1627 Rise of the South China Sea

Chapter 2167
Both Yu Chengli and Yin Changxing were secretly relieved to meet old acquaintances in the official office of Baiquan Town.Although they can also imagine that Xiu Nian, who has just arrived, will definitely not be a powerful figure in the town hall, but at least they can learn more information from Xiu Nian, which may help them deal with local officials in the future.

Xiu Nian didn't think too much about it, he was not in charge of this kind of procurement work, at most he just explained the inside story of this transaction to the two of them.As for inspection and settlement, he is basically not qualified to intervene in it, and in fact, he can't help much.

However, since they were acquaintances, Xiu Nian still generously introduced Zhenjiang Zi'an to Yu Chengli, allowing him to save unnecessary intermediate links.

Yu Chengli was known for being good at dealing with the government when he was in Hirado, so naturally he would not miss such an opportunity now.Although the other party was just a mayor, Yu Chengli originally made this deal with the idea of ​​having multiple friends and multiple paths, so he didn't think that Jiang Zian's official rank was too low.

Having said that, officials like Yang Yun, who is in charge of business in Zhoushan, usually deal with real big businessmen. With Yu Chengli's strength, it is difficult to find opportunities to post them. On the contrary, grassroots officials like Jiang Zian still It is easier to deal with some.Even if the purchasing power of a small place like Baiquan Town is limited, maybe Jiang Zian has some other social connections so that he can take care of his own business in the future.In short, we should maintain this relationship first, and don't worry too much about the small business of a hundred taels of silver.

Yu Chengli first invited Jiang Zian to check and accept the goods at the gate of the town office. The twelve bolts of silk were selected by him after he learned that the buyer was a government official. Naturally, there would be no flaws in quality.

Because he had invited other merchants to sell these silk cloths on behalf of him, although the price was based on the market price, the actual transaction price was still slightly lower than the market price.If the commission for the consignment merchants was deducted, Yu Chengli would basically not be able to make any money from this transaction.But since the buyer is the government, it is impossible for him to say nothing to the officials who handle the matter, and he must take the initiative to give kickback benefits.So in this way, this business will definitely lose money.

However, Yu Chengli does not think that this is a simple loss, but regards it as an investment. As for when and in what form he will receive returns in the future, it depends on his own business methods.

"The items are good, and they are quite cheap. Boss Yu even delivered the goods to the door himself. It's really thoughtful!" After inspecting the goods, Jiang Zian also expressed his satisfaction.

Yu Chengli said: "Just now I heard from Master Xiu Nian that these silk cloths are a gift for the local military family. Although I am a member of the Ming Dynasty, I was also taken care of by the Haihan Army in Hirado before. I can do my part to show my respect. , I am also very honored."

Jiang Zi'an said: "I'll write you a check for the payment, how about you go to Haihan Bank to withdraw the money?"

Yu Chengli bowed and said, "It's just as long as Mayor Jiang thinks it's convenient."

Many local merchants use banknotes and checks issued by Haihan Bank as their means of settlement, and official procurement projects are no exception.Yu Chengli has been in Zhoushan for so many days, and he has already opened an account at Haihan Bank and deposited part of his property in it for the convenience of business settlement.

The delivery of the goods was completed quickly, but Yu Chengli didn't intend to say goodbye. For example, giving kickbacks, it's not easy to do it in front of other people.For Yin Changxing Xiunian and his ilk, it would be convenient to send them out first.

Yu Chengli's original plan was to use his most familiar method to treat Jiang Zian to a simple meal, after all, it was easier to make friends at the dinner table than in this yamen.However, he paid attention to the surrounding environment on the way to the town office. There didn't seem to be any taverns and restaurants in this tiny town. I asked Xiu Nian at the door just now, and it turned out to be the case. This method is definitely in Baiquan Town. It doesn't work anymore.

But this didn't bother Yu Chengli, he ordered his followers to wait outside first.Although Xiu Nian didn't understand the reasoning, her ability to perceive words and emotions was no worse than Yin Changxing's, and she also took the initiative to resign immediately, so that Yu Chengli could have a chance to talk to Jiang Zian alone.

After coming out of the town office, Xiu Nian didn't leave immediately, Yin Changxing who hadn't seen him for a long time stopped him and exchanged information about the recent situation.

Compared with Yin Changxing, who has not made any real progress so far, Xiu Nian's situation is much better. He has basically confirmed his status as an official post, and it is just around the corner for him to get stuck in the naturalization of most immigrants.Although there is still a gap between personal remuneration and official establishment, the future is bright, and I will get opportunities to develop in official careers in the future.

"Master Xiu Nian is still amazing! In such a short few days, he has already entered the government to work, and when we meet again in the future, I think we will call him Master Xiu Nian!" Yin Changxing said enviously.

Xiu Nian waved her hand and said, "It's not as beautiful as you said! I'm just running errands for the government. It's much harder than being a monk before!"

Xiu Nian's words were not modest. After he was assigned to Baiquan Town, although Jiang Zian ordered him to stay in the town office as an errand without any problems, it was not a errand for enjoying the blessings.The first task he received was to visit ten villages within the jurisdiction of Baiquan Township to understand and assist Japanese immigrants in the local resettlement work.

It is not easy for Xiu Nian who has just arrived in Baiquan Town to visit two villages every day and complete it within five days, let alone he is a foreigner.During this period, there were villages that actively cooperated, and some places did not take him seriously at all.

The situation of Japanese immigrants assigned to various places is also different.There are good places like Fuqiang Village where even the new immigrants insist on building brick houses, and there are also some villages with poor economy that can only ensure that the new immigrants have a stable ration. As for the housing, they can only live in tents first. Take it easy, and wait for the new immigrants to figure it out on their own in addition to their daily labor.

Since Xiu Nian's task is to check the resettlement situation of the immigrants, he naturally wants to strive for better living conditions for his compatriots, but the objective conditions of each village are different, and his wish can only be wishful thinking. .And Xiu Nian is just a policeman sent by the town government to the countryside to understand the situation, and has no special power, let alone direct the villages to do things, so it is difficult to change this status quo.

Yin Changxing will think that his status is very good, but this is not an embarrassment for outsiders, and only Xiu Nian can understand it.

Moreover, there are some things in Xiu Nian's work that need to abide by the system and cannot be discussed too much with outsiders, so he quickly shifted the topic to Yin Changxing and asked about his recent situation.

"What else? It's not the same as before, continue to run errands for Boss Yu." Yin Changxing replied with a wry smile: "Perhaps this job is suitable for a stupid person like me."

Xiu Nian said: "Didn't you plan to start a small business in Zhoushan?"

Yin Changxing shook his head and said, "It's not easy...I've seen it all over Dinghai Port these days, and there's nothing suitable for a small business. My little capital can't stand the big trouble, so I can only watch it while doing it. Okay. Boss Yu is righteous and willing to give me a hand, otherwise I probably can only go to the pier to carry bags for a meal."

When Yin Changxing said these words, he couldn't help but feel a little frustrated. He mustered up the courage to leave his hometown and venture out, because he had great expectations for his future in Zhoushan, but the situation after he came to Zhoushan was different from his imagination too same.This place is more prosperous than he imagined, and it is a free port that every businessman would like. However, the threshold for entry is relatively high, and it is difficult for him to find a suitable industry to set up his own business with the little capital he has accumulated.

Yin Changxing knew that his strength was limited, and he didn't dare to take too much risk to run a business he was not familiar with in Zhoushan, where he was born. He could only honestly work for Yu Chengli to keep his basic livelihood.

However, it is precisely because he has seen the prosperity of Dinghai Port in Zhoushan that Yin Changxing does not regret his decision to leave his hometown, and he does not intend to consider returning to Seogwipo because of a bad start.Although he envied Xiu Nian's opportunity, he also knew that he couldn't do Xiu Nian's job. After all, Xiu Nian could read and write, but he only gradually learned to write his name after he arrived in Zhoushan. How can I get into Haihan's government office at such a high level.

Xiu Nian said: "You only focus on those businesses that can make a lot of money, and the threshold will naturally not be low. You might as well broaden your horizons and start doing what you can."

Yin Changxing smiled wryly: "I can do my best... I can go fishing. Do I have to go back to my old job now? Why not do odd jobs for Boss Yu, at least I can learn something at ordinary times."

Xiu Nian said: "Since your capital is limited, but you want to run a small business, why bother to compete with those large households in the urban area. Do you know that besides Dinghai Port and the nearby urban areas, there are many towns like Baiquan Town on Zhoushan Island?" In the same township, if you can endure hardships, you can actually run a small business in the countryside.”

Yin Changxing's eyes lit up when he heard it, and he felt that what Xiu Nian said was indeed very reasonable. He had too much obsession before, and he only wanted to make a career in Zhoushan, which instead limited his vision.He remembered that when he came here, there were very few commercial facilities in this town, and it seemed that there was indeed the opportunity that Xiu Nian said.

Yin Changxing was afraid that the wall would have ears, so he deliberately pulled Xiu Nian to a further place before continuing to ask: "Master Xiu Nian, can you tell me in detail what good business here is suitable for me?"

Xiu Nian replied casually: "There are a lot of things you can do to make a living! For example, you can buy a horse-drawn carriage, and usually run errands for the nearby villages, helping them transport the products of the village to the urban area, and transport all kinds of materials back to the village."

"Then what do we do when there is no business? These villages don't have goods to be transported to the city every day, right? Besides, it costs money to raise a pack horse every day." Yin Changxing immediately began to think about it and Xiu Nian came up with this idea. pros and cons.

Xiu Nian said: "When there is no freight business, you can ship your own goods to sell everywhere! There are two to three thousand people in Baiquan Town, and most of the oil, salt, sauce, vinegar, needles, thread, brains, pots and pans that are used in daily life are not available. Do you have to buy it from outside? You prepare some goods yourself, and usually sell them in various villages by car. There are ten villages in Baiquan Town. You can go to one village a day. You will have business after all, and you still can’t afford a horse. horse?"

Xiu Nian's idea is not just a casual one. He has been visiting various villages in Baiquan Town these days, and he has learned more or less about the living conditions of the local people.

Although Zhoushan Island is one of the most important trading ports on the east coast of Daming, the bustling area is mainly concentrated in the area around Dinghai Port on the south side of the island, and towns like Baiquan Town are backed by big trees to enjoy the shade, and have developed based on local conditions. There are some characteristic sideline businesses, but after all, they are only in a rural environment, without the strong commercial atmosphere and convenient material supply channels of Dinghai Port.

Although Baiquan Town has a lot of products, there are also many daily necessities that the countryside cannot produce by itself, or the cost of production is too high, it is far less cost-effective than direct purchase.This type of procurement needs is often met through the market held in the town on the first and fifteenth day of each month. Some vendors will sell some living materials to the town for sale on these two days. At the same time, they will also take orders from the villagers. Order some items from Dinghai Port for the villagers, and earn a difference from the price.

Most villages in this era will have such a form of commerce. For operators, the monthly fixed time market means that they can use the least time investment to maintain a customer base in a certain area, and go to another area at other times. The town fairs in the town do the same business.As long as the time planning is good, the operator can maintain this trade system among multiple towns, and the profits are still considerable.

This kind of business model is not too complicated to operate, and the prospect of making money is very good. As long as someone tastes the sweetness, there will naturally be a lot of smart people to follow up.However, after more people do it, the competition will intensify and the profits will be diluted, and some operators with weak strength will be gradually eliminated. In the end, there will only be some large companies with enough capital, who can reduce costs through purchasing volume, and can afford price wars. In the end, a market balance was formed, and the most powerful large merchants divided up most of the market share.

Although these big households still use this kind of operation method, the scale of operation is no longer small, and it is still difficult to squeeze into this circle with Yin Changxing's capital.However, the traditional mode of operation has gradually been unable to meet the material needs of the wealthy villagers.

When Xiu Nian visited these villages, she heard villagers complain more than once that it was inconvenient to purchase daily necessities. They either waited until the day of the market to go to the town to buy them, or they had to go across Zhoushan Island to Dinghai Port in the south to buy them.Most of the southern urban areas are engaged in wholesale business, and the demand of the villagers is very small, so some things are more expensive than those in the market, and it may not be cost-effective to travel so far to purchase.

So Xiu Nian believes that there is actually a layer of space between the market vendors and the needs of the villagers, but there are too few people who are willing to operate in this gap, at least not in Baiquan Town for the time being.For Yin Changxing, who has limited capital, perhaps this will be a good small deal.

(End of this chapter)