Lin Gao Qiming

Chapter 1388 Visit
Phoenix Mountain Villa has a special ice cellar, which not only stores ice, but also stores a large amount of fresh fruits, vegetables and meat.The fresh lychees from Phoenix Mountain Villa are well-known among the gentry circles in Hangzhou.Although the price is ridiculously expensive, and there is a purchase limit, you still have to make a reservation if you want to buy it.

While eating lychees, the guests tasted delicious wine and delicacies, all drunk.Seeing that the masters were already in high spirits, Cai Shi hurried down to ask the kabuki to come up and serve him.

At the end of the Ming Dynasty, theatrical drama was very popular, and all the rich and powerful kept theatrical troupes in their own families, but Zhao Yingong disliked that the cost of raising theatrical troupes was too high-it was a lot of expenses just to prepare the "clothes" and ask for tutors. field disturbance.At the beginning, a few people at Leizhou station got a few more maids and were beaten and killed.

But I don't have a troupe, so it's inconvenient to deal with the gentry. "Aussie Stuff" is still relatively weak in terms of entertainment.Zhao Yingong kept a troupe of musicians.

These musicians are all carefully selected from the refugees who sold themselves, and each of them practiced a traditional musical instrument.The Senate has no objection to this matter. After all, there is an excuse to cultivate traditional music talents, which is even more attractive to some veterans who like to "expose traditional romance".The maid training class also intends to include musical instruments in the maid training courses.

Zhao Yingong also intended to curry favor with the general office, and spared no expense in inviting famous teachers in the academy to teach him. Although the skills are still immature, the gentlemen who listen to the music just use it as a pastime—the drunkard's intention is not to drink.

I saw a servant woman in Tsing Yi leading six girls over and bowing to the banquet together.They are all girls with double hairdos, ranging from [-] to [-] to [-] or [-]. They all wear tight-sleeved shirts of azure blue and blue, with pale red bijia, which look delicate and refined. The same musical instrument, bowing its knees in front of the banquet, with a graceful posture, no matter how well-informed the several masters are, they can't help being moved.

"This gift is different, is it Brother Zhao's family gift?" Wen Huai was very happy.

"This is a new custom in Guangli." Zhao Yingong smiled, and suddenly frowned, and asked, "Why, only six people were brought here?"

The servant woman seemed a little uneasy, she lowered her head and said back: "Returning to the master, Miss Xihua said that they skipped too many lessons these days to practice the music, and they stayed behind for fear of delaying their homework."

Zhao Yingong showed displeasure on his face, slowly put down the cup in his hand, stared at the maid and said, "Did she say that?"

Under his gaze, the servant girl could no longer stand, she managed not to kneel down, and said in a trembling voice, "Your servant dare not lie."

Zhao Yingong was silent for a moment and said: "Go down."

The maid hurriedly retreated, there were already twelve round stools under the tree on the side of the banquet, but now only half of the people were seated, which seemed a little empty, Wu Zhixiang felt that Zhao Yingong's face was a little bit off, and hurriedly said: "Let's listen first." Come on."

Zhao Yingong paused for a while, tapped the tooth board a few times, the pipa and the zither played first, followed by the flute accompaniment, the strings were slightly tuned, and a soft, gentle, and smooth melody rose leisurely like flowing water .

However, those present, apart from Wen Huai being a well-to-do family, also have at least a few girl musicians at home. After listening to it, they feel that the level of these little girls in the Zhao family is "passable" at best. Can't help but secretly surprised, Mr. Zhao's high-end atmosphere is well-known in Hangzhou for his food, but he didn't expect the girl music at home to be like this - he couldn't help showing a disappointed expression on his face.

Although the women's music was not good, fortunately it did not affect the gentlemen's leisure and elegance. After some entertainment, the slightly drunk gentlemen were all helped down, and someone arranged sedan chairs for them to go home.

Only this Wu Zhixiang was unwilling to leave - he came here for another purpose.

Not long after Zhao Yingong's silk reeling factory was put into operation, the raw silk produced had quietly flowed into the market.In order to see the market's reaction to this kind of raw silk, Zhao Yingong secretly sent someone to sell a batch of raw silk anonymously to the "computer room" to collect users' reactions.As a result, this batch of raw silk received great praise as soon as it appeared. This kind of silk is not only a high-quality "fine silk", but also whiter and smoother than the best "Qili silk" on the market.

The point is that the price of this kind of silk is quite low, only [-]% more expensive than the locally produced "fat silk".

Whether it is the owner of the silk shop or the owner of the machine room, they are all attracted by this cheap and high-quality raw silk for a while, and ask everywhere where this raw silk comes from.But this kind of raw silk has disappeared—although the price of raw silk on the market has begun to rise slowly after the sericulture households have been thoroughly exploited, the price is still low. Moreover, Zhao Yingong's purpose of reeling silk is for export, take a look The approximate market reaction is enough.

But Wu Zhixiang immediately guessed where the raw silk was produced—unlike other Jiangnan gentry who had close contacts with Zhao Yingong, Wu Zhixiang dealt with "Australians" much more in Guangzhou, and saw much more Australian products. , I also visited the construction site of Dashijie in Guangzhou, and went to several newly opened "factories" in Guangzhou Station.I know that the "uncanny skills and obscene skills" of Australians are far above all others.This is mostly done in Australian workshops.As for the fact that Cihuitang set up a silk reeling workshop, it was also recorded in the magistrate's yamen, and it was not a secret.Wu Zhixiang fully understood after a little thought.

Although Wu Zhixiang is regarded as a playboy, he actually has a lot of ambition to do business, but he is not born to study, and the imperial examinations have always been very difficult.Although some progress has been made in seeking an official in the south of the Yangtze River this time, it seems that in the end he can only enter the official position as a student of the Imperial College - this kind of background was looked down upon in the officialdom at the time.Therefore, Wu Zhixiang is not very keen on becoming an official.

Attracted by Australians, at first it was just a plaything of those "ingenious and obscene skills".Gradually, Wu Zhixiang became interested in Australians as a whole.In particular, the Australians have created much more wealth than before by using their skills of taking the merits of nature, and have done things that were difficult for the predecessors-this shocked Master Wu especially.

Australians are also human beings, and I am also human beings, and everyone is of the Chinese lineage. If they can do it, I can do it too.Wu Zhixiang didn't know when she had such a thought in her heart.

Wu Zhixiang lived in Guangzhou for a long time, and wanted to do business in a foreign company.I know that the sericulture industry in the Pearl River Delta has a considerable scale, but the quality of raw silk is not as good as that of Jiangnan, and the export price is not as good as "Nanjing silk".If we can get the help of Australians to raise silkworms and reel silk in the Pearl River Delta, maybe we will create a new situation!
"Do you want to visit the silk reeling field of Cihui Hall?" Zhao Yingong was a little surprised—he had never met a "high-class person" in Ming Dynasty who was interested in a workshop, let alone a high-class person, just an ordinary commoner No interest either.

"Exactly! Brother Zhao, please help me!" Wu Zhixiang said sincerely, "I know that the latest raw silk on the market was told by Cihuitang, and I'm telling you the truth: I also want to start a business in Guangdong!"

"It's easy to say, easy to say." Zhao Yingong's mind turned a few times quickly. Wu Zhixiang is a "pro-Macao person". From risking to call the police for the Guangzhou station in the past, to this time taking the initiative to sell rice to the Hangzhou station and becoming a shareholder of China Merchants. It fully shows that this person "heart to the Senate".

Of course, his attempt is nothing more than relying on the Senate to start a business and make a fortune.But he can realize the advanced nature of the Senate in terms of technology and productivity, which is already commendable, and belongs to "objects that can be transformed and united."The Senate itself also intends to spread private light industry in the Pearl River Delta region. If people like Wu Zhixiang are willing to come out and invest, it will greatly change and drive the atmosphere of the entire society.

"It doesn't matter to you - it's just that if the inside story of this silk reeling factory gets out, I'm an outsider after all here, and some things may be ignorant and controversial..."

"Little brother swear to God, I will never tell outsiders about anything here." Wu Zhixiang said solemnly.

If it were someone else, Zhao Yingong would not be able to believe this kind of oath, but Wu Zhixiang is an aborigine who has passed the test of the Guangzhou Incident and the second anti-encirclement campaign.Immediately agreed to Wu Zhixiang's request.

This time going down the mountain, Zhao Yingong didn't call for a sedan chair, and the two walked down the mountain together. The location of Phoenix Mountain Villa is not high and steep, and there are stone trails built, and the walk down the mountain only takes [-] minutes.Zhao Yingong deliberately didn't use the sedan chair slider, just to see if the young master was not working properly.

A lazy man cannot do practical things.No matter how much capital and sincerity he has, he can only be a "shareholder" who contributes money. Only those who can do practical things can become "cooperators" of the Senate.

On the way, Wu Zhixiang was in high spirits, lingering on the scenery along the way from time to time, and talking about her thoughts with Zhao Yingong from time to time.When they came to the foot of the mountain, they walked a long way under the scorching sun without any shelter, and they still showed no signs of fatigue.He has a vigorous vitality that many local young scholars do not have.This made Zhao Yingong admire him quite a lot.

When the two came to the gate of the factory, they could already smell the smell of soot and the stench of waste water.A strong stench hit, Wu Zhixiang couldn't help frowning, and covered her nose with her hands.

"The smell is really bad," Zhao Yingong said with a smile, "the smell inside is even stronger. If you feel unwell, why don't you go in..."

Wu Zhixiang shook her head: "It's okay, my little brother can hold on."

The last batch of cocoons in stock are being processed in the workshop of the factory.The boiling water in the huge cocoon cooking pot is boiling, and steam is coming out from the gap between the closed lid and the barrel. Although the roof of the cocoon cooking workshop has a large skylight that can be opened and closed to facilitate ventilation and heat dissipation, under the scorching sun in midsummer The temperature in the workshop is still as high as [-] degrees, and the workers inside are wearing a full set of overalls, all blackened by sweat.

(End of this chapter)