Chapter 46 Borrowed Money

  As soon as he heard Wei Tongnian's words, Pang Gang's hanging heart immediately fell, and he knew that this matter was almost certain.

  As expected, Wei Tongnian's tone began to soften, and he pointed at Pang Gang's nose with a smile, scolding: "The last time we met, I thought you were an honest man, but it turns out you're also so cunning. I haven't even agreed yet, and you've already handed me the IOU. Alright! Rongniang, go get 1,000 taels of silver for him, lest this thick-skinned fellow says I don't keep my word!"

  "Yes!" A soft reply came from beside him, followed by a slender figure getting up and walking out.

  Wei Tongnian's behavior this time inevitably made our comrade Pang Gang despise him in his heart again. Obviously, it was a brother who came to give you silver, but he pretended to be so noble, as if he had suffered a great loss. What a hypocrite!

  Pang Gang's heart was secretly rejoicing, although he was also secretly pleased that Wei Tongnian had agreed to lend him money. This meant that he could use the name of the county magistrate as a signboard to open his own cement factory. It seemed that Chairman Mao was right after all - the power of sugar-coated bullets was boundless.

  Just as Pang was slightly distracted, Wei Tongnian's voice came from beside him, "Pang Baiguan, you'd better sit down too. Since you've come from afar, it's only right that we treat our guest with respect and not let them stand."

  "Thanks, sir!" Pang Gang didn't stand on ceremony either, and sat down on a wooden stool beside him with a thud.

  It was probably because he saw Pang Gang's eager expression as he presented the silver to him, but he had just spoken coldly to others, and Wei Tongnian's expression became more and more relaxed. He pointed to the 28-year-old beauty beside him and smiled at Pang Gang: "Pang Baihu, let me introduce you to my only daughter Manjing! Manjing, this is Pang Gang, the commander who defeated the bandits on Dog Tooth Mountain a few days ago!"

  Pang Gang hastily stood up and bowed to Wei Manqing, saying loudly: "Pang Gang has seen Miss Wei!"

  Weimang hurriedly stood up and placed her right hand on her left waist, curtsying slightly. Her pretty face turned slightly red as she said: "Weimang has seen Lord Pang, may the lord have good fortune!"

  The Wugang Pavilion was not big to begin with, and after the two of them stood up at the same time, the distance between them became even closer. A faint scent of fragrance wafted into Pang Gang's nostrils, a scent that was neither the fragrance of blooming plum blossoms nor the scent of cosmetics, but rather the natural body scent of a young girl. Just now, when he saw Wei Manxiang outside the pavilion, Pang Gang had already thought that this daughter of the county magistrate was as beautiful as a flower. Now, taking a closer look, he felt an overwhelming sensation wash over him. He saw that she spoke with pearls of wisdom, her voice soft and clear, extremely pleasant to listen to. After gazing at her for a few moments, he saw that she had a innocent expression, her cheeks flushed red, young in years but with a beautiful complexion and elegant demeanor, truly more lovely than the people depicted in paintings. Our comrade Pang Gang has been stuck in this poor and remote place of Wanghai Village every day, seeing only rough-handed women or village girls with yellow complexions and thin skin, never having seen such a beauty before.

  "Who would have thought that Old Man Wei's family had such a beautiful daughter? She's so pretty that she wouldn't need to wear makeup even if she were to model for a cosmetics ad." Pang Gang thought to himself, but today he wasn't here specifically to admire the beauty. After taking a deep breath and calming down, both sides sat back down.

  At this moment, a pair of slender hands stretched out from the side and placed a cup of hot tea in front of Pang Gang. Pang Gang nodded slightly: "Thank you, Miss Xie, for the tea!"

  "You're welcome!" Wei Manqing smiled slightly and sat back down.

  At this time, Wei Tongnian smiled and said: "Pang Baiguan, did you go to the Commander's mansion just now?"

  Making an effort to calm himself, Pang Gang composedly replied: "Yes, your subordinate has just come out of the Commander's mansion! Your Excellency is wise and all-seeing, your subordinate admires you."

  Wei Tongnian smiled slightly and didn't respond. He thought to himself, "As the leader of the Wanghai Garrison, you came to Qingzhou Prefecture without first going to pay respects to your direct superior? That would be a strange thing indeed."

  Seeing Wei Tongnian not speaking, Pang Gang's heart moved and he said: "This time I came to Huazhai specially, Wang Haibao is really poor. Fortunately, this time Song Zhihuai gave me 1,000 taels of silver, and you, Lord Wei, also gave me 1,000 taels of silver. With that, the mine and cement factory can start construction!"

  Wei Tong Nian immediately let out a surprised cry, "Huh, a mine?"

  "It's true, I discovered an iron mine in the jurisdiction of Wanghaibao a few days ago. Unfortunately, there was no silver to start work, so I mortgaged 30% of the shares and borrowed 1,000 taels of silver from Commander."

  Upon hearing this, Wei Tongnian finally understood the purpose of Pang Gang's visit to Qingzhou. It turned out that he and Song Zhihui had both been dragged into the water by this young man. This kid was not simple, actually using his own influence and that of Song Zhihui. However, this wasn't anything unusual; since he had accepted someone else's shares, speaking up for them was only natural. Otherwise, wouldn't it be ridiculous if they came to give him money with eager eyes?

  Looking at the young hundred households sitting upright in front of him, Wei Tongnian's heart moved slightly and asked: "Hundred households Pang, I heard that you did a good job in the matter of garrisoning troops in Wanghai Castle, is it true?"

  Pang Gang nodded slightly, "Thanks to your inquiry, sir. As of last month, I have gathered over 300 households of refugees and soldiers in Wang Hai Fortress, totaling over 1,200 people. This year's harvest was barely enough to fill their stomachs with over 3,000 stones of grain."

  "Wow!" Wei Tongnian couldn't help but be moved, because those military households didn't belong to his jurisdiction as the county magistrate, so he wasn't very clear about the situation in Wang Hai Fortress. Now that he heard that Pang Gang was actually able to grow so much grain in less than half a year on what was originally a barren land, this ability was really remarkable!

  "Ha! Pang Baihu, it seems I didn't misjudge you. You've done a great job in Wang Haibao!" This kind of thing is hard to fake, and Wei Tongnian nodded his head in satisfaction. While officials do love silver, they also hope for peace and prosperity within their jurisdiction, which would at least earn them some extra points during the triennial Ministry of Personnel evaluation.

  Listening to Wei Tongyuan's praise, Pang Gang just smiled and didn't say a word. This kind of empty flattery is nothing but nonsense, if you really believe it then you're the fool.

  Just as Pang Gang and Wei Tongnian were talking, Rongniang returned with a 1,000-tael silver note. She gently placed the note in front of Pang Gang and sat back beside her husband to quietly listen to the two men's conversation with Wei Manqing.

  After receiving the silver ticket, Pang Gang chatted with Wei Tongnian for a while and then bid farewell to him. Wei Tongnian did not stop him, but nodded and called a servant to send Pang Gang out again.

  As soon as Pang Gang left, Wei Manqing and Rou Niang burst out laughing again.

  "Dad, this Pang Baihu is really interesting, he actually used such a method to deliver the silver to you, and I'm truly enlightened."

  Wei Tongnian snorted, "This silver must be delivered. If it's not delivered, I can guarantee that within three months, his mine and cement factory will be swallowed up without even leaving a trace. You should know that the big households and gentry in the city aren't to be trifled with, their noses are very sensitive."

  Rou Niang maintained a respectful attitude towards this lifesaver, "It's really hard for him too. He almost single-handedly established himself in Wanghai Castle, but he was restricted everywhere and couldn't do things easily! Master, if you can help him, please do!"

  Wei Tongnian smiled wryly, "Rou Niang, it's not that I don't want to help him, but he is a member of the garrison army. If I intervene too much in the affairs of the garrison army, it will make Song Zhihui harbor resentment."

  *sigh*...

  A soft sigh came out from the pavilion and spread far away...

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