Republic of China small businessman

Xie Jing got up, patted her body, and went straight to the white horse.

Xie Siquan didn't even respond to calling him a few times, and couldn't help but smiled and shook his head: "Why are you still angry, really, can uncle apologize to you?" The last sentence was very loud, not only Xie Jing, but everyone around heard it , but no one dared to look over, they were all busy looking around and pretending to be inaudible.

Xie Jing turned over and rode on Bai Shishi, and pulled the rein to let the white horse pace over.

Xie Siquan bowed his hands and begged for mercy: "Just pretend that uncle said something wrong just now, and I will apologize to you."

Xie Jing sat on the horse and looked at him, calmly said: "Next time I will bring him to see you, he is better than anyone else."

Xie Siquan thought that he was not convinced, and immediately said: "Got it, got it."

Xie Siquan took Xie Jing around here, and soon went to the saltworks.

Xie's family had more than one saltworks in the upper city, and it took a lot of effort just to go through them one by one. Xie Siquan took him to the largest one.

In the weather in August, the sun hangs in the sky like a stove, making it very sultry.

In the saltworks, the boiling salt steam was steaming, and the doors and windows of several rows of low-rise houses were removed to let the heat escape as much as possible, but even so, the white mist was still billowing.Many salt workers were shirtless, stirring the pot with long shovels in their hands, sweating profusely. On the other side, there were salt workers carrying salt bags out. They were lean and strong, with hunched waists and some strength The big ones can hold two or three bags of salt at a time.

Xie Jing followed Xie Siquan, and people kept saying hello along the way. I don't know if it was an illusion, but the people in the saltworks looked at him very enthusiastically, and they were full of anger when they shouted "Young Master".

Xie Jing was puzzled, but Xie Siquan knew it well.

The old steward of the saltworks was very prestigious and fair. He brought out countless apprentices when he was young, but now there are three stewards, and there are even more leaders in the other saltworks.Xie Jing made a move that day, not only to seek justice for the old steward, but also to earn back face for the Xie Family Salt Farm. The brothers of the Salt Gang value the most loyalty, and the word "Shaodong Family" is now stable.

Xie Jing got used to being shouted all the way, and just followed Xie Siquan silently, watching and listening, and said very little.

At first, the stewards of the salt farm saw that Xie Jing brought something novel, but they soon became excited. The new young master looked similar to Master Xie, but his temper and personality were very much like their second masters, very stable. It's so down-to-earth!

When we reached the last salt well, brine just came up, and the thick bamboo tubes were fished up by several salt workers chanting, and a pool of brine was released by opening the valve at the bottom. The water was black, but rolling.

Xie Jing asked: "Why is this place different from other places?" What I saw before was all clear brine.

The Yan worker on the side said: "Shaodong's family doesn't know something. This is black brine, the most precious, and the taste is better than the others. Only our place in the upper city has it." After he finished speaking, he took Xie Jing to have a look For the finished product, the cooking process of black brine requires a few more steps, and after cooking, it is still snow-white well salt.

Xie Jing had never seen it before, so she was a little curious.

Xie Siquan took a small jar and opened it, encouraging him to taste it.

Xie Jing took a pinch and put it in her mouth, and immediately frowned when the tip of her tongue touched it: "It's so salty."

The salt workers looked dumbfounded, and Xie Siquan laughed happily: "Silly boy, salt is naturally salty, and it tastes better when cooked, so you can't taste it with such an empty mouth."

Xie Jing let out an oh, and stood there with her hands behind her back.

Xie Siquan checked the time, but did not take Xie Jing back to the mansion, and ate directly at the salt field.

There is a cafeteria in the salt field, and the food is big pot rice. The hotter the day, the more peppers are put in, and the taste is stronger and easier to eat.In the cafeteria, besides two dishes of meat and vegetables, each table also has a big bowl of kimchi and radishes. In the center of the hall, there are two bamboo barrels with a height of half a person. One barrel contains steamed sweet potatoes and rice, and the other contains boiled vegetables Get rice porridge with flowering rice grains, and you will be full.

Xie Jing was not picky about what he ate, and he ate two big bowls of porridge, which was very easy to feed on.

Xie Siquan saw that he didn't eat much food, and he didn't eat it even if he picked it up. After thinking about it, he pushed a small dish of pickled radish over: "Try it?"

Xie Jing took a sip of porridge, shook her head and said vaguely, "Salty."

It was fine if he didn't say anything, but after Xie Siquan couldn't help laughing, he coughed before suppressing it.

Xie Siquan intends to take him here to eat, firstly, to let Xie Jing know how the salt workers are doing on a daily basis, and secondly, to let him get in touch with the saltworks more. No matter whether it is business or relationship, there is no better way for Chinese people to sit down with them. The table for a meal came faster.Sure enough, after lunch, the stewards and bosses of the saltworks all looked at Xie Jing and smiled, and shouted the words "Young Master" more affectionately.

Xie Siquan looked at his little nephew out of the corner of his eye while talking to several leaders, feeling very satisfied.

Xie Jing once again exceeded his expectations in his heart. This child has suffered a lot outside, but he is still a good son of their Xie family.

Master Xie and Xiacheng Huang Wanxing had some unpleasant quarrels some time ago, and they just dissipated in their hearts today. So what about the troubles of the Huang family? After all, they can only fight for a while. In a few years, the property will be handed over to the children and nephews. In the hands of his nephew, he can guarantee that there will be no one in Xichuan who is more powerful than his nephew.

Xie Jing ate the third bowl of porridge before completely suppressing the taste of salt in her mouth.

The salt boiled with black stew is really powerful. If the saltiness of the salt is graded, Xie Jing felt that the black salt was several times higher than the one he usually ate, and he regretted it after taking a sip.

Xie Siquan also saw some clues. After eating, he asked someone to bring a pot of tea to the office, and took Xie Jing there to sit and talk.

Xie Siquan poured tea for his nephew, sat and talked together, and said to him: "I brought you to the salt field today to tell you about the 'out of the mountains'."

"Out of the mountain appointment?"

"Yes, when I took over, it was not as beautiful as it is now, and it was difficult for a while."

Xie Siquan became the head of the family when he was less than 13 years old. When his sister got married, he was the only one left in the family.Although he has some money and land in his hand, he is not someone who is just waiting to die. In addition, he promised his sister to buy a big boat to see her, so he did some bold things in those years, "Going out of the mountain to make an appointment "It's one of them.

The so-called "out of the mountain contract" means that the land owner signs a contract with the merchant, and the landlord first releases the land for "one well and three bases", that is, the land for each salt well and its required pestle room, garage, and kitchen, and the excavation and construction of the salt well. During this period, no rent can be collected even for three to five years.After the salt well is drilled and put into production, the profit of the whole well will be divided into shares, and the owner and merchants will receive dividends according to the shares.The Xie family opened two salt farms in those years. The proceeds of the whole well were divided into [-] shares, [-] shares were held by the owner, and the remaining [-] shares were divided by customers. After the contract period expired, all the salt farms would be returned to the owner unconditionally.

That is to say, the guests leave and the host receives.

Xie Siquan said: "Back then, I mortgaged all the ancestral houses and fields, and took five merchants to pledge 4000 taels of mountain silver each. Thanks to the 18 silver, I managed to revitalize the family business." He took a sip of tea, and said: "As of this year, the last well has also reached its year, which happens to be No.[-]."

Xie Jing calculated the time in his mind, and based on the price at that time, it was really a huge sum of money. Xie Siquan was only a half-year-old boy at that time, so he dared to make such a big bet, it was really amazing.

Xie Siquan rubbed his chin and scolded: "Grandma, if Xu Jun hadn't been detained, the business would have been a real loss. Those Shanxi merchants are full of accounts, and no one can count them down!"

Xie Jing moved the corners of her lips, but said nothing.

He had heard Xu Jun talk about this before, but the second master was much more tactful. At that time, he said in a flat tone, "My father is among the merchants who came to Xichuan, and it was because of this appointment that I came to Xichuan and stayed in Here", I think there is another story here.

Xie Siquan looked at him suspiciously, "What are you laughing at?"

Xie Jing blinked, without changing his face, and said: "No, I think my uncle is very powerful, and the second master is also very powerful. I heard that many technologies for digging salt wells in Xichuan were brought by Shanxi merchants."

Xie Siquan nodded, and said truthfully: "They are indeed quite capable."

Xie Jing asked: "How did uncle fall in love with the second leader? Love at first sight?"

Xie Siquan thought about it for a moment, then shook his head and said, "I thought he was rich at the time, but I really didn't look at his face very seriously."

"what?"

"He is a Shanxi merchant, from Qi County." Xie Siquan explained, "Jin Taigu, Yin Qi County, have you heard this? Qi County is a place where wealthy businessmen gather, and talented people come forth in large numbers. Xu Jun's family has some backgrounds, and the locals are called Xu Bancheng. .”

Xie Jing was stunned for a moment, "The second head is so rich?"

Xie Siquan hooked his shoulders, and said with a smile: "So you know, if you don't have any pocket money in the future, you will take care of the second boss. for you."

Xie Jing shook his head, and asked him again: "I gave you a lot before, uncle, can I use the money as I like?"

Xie Siquan said distressedly: "Of course I can, I gave it to you, just use it as you like!"

Xie Jing stood up.

Xie Siquan looked at him: "What's wrong?"

Xie Jing's ears turned red: "I drank too much water, I'll go and drink it conveniently."

Xie Siquan waited for him to leave before he looked down and saw that the pot of water was empty, he couldn't help laughing.

Evening, Xie Mansion.

Xie Siquan still had someone send a sum of money and a letter to Xie Jing.

The total amount of money was [-] silver dollars, of which [-] was given by Xie Siquan. Like Xu Jun, he only presumed it was a meeting gift for him.The other [-] yuan was sent by He Dongting from the Shanghai Stock Exchange, and asked to forward it on his behalf. He Dongting also wrote a letter to Xie Jing. The content and tone were very kind, and he didn't mention any work matters. He only asked him about the food he ate in Xichuan. If you are not used to it, what you need to wear, what you don’t need, if you need anything, make a list and write back to him, and he will send it.

Along with the letter came a photo.

It was a group photo of the chamber of commerce, in which everyone was wearing western-style dresses, standing in front of the Chinese General Chamber of Commerce, with the Chinese flag and the flags of various chambers of commerce fluttering behind them.

The photo was only the size of a palm, and there were too many people in it, so the face could not be seen clearly, but Xie Jing recognized Master Jiu in a row of black and white figures at a glance.

Master Jiu was separated from He Dongting by a row, and he was taller than the people around him. He didn't smile, but just looked up to the front, as if some wind had blown, slightly blowing his hair on his forehead.

Xie Jing reached out to touch her, but she didn't know if she wanted to touch the other person, or if she wanted to fix that lock of hair for him.

After watching it for a long time, engraving the person in my mind, I was willing to look away and went to look for He Dongting.

He Dongting was in the middle, so it was easy to find, but there was nothing to say, just like before, Xie Jing only glanced at it, and then put down the photo.

After reading it, Xie Jing put the letter on the table, called Wang Su over and said in a low voice, "Is there a letter from my lord?"

Wang Su shook his head, they never received it.

Xie Jing was a little disappointed, but he got a photo today, so it can't be regarded as nothing. After thinking about it for a while, he asked again: "Help me contact the company in Rongcheng, I want to buy something."

Wang Su said, "What do you want to buy?"

Xie Jing: "To buy a gun, I need some bullets. If there are two more barrels, it doesn't matter if I don't have one. Two more Mausers."

Wang Su asked the number, slightly surprised: "So much?"

Xie Jing said: "It's not too much, it will take several years." The past two years have begun to be a little chaotic, and when those short-sighted people come to the door, uncle and Xu Jun's methods to deal with Huang Wanxing are okay, but they are not good enough to deal with those people Some, armed with a team of troops, can at least protect themselves.

The Bai family shop has its own network, and these things can still be obtained, Xu Jun promised, and went to Rongcheng overnight.

Xie Jing sat in the room by herself, took the letter and read it again, and began to write back.

It was the first time for him to write a letter to He Dongting, and the first few words were a bit awkward. Although he studied, he mostly applied what he had learned.After thinking about it, I asked someone to pack a portion of Xichuan's special products, most of which are easy-to-storage dried fruits from the mountains, and entrusted the people from the Chamber of Commerce to send them back to the Shanghai stock market.

When Xie Jing was preparing these, he also prepared a portion for everyone in the East Courtyard. He took some of the food that he had eaten these days and thought it was good, and put it in, and asked the guards to send it to the business in Xichuan, and hand it over to the Bai family. Comprador here.

Master Jiu has started to send people to buy salt goods in recent days, but he only saw the shopkeeper and comprador. The other party has obviously been ordered and is respectful to Xie Jing, but because he is a subordinate, he knows little about Master Jiu's affairs , Xie Jing didn't ask any more questions.These mountain goods were delivered, and the shopkeeper of the Bai family said repeatedly: "It will be delivered to Manager Xie, don't worry."

Xie Jing asked: "When can I arrive?"

The shopkeeper thought about it for a while, and replied: "Hurry up, it will take about ten days."

Xie Jing groaned, and after a while, she took out another letter from her pocket and gave it to him, and said in a low voice: "This is my letter to Master Jiu, you take it together, don't let others see it."

The shopkeeper took it with both hands, very solemnly, and assured: "Thank you, steward, don't worry, it will be delivered to the master in ten days."

The envelope in the shopkeeper's hand was light, but it weighed a thousand catties in his heart.What kind of person is Guanshi Xie now, he even made a special trip to deliver a letter by himself, this must be important news from Xi Chuan.

A few days later, Wang Su came back to report.

Wang Su brought a batch of sealed wooden boxes this time, and according to Xie Jing's order, he did not directly transport them to Xie's house, but found a place to store them first, and went back to see Xie Jing alone.He handed over the brochure and said, "I'm here to bring back half of the supplies this time, and the rest are still under preparation, and they will all be delivered in seven or eight days at the latest. I met Li Yuan at the Rongcheng Mansion Shop and have handed over to him. Clearly, the rest will be sent by him and the steward of the East Court."

Xie Jing checked the number on one side, and after confirming it, he asked, "Did Li Yuan say anything?"

Wang Su said: "He said it was just as you guessed, if I don't go, he will come to Xichuan at the end of this month."

Xie Jing nodded.

He asked Li Yuan to go to Rongcheng before to contact Huang Renfeng for a period of three months. If there was no movement from Huang Renfeng, he would come back to Xichuan. Now it seems that Huang Renfeng has no movement. This dark line is too early.

Wang Su said: "On the way back, I also heard something. The Huang's family in the lower city encountered bandits and someone was kidnapped."

Xie Jing: "Has Huang Wanxing been tied up?"

Wang Su: "No, it sounds like Li Chunlin, his shopkeeper."

Xie Jing rubbed his chin. This is a rare thing. An old fox like Li Chunlin would fall into the hands of bandits. He told Wang Su: "Send two people to investigate clearly. Let things go first, life is more important than anything else."

Wang Su agreed and went.

On the other side, Yunmeng Mountain.

This is the place where Xichuan went out. The valley is long and narrow, and rocks often fall on the ground. It is tens of miles away from Zhuandou Township, so it is easy to defend but difficult to attack.

All the year round, some bandits and bandits fled into the mountains, but not many survived. The mountains are full of miasma and poisonous insects, and the merchants know that this place is dangerous, and they would rather go around the whole mountain than take risks. step in.Although it is closer here, if you want to cross the canyon conveniently, you will lose your life if you are not careful.

The author has something to say: Little Theater:

①

The uncle who tricked children into eating salt——

Xie Siquan: Hee hee, raising children is really fun.

Xu Jun: Stop it!

②

The treasurer Xi Chuan who delivered the letter quickly——

Shopkeeper: Ah!Confidential, this must be the number one commercial secret!

③

Thank you steward for love at public expense——

Xiao Xie: Wait online, urgent.