Chapter 36: New Year's Goods (Seeking Recommendations and Favorites)

  Sorted out my thoughts and can move forward quickly now, hope everyone will support Lao Bai, there's another update this afternoon, thank you everyone.

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  Talking about the New Year, this matter reminded Li Meng that this time they made more than 50 taels of silver from selling salt. Li Meng took it out and let his men make large purchases throughout Fengmeng Town, because during the New Year, some merchants from Jiaozhou City also came to set up stalls and sell New Year's goods.

  Fifty taels of silver can buy a lot of things, and when they came over, those single-wheeled carts were no longer enough. So, they simply unloaded the horse-drawn carriage, and it was said that Li Meng was the "Li Erlang" revered by the people of Fengmeng Town. He honestly didn't dare to speak or move recklessly, but just followed behind Wang Hai.

  Pork, cloth, oil and salt, firecrackers, pastries, all kinds of necessities are packed full, everyone's mood is high, who can understand that this is the New Year's goods prepared by Li Meng for everyone.

  After returning to the Xue family's thousand-household village in the west, Li Meng did not disappoint everyone's excitement. He personally led people to deliver goods from door to door. In Li Meng's eyes, a few kilograms of meat or a few feet of cloth were nothing big, but for these poor military households, this was a very good gift.

  This year, Li Meng has been cooking sea salt in the village and hiring everyone to work. Those who have joined the salt-making team have benefited from it, and those who haven't are also benefiting indirectly. Life has become much easier for everyone. Now, Li Meng has brought New Year's gifts, and every household is filled with laughter and joy.

  Zhao Neng's family, Chen Liu's family, Wang Hai's family and those young people who joined the salt smugglers must have more and better things than others.

  As the last household, Ma Baihu's family was the last one. Ma Baihu and the villagers didn't have much contact with each other, perhaps because of his proud identity. Listening to the joyful noise in the village, the old couple thought there was nothing to do with themselves, so they didn't care. Who would have thought that when it gradually quieted down, someone knocked on their own door.

  Ma Baihu opened the door and took a look, only to find Li Meng standing outside with a smile on his face, clasping his fists in greeting.

  "Li Mengping said: 'Every day, I have been taken care of by fellow villagers from my hometown. These New Year's goods are also a token of my gratitude.'"

  As they spoke, he handed over two packages of pastries and a piece of pork, which was also Li Meng's kind intention. Ma Baihu squeezed out a smile, thanked him and took it. He was still worried about his only son in his heart, and just as he was about to close the door, Li Meng smiled and said:

  "Master Ma, don't be in a hurry, there's still some goods from last year that need to be delivered, and it's quite a lot."

  Ma Baihu was stunned, but saw Li Meng flashing open, revealing a person behind him, who was Ma Kan. Ma Baihu was extremely excited, standing there with his whiskers and eyebrows trembling, and after a long time, he pointed at Ma Kan and scolded:

  "You ungrateful scoundrel, how dare you show your face back here..."

  Ma Gang was about to retort when he saw Li Meng turn his head with a cold face and say in a low voice:

  "You little scamp, if you dare be disobedient to your parents, I'll kill you!"

  Ma Gatdon was stunned, and Old Lady Ma also came out to see the commotion. When she saw her son standing at the door, she was overjoyed and rushed forward to hug Ma Gatdon, "My son!" and burst into tears.

  Li Meng watched this comedy scene, suddenly felt a little moist in the corners of his eyes, wiped it with his hand, and muttered to himself:

  "My eyes were blown by the wind."

  At the door, Ma Baihu also wiped his eyes with his hand and saw Li Meng standing aside. He was filled with gratitude in his heart. He bowed down and gave Li Meng a solemn salute from afar. Li Meng smiled, shook his head, and left...

  Every time a good festival is held, people think of their relatives more. For those who are in a foreign land, it is even more so for Li Meng, who is in a different time and space. However, the strong festive atmosphere in the village has also alleviated his melancholy to some extent. The village where Li Meng lives has seen a significant improvement in living standards in the second half of this year, and every household has become better off, so they celebrate even more enthusiastically and grandly.

  This lively and prosperous scene is naturally seen by the surrounding military dependents' villages, and there are also people who make money in Li Meng's salt yard around them. This year's New Year's celebration is also full of laughter and joy, which is a great model for those who have not participated.

  Everyone is thinking about how to get involved after the Chinese New Year, as the land of the military households is not enough for farming, and if they don't find other ways to make a living, when can this bitter life be over? In the past, there were no such stable and secure roads, nor were there such kind and generous bosses.

  On the first and second days of the Lunar New Year, Li Meng's dilapidated mansion welcomed a wave of guests who came to pay their respects. There were neighbors from nearby, as well as people from other villages, including some military households and small flag bearers, all with big smiles on their faces as they greeted Li Meng. However, the mansion was indeed somewhat worn out, making it inconvenient for receiving many guests.

  Zhao Neng thought it was better to take the guests to his own home, which was slightly more decent, and also helped Li Meng solve some troubles. Meanwhile, several salt merchants, led by Yan Zhangzi, were thinking of giving Li Meng a new house after the New Year, as they didn't lack silver now, and Li Erlang's residence had to have some dignity.

  Li Meng had been all smiles during the day, sending off and welcoming people with a painful cheek. Although he had the ability to be a tyrant, what was the use of that? Whether in ancient or modern times, it's all about being harmonious and making money. Li Meng knew his roots were among these military households, and having a good relationship with them would make things much easier for him, especially since he was currently involved in illegal activities.

  Two salt merchants in Fengmeng Town have raised the price of salt, and if everything goes smoothly next year, the output of salt goods on this side will increase. It seems that the business is getting better and better, but Li Meng has a hidden worry. As a person from modern times, he naturally knows that not developing means falling behind.

  But the salt-making business by the sea won't see much improvement either. In the north, people eat Changlu salt, while in the south, they eat salt from Lianghuai. Shandong's salt has always had a narrow sales route. According to the news Li Meng got from Hou Mountain, Yanzhou Prefecture and Qingzhou Prefecture have been plagued by bandits, Dongzhou is being stirred up by Kong Youde, and Henan and Shaanxi are also unstable. As a result, all the roads for buying and selling salt have been cut off, which is why people come to Lingshan Saltworks to do business.

  According to Li Meng's historical knowledge, the civil unrest in Shandong should still be quelled, and the private salt trade business will probably decline again. What will happen next?