"Okay, I listen to you! But, who should be hired to manage the textile workshop?" Gu Yanwu asked.

"Do you have any suitable candidates to recommend?" Gu Heng asked rhetorically.

"I don't know if this person is suitable, because I'm not sure whether he can manage a textile shop, but there is absolutely no problem with his character and character, and he will be willing to do anything for the sake of the world and the people.

"Gu Yanwu said after thinking about it for a while.

"Who is he? Tell me first." Gu Heng said.

"He is my good friend, Guizhuang, named Erli, from Kunshan, and comes from a scholarly family." Gu Yanwu replied.

"Is it the Guizhuang who is also known as "Gui Qi Gu Wei" with you?" Gu Heng asked.

"Yes, it's him!" Gu Yanwu said.

After listening to Gu Yanwu's words, Gu Heng began to carefully recall the historical memories of Guizhuang in his mind.

Guizhuang's grandfather is Gui Youguang, whose prose is praised by future generations as "the best in clear writing". His father Gui Changshi was one of the three talented men in Kunshan. He was a calligrapher in the Jin and Tang Dynasties, good at cursive calligraphy, seal seal, and good at painting orchid and bamboo. Guizhuang

He was influenced by poetry and calligraphy since he was a child. During his lifetime, he read a lot of books and wrote thousands of words. He was good at poetry, essays and prose. He was good at painting bamboo and stone. He was especially good at calligraphy. His cursive skills were even deeper, which was considered unrivaled by people at the time.

Guizhuang and Tongli Gu Jiang (Gu Yanwu) praised each other in their studies and practices. They were both very upright people and did not easily talk to ordinary people. At that time, someone gave them the title of "Gui Qi and Gu Wei". When they were seventeen years old,

Joined Fu Society with Gu Jiang, and later joined Jingyin Poetry Society.

In the 13th year of Chongzhen's reign, he was summoned with a special ranking. Since the prospects for the Ming Dynasty were getting worse day by day, he declined to take up his post.

Guizhuang's elder brother, Guide, was well-known and had served as an official to the same level, but he was relatively good at being an official. During the reign of King Gui Deqin, he worked as an aide in Shi Kefa's mansion. In April of the first year of Hongguang, Yangzhou was captured by the Qing army.

Virtue fought in a bloody battle at Ximen and died heroically. Uncle Jideng was also killed in Changxing.

After returning to the village and hearing about the news, he braved dangers and dangers to collect the remains of the two men and returned. In the same year, the Qing troops attacked Jiangnan again, and the magistrate of Kunshan fled. The county magistrate Yan Maocai took over the magistrate's place and issued an order to shave his hair. The soldiers and the people were in an uproar. Guizhuang encouraged the masses to kill Yan Maocai.

, closed the city and refused to defend.

In July of the second year of Shunzhi, the city was destroyed, and more than 40,000 people died. Guizhuang's sisters-in-law, Lu and Zhang, both died as martyrs. Guizhuang's father also passed away not long after.

Guizhuang was named and arrested, fled to another country, and later returned to his hometown, became a monk, and was called Puming Toutuo. Later, Gu Jiang changed his name to "Yanwu", and Guizhuang changed his name to "Zuoming" to show his ambition.

A few years later, after returning to the village, he secretly plotted against Wan Nian Shao and Gu Yanwu to rebel against the Qing Dynasty and restore the Ming Dynasty, but failed. After returning to the village, he lived in seclusion in his hometown, selling calligraphy and paintings for a living, refusing to be an official in the Qing Dynasty, and living as a common man in the village all his life.

Gu Heng recalled some of the things Guizhuang had done throughout his life, and felt that none of them showed that he knew how to do business! But there should be no doubt about his character!

So should we use Guizhuang to replace Gu Yanwu in managing the textile workshop?

If not, he doesn't have a suitable candidate for the time being. After all, the textile shop cannot choose someone who can only do business, but cannot put the interests of the family and the country before wealth. Because of this, Gu Heng has to always be wary of others filling their own pockets, or

Going out to work alone or something like that.

If necessary, if Guizhuang doesn't know how to operate it, it will eventually cause the textile shop to lose money and it will be troublesome!

However, what if Gu Yanwu was asked to teach him step by step in advance, and then he took care of it himself? Maybe Guizhuang could also learn to run a textile workshop well.

Thinking of this, Gu Heng said: "Brother Gu, you can write a letter and ask Mr. Gui if he is willing to come here. If he is willing, you can ask him to come to you first. After he gets familiar with various affairs with you, I will

Let him manage the textile workshop, and if he doesn't understand anything, please contact me anytime."

"Okay, I will edit a book and give it to him later." Gu Yanwu replied.

"If he doesn't want to come, don't force him. We'll look for other candidates when the time comes! There's no rush for you to do business outside. We'll start doing it after careful consideration." Gu Heng added.

"Yes, I understand. Then let's sell the cotton cloth, "Ruyi scarf" and "Ruyi pants", and perfume to foreign businessmen first? Can we promote these things first?" Gu Yanwu asked.

"Okay, first sell these things to foreign merchants and sell our products to various places through them. Then it will be easier for you to promote when you go to other places." Gu Hengdao.

"What are "commodities"? Do you mean these goods?" Gu Yanwu suddenly raised the question about "commodities".

Only then did Gu Heng realize that he had accidentally spoken out the original modern vocabulary, so he had to explain it based on his own understanding.

"Regarding the explanation of "commodities", what you said is part of it, but it is not comprehensive. "Commodities" are first of all private things, but only these private things are not needed for oneself, but for the needs of others, that is, for the world

They become "commodities" only when they are produced according to need, and they satisfy the needs of the world through exchange."

Seeing that Gu Yanwu still looked like he didn't understand, Gu Heng explained further.

"Brother Gu, let me put it simply, commodities are labor products that are useful to others or the world for exchange. It can be tangible goods or intangible services."

"For example, in the sentence that you scholars often say, "Acquisition of civil and military skills will benefit the emperor's family." Your civil and military skills can be regarded as invisible services. When the emperor exchanges wealth and official positions with you, your

Literary and martial arts are commodities!"

Gu Heng's mouth was a little dry after explaining, so he quickly took a big sip of tea.

"What are "products of labor"?" Gu Yanwu asked another question.

"To put it simply, this "product of labor" is something created by people's labor."

After saying that, Gu Heng secretly regretted: If I had known that one day I would be able to travel through time, I should have learned more about all kinds of knowledge, but now I feel that people may not be able to understand it when I explain it!

After listening to this, Gu Yanwu was thoughtful and said after a moment: "You said that, I seem to understand what a "commodity" is. It can only be called a "commodity" under certain circumstances."

"First, as a commodity, it must first be a product of labor. In other words, if it is not a product of labor, it cannot become a commodity. For example, although the water, sunshine, etc. in the world are necessary for people's lives, they are not products of labor.

, so they cannot be called commodities."

"Second, as a commodity, it must be used for exchange. If it is not used for exchange, even the product of labor cannot be called a commodity. For example, nowadays, many people grow their own food and weave cloth, even though they are

The products of labor are only for use by their own families and are not exchanged with others, so they are not commodities."

"Third, be useful to others or the world. Without use, there will be no exchange. Only when it is useful can exchange occur."
Chapter completed!