Quechang was originally a small town, but was later developed into a market by Daliang. About 2,000 soldiers were stationed here.
There are three streets running across the market, with stalls and shops lined up side by side. Hu people, Tubo people, Liang people, Qiang people, merchants from neighboring countries, cattle, sheep, horses and other live animals defecating everywhere, all kinds of fur products from hunting, dried and stuffed meat, raisins, and walnuts , miscellaneous...
There are rules in the market. It is strictly forbidden to sell salt and iron, and gold, silver and copper are not allowed to be used as currency. The transaction mode is barter.
The purpose of Song Che and Tang Hulu's visit to the market this time was not only to sell goods, but also to conduct market research. Therefore, they did not rent a store, but chose an open space to set up a stall.
The wine is fragrant and the alley is deep, and the goods are good and there is no shortage of buyers.
"Hey! Look! There's a silk merchant!"
There was no need to even hawk, businessmen from all over the world came in droves.
"Wow, this feel, this material, this color, my friend, how do you sell this silk?"
"Authentic Huma, one horse can be exchanged for forty pieces of silk. Can this business be done?"
"Forty pieces of silk are only exchanged for one horse? Are you trying to trick me, Tang Hulu, who has never done business? Open your eyes and take a look. This is authentic Suzhou silk, the best in Daliang. Thirty-five pieces of silk are considered You got a big deal!
And you, just look at it and don't touch it. If it gets damaged, I need you to accompany me! "
Fortunately, there is Tang Hulu, an old man who shakes up the world!
It was Song Che's first time interacting with someone, and he was really at a loss.
"Boss Song, don't be stunned. People are asking you for your price." Tang Hulu pushed Song Che who was in a daze.
Song Che said bitterly: "He said that he would exchange two buckets of raisins for me a piece of cloth. Do I want it... or don't I?"
Tang Hulu said: "If you think the raisins are delicious, then just buy them for the same price; if you want to exchange for a good horse, then give him thirty-five pieces of cloth in exchange. If you think the price is not equal, then buy it with him." He bargained for it... In short, what we are selling now is a popular item, and the choice is up to us."
"Uh... Boss Tang, what do you want to change?"
"Of course I exchanged it for jewelry. This thing is easy to carry and can be processed and sold after taking it back to Daliang. If you don't have jewelry, you can also use leather goods. I can sell them to your clothing stores and make them into fur coats. When winter comes, you can wear them in the cold. If you sell it in the north, you will definitely make a lot of money."
"Then I'll buy ten pounds of beef jerky first, exchange it for a piece of satin, and transport it back tomorrow to satisfy Xiang'er and the others?"
"Ten pounds! Too little! Too little! Such a good satin costs at least fifteen pounds!"
All right!
This old Persian fox is better at doing business than Song Che!
"Get out of the way, get out of the way!"
"You dare to exchange some crooked melons and cracked dates for silk? Make way for our master!"
The crowd was pushed away by several strong men. A man in his thirties, wearing a jeweled headband, strode to the stall.
His facial features are very three-dimensional, with single eyelids, brown pupils, and a high bridge of nose. However, his cheekbones are like a beam, and his face appears flat.
Whether they are foreigners or Liang people, I can't tell clearly.
All in all, judging by his temperament and clothing, he should be a big customer.
The man with the hair tie picked up the silk, stroked it, looked through it, and nodded: "Yes, not bad, it's good material."
There is a slight northwest accent, but it is also quite standard Mandarin.
Tang Hulu also saw that this was a big customer. His original aloof attitude suddenly became humble and polite, "This boss has good eyesight. This batch of cloth is originally produced in Suzhou, Jiangnan. From reeling and peeling cocoons to elastic silk weaving, every step is done." The horse has been carefully handled by the Weaver Girl, and in terms of quality, fineness, and value, it is second to none.”
The man with the hairband glanced at Song Che and Tang Hulu and asked, "Are you two members of the same family?"
Tang Hulu said with a smile: "Yes, one company's products are sold by two companies."
"How many good cloths like this do you have?" the man with the hair tie asked again.
"We still have a dozen--"
"Why."
Song Che interrupted Tang Hulu's words and said: "Today is the first time I have come to the market. I only brought these two cars with me, and there are some more in the warehouse. They are all first-class goods. If the boss is interested, we will You can find a teahouse and sit down and have a good chat."
Although the market is prosperous, it is a mixed bag of dragons and snakes. How can you easily reveal your old background on the street?
The man with the hair tie lowered his head and smiled, took out a piece of white jade that was half the size of a palm from his sleeve, and handed it to Song Che: "This piece of jade will cover two of your carts, is it worth it?"
Tang Hulu held the white jade and looked at the sun. His eyes were as wide as copper bells and his mouth could hold an egg. He nodded repeatedly and said:
"It's feasible! It's feasible! It's so feasible!"
The man with the hairband didn't say much. He waved to his men, who brought two carriages and began to move goods from the stalls.
"Boss, when doing business, there is a first time and a second time. Do you still need silk? We still have plenty in the warehouse." Tang Hulu asked with a smile.
The man with the hairband just said lightly: "Let's talk about it later." After all the silks were loaded on the carriage, he left with his men.
Song Che looked at the figure who left with satisfaction. The business was done so happily that he felt something was wrong.
"Boss Song, we will make a lot of money this time!" Tang Hulu shook the jade in front of Song Che's eyes and asked, "Do you know what kind of jade this is?"
How did Song Che know? But looking at the old fox's shiny eyes, you know that this thing must be worth a lot of money.
"Is this mutton-fat jade?" Nangong Yue and Lu Jingxiang looked at the jade, their eyes shining.
"Miss Nangong has really good eyesight. This is mutton-fat jade! Look at the color, the texture, the water head, the oiliness, the hardness, and the structure. It's simply top-notch!"
Tang Hulu was full of praise: "Such a large piece of jade can be used to make at least four jade pendants. It is no problem to sell one piece for one thousand eight hundred taels."
Nangong Yue said: "Back when I was in the Red Mansion, a wealthy businessman wanted to give me this mutton-fat jade pendant. He said it would be worth at least a thousand taels of silver. I think the piece he gave me is not as good as the one in front of me."
"Sister Nangong, do you want it?" Lu Jingxiang looked envious.
Nangong Yue shook her head: "Such a valuable thing was probably stolen from his wife. How dare I accept it, so I refused."
Lu Jingxiang smiled and said: "If it were me, I would accept it. Beauty is like jade, and jade nourishes beauty, hehe."
"Since you like it so much, the other half that Boss Tang cut off will be given to you." Song Che said lightly.
"real?"
"Just don't let Wenjun and the others know."
"Then I'll cut it!"
Lu Jingxiang snatched the jade from Tang Hulu's hand.
Tang Hulu was so disappointed that he didn't dare to snatch it back, so he could only mutter: "Miss Lu, you have to cut it evenly, but not less, and it has to be smooth and follow the grain. I also want to give it to Dina and her mother. Each one builds one piece..."
Tang Hulu and Lu Jingxiang went to the side to discuss how to divide the jade.
"Boss, what worries do you have?" Nangong Yue followed Song Che's gaze and looked at the man with a hair tie who had disappeared from the crowd.
Song Che said: "Our two carts of silk have a premium of one thousand taels, but this jade is worth three or four thousand taels. I don't think that man is stupid. How could he not know that the prices are not equal?"
Nangong Yue said: "Perhaps such jade is nothing in his eyes and he doesn't care?"
"Even a Persian knows that mutton-fat jade is very expensive. How could he, a jade seller, not know... about business? This is not what he does."
"Do you want me to follow him and find out his details?"
"He didn't deceive us either. It would be impolite to follow him rashly... Oh, forget it, maybe my suspicion has resurfaced."
Song Che shook his head and smiled, and said: "It's good luck today. Let's go to the shopping mall and see if we can find Wenjun's Huo Huanbu, which she has been longing for."
"OK."
