Chapter 53 Sea Merchants

[53] Sea merchants

After Yao Fan left, the three brothers of the Li family began to discuss Yao Fan.

"Yao Fan knows a lot, he is simply a Westerner!" Li Jingfang sat down by the chessboard in the middle of the big bed, patted his thighs and praised.

"Although this person's talent and learning are complicated, he is well-organized and obviously well-educated. His family is so rich that he can send his children to travel around the world to do business. He must have invited the best Mr. Western in his family. I don't think our American gentleman Dick can compare with him. Mr. Bai knows so much except that he can teach English. The young Li Jing attributed Yao Fan's knowledge to his imaginary family learning in the Yao family.

"Is this person 26 years old? But I have traveled all over the Western countries, including Britain, France, Prussia, Austria, Italy and the United States! It's simply a living four continents! I heard him talk about the customs of the Western countries and the customs of the upper class, which must be immersed in it.

He traveled all over the world at a young age, and he really didn't live in vain! If I am lucky in this life, I can also travel to the West. Even if I stay at home to serve my parents for the rest of my life, I will be satisfied. Li Jingxuan also sighed with emotion.

Li Jingxuan is the beloved daughter of Li Hongzhang and his wife. Naturally, she dares to have such a big dream.

The teenager Li Jingshu smiled and said, "How can you, a girl, come out of such a far door? Dad will definitely not let you. If my mother listens, she will definitely marry you quickly.

Li Jingxuan said angrily, "Then I will simply marry a sea merchant, which will fulfill my vision of traveling all over the world."

Li Jingfang laughed and said, "You just saw Yao Fan for the first time, and you already thought about getting married?" Uh-huh, since you have this idea, I will definitely tell my father when I go back and ask him to make peace with you?" After saying that, he laughed with Li Jingshu.

When Li Jingxuan saw that the two made fun of him, he blushed angrily and threw a chess piece over. After hitting Li Jingfang's stomach, he rolled to the ground and said angrily, "Big brother, you bully me! I will definitely complain to my father later!"

Li Jingfang quickly comforted him, "Brother, I'm joking with you. Yao Fan is just a businessman. How can he be worthy of my daughter? If you want to find a son-in-law like our family, you have to find a Jinshi Xiaolangjun who is named on the golden list.

Li Jingxuan pinched the corners of his clothes and lowered his head and thought, "If... if you find someone like him, is it worse than Jinshi? Isn't it said that businessmen value profit over separation? ...Cough! How can I think of these shameful things!"

The three of them were talking to you one after another, and Fubo came back with his servants holding the book.

"Three young masters, this is the book given to you by Master Yao." Fubo took the book in the hands of two family members and put the correct code on a simple desktop painted with transparent tung oil on the wall.

"It's actually colorful! The Yao family is really willing to spend money!" Li Jingfang hurried forward, took a book and praised it.

"Gone a lot of this? Good guy!" As soon as Fubo put the book on the table, Li Jingshu rushed forward and picked up one and read it ecstatically.

Li Jingxuan read the title of the book and said, "The Yao family is so powerful that he can translate history books!"

Li Jingfang opened the first page and stared like a copper bell: "It's not translated. Look, it's written here, written by Yao Peng! This! This is actually the history written by the Yao family for those Thai countries!"

Li Jingfang was so excited that he simply continued to read: "... Thinking of me, Yao's family, working hard to trade with the countries in the West Sea, and gradually landing in Europa, he felt the history of his countries and thought about it. If he could record them one by one with the Chinese pen, the ups and downs of the ups and downs of the Yao family will definitely show the vicissitudes of the world. Thinking about this, then act...

... Our Yao family has been doing business in various countries for a long time, and it is very convenient to collect and sort out the historical materials of the western countries, so they spent a lot of money to record the history of the countries, with color maps, and the descendants of the Yao family.

All color pictures are taken with a self-made seagull camera from Yao's factory, and are asked to color them one by one, striving to restore the reality. Children and grandchildren should remember to read books and play with them. They can't easily show it to others..."

Li Jingshu turned over a book of the history of the British Empire with trembling hands and said excitedly, "It turns out that Queen Elizabeth looks like this!" My God, the Yao family is not afraid of breaking the taboo of that foreigner!

I really didn't expect that the Yao family was such a rich scholarly family. In addition to doing business, they did not forget the culture and education of their children. They were willing to spend such blood to compile the national history of foreigners!"

Li Jingfang sat at the table, turned his hand in the books intoxicatedly, and nodded repeatedly: "He must have a huge family with tens of thousands of assets, and has a deep connection with the countries of Taixi, otherwise he will definitely not be able to write. It's just that the Yao family is so rich. Why haven't we heard of such a hopeful family before? I only know the foreign merchants in the thirteen lines of Guangzhou. On the contrary, each family is rich and piled with gold and silver mountains, but no one knows how to spend money to study the countries of Taixi, so that our Qing scholars can see the world. Compared with the Yao family, it is really a group of pigs that only know the smell of copper!"

Li Jingxuan turned over a Cambridge illustrated version of ancient Greek history. She read it for the first time without looking at the text. She only looked at the colorful pictures inside, and the colorful pictures of temples and Greek sculptures stunned her.

"This Yao family is probably too rich. People are afraid of being famous and pigs are afraid of being strong, and they don't want to show their wealth, right? His family can actually intervene in the civil strife in France and subsidize the military pay for Napoleon. How can this be a cover-up that an ordinary family can do!" Li Jingxuan looked at the color pictures, half talking to his brothers, and half talking to himself.

Li Jingfang shook his head while reading a book: "What I just said was wrong. The Yao family is indeed not an ordinary businessman... If... If Yao Fan is the direct son of the Yao family, he still deserves my sister."

Li Jingxuan heard that this topic came to him again and quickly scolded, "Big brother just said a few serious words, and here is nonsense again. I must go back and tell my mother!"

Li Jingfang smiled and changed the topic and said, "It's just that this Western typesetting is really strange. The text is arranged left and right, and the pages are also turned left to right, which is really awkward."

Li Jing said, "It's about following the custom when you go to the countryside. Brother, you don't see it. Didn't Yao Fan even leave a braid?"

Li Jingfang nodded and stopped talking.

So the third son of the Li family found the best pastime for leisure in this hot summer. He was reading books attentively, occasionally praised a few words, compared Chinese history with the foreign countries in the book, and marveled again...

Seeing that the evening arrived, the three members of the Li family were unwilling to release the paper, and they were really reluctant to leave it. Li Jingfang Laocheng looked up and said, "Eat it. Books won't have wings to fly."

Li Jingshu sat on the bed with a book in his arms and leaned against the wall. He looked at it with great interest. He shook his head and said, "No, I want to finish reading it quickly. Even if I don't sleep tonight, I will finish reading it. Fortunately, I will ask Brother Yao for advice on the way tomorrow."

Li Jing said, "I think it's just like this. How about we set up a drink tonight and invite Yao Fan to come and have a banquet together? I heard from Fubo that the book box is very big, and there are many books in it.

This sentence raised the appetite of the other two bookworms. Li Jingshu said quickly, "Big brother, it's a good idea! Otherwise, where can we find such a good book to read? These are the precious books hidden by his Yao family. You can't buy them even if you spend money outside!

I said that we will give him more good words later, and be sure to buy all the books left in his hand.

Li Jingxuan said disdainfully, "The second brother is really stupid to talk. Is the Yao family so rich that there is not enough money? Hundreds of taels of bicycles, he said he would give it to you two without blinking. Do you think he cares about silver?

Li Jingshu was a teenager after all. He was shocked and said sadly, "There's no way. You can't steal it."

Seeing what he said was outrageous, Li Jingfang scolded, "What nonsense? You have the nerve to mention such a shameful thing as stealing books. The more you say it, the more outrageous it is. In short, I think Yao Fan is a generous person. As long as we are familiar with him and borrow it from him, he may not be allowed.

Li Jingshu clapped his hands happily and said, "Big brother, it's a good idea. After borrowing it, you only said that you lost it and asked for a lot of money. Let's just compensate him."

Li Jingfang scolded angrily, "The more you talk, the more humiliated you become. If your father hears it, he won't serve you. This was originally an elegant thing, which was so unbearable by what you said.

According to me, after we arrived in Jinan, we will tell him his father's identity. Since he is in business, he is bound to be abusing. At that time, it will be reasonable for us to ask him for a book. Of course, we don't want him for nothing. At that time, we will also take care to introduce him to the leading figures of Jinan, so that he can do business smoothly in the future. Isn't that it the best of both?

Li Jing said, "That's it! We still have a good relationship with Brother Yao, and it is reasonable to help him. Fubo, hurry up and arrange a banquet for the best banquet. Brother, let's invite Brother Yao.

Li Jingfang said, "Okay, I think he should be awake at this moment."

Li Jingxuan wanted to say, "I'll go too." But when he thought of Yao Fan's previous open chest, he immediately blushed and couldn't say it.

"I read that the ancient Greeks advocated naked and mixed bathing. Isn't Yao Fan infected with this habit of foreigners? If it's true, it's really shameless..." Li Jingxuan thought with a shy face.

So the second brother of the Li family invited Yao Fan.

Yao Fan woke up early and was discussing the next day's trip. Considering that he had to go with the Li family, Yao Fan asked the ten big guys who accompanied him to go down, that is, he asked everyone not to gossip on the road. The companions were the family members of officials, and they should not say taboos and rude things.

Seeing the two children of the Li family coming to invite him to a banquet, Yao Fan agreed.

Seeing that Yao Fan woke up in good spirits, the three chatted again.