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No matter when..,
No matter who the other party was, tying everything to others..,
Was not a wise thing to do.
Putting aside martial arts, to be able to be chosen by Li Yue to control her own destiny..,
There were only two things left: power and money.
If a person wanted power, they usually achieved their goals through the imperial examination and entering the palace. Those with more courage and boldness could choose to rebel and stand directly at the top of the pyramid.
However, for Li Yue, who had a different worldview from the common people of this era, being an official or an imperial concubine was not a suitable choice.
Rebellion was even more out of the question.
She could not do something to mess up the world for her own selfish desires.
Then Li Yue could only choose the option of "Money".
Li Yue still remembered an article called "Money Can Connect the Gods" that she had read a long time ago.
Especially when it said, "Money can connect the gods with up to 100,000 strings of cash.
There is nothing that cannot be returned. "She had a deep impression of it.
She understood that money was not omnipotent, but in such a feudal society..,
Money could solve most of the problems that she might face in the future.
Being a rich woman was the simplest and easiest thing for the current Li Yue to achieve.
Especially now that she could still borrow the "power" of the Li family's veteran caravan.
However, she did not intend to completely rely on the Li family's shop to do business. She wanted to have her own people and shop. Therefore, Li Yue set her sights on the Long Dragon, which was in the midst of internal strife.
The Long Dragon was one of the local gangs in Shuozhou City.
The headquarters was in the West City.
Relatively speaking, it was more trustworthy.
It was also the most powerful one among the local gangs. However, the gang members were all local ruffians and hooligans, and there were no martial arts masters in charge.
One of the characteristics of local ruffians was that they bullied the weak and feared the strong. It was easier to deal with them. At the same time, their minds were more flexible than ordinary people, and they were more suitable for inquiring about information and expanding business routes.
Li Yue had always been a woman of action. On the day she integrated the Long Dragon Gang and confirmed her position as the Gang Leader, she ordered people to go to Xi City to buy raw materials for soap production.
When the peddlers in Xi City heard that the Long Dragon was coming to buy things, they were very nervous. They didn't dare to sell, but they also didn't dare to not sell. When they really got the money from the Long Dragon, they were all stunned. They felt like they were dreaming. A peddler even bit himself, leaving a bloody bite mark before letting go.
To make soap, there were only two main ingredients — oil and alkali.
Shuo Zhou City was located outside the Great Wall, and there were often nomads selling cattle and sheep in the West City. Naturally, there was no lack of oil.
However, when it came to alkali, Li Yue had a headache.
The most suitable base to make soap was sodium hydroxide. However, with the current industrial level, it was very difficult to buy this stuff. Li Yue could only settle for the next best thing. She bought all the alkali, halogen alkali, and other bases that could be bought on the market.
Now that the materials were all prepared, all that was left was the actual operation.
In the Long Dragon Gang's Main Hall, a courtyard that was originally used for the Gang members to gamble and play, several large cauldrons were set up. According to Li Yue's instructions, a dozen or so men dressed in coarse linen robes, with hats on their heads and masks on their faces. They were divided into several groups and surrounded the cauldrons.
Some added firewood, some added raw materials, and some stirred. They silently and carefully tried to make soap.
The firewood under the pot was burning brightly. Inside the pot, there was a lump of greasy paste that kept rolling along with the stirrer's movements. A strange and rich smell mixed with the white mist permeated the air, making the burly men's faces turn ashen. They secretly felt that their Gang Leader was deliberately causing trouble for them.
For a moment, the atmosphere in the courtyard was very strange. Some of the more timid gang members who had just returned from Xi City almost fainted when they saw the people and pots in the courtyard.
The older gang members also didn't understand what their Gang Leader was trying to do. They touched the warm silver in their sleeves. They felt that the Long Dragon was going to die soon. Should they spend some time looking for the next boss?
Li Yue hadn't had the chance to personally see the courtyard of her own gang, which was like the scene of a Hogwarts potion class. Naturally, she couldn't understand the feelings of the gang members who were troubled by the strange smell.
These days, there was no winter or summer vacation. As the new Gang Leader of the underworld, after the seventh day of the New Year, she obediently carried her cloth bag and went to school.
The children in the school were still immersed in the New Year's atmosphere and hadn't recovered yet. Before the teacher appeared, they were chattering non-stop. The topic couldn't be separated from fireworks, new clothes, and New Year's money.
Li Yue looked around the classroom in boredom and found that several people were no longer in their seats. Lu San Egg was one of them. She cast a questioning look at Zhu Er. Zhu Er gently shook his head. Obviously, he didn't know where Lu San Egg had gone.
The children didn't argue for long before the old teacher pushed the door open and entered the classroom.
Suppressing the doubts in her heart, Li Yue studied and wrote as usual. When it was time for the afternoon break, the old teacher brought her to the study without warning and asked her some questions about her studies in a pleasant manner. He then tactfully hinted that she could bring her parents with her the next time she went to school.
When she suddenly heard that her parents were called, Li Yue was worried for a while. She suspected that the things she did at school in the past had been exposed and that the old teacher had found out that she was one of the instigators. However, the old teacher's attitude was too amiable and didn't seem like he was looking for trouble. For a short time, she was quite confused.
When Li Yue told Li Xunhuan and Uncle Fu that her parents were called, Tanhua Lang put down the wine jug in his hand and was stunned for a while. Uncle Fu immediately reacted and even congratulated Big Li And Little Li with a smile.
"Little Miss has always been intelligent and studious. She has always been the best in school. This old man reckons that the teacher wants to recommend Little Miss to Shuozhou Academy."
Li Xunhuan turned to look at Uncle Fu. "The provincial and county academies outside the border also accept female students?"
"I haven't heard of it, but Little Miss has always worn men's clothes since she started school. I'm afraid that the teacher didn't think of this."
Tanhua Lang fell silent as he looked at the little girl in front of him who wore simple clothes and only had her hair tied up in a ponytail. Since he was born, the women he came into contact with could be generally divided into four types. The first type were well-educated ladies like Lin Shiyin. The second type were ordinary women like the servants at home who worked hard to make a living. The third type were prostitutes like Little Hong and Little Cui who used their beauty to serve people. The remaining type were all women of the jianghu with different personalities and styles.
In the face of Li Yue, who was completely different from other children her age and was exceptionally intelligent and lively, Li Xunhuan knew that he couldn't treat her in the usual way. The education he received since childhood made him have the idea of teaching Li Yue to be a traditional woman who didn't leave the house. However, the moment this idea appeared, the voice of objection in his heart also sounded.
He shouldn't and didn't have the right to interfere in other people's lives. Therefore, if the little girl wanted to do something, even if it was something that deviated from the norm in the eyes of the world, he wouldn't oppose it. He only needed to watch quietly and reach out his hand at the appropriate time so that the little girl wouldn't fall.
Li Yue looked at Li Xunhuan and the expression in her eyes changed several times before finally stabilizing. She knew that the other party had made a decision, but she rushed to say her own thoughts in front of him.
"Uncle Li, I don't intend to leave school and go to Shuozhou Academy. I also don't intend to take the imperial examination."
"Even if we don't talk about the imperial examination, going to a provincial or county academy to study is beneficial for ordinary people."
"But, has Shuozhou Academy ever produced an A-level scholar?
Not to mention an A-level scholar, since the founding of the country, Shuozhou and the Jinshi Academy have only produced a few.
Besides, there's still Tanhua Lang at home, Uncle Li. Do you not have confidence in me or in yourself? "
Li Yue patted her cheeks. Not long after, she began to ramble:
"Putting everything else aside, what if in a few years I pass the imperial examination and am taken in as a son-in-law?
Do you want to see me being hit with embroidered balls by all the noble ladies in the capital?
With my face, not to mention the noble ladies, maybe even the princess will take a fancy to me. If I don't pay attention and become a son-in-law, then — "
"Nonsense — cough cough cough cough —"
"Uncle Li, are you okay?"
Li Xunhuan coughed for a while before stopping. Li Yue took the opportunity to change the wine pot in his hand into hot tea. He didn't say much, but waved his hand repeatedly to let Li Yue go back to the room to practice calligraphy.
Before the little girl left, Tanhua Lang's face was still tinged with a sickly pink color, which made Rio feel alarmed.
In the original work, when Li Xunhuan appeared, he looked like he was half-dead from a chronic illness. Li Yue couldn't remember whether he had a hereditary family disease or a lung disease caused by drinking. Since she suspected that there were signs now, she should make plans early. She decided to tell Uncle Fu and Tie Chuanjia to have the kitchen stew snow pear with rock sugar for Tanhua Lang every day in the future.
Not long after Li Yue left the study, Tie Chuanjia pushed the door open and entered. Li Xunhuan looked at the smiling Uncle Fu, then looked at the bearded Tie Chuanjia. He coughed softly:
"Recently, Xiao Yue … did she buy any storybooks from the bookstore?"
Uncle Fu and Tie Chuanjia shook their heads in unison. Tanhua Lang frowned:
"That's strange. I don't have many storybooks in my study, and the teachers in the school wouldn't let them read books other than the Book of Songs. Where did Xiao Yue learn these strange words? Could it be … that child?"
Lu San Egg, who was practicing martial arts with his master in the suburbs, inexplicably sneezed loudly.
After Big Li And Little Li washed up and ate, Tie Chuanjia drove the three of them to the school early.
Tanhua Lang gently knocked on the door. When he raised his foot, he coincidentally bumped into the old teacher who was trimming the flowers.
After exchanging greetings with the old teacher and introducing his relationship with Li Yue, Tanhua Lang solemnly and concisely explained his thoughts to the old teacher. He also took all the blame and pulled Li Yue over to apologize to the old teacher.
The old teacher had taught and educated people for decades and had seen many different kinds of people. It wasn't difficult for him to figure out other people's thoughts. How could he not see that Li Xunhuan was here to shield Li Yue from the storm? In the end, it was Li Yue who didn't want to go to the Shuozhou Academy and didn't want to take the road of the imperial examination.
Although he felt that it was a pity, he didn't say anything. However, when he thought about how none of the most talented students he had taught in the school were willing to take the imperial examination, he couldn't help but feel a bit uneasy:
"You are talented and intelligent, and your family is wealthy. Furthermore, you have such an upright gentleman as your elder. Even if you don't become an official, your future life will be fine.
It's just that Zhu Er and Lu San Egg who are close to you have always come from poor families. To them, taking the imperial examination will allow them to reach the heavens in a single step.
Zhu Er is not a big deal. He is addicted to mathematics and is quite talented in the way of Lu Ban. In addition, he has a calm personality and is not completely clueless about human relations. I can rest assured.
But this Lu San Egg … "
The old teacher looked at the quick-witted Li Yue as if he was looking at a little troublemaker. He muttered to himself for a long time and then let out a long sigh:
"Lu San Egg is quick-witted and quick-witted. At such a young age, he is quite experienced in the ways of the world. Although he is a bit restless, if he enters the Shuo Province Academy, he may have a great fortune.
I know that he has dealings with the people of Jianghu, and I have never tried to stop him. However, I have also heard that the Jianghu world is fraught with danger, and the human heart is even more complicated and difficult to distinguish.
If Lu San Egg wants to make a name for himself, he will have to fight with his life on the line. This kind of behavior is far more reliable than taking the imperial examination.
Even if he doesn't take the imperial examination, even if he mingles in the streets and alleys, it is still much safer than in the Jianghu world.
A wise man once said that a teacher's job is to teach and dispel doubts. I should have personally said these words to Lu San Egg, but I haven't seen Lu San Egg since the New Year. You and Zhu Er are good friends with him, so you should give him a few words of advice. Whether or not he can be enlightened is also his destiny. It is more or less … sigh. "
Li Yue wanted to reply to the old teacher that Lu San Egg would not go astray no matter who took the wrong path. After the sudden death of the original leader of the Long Dragon Gang, he had suddenly awakened an "auspicious" aura and started a protagonist's script. He wanted to be a character from the Wuxia world. Even if he went to Jianghu, only his auspicious aura would lead to evil intentions. How could he be so easily led astray?
But just as the words were about to come out of her mouth, Li Yue swallowed them back down. After all, the old teacher was old, but he was still willing to worry about the students and hope that they would take the right path. It could be said that it was not easy for him.
As a good student in the eyes of the teacher, Li Yue did not want the old teacher to be unhappy. As the old teacher spoke, she smiled and agreed, not showing the slightest bit of embarrassment.
When the other students arrived in the classroom one after another, the old teacher naturally stopped talking about Lu San Egg and sent Li Xunhuan and Li Yue out of the study.
Tanhua Lang rubbed Li Yue's head. He was gratified by Li Yue's previous reaction. After he politely said goodbye to the old teacher, he and Tie Chuanjia took the carriage home together.
As for whether he would go drinking again, Li Yue did not care. She wanted to stay in the school to continue teaching and study poetry with the children in the school.
Although she did not want to go to Shuozhou Academy, Li Yue did not want to leave school early.
The elementary school was equivalent to a modern day kindergarten and primary school, but the students were not all under the age of ten.
Li Yue had heard Lu San Egg's gossip before. Before she came, the oldest student in the school was fifteen years old, so she confidently stayed in the school.
It was not that Li Yue did not want to graduate early, but first, there was still Zhu Er in the school who could talk and cause trouble. Second, after she expressed her recognition of Li Xunhuan's talent yesterday, Tanhua Lang cleaned up the study. All these actions showed that Li Xunhuan really did intend to personally teach Li Yue in the future.
Just the tall stack of copybooks in the study was enough to give Li Yue a headache. She really did not want to leave the elementary school and enter a private school, facing Tanhua Lang's one-on-one professional tutoring.
Since the Qin and Han Dynasties, the government had a rule that students would have a break every five days.
The school was the same as the government, giving students a break every five days.
Schoolwork was more important, so Li Yue did not have the heart to care about the Long Dragon.
However, Tie Chuanjia was in charge of the gang. In front of the experienced Uncle Tie, those local ruffians could not make waves.
On the morning of the break, Li Yue rolled out of bed and energetically entered the Changlong Gang Headquarters with Tie Chuanjia.
The finished product of the soap was placed in front of Li Yue as she had expected, but Li Yue's expression was not very good.
With Tie Chuanjia as the supervisor, the burly men in charge of boiling the soap did not dare to be lazy. However, the appearance and smell of the finished soap were very different from the soap in Li Yue's mind. Among them, the Herbal Ash Soap was the worst. It was soft like a puddle of mud, almost unable to solidify into a shape. The Halogen Alkali Soap was slightly better, but it was also quite difficult to describe in a few words.
These ugly things would have to be left for at least half a month to test their effects. Pinching the handle of the folding fan, Li Yue repeatedly thought about whether or not to pull Zhu Er into the Long Dragon.
This little friend of hers was a person who liked to stay at home and was afraid of trouble. Unless there was something special that attracted him, he would definitely not participate. Obviously, soap was not one of them.
The new Gang Leader was not satisfied with the soap. How could Old Second He, who was in charge of the group, not see it? He rolled his eyes and knelt on the ground with a thud. With snot and tears running down his face, he complained to Li Yue about how hard it was for him and his brothers, and how conscientious they were when they were working. He expressed his loyalty and shirked his responsibilities, for fear that the Gang Leader would be displeased and ask the bearded man to beat him up again.
A middle-aged man in his thirties or forties still put on a crying and wronged look. The scene was really unpleasant to the eyes. Li Yue did not have a different sense of beauty from ordinary people. She took a deep breath and waved at He Lao Er.
"Get up!
Our Long Dragon is a man who sweats but does not cry. Look at yourself, what do you look like now?
It's not strange that you didn't succeed on your first attempt at making soap. You just need to accumulate more experience. Besides, the raw materials for making soap are not so expensive that you can't afford it. If you summarize your experience, you will succeed the next time. "
Hearing Li Yue's words, He Lao Er immediately wiped his eyes and stood beside Li Yue.
"Then … Gang Leader, you don't blame us?"
"What's the use of blaming you?
Should I beat you up or scold you?
But it was all to no avail.
How about this, let's keep it simple and not use so many tricks. Every one of you who participated in making soap, write me a summary of at least five hundred … no, two hundred words. Tell me what you think and hand it over to me after the Lantern Festival. "
"No … Gang Leader, you are making things difficult for us. We are all uncouth men, and not many of us can read."
"It's okay. You can first draft it in your hearts, and I will find an accountant for you. You can tell him one by one and let him record it down."
Old Second He and his brothers looked at each other, unwilling to give up, and continued to ask, "What's the matter?"
"But what if there are too many people? What if our secret formula is leaked?"
Li Yue tapped the folding fan in her hand and revealed a warm smile to everyone present. The words she said were the complete opposite of her smile.
"He Lao Er, think about it. Soap needs oil, right?
Soy, castor, and rapeseed are oil. The fat of pigs, cows, sheep, chickens, ducks, and geese are also oil. The fat of a person is even more oil.
If someone sincerely wants to save money on raw materials for this Gang Leader, this Gang Leader is a reasonable person. How can I not appreciate it? "
They were all men in the prime of their lives, and they were all wearing the new Gang Leader's cotton-padded clothes. They even had New Year's money in their pockets. But these ten or so people, except for Tie Chuanjia, were all shivering as if they had fallen into an ice cave in the dead of winter.
Tie Chuanjia looked at Li Yue, who was putting on a decent act. Although he was curious about where this little girl had learned these words from, he still showed a sinister smile on his face. His eyes were incomparably ferocious, and he looked like a legendary man-eating demon, Rakshasa.
Seeing the change in Tie Chuanjia's expression, the big men didn't even dare to tremble. Their faces were all pale, and they were afraid that they would really fall into the big pot of soap. Li Yue flung open her folding fan and covered the lower half of her face. She narrowed her eyes and looked at He Lao Er.
"I'm just saying. You have to know that your Gang Leader is still young. A child's words carry no harm. A child's words carry no harm. You've all worked hard these past few days. You can all take a break and go home to spend time with your families. After the Lantern Festival, you can come back to the Main Hall. Of course, you still have to write a summary of your experience. Don't forget.
He Lao Er, call Wang Sanqian over. "
He Lao Er nodded and hurriedly ran out. A moment later, a man in brown walked in.
The old man looked at the quick-witted Li Yue as if he was looking at a little troublemaker. He muttered to himself for a long time, and then let out a long sigh.
"Lu San Egg is quick-witted. He's young, but he's quite experienced in the ways of the world. Although he's a bit restless, if he enters the Shuo Province Academy, he might be able to achieve great things.
I know that he has dealings with people in Jianghu, and I've never tried to stop him. However, I've also heard that the Jianghu world is fraught with danger, and people's hearts are even more complicated and difficult to distinguish.
If Lu San Egg wants to make a name for himself, he'll have to fight with his life on the line. This kind of behavior is far more reliable than passing the imperial examinations.
Even if he doesn't pass the imperial examinations, he'll still be much safer on the streets than in the Jianghu world.
A wise man once said that a teacher's job is to teach and dispel doubts. I should've personally said these words to Lu San Egg, but I haven't seen Lu San Egg since the New Year. You and Zhu Er are good friends with him, so you should give him some advice. Whether or not he'll be enlightened is up to him. It's more or less … sigh. "
Li Yue wanted to reply to the old man that Lu San Egg wouldn't go down the wrong path. Ever since the Long Dragon Gang Leader's sudden death, he had suddenly awakened an "auspicious" aura and started a protagonist's script. He wanted to become a character from the Wuxia world. Even if he went to Jianghu, only his auspicious aura would lead to evil intentions. How could he be so easily led astray?
But just as the words reached her mouth, Li Yue swallowed them back down. The old man was old, but he was still willing to worry about his students and hope that they would walk the right path. It wasn't easy.