The box was filled with fine wood shavings, but it still couldn't hide the glimmer of light. There was a layer of crystal-clear tea sets neatly stacked among the shavings. With Huang Jianwang's experience, he immediately recognized the origin. It was a transparent glassware produced in Liuguangzhai, Tongzhou.
This thing is not new in Guangzhou. It has been sold by merchants in Jiangsu and Zhejiang for a long time. The price is extremely expensive and the supply still exceeds the demand. In addition to the local dignitaries, the Flemish people are particularly fond of this object and will not hesitate to spend a lot of money to buy it. It is said that they want to take it back to their country as a gift to princes, ministers and even the king.
There are twenty or thirty pieces in this big box now. Maybe it is a set, which would be even more precious. The journey is long, and the water and land transportation will inevitably encounter bumps. Without dozens of taels of silver, I can't even take a look at it.
"Huang Lantou has good eyesight, please look down!" Zhuque put his hands behind his back and stared at Huang Jianwang's expression with a smile. When he saw the other person's eyes widened a lot, he raised his chin at the waiter next to him.
"Gudong...this is..." The two men reached out and lifted two thick hemp ropes from the pile of shavings, and with one force they lifted up the glassware and the shavings. Then Huang Jianwang could only swallow his saliva, but his tongue seemed a little numb and he couldn't even speak a complete sentence.
This box is layered. The first layer is stacked with sets of transparent glassware. The lower layer is still glassware, but they are simply too beautiful. On the crystal clear basis, there are some bright white small objects scattered all over. It sparkles under the sunlight, and the luminous points are different when viewed from different angles, as if they are flowing.
"This is Liuguangzhai's latest product this year, and it's called Xinghan Brilliant..." Seeing that Huang Jianwang was a little embarrassed, the smile on Suzaku's lips became thicker, and he felt extremely satisfied.
In fact, when he first saw this set of drinking utensils at the Governor's Yamen, it looked no better than Huang Jianwang. He stretched out his hand and retracted it, then stretched it out and retracted it again. Even though Governor Li repeatedly emphasized that it was a sample, it could not only If you touch it, you have to take it back to the sugar mill for preservation, but you still dare not touch it for fear of destroying the artistic conception.
"What a treasure... what a treasure! Manager Zhu, has this item been sold?"
After all, Huang Jianwang was a master he had met before. He quickly recovered from his surprise, took a deep breath to calm his heartbeat, and began to think about business. As long as there is no buyer for these glazed wares, they must be bought back. No matter how expensive it is, it is more expensive to resell it to Folangji people. The more expensive it is, the higher the profit will be!
"Don't worry, there's more down there..." But Suzaku didn't talk about the price and nodded to the guy again.
"Isn't this... I'm afraid this is also a tribute!" When the waiter once again lifted the hemp rope to reveal the third layer, Huang Jianwang could no longer restrain the excitement and fear in his heart.
Such exquisite utensils are simply a waste of money among the people. They are only worthy of staying in the Forbidden City and can only be used by the True Dragon Emperor. It is a sin for mortals to take a second look at them.
The bottom layer is still made of transparent glassware, but their color is yellow-orange. Each cup and wine bottle has a coiled dragon or flying phoenix on it. The color cannot be compared to gold, and the fineness is very high.
But no matter how you look at it, you can't tell how these vivid patterns are inlaid. They are neither on the outside nor on the inside, like they are in the middle of the glass, as if they were born there!
"Hey, Huang Lantou was joking. No matter how courageous Mr. Zhu is, he doesn't dare to go around selling palace objects. Look clearly, this is a three-clawed chilong, and it doesn't overstep its bounds at all."
When talking about this issue, Suzaku could no longer pretend to be arrogant. He immediately picked up a wine glass and raised it in the air to let Huang Jianwang see it clearly through the sunlight outside the hall. He must not talk nonsense.
"Huang is being abrupt, put it down quickly, put it down quickly..." Huang Jianwang saw it clearly, but was still very nervous. He hurriedly persuaded Suzaku to put the wine glass back into the box, for fear of leaving traces of knocks. If such a beautiful instrument is accidentally broken, it would be unjust to be killed by a head-on collision.
"It doesn't matter, these are just samples, specially used for people like Huang Lantou who know the goods to see the pricing. From now on, a box will be sent by a fast ship from Tianjin Wei every three months. Thirty-six lines have I don’t have the appetite to eat them all in one go, which also saves Zhu the pain of running around.”
Suzaku didn't know how these ridiculously beautiful glazed wares were made, but it didn't stop him from deceiving others with his calm and indifferent tone, which was called casual.
"It makes, it makes... the price... To be honest, Huang's eyesight in jewelry and jade is not considered knowledgeable at all. Can Manager Zhu allow ten days for Huang to go back and invite someone who knows the goods to make a careful evaluation? Fan."
Huang Jianwang was really frightened, mainly because he had never seen it before, and he had lost the opportunity to calm down. It is a waste of emotion to talk in circles at this time. Just say what you have to say, lest you make a random price and be laughed at, and lose the face of thirty-six lines.
"Come here, choose one of each item, stuff it tightly with soft cotton cloth, and pack it in a strong and reliable box. Huang Lantou, don't refuse. You and I are both real businessmen with a good reputation. We will never ruin it just because of a few external things. gain their own reputation.
For valuable items, you need to find a buyer and see the goods before you can figure out the price. Who can believe those who just talk empty talk? Come on, come on, don't be in a hurry, Zhu has some small things here, why not take them all back to an expert for an estimate! "
Since it's too much trouble to go back and find people, I just pack the samples and take them away. Did you see that we are so wealthy, so willing to make friends, and so generous?
"This, what is this..."
Huang Jianwang, who was full of expectations, was obviously disappointed when the second box was opened. It was filled with small milky white squares. Call it rice cake, a little hard; call it masonry, but a little soft; call it jade, not the least bit opaque; feel smooth to the touch, and smell slightly fragrant.
"Please look at Huang Lantou!" Zhuque didn't explain. He took a piece of pigskin handed over by the waiter and rubbed it on the back of his hand. Then he picked up a piece of stuff from the box and kept rubbing it in the basin.
"Eh...are these soap pills?" Looking at Zhuque's movements, Huang Jianwang had a slight realization. In the Ming Dynasty, there were already soap-like objects, which were made from honey locust mixed with various plants. Their function was also to remove contamination, but it was not that What tiny bubbles.
"Huang Lantou can try it!" After a while, Zhuque dried his hands to show that the oil stains had been removed. In order to further prove its efficacy, he also encouraged Huang Jianwang to try it himself.
"It's so refreshing and so rare...Does this thing have a name? How much does it cost?"
Of course Huang Jianwang wanted to try it, and was impressed again. It is indeed a soap pill, but the effect of removing dirt and oil is many times stronger than that of soap pills. After washing with it, my hands seem to be much whiter and tenderer, and it has a long-lasting fragrance.
With his businessman nature, he immediately judged the value of this thing. Compared with glassware, this thing is definitely not expensive, but it is not practical. As long as the price is not too expensive, it must be able to sell well. In the end, quantity will win.
"This thing is called soap. The specific price is the same as that of glassware. Huang Lantou needs to give a real price. The difference is that the soap can be produced locally and does not need to be shipped all the way from Tianjin Wei. If Huang Lantou It’s interesting, how about you and I working together to build a soap factory?”
Looking at Huang Jianwang in front of him, Suzaku thought of himself a few days ago, and his face couldn't help but blush slightly. If Governor Li hadn't warned him aloud, he would have bitten it down and embarrassed himself.
I don’t know where Governor Li got so many strange and valuable objects, each one more ingenious and attractive than the last. The hair washed with soap is not only clean but also smooth, and the fragrance lasts for a long time.
(End of chapter)
