in spring

Chapter 326
After hesitating again and again, Chunying said to her father with some embarrassment: "Actually... because I have made some money in the past two or three months, I... I have paid attention to the housing prices in nearby towns... There are two shops in Changshu County, The one with the shop in the front and the house in the back, the place is quite spacious, the price is not expensive, and it happens to be on the edge of the river, so it is very convenient to travel. I thought... If I settled there, it would be convenient to travel to and from Suzhou, and it is far away from Taicang It is not far from the state, and it is not troublesome to go to the residence of the Nanyang Fleet in Houfu." She carefully looked at her father's face, and quickly lowered her head.

Why don't you understand Lu Yougui?Hu Fei's farm is in Changshu County, and his family settled there. After his daughter gets married, it will be convenient for him to come and go. Even now, since Hu Fei hasn't come back, it's not a problem for his daughter to take care of his farm.It’s just that he himself has other ideas: “Although Changshu is good, Changshu cloth is not as popular as Songjiang cloth outside. Why don’t you buy property in Songjiang? Otherwise, Jiading County is also good. I heard that Jiading also has a lot of cotton cloth, which is no less than Songjiang cloth. , the housing price is not too expensive, and it is closer to Taicang.”

Chunying blushed, and said in a low voice: "Jiading... the dental shops there control the cotton cloth business, and only local merchants can do it. Outsiders are not even allowed to go to weaving households to receive goods. We can’t get in. Besides, the fields there can only grow cotton, not as good as the fields in Changshu, which can also grow grain.”

Lu Yougui didn't know about these things. He also heard others mention it. Unlike Chunying, who went around the surrounding towns a few times, he didn't insist on hearing what his daughter said, but he still felt that Changshu was too far away: "For the time being Let's do business in Suzhou for a few more days, it's convenient to collect and sell here, and you don't have to worry about finding buyers." Chunying had no choice but to agree.

Not long after, Lu Yougui went to the Yamen of Suzhou Prefecture to obtain a dental practice license.Because he is from the capital and has no plans to settle in Suzhou, he spent a lot of effort and invited a steward of the Houfu fleet to write a letter and spent some money. Finally, after five days, he got the official residence. license document.

Lu Yougui didn't set up shop like Chunying did, he just fought guerrilla warfare.He thought of the Jiading dental practice that his daughter had mentioned, and knew that he was a foreigner after all, and it would be difficult to do so for a long time if he did not seriously try to integrate into the local dental circle. The district bought the yard of a shop in the front and a house in the back, and invited a businessman who had done the transaction before as an introducer, and invited colleagues from the surrounding shops to have a drink in a big restaurant to make contact.

The dental shop in Suzhou Mansion, which specializes in cotton cloth business, has long heard of the reputation of "Second Sister Lu". It is also the source of Wu Di's goods, plus she is a woman, and their group of "old men" can't care about the little girl, so they didn't do anything wrong just now.Seeing that her father is sensible and willing to advance and retreat with everyone, she reluctantly accepted their dental practice in the local area, intending to see what the Lu family is doing before making a statement.

Lu Yougui has also experienced in the business field for several years. When he was a porter in the past, he had seen all kinds of people and so on. How could he not see the meaning of everyone?He didn't say anything, and still entertained with a smile, and asked them about the rules and taboos in the industry, planning to follow them.Seeing him like this, everyone became more affectionate on their faces.

Chun Ying was somewhat disapproving of the actions of these dental dealers. It is no problem to unify the selling price, and it can avoid price wars.According to the standards they set, the weavers can only maintain food and clothing, but if other merchants offer a slightly higher price, the weavers may change their course, but the dental shops in Suzhou are not as good as the dental shops in Jiading. In that way, you can completely control the local weaving households.The result of forced low-price receipt will only become more and more unfavorable to the operation of local dental shops in Suzhou.

However, she also understands her father's concerns, the so-called strong dragon does not overwhelm the local snake, and their family is new, so there is no need to break the local rules of the teeth setting business.

Lu Yougui probably also understood his daughter's thoughts. Since the establishment of the tooth shop, he has not asked Chunying to take care of the business again. Even the accountant has been hired separately. The skilled workers who come here also have a temporary employment economy. Except for one accountant who is a local, the others are not from Suzhou.Mo Han became a buddy, and he was able to help Lu Yougui.Lu Yougui specially increased his monthly salary, which was a full two taels of silver, which was almost the same as the treatment of the small steward of the Hou Mansion back then.

Chunying had been sullen for a few days because of her father's behavior of abandoning her. After hearing her father say a few good things, her face calmed down.Although she won't be doing business anymore, she can still help with housework.She specially brought Mrs. He and Aunt Yao to tidy up the new house carefully. Whether it was the shops in the front or the houses in the back, they were all tidy and decent, and every piece of furniture and decoration was just right.

She also specially set up a reception room next to the front shop, which is what people often call an elegant room. She placed simple and elegant furniture with elegant style, and bought two works by a well-known calligrapher to hang on the wall. On the small table by the window there are potted orchids, and on the shelf as a space, there are neatly stacked rolls of samples with labels on them. Which one does the door-to-door merchants fancy? You can find the corresponding goods in the warehouse and complete the delivery procedure quickly, which is very convenient.

After tidying up the house, Lu Yougui inspected it back and forth carefully, and nodded secretly: "My daughter has been serving a rich family for many years, and it really is not useless at all. At least she has seen the world and knows how to do housework.But thinking about the usual style of the Hou Mansion, and also thinking about the Dong Mansion, I feel a lot of gratitude to the second old lady and the second wife of the Dong Mansion, and I am more confident that my daughter will be able to take care of the small family after she gets married. It's all right, don't worry about it.

Of course, with Chunying's style, she can't stay obediently in the backyard and do housework for an ancient lady. The father of the cotton cloth business has already decided that she can't get involved, so she made three suggestions to him.

The first is to concurrently operate silk and satin gauze.This is also to provide Dong Mansion and Hou Mansion with a reliable supply channel of fabrics. In addition to the daily use of the two mansions, it can also be supplied to the shop in charge of Mu Chen and the newly opened silk and satin shop in Dong Mansion. It can maintain the connection with the two mansions. Leveraging their power to gain a foothold abroad can guarantee sales, and at the same time borrow the power of the Marquis Mansion fleet to travel between Beijing and Shanghai for free, and even the communication channel does not need to be paid for by oneself, which is convenient and fast.

The second is that all clothing materials, whether cotton or silk, are only made in a few varieties, and the quality is strictly controlled.After all, there are many varieties of cotton cloth in the Songjiang area of ​​Suzhou, Hangzhou, and almost every village and town has its own special products. The word "complete" is not practical for outsiders like the Lu family, and it adds labor costs. It is better to keep a few Reputable, high-quality and popular cotton fabrics, together with a few Suzhou-style silk fabrics that other cotton fabric shops do not make, can achieve the maximum profit at the minimum cost. Strict quality requirements are also conducive to building a reputation.Lu Yougui was used to running a silk and satin shop before, so he didn't get out of the words "full collection of designs and colors" for a while. Thanks to his daughter's reminder, he changed the way of operation and improved the efficiency.

The third is to establish a limited cooperative relationship with other cloth shops and satin shops, and to grasp the list of fabric designs and colors that each company owns and does not operate. Because they only produce a few fixed designs and colors, I am not afraid that the other party will be suspicious. ——If a door-to-door merchant cannot find the goods he wants in his own dental store, the dental store can contact him with a cloth store, silk shop or even a dental store that has the goods as soon as possible. If the business is completed, only a small intermediary fee will be charged.In this way, on the one hand, we can make good friends with colleagues, on the other hand, it is also convenient for customers, which is very beneficial to newcomers like them.

Lu Yougui thought for two days before deciding to adopt all these suggestions.Soon, Lujia Yaxing's clean and elegant storefront, as well as the owner's crisp, friendly and thoughtful work style, as well as high-quality goods, won the unanimous praise of foreign merchants and colleagues.Even if the price is the same as that of other dental shops in Suzhou, merchants from other places are still willing to come to their home.It didn't take long for Lujia Yaya to gain a firm foothold in Suzhou City.

After the Mid-Autumn Festival and the Double Ninth Festival, after entering October, the weather will cool down. Even though it is in the warm south of the Yangtze River, people have to wear thick jackets.Mother Lu was worried about her son and daughter's grandson who stayed in Beijing, so she clamored to go back and asked Chunying to accompany her.Lu Yougui said, "I'll keep Chun'er to check the accounts for me! Although there is an account room, you should be careful if you are an outsider. If you want to leave, I will ask someone to take you off. Before winter, they are going north, I will go to find out when they will leave tomorrow, you just follow the boat."

Mother Lu curled her lips, but she also knew that her husband's dental business had just gained a foothold, and it was impossible for him to accompany her home at this time, so she complained: "It's all made by you father and daughter, why can't you open a shop in Beijing? If you want to travel to Suzhou, it will take more than 20 days to go home now!"

Chunying persuaded her in a low voice: "Mother, the winter in the south of the Yangtze River is warmer than that in the capital. Why don't you just leave and ask someone to send your brother over here? If my sister's family is fine, let her whole family come! Children are most afraid of the cold, and the winter in Jiangnan will always be better than in Beijing."

"It's useless!" Lu's mother shook her head, "Our relatives and friends are all in Beijing, so why don't you go back and have a look after Chinese New Year? That's fine, you have business to do, I'll go back by myself!" He rushed upstairs.Chunying turned her head to look at her father, who calmly turned back to look at the ledger, so she had no choice but to sigh helplessly.

Lu's mother insisted on returning to Beijing, so Lu Yougui had to entrust the steward of the Houfu fleet to send her on the boat back to Beijing, and let Mrs. He accompany her.As soon as her mother left, Chunying took over all the housework. Since there was only one elderly Aunt Yao in the inner house, she went shopping again and chose a ten-year-old girl who was sent by her uncle after her parents died. , named Xiaoxiang, I bought it and fine-tuned it so that I could be my helper.

The days passed like this day by day, the life of the Lu family got better and better, and the business of the Lu family became more and more stable.Although it is not the merchant with the largest business, nor the best quality, nor the most complete variety of goods, it has gradually established its own brand in the day-to-day transactions, and is well received by its stable and friendly style. The trust of tooth shops, weaving households and foreign merchants inside and outside Suzhou city.

Seeing the benefits brought by his daughter's proposal to the dentist, Lu Yougui once again sighed: "It's a pity, why are you a daughter's family? If it is a son, I also have a helper."

Chunying disapproved and said: "Father, what are you talking about? Am I not your helper now? Why is it that only your son can be your helper?"

Lu Yougui smiled: "Although that's the case, in this world, there is absolutely no daughter's family who shows up to take care of business, so I have to run around outside."

Chunying was even more disapproving: "I think Jiangnan has a more open-minded folk style than the capital. The Zhangjiabu shop at the end of the street, isn't Mrs. Zhang the owner? I think she usually manages the shop and even communicates with other colleagues. , and there is nothing to shy away from."

"She is different from you." Lu Yougui said, "She is a widow and has a son, but the son is too young to take care of the family business for him. The Zhang family is also a veteran in the local area. She is old and her family It is natural to respect her. You are a girl who has not left the court, and it is inconvenient to do things everywhere. When you get married, it is another story." After a pause, "Then again, Brother Hu is already on his way back, right? Wait for him When you come back, you should also take care of things, you are not too young!"

She's under 19, okay?Chun Ying curled her lips, and knew that in ancient times, it was too late to marry at this age.But what her father said reminded her of one thing: "Father, I almost forgot to tell you that I asked Mohan to hire a man in Liujiagang, and gave him a sling of money every month, so that he could make a special trip at the pier to inquire about treasure ships. As soon as Brother Xiao Fei and his mission return to Daming, we will get the news immediately. I asked him to report to the front shop, you remember to order the guys not to drive people away."

Lu Yougui was drinking tea when he heard the words and was choked up. He stared at his daughter for a long time before sighing: "Forget it, it's not easy for you..."

(someone is coming back...)
(End of this chapter)