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Text Chapter 339 Meeting an old friend by chance

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    As soon as Li Ke and Li Min's boat docked, they immediately got off the boat impatiently. This was mainly because Li Min was anxious to see the results of Shanghai's construction this year.  Originally, with their status, they would definitely be greeted by local officials when they came to Shanghai, but Li Min didn't want a group of people to surround him. At that time, he couldn't observe the city of Shanghai carefully, so he begged Li Ke and the two of them came back secretly.  , no one was notified, and Li Min couldn't resist Li Min's request, so he finally agreed.

    Li Ke and Li Min were both dressed in regular clothes. They looked like two ordinary rich men. They were accompanied by several tall guards and walked into the crowd. However, there were many royal palaces around them.  Guard secret protection.

    The Shanghai port is full of ships, and people on the pier are also coming and going. Li Min and Li Ke are walking among the crowd, and it feels like they are rushing to a large gathering. If there were not a few strong guards around them to help squeeze the people,  The two emperors and nobles had to be squeezed into porn.

    The pier is also divided into areas. For example, some areas can only dock cargo ships, some areas can only dock passenger ships, and some can only dock private boats.  In order not to expose his identity this time, Li Min rented a large passenger boat. When he got off the boat, there were also boats disembarking passengers nearby. In addition, there were also people boarding the boat on the shore, so it was naturally crowded.

    After finally squeezing out, the two of them were not in a hurry to enter the city. Instead, they strolled around the pier. However, compared to their leisurely pace, the people walking by them all looked like they were in a hurry.  , these people included merchants, craftsmen, and many boatmen on ships, which made Li Min a little strange. He often went to the port in Dengzhou, but he never noticed that the people on the port were in such a hurry, but in Shanghai  Here, the word 'fast' has almost become Li Min's first impression of Shanghai.

    "Second brother, why are all the people here in such a hurry?" Li Min looked at the crowd around him that was almost trotting, and asked in confusion.

    After hearing this, Li Ke smiled and said: "It's not because there are not enough docks. Now Shanghai has only built three docks, but the number of ships berthing in Shanghai and the merchants gathering on land are huge. In order to use these docks as effectively as possible,  There are berths on the dock, so the port has made some corresponding regulations. For example, taking ships as an example, there is a limit on the docking time of ships. If the ship wants to dock beyond the specified time, some additional fees will be charged.  In addition, there are similar regulations for goods at the port. So in order to save some time, almost all of these people are in a hurry."

    The two were walking and talking, and they happened to come to the area where the cargo ship was parked. There were relatively few people here, mostly rows of coolies loading and unloading. However, Li Min discovered an interesting phenomenon among these coolies, such as the ones closer to him.  Among the row of coolies, many are Jurchens with braided hair, and there are also dark-skinned Kunlun slaves, who are actually Nanyang natives.  In addition to these two types of people, there are also some prairie barbarians.  But no matter what kind of person it is.  The faces of these naked coolies are all branded with slaves. Needless to say, these people are all bought slaves.

    Seeing Li Min paying attention to these slave coolies, Li Ke smiled and said: "Liu Lang, loading and unloading goods is a hard job, and the wages are not high. There were people who were willing to do it before. But now more and more factories are opening, and the wages are getting higher and higher."  , even driving a large cart in a carriage house is better than working as a coolie. So now this kind of job is becoming more and more difficult to find. Finally, someone saw the business opportunity and spent money to buy a group of strong slaves, specialized in  They were contracted to do the loading and unloading work on the docks, and now almost all the docks in Shanghai are filled with slaves like this doing hard labor.¡±

    Li Min also smiled slightly after hearing this. He was the largest slave leader in the Tang Dynasty. At least half of the slaves in front of him were obtained directly or indirectly through his Prince Qi Palace, but he never cared much about these slaves.  Where slaves go when they go out, I didn¡¯t expect anyone to use it like this.  However, this method is not bad. At least it can free up a group of strong laborers. However, if you want to promote it in Dengzhou, I am afraid it will have to wait for a while. After all, Dengzhou is not Shanghai. The population there is dense and there is no need for foreign slaves yet.  Compete with the Han people for jobs.

    Li Min stood here for a while and looked at these slave coolies. He found that although these people were tired and sweating profusely, their faces were all very rosy. It was obvious that they had not been abused in their diet, and there was another person next to them.  There is a large bucket with water in it, which can be used at any time. However, each team of slaves has several overseers. These people are not free earners. If any slave moves slower, he will be whipped immediately.

    In fact, it's normal when you think about it. These slaves were bought to make money for the master's family, and they did heavy work, so the master's family would definitely not be too harsh. But if these slaves dare to be lazy, then it won't matter.  That's very polite.

    After wandering around the pier for a long time, Li Min even went to look at theThere was a dock under construction nearby, and it turned out that more than half of the laborers were slaves. After Li Ke explained, Li Min found out that it was the busy season of spring, and many people had gone home to farm.  With the construction of the Shanghai port, the transportation of silk has become more convenient, so the price of silk has increased, and the sericulture industry has also prospered. Therefore, many civilians have gone home to plant mulberry and raise sericulture. After all, in their view, that is the real job.  So now most of the main force building Shanghai is slaves.

    Among the remaining civilians, there are many workers recruited from Baekje and Silla. These people are not slaves and can receive a certain amount of wages every month. However, because they are not Han people, the wages are greatly reduced, and  These wages will also be converted into food and distributed to their families.

    After walking around the pier for a few times, Li Min also felt a little tired. At this time, he happened to see a restaurant in front of him, so the two of them walked in excitedly, planning to sit inside and rest.

    Li Min and the others arrived in Shanghai in the morning and spent a long time on the pier. It happened to be meal time, and there were many people on the pier, so the restaurant was overcrowded. Fortunately for them, they were lucky.  Yes, there was a guest in a private room on the second floor who just checked out, but was immediately booked by Li Ke's escort.

    The name of this restaurant is Wanhe Building. Li Min went into the restaurant and took a look and found that the restaurant was quite large. There were dozens of tables in the lobby on the first floor, and they were all packed with people. As soon as he entered, he was immediately occupied.  I was surrounded by so much noise that my head hurt.  Fortunately, the guard had already booked a private room and immediately led Li Min and Li Ke upstairs.

    The layout of this restaurant is no different from other restaurants. Next to the stairs is usually the counter where the shopkeeper is. At first, Li Min didn't pay attention and walked to the second floor. However, Li Ke next to him suddenly let out a light sigh and Li Min turned his head.  Upon taking a look, he found a playful smile on the other person's face.

    Following Li Ke's gaze, he happened to see the counter next to the stairs. Behind the counter, there were two young men and women who were busy. Judging from their appearance, they should be a couple. Among them, Li Ke was staring at the man.  Young little woman looks.  This made Li Min feel a little strange. He looked at the little woman carefully and found that she was only sixteen or seventeen years old. Although she had pretty features and was considered a woman of some color, her skin was a bit dark. Normally, such a woman should not  It's only right to attract Li Ke's attention.

    At this time, Li Ke also noticed that Li Min was looking at him with a strange look. He also smiled and said: "Liu Lang, don't you think this little woman looks familiar?"

    "Huh?" Li Min was stunned after hearing this, and took a closer look at the busy little woman behind the counter. Then he suddenly realized that the other person looked familiar, but he couldn't remember where he had seen her before.

    ¡°Perhaps noticing the gazes of Li Min and Li Ke, the little woman who was busy suddenly raised her head and met Li Min¡¯s eyes.  Originally, the little woman was still a little angry, but when she saw the faces of Li Ke and Li Min, the little woman's eyes were confused for a while, and then her whole body was shaken, and the account book she was holding fell to the ground.  , with a look of shock on his face, obviously recognizing the identities of Li Min and Li Min.

    At this moment, Li Min also suddenly remembered that he had indeed seen the little woman in front of him. When he brought Li Ke, Li Yun and Li Zhen to Shanghai for the first time, which was still a deserted beach, they had been in a rural wilderness.  After sitting in the store for a while, I also ate a pot of steamed wild vegetables and met Magistrate Xie of Huating County in the store.  The owner of this country shop is an old man, his surname seems to be Sun, and he is accompanied by a teenage granddaughter. If I remember correctly, the little woman in front of me is the granddaughter of the old man Sun, but I didn't expect that this would be so short.  In just one year, the girl from back then was already married.

    Seeing that the little woman behind the counter had recognized his identity, Li Xin couldn't help but smile and nodded to her, then gave a few instructions to the guards around him, and then pulled Li Ke upstairs.

    After receiving Li Min¡¯s order, the guard turned around and went downstairs, then walked to the counter and said to the young woman: ¡°Madam, my master has asked me, if it¡¯s convenient for you, can you come upstairs? I have some questions that I would like to ask you.¡±

    The little woman surnamed Sun had long been stunned. Although she had only met the four Li Min brothers once, she was deeply impressed. After all, they were the most noble princes in the Tang Dynasty, and Li Min was still with her grandfather.  The conversation made her remember Li Min's appearance firmly, so when they met again today, they naturally recognized the identities of Li Min and Li Ke.

    "Slave I am free, please please wait a moment!" After finally reacting, the little woman immediately replied hesitantly.  Since it was His Highness King Qi's order, she, a young woman, naturally did not dare to refuse. Moreover, she accepted Li Min's love, otherwise she would not have the wealthy life she has today.
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