Chapter 61: Planting Blessings (I)
Among the several products Huo Chong had, the only one that really kept its technology secret was probably the tannin blending technology. Seeing this brother Feng coming here specifically to buy rabbit skins, Huo Chong was a little impressed by his eye for price. Since the other party knew the goods, Huo Chong didn't want to test him too much.
"Brother Feng, I sell this rabbit skin by the pound."
Brother Feng seemed to be a straightforward person, so he asked directly, "How much is one pound?"
"Sixty cents."
"How much does Master Huo weigh?"
"Let me show you." Huo Chong ordered the fourth brother to go to the warehouse and move out all the rabbit skins.
Brother Feng checked them one by one and said with satisfaction, "I want them all."
This rabbit skin looks like a large pile, but it only weighs a few dozen kilograms, which is five taels of silver.
Since people have come, Huo Chong has to entertain them. Unexpectedly, Brother Feng looked at the sky and said, "It's getting late, I have to go back. Master Huo, I will definitely come. I'll bother you next time."
After this person left happily, Huo Chong shook the silver in his hand and thought that this money might be enough to repair the rabbit farm.
Half a month later, the rabbit farm was repaired. Amid the clacking sound of Qian Qing's abacus, the farmers who owed money to Huo Chong stared at the numbers they couldn't understand. Qian Qing calculated the number for each person, and the fourth apprentice brother who was helping called out the name and told the balance. When the fourth apprentice brother handed the copper coins after deducting the debt to the villagers, the villagers all had smiles on their faces.
The third brother Tieniu then stepped forward and began to explain the meaning of "planting money for good fortune". If you save for half a year, you will get 101 coins, and if you save for a year, you will get 102 coins. The villagers were stunned. Holding the money tightly in their hands, the villagers just listened but had no intention of joining in.
"Everyone, this kind of lucky money not only brings good fortune, but can also be used to offset taxes when paying taxes." The third apprentice brother Tie Niu further released a new trick to the group of villagers who had no interest in bringing good fortune from the beginning.
Some farmers had been persuaded and were hesitating when Tie Niu advised them, "Take this money back. If your wife and children want to buy something, will you buy it for them? You will spend a few cents every few days. When you need it urgently, will the money be enough? It is better to add some blessing money. When someone asks you for money, you can push it to me, the eldest brother. If you really need it urgently, you can come to me and take it out. When it is time to pay taxes every year, you can use this money to offset the taxes."
Tie Niu has said this to many people, and now he can tell everyone the routine very fluently. Huo Chong just wants to laugh when he hears it in the room. If it is the 21st century, Tie Niu will definitely be able to thrive in the insurance department. If the "Zhongfu Money" is named the "Zhongfu Bao" in the 21st century, it will definitely be a high-quality financial management product.
Just as he was secretly happy, he heard a villager who had figured out the situation ask unhappily, "Tie Niu, after all you said, you still want us to pay the tax first."
When questioned, Tie Niu also answered sarcastically: "You pay the tax yourself, one tael of silver is exchanged for 850 copper coins. When the police ask you for copper coins, they calculate it as one tael of silver equals one thousand copper coins. No matter how much you pay, you should pay an extra 15% first. My elder brother calculates it as one tael of silver equals 850 copper coins, saving you 15% first. What else do you want? I am doing this for your own good. If you don't want to accumulate merit, you will suffer. You will understand if you think about it more."
Although Tieniu had explained the content of the training, only a few people paid, and most villagers chose to wait and see. Huo Chong was not in a hurry. It takes time to build trust, and it also takes time to destroy trust.
The matter with the Fourteenth Master was finally over, and Huo Chong was thinking whether he should settle the solid alcohol that he had promised to the Fourth Master.
If possible, Huo Chong really didn't want to provoke the Fourth Master. But Huo Chong knew the Fourth Master's temper, he was extremely vindictive. Maybe the Fourth Master was now busy fighting for the throne and didn't think of Huo Chong for a while. But when he became the emperor, these accounts would definitely be settled.
Finally, Huo Chong decided to settle the matter. As he had , Huo Chong first sent someone to contact the leader of the Daqinghecao Gang, Hong Du.
Captain Hong did not bear grudges as Xu Youlin said. When he learned that Huo Chong wanted to transport a batch of goods to the capital, he readily agreed. Huo Chong hurriedly set off, not knowing how long he would be delayed in the capital. After returning from this trip, he had to go to the seaside to prepare for the agar.
With this official uniform, Huo Chong received various preferential treatments on the ship he was riding. Although he paid all the money he was supposed to pay, he was not given any extra trouble. Perhaps it was because he was just lucky this time. When Huo Chong delivered the solid alcohol to Prince Yong's mansion, the Fourth Master was not there. But Zhang Wei was there.
Zhang Wei looked at Huo Chong with a squinting eye and said proudly, "Leave the things here. You go back first."
Huo Chong was waiting for this sentence. Seven or eight taels of silver was indeed not a small amount. When he needed start-up capital before, the Fourth Master always gave him money no matter what his purpose was. That extremely difficult period was over. Compared with Huo Chong's life, seven hundred taels was really nothing.
After leaving Prince Yong's mansion, he felt that the sky was bluer and the wind was lighter. Until a gust of wind blew the urine smell from the street, and Huo Chong quickly covered his mouth and nose.
There was no need to provoke the Fourth Master any more, but Huo Chong did not leave the capital. Zhang Wei had introduced some merchants from the capital to Huo Chong for some unknown reason, and Huo Chong went to meet these people.
In terms of business, the group was not enthusiastic after meeting, but the situation centered on money made Huo Chong feel extremely relaxed. Everyone was very careful and tried to complete the deal. Especially when Huo Chong felt that these people were trying their best to get the bottom price, Huo Chong was even happier.
"Everyone, if you want to buy this colored glaze fire, you can go to Zichuan County, Shandong Province to pick it up. One tael of silver is worth fifteen catties. That's the price."
"The Fourteenth Master is a favorite of the Emperor. How dare we compete with him? The Fourteenth Master charges 15 catties for one tael of silver, and we charge 30 catties for one tael of silver."
"Everyone, you all know that the Fourteenth Master is a favorite of the Emperor, but I haven't heard of this? If the price I offer you is lower than this, the Fourteenth Master will definitely blame me for cheating him. I can't afford that."
"Fourteenth Master will only think that Master Huo thinks highly of Fourteenth Master and knows that Fourteenth Master can afford this price..."
All kinds of nonsense were flying around in the business world. If they couldn't reach an agreement over tea, they would talk over wine. Huo Chong insisted on the bottom price and didn't give up. When the shopkeepers were all drunk and confused, Huo Chong still refused to give up a penny. Finally, an agreement was reached.
The price is the same as that of the Fourteenth Master, but one batch of 1,000 jins must be kept. The next time these people come to Zichuan County to buy goods, they will settle the last payment.
After completing the deal, Huo Chong, who was still a little hungover, left the capital immediately. Looking at the capital getting farther and farther away, Huo Chong threw himself on the side of the boat and retched again. The boat was shaking really badly.
When his stomach finally calmed down, Huo Chong looked at the capital city getting farther and farther away, and wanted to recall the words of farewell to Cambridge. To put an end to this separation that might be permanent.
But there was garbage floating in the river, and the people of Beijing also urinated and defecated freely in the river. Somehow Caesar's famous saying popped up, "I came, I saw, I conquered."
Huo Chong thought bitterly that if he took control of the capital, he would definitely build more toilets. Anyone who urinated or defecated anywhere would be spanked at the very least, or his penis cut off at the worst.
