Coming to the world of Red Mansions, Lin Daiyu and Xue Baochai are of course the first choices for a wife. Unfortunately, Sister Lin is still too young. If I guessed correctly, she is still about 10 or 11 years old at this time.

How is it possible to wait 5 or 6 years on your own?

Jia Yingchun is actually pretty good, but Xue Baochai is better, and Shi Zhongkui is undoubtedly the King of the Sea at this time.

He looked at Xue Pan and secretly thought that this guy allowed his servants to beat someone to death, and then was sentenced to death by Jia Yucun to get away with it. It can be said that he directly screwed his own sister.

In ancient times, it was difficult for a girl whose father died young to marry, and with such a brother, except for those who covet the Xue family's millions of wealth, the possibility of marrying a good family is basically impossible.

Before the Jia family lost power and suffered serious losses, no one in the Jia family thought that Jia Baoyu would marry Xue Baochai.

On the other hand, as Mrs. Wang grew up with Jia Baoyu, she should have vaguely understood that other powerful families looked down upon the rebellious Jia Baoyu. Otherwise, why wouldn't anyone seriously propose marriage?

Similarly, Jia Mu did love Lin Daiyu, but it is definitely nonsense to say that Jia Mu did not pay attention to the Lin family's money and the dowry of Lin Daiyu's mother Jia Min.

It's just that the old lady didn't expect that the Jia family would lose so quickly.

To a certain extent, Lin Daiyu and Xue Baochai are just tools for Jia Mu to maintain the Jia family.

However, before Xue Baochai married, she often persuaded Jia Baoyu to study, which shows that she knew very well that the protection of her ancestors' past merits would not last long.

In other words, if Xue Baochai had a choice, she would rather marry a young Jinshi than Jia Baoyu, who didn't like studying and was always surrounded by people.

So Shi Zhongkui doesn't think he has no chance to marry Sister Lin or Xue Baochai.

It is actually easier for Xue Baochai, because as long as Xue Pan agrees, Aunt Xue has no right to object.

Among the three obediences and the four virtues, obeying your father at home, obeying your husband when married, and obeying your son when your husband dies is not empty talk.

After Xue Pan's father died, he had the absolute authority to decide Xue Baochai's marriage.

Thinking of this, Shi Zhongkui must have a better attitude towards Jia Lian and Xue Pan.

However, he knew better that money was indispensable.

I can't help but think of saffron again, but the question is how to get the rhizome of saffron.

After thinking for a moment, he nodded to Shuner, put his hand into his sleeve for cover, and took out the few remaining pieces of silver from the space.

"Just follow Brother Xue's wishes and go buy some wine, meat and some spices. Tonight, my three brothers and I will drink wine and eat barbecue."

Shun'er was just about to step forward to take the money, when Xue Pan heard that Shi Zhongkui wanted to drink wine and eat barbecue, and shouted outside.

Let your servants ride home to get good wine and meat, as well as stoves for barbecues, charcoal fires and other things.

Then he thought of spices and couldn't help but look at Shi Zhongkui in confusion, "What spices do you want, brother?"

Shi Zhongkui laughed and took the opportunity to talk nonsense, "I mentioned spices in the restaurant before because I have a good friend whose ancestral home is Wannian County, Chang'an. His family has always done business with Hu merchants from the Western Regions.

After my younger brother got top marks in both the county and government exams, that wise brother came to ask for advice. He even offered a recipe and the sales of spices from the Western Regions as a thank you gift, asking for his experience in studying over the years.

But the younger brother was worried that if the wise brother failed in the imperial examination, he did not dare to take up the matter of sales, so he only received the recipe first. I heard that it tastes very good when used for barbecue.

I just want to take it out tonight and try it with three brothers to see if it is really what the classmate said."

Jia Lian, Feng Ziying, and Xue Pan thought about it for a while and felt that Shi Zhongkui was right to only accept the formula. If the other party failed to pass the exam and the spice business was gone, it would be easy to say. They were afraid that the other party would exchange their reading experience for the formula and money, which would cause trouble.

Everyone knows it.

But Shi Zhongkui wasn't worried at all.

Pretending to be nonchalant, he named cumin, pepper, cardamom, star anise, and dogwood.

After listening to this, the three of them felt that he was really stupid.

But for Shi Zhongkui, except for cumin, everything else was added at will.

Moreover, cumin, Sichuan peppercorns, cardamom, star anise, and dogwood are so common. Experienced people can know these five spices just by smelling them.

Five-spice powder with different spice ratios must have been added to the dishes in the restaurant before.

His purpose was just to express that he had a way to obtain spices from the Western Regions and to make plans for the future.

The reason why saffron is expensive is not only the high cost of transportation, but also because each flower only has three available styles.

One kilogram of dried flowers requires 60,000, or even hundreds of thousands.

In addition, the flowering period is short, the flowers must be harvested when they are about to bloom, and they must be dried on the same day, so the price is of course expensive.

But for me, who owns a space farm, one flower blooms every day, and each time there must be ten kilograms of flowers, and there is no need for manual collection, and it can be collected and dried with just a thought.

And the flowers grown will definitely be no worse than those from the Western Regions.

However, this thing was a specialty of Greece and Iran in this era, and it was not grown from seeds, but from rhizomes.

Fortunately, the expedition of the Yuan Dynasty not only brought back saffron, but also brought back the rhizomes as seeds.

Xue Pan said at the wine table that he had seen wealthy families growing potted plants in Nanjing.

Shi Zhongkui couldn't help but think of getting him drunk and making fun of him.

------

Jia Lian and Feng Ziying looked at each other and regretted not meeting Shi Zhongkui earlier.

In addition to the spice route, the two of them also thought if they could be like that scholar Shi Zhongkui made up nonsense.

Study with Shi Zhongkui early. With his ability to get the title of Chief Executive, you can become a scholar even if you don't.

But after a while, the two of them sighed in their hearts. As long as they were studying in the Jinshi, they could be invited to be teachers, even if they were Jinshi or those who were idle at home.

As for the spice route, the two of them are not stupid. They haven't seen anything, so how can they believe what Shi Zhongkui says.

Not long after, the servants of the Xue family brought back all the wine and meat, spices and barbecue tools, along with Aunt Xue's instructions to him not to be drunk.

The charcoal fire and other preparations were of course prepared by the servants, after Xue Pan and the others had eaten the barbecue that Shi Zhongkui had personally prepared, adding a little chili pepper instead of the spice of dogwood.

It suddenly became so hot that I kept drinking.

Fortunately, dogwood itself is an ancient spicy condiment, so the three of them had no doubts.

In addition, I had drunk a lot in the restaurant before, so I was completely drunk by Shi Zhongkui before I knew it.

Seeing the three drunkards being helped into the guest room by servants, Shi Zhongkui chuckled inwardly.

I took the opportunity to learn from Xue Pan the surname of the people who grew saffron in Jinling.

By the way, I also asked that this family has a shop in the capital, and there seems to be a farm outside the city that specializes in growing flowers as a source of raw materials for rouge.

When he heard about the farm, Shi Zhongkui's eyes suddenly lit up.

At noon the next day, Xue Pan, who had just woken up after a night of hangover at Shi Zhongkui's house, casually had breakfast and asked about preserved fruits as expected.

Shi Zhongkui had no intention of selling, but instead gave away 10 kilograms each of preserved peaches, dried persimmons, dried dates and raisins.

Sometimes the things given away for free are far more expensive than the things purchased.
Chapter completed!