Chapter 353 Old Friend
Time flies and more than a month has passed.

Spring comes so early and so suddenly in the old capital.

Almost in the morning of the next day, you will find that tender green buds and leaves will grow on the branches, full of vitality, just like the brewed Biluochun tea, exuding a charming aroma and vitality.

The ice in the Yongding River melted into spring waves, and the willow branches on both sides of the river turned green, hanging down on the water. The bright spring light was full of tender green.

People stretched their muscles and started walking excitedly, releasing their regrets after a winter of retreat in this season.

People who follow the old saying of "cover up in spring and keep cool in autumn" have not taken off their thick cotton-padded jackets yet.
Early in the morning, Liu Zhiye tilted his neck, quietly got up from the bed, glanced at his mother and her two children who were sleeping soundly, and then walked out of the room.

In the yard, mother Deng Ru was fiddling with a few pots of flowers.

It’s spring, and some flowers have already bloomed. The mountains are covered with pink peach blossoms, yellow winter jasmine and white daffodils, but the first to bloom is the February orchid, which blooms delicately and purplely beside the house, on the street or in the flowerpots at home, heralding the arrival of spring.

"Everyone is happy to welcome spring, but who likes to say goodbye to spring? The loyal and persistent February orchid does not shirk this task. It welcomes spring, accompanies spring, and says goodbye to spring."

Liu Zhiye greeted his mother, who was concentrating on tending the flowers and grass, "Good morning, Mom!"

When Deng Ru heard the voice, she looked up at him, and saw Liu Zhiye also looking up at the sky. She couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong? What are you looking at?"
Liu Zhiye twisted his neck and said, "Nothing serious, I just got a stiff neck from sleeping last night."

Upon hearing this, Deng Ru put down the spray bottle in her hand and said, "Hey! Let me take a look..." As she said that, she asked Liu Zhiye to lower his head and began to rub her son's neck.

"Is it okay? If not, let your grandfather take a look?"

Liu Zhiye twisted his neck slightly and felt much better. "Hey, I feel much better. It's you again!"

Seeing that he was fine, Deng Ru squatted down and took care of the flowers and plants.

Liu Zhiye said, "Mom, I want to eat shepherd's purse dumplings. It's the beginning of spring now, and it's the right time to eat wild vegetables. They're fresh!"

Deng Ru said casually: "It's not easy to satisfy your craving. After dinner, I will go up the mountain and dig some wild vegetables to make a wild vegetable feast for you."

"Okay! Then I'll go exercise first..." Liu Zhiye heard it and happily ran out of the yard.

Deng Ru smiled and shook her head behind him. It was a rare opportunity for her son to rest at home for a few days, as he would soon go out to study again.

She tried every possible way to improve Liu Zhiye's life, fearing that he would not have enough to eat outside.

But what the family couldn’t figure out was what on earth had befallen Liu Zhiye.

He turned a blind eye to the sumptuous fish and meat dishes on the table, but had a special liking for those inconspicuous wild vegetables and mountain game, which he ate with relish and never got tired of, as if those were the delicacies in his heart.

It’s just the beginning of spring and they are already eating wild vegetables.

Spring in the capital begins with the "Lichun". After the Spring Festival, its arrival is welcomed with great bustle and renewal.

As for the real old Beijingers, every household starts preparing for spring food from the beginning of spring, which is called the first bite of spring.

In the early years, everyone from the common people to the palace had to taste this.

The most exquisite thing to taste is the shepherd's purse after the first spring rain. It can be used to stir-fry eggs, shredded pork, tofu, and make dumplings.

Hey, there's no cure for this smell!

There is another way to eat it, which is to bake thin pieces of dough and roll them with fried shepherd's purse. It is especially tender and fragrant, like chewing the taste of spring.

Old Beijingers have the habit of eating wild vegetables in spring. For example, wormwood, willow buds, elm seeds, jujube buds, pepper leaves, and toon can be eaten directly or steamed into steamed bread to make dumplings.

Take elm seeds for example. As soon as spring comes, people start to pick elm seeds and make them into cornmeal steamed bread or flatbreads.

If you are making vegetable dumplings, if you have the conditions, you can put pepper oil or a little sesame oil in the elm seeds, and it will taste great.

Not long after Liu Zhiye went out, a light drizzle began to fall from the sky.

He didn't feel cold when the raindrops fell on his body. Instead, he felt very comfortable. This was the first rain since the beginning of spring.

After two years of continuous rain, drought has begun again this year. Liu Zhiye doesn't know what the weather will be like in other parts of the country, so he needs to make plans early.

“Spring brings blessings to all things.” People in the capital area are now looking forward to a spring rain.

And every time it rains, I always say to myself, "Spring rain is as precious as oil." Then I smile happily and secretly plan that the whole year will be good.

The crystal clear raindrops hung on the tender leaves, scattered on the dry earth, and even watered the old capital and the hearts of its people, making them feel happy and refreshed.

The spring rain makes Liujiazhuang's already colorful flowers even more beautiful. The sky is clear after the rain, and the Yongding River seems to be only a step away.

A rain comes quickly and goes away quickly.

Overall, in the next few days, the Liujiazhuang area will have more sunny days, less rain, and warmth.

It is a good time to enjoy spring flowers. The dry and warm weather is conducive to the spread of pollen. In such weather, sensitive people need to take precautions when going out.

Liu Zhiye was not in a hurry to go back, so he just strolled on the mountain road after the rain.

He has been quite relaxed these past two days.

In view of the fact that Liu Zhiye is about to embark on a journey of further studies at the Military Academy, he is making intensive preparations, striving to properly arrange the matters at hand so as to avoid any worries.

For example, he needs to arrange in advance the recycling of "old items" of "Polan Hou", Xu Damao, Yan Jiecheng and others, as well as the seafood trading with Hao Shun.

In recent years, in addition to continuing to purchase these old items, high-end wood, jade, gems, and medicinal materials, Liu Zhiye has only been trading in seafood.

As Liu Zhiye's obsession with recycling old items deepened, his treasure hunting team set off a huge "treasure hunting" craze around the capital.

They continue to dig out those "old objects" that have been hidden in the streets and alleys and covered in dust for a long time, one by one, with such intensity that they almost reach the point of "digging three feet underground."

For a time, all kinds of old objects circulating in society seemed to be drawn by an invisible force, and finally gathered in Liu Zhiye's hands, becoming the shining pearls in his private collection.

After the shadow of natural disasters has dissipated, some people have gradually recovered from their difficulties. Naturally, they are no longer willing to give up their collections easily, and they are even less willing to see them being sold at low prices and become floating duckweed in the market.

Around the capital, almost everything that can be recycled has been recycled. Even if some people still have some, the cost of recycling is getting higher and higher, which is not worth the cost.

So Liu Zhiye turned his attention to Tianjin Port next to the capital.

Compared with Beijing, there are more "old and young" people, capitalists, and wealthy people in the Tianjin-Hong Kong area.

Tianjin Port became a gathering place for celebrities in the late Qing Dynasty and early Republic of China, attracting many historical figures.

Among them were the "old and young" remnants of the Qing Dynasty, the frustrated presidents and prime ministers of the Min Dynasty, the warlords who had lost their power, the capitalists who wanted to set up factories and run industries, and the traitors who speculated again after the Japanese pirates surrendered.

For various reasons, these people chose Tianjin as their place of residence or activities, which made Tianjin play an important role in modern history.

There must be countless "old objects" here waiting for Liu Zhiye to dig up. "If you don't take what heaven gives you, you will suffer the consequences; if you don't act when the time comes, you will suffer the consequences."

As wealth accumulated, money gradually turned into cold numbers for Liu Zhiye. He couldn't spend so much money anyway, so he could only continue collecting.

Moreover, if he had not protected these cultural heritages, they would probably have disappeared in just a few years and vanished in the long river of history.

Today, Liu Zhiye's space has expanded by more than 200 cubic meters.

There are more than 300,000 antique artworks in the museum, each of which bears the mark of time, including many top-notch works that are hailed as national treasures. There are so many collections that even Liu Zhiye himself cannot count them one by one. He usually places them properly inside and rarely takes them out for personal enjoyment.

In addition to antique artworks, there are tens of thousands of cubic meters of precious wood in the space, including Hainan Huanghuali (Dalbergia odorifera), Phoebe nanmu, red sandalwood, ironwood, chicken wing wood, agarwood, etc.

In addition, he also has more than 2,000 tons of precious jade and gemstone ores, such as "Hotan Jade", "Jadeite", "Shoushan Stone", "Chicken Blood Stone", "Diamond" and so on.

A huge amount of wealth was hidden in Liu Zhiye's space: a total of 45 million yuan in cash, piled up like a mountain, sparkling with an alluring luster; and even more shocking was that there were more than 20 tons of gold and exquisite products made of it, which were either in strips or carved into various works of art, lying there quietly, demonstrating the massive wealth.

In addition, what Liu Zhiye is most proud of is the nearly 100,000 tons of natural Chinese herbal medicines that he has carefully collected and treasured. These precious resources are undoubtedly the result of his years of hard work.

There are countless precious medicinal materials such as ginseng, salvia miltiorrhiza, Polygonum multiflorum, Ganoderma lucidum, saffron, rhodiola rosea, bergamot, cyperus rotundus, cordyceps sinensis, angelica, deer antler, Codonopsis pilosula, Rehmannia glutinosa, white peony root, donkey-hide gelatin, wolfberry, longan meat, astragalus, Atractylodes macrocephala, licorice, dendrobium, cornus officinalis, tortoise shell, turtle shell... many of which are on the verge of extinction in later generations.

These rare medicinal materials were carefully collected from all over the country by Liu Zhiye, who took great pains and traveled thousands of miles across the country, relying on his extensive and deep connections in the medical community.

Another important source of medicinal materials is the Chinese medicinal materials base in Liujiazhuang that has been carefully cultivated for three or four years.

This vast medicinal material base not only carries the hard work of the people of Liujiazhuang, but also breeds countless precious herbal essences, adding a strong stroke to the traditional Chinese medicine industry in Liujiazhuang.

After three or four years of hard work, Liujiazhuang's traditional Chinese medicine planting industry has firmly embarked on the right track.

The Chinese herbal medicines cultivated here have been strictly inspected by the health department. Their medicinal effects are not inferior to those of pure wild varieties. On the contrary, they are better in appearance, with full branches and leaves and bright colors, and are favored by many doctors.

Today, Liujiazhuang's medicinal materials have successfully penetrated the capital and its surrounding areas, and have successfully entered a number of top medical institutions such as Union Hospital and the General Hospital of the People's Liberation Army. Its influence is quietly spreading in the medical community.

Since last year, the cultivation of traditional Chinese medicinal materials has quietly blossomed in Liujiazhuang, bringing considerable wealth to this land - a full 10 million yuan in revenue.

With the continuous expansion of the planting territory, just like the spring breeze blowing green fields, the varieties of medicinal materials on the market are becoming more and more numerous, ranging from the rare Ganoderma lucidum to the common wolfberry.

This is not just an accumulation of quantity, but also a leap in quality, indicating that future income will grow rapidly at a geometric rate like a snowball.

Of course, Liu Zhiye’s ability to accumulate such a huge fortune is largely due to his trading in seafood.

However, it has been sixty-five years now, and in order to avoid uncontrollable accidents, Liu Zhiye plans to stop this seafood business.

To this end, he had a candid and in-depth exchange with Hao Shun to discuss the matter together.

Over the years, Hao Shun and his partners have made a lot of money thanks to Liu Zhiye. They have already entered the palace of a wealthy life and are living an enviable life.

When people are in trouble, they can often inspire fearless courage and face the vast ocean without fear no matter how strong the wind and waves are.

They knew that they had nothing left and that the only way to escape poverty was to give it a try. If they did not go out to sea and fight for their lives, the only thing waiting for them was the abyss of despair and hunger.

But! It’s different now.

Hao Shun and his gang all became wealthy and began to indulge in enjoyment, savoring the pleasures brought by money.

However, when people begin to pursue pleasure, the passion and determination that once drove them to work tirelessly are quietly put aside, and they no longer have the motivation to strive.

Liu Zhiye took the initiative to propose to Hao Shun to end their cooperation, which made Hao Shun completely discouraged.

However, although there was no seafood trade, Liu Zhiye proposed another cooperation initiative to Hao Shun.

That is, Liu Zhiye commissioned Hao Shun and his team to search for those "old objects" that bore traces of time in the land of Tianjin Port.

As there was only one year left, he decided to go all out and collect as much as he could, as it would become valuable wealth in his hands in the future.

In a blink of an eye, three months had passed since the last meeting with Hao Shun. Liu Zhiye was thinking about meeting Hao Shun again before entering the military academy.

It has become very convenient to travel from Liujiazhuang to Tianjin Port. He drove quickly and could easily reach his destination in just over an hour.

If he sets out now, he can still come back for lunch at noon!
When you are still for a long time, you will want to move. Just go when you want to.

Liu Zhiye quickened his pace and walked straight into his courtyard. After a quick breakfast and a brief greeting with his family, he drove straight to Tianjin Port without stopping.

It is still the small fishing village of the past, but now it has undergone changes, the vast sea has turned into mulberry fields, showing a completely different appearance.

This fishing village has changed a lot. It is completely different from when Liu Zhiye first came here a few years ago.

The low, dilapidated and ramshackle seaweed houses of the past have now transformed into rows of sturdy brick houses, standing before our eyes, exuding a new breath of life.

The muddy, bumpy and uneven paths of the past have been replaced by wide and flat gravel roads, leading people towards a more convenient future.

That simple fishing village, which once had a population of only a hundred households and made a living by fishing, has undergone a tremendous transformation in just a few years.

Behind this, it was actually Liu Zhiye's credit, which made the people of Haojiazhuang sincerely grateful to him.

“When you drink water, remember the person who dug the well!” Hao Shun and his fellow villagers have actually always been silently grateful to Liu Zhiye in their hearts. Without him, these people would not have such a good life.

Someone once suggested sneaking into the capital to find out Liu Zhiye's true strength, or simply to break away from him and set up his own faction to seek greater benefits.

However, several senior bosses, led by Hao Shun, resolutely rejected this proposal.

These men who have been working on the sea for many years have a sense of righteousness in their bones, and they treasure their promises and will not tolerate any wavering.

In addition, they also paid special attention to protecting and blocking the news about Liu Zhiye, not wanting to put him in danger.

"Uncle Liu, you are finally here!" Hao Pingbo, now grown up, walked quickly forward with joy on his face.

Liu Zhiye smiled and patted Hao Pingbo on the shoulder, saying cheerfully, "Hey, good boy, you are getting stronger and stronger! Is your father home now?"

Hao Pingbo scratched his head lightly and said with a smile: "My father is at the beach. He said he would get you something good. Let's have a few drinks at noon. He will be back soon. Uncle Liu, let's go into the house first, have some tea and wait!"

Liu Zhiye agreed readily: "Okay, let's go inside and wait." Then, he said with a bit of a smile: "Come back! Brat, why are you so anxious? Go and move the things in my car into the house first."

"Okay!" Hao Pingbo opened the car door and started to move the things. "Wow! Uncle Liu, are these all for my dad?"

Liu Zhiye's jeep was packed with "wild mountain wine", canned fruit and various snacks, all of which were rare items. In the supply and marketing cooperative, even if you had money, you couldn't buy them without a ticket.

Liu Zhiye nodded and said, "This is this year's new wine. It tastes better than the previous two years. It is a rare delicacy. I'll bring some for your father to taste."

"Wow! What good stuff did you bring? Let me try it." Hao Shun came back and said with a smile when he heard this.

"Wine! How is it?" Liu Zhiye turned around and hugged old Haoshun with a smile.

Hao Shun's eyes lit up. "What else can I do? Of course it's good! Hahaha, come in quickly. I prepared a rainbow trout for you. It's perfect for drinking."

"Wow! It's Bohai rainbow trout, which is rare!" As a typical foodie, Liu Zhiye particularly likes to eat this fish.

As they talked, they walked into the house hand in hand.

After Hao Pingbo moved the gifts, he immediately went into the house and started making tea for the two of them.

"Old Hao, how is the matter I asked you to do going?" After a short rest, Liu Zhiye took the initiative to say.

Hao Shun said: "I have fulfilled my mission. Please follow me..." As he said that, he led the way and led Liu Zhiye into a secret room.

Opening the door, Hao Shun pointed at a pile of antiques and said, "I don't know whether they are real or fake. Anyway, they are very cheap. As long as they look like old items, I will ask them to buy them."

(End of this chapter)