In the small pavilion on the second floor of Jiangbian Restaurant, Du Yuanwai, who runs a goods yard in the city, sat in the middle. Lin Shengyuan and several other members of the group were on the left and right, and two or three members of Huang Yuanwai sat in the guest seats. The recently popular loose tea was brewed on the table and they were chatting.
Du Yuanwai said loudly: "The yamen rules have come out. People from the north are not allowed to do business in Xiangyang City. If you want to do business, go to Xiangcheng in the north, where there is a market. Huang Yuanwai, if you want to buy cotton, you have to find a way." Otherwise, we can only wait for someone to transport it to Xiangcheng."
Huang Yuanwai said: "When the people are transported to Xiangcheng, I don't know how many northern merchants are there to rob them. Where can I get any interest? It is best to make preparations in Xiangyang. Buy the cotton and transport it to Xiangcheng. I will put it away directly." .”
Du Yuanwai laughed and said, "Yuanwai has a good idea! But it's not that easy to do it. If you don't give me a fixed amount of money, who will do this for you? If I give you a fixed amount of money, it will be shipped to Xiang, thousands of miles away." There are so many things going on in the city. If you are careless, you may swallow the money and find any excuse to get past it. To do this, you must have someone you can trust."
Huang Yuanwai said: "I have known Lin Guanren since I was in Kaifeng Mansion. In business, trust is the most important thing. I entrusted him with the affairs of Xiangyang. I bought the cloth and transported it to Xiangcheng. Yuanwai's The goods yard provides some convenience.”
Du Yuanwai said: "I run a goods yard, so naturally I hope to have business. However, the Yamen business is about paying with one hand and delivering the goods with the other hand. Cotton is expensive, so the money paid is quite a lot. Of course, as long as Yuanwai's capital is sufficient, it is not event."
After hearing this, Huang Yuanwai closed his mouth, picked up a cup of tea and drank it. He didn't speak and didn't know what to think.
At this time, the waiter came over and said that the food and wine were ready. Du Waiyu was the boss and ordered the food and wine to be served, and they chatted while eating.
When the food and drinks arrived, Lin Shengyuan on the side couldn't help but open his eyes. I had seen the world before when I was in Kaifeng Mansion, but today’s banquet was something I had never seen before.
The luxury of Kaifeng Mansion emphasizes clean utensils and the use of gold and silver tableware. Gold cups, gold plates, and gold chopsticks are inferior to those made of silver. Due to the influence of Wang Xiaoyou, Xiangyang did not use gold and silver utensils, but only used porcelain. The exquisite restaurants all have specially made porcelain from the original official kiln in Ruzhou, which is the first-class porcelain in the world. Moreover, they have different shapes and bear restaurant marks, which is unusual.
Today’s dishes will seem ordinary to future generations. For example, braised lion head, cherry meat, tofu box, white chopped chicken, etc., the materials used are not very particular. But what's rare is that it's made very delicately, and it's like a work of art when placed on the plate. Who hasn’t eaten a steamed bream? But looking at what was on the table, Lin Shengyuan had never seen it before. It was exquisitely made, beautifully presented, and the taste was unprecedented.
Du Yuanwai said: "I heard that Wang Kuan's favorite is Yicheng's Bamboo Leaf Green Wine, which has a fresh and sweet taste. Years ago, I specially sent people to Yicheng to find the best wine maker and specially made a few tanks. You guys can try it today. Does it taste to your liking?"
Wang Xiaolie is not a person who likes drinking, so he likes fruit wine, dew wine, and bamboo leaf green wine. The tastes of the rich follow the tastes of officials, and these types of wine are also popular in Xiangyang. It's just that the food they eat and drink is more luxurious than Wang Xiaolie's.
After three rounds of drinking, Huang Yuan said: "Before coming to Xiangyang, I have considered all the difficulties. But I didn't expect that northerners are not allowed to do business in Xiangyang, and they are not allowed to move around the territory. This will be a bit difficult. Cotton cloth It’s much higher than the price of silk, it’s such a huge sum of money! It’s really hard to do this business if you can’t live in Xiangyang.”
Du Yuan said nothing and just urged everyone to drink.
Huang Yuanwai said: "Du Yuanwai, you are in a big warehouse in Xiangyang. With our help, business will naturally be better. If you have a good idea, you might as well teach me. It will be good for everyone to make money together."
Du Yuanwai raised his head and drank a glass of wine. Putting down the wine glass, he was silent for a while and said: "I'm a rough man, and I speak my mind. If you want to succeed in this business, you must do a few things. One is to have the help of a trustworthy Song Dynasty person to buy goods in Xiangyang. Transport it to Xiangcheng. There is a lot of trouble in the process. Because buying cotton cloth requires cash, which is not a small amount. Another thing is, it is 500 miles from Xiangcheng to Xiangyang. Without reliable people, it is difficult to transport it there. Cotton cloth is a light commodity and cannot be collected. When people are traveling together, they must always be stored in the goods yard."
Huang Yuanwai said: "That's what Du Yuanwai said. What's the key in the middle?"
Du Yuanwai said: "Of course you have to have trustworthy people. Another thing is to have money. You can't go to Xiangyang. It's probably not realistic to spend a lot of money. Xiangyang is different from other places. I recently printed a meeting Zi, a bank was set up, which is actually very convenient. Just like cotton cloth, if you buy it from the yamen, you can mortgage the goods and borrow money from the bank. According to the bank, which can lend 70% of the cash, the cost will be saved a lot. Ship it to Xiang When you go to the city, Huang Yuanwai gives you cash, and you can go to the bank to repay the money when you come back. The key thing is that when you first buy cotton cloth, someone needs to give you money to buy the goods. After buying the goods, you go to the bank to borrow money, and you pay back the borrowed money. . This is equivalent to buying cotton cloth with only three costs."
This method of doing business was something Huang Yuanwai had never heard of. After listening to Du Yuanwai's words, I thought about it for a long time. After all, he was a business person, he quickly figured it out. Your own risk is to find someone you trust and pay 30% of the capital. Before buying cotton, the middleman needs to borrow enough money. No need to ask, the person who borrowed the money is Du Yuanwai. After that, the middleman transported the cotton cloth to Xiangcheng, received the goods himself and paid cash. The middleman took the cash back to Xiangyang and paid back the cash.
Du Yuanwai was willing to borrow cash because there were new rules in Xiangyang. After the banks were opened, the government limited the interest rates for private loans. The interest rates for short-term loans were much higher than those for long-term loans. If you borrow money for a few days, the interest will be high, and you can buy cotton immediately without fear of losing your capital.
After thinking for a long time, Huang Yuanwai said: "This kind of business in Xiangyang has never been seen in other places."
Du Yuanwai said: "The king's observation is like the stars in the sky descending to the earth, and all kinds of fantastic ideas are comparable to other places. Another point is that he does not pay taxes when buying things, nor does he pay taxes on the road. He never listens before menstruation. I said it. Only in this way can this business be done."
Huang Yuanwai nodded repeatedly: "Yes, I have heard about it too. Now when doing business in the Eight Prefectures Army in the west of Beijing, taxes are collected when selling goods, and there is no tax on the road, which is really convenient for businessmen. In the past, doing business on the road When traveling across the state and across the country, there is no need to collect taxes?”
After collecting taxes, it seems that the government has increased revenue, but in fact it has greatly increased transaction costs, which in turn led to the decline of business. Generally speaking, it is better not to collect overtax and only collect transaction tax. When business prospered, the government was still worried about not collecting taxes.
Du Yuanwai said: "The rules of doing business in Xiangyang are different from other places, and the methods of doing business are also different. Only those who can figure out a way can make a lot of money. If you can't figure out a way, you won't be able to do business."
Huang Yuanwai nodded, but it was hard to make a decision for the moment. Selling cotton cloth is a big business, involving too much money, so no step can be taken carelessly. After thinking for a long time, Huang Yuanwai said: "This matter is not trivial. Let me go back and think about it for a few days. If it is done, I will have to help other members."
Du Yuanwai smiled and said: "Huang Yuanwai is the only one from the North who comes to Xiangyang to do business. Of course we can just wait for news from Yuanwai. But Yuanwai must not delay. If the cotton is out of stock, it will be difficult to do business."
