Liu Yong received a telegram from Tang Yanghe from Shanghai. Sirov was waiting for him in Shanghai. So Liu Yong hurried to Shanghai.
Liu Yong and Tang Yanghe came to Serov's stay together.
Seelov saw Liu Yong, with a somewhat sad look on his face, and said: This time I went from France to England to sell raw silk, and met merchants from Japan. The quality of their raw silk seemed better than that of Nanxun, so I took it away.
The next batch of orders were placed. Therefore, this time I came to Shanghai, I did not bring any orders for raw silk.
Liu Yong asked: What is the best way to make raw silk in Japan?
Serov took out a small packet of raw silk and handed it to Liu Yong.
When Liu Yong opened this package of Japanese raw silk, he saw that the gloss, softness, and evenness were indeed better than his own raw silk. Logically speaking, the water quality in Jiangnan is better than that in Japan. Why is the quality worse now?
Tang Yanghe suggested: Then we can lower the price appropriately.
Siroff waved his hand and said: In Europe, silk and satin are sold to nobles. They are not afraid of high prices, only afraid of poor quality.
Liu Yong frowned and asked: Is there any other remedy?
Siroff said: Three months later, the World Expo will be held in England. If your raw silk can surpass Japan's at the exhibition, maybe Jilihu silk will still have an international reputation. Otherwise, Jilihu silk will have an international reputation.
dropped significantly.
Tang Yanghe counted on his fingers: three months, it takes one month for the ocean liner to arrive in England. We only have two months at most. Can we make better raw silk than this?
Siroff shrugged and said: This is your only chance, otherwise China's raw silk may be permanently excluded from the European market.
Liu Yong grabbed the bag of Japanese raw silk tightly and gritted his teeth and said: Mr. Serlov, thank you for providing such important information. Our Jilihu silk has enjoyed a century-old reputation and we must not lose to other countries! Mr. Serlov, I promise
Please rest assured that samples for exhibition will be sent within two months.
Sirov shook hands with Liu Yong and said: Mr. Liu, we are already good friends. I will leave to return to China tomorrow. I hope I can hear your good news when I come to Shanghai again.
Liu Yong said firmly: Definitely!
Returning to the "Liu Zhengmao" foreign trade company, Liu Yong looked solemn all the time, holding a package of silk produced in Japan, sitting in the study and looking at it carefully.
Tang Yanghe knocked on the study door, Liu Yong said: Please come in!
Tang Yanghe opened the door and saw Liu Yong still staring at the bag of Japanese raw silk on the desk in a daze.
Tang Yanghe smiled and said: I have been watching it for a day, do you see anything interesting about it?
Liu Yong twisted out a piece of silk, frowned and said: It's also strange. If you pick out the single silk, no matter the whiteness, clarity and brightness, it is far inferior to the silk in our Nanxun collection, but why does it look brighter after it is completed?
Silk is better?
Tang Yanghe squinted his eyes for a while and wondered: Could it be that they added some additives?
Liu Yong got close to the raw silk and smelled it vigorously. He shook his head and said: It tastes like pure raw silk. It doesn't seem like something has been added.
Liu Yong added: Even in the entire Qing Dynasty, there are few places that can be better than the cocoons produced in Jili, let alone the small country of Japan! Strange, really strange! Then he added: We don’t know how to make silkworms either.
, why not take this bag of Japanese raw silk to the merchant to have a look, maybe you can find out the secret. I will go back to Nanxun right now.
When he returned to Nanxun, Liu Yong showed the package of Japanese raw silk to Gu Fuchang. Because the reputation of Nanxun raw silk was involved, Gu Fuchang did not dare to neglect and immediately convened a "gathering hall" with colleagues in the silk industry for discussion.
Many bosses looked at this package of Japanese raw silk one by one and were amazed, but none of them could understand the mystery.
Some said: Since it is a competition, we will pick out the best cocoons to make virgin silk, and then select the best among these high-quality virgin fibers and hand them to the top warper to shake the warp into silk.
Select the best from these ready-made silks to exhibit at the exhibition. I don’t believe that the silks in our Nanxun collection can’t be picked out even one package that is better than Japanese silk?
Several bosses had this view, but neither Liu Yong nor Gu Fuchang agreed.
Gu Fuchang said: If we spend a lot of manpower and material resources to make a good package of silk, even if we win, what's the point? Is it possible that we will do this for all the silk we sell overseas in the future?
Liu Yong stood up and said: "Eunuch Gu is right. We don't want to win just this time, but the eternal reputation of Xunsi is also a major event for our nation. Now the crux of the problem lies. We have to find out the cause and solve the problem. That is also
Once and for all.
Gu Fuchang thought for a while and made a decision: Each silk shop will select the best dealer, and they will gather at Liu Hengshun Silk Shop tomorrow to let them figure it out together. If anyone can crack the secret, the chamber of commerce will give a heavy reward.
All the owners agreed with Gu Fuchang's opinion. After the meeting, they summoned their best traders and gathered at Liu Zhengmao Silk Shop early the next morning.
Liu Zhengmao's Silk Shop was bustling with dozens of experts, all of whom were highly skilled and experienced. They rushed to look at the package of Japanese raw silk, and the paper package was passed around in their hands. Everyone was curious, why
The same meridians shake, but they look different.
After discussing for an hour, no one could explain the reason. They all shook their heads and left. Only one master was left in the shop, holding raw silk and looking at it.
Liu Yong didn't know this master and asked: Which silk shop hired you as a sutra master? What's your surname?
The master said: My surname is Tang, and I am a merchant employed by Zhou Shen Taisi.
Liu Yong said: Master Tang’s accent doesn’t seem to be from Nanxun, right?
Master Tang nodded and said: I am from Zhenze, Wujiang next door.
Zhenze is only ten miles away from Nanxun Town, but it belongs to the two provinces of Jiangsu and Zhejiang. Zhenze is also a sericulture area, but most of the silk produced is sold to domestic silk and satin shops. The standard of Zhenze's merchants is very high, and it is popular among Hangjiahu
The Silk Road is favored.
Liu Yong asked Master Tang to sit down and asked someone to change him a cup of good tea.
Liu Yong asked: Master Tang has thought about it so carefully, what clues can you see?
Master Tang said: I pulled out a few pieces of silk, and the individual pieces of silk didn’t look as good as the expensive ones. But why did it change after being twisted into a warp? I really can’t figure out the reason.
Master Tang then said: Mr. Liu, can you give me some Japanese silk? I will take it back and think about it carefully.
Liu Yong promised to divide the Japanese raw silk into two halves, give half to Master Tang to take away, and put the other half into his arms.
When he got home, Master Tang wrapped his hands around the raw silk and thought about it carefully. He simply pulled away a silk warp, and suddenly found that the warps of these raw silks were different from those he usually shook. He knew that the warps were left-handed and right-handed.
But this package of Japanese raw silk is swayed right-hand and left-handed. Under the same light, the effect looks completely different. Is this the secret of Japanese raw silk?
Early the next morning, Master Tang went to find Liu Yong.
Liu Yong didn't understand what was left-handed, right-handed or right-handed, but he subconsciously felt that he might have found the key.
Master Tang said: Liu Dongjia, you wait for me, I will go back and try according to the method!
Liu Yong said: I will go with you!
Liu Yong followed Master Tang to the sutra shaking room. Master Tang used various grades of silk to twist the sutra in a right-hand and left-hand reverse method. As expected, the color was white, the sutra was even, and the quality was good. It looked better than Japanese raw silk. Liu Yong was delighted.
Ruo Kuang couldn't help but hugged Master Tang and said excitedly: Eunuch Gu said that he would give you a heavy reward.
Master Tang smiled and said: I don’t dare to take it seriously. It’s all for Ji Lisi’s reputation.
The news spread, and colleagues in the silk industry were excited. After research, Master Tang added a dry steaming process to the right-hand and left-handed twist, making the toughness of the silk silk twice as high as that of Japanese silk. This chapter has been completed!