Chapter 12: Generosity
Zhu Niang finally agreed.
Once you have a plan, you have to put it into practice. The most important thing is to recruit people, find channels to buy brine, and open up salt fields in secluded areas with plenty of sunshine to start large-scale salt drying.
Fortunately, Zhu Niang had a certain amount of capital from her previous business dealings with inns and restaurants. Now, there is still more than a month before the debt is due, so this money can be used for turnover.
In fact, for Zhu Niang , the cost of the current transaction is extremely low, and she is participating in it as a middleman, transferring money from one hand to the other, and it doesn't cost much.
Zhong Shu is a cautious person, so just let him be responsible for contacting the carriage and horse company.
Yu San's connections are concentrated in the field of water transport, and he can even help contact people in the salt gang. It is easy to find someone to help buy brine produced in Yanwozi.
Just finding an “agent” is a bit of a hassle.
"Xiao Hao, what we are doing now is a business that could get us killed. Who would do things for us without asking for the specific reason?" Zhu Niang thought about the people she knew around her, but couldn't find the helper that Zhu Hao needed.
Zhu Hao smiled and comforted her: "Mom, there is no rush. We can do it ourselves for now. It is estimated that the first batch of goods from Su Dongzhu will arrive in the next two days. We have to organize people to meet the ship at Han River. When the time comes, we will transport some salt back to the city and put it on the counter. It doesn't matter whether anyone comes to buy it or not. The most important thing is to let others know that our shop is still doing business and the door is still open."
The reason why Zhu Hao is not in a hurry is because he thinks the agent is used as a cover after making money.
Now that the money has not been received, why are you in such a hurry to find someone for help?
The government these days shouldn't trace the origin of the silver, right? If that's not possible, you can only store it in a cellar, or buy land and houses to quietly accumulate wealth.
The only thing you need to note is that the household registration management in the Ming Dynasty was very strict. You cannot live and settle across regions at will. Only by holding power can you break the shackles.
But where does the power come from?
…
…
The last day of May.
Just as Zhu Hao expected.
As expected, Zhu Jia brought Zhu Wanjian, housekeeper Liu and others to ask for the regular silver.
Zhu Niang and her family came out to greet them, behaving very respectfully.
Zhu Jia asked, "My third daughter-in-law, a few days ago, I agreed with you to pay 40 taels of silver every month to meet the needs of the family. Now it's already 30 taels. Can you prepare the silver?"
Zhu Niang was very embarrassed: "Mother, isn't it usually paid in the middle of the month?"
"Hasn't this been delayed until the end of the month? Have you handed it in in May?" Zhu Jia's voice was cold.
Zhu Wanjian sneered, "I used to pay on time, but this month I haven't received a cent. If I don't see the money before nightfall, I'll have to close the shop."
Zhu Niang fell into a debt crisis in May. The Zhu family used to collect 90% of the shop's profits, but now they have changed it to a fixed quota of 40 taels per month, leaving her no chance to breathe.
"My daughter-in-law will raise some money right away and have someone send it over here..."
Zhu Niang looked outside and said, "It's not dark yet."
Zhu Jia's face darkened, and she waved her hand to housekeeper Liu, "Go and ask the local village elders and neighborhood elders to come over. I want to invite them for tea."
Zhu Jia's moves were steady and ruthless.
Unfortunately, it is not accurate enough.
Because Zhu Hao had already figured out her plan. If Zhu Niang took out the silver right away, Zhu Jia would definitely think that this shop was easy to make money and would make some unreasonable demands. So she decided to expose a flaw first to make you think that we have no other options.
Calling a notary public now may seem like it's helping you to save face, but in the end, it's us who are being helped.
"How much is the current account balance? Prepare it first, so as to avoid the trouble of making up for it later." Zhu Jia stared at Zhu Niang and said, "I heard that you still owe money outside. One of the payments is due soon, so you have to pay it back in advance today. This is what I promised Manager He before... You don't mind, right?"
Zhu Niang said in embarrassment: "But mother, Manager He's debt is still due in seven days..."
Zhu Jia shook her head: "We in the Zhu family don't like to owe money to outsiders, so I'll make the decision for you. Please prepare the money!"
…
…
Zhu Niang brought Zhu Hao and Aunt Li's mother and daughter back to the backyard with bitter faces, looking as if they were struggling to raise money.
Only when she came behind the door curtain did she look relaxed.
My son’s prediction came true and everything is under control.
Today it was not just a matter of handing over the family silver. Zhu Jia came with great force and wanted to beat her, the daughter-in-law, to death with a stick, almost leaving her with no way out.
"Mom, when you go out later , you still have to keep a low profile and let those people from the Zhu family be as aggressive as possible... The more embarrassed you act, the more rampant they will be. Finally, we can make the rule firm and keep the monthly payment of forty taels unchanged!" Zhu Hao reminded Zhu Niang again.
"Um."
If Zhu Niang had been skeptical and reserved about her son's words before, now she was determined to listen to her son completely.
About half an hour later, Zhu Niang returned to the front shop accompanied by Aunt Li, while Zhu Hao and Zhu Ting hid in the back hall and no longer showed up.
This is an adult matter and has little to do with children.
A total of four village elders were invited, and neighbors and many idle folks from all over the country rushed to watch after hearing the news.
Qian Chuanzi, who was a rival in the same business, was also very enthusiastic. When he saw the situation, he knew that the rice shop opposite could not sustain itself any longer, so he quickly brought a group of people to join in the fun.
"Mom, isn't it just a normal collection of rent? Why do you call so many people here?" Faced with the crowd gathered at the door, Zhu Niang deliberately showed extreme resistance.
Zhu Jia smiled coldly, "Old Third's family, the state has its own laws and the family has its own rules. This time I asked for a witness because some things are better said openly... I told you before that if you hand over 40 taels of silver to the family every month, I will let you run the shop. You didn't say anything against it, right?"
The words fell.
The onlookers were immediately outraged.
Qian Chuanzi squeezed out of the crowd and shouted, "Forty taels a month? Zhu Niang...Mrs. Zhu, are you running a rice shop or a money shop?"
Zhu Niang used to have a very good business and was basically busy from morning to night. All the neighbors knew that she made money, but they didn't know exactly how much. Now, when they heard from Zhu Jia that she handed over forty taels of silver to the family every month, their faces were filled with disbelief.
"Don't think that my family is deliberately making things difficult for you. In fact, based on our previous revenue, we have hundreds of taels of silver every month..." As soon as Zhu Jia arrived, she put herself on the moral high ground.
The crowd was not happy when they heard this. Someone immediately questioned, "One hundred taels? Why not one thousand taels? For such a small shop, even if they sold 100,000 catties of rice and flour, they could only make a hundred taels? You are kidding!"
"A typical example is to cause trouble for the daughter-in-law. This evil mother-in-law is only interested in money and has no human feelings at all..."
The people's discussions were getting louder and louder. Zhu Wanjian stepped out and shouted, "Shut up. What does this have to do with you, the unruly people? If I say there is a hundred taels, then there is a hundred taels! Do you need to worry about the affairs of my Zhu family?"
Zhu Jia didn't expect that she had inadvertently gathered a group of people to act as "referees". She was angry but endured it.
"Dear benefactors, please give us your opinions on my Zhu family affairs. This was an internal discussion and she has not denied it. Is there a problem?" As she spoke, Zhu Jia asked for advice from four highly respected village elders.
The four village elders all nodded.
An elder surnamed Song said, "If there are rules, then follow them. If you can't pay 40 taels a month, it's reasonable for the family to take back the land and house. You haven't paid this month, right?"
Zhu Jia stood there and looked around. Everyone who made eye contact with her lowered their heads. Then she coughed lightly with satisfaction, slowly walked to Zhu Niang, and sighed softly: "Old Third, you heard it. I don't mean to embarrass you. The rules have been set. In the future, when we collect debts, we must sign our names to prevent someone from denying. By the way, Manager He, why don't you go collect the debts first?"
An old man in his fifties squeezed out from the crowd and handed over the IOU with a smile, "The third wife of the Zhu family owed me ten strings of cash, so I came to collect it."
Zhu Niang followed Zhu Hao's instructions and said anxiously, "Mother, why do you take on everything? The money the shop owes to Manager He doesn't seem to be related to paying the family the regular money... Besides, my daughter-in-law is trying to find a way, and I don't know if she can raise the money in time."
“Where do you get the money from?”
Zhu Jia asked with a cold face.
Zhu Niang was speechless and didn't know how to answer.
Zhu Jia thought her daughter-in-law was making excuses and pouted.
"If you don't have forty taels, you should have at least ten taels, right? Return the money to Shopkeeper He first."
"But……"
"No buts, bring the money immediately!"
Zhu Jia said in a commanding tone.
Zhu Niang walked to the counter with a bitter face, opened the drawer and took out ten taels of silver.
Zhu Jia waved her hand: "Scale."
The preparations were indeed thorough. Butler Liu took the scales from the servant and weighed the money in front of everyone. Even Zhu Jia took the initiative and gave a 97% discount. With interest, Manager He actually took away 11 taels of silver.
"Mom, this is all top-quality cash, why is it discounted so much?"
Zhu Niang looked gloomy and distressed.
"You must be honest when doing business. My Zhu family has always been honest and trustworthy. Shopkeeper He, come back for tea."
Zhu Jia was so generous to others and felt it was her right. She didn't want to pay any attention to her daughter-in-law at all and said goodbye to Manager He directly.
After sending Shopkeeper He away, Zhu Jia looked at her daughter-in-law and said, "I am in charge of the Zhu Mansion and have the responsibility to educate and regulate the behavior of my descendants. Now I am making the decision for you to let Shopkeeper He take back the money that belongs to him. Do you have any complaints?"
Zhu Niang looked reserved.
Even if you are bullied, you have to swallow your anger. As a chaste woman, the first thing you have to do is to observe filial piety.
"My daughter-in-law doesn't dare." Zhu Niang lowered her head.
Zhu Jia said, "You should say no, not that you don't dare. You shouldn't have such thoughts in your mind. Okay, now let's talk about the monthly payment you need to pay to the family... It's almost time, bring it here."
I had made my daughter-in-law pay off the foreign debt without my permission, and now it's time for me to ask for my share.
Zhu Jia was determined to take back the land and houses and left no alternative.
Zhu Niang had a worried look on her face. She bit her upper lip with her pearly teeth and said timidly, "I don't have a daughter-in-law yet."
"Does that mean that the family can take back the house?"
Zhu Jia's expression eased a little, and she felt that there were no more obstacles.
Zhu Niang lowered her head and said, "Mother, it's like this. When we were doing business before, people outside owed the shop a lot of debts. My daughter-in-law has sent people to collect the debts... As long as the debts are collected, it should be enough."
Zhu Jia frowned and said nothing more.
Zhu Wanjian, who was standing behind her, sneered: "Forty taels of debt? Is there so much?"
Zhu Niang said calmly: "There are still more than thirty taels on the account, and only more than ten taels are left outside."
Hearing this, Zhu Wanjian suddenly became nervous.
If I really let Zhu Niang collect the foreign debt today and pay off the family's 40 taels of monthly salary...
"Mother, I have to leave for a while."
Zhu Wanjian's eyes rolled around, and he prepared to take people out to intercept them.
"Be patient!"
Zhu Jia stopped her son, then stared at her daughter-in-law and sneered, "It's reasonable to owe money outside when doing business, but the rule is that you have to pay it back before the end of the month... "
"Mom, it's not dark yet, is it?"
Zhu Niang suddenly became tough.
In fact, she has the money, enough for next month, not to mention this month. Although it is borrowed by mortgaging her land and houses, it is enough to cope with the current crisis.
Her son asked her to buy time, which was more of a human relations training, allowing her to personally experience the viciousness of the Zhu family.
Zhu Jia turned around and said to Zhu Wanjian, "Go if you have something to do. Remember to tell the owners who have business dealings with the rice shop that it's okay to owe a little foreign debt occasionally, and there's no need to rush to pay it back. If you insist on paying it back today, you're going against my Zhu family, and you won't be able to do business in peace in this city in the future... hehe!"
If before, Zhu Jia was still very restrained and wanted to maintain her parental demeanor.
What she said now was tantamount to throwing away her last bit of dignity... Whoever dares to return the money to my daughter-in-law and prevent me from taking back the land and house will be in trouble!
