Chapter 175: Riding on an iron horse and visiting the new city at night (please subscribe!!)
"Sister, come with us for a walk."
The depressed Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly spoke while listening to the lively sounds outside.
"Okay! It just so happens that I also want to go out for a walk." Queen Ma nodded, "By the way, why don't we go to Yong'an New City to see it? I heard that it has a completely different scene from the old city here."
"Jiang Zhen/Mao Xiang have reported to us before that Ouyang Lun has built a new city. The houses in it are very beautiful and many people are queuing up to buy them." Zhu Yuanzhang continued: "Then let's have a night visit today. Yongan New City!”
The two of them made a decision and went out. This time, in order not to attract attention, they didn't even bring any guards.
Walking out of the hotel, I was about to get on a two-wheeler. No, it was a three-wheeler! The two-wheeled vehicle originally pulled by a human has turned into a tricycle driven by a human. Seeing this scene, Zhu Yuanzhang/Empress Ma were shocked.
The driver turned his head and saw the surprised look of Zhu Yuanzhang and Queen Ma. He smiled and said, "You two must be from other places!"
Zhu Yuanzhang said in a deep voice: "How do you know?"
Queen Ma also became vigilant.
"Don't worry, you two. I'm not a bad person. Car drivers like us have all registered with the government. If you make my car, I have to be responsible for you. If something happens to you, I have to be responsible, so I Now is the person who least wants anything to happen to you.”
"As for how I knew that the two of you were from out of town, I hope the reason is simple, because if you saw the surprised look on my tricycle, if we were locals from Yong'an, you would have been used to it."
The tricycle driver's words made Zhu Yuanzhang/Empress Ma put down their guard and feel a little embarrassed at the same time.
Although the two of them have been to Yong'an Mansion several times, they still feel like rural people coming to the city.
"That's it. Thank you master for your explanation." Queen Ma said suddenly.
"This is what I should do, and it is my obligation to explain it clearly to you." The tricycle driver smiled and nodded, "Now tricycles are gradually replacing the two-wheelers in the past, and they are also an essential tool for people to travel in the city."
"Do you two want to give it a try?"
Zhu Yuanzhang and Queen Ma looked at each other.
"This tricycle looks more advanced, how about we take a ride?"
"Ah."
Then the two of them sat on it.
Zhu Yuanzhang felt it and said, "Well, this tricycle is more spacious than a rear-wheel vehicle and is more comfortable to sit on."
"It seems to be more stable." Queen Ma also expressed her feelings.
The tricycle driver smiled and said, "Boy, this tricycle was specially improved by Mr. Ouyang for us coolies. I used to pull a two-wheeler, but over time, my knees/calfs started to hurt so much that I had to use heat every day. Water bubbles can ease it a bit."
"The tricycle is different. I can sit on it and stare. I use much less force than before, the speed is faster, and I am not so tired."
Zhu Yuanzhang reached up to his neck and looked at the part where the tricycle driver was sitting. He saw two pedals on the left and right sides, and an iron disc connected in the middle. The edge of the disc was sharp thorns, and the thorns fit in with the iron chain. The other end extended under their seats. What a precise instrument!
Linked together, it’s simply Luban’s magic!
While Zhu Yuanzhang was watching, the tricycle driver also demonstrated to them, placing his feet on the left and right pedals, and then pedaling forward and backward.
Then a magical scene happened, the whole tricycle started to rotate.
"Two guests, I don't know what principle is used in this, but as long as I stare hard, our tricycle can move forward. In addition, I can also control the direction of travel through this handle!"
"By the way, we gave this device a name, it's called the Iron Horse, the Iron Horse that doesn't eat grass!"
the tricycle driver said excitedly.
"The iron horse does not need to eat grass." Zhu Yuanzhang was extremely shocked, "It is simply a creation of heaven!"
"Xiao Lun, this kid really has a pair of skillful hands. If he is not an official, he will definitely be the living Luban of the Ming Dynasty!" Empress Ma said with a smile.
"He is not only Huo Luban, but also Huo Qubing and Shen Wansan. Is this kid really a human being?" Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't help but murmur in his heart. Many people can leave a name in history because they are good at one thing, but Ouyang Lun seems to have no such thing. He doesn't know how to do it. He's not a plenary session either. At least he's not very good at fishing!
Just when Zhu Yuanzhang/Empress Ma was shocked by the tricycle, the driver asked: "You two, don't you know where you are going?"
"Let's go to Yong'an New City."
"Okay, you two, please sit down, we're going to set off now!" After the tricycle driver finished speaking, he started to stare at the tricycle.
Soon the tricycle began to move slowly under the driving of the driver, and the speed gradually increased. Although the speed was not as fast as the carriage, it was much faster than when it was pulled by people.
"Master, is this tricycle expensive?" Empress Ma saw that Zhu Yuanzhang was embarrassed to ask, so she spoke on her behalf.
"This car is not very expensive, only 100 taels of silver. However, if you want to use a tricycle to solicit customers in the city, you must buy a license plate. Only with a license plate can you solicit customers. A license plate costs [-] taels of silver." The driver said with a smile.
100 two!
This is not low for ordinary people! Squeeze the people!
Zhu Yuanzhang immediately thought of these four words in his mind, and continued to ask: "I want to charge you 100 taels for a job of recruiting people. It's really evil. Don't you have any objections?"
"Black heart? Opinion?"
The driver smiled and said, "Sir, I think you misunderstood. There is nothing sinister about 100 taels. If we didn't have the license, many people would flock to our truck pulling business. When the competition becomes big, how can we still make money?" ?”
"Furthermore, the licenses issued by the government are limited. If other people want to enter the industry, they have to buy a license. If one of us quits, we can also sell the license. Usually there will be a transfer fee. In the end, we not only buy the license The money is back and I can make a profit.”
"Master Ouyang considers us so much, how can we have any objections?"
Forehead. Zhu Yuanzhang was a little embarrassed. He thought this would be evidence that Ouyang Lun was exploiting the people, but he was slapped in the face.
When Queen Ma saw Zhu Yuanzhang's deflated look, she pursed her lips and smiled.
"When you two go to the new city, you probably want to buy real estate!" The coachman took the initiative again.
"Why do you say that?" Zhu Yuanzhang asked.
"This is normal. Nine out of ten businessmen from other places will live in big hotels, and eight out of these nine will choose to buy a house in the new city and settle down!" The coachman said with a smile, "I'll be honest with you two. I also bought a house in the new city."
"Thanks to Mr. Ouyang. If it weren't for him, I would never be able to live in such a good house in my life!"
Queen Ma asked curiously: "Master, aren't you a local?"
The driver shook his head, "No, I came here to escape famine with my family. I almost starved to death on the road. But our family was lucky. We fainted from hunger on the border of Yong'an Prefecture and were rescued by the government. The people from the government gave us food and arranged for me By working on the construction site, I can earn four taels of silver a month, which is enough to support a family of five." Upon hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly looked askance.
The driver continued, "After working on the construction site for a while, I saved more than 100 taels of silver. I happened to hear that the government was recruiting tricycle drivers, so I used the money to buy a license plate and a tricycle. Now I can earn seven taels a month. Yin Zi, this is already my third month driving a car. As early as last month, I bought a house in the new district and completely became a member of Yong'an Mansion!"
"Master Ouyang is simply a saint. If it weren't for him, not only me, but also many people would not be able to live this dreamlike life."
"Compared with Mr. Ouyang, those officials in the imperial court are all bullshit!"
Listening to the coachman's words, Zhu Yuanzhang felt as uncomfortable as eating a fly.
Queen Ma listened with great interest and even asked some questions, "Master, you have spent all your money on buying license plates and tricycles, and you have only been driving tricycles for three months. Even if there are no other expenses, the money in your hand is It shouldn’t be more than 50 taels, right?”
"Madam is really smart. That's right. At that time, our whole family could only get 48 taels of silver in total." The coachman said truthfully.
"Forty-eight taels of silver can buy a house, but how can your family of five live there?" Queen Ma asked with concern.
"Madam, you are wrong. 48 taels of silver can't buy a house in the new city. You can only buy a toilet." The coachman said.
"Ah!" Queen Ma was stunned, "All five of your family are crowded into the toilet?"
"No, no, our family lives in a suite with a total of four rooms." The coachman said quickly.
Queen Ma:? ? ?
Zhu Yuanzhang said angrily: "You, a coachman, are inconsistent with your words. You said that 48 taels of silver can only buy a toilet, and then you live in four suites. Is it possible that your money is different from others?"
"Don't be angry, I didn't explain it clearly." The coachman said quickly: "Actually, when you buy a house in Yong'an Mansion, you don't need to pay the full price at all. You only need to pay a down payment and the remaining money. You can borrow it from a Kaiping bank. .”
"How much does your house cost?" Zhu Yuanzhang asked with a frown.
"It was more than 500 taels when I bought it." The coachman continued: "At that time, the government issued a policy that people who had serious jobs in Yong'an Mansion and did not own a house could pay 50% of the down payment. The down payment only required more than 48 taels. I had [-] taels myself. It’s enough to find friends to chip in. Now I only need to pay back two taels of silver a month.”
"Two taels of silver? Why is it so low?" Zhu Yuanzhang became more and more confused.
"I don't know the specifics. The person who opened the bank told me that two taels of silver per month will take a total of 30 years to repay. Of course, if you have money, you can also choose to repay in advance." The coachman replied.
"Thirty years? Ouyang Lun is really a very brave man!" Zhu Yuanzhang exclaimed, "Is it really worth carrying 30 years of debt for a house?"
The coachman smiled and said, "Sir, with the house, our family will have a household registration in Yong'an Prefecture. My son can also attend Xincheng Elementary School and Xincheng Middle School in the future. Mr. Ouyang said that as long as he graduates from Xincheng Elementary School smoothly, It’s no problem to be a scholar. If you can graduate from Xincheng Middle School, you will definitely be a winner in the exam!”
"If my son can become a scholar, it's not worth spending a few hundred taels of silver!"
Hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang felt that Ouyang Lun was deceiving people. Do you think you can pass the examination to become a scholar or a scholar? Zhu Yuanzhang also wanted to persuade the coachman to give up this unrealistic idea, but seeing the enthusiastic look on the coachman's face, he knew that no matter what he said, the other party would not listen.
"Two distinguished guests, we have arrived at the new city. Just walk down this Yingbin Avenue."
"There will be a checkpoint ahead. If you tell the guards that you are here to see the house, they will let you in."
Zhu Yuanzhang and Queen Ma got off the tricycle.
"how much is it?"
"One hundred coins."
Zhu Yuanzhang touched his body and found that he had no money with him. Empress Ma had already expected this and took out a piece of broken silver and handed it to the driver.
"A lot of it is a reward for you."
"Thank you, sir, and I wish you a happy room selection!"
The driver took the money and rode away smoothly.
"This new area only has a symbolic ring of walls. Aren't we afraid of the invasion of the army?" Zhu Yuanzhang said calmly.
"Chongba, the layout here is indeed different from the buildings we have seen. Some of the houses are just like big hotels. They are large, square houses. The suite that the coachman just mentioned should be inside."
Queen Ma pointed to a building road.
"Everyone is like a cement coffin, we can't live in it." Zhu Yuanzhang shook his head.
Queen Ma then pointed to another building, "The houses over there seem to be single-family courtyards."
"Well, those yards look pretty good, let's go there and have a look."
Zhu Yuanzhang had no interest in "high-level people" at all. After entering the new city, he went straight to the "housing area".
"Tangfu?"
Zhu Yuanzhang and Empress Ma had not been wandering for long in the 'House Area' when they saw a courtyard with a "Tang Mansion" plaque.
"This shouldn't be Tang He's home in Yong'an Mansion, right?"
This scale and decoration are even more luxurious than the Xinguo Duke's Mansion in the capital!
At this time, the door of the house opened, and Tang He and his daughter Tang Miaomiao came out talking and laughing.
Seeing Zhu Yuanzhang and Queen Ma standing outside, I was stunned. I rubbed my eyes and then I was sure that I had seen it correctly.
"Your Majesty and Queen??!"
"You still recognize us!" Zhu Yuanzhang said in a strange tone.
Upon hearing this, Tang He immediately prepared to kneel down and salute.
Empress Ma smiled and said: "Chongba and I came to Yong'an Mansion as businessmen this time. We happened to pass by, so there is no need to salute."
Tang He stood up straight again and quickly asked in a low voice: "Your Majesty, Concubine, I wonder if you two have something to do with your night visit to the new city?"
"Tang He, Tang He, although the queen and I happened to come outside your mansion, you don't plan to invite us in for a cup of tea?" Zhu Yuanzhang said angrily.
"Look at how confused I am." Tang He suddenly realized and said quickly: "Your Majesty, please come!"
"That's about right." Zhu Yuanzhang muttered, then walked into the house with his hands behind his back. The decoration inside shocked him again. Not to mention the luxury, the layout of the flowers, trees, rockeries and lakes inside was also carefully arranged. It's refreshing. "Bold Tanghe, do you know your guilt!!"
(End of this chapter)