Liu Yong has worked at Tan De Silk Shop for several years. Due to his hard work, he has also mastered some basic knowledge of the silk industry. The toughness, texture, color and luster of silk, what causes them, etc., have also been influenced by Boss Tan.
trust and respect.
After getting married, Yu Hui not only did not have the pampering customs of ladies, but instead appeared gentle, considerate, virtuous, hard-working, worked hard to take care of the housework, respected her parents-in-law, and also gave advice to her husband in his career.
During the Daoguang period of the Qing Dynasty, the Qing government set up two silk weaving bureaus in Suzhou and Hangzhou, and set up Jingzhuang in Nanxun to purchase and transport silk to the Su and Hangzhou weaving bureaus. It was a government-run silk shop. There was also a Guangdong businessman.
It was called Guangzhuang. They bought the silk and shipped it to Shanghai or Guangzhou on large merchant ships for export to European and American countries. At that time, there were countless silk shops, large and small, in Nanxun Silk Road. Next to Tonglu Bridge was Jingzhuang and Guangzhuang Silk Ships.
The starting point of sailing.
One day, Liu Yong said to his wife Yuhui: It's the end of the year. I think that if you work for others, you will always be a wage earner. No matter how talented a loach is, you can't make big waves. Workers can never make a fortune. Anyway, that's the point of the silk industry.
I think it's better to work for others than to do it myself. Next year I want to go out and do it myself. It's just that it's hard for your godfather and godmother to talk to you. They usually don't treat us well. I'm worried that they will have any ideas?
Yuhui understood her husband very well, so she said: Your idea makes sense. Anyway, we now have some savings, and my godmother also gave me some money for the deposit. Although it is not much, it is a small business. It is better to do it yourself than to do it for others.
Qiang. My godfather and godmother must have had some ideas, thinking that it would be bad for you, so they came out and did it themselves. But sooner or later, this day will come, so I will go and talk to my godfather and godmother first and see if they have any reaction.
It stands to reason that the godfather and godmother are also very powerful people, and they should understand. It is true that if you can't find someone like this at once, I will test it out, and it doesn't cost much to talk anyway. Hehe
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Liu Yong smiled and said: That will have to be difficult for you.
Yu Hui smiled and said: Who told me to be your wife?
One day, Yu Hui made some shepherd's purse wontons and came to "Talk about Dechang Silk Road".
As soon as she entered the door, Yu Hui saw Mrs. Tan sitting on a chair, squinting her eyes and counting the beads in her hand.
Yu Hui called her godmother affectionately, and Mrs. Tan slowly opened her eyes and said: Oh, Ah Hui, haven't you been here for a few days?
Yu Hui smiled and said: I haven't been here for only three days.
Mrs. Tan pouted and said: "Three days, three days, I feel that you haven't been here for several days. After you got married, I felt that the house was much deserted."
Yu Hui said: I will come to accompany you more from now on.
Mrs. Tan said: I am the one who came here, it is clear. You also have a family, and Ayong's family cannot take care of it. If you have children in the future, your family will be even busier, and you will not have time to accompany me.
Yu Hui smiled and said, "That's for the future. Hey, I made some shepherd's purse wontons for you today, which is your and your godfather's favorite food."
Mrs. Tan smiled and said: You are right. Even your godfather said the ones you brought last time were delicious, and the shepherd's purse stuffed with oil tofu was also quite delicious. Even your godfather said you were skillful.
Yu Hui said: "Actually, it's nothing. There are plenty of them in the shepherd's purse field. I dug them out, washed them, and put some dried fragrant seeds and flat bamboo shoots, so they are very delicious."
Mrs. Tan smiled and said: It's rare for you to be so attentive, so my love for you is not in vain.
Yu Hui said: The human heart is made of flesh. Even if you keep a dog, you will be grateful to its owner. Then he said: I have something to do today and I want to tell you something. In fact, I am embarrassed to speak.
Mrs. Tan smiled and said: Is there anything you can’t say in front of your godmother? Is your family a little short of money?
Yu Hui said: That's not the case. In the past few years, you have been very kind to Ah Yong, and the family has some savings. For this wedding, Eunuch Gu and the others gave generous gifts. There was no shortage, but more than enough. So Ah Yong wanted to start a business on his own.
, lest it cause you to misunderstand, and furthermore, I am worried that my godfather will not be able to find a suitable helper for a while.
While we were talking, the boss happened to come in.
When he heard that Liu Yong was going to go out and work on his own, his boss became stern and disliked it at first, saying: Do you think the salary is low?
Yu Hui quickly said: No, no, you two are good enough to us. The red envelopes given to him during the Chinese New Year are not that much as the annual salary in other industries. You two really treat us like your own children. A Yong also
I'm afraid of causing you misunderstandings, and I'm also worried that I won't be able to find the right person for my godfather, so I haven't decided yet.
Boss Tan picked up the hookah on the table, lit the tinder paper, and took a few puffs. After a while, he said: Where there is a will, there is a way. It may not be a bad thing. I will think of another way here.
During the Spring Festival of 1846, every household was busy celebrating the festival. Liu Yong quit his job at the Tan Dechang Silk Shop and started preparing for his own small silk shop. At the same time, he rented a house and decorated the shop. Even during the New Year's Eve dinner, he was also considering a silk shop.
related matters.
June 1846 was the spring silk market season. Liu Yong was only 20 years old, and a small silk shop "Liu Shunheng" was opened in the east of Tai'an Qiaodong. I hope the Liu family's business will be smooth for a long time. Hence the name "Liu Shunheng"
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The store is not big, with only two bays. The front is the store and the back is the warehouse.
Liu Yong inspected the goods and set prices by himself; his wife Yu Hui served as a helper and hired a clerk to pack and deliver the goods themselves.
Since the cost is low, the silk purchased every day is sold to Guangzhuang immediately after closing, and the sesame cakes are reheated to make a profit. After a season of spring silk, the income is not bad. It is better than working at Tanjia Silk Shop.
How much better, the young couple are also in love, and Liu Huanzhang is still busy in his old business, and the daily expenses of oil, salt, sauce and vinegar at home are enough. The life of the small family is still beautiful.
In the late Qing Dynasty, there were two major silk shops in Nanxun, Jingzhuang and Guangzhuang. Jingzhuang was opened by the imperial court and only purchased tribute silk for the two major weaving bureaus in Hangzhou and Suzhou. The purchase price was not even enough to cover the cost, but each silk shop had its share.
The quota must first be met by Jingzhuang. Guangzhuang was opened by Guangdong businessmen, and the raw silk purchased was exported to businessmen from various countries through the Guangzhou port. The purchase price of raw silk in Guangzhuang has always been much higher than that of Jingzhuang, but the quality requirements are also high.
Regardless of the fact that there are so many silk factories and silk shops in Nanxun, the price of silk in Nanxun is completely controlled by Jingzhuang and Guangzhuang.
Since the beginning of the Opium War, the war between the imperial court and the British army has repeatedly failed, and Huzhou's raw silk exports have also been seriously affected. Nanxun's large and small silk shops (factories) purchased silkworm cocoons from the countryside and shook them into silk warps. After sorting and sorting, they were sold to
Jingzhuang and Guangzhuang. Now that Guangzhuang has been withdrawn one after another, Jingzhuang only cares about collecting enough tribute silk and does not care about anything else. Raw silk cannot be sold, and cocoons cannot be sold. The rural silkworm farmers are even more miserable.