Phoenix Villa has a dedicated ice cellar, which not only stores ice, but also stores a large amount of fresh fruits, vegetables and meat. [Read the latest chapter] Phoenix Villa’s fresh lychees are somewhat famous among the gentry circles in Hangzhou. Although the price is ridiculously expensive and the purchase is limited, you still have to make a reservation if you want to buy it.
The guests were all intoxicated as they ate lychees and tasted fine wine and delicacies. Cai Shi saw that all the gentlemen were already in high spirits, so he quickly went down to call for the singers to come up and serve them.
At the end of the Ming Dynasty, drama was very popular, and the rich and powerful Jin gentry often maintained theater troupes in their own families. However, Zhao Yingong disliked the cost of raising a theater troupe. Just preparing the "outfits" and asking for advice was a huge expense. If the Senate knew about it, it would be another problem. A storm. When a few people at Leizhou Station got a few extra maids, they were beaten and killed.
But since he didn't own a troupe, it was a bit inconvenient to deal with the gentry. "Aussie Stuff" is still relatively weak in entertainment. Zhao Yingong raised a team of musicians.
These musicians are all carefully selected from refugees who have sold themselves, and each of them practices a traditional musical instrument. The Senate does not object to this matter. After all, there is an excuse to cultivate traditional music talents, which is even more attractive to some senators who like to "express their love for tradition." Maid training classes also intentionally include musical instruments in maid training courses.
Zhao Yingong also intended to please the general office, and he spared no effort in hiring famous teachers in the academy to teach him. Although his skills are still immature, the gentlemen who listen to music only use it as a pastime - the drunkard does not care about drinking.
I saw a servant girl in blue, leading six girls over, and they all bowed to the table. They are all girls with hairdos. Xiao Ke is thirteen, four or five years old, and D Ke is sixteen or seventeen. They are all wearing the same sky blue and blue tight-sleeved shirts. The pale red bijia looks elegant and refined. Each person holds a musical instrument in their hands. They bend their knees in front of the banquet with graceful postures. No matter how well-informed the gentlemen are, their expressions will inevitably move.
"This blessing gift is quite different. Is it Brother Zhao's family gift?" Wen Huai said happily.
"This is a new custom in Guangli." Zhao Yingong said with a smile, then suddenly frowned and asked, "What? Only six people were brought here?"
The maid seemed a little uneasy, lowered her head and replied: "When I replied to the master, Miss Xihua said that they had taken too many classes to practice music these days, and they were afraid of delaying their homework. So they stayed."
Zhao Yingong looked unhappy. He slowly put down the cup in his hand, stared at the maid and said, "Did she say that?"
The servant woman could no longer stand under his gaze. She barely managed to keep herself from kneeling down and said in a trembling voice, "I don't dare to lie."
Zhao Yingong was silent for a moment and said, "Go down."
The maid hurriedly retreated. Twelve round stools had been placed under the tree beside the banquet, but now only half of them were seated, making them look a little empty. Wu Zhixiang felt that Zhao Yingong was losing face. He said hurriedly: "Let's listen to the music first."
Zhao Yingong paused briefly and tapped his dental plate a few times. The pipa and zither played first, then someone played the flute and flute, and the strings were slightly tuned, and a soft, gentle and smooth tune emerged leisurely like flowing water and clouds.
However, among those present here, apart from Wen Huai, who comes from a well-off family, there are at least a few female musicians in the family. Upon hearing this, they felt that the level of these little girls in the Zhao family was "just average" at best. I couldn't help but be secretly surprised. Mr. Zhao was well-known in Hangzhou for his high-end and high-end entertainment. He didn't expect that the female singer at home was just like this - he couldn't help but have a disappointed expression on his face.
Although the female singer was not good, fortunately, it did not affect the leisure and elegance of the gentlemen. After some entertainment, the already tipsy gentlemen were helped down, and someone arranged sedan chairs for them to go home.
Only Wu Zhixiang was unwilling to leave - he had another purpose for coming here.
Soon 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 quietly 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 silk is not only a high-quality "fine silk", but also whiter and smoother than the best "Qili silk" on the market.
The key is that the price of this kind of silk is quite low, only 10% more expensive than locally produced "fat silk".
Both the boss of the silk shop and the owner of the machine room were immediately attracted by this cheap and high-quality raw silk, and they asked everywhere where this raw silk came from. But this kind of raw silk has disappeared - although the price of raw silk in the market has begun to slowly rise after the sericulture farmers were completely exploited, the price is still low. Furthermore, Zhao Yingling's purpose of reeling silk is for export. Take a look A rough market reaction is enough.
But Wu Zhixiang immediately guessed where this raw silk was produced - unlike other Jiangnan gentry who had close contacts with Zhao Yingong, Wu Zhixiang had much more dealings with "Australians" in Guangzhou and had seen many more Australian products. , I also visited the construction site of Great World in Guangzhou and visited several newly opened "factories" in Guangzhou Station. I know that Australians are far superior to everyone else in their "strange skills". This is mostly done in Australian factories. The fact that Cihuitang runs a silk reeling workshop has also been filed with the prefect's Yamen, so it is not a secret. Wu Zhixiang understood it completely after thinking about it for a while.
Although Wu Zhixiang was regarded as a playboy, he actually had a lot of ambition to do a career. However, he was not born to study, and it was always very difficult to pass the imperial examination. Although there was some progress in seeking an official position in Jiangnan this time, it seemed that in the end he could only enter the official position as a graduate of the Imperial College - this kind of background was very looked down upon in the official circles at that time. Therefore, Wu Zhixiang is no longer very enthusiastic about becoming an official.
When I was attracted to Australians, it was just a plaything of those "skillful and obscene skills" at first. Slowly, Wu Zhixiang became very interested in Australians as a whole. In particular, the Australians have used their skills to seize the power of nature to create much more wealth than ever before and do things that were difficult for their predecessors to do - this shocked Mr. Wu.
Australians are also human beings, and I am also a human being. We are all of the same Chinese origin. If they can do it, I can do it too. Wu Zhixiang didn't know when she had such thoughts in her heart.
Wu Zhixiang has lived in Guangzhou for a long time, and he also wants to do foreign business. I know that the sericulture industry in the Pearl River Delta is also quite large, 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 help from Australians to raise silkworms and reel silk in the Pearl River Delta, we might create a new situation!
"Do you want to visit the silk reeling field of Cihuitang?" Zhao Yingong was a little surprised - he had never met an "upper-class person" from the Ming Dynasty who was interested in the workshop. Let alone the upper-class people, they were just ordinary people. No interest either.
"Exactly! Please ask Brother Zhao to help me!" Wu Zhixiang said sincerely, "I know that the latest raw silk on the market is Cihuitang. I will tell you the truth: I also want to set up an industry in Guangdong!"
"Easy to say, easy to say." Zhao Yingong's mind quickly turned around a few times. Wu Zhixiang was a "pro-Australian person". From the past when she took the risk of calling the police for Guangzhou Station, to this time she took the initiative to sell rice to Hangzhou Station and became a shareholder of China Merchants Group. It fully shows that this person's "heart is toward the Senate."
Of course, his intention was nothing more than to rely on the Senate to establish an industry and make money through business. But if he can realize that the Senate is advanced in technology and productivity, it is already valuable and it is an "object 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 invest, it will have a huge impact on the overall social atmosphere.
"It's okay to watch it with you - it's just that if the inside story of this silk reeling factory spreads out, I am an outsider here after all, and I'm afraid the people are ignorant of some things and have outrageous opinions..."
"My little brother swears to God that nothing here will be revealed to outsiders." Wu Zhixiang said solemnly.
If it were anyone else, Zhao Yingong would not believe such an oath, but Wu Zhixiang was an indigenous person who had gone through the test of the Guangzhou Incident and the second counter-encirclement and suppression campaign. Although he was not considered a "comrade", he was at least a "fellow traveler". Immediately agreed to Wu Zhixiang's request.
This time when they went down the mountain, Zhao Yingong did not call for a sedan chair. The two of them walked down the mountain together. The location of Phoenix Villa was not high, and there were stone trails built. It only took about twenty minutes to walk down the mountain. Zhao Yingong deliberately did not use the sliding pole of the sedan chair, just to see if the young master was not diligent.
A lazy person 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 a "collaborator" of the Senate.
Wu Zhixiang was in high spirits on the way, lingering on the scenery along the way from time to time, and talking to Zhao Yingong about her thoughts from time to time. After arriving at the foot of the mountain, the two walked a long way under the unobstructed scorching sun, and still showed no signs of fatigue. There is a vitality in him that many local young scholars do not have. This made Zhao Yingong admire him quite a lot.
When the two arrived at the factory gate, they could already smell the smell of coal smoke and wastewater. A strong stench hit her, and Wu Zhixiang couldn't help but frown and cover her nose with her hands.
"The smell is indeed unpleasant," Zhao Yingong said with a smile, "The smell inside is even stronger. If you are feeling unwell, it is better not to go in..."
Wu Zhixiang shook his head: "It's okay, I can hold on."
The last batch of silkworm cocoons in stock are being processed on the factory floor. The water is boiling in the huge cocoon cooking pot, and steam is rising from the gap between the tightly closed pot lid and the barrel. Although the roof of the cocoon cooking workshop has a large openable skylight to facilitate ventilation and heat dissipation, under the scorching sun in midsummer, The temperature in the workshop is still as high as 50 degrees, and the workers inside are wearing full overalls and are all black with sweat. (To be continued...)
