PFC Chapter 479: No Holiday Yet
Chapter 479: No Holiday Yet
The Liu family has hundreds of shops under their control, and the most is estimated to be over 500. They were one of the people suppressed by the government in the early years. Now they have established a chamber of commerce and joined the government, giving away nearly two-thirds of their land to the higher-ups, and finally have peace in their hearts.
Although this was a huge loss of vitality for the Liu family, it also ensured their safety for the rest of their lives, so it was worth it. These two-thirds of the land became the merit of the Gusu prefect, and when it was reported to the court, he was given a lot of rewards.
Gradually, the Liu family began to come into contact with the salt and iron industries, which were government-run industries. Some of the business were slowly delegated to the Liu family. The Liu family was probably now a government official, but lacked a reputation.
Now that the Chamber of Commerce has been established, it has naturally formed a group with the government. Today, there are three large carriages behind them.
Although this number is much less than that of the Wan family and the Wang family, Lai Fu dare not neglect him. He is an extremely important person. His assets alone are equal to those of the other three big families. How can he be underestimated?
Upon hearing that Master Liu was coming, Lou Tongzhi, who was upstairs, immediately ordered his son Lou Daguang and Lai Fu to go downstairs to greet him.
Lou Daguang left with a pout. He took advantage of his father's fame to act recklessly and looked down on everyone.
After Lai Fu went downstairs, Master Liu and Liu Yaner were already waiting at the door. Lai Fu came in and immediately stepped forward to greet them.
"Master Liu is so honored to be here. Lai Fu is late. I hope Master Liu will forgive me."
After hearing this, Mr. Liu smiled and shook his head.
"No, no, it's the young master's birthday. I think the building should be very busy. The housekeeper even came to greet him personally. This is an honor for me, Liu."
The two men exchanged greetings, and Master Liu immediately stood up, pulled his child over and spoke.
"This is my eldest son, his name is Liu Yaner."
After Lai Fu took a look, he was indeed a handsome man with a refined and elegant appearance. He looked exactly like Mr. Liu when he was young. Besides, the first wife was also a lady from an upper-class family. They were a perfect match, so how could the son born to them go wrong?
Lai Fu took a look and went over immediately.
"Mr. Liu is truly a rare talent, so handsome and elegant."
After hearing this, Liu Yan'er at the scene really wanted to give him a look like the nun Wang Qian had just done, but Liu Yan'er had no choice but to bow her head.
"Uncle praised me."
After saying this, Lou Daguang behind him went up immediately.
"Da Guang, pay your respects to Uncle Liu. Thank you for taking the time to come to my nephew's birthday. I was so nervous. My father is entertaining guests upstairs and can't spare time, so he ordered me to come down to greet him. Please, Uncle Liu, don't blame my father."
This Lou Daguang, is not a monkey-faced man, but a famous handsome man in Gusu City. However, his appearance is a bit frivolous, and his hair and face are not powdered, but his pair of peach blossom eyes have probably brought trouble to countless girls.
Daguang was tall and slender, wearing a light yellow robe with long sleeves. One could tell at a glance that he was the host of today. The green jade pendant around his waist really made his face look pale.
After hearing this, Mr. Liu immediately stepped forward and helped Lou Daguang, who was about to bow, up.
"Sir, what are you talking about? I should have been the one to visit you, but I was a little busy these days and didn't come to your house. I hope you and your master can forgive me. I have prepared some small gifts today. Please don't blame me for being stingy."
After saying this, Master Liu took out the gift list.
"Twenty strings of pearls and jadeite, ten foreign-style rings, twenty rolls of silk inlaid with gold and jade, three Ru kiln porcelains, ten powder-painted porcelains, three Lingyan small mouthpieces, ten strings of Dama Qiangu, and a twenty-inch large tobacco pipe bag..."
After hearing this, the people who followed behind to congratulate him on his birthday smacked their lips and looked at the things in their hands. Although they were huge, they were not presentable, and their faces blushed with shame.
"As expected of the Liu family's wealth, this Ru porcelain alone is comparable to that of all of us."
The people behind all shook their heads. Lou Daguang heard it and began to smile as well.
"Uncle, why bother spending money? My father is waiting upstairs. Please come in, uncle."
Master Liu nodded, then pulled Liu Yaner forward.
"Sir, this is your brother. According to your birthday, you are his elder brother. You don't see each other on weekdays, so your father asked me to bring him out so that you two brothers can meet and strengthen your relationship."
"You are a brother who has a thin face. You are not good at dealing with people. I hope you can teach me some lessons and bear with me."
Looking at Liu Yan'er, her willow-shaped eyebrows, cherry lips, and her whole face seemed to be heavily made-up, but a closer look revealed that it was her original skin and she was about the same height as Lou Daguang.
Although they had met several times before, they had never seen each other as carefully as they did today. While they were talking, Lou Daguang walked over and hugged Liu Yaner who was beside him.
"Uncle, what are you talking about? As the host today, I will not treat you badly. Brother Liu, please drink with me today. Uncle, please."
After saying that, the group of people left. Si'er, who was behind them, came over immediately, took out a bag of silver from his arms, and gave it to Lai Fu.
Lai Fu looked at Si'er and smiled. Si'er was very good at handling things.
"Liu Si'er wishes Master Lou a happy birthday. By the way, I wish Uncle Lai Fu good health and a long life."
After listening to the speech, Lai Fu patted Si'er's head.
"Okay, just like your master, you can speak fluently. Hurry up and take a seat. You can't leave the lobby until you are drunk today, and you can also follow your master to benefit from it."
Si'er smiled and left immediately.
The three major families are all here, and the remaining two families are actually hiding in the government. The annual salary and work income from the government are actually pitifully small.
Among such an official family, there are at least 100 to 200 servants, gardeners, and housekeepers. The monthly salary, annual salary, and house repairs for so many people are not something that can be squeezed out of the official salary.
If they don't have any special properties, where will the money come from for them to squander? The remaining two major families are the family of Lou Tongzhi and the family of Gusu Zhifu.
Officials like them naturally wouldn't easily start their own business. It was originally a lowly profession, and they wouldn't sacrifice their reputation for a few cents. They run their businesses with their trusted aides, one of whom is Liu Yuan's family, and the other is Quan Feng's family.
Liu Yuan's family is the property of the prefect's family. He usually keeps a low profile, but everyone treats him with respect in public and in private. In private, they also make their own inferences. His family is in charge of the water conservancy industry, which is the same as the Liu family. However, the Liu family is in the public and his family is in the private.