Uncle from a poor family

Chapter 180 PPT Financing (Seeking Tickets)
Zhang Yanling took Chai Meng home and met Zhang Luan.

It can be considered as a formal apprenticeship.

However, Zhang Yanling had already made three rules with Chai Meng.

In name, Chai Meng was the teacher, but the two of them had to get along with each other as equals, and Zhang Yanling's status was even higher, so they essentially maintained a "master-servant relationship."

If this had happened in the past, especially in Shanxi, Chai Meng would have been furious when hearing such an impolite request.

How can I give you face if you are so disrespectful to your teacher?

But now that he was in the capital, the Zhang family was still the future in-laws' family, and Zhang Yanling was the future uncle of the emperor... In addition, Chai Meng discovered that, apart from his fame, it seemed difficult for him to compete with the boy in front of him in other aspects.

It was a very strange feeling. I could clearly have the advantage, but I seemed to be suppressed everywhere.

then……

For some unknown reason, he accepted the conditions offered by Zhang Yanling.

no way.

People have to bow their heads under the eaves.

Unless he doesn't want to stay in Beijing anymore, he should pack his bags and return to his hometown in Shanxi. It is hard to say whether he and his sister can make a name for themselves in the future.

"From now on, I'll leave my son in the care of Mr. Chai."

Zhang Luan bowed deeply to Chai Meng, showing special courtesy.

no way.

Zhang Luan is a man who cares about his reputation.

When he learned that Chai Meng's sister lost the opportunity to be selected as the Crown Princess because of his report, he felt guilty. Now he asked Chai Meng to come back and be a teacher to his son, which he felt was a good way to compensate him.

"Mr. Zhang, you are too kind. Your son... Oh, by the way, where is your eldest son now?"

Chai Meng wanted to say something, but found himself at a loss for words. He had no idea how to describe this feeling, so he could only ask a random question.

Zhang Luan replied: "Oh, are you talking about Heling? He is not suitable for studying. Don't bother with him in the future."

I go!

Chai Meng thought to himself, as a father, you really can't treat your two sons equally, no wonder your eldest son behaves so rudely.

But then I think about it again, it's true, your eldest son's mental state is very consistent with his current age and experience.

But your youngest son is such a shrewd person, he can’t be controlled. He really can’t be controlled!

At this time, Zhang Yanling came over and said with a smile: "Dad, we have met and are familiar with each other. Should I go to Mr. Chai to ask for advice? Can I go now?"

"you……"

Zhang Luan thought about it and originally had something to instruct, but seeing the situation it seemed unnecessary to tell. He was confused for a moment as to whether he was inviting a master back or an assistant.

"Mr. Chai, let's go out first. We still have some things to do today... Dad, we won't be back for lunch."

Zhang Luan asked, "What do you mean, your elder brother wants to go with you too?"

"Yes."

Zhang Yanling said as a matter of course, "Didn't Dad agree to let my brother and I take care of the business? We are going out for this matter.

"Dad, didn't you say before that you wanted to go to the Imperial College? Go early and come back early, don't delay... I'm leaving first."

……

……

"Master Zhang, you..."

Chai Meng and Zhang Yanling went out of the door, still in a daze.

This meeting with his parents had a great psychological impact on him.

I thought that as a student, Zhang Luan should be an old scholar who is old-fashioned and dogmatic. Otherwise, how could he raise the daughter of the Crown Princess?

But hearing about it is not as good as meeting it in person. After meeting him, I realized that Zhang Luan was also a bit off.

This family is full of weirdos, and it seems... that only the boy in front of me is the most normal one.

Zhang Yanling smiled and said, "Mr. Chai, don't call me Young Master anymore. Just call me Yanling. I'll take you to see someone today."

"who?"

Chai Meng asked curiously.

"She is a merchant named Qin, a woman, who has some influence in Huizhou. This time she sent someone to ask us to meet, probably to discuss financing and shareholding." Zhang Yanling said.

Zhang Heling came running over from behind and asked anxiously, "Second Brother, is it done to get the silver?"

Zhang Yanling said: "It's just a communication stage now, whether it will succeed or not is still unknown. But the chances should still be quite high."

Chai Meng asked in surprise: "You two, shouldn't I be teaching you knowledge? Why is this happening?"

Zhang Yanling said with a smile: "I am not taking the exam, so there is no need to rush to study. Besides, Mr. Chai may not be able to teach me."

"you……"

Chai Meng thought, why do you still look down on me? I am a scholar, and my knowledge should not be much worse than your father's. Didn't he also go to prison as a scholar?
Zhang Yanling said, "Once you miss this opportunity, you will miss this store. Whether the business can be successful depends on whether today's business negotiations go smoothly. Mr. Chai, shall we go?"

……

……

Inside the teahouse.

Shopkeeper Qin, along with Xu Gong and several followers, had been waiting for a long time. Unlike others, when she arrived, she would definitely book the entire place, with her people inside and outside.

It was not just to show off his financial strength, but also to make it easier for him to talk business with Zhang Yanling without being disturbed.

"The two young masters of the Zhang family, as well as Captain Qin and Mr. Chai, I have heard a lot about you. I would like to greet you all here." Shopkeeper Qin stood up and bowed.

Zhang Yanling smiled and waved his hand: "Why are you so polite, Mr. Qin? Let's sit down and talk." Shopkeeper Qin looked at Tan Yun and said cautiously: "With officials present, how dare a common woman sit down?"

Qin Yun hurriedly said, "In that case... Young Masters, I will go out and wait for you. I won't disturb you any more. When we are done, just give me your response... and leave."

After saying that, Qin Yun led the two Jinyiwei he brought with him out of the teahouse.

When Shopkeeper Qin saw this scene, he couldn't help but be a little surprised.

Even though she was now very clear that the status of the Zhang family was no longer what it used to be, she still didn't expect that a captain of the Jinyiwei would be treated like a follower and be summoned and dismissed at will by the two Zhang brothers.

And this Qin Yun is not an ordinary person.

They had long since found out that Qin Yun rose to power through his relationship with Qin Chang, the seal holder of the Imperial Household Department. Logically speaking, Qin Yun was not without a background, and as the nephew of the Prime Minister, he did not need to curry favor with anyone.

"Master Qin, I went to the Huizhou Merchants House before, but I was in a hurry. I was really presumptuous... There were many things I didn't explain clearly, so I was vague about what kind of business I was doing and the proportion of my shares. I am very sorry."

Zhang Yanling seemed very humble. He apologized first before continuing, "If I had known earlier, I should have brought a complete plan with me."

"Proposal?"

Shopkeeper Qin was stunned for a moment, then he smiled.

This statement is quite fresh!
"If you want to start a business, how can you do it without a plan? So today I brought a fairly detailed plan, which covers the industry to be operated, the expected income, the annual share, and so on."

As he spoke, Zhang Yanling took out a stack of rice paper from his arms.

Apparently, his plan was not formal enough and was not bound into a book. Instead, it was just a series of sketches drawn with a brush.

Xu Gong looked at him curiously and said, "Master, this young master of the Zhang family is really humorous and witty. He actually drew such a novel thing. It's totally unheard of!"

Shopkeeper Qin smiled and said, "Then... may I ask, young sir, you want to raise 5,000 taels of silver at a time. Even if you are doing a very large business, you can't use that much at once, right? Besides, your family has just married the East Palace, and many things... are just beginning. Isn't it a bit too hasty to do this?"

Zhang Heling frowned and said unhappily, "You don't trust us? Then why did you take the initiative to invite us to come and discuss?"

"Brother, don't say that."

Zhang Yanling understood the tug-of-war at the negotiation table and said, "Master Qin, are you worried about the two of us coming out to talk to you? Let's put it this way, we are actually representing my father...

"Due to his status, my father is not convenient to intervene in many matters. My brother and I don't have so many concerns. After all, we are young and frivolous. Even if we fail to accomplish the task in the end, it can only be regarded as a tarnishing of the family tradition and will not affect my father's reputation. Outsiders can only say that we are not strict enough in discipline!"

Shopkeeper Qin complimented: "Your father is really thoughtful."

Zhang Yanling smiled and said, "This is what I told my father. In my opinion, he should not interfere in business matters. We should make the decisions on our own."

"This……"

Shopkeeper Qin looked very hesitant.

Cooperating with Zhang Luan was already a big risk, but unexpectedly, I would end up negotiating business with two younger generations of the Zhang family?

This can't be called taking a risk, it's pure nonsense!
Zhang Yanling smiled and said, "Why don't you take a look at our plan first, Mr. Qin? My father was able to find a way to cure the smallpox epidemic that has been circulating in China for thousands of years, but he is a much worse son... Does Mr. Qin think that we brothers are here to get into trouble?"

Shopkeeper Qin nodded and said, "Then please show me your plan, young master."

"it is good."

Zhang Yanling took out his plan and opened the first page, on which was a string of symbols drawn like ghostly talismans.

Although there is a row of annotations below, just looking at this plan...

Shopkeeper Qin and Xu Gong were both stunned.

That's really incomprehensible!
Xu Gong couldn't help but ask, "Young Master, are you painting?"

Zhang Yanling smiled and replied, "Oh, this is called a chemical molecular formula. It is the first project that I cooperated with Manager Qin. In other words, your five thousand taels of silver are invested in this project. In general, it is to manufacture soda ash."

"what?"

Xu Gong almost dropped his jaw.

Shopkeeper Qin asked, "What is soda ash? Is it used to make pasta?"

Zhang Yanling pointed at the pile of ghostly things on the paper and said, "Soda ash, its chemical name is sodium carbonate. Of course, we don't need to care about this... As the name suggests, soda ash is an alkali, commonly known as soda. Adding a little bit when making dough can eliminate the acidity in the dough, making it taste better, and it can also play a role in fermentation and expansion.

"In some places in the Ming Dynasty, natural soda ash is produced, but the output is very small and transportation is very difficult. The method I want to use can produce this substance anytime and anywhere, and mass-produce it to supply the market continuously."

Xu Gong asked, "What is the use of this thing?"

Zhang Yanling said, "Do you know what wood ash is? It is a bit like wood ash in terms of cleaning functions."

Xu Gong almost vomited blood after hearing this.

Let us invest five thousand taels of silver just to accompany you in making wood ash?

Is it necessary to invest in producing that thing?
Why not just find a place to pile up some straw and burn it?
Why bother?

Zhang Heling was also a little puzzled after hearing this, and asked: "Second brother, your business sounds quite novel, but how do you make money?"

Zhang Yanling thought, it’s time to show off my ability to raise funds through PPT.

Then he spread out the second piece of rice paper and said, "This involves the function of soda ash. It can be used in many fields. There is an industry on the market, which is printing and dyeing, that is, the processing of cloth. In the presence of soda ash, the cloth can be bleached and the impurities can be removed.

"At the same time, it can also improve the printing and dyeing process, fix the printed colors, and make the colors of the produced cloth more vivid."

"This……"

Shopkeeper Qin frowned and then looked at Xu Gong beside him.

Xu Gong also frowned: "It seems to be the case, but..."

Zhang Yanling said: "Let me continue... Soda ash is not only used for printing and dyeing, but can also be used to mass-produce a cleaning product called soap. With this product, you can quickly and easily wash your hands and facial skin, and it can also be used for bathing.

“In addition, it can also be used as a metallurgical additive to remove impurities when making iron or copper objects. Of course, with our current strength, the projects we can operate do not include metal smelting.

"There is another extremely important function."

Zhang Yanling unfolded another page of PPT, "It is used to make glass products. As we all know, the production of glassware nowadays will produce a lot of bubbles and impurities, and it is impossible to make it clear and transparent. But with soda ash, everything is different. Glass products may really enter thousands of households."

When Zhang Yanling said this, there were still a few pages of the plan that had not been opened, but he was not in a hurry. Instead, he first glanced at Manager Qin and Xu Gong to guess whether the other party was interested and whether there was any possibility of investment.

(End of this chapter)