In its heyday, there were more than 110 book-collecting families in Jiaxing. They changed over the generations. By the early Republic of China, most of the private libraries became the first private libraries in China. However, with the war of resistance against Japan, most of the libraries were destroyed by artillery fire. Among the survivors, less than one in ten survived, and Jiang Guangzhen went through many twists and turns and spent half his life in order to expand Fenfen Cottage.
The Jiang family is a prominent family in Jiaxing, and there are many talented people in the family. The most famous one is Jiang Baili (father-in-law of Qian Xuesen), who was the principal of Baoding Military Academy, a general of the National Revolutionary Army, and the author of "On National Defense". The existence of Yanfen Thatched Cottage depends on the support of the family. , but not every bibliophile has a strong tribe, and many books were destroyed in the war.
Sheyuan, Deshu Tower, Hairi Tower, Xiangshan Pavilion... many of these famous buildings will be destroyed by the war ten years later, but now, Jiang Shiguang still cherishes them.
Seeing Huang Xuan's seriousness in listening, the old man spoke more and more energetically. Even when it was time to eat, he was still not finished. Seeing the sun setting, the third son couldn't help but walked in and said, "Dad, let's eat!"
Jiang Shiguang glanced at him without hesitation, and then realized that the room had become dim. He smiled at Huang Xuan with some embarrassment: "I didn't expect to talk for so long. I must be hungry."
"No, no." Huang Xuan said politely, and then said to the third son of the Jiang family: "Sorry, sister-in-law."
The third child was a stubborn person. Although he was only middle-aged, years of farm work had worn away his temper. Hearing that Huang Xuan was a scholar, he even more excitedly waved his hands, moved his lips rhythmically, and just whispered: "Nothing, nothing... "
Jiang Shiguang was also used to his son's honesty. He took off his shoes and said to Huang Xuan: "Let's go to dinner first. The farmer has nothing. I feel sorry for you."
Huang Xuan was polite again. Thanks to him being used to this at home, he should review it again.
People in Zhejiang were prosperous. Jiang Shiguang had accumulated a little land over the years. He had five sons in his family and had a shop in the town. Therefore, his life was relatively comfortable. There were five or six plates of fish and meat on the table, which was similar to what Huang Xuan had. The Republic of China was very different.
The third child silently put rice in his mouth, but Jiang Shiguang became more talkative. After talking for a while, Huang Xuan took the opportunity and said, "I wonder what the price of food is now?"
When it came to food, Jiang Shiguang was obviously stunned for a moment, then sighed and put his chopsticks on the table.
In 197, there was a general food shortage in the south of the Yangtze River, and even merchants and landlords were hoarding food. From the perspective of future generations, many uprisings and riots that occurred in this year were related to food, and the Jiang family felt the food shortage firsthand.
Before Huang Xuan could ask again, Jiang Shiguang sighed again and said: "One stone of brown rice cost only three or four silver dollars a year ago. Now, some people sell it for 17 yuan per stone. Even we don't dare to touch the food we have at home."
Huang Xuan sighed. He didn't understand much about people's livelihood, and he didn't understand why farmers were worried about rising food prices. He just silently counted the food he brought. Stones can be divided into different sizes, but even if one stone is 10 kilograms, , 100 tons of grain also cost 1,600 shi. If it was sold at the middle price, it would be 16,000 silver dollars. In 197, it was a huge sum of money, and could even buy a seagoing ship.
Lorraine quietly settled an account for Huang Xuan, and Huang Xuan snickered in his heart. At this moment, Jiang Shiguang's interest in the conversation had faded, so he took his leave and went to bed.
Early the next morning, when it was still dark, Huang Xuan found Jiang Yisheng early, greeted Jiang Shiguang, and walked towards Kanpu Town. The third child of the Jiang family didn't like to talk, but he knew the way he was. , Huang Xuan talked with him along the way, and learned a lot about the local customs and customs nearby.
Although Kanpu is a small town, the market is still prosperous, with boats, carriages and horses going back and forth one after another. There are also many shops soliciting customers in front of the green curtains. Jiang Yisheng sent Huang Xuan here and wanted to go home. Huang Xuan Who was willing to let him go? Before he could speak, he said: "Brother Jiang, I'm not familiar with the place here. Why don't you wait for me for two days and wait for my family to come before leaving? Otherwise, I'm afraid I won't even be able to live together." I can’t even find the store.”
Jiang Yisheng was a real person. He looked at Huang Xuan who was only fifteen or sixteen years old. Although he was similar in size to him, it seemed unreasonable to leave him alone in the town. So he thought for a long time and said: " How about I send you to my elder brother, who lives in the town."
"You don't have to be so busy." Huang Xuan chuckled and said, "Let's take a stroll around the area first and wait until later to check in at the hotel. You can stay in the town today. It won't be too late to rush back early tomorrow morning."
Jiang Yisheng desperately wanted to refuse, but before he could think of words, Huang Xuan rushed into the market at the lead, and the honest man had no choice but to lower his head and follow in.
Rice cloth has been traded in large quantities since ancient times, and it has been the only choice for Chinese businessmen of all ages to pursue sound investment and stable profits. There are nearly ten rice shops in Kanpu Town, and there are also many landlords and businessmen coming and going. It is probably due to the influence of Due to the impact of the food shortage, the number of people coming to Mipu is much better than that of nearby cloth shops and other shops.
Huang Xuan walked around one by one and stopped at a shop called Xieqiao Rice Shop. This shop was medium-sized, but the work in the shop was twice that of other shops, and all of them had their own jobs. , busy but not in a hurry, most of the merchants coming and going are well-dressed, obviously they are not coming to buy a pound and a half of small family.
"Is the shopkeeper here?" Huang Xuan tapped the counter with the knuckle of his middle finger. This was his fourth uncle's habit, so he borrowed it temporarily.
The guy behind the counter looked smart and capable, and veins could be seen on his thin chin. Hearing Huang Xuan's question, he stopped tapping the abacus and said, "The shopkeeper is ordering goods in the backyard. If you have anything, you can come to me first." "Say." Then he glanced at Jiang Yisheng behind Huang Xuan, gave instructions to the waiter behind him, walked out from behind the counter, stretched out a hand to guide the way: "Please come this way, let's talk in the back room." "
"Are you the second shopkeeper?" Seeing that the clerk was very eye-catching, Huang Xuan asked more. As he walked into the side room, Jiang Yisheng shook his head and almost exclaimed.
"The second shopkeeper went to Jiaxing Mansion." The waiter denied it with a smile, served Huang Xuan tea, and said, "Are you from Beijing?"
"Nanjing." Huang Xuan knew that his Mandarin had caused the other party to misunderstand, so he corrected himself and said seriously: "I want to sell a batch of wheat to your company. I wonder if I don't want it?"
The waiter smiled professionally, suppressed the curiosity in his heart and said: "Although my shop is a rice shop, we also harvest wheat, but I don't know how much?"
Huang Xuan smiled without saying anything and stretched out a finger. He learned this from his mother. When he was a child, his mother always stretched out a few fingers when she said she wanted to reward him. Then Huang Xuan happily agreed, but When the real number appears, the situation is completely different.
The clerk was also frightened by Huang Xuan. He didn't know where this man who went to Zhejiang Mipu to sell wheat came from. Then he looked at the other person's face and clothes and felt that he couldn't handle it. He lowered his head and said, "Then please wait for a moment, sir." , my shopkeeper will be here soon.” After that, he said, “May I ask who you are?”
"Huang Xuan."
The shopkeeper of Xieqiao Mipu is a local in his fifties, whose surname is Zhu, which is also one of the local surnames. He looked at Huang Xuan and Jiang Yisheng from the window twice, but he still couldn't figure out their origins. They are masters and servants, but even if there are no servants, they will drink tea with the master. If they are relatives, the appearance and temperament of the two are too different. After considering this, he walked into the room with a smile, cupped his hands and said, "I'm sorry. , I’ve kept you two waiting for a long time.”
Huang Xuan didn't even stand up, he just sat there and received a salute from him. He stood up, moved slightly, sat down again, and said, "Shopkeeper, please sit down."
"Okay." Shopkeeper Zhu was not angry. He sat down while chatting about his robe, refilled Huang Xuan's tea cup, and said straight to the point: "I don't know how much wheat Mr. Huang wants to sell."
Jiang Yisheng sat there in a daze. Before his mind could turn around, Huang Xuan smiled slightly, took a sip of tea and said, "It depends on how much wheat the shopkeeper can harvest."
"Oh?" Shopkeeper Zhu also smiled and lowered his head to look at the teacup. Today is different from the past. In the grain business, what you earn is the price difference between good years and bad years. For big businesses, there may be other ways, but like them Shops of this size are mostly purchased in large quantities at low prices in good years and stocked up in bad years. But even so, the scale of funds is there. After a year, most of them are still in the business of buying low and selling high. The current market situation , brown rice can be sold for fifteen or six yuan per stone. Wheat is not produced locally, so the other party transporting a batch of wheat from a thousand miles away naturally wants to make a lot of money. Thinking like this, he tentatively said: "This It seems that this guy is doing big business. Although our store is small, the owner still has some strength. A few hundred yuan is not a problem. If you are interested, we can make it bigger. "
"Then let's start with a hundred stones." Huang Xuan decided at once. One hundred stones is only about 10 tons. It is considered a big business for a small town shop, but he doesn't have any special ideas. In a foreign land, it is better to be cautious.
Shopkeeper Zhu didn't know what he was thinking, his face changed slightly, and he agreed, but Jiang Yisheng stupidly just realized it and asked Huang Xuan in a low voice: "Huang Xuan, do you have so much food?"
Zhejiang is rich in water and soil, and 100 shi of grain is enough to bankrupt a small landowner. Seeing that Huang Xuan decided in minutes the ownership of grain that would be enough for the whole clan to last for several years, he couldn't help but feel a little worried.
Huang Xuan smiled slightly, patted his palm reassuringly, and said to Shopkeeper Zhu: "If Shopkeeper Zhu has no other questions, please tell the guys to prepare the dock and warehouse, and we will deliver the goods early tomorrow morning."
"No problem." Shopkeeper Zhu agreed happily, beckoned a waiter to whisper a few words, and then said: "I don't know when Mr. Huang's ship will arrive. I'll ask someone to take care of it."
Kanpu is a small town, but in this year, there are inevitably some people on land and water who want a piece of the pie. Shopkeeper Zhu is a little worried that Huang Xuan doesn't understand the rules when he first arrives, and he is even more worried that his business will be ruined because of these things.
Huang Xuan naturally didn't understand what he was thinking, but the food was still in the plane passage. As long as Lorraine took care of it, everything would be fine. He chuckled twice in his heart, waved his hand and said: "Shopkeeper Zhu doesn't need to worry about these, I just need to trouble you." Find a warehouse for us and my people will take care of it."
The unwarranted subordinates made Shopkeeper Zhu stand in awe, and repeatedly said they were troublesome. Huang Xuan only responded with a salute, and then withdrew and prepared to leave. At this time, Jiang Yisheng was still in shock.
After Shi Shiran wandered around the town, Huang Xuan just went to the pier outside the town. Two guys from Xieqiao Mipu were waiting there early. They called "Boss Huang" respectfully and took him with them. Go see the warehouse.
The warehouse is less than one mile behind the dock, and is much smaller than the warehouses Huang Xuan saw at home. It is basically still a wooden structure, but some modern materials have been used. The First World War was the heyday of China's national capital, a blowout The outbreak did not end until World War II, and the prosperous dock business accompanied this outbreak. The development of Mipu seemed to adapt to it.
When it comes to real business, Huang Xuan can't say he knows about it at all. He just heard and saw some superficial things from home, but he can fool him a little. At this moment, he can't say whether the warehouse is good or bad. He gave a vague "Huh" and walked out of the warehouse. He came out and said, "Is there a room in the warehouse? I'll stay here tonight."
"Yes." A waiter glanced at Huang Xuan strangely. He was still wearing a long gown given by old man Jiang Shiguang. It was a bit nondescript, but the waiter did not dare to say anything more and led Huang Xuan to the concierge who guarded the warehouse. He was settled. Come down.
"Sit down." As soon as the waiter left, Huang Xuan sat down on the bed tiredly, not caring about the smelly bedding. Jiang Yisheng sat down indifferently. In his opinion, this room was better made than his own. Mud is much better.
"Thank you for today." Huang Xuan thanked Jiang Yisheng, sweeping the bed casually with his hand, and said, "When I sell the grain tomorrow, I will thank you properly."
"No need." Jiang Yisheng didn't have the maturity of a middle-aged man, but he had some mature shrinkage. He looked at the ceiling and said, "The food is yours too. I didn't do anything to help you, so you don't need to thank me."
Huang Xuan smiled and said no more. The money hadn't been received yet, so there was no need to nervously divide the spoils. After saying a few more words, the two fell asleep in a daze. They were really exhausted from walking today, so they only had time to tell Luo Lin put some grain in the warehouse and fell asleep. (To be continued)