Chapter 2: The Wind Rises from Zhongshan Mountain Chapter 21 Mysterious Letter
In the shade of the courtyard.
Tang Youde picked up the teacup and took a sip, praising: "Very good, the tea and water are good, you are enjoying it more and more."
"Anyone with money will enjoy themselves." Zhao Hao put his feet on the stool, leaned back on the recliner, and said lazily, "You old man, don't come to the temple for no reason, right?"
"Sir, are you interested in opening a branch of Weijixian in the Bell and Drum Tower?" Tang Youde put down his teacup, rubbed his hands and said excitedly, "I'll cover all the expenses, and we'll split the profits. No, 60% for you and 40% for me, how about that?"
"Not interested." Zhao Hao refused without even thinking.
"At worst, it'll be 70-30." Tang Youde dreams of opening a branch of Wei Ji Xian. Even if he doesn't make money from it, it will help him greatly expand his network in Nanjing and improve his business status.
"Even if it's 20-80, we can still negotiate, sir..."
"It's not about money." Zhao Hao waved his hands, picked up a bayberry and put it in his mouth. The sour taste made him shudder.
"Then why not make money when you can?" Tang Youde looked puzzled.
"I opened Wei Ji Xian just to give the neighbors something to do." Zhao Hao pouted and said, "It's too much trouble to make money by running a restaurant. I'm too lazy to open a second one."
"Hey, young master, you can earn at least two thousand taels this month, right?" Tang Youde said, not knowing whether to laugh or cry, "During the peak season of Tang Ji, I only make this much money a month."
"Aren't you known all over Jinling?" Zhao Hao teased. They had known each other for so long, so of course he had figured out Tang Youde's background.
Tang Ji does have branches, but there is only one, which is managed by Tang Youde’s eldest son. Apart from this, there are no other branches.
"Ahem, Sir, please don't bring up something irrelevant." Tang Youde's face did not blush, and he still said, "I know you don't care about money, but opening a restaurant like this is not just for money. You can also meet a lot of friends..."
"I don't want it." Zhao Hao curled his lips and refused to give in.
Tang Youde just remembered that Zhao Hao stayed at home all day and never went out. He really didn't like making friends...
Not knowing how to persuade her for a moment, he had to change the subject and said with an apologetic smile: "Let's talk about this another day. Let's talk about business first."
"Raw silk?" Zhao Hao asked back .
"Yes." Tang Youde became happy again when he mentioned this. "The price of silk has risen a lot this month. One pound of silk has been sold for six or seven coins. If we sell it now, we can make more than two thousand taels."
"So what?" Zhao Hao took the purple clay teapot offered by Wang Wuyang, tested the water temperature anxiously, and then took a sip of the herbal tea happily.
Wang Wuyang fanned him. Gao Wu was very anxious. How could he take away our job?
"Sell..." Tang Youde asked tentatively. Seeing that Zhao Hao didn't say anything, he changed his words and said, "Sell half and get your money back. Whether the price goes up or down, you'll make a profit."
"You can sell it yourself if you want. I won't sell it anyway." Zhao Hao said nonchalantly while drinking herbal tea, "I won't sell it unless the price goes up to my satisfaction."
"Hey, sir, the most important thing in doing business is to protect your capital and quit when you're ahead. There's no end to making money." Tang Youde advised earnestly.
"I want to earn enough at once, otherwise the income will be too little and not enough for me to use." Zhao Hao raised his eyebrows and imitated someone's tone.
"Young Master is making fun of Old Tang again." Tang Youde didn't know whether to laugh or cry. But Zhao Hao had the capital to say this. Others could make more money by opening a Wei Ji Xian store than his southern food store.
But Tang Youde was mature and prudent. He was really worried that the young people were too enthusiastic and didn't know when to stop, and in the end they would lose even their capital.
"In theory, I am in charge of collecting silk, and the young master has the final say on selling silk. But Old Tang still has to remind you that it is already May, and the court has not given any news about opening the sea."
"Isn't that nonsense?" Zhao Hao rolled his eyes and said, "What is the court busy doing? How can they take care of business?"
"Sir, are you saying that the whole court is in chaos?" Tang Youde was well-informed and often read the reports copied from the government offices. Naturally, he was familiar with the major events in the court .
"Yeah." Zhao Hao nodded.
"If you follow what you said, we won't be able to wait for the sea to open in a year or two." Tang Youde became more and more uneasy and said, "Although Gao Xinzheng is alone, he has the emperor's protection. Who can do anything to him? The censors are numerous and powerful, and they will come one after another. They can't be driven away or killed. This situation is likely to be a stalemate for a long time..."
"You are wrong." Zhao Hao shook his head and said decisively: "The result will be known within a month, and before Gao Gong steps down, the matter of opening the sea will be implemented."
"Ah?" Seeing that Zhao Hao spoke so confidently, Tang Youde didn't know how to flatter him.
This kind of thing was beyond his understanding.
"Why do you say that, sir?" After a long while, Tang Youde asked with difficulty.
Wang Wuyang, who was fanning himself at the side, also looked at Zhao Hao with anticipation.
I thought that the teacher was not only very accomplished in literature, but also had a keen insight into current affairs...
"You won't understand even if I tell you." Zhao Hao thought, I can't tell you that I know this from history books, right? He had no choice but to use this hurtful remark to shut up Tang Youde.
"It won't be long anyway, just wait."
"Oh, okay..." Tang Youde nodded with an embarrassed smile. Fortunately, it was not the first time that he was despised by Zhao Hao.
Anyway, before the new silk comes on the market, even if the silk price falls back, it will not fall much.
…
Tang Youde had lunch at Zhao Hao's house and haggled until the evening, still trying to get Zhao Hao to agree to open another branch.
But Zhao Hao's ideas are very correct. Unless there is a special situation like Wang Wuyang becomes Wang Zhoushao, he will not change his ways.
Tang Youde felt really embarrassed, so he continued to have dinner and then left in displeasure.
In the evening, Zhao Shouzheng and Zhao Jin came back one after another. When the family was having dinner, Gao Wu came in with a letter and handed it to Zhao Hao.
Zhao Hao saw the words "Zhao Hao personally wrote" in beautiful small characters on the cover. He opened the envelope, took out the letter and looked at it. He was surprised.
"Where's the messenger?"
"He left after delivering the letter. When we asked, he was gone." Gao Wu scratched his head and answered in a muffled voice.
To him, this was completely normal and there was nothing to blame.
Zhao Jin naturally wouldn't ask too much about Zhao Hao's private affairs. Zhao Shouzheng just asked casually, "What's the matter?"
"It's okay, let's eat." Zhao Hao shook his head, put the envelope into his sleeve, and his expression returned to normal, and he seemed even more relaxed than before.
After dinner, Zhao Jin took Zhao Shouzheng into the east room and continued their happy study.
Zhao Hao led Wang Wuyang into the west room. The night was long, and they had to find something to do, otherwise it would be too difficult to pass the time.
He asked Wang Wuyang to sit at the desk, and he lay down on the bed. After adjusting himself to a comfortable position, he said, "I will dictate, and you take notes."
"Ah, so Master wants to write a book!" Wang Wuyang's eyes lit up, and all the fatigue from a day's physical labor disappeared without a trace.
He quickly picked up his pen, sat upright, and waited for his master to speak.
"I've told you not to ask questions." Zhao Hao knew that if he didn't take precautions, this curious kid would annoy him to death. But he didn't say anything final. Instead, he said, "It's useless for you to learn this knowledge now. When you win the first place, I can answer your questions for a day. If you win the first place in the future, I can also teach you a unique skill and let you carry it forward."
"Yes, Master!" Wang Wuyang suddenly felt his blood boiling, and the competitive spirit that had disappeared for a long time was injected into his soul again.
"Then start recording the first chapter of the second volume of "Elementary Physics", Magnetism." Zhao Hao closed his eyes slightly and said slowly.
Wang Wuyang endured it again and again, but finally raised his hand.
"Magnet is the magnetism of magnetite." Zhao Hao explained it himself without him asking.
Wang Wuyang nodded, listened to Zhao Hao's story, and began to take notes carefully.
