When Tian Fuxiang came to the capital for the first time, he was almost immediately shocked by this majestic city. Not only the tall and neat city walls, but also the long queues of people outside. It was different from this era.
Most people have sallow complexions and thin muscles. Almost all of them are neatly dressed and have clean faces. Even their words seem to sound better than in other places.
Not far away, the waiter who came to pick him up saw his figure and waved with his raised hand, "Boss, boss, the young one is here!"
Tian Fuxiang narrowed his eyes, took two steps forward, and said, "Why do you look so weird? How many layers have you worn?"
The clerk was stunned for a moment, then pointed at himself and explained: "Hey, it's popular to dress like this now. I'm actually wearing a singlet underneath. This dress looks thick, and it's filled with duck and goose down. It's very light and easy to move around. I'll look back."
Boss, you should also buy one."
Tian Fuxiang studied for a while and found that this kind of clothes was indeed much lighter than a cloak, but there was one biggest problem. Even though it could be seen that there were several layers of cloth sewn, some lint escaped.
In this regard, the clerk said that when I bought it, the store said that I could recharge it three times for free within five years, which was quite appropriate when I thought about it.
"I visited the capital once with my elders twenty years ago, and I didn't think much of it at that time. However, in just a short time, so many new things have appeared, and I feel like I have become a country boy." Tian Fuxiang sighed.
The waiter chuckled, unable to hide his pride, "Back to my boss, the capital is different now. Not to mention those of us who are doing business, even the vegetable farmers who come and go can understand some words. What is that saying, 'There is no going back and forth.'
Bai Ding', the main reason is that the literacy cards are too cheap, and everyone holds them in their hands to look at them."
"Education" is a matter that takes time. The fruits Xian Ruxing planted in early summer finally began to sprout after more than half a year. After receiving knowledge, even a simple recognition of words will greatly improve the average quality of the entire city.
Of course, the main reason is that the weather has been good this year and the harvest is good. In addition, Xian Ruxing's factories have recruited a large number of workers, which has boosted consumption in the surrounding area. In short, everyone has the leisure to do these things.
After entering the city, Tian Fuxiang followed the boy all the way north. Although it was the middle of winter, the road was not difficult to walk because there were always people clearing snow on the road. In addition, new things that he had never seen before were constantly appearing around him.
, and after a while, the two of them arrived at their destination.
"Duobao Zhai?" Tian Fuxiang looked at the magnificent plaque on it and couldn't help but sigh: "Good calligraphy, strong muscles and strength, wandering in the clouds and frightening the dragon. Whose handiwork is this?"
The waiter couldn't tell what was good or bad. Hearing the boss's question, he said calmly: "Go back to the boss's house. I heard that this plaque was proposed by Yang Yiqing and Yang Ge."
Tian Fuxiang's eyes widened in shock, "Mr. Yang Ge...it turns out that he also wrote things other than epitaphs."
It’s not surprising that he is like this. I have said before that the salaries of officials in the Ming Dynasty are extremely low. Even if they are of the first rank, it is still very difficult to support a large family with that little money. Therefore, the filial piety in the officialdom is very
This is normal, but there are some who are relatively honest and unwilling to accept bribes, so these officials will inevitably develop some side jobs.
For example, Fei Hong makes money by publishing books, and the ones he publishes are mostly commentaries on the Four Books and Five Classics. He ranked first in the "test of gods" in the provincial examination, the joint examination, and the imperial examination. The books he wrote are among the best.
Still very popular.
Another example is Yang Yiqing. His calligraphy is clear and powerful, his articles are elegant, and he holds a high position, so many people pay a lot of money to hire him to write epitaphs. After all, as an important minister of the Ming Dynasty, Yang Yiqing must leave his name in history.
Wouldn't it be better to have a name even if you don't have a name? As time went by, more and more people came to write to him, and Yang Yiqing's reputation was completely established.
As an extremely superstitious Fujianese, Tian Fuxiang was still indifferent to this matter. He secretly sighed that the boss of the capital was really heartless, and followed the waiter into the restaurant called Duobao Zhai.
However, as soon as I stepped inside, I was shocked by the scene inside.
In the center of the extremely spacious hall, a thick pillar stood there. Something seemed to be hanging on the four sides of the pillar. Tian Fuxiang seemed to see a few figures inside. He squinted and moved forward, and the other person also moved forward until
I was about to hit him before I was stopped by the guy.
"Boss, this is a mirror. Be careful, it will be very expensive if you break it!" The waiter quickly stopped the person and explained before the other party could ask questions: "This is also a new thing that has become popular in the capital recently.
, unlike a bronze mirror, it can illuminate people clearly."
"Ah?" Tian Fuxiang came back to his senses, looked in the mirror, then looked down at himself, and then realized that the person just now was him.
I don’t blame him for that. The main reason is that the workmanship of today’s bronze mirrors is indeed average, and those of nobles and nobles are better. The shapes of ordinary people are simple, thick, and the clarity is not good. The key point is that even so, bronze mirrors are not something ordinary people can make.
Affordable, not only expensive, but also expensive to maintain from time to time, so many people in this era have never seen what they look like in their entire lives.
The people eating around seemed to have been used to this for a long time, and had long since become accustomed to it. No one laughed at him. Tian Fuxiang's red face calmed down a little. He looked at the mirror again, straightened his clothes, and then felt quite envious.
Said: "This thing doesn't look cheap at first glance. The owner here just put four yuan here. It's such a big deal. This kind of courage is what you need to do business!"
"Look at what you said," the clerk said with a smile, "Aren't we here to do big business this time?"
"That's right," Tian Fuxiang couldn't help but smile after hearing this, and followed the waiter to the private room on the second floor. After opening the door, he saw two people sitting at the round table.
The leader is a woman in her twenties, with a trim appearance but slightly dark skin. Her hair is not tied up in a bun or hairpin like most women in the Ming Dynasty today. Instead, she wears a red and blue cloth scarf dotted with a few colors.
Jewelry. The guard standing behind her was dressed in Ming dynasty clothing, but also had dark skin.
Since the switch between the Ming Dynasty and the Western Regions half a year ago, there have been obviously more faces from the Western Regions in the capital. For these people, the common people were a little wary at first, but as time went by, they stopped seeing that most of them were just doing business and selling goods.
Why bother?
Tian Fuxiang looked at the face with obvious alien features across from him and didn't know what to say.
It was the woman who spoke first, nodding towards Tian Fuxiang, "Boss Tian, have you eaten?"
"No, no, I just arrived in the capital, and I came here without even having a drink of water," Tian Fuxiang smiled.
Seeing this, the woman didn't say anything, but whispered a few words to the guard. The guard responded, turned around and left.
"I just ordered a table directly, and I don't know what Boss Tian's taste is. I can't wait until next time, and I'll treat you to a good meal." The woman spoke very cheerfully. Tian Fuxiang was a little uncomfortable as a Central Plains person, but his face was still the same.
Nodding yes.
"I'm not very particular about food, so just eat whatever you want. Miss Zhelina, I mainly want to ask how you found me..."
Zhelina didn't say anything. At this time, the waiter came in to serve the food. In addition to the side dishes and fruits, the most eye-catching thing was a roasted duck with bright color. The chef wrapped himself tightly and put a piece of meat on the duck.
Cut off one piece, each piece is alternately fat and thin, steaming and dripping with grease.
What Tian Fuxiang wanted to say stopped at his lips. He felt the aroma of duck meat rush to his brain and swallowed unconsciously.
"Boss Tian, why don't we eat first?" Zhelina suggested in a timely manner.
Tian Fuxiang nodded, followed the instructions of others, wrapped the roast duck with shredded green onions and cucumber strips in spring pancakes as thin as cicada wings, couldn't wait to take a bite, felt the mellow meat juice bursting in his mouth, and narrowed his eyes happily.
"Supposedly, we eat a lot of duck in the south. In my hometown, we eat ginger duck every New Year. I didn't expect to eat duck from the capital now. It has a special flavor." Maybe it was because he ate well.
It seems that he is not as nervous as he was at the beginning.
The two of them ate half a duck together and drank two glasses of light wine before putting down their chopsticks and having sex.
"Boss Tian has been out at sea for a long time, just making money, so naturally he doesn't care about food and drink. If you like it, I will let the cook live in your house for a while, and then come back after your people learn how to do it."
When Tian Fuxiang heard what she said, he was a little stunned for a moment, and couldn't help but ask: "You own this store..."
"Ah, I opened this store." Zelina said before he could finish, "This also answers Boss Tian's question just now. Didn't you ask me how I found you? It was just with money.
"
It has to be said that money is useful. At least Tian Fuxiang was shocked by the strong financial resources displayed by the other party. He hesitated for a moment and said slowly: "Miss Zhelina, since you have the strength, you must also know.
The White Sugar Perfume Factory in Beijing is very strictly controlled, and I spent a lot of effort to get through to it. But even so, it was quite troublesome every time it was shipped out. I know that the Ming Dynasty has just cleared customs with other countries in the Western Regions, and many of you have
Everyone here is very excited, and I’ll tell you the truth, apart from you, there are two other companies that have approached me, but in the end I pushed them away. In fact, they just didn’t have enough goods, so you see..."
Hearing the underlying meaning of his words, Zhelina said that she would cover everything he owned in the future, and was willing to increase the price by 20% on the price of Franji people. In the future, the two of them would cooperate to squeeze out Franji people.
go out.
Tian Fuxiang was still a little hesitant. After all, doing business requires credibility. Although the other party paid a lot of money, it was after all, so it would not be good to break the contract with them.
At this time, Zhelina was advising from the side: "Boss Tian, although maritime trading is convenient, it is also a business that violates your laws of the Ming Dynasty. If you are caught, you will lose your head. Now we, the countries in the Western Regions, can freely communicate with the Ming Dynasty.
, can’t you tell what’s good at a glance?”
This is true. Tian Fuxiang pondered for a long time and then hesitated and said: "Well, Miss Zhelina, I still have to discuss with the person who picked up the goods for me. Why don't we make an appointment tomorrow?"
"Whatever," Zhelina replied very readily, but at the same time she also put forward a condition. In order to ensure the supply of goods, she asked to meet with the supplier.
Tian Fuxiang agreed, and the two parties said a few more words before parting ways.
After confirming that the person had left, the guard at the door whispered: "Master Immortal, it seems that everything is going well. What should we do next?"
"Relina" with a face as dark as water, wiped the paint on her face, and said coldly: "What should I do? Of course, continue to investigate."
"If you dare to pick up my aunt's wool, I will spit out whatever you eat with profit!":,,.