a hint of solemnity.

Facilities such as the cafeteria, storage room, bathhouse, toilet, water supply pipeline, reservoir, drainage ditch, and septic tank were all constructed according to Shen Mo's requirements and designs. He repeatedly emphasized the importance of reasonable planning and hygiene.

Returning to his own courtyard, he leaned back on the bed and carefully reviewed the large stack of lists and materials that Liu Zheng had given him

Additionally, there are five or six minor families with frivolous young masters who have not been included in Shen Mo's list of connections. However, they will still be granted certain benefits, which can be considered a long-term investment. As for the future, who can say for certain? What if they suddenly become prosperous later on?

Shen Mo requested the construction of a relatively large and independent winery in the village, along with ten absolutely loyal young estate workers. Currently, he lacks substantial power and does not wish to expand his business for the time being; ten subordinates are sufficient. He aims to cultivate these ten estate workers into technical backbones, ensuring their loyalty is beyond question.

As for the list of those young masters who have been exiled by their families, someone like him, who is adept at scheming and can turn the situation around at will, would certainly have kept something in reserve. One should not harbor malicious intentions towards others, but one must always be on guard against others.

Duan Zhi Xia, the third son of the second branch of the direct line of the Duan family in Qingzhou, has been hiding in Cang County for half a year after injuring someone while helping a friend.

The extent of one's ability determines how far one can go. Shen Mo is very clear about his current capabilities, so he does not wish to move too quickly; otherwise, he might end up in a precarious situation. With a golden finger, he has numerous ways to cheat the system and make money. He is not in a hurry; he has plenty of time to take it slow.

This involves quite a few new elements, such as water pipelines. In fact, it is quite simple; by breaking old bamboo in half and hollowing it out for installation, the problem can be resolved. The most troublesome and critical aspect is the water extraction, which led to the birth of an improved small waterwheel. The people in the distillery find it very convenient to use water, which can be regarded as an ancient version of running water

Wang Tong, the third son of the Wang family from Xiangzhou, is a illegitimate child. He was exiled due to gambling and theft. Liu Zheng has made a note that Wang Tong may have fallen victim to a scam, being framed by others.

After Liu Zheng returned to the courtyard, he lay on the recliner, carefully and repeatedly reviewing the manuscript written by Shen Mo. Many of the things written inside were novel and surprising, causing hesitation and even doubt. However, after reading the detailed annotations, he found them reasonable. In a word, whether something is reasonable or effective can only be known after it has been tried.

As for the wine shop, the Shen family has two general merchandise stores in the county town. By merging the two, they can free up one shop space to serve as a wine shop. The town of Cang County is too small to warrant having two shops. Moreover, since they intend to collaborate with other noble families, it is necessary to concede a portion of the market share.

Silent expressed her gratitude and left contentedly, while Biyu and Lvyu wept as they gathered their clothes in the room. They would soon move into Silent's small courtyard, and from this day forth, they would be both Silent's personal maids and his concubines.

Silence humbly attributed all the credit to the old man with a white beard in his dreams, and then took the opportunity to hand over a large pile of documents he had already prepared to Liu Zheng. He had long wanted to carry out a major overhaul of the entire estate, but the timing had not been right until now.

He is currently short on funds and hopes that Liu Zheng can provide support, specifically in the form of investment capital. Of course, he also has ways to earn this amount of money within a few days, but who would want to make a lot of money and then bite the hand that feeds them

There are also the second son of the Nangong family from Qingzhou, Nangong Ye, the fourth son of the Weichi family from Qingzhou, Weichi Tianyou, and the second son of the second branch of the Cheng family from Luozhou, Cheng Chongwu. These seven gentlemen all belong to the illustrious aristocratic families of the Great Wei, yet they are also a group of unfortunate individuals exiled by their families

Xiao Hong and Xiao Lu turned to serve Master Liu Wu instead. Their abilities in various aspects were far inferior to those of Bi Yu and Lu Liu. Master Liu Wu also lacked the energy and inclination to cultivate two new charming maids, so he made do with them. If the two girls had ambition and a slightly higher intelligence, they could still learn a great deal and become valuable assistants to Master Liu Wu

Like him, the young master of a prominent family, Fu Feiyang of the Fu family from Xiangzhou, was also exiled to Cang County for various reasons, including mistakes. He is a good-for-nothing idle youth, having already spent nearly three years in Cang County. When he first arrived, he kept insisting on returning home and caused a commotion for half a year before finally settling down.

Silence glanced over the stack of documents presented by the green willow and couldn't help but exclaim that Liu Zheng was indeed born to be a spy; it was truly a pity that he did not pursue that path. The extensive amount of information in his hands was detailed to an astonishing degree, allowing him to clearly understand and grasp the character weaknesses of these unfortunate individuals, making it hard not to admire him.

"Rest assured, Uncle Liu, I, in the name of the Shen family, solemnly swear to the heavens that I will treat Bi Yu and Lu Liu well, ensuring they are not bullied; otherwise, I shall not die a good death." Shen Mo raised his hand to swear with utmost seriousness. He was moved by this touching scene, and he could see that Liu Zheng was sincere in his commitment to the future happiness of the two women. Moreover, it is a man's duty to protect his women, to treat them well, and to ensure their happiness and joy.

Furthermore, he wants Liu Zheng to open one or two wine shops in the county town to sell homemade new wine. Additionally, he would like him to assist in compiling a detailed list of all the young masters from prominent families who have been exiled by their families in Cang County, with as much detail as possible.

After reviewing these lists, he left in silence to the distillery construction site to observe the workers starting their tasks. Liu Zheng mentioned that today was an auspicious day for groundbreaking, and then he gathered the workers to begin their work. With over a hundred strong and capable laborers, their collective strength was significant. Additionally, the estate had a large stock of wooden beams on hand. For any materials that were insufficient, Liu Zheng either purchased them or borrowed them. In just fifteen days, a brand new large distillery was completed, which included three warehouses for storing materials and two rows of residential houses for the workers.