Chapter 9 Men farm and women weave
Shopkeeper Zhang would naturally not be able to expose this. He could only say in a slightly flattering tone: "The little old man appreciates your kindness. But I don't dare to deceive you. This cloth shop is actually just a piece of goods, not worth a lot of money. I don't want to give it to you if you want to." Okay. I'm just worried that the adults won't make money. Instead, I blame the little old man."
"This is a huge misunderstanding."
He Xi said, "Oh, isn't there a workshop behind you? If I'm not mistaken, there are some places for dyeing cloth. How can you say it doesn't make money?"
Old shopkeeper Zhang said, "My lord is wise and has a keen eye. I can see it at a glance. What your lord said is true. There are dozens of looms in the backyard. Sometimes they are too busy, so I also hire some female workers." My family weaves cloth. But sir, my family’s shipment volume is so large, how much goods can these dozens of looms provide? It’s simply not enough. It’s just a drop in the bucket.”
"It's an addition."
He Xi heard this and said, "Is this true?"
Shopkeeper Zhang said, "I don't dare to lie to you. Decades ago, when I started my business, there was a lot of chaos. Many people didn't dare to go out. I had no choice at that time. I gritted my teeth. The ancestral house arrived. I got a sum of money, collected several hundred pieces of cloth from the countryside, and sent them to Songjiang City. At that time, one piece of cloth only earned five companions. After one trip, I made a few taels of silver. It was like building a reputation. From then on, the villagers trusted me. I would first take the cloth from below, and then sell it with the cloth, and then give the money. This way, no capital is needed. The business is getting bigger and bigger, and I have worked hard for half a life to be where we are now. situation."
"So, the most valuable thing about this family cloth village is not these courtyards, nor the looms and dyeing houses behind it, but my old face. The name Zhang is still a figure in these ten miles and eight towns. There is I am here, and the villagers trust me. At the same price, the villagers are willing to work with me. This is my capital. But if the Zhang family changes its owner, it will not work."
There was a bit of pride in Mr. Zhang's words.
This is the reputation he has accumulated over half his life. Over the years, I have collected them from below and sold them myself. Between entering and exiting, I never make any dirty money. If something happened to someone's family, he would help.
This kind of businessman is actually the way of survival for many ancient businessmen. They do business on a letter. Many times, there is no need to write a document at all. Once you say what you say, you have to do it even if you lose everything.
He Xi was not too interested in Mr. Zhang's business experience.
But I am very interested in the production model of Mr. Zhang.
He Xi immediately asked: "Are all your cloths woven by people in the countryside?"
Old shopkeeper Zhang said: "That's right."
He Xi had a headache.
The situation before him was beyond He Xi's expectation. He Xi thought that the textile industry in Ming Dynasty already had many seeds of large-scale production. But now it seems that the small-scale peasant economy is still dominated by men farming and women weaving. All these pieces of cloth are produced by the textile machines at home.
This situation had long been expected. After all, this kind of small-scale peasant economy with men farming and women weaving is a typical economic model in China, and it continued for a long time after the late Qing Dynasty. However, He Xi never expected that Songjiang Mansion would be almost exactly like this.
He remembered that there were large workshops with thousands of looms in the Jiangnan area during the Ming Dynasty. This is what the so-called germination of capitalism is all about.
But He Xi forgot.
Whenever we talk about the Ming Dynasty, we often talk about the middle and late Ming Dynasty. Rather than the early Ming Dynasty.
In the early Ming Dynasty, a lot of waste was waiting for improvement, and there were not many things inherited from the previous dynasty. Many things were re-developed in the Ming Dynasty. After the world had been peaceful for a period of time, other things would slowly come into being.
"There's some trouble." He Xi thought to himself.
Under such circumstances, there are advantages and disadvantages for He Xi.
The good thing is that in the cotton textile industry, there is probably no established opponent. He Xi doesn't have to worry about resistance from the powerful. Even if it is a piece of white paper, He Xi can paint it on at will, and he does not even have to put the textile base in Songjiang. After all, Songjiang's advantage is not too big. The disadvantage of this is that if drastic measures are used to destroy this structure of men farming and women weaving, the problems caused will not be smaller than the obstruction of a few powerful people.
"My lord. My lord." Old shopkeeper Zhang asked cautiously.
He Xi woke up from her deep thoughts and said, "Old shopkeeper Zhang, can you take a look at the workshop behind you?"
Shopkeeper Zhang was willing or not, and said without showing any trace of his face, "Of course you can? Sir, please come this way."
He Xi, Yang Yu, Yao Guangxiao, and Princess Anqing came to the backyard.
There is a large open space in the backyard with various bamboo poles on it. Most of the cloth collected from below is white. This is the true nature of cotton. Of course, there is also some colored cotton. It is directly woven into colorful cloth. However, this is not what Zhangjia Buzhuang can receive.
After all, ancient dyeing techniques were poor. Generally, it will fade after washing it a few times. And this raw material itself is colorful. It's much better than getting infected the day after tomorrow.
The prices are naturally different.
It's considered a luxury product.
Most of the cloths sold by Zhangjia Cloth Store are for daily use by the people. Luxury goods are not included in the business.
There are many large vats under these bamboo poles, all used for dyeing. But this is busy farming season. It's all empty here. There are no craftsmen here. In the warehouse at the back, shopkeeper Zhang opened the door of the warehouse. Went in.
When He Xi walked in, he felt the light dimming at first. He paused for a while, and then he could see clearly what was in the warehouse.
Dozens of looms are placed in the warehouse. Just because the surrounding windows are smaller. Looking a little sad.
He Xi walked up and first smelled the grease. Although the loom has a wooden structure. But it also needs oiling. So I smelled the oil from afar.
He Xi walked forward and looked at the familiar yet unfamiliar loom.
Although He Xi has never seen this thing before. But I have also seen it in many pictures and illustrations. To say it was unfamiliar, He Xi had never looked at the specific structure in detail.
He Xi circled these looms several times. Suddenly asked: "You haven't always collected cotton from the countryside, why did you build a workshop?"
Shopkeeper Zhang sighed and said: "Everything in the world is unpredictable. Although we have agreed many times, there are always accidents of this kind and that. I have promised others that there will never be any accidents. Sometimes I go out for loans, but after a long time, it is not an option. In addition, there is a lot of local cotton. Not everyone weaves all their own cotton into cloth."
"There is no other way."
Many changes begin carelessly. It wasn’t until many years later that I realized how great this change was.
He Xi said: "Shopkeeper Zhang, do you have a son?"
Shopkeeper Zhang said: "Little old man, I have three children. The eldest son is currently at home taking care of the spring plowing, the second son is taking care of the business in Songjiang City, and only the third son is studying. I hope to gain fame in the future."
He Xi nodded and said, "Let's do it this way. I don't want your village. However, I can give you a future for your third son."
Indeed, in He Xi's opinion, the entire cloth village was of little use.
I originally thought it was a production-oriented cloth shop, but it was actually an intermediary. There are neither enough production personnel nor technical personnel. There is no need for He Xi to intervene anymore. However, it is not useless at all.
At least shopkeeper Zhang still has a lot of experience in the current textile industry.
What He Xi really needs is Shopkeeper Zhang.
However, I want to use shopkeeper Zhang. You don’t necessarily have to start with Shopkeeper Zhang. Shopkeeper Zhang is also quite old. I don't care about my future anymore. But his son cares. The Zhang family also cares. After all, in this era, no matter how rich a businessman is, he cannot compare to a scholar.
Even without He Xi's intervention, he estimated that the Zhang family could maintain wealth for three generations. Then there will definitely be a few scholars. From a businessman, he became a gentleman.
Shopkeeper Zhang was stunned for a moment, but he also knew in his heart that he could not offer a toast without being punished with a fine drink. It was impossible for a mere businessman to stand up to the nobles. He immediately said: "Little old man, thank you sir."
