Shopkeeper Hu received the Five Blessings and heard the waiter talk about what happened during his absence this month.
It turned out that the shopkeepers in the town saw Wufuji making a small profit from dried potatoes and vermicelli, so they all went to inquire about it, and then they went to Erli Village one after another to place orders. This is not the end of it, those shops would rather make less money
They also want to keep customers at home, so the prices are lower than Wufuji, so that now the business of other items in the store is not doing well.
But when shopkeeper Hu heard this, he had no reaction at all and instead smiled disdainfully.
The clerks were confused. They just thought that their shopkeeper was confused and didn't dare to ask any more questions. They just waited on the side carefully.
But shopkeeper Hu doesn't care about the vermicelli and dried potato business now.
What he wants to do is a huge deal!
This has to be said about the birthday banquet held at the home of Zuo Cheng, the chief minister of the Five Fortunes in Beijing.
According to imperial decrees, Dai had explicitly prohibited officials from doing business since the founding of the country, in order to prevent officials from using their power to compete with the people. The decree was initially implemented well, but since the branch of Empress Gaozong's relatives became involved in business,
This provision appears to be insignificant.
Because the royal court's salary was limited, officials had to socialize with each other and even make offerings. This salary was only enough for the family to make ends meet, so how could there be enough money to do these things? Everyone was jealous when they saw this relative making a lot of money by branching out to do business.
The bowl was full, and the emperor was silent, so he felt very excited.
As time went by, there were some bold people who acted up and down the line. After that, almost the entire bureaucracy, no matter how big or small you were, everyone tacitly agreed to let the wife family do business, or branch out to the sea, and each showed his or her talents.
.
Zuo Cheng, the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, was a branch of the family a generation ago. He was the legitimate son of the head of the family, became a capital official, and was in charge of the Ministry of Personnel appointed by officials all over the world. However, several brothers from the side branch were in the shadow.
Under his care, they went about their business.
Speaking of which, the main branches are all unrelated, but they are deeply involved, that is, every year, 50% of the business profits of the side branches must be paid to the main branch.
So this time Zuo Cheng's mother is celebrating her 70th birthday. Countless shopkeepers from this branch of the family have been coming to Beijing every day for a month, so their warehouses are full, waiting for the day to come.
Ancestor, I like to fight for dignity.
The residence of the Minister of Civil Affairs is a courtyard with four entrances. There is a huge screen wall with the word "Auspicious Clouds and Fortune" at the entrance, and behind it is a winding and deep hand-painted corridor. It does not appear to be very luxurious or decorated, but in fact it is low-key and elegant.
When you walk into the courtyard, you will see exquisite rockeries and flowing water, green trees and flowers, and the corridors are decorated with bright red silk, which reflects the atmosphere of celebrating a birthday that day and makes it lively and festive.
Shopkeeper Hu was not qualified to see this scene.
When he arrived in the capital, he only waited to hear the news in the side courtyard where his boss, the second master of the Zuo family branch, Zuo Jin, was temporarily staying in the middle of the capital. Only when all the Five Fortunes Storekeepers had arrived could they each prepare the dishes.
Take out the things and show them to the second master one by one. Only those with approval can be included in the gift list.
So this is said to be a gift, but in fact it is also a great opportunity for each shop to gain a reputation in front of the owner.
"Lao Hu, long time no see. How are you?"
The speaker was Zhou Pan, the shopkeeper of Wufuji in Liangcheng County, whom shopkeeper Tonghu had not dealt with for a long time.
"I'd like to thank you for your consideration. It's very good."
Shopkeeper Hu was too lazy to share his hypocrisy.
This guy may look kind-hearted, but he is actually very scheming, and he is best at stumbling on others secretly. He is now working as a shopkeeper in the small town of Songling, and it is because of this guy's blessing.
Zhou Pan felt bored when he saw that shopkeeper Hu was very wary of him. Moreover, I heard that the business in Songling Town was not very good now, and the performance was very poor. Maybe the second master would close the shop sometime, so She no longer paid him any attention, and after just a few casual conversations, she walked away and had a lively chat with the other shopkeepers.
Shopkeeper Hu was left alone. It was not until shopkeeper Qiao arrived later that the two of them gathered in the corner to talk for a few words.
"I'm lucky here. I got a good southern pearl. I think I will be selected this time." Shopkeeper Qiao smiled brightly and asked again, "What have you prepared?"
"I have nothing to offer in this run-down town, so I only brought some dried potato vermicelli, hoping it would be fresh enough to catch the eye of the master."
Shopkeeper Hu didn't seem to be very interested and answered lazily.
"How can you be like this! I got news last time that the second master is planning to close your shop. If you don't take this opportunity to get some good things to try, who knows whether the second master will be able to do it by then? I’ll send you home!”
Shopkeeper Qiao actually still has some true feelings for Shopkeeper Hu. They both started out as waiters together back then, and now they can't bear to see their old partner end up in such a miserable state.
"By the way, I still have two century-old ginseng roots here. I wanted to use them as foils, so I'll share them with you!"
As he said that, he took the box on the table and stuffed it into Shopkeeper Hu's hand.
"No, no need!" Shopkeeper Hu didn't expect Shopkeeper Qiao to be able to help him like this, so he hurriedly leaned into the other party's ear and whispered: "I actually got something new, but there are so many people here, it's hard to tell him in advance. .I’m here to give you a thorough explanation. This thing of mine is definitely no worse than your Nanzhu.”
As soon as these words came out, Shopkeeper Qiao also became curious, but the other shopkeepers around him were standing not far away. Seeing Shopkeeper Hu's cautious look, he suppressed the idea of asking again and just nodded to the other shopkeeper with a knowing smile.
Shopkeeper Zhou Panzhou caught a glimpse of the two chatting and laughing out of the corner of his eye, and he felt strange. The man named Qiao would have told the news to the man named Zhou. How come that man could laugh so happily after hearing this?
But he didn't allow him to think about it, a young servant came outside the house, asked the shopkeepers to take the things with him, and went to the side room of the hall to wait for the second master to summon him.
The second master Zuojin sat on the main seat at the head of the hall. He spread his right hand out of boredom and looked at the purple enamel ring on his middle finger in the light coming from outside.
This was made from a rare purple gemstone that he collected from Nanyang merchants at a large price. He hired the best gemstone craftsmen in Jiangnan and spent more than a month to get it. This time, he also brought it to his hand. I don't want to let myself be lost in the competition among other families.
You must know that although his surname is Zuo, he is only a side branch of the branch. He is a distant relative of the main family. The family's financial resources and strength are far from comparable to those of the other branches.
As a result of this trip to Beijing, he didn't seek any success, only stability, and no embarrassment.
Who told him that the Five Blessings Book in his hand was just a small shop selling groceries?
Pan Ren, the chief shopkeeper, stood aside, looking at his second master's careless look and sighing in his heart.
You can cheer up. You've finally finished this errand. Maybe you can get a reward from the old man when you get back.
The servant who announced outside came to the door, bowed and told the shopkeeper outside that everything was ready. The big shopkeeper raised his chin and signaled the other party to wait.
"Second Master, the shopkeepers are coming soon. Look..."
Zuo Jin was still touching the ring on his hand, obviously absent-minded. The shopkeeper couldn't stand it anymore and couldn't help but remind him.
"Well, call me in."
Zuo Jin hummed and agreed, but when the first shopkeeper took the box and stood in the middle of the room, he still didn't even raise his eyelids.
"The little shopkeeper of Wufuji in Huangshi County, a pair of Fengyu Ruyi."
After the shopkeeper finished speaking, he opened the sandalwood box in his hand, revealing a pair of small Ruyi Lai inside.
"Oh? Yu Ruyi?"
Zuo Jin raised his head when he heard this, and his eyes fell on the small box.
I saw a pair of sapphires inside, which were green and even in color. At first glance, there were no flaws, but they were only about the size of a child's palm. Because of the distance, I couldn't see clearly how the carving was.
As far as the variety and size of this jade are concerned, it is already outstanding.
Zuo Jin didn't say anything, and there was no sign of satisfaction or dissatisfaction on his face. He just waved his hand and asked others to stand aside and wait.
The shopkeeper in Huangshi County was sweating on his forehead, and he didn't know if what he had prepared would work.
He is just an ordinary shopkeeper in a remote county. How can he have any spare money to buy gifts? This sapphire Ruyi is already the best thing he can find. If the second master doesn't like it, then he will be relieved of his duties as shopkeeper.
, he has nothing to be unwilling to do.
The next person who came in was Shopkeeper Qiao from Nanzi County. He had two small boxes in his hands. One of them opened to reveal a Nanzhu as big as half a child's fist, and the other contained two century-old ginseng roots.
