Liu Bei: My younger brother is a deity.

Chapter 93 Round Table and Chairs

After hearing the Mi family father and son explain their purpose, Liu Bei didn't hide anything and laughed, "You two want to buy Lousang paper? That's easy. Come on, I'll lead the way, and we'll go to the paper shop right now."

He led the Mi family father and son through a stone-paved road in the village, past two old locust trees, and suddenly the view opened up before them.

Both father and son of the Mi family were somewhat stunned.

They had assumed that Lousang Village was just an ordinary rural settlement, with the paper shop being at most a few simple houses.

But the scene before me was not like that at all.

On both sides of a wide stone-paved road, there are seven or eight shops lined up densely.

Selling straw sandals, selling leather goods, selling general merchandise, running restaurants...

The shop next to the straw sandal shop is the paper shop.

Above the door hung a wooden plaque with the four large characters "Liu's Paper Shop" written in a vigorous and powerful style, clearly the work of a master calligrapher.

"This is... Fei Bai style, could it be..." Mi An asked in surprise.

Liu Bei laughed and said, "Indeed, this plaque is the work of Lord Cai. By the way, my son Quan is Lord Cai's future son-in-law."

Mi An was filled with awe.

Liu Bei led the Mi family father and son directly to the back door of the shop, where a long queue had already formed. There were people driving carts and carrying loads, speaking in various accents, and most of them were not locals.

The workers were so busy they barely had time to breathe, bringing out stacks of straw paper and parchment, stacking them neatly, weighing them, collecting money, and delivering the goods—all in one go.

Mi An sighed, "With so many people buying these goods, it seems that Lou Sang paper will soon be sold all over the world."

Liu Quan was also there to keep them company. The boy soldiers were being trained by Yan Zhi (Yan Rou's younger brother). Upon hearing this, he said, "Old Mi, you flatter me. I dare not say that I can conquer the world. Let's first establish a foothold in You and Ji provinces."

Liu Bei laughed and said, "Now that Mi Weng has arrived, my Lou Sang paper is indeed not far from being sold throughout the world."

Mi An stroked his beard and smiled. Although he knew Liu Bei was flattering him, he was very confident in this.

In the evening, Mi An and his son Mi Zhu were invited to Liu Bei's home as guests.

When Liu saw that guests had arrived, she personally went to the kitchen to prepare the meal.

Mi An and Mi Zhu admired the novel objects they had never seen before in the hall.

It was a large round table, lacquered black, with several chairs around it.

Mi An walked around the chair, touched the back of the chair, and then pressed the tabletop, secretly marveling at the sight.

Seeing this, Liu Bei smiled and explained, "Old Mi, this is a round table, and this is a chair. They were all made by my brother Quan."

"Round table? Chairs?" Mi An muttered to himself.

"This round table symbolizes family reunion," Liu Bei said. "Friends and relatives sit around it, without distinction of rank or status, creating a very warm and lively atmosphere. As for these chairs—"

He patted the back of the chair.

"You might not feel comfortable sitting on it at first, but after a while you'll understand. It's much more comfortable than kneeling."

Mi Zhu plopped down and leaned back, his entire back pressed against the chair back.

After trying it out for a while, he laughed and said, "Brother Xuande, this thing is truly wonderful! I've been kneeling for over ten years since I was a child, and my knees are practically calloused. Sitting in this chair makes my whole body feel relaxed."

Liu Bei laughed and said, "There's another advantage: sitting in this chair, your legs naturally dangle down, covered by the hem of your clothes, so you no longer have to worry about making a fool of yourself due to an improper posture. You'll also be spared the embarrassment of numb legs and crooked posture from kneeling for a long time."

As Mi An listened, his eyes grew brighter and brighter.

He slowly sat down, first sitting up straight, then trying to lean back. His back was comfortably supported by the chair back, and he involuntarily squinted his eyes.

"Tsk tsk," Mi An clicked his tongue, "This stuff... is good."

He stood up, circled the chair again, looking it over from head to toe, then suddenly raised his head, his gaze fixed intently on Liu Bei: "Xuande, Yuangu, have you ever considered selling this as a commodity?"

Liu Bei and Liu Quan exchanged a glance and laughed, "To be honest, Elder Mi, our clan is already preparing to establish a Liu family furniture workshop. We just don't know how well it will sell; we're still unsure."

"Of course!" Mi An said. "If there is any surplus production, would you allow my Mi family to act as a distributor?"

Mi An had a sharp eye and immediately recognized that this thing called "Chair" would definitely be a bestseller.

Why?

It is because the world has suffered from the posture of kneeling for too long!

From the pre-Qin period to the present day, scholars and officials have knelt on the ground, sometimes for one or two hours at a time. Their knees ached, their backs ached, and their legs were numb, but they still had to maintain their composure and dared not relax for a moment.

If one is not careful, one will sit with legs spread wide, and be laughed at for not knowing manners.

Especially the elderly.

Mi An himself had a deep understanding of this.

I didn't feel it when I was young, but now that I'm almost fifty, I feel uncomfortable all over my body whenever I kneel for a long time.

In fact, many prominent families have already started secretly using folding stools and folding beds in their homes.

But those two things are really not suitable for formal occasions.

A "hu deng" is simply a small stool, low and stout, so sitting on it is almost like squatting.

The folding stool is nothing more than a cross stool or a small stool, with two legs crossed and supported by it. The seat is made of woven rope, which is convenient to put away and put away, but it is still low to sit on. With your legs curled up and your clothes piled on your knees, it is not proper.

But this chair is different.

It has a backrest, armrests, and four legs that are firmly in place. When you sit on it, your legs hang down naturally, and with your clothes covering them, you look quite dignified, even more elegant than when you kneel.

When Mi An tried sitting down just now, he specifically looked at the hem of his clothes. It hung down just enough to cover his feet, neat and tidy, without the slightest flaw.

Comfortable and elegant, it would definitely be loved by the literati.

Once this item is accepted by the literati, it will naturally become popular among the common people very quickly.

"Xuande, Yuangu, I'm telling you right now, I'll take whatever chairs you make."

"Within three years, in Luoyang, Chang'an, Yecheng, and Xiangyang, every prominent family will have this chair in their main hall."

"If anyone still makes their guests kneel, they're deliberately making things difficult for them."

Liu Bei smiled broadly and repeatedly clasped his hands in greeting, saying, "Old Mi, these are auspicious words. I am grateful for your good fortune."

Liu Quanze said, "Old Mi's last words can be used as a sales strategy for the chairs."

Mi An was taken aback, then pointed at Liu Quan and laughed, "If Yuan Gu were to go into business, he would surely achieve great things."

Liu Bei said proudly, "Of course, every business of my Liu family today was devised by my brother."

After another round of casual conversation, the dishes were served and placed on the round table.

Liu Bei and Liu Quan invited the Mi family father and son to sit down.

Mi An said, "This way of dining is quite novel, and it certainly makes the atmosphere more lively."

Mi Zhu looked at the various dishes on the table and was surprised to find that they were all dishes he had never seen before.

"What is this? It looks a bit like bean curd, but bean curd isn't prepared in this many ways?"

"It's not fermented soybeans; it's tofu that my husband, Quan, invented."

"Look, this is tofu with scallions, this is tofu stewed with fish, this is tofu meatballs, this is Mapo tofu—"

Liu Bei grinned mischievously: "Zizhong, you absolutely must try this Mapo Tofu."

Mi Zhu listened to the advice and took a bite. His eyes widened and his face turned red as a sharp pain erupted in his mouth.

He even thought for a moment that the Liu brothers had poisoned him, but when he saw Liu Bei and Liu Quan each take a spoonful and put it in their mouths, he realized that he had misunderstood.

Out of curiosity, Mi An also scooped up a small spoonful and put a tiny bit in his mouth.

hiss~!

His face also turned red.

Fortunately, learning from his son's experience, Mi An only took a tiny bite and quickly recovered, shaking his head and saying, "This is spicy?! Much spicier than dogwood! Could it be a special kind of mustard?"

"No!" Liu Bei pointed at Liu Quan, "This is a plant that Quan accidentally discovered in the mountains, and he calls it a chili pepper."

"Chili peppers, chili peppers, hiss, they truly live up to their name."

Mi Zhu also recovered. After the pain subsided, a slightly exhilarating feeling arose.

He scooped up another spoonful, but this time he was smarter and only ate a small bite.

It's spicy, it hurts, but it's also very satisfying.

One more bite.

Mi Zhu found the chili peppers increasingly delicious and the pain increasingly exhilarating, and couldn't help but ask, "Can these chili peppers be sold?"

Liu Bei chuckled, "I won't sell! But I can give you some; you can grow them yourself when you get back."