Chapter 6 A Group of Exiled Misfits

While searching for books in the bookstore, Shen Mo noticed a tall and strong young man, appearing to be around twenty years old, with a square face and dressed in a refined manner, also looking for books. He discovered that the young man was flipping through military history books, which piqued his curiosity. Could it be that this fellow, like him, is also a scion of a noble family cast out by his clan?

Chen Ji Iron Workshop is quite famous in Cang County. Shen Mo took out the drawings he had made and explained them to the blacksmith until the latter understood. After negotiating the price and paying a deposit of 5 taels of silver, he finally left.

In the following days, Shen Mo only stayed in his room reading and practicing calligraphy. He used homemade charcoal pencils for drawing and goose quills for writing. His penmanship was mediocre in later years, and during the internet age, he rarely wrote by hand, which made him feel out of practice. Now he was starting to practice again, with all his manuscripts locked away in a cabinet, not even the little red and little green maids had seen them. The two young maids only knew that his writing was somewhat peculiar, but they did not pay much attention to it, and when reporting to Uncle Liu Wu, they did not elaborate.

Returning to Zhuangzi, Xiao Hong and Xiao Lu have prepared the hot pot, and after Shen Mo washes his hands in silence, he can enjoy the delicacies. Several servants moved six large jars of Cangyao wine into the small storage room in the courtyard

"Fifth Master, let us sisters have a try as well"

Shen Mo found the "Great Wei Dictionary" he wanted to buy. Initially intending to check out, he reconsidered and selected a few more books on military history before proceeding to the checkout and leaving.

Is this the lazy chair? Hmm, it feels really comfortable

The silent tinkering with the lazy chair is merely for enjoyment, as he is a person who enjoys life. The extra lazy chairs he creates are gifts for others. Although small in size, the debt of gratitude can be significant. It can also be considered a form of long-term investment, as he enjoys having others owe him favors.

During this period, Shen Mo made quite a stir, prompting people to convert the small storage room where the Cangyao wine was kept into a small kitchen. Everyone assumed that he was accustomed to a life of luxury and could not adapt to the meals prepared by the village chef, wanting to cook for himself.

The entire village is under his control; he is fully aware of every silent move he makes, including the lazy chairs that Zhao Laoshi and his son are currently rushing to complete, and he still harbors a bit of anticipation in his heart

The taste needs no further mention; Old Wei nearly swallowed his own tongue while eating. Master Liu Wuye suspected whether the five chefs he had hired at a high price were impostors. With exquisite food and fine wine, the two enjoyed their meal comfortably and conversed freely, with most of the topics centered around Shen Mo.

The next day, the porcelain shop delivered two ox carts of peculiar porcelain customized for Shen Mo. In order to pursue his plan for making money, Shen Mo began to get busy.

Shen Mo nodded slightly, wearing a contemplative expression. According to Lao Wei, Duan Zhi Xia's martial prowess had reached at least the level of a top expert in the martial world. He felt a bit curious about who would be stronger if Duan Zhi Xia and Widow Xiao were to fight. However, despite his thoughts, he ultimately did not voice the question.

Old Wei entered the courtyard where Master Liu lived, holding a jar of wine. Master Liu had already prepared a hot pot; to be precise, it was arranged by Xiao Hong and Xiao Lu. Master Liu was just waiting for Old Wei to return so they could enjoy it together.

The young gentleman seemed to sense something, looked up, and returned a friendly smile in silence. The latter nodded and continued to lower his head to read.

When he went to the blacksmith's shop again, the blacksmith had already forged several small items according to Shen Mo's request and had polished them. After paying for the goods, Shen Mo thought for a moment and then went to Wang's wine shop, spending ninety taels of silver to purchase six jars of Cangyao wine, as he would need to buy this wine in a few days anyway; buying it now was just a matter of convenience.

Five days later, Zhao Laoshi and his son delivered the first lazy chair they had made to Liu Wuye's courtyard

After the jade-green curtain and the green willows had arranged the brocade quilt, Master Liu lay on top of it. The chair gently swayed, making him feel so comfortable that he wanted to close his eyes and sleep. It truly was a delightful experience

On the way back to the village, he inquired of Old Wei and learned that the young man was Duan Zhi Xia, the third son of Duan Feng from the second branch of the Duan family in Qingzhou. He had been exiled here by his family for making a mistake, and he possessed considerable martial prowess, having likely reached a level of strength that made heavy lifting seem effortless. Although he was known for his righteousness, his temperament was rather eccentric, and one must not provoke him.

According to Widow Xiao, she recovered so quickly because she took the healing elixir, Luohan Dan, specially prepared by Master Ku Zhu of the Bamboo Forest Temple. Luohan Dan is a sacred medicine for healing wounds, invaluable and difficult to obtain. Her third husband, Hou Laoba, died in an attempt to seize this precious Luohan Dan.

"Go ahead, you may try, ha." Master Liu Wuye was extremely fond of these two young and beautiful maids, who appeared to be servants, seemed like concubines, yet resembled daughters.

He also took the time to visit the injured Widow Xiao in bed twice. According to Old Wei, Widow Xiao's injuries were severe, requiring at least a month of bed rest, and a full recovery would take at least three to four months. However, Widow Xiao was already able to get up, half reclining against a pile of brocade blankets, looking quite well. It seemed that in about ten days, she would be able to get out of bed and walk.

It may be due to this stimulation that his temperament has greatly changed, and we shall continue to observe. Master Liu Wuye pondered, it is said that a wayward son returning is worth more than gold; if Lord Shen Liulang can truly repent and start anew, there is no greater good. The key lies in whether he can maintain this resolve.

The few pieces of porcelain he customized were simple in craftsmanship and not costly, but he ordered ten sets at once, spending twenty taels of silver, which left him with a little less money in hand

Shen Mo was unaware that as soon as he left, Zhao Laoshi presented the design drawings, the planer blades, and the drill bits he had created to Master Liu, while concealing the matter of the three taels of silver that Shen Mo had given. Well, although Zhao Laoshi was simple and honest, he would never part with the silver that had entered his pocket.

Zhao Laoshi set aside his work and first went to tinker with the planer designed by Shen Mo. If it is truly as Shen Liulang has said, it will be a significant innovation in the carpentry world. Moreover, that hand-cranked drilling tool—one would not expect a young master from such a prestigious family as Shen Liulang to be so interested in ingenious and intricate tools

Silence understands that in this feudal society under monarchy, the social status of craftsmen is very low. Advanced technology, which can bring tremendous progress and benefits to humanity and society, is regarded by the scholar-officials as mere curiosities and is looked down upon. He lacks the ability to change this situation and does not wish to change it either. Not being in a position of power, he does not concern himself with politics; rather, it is wise for him to prioritize self-preservation.

Two days later, Zhao Laoshi and his son delivered the second lazy chair they had made to the quiet courtyard of Shen Mo. They were then ordered to quickly produce new lazy chairs according to the design. For each chair made, they were paid five taels of silver, of which four taels were accounted for as material costs for the estate, and one tael was considered the labor fee for the Zhao family. This made the Zhao family so happy that they couldn't stop smiling. Working for the estate earned them nothing, but working for Liu Langjun allowed them to earn one tael of silver for each lazy chair. Even a fool would know which option to choose.

Due to the outdated technology in iron ore mining and iron smelting, coupled with inconvenient transportation and high shipping costs, the prices of various iron products are quite high. Although the few items that Shen Mo wants to create are small, they require the best quality iron. Among them, a few have somewhat complex craftsmanship, which will cost fifteen taels of silver. Currently, he only has two hundred and fifteen taels left in his purse

Silent and half in doubt, yet the widow Xiao's injuries were recovering quickly, which made him quite happy. As for how to arrange for the widow Xiao in the future, he had not yet thought it through. Matters of the future would be discussed later; the urgent task at hand was to earn money, earn money, and earn money again. Important matters should be emphasized three times.

Shen Mo was unaware of Lord Liu Wu's assessment of him. The next morning, after having breakfast, he went to Zhao Laoshi's carpenter shop, took out several drafted drawings, along with a few small gadgets that had been crafted in the iron workshop.

He personally funded the purchase of planer blades and iron drill bits for Zhao Laoshi, with the sole purpose of accelerating the work progress of Zhao and his son, and improving the quality of their output. Moreover, there will be many more items needed from them in the future, which can be seen as a way to win their favor

Upon arriving at the porcelain shop, Shen Mo took out the sketches he had prepared earlier and explained them to the porcelain craftsmen. After negotiating the price, he left a deposit of ten taels of silver and then proceeded to the bookstore

The relationship between the two is both that of master and servant, as well as friends. Old Wei was not polite; he sat down heavily, picked up the bamboo chopsticks, and began to savor the flavor of the hot pot created by Lord Shen Liulang.