Linxia

Chapter 171, Fleet

At the Fang family's home, candles burned quietly, emitting a gentle and bright light. The turtle soup and fried bamboo shoots on the table emitted a little smoke, which spread along with the fragrance of the food.

The family sat around the table.

Fang's mother was very sad about Mrs. Ou's incident. During the meal, she didn't talk about the neighborhood gossip like she used to. She just kept saying, "God is blind. Another good person died."

"Oh!" Fang Lin also sighed softly.

The food was delicious, but the family didn't appreciate it and ate it hastily.

After dinner, wash up and go to bed.

Fang Lin slept in the same room with Tian Xuan.

I was already tired because the second volume of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" was on sale in the bookstore recently, and I saw Mrs. Ou off in the evening. I could say that I was exhausted both physically and mentally, and I kept yawning.

Tian Xuan pressed his head to relieve his fatigue and said, "Brother Lin, I don't know why, but I always feel like there's a string in your heart that's tense. Sometimes you can let it go and take a break."

"Did Sister Xuan sense all this?" Fang Lin sighed, feeling a sense of comfort of being cared for.

In fact, he was indeed like that. He did not dare to relax at any time, and was always thinking about the Tartars' southward advance and the disaster of the collapse of the world, and was seeking a way to retreat.

"Brother Lin, our family is doing very well now. When we have children in the future, it will depend more on themselves. Children and grandchildren will have their own blessings." Tian Xuan gently touched her belly, which was already a little visibly pregnant, and spoke softly.

"No, Sister Xuan, I am not doing this just to leave a family business for my children...Now, Daxia is at a crossroads, with internal and external troubles. In the future, I am afraid that there will be constant natural disasters...If the world changes, I am weak and lowly, and I cannot change it. I can only think more for our family and prepare a way out."

If it is said that Daxia is gradually corrupt internally and has the Liaodong Tartars externally, this is actually not so bad. It is possible that under external pressure and as the sprouts of capitalism continue to grow, it can take another path.

But unfortunately, this period of time coincided with the Little Ice Age, and the climate disasters in the past two years were only the beginning, with even more terrifying things to come. With so many internal and external troubles, natural disasters and man-made disasters... Fang Lin knew that he had no confidence in himself and could not turn the tide or save the collapsing building by his own efforts. He could only take care of himself and try his best to prepare a way out for his family and those close to him.

……

The next day, Fang Lin did not go to the store. Instead, he helped prepare for Mrs. Ou's funeral with his neighbors.

During this time, I talked to the two daughters of the Ou family about Mrs. Ou: "After we got married, every time we came back, our mother would give us money. We advised her not to do this, saying, 'We have hands and feet, it's not easy for you to make money, don't make it too hard on yourself.' But our mother said, 'I'm idle anyway, I can always earn some money by mending clothes, washing clothes, and cooking for others. I can save some for you. Although it's not much, it's a thought. It's not easy for women to live in their husband's family, you should still have some money of your own.'"

"Mom is in her seventies, but she still walks steadily. She likes to go out to buy things or do things by herself. She will never wait for us to come back if she can do it herself. This is what she insists on..."

Fang Lin got a more comprehensive understanding of Mrs. Ou from them. She was a good mother, a good wife, and a good elder. Thinking of the past, Mrs. Ou's voice, appearance and smile, he couldn't help sighing.

On the day of the burial, many people came, no less than the number of people who came to Fang Lin and Tian Xuan's wedding.

For example, the peddler Zhang Dagou, who brought his wife and children, five or six children in a row, knelt down at the funeral hall, and kowtowed loudly: "Last summer, my wife was sick. The old man was old and the young were young. There was no rice to cook. I was also lame. I didn't want to work at the dock. I made up my mind and came here to steal... Thanks to the old couple for helping me, otherwise my family would have been gone long ago."

Not only Zhang Dagou, but also many families who had been helped by the Ou family and whom the Ou family had forgotten about, came. So did Mr. Ou's students... There was no room for them all in one alley, and they had to take turns coming in.

Neighbors all said that Madam Ou was indeed blessed with a good appearance, and that she had done many good deeds and had been rewarded for her good deeds, which was why she died so gloriously. But when Fang Lin thought about what Master Ou said and what the two daughters of the Ou family said, he realized that although everyone said that Madam Ou had a blessed appearance, she had never enjoyed any good fortune in her life.

……

Not long after Mrs. Ou passed away, everyone except the Ou family quickly forgot about her, even the neighbors only mentioned her occasionally in casual conversation.

Life must go on.

As time went by, the second part of Romance of the Three Kingdoms reached its climax in Huai'an City, but there was still some profit to be made, and the business in the store was much better than in ordinary times.

Moreover, the regular version, illustrated version, color-printed version, and character cards of the second part of Romance of the Three Kingdoms promoted each other, greatly slowing down the decline of the craze and even boosting some sales related to the first part. The store is still crowded with customers every day.

That day, Hong Yingheng came over, sat down and enthusiastically complimented him, "When President Fang's second volume of Romance of the Three Kingdoms came out, it was earth-shattering in the city and created a grand event... Recently, I often hear many shopkeepers in the city sigh that business has obviously been much better recently, and this is all thanks to Shopkeeper Fang."

"You're too kind." Fang Lin shook his head slightly. "No one comes to visit you for no reason. Manager Hong, do you have something important to tell me this time? You can tell me what you want to tell me."

"Well, I know I can't hide it from the president, so I'll just tell you straight out."

Hong Yingheng rubbed his hands and said embarrassedly: "Recently, I asked Zhong Tongsheng to write a book called "Heroes of Sui and Tang Dynasties". It has not been officially launched yet. I want to use Fang Zhanggui's distribution channel..."

"This is easy." Fang Lin nodded and agreed.

In the second part of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms", distributors in various prefectures in the Jianghuai area made a lot of money. In recent days, they have come to us one after another and were extremely enthusiastic to inquire about the next part.

But how could he write so fast? Even if he could, he didn't want to. After a hit, there is a bonus period, and it is natural to reap the bonus.

"Since I can't do it myself, I'll find other books to replace it. What am I doing by establishing the Popular Fiction Guild? Isn't it just to maintain the channel? This way, it can also bring profits to the city's booksellers and unite them around me."

'Just like this time, the second part of Romance of the Three Kingdoms was almost not pirated in the prefecture city. This is the credit of the establishment of the Huai'an Prefecture Popular Fiction Guild. I control the distribution channels so that they dare not offend.'

Fang Lin thought to himself that controlling this channel would allow him to attack or defend, which would indeed have many benefits.

"Also, President Fang, your second volume of Romance of the Three Kingdoms is guaranteed by the Fan family, so you don't have to worry about those distributors breaking the rules, but this time..."

Hong Yingheng was worried that the Fan family had worked hard on the advertisement of the Fan family perfume last time. If the Fan family slacked off this time, something might go wrong. "As the president of our Fucheng Popular Fiction Guild, I built this channel by myself, so naturally I will solve this matter. So, I will go to find the head of the Fan family today."

Since we enjoy the benefits of controlling this channel, we must naturally assume the corresponding responsibilities and obligations.

Besides, this is not a difficult thing to do. It is just a matter of matchmaking, and you can even earn favors from both sides.

For the booksellers in the city, Fang Lin's solution to this problem would enhance his prestige in the guild; for the Fan family, it was just a matter of borrowing a name in order to continue the cooperation and place advertisements, so naturally they would not refuse such a good thing.

'Also, the Fan family has gained a lot from advertising in the second part of Romance of the Three Kingdoms. This is my contribution, so I have to let people know so that they will remember the favor. So, it's time to go to the Fan family to make my presence felt.'

……

Fan family.

Fang Lin came and after the doorman informed him, Fan Qingzeng came out personally to welcome him in, with a big smile on his face and a very warm attitude.

With the huge sales of the second part of Romance of the Three Kingdoms, the reputation of Fanjia Xianglu also spread, especially in the Jianghuai area. Now, doing business no longer requires hard work to open up the situation bit by bit as in the past. Instead, the other party comes to them and begs for cooperation.

It can be said that the huge influence of the second part of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" made the Fan family see Fang Lin's value and pay more attention to him.

Because it was almost noon when Fang Lin arrived, Fan Qingzeng invited him to dinner, and Fan Qiangguang, the eldest son of the Fan family, was there to accompany him in person.

After the village drinking ceremony last year, Huai'an City changed its extravagant style. This lunch was not too luxurious, but it was definitely sumptuous, and each dish was extremely exquisite.

During the dinner, Fang Lin asked the Fan family to continue to guarantee the distribution model, which would be mutually beneficial. The Fan family could also continue to advertise in these popular novels and negotiate advertising prices with the city's booksellers.

"Of course you can do that. I agree." As Fang Lin expected, Fan Qingzeng tasted the sweetness this time and would not refuse at all.

Furthermore, this kind of guarantee is just borrowing the name of the Fan family, and it may not really require the Fan family to take action. Even if they really need to take action, it actually does not take much effort.

Fan Qingzeng thought for a moment and said, "Qiguang, now that our Xianglu has opened up the market and is expanding rapidly, you should focus on this matter. As for guaranteeing the distribution model, negotiating advertising, etc., let your second brother take charge!"

Fan Qiguang’s second brother is Fan Qihui, who accompanied Fang Lin when he invited him to dinner last time.

Fan Qiguang nodded: "My second brother seems to have not given up on overseas business. Recently, he has set his sights on a fleet share released by the Gu family. I will let my second brother give it up and concentrate on the family's fragrant dew business."

"As expected, after trying the quick money from the perfume business, it is difficult for the Fan family to do other businesses! The gift of fate has already been secretly marked with a price. The Fan family chose the labor-saving perfume business, but also lost some possibilities, or the future."

"This is also my chance. Maybe I can try to get a share of the fleet that the Gu family is selling? Even if it's just a partial share, I can understand the operation model and accumulate experience, which is a huge intangible wealth."

Fang Lin thought about it and asked, "Master Fan, Master Fan, I am somewhat interested in the shares of that caravan. Could you tell me something?"

Upon hearing this, Fan Qingzeng also wanted to do a favor, so he explained the whole story: "The Gu family is also one of the largest families in the city. There are people in the family who have taken the imperial examinations, and there are people who do business... Rongxin Trading Company belongs to the Gu family. It includes three weaving workshops, a shipyard, and does silk and cotton business, ceramic business, etc., and also has a fleet... However, because of the "Strange Field" case, they suffered a blow and were seriously injured. That's why they want to sell the shares of one of the fleets..."

In fact, the Fan family was also hit in the "Strange Field Case", and it was not until the fragrance dew business boomed that they recovered. This also resulted in the Fan family paying more attention to the fragrance dew business, and focusing on expanding the fragrance dew business, and being more averse to high-risk businesses such as overseas business.

Fang Lin nodded, remembering that he had once heard Master Ou say that one of his scholar students named Zhou Xiaoyuan had fallen in love with the young lady of the Gu family, but was separated from her because of the huge difference in their social status.

"The shares of the merchant fleet sold by the Gu family are not the core fleet of Rongxin Trading Company, but a fleet jointly opened with the Yang family in the city. I believe Manager Fang has also heard of the reputation of the Yang family..."

Fang Lin had indeed heard of it. It was the Yang family of Mr. Yang who had collided with the woodcutter. Their eldest son was a Jinshi. He had waited for the vacancy and even held a grand banquet.

"The Yang family is also interested in buying these shares and completely controlling this fleet. Therefore, to buy the shares of this merchant fleet, money is only one aspect, and you also need a background that can check and balance the Yang family."

Fan Qingzeng looked at Fang Lin and said, "My Fan family is not afraid of the Yang family. If Manager Fang wants, my Fan family can come forward and take over the shares of this caravan as a proxy."

This is an intentional favor.

Fang Lin thought about it, but declined politely: "Thank you for your kindness, Mr. Fan. I appreciate your kindness, but I haven't made up my mind yet. I don't want to owe you such a big favor, otherwise it would be inappropriate."

On the one hand, he did not want to be too closely tied to the Fan family and be labeled as such, so as to avoid being implicated if something unexpected happened in the future; on the other hand, if this matter allowed the Fan family to take over the proxy holding, if the Fan family went back on their word in the future, who would own the shares in the caravan then?
"Alas, in the final analysis, it is because of my lack of background. The Fan family can withstand the pressure from the Yang family, but I can't. After all, the relationship with Prefect Pu is not that deep, so it's not good to bother him. Besides, Prefect Pu will be transferred in a year or two... By the way, it would be great if Brother Dong could pass the imperial examination this time."

Like Wang Youling and Hu Xueyan, they combined officials and businessmen, from top to bottom, from power to wealth, without any obvious shortcomings, only then could they become big.

This land is ultimately "official-oriented". With a deeply bound official as a backer, Fang Lin can stand on the same starting line as many big families, and the other party will restrain many of their methods, and the degree of security will be greatly guaranteed. For example, in the previous life, unless he was treated as a discarded child, he had never heard of anyone being beaten before his backer fell and completely lost power.

Thinking of Fang Lin's concerns, Fan Qiguang tried to smooth things over, "Brother Fang, I've looked into the fleet business. It has huge risks. If everything goes well, you'll make a lot of money. But if you run aground or encounter a storm, you'll lose everything. This business is too much of a gamble...Brother Fang is now famous all over the world. He can make a lot of money with a popular novel. Why bother getting involved in these businesses?"

"That's right. I'll think about this matter again." Fang Lin said.

During the banquet, Fan Qingzeng and his son Fan Qihui were extremely enthusiastic in toasting each other. For someone who was of great value to them, these people from big families were still very humble, which made people feel like they were in spring breeze.

A meal where both guest and host enjoy themselves.

……

(End of this chapter)