In the past, Tie Mo always thought that the gopher was a simple beggar.
But now Tie Mo is a different person, and his views are naturally very different.
The gopher is by no means as simple as it seems.
These days, people in Shanxi and most places in Shaanxi have trouble eating. Even the military households in Anzhuangbao are all starving and emaciated.
He is a beggar, except that his shabby coat is a little rotten and his face is a little dirty. In other aspects, he is far better than the military household of Anzhuang Fort.
Tie Mo had just observed the gopher carefully. He had a good complexion and a strong body. Even his teeth were whiter than others. Does this look like what a beggar should look like?
Xie Kaila kept complaining along the way, and Tie Mo didn't explain much.
As for the gopher, let's wait until the Northland Barter comes back to check this person out.
...
The next day, the warm sunshine shone on the earth, and the sky was clear and cloudless. The blue sky was like a vast ocean with no edge in sight.
Tie Mo's mood was like the weather today, he was extremely happy.
If you have goods and money, you can buy a leather workshop and build a leather shop. If you can come back safely from this trip north, you will have a fortune and join the ranks of Shanxi merchants.
Becoming a powerful Shanxi merchant not only means having money, but also having a certain reputation.
Zhangjiakou, due to special reasons, has only the south gate. Today, Zhangjiakou is only a small county town, but it cannot conceal the prosperity of business and trade here.
Since the Wanli Dynasty, due to the rise of Houjin in Liaodong, almost two-thirds of border trade in the north has passed through Zhangjiakou.
In the small Zhangjiakou, there are many shops and many business names. The pedestrians in the city look in a hurry and have joy in their eyes, which is actually not the same as the people in most places in the North.
In Zhangjiakou, what you see is not desolation and killing, but vitality everywhere.
In the private room B of Nankou Restaurant, Tie Mo and a middle-aged man were sitting opposite each other, chatting happily.
The man's name is Kuang Wenyuan, the owner of Taichang Leather Shop.
"Brother Tie, if Kuang hadn't been in urgent need of money to return to the capital to open a shop, he would never have sold the leather workshop in his hand. Therefore, the price cannot be lower."
"It's easy to say, the price will be as agreed before!" The price couldn't be lowered, and Tie Mo didn't force it.
After a while, Han Niuer and Zhou Dingshan carried a box into the house. Kuang Wenyuan checked the money, laughed immediately, and signed the transfer document happily.
After finishing everything, Kuang Wenyuan didn't want to stay and drink, so he left happily with a box of money.
Han Niu'er couldn't wait to rush up and take a look at the documents on the table. He couldn't believe it and started to laugh, "Brother Tie, do we really have our own leather shop?"
"Yes, we already have a leather shop. As long as we want, we can open a leather shop in Zhangjiakou at any time!"
Zhou Dingshan pulled Han Niuer aside and rolled his eyes angrily, "Do you know how to read?"
Han Niuer's face darkened, and the corners of his mouth twitched, "I don't know you!"
"I don't know you, but you still read it so carefully?" Zhou Dingshan frowned tightly after reading the document.
"Dingshan, what's wrong with the document?"
"Brother Tie, there's nothing wrong with this document. It's signed and pledged, and the conditions are reasonable. But don't you think things went too smoothly?"
The expression on Tie Mo's face gradually became serious, and he stretched out his hand to motion for Zhou Dingshan to sit down and talk.
"Dingshan, tell me what you think."
"Well, Brother Tie, you also know that all walks of life have always had their own rules. Take Zhangjiakou, where Shanxi merchants gather, as an example. There are even more rules."
"Zhangjiakou merchants are very particular about rules. This is why my brother suffered such a disaster and had to send those few trucks of goods to Zhangjiakou. That batch of goods belongs to the Yuci Chang family. According to the rules, as long as the person is not dead,
If so, then the goods must be delivered to the owner. If the rules are broken, the Chang family will not let it go."
"My little brother has been to Zhangjiakou with my father several times before and has heard a lot of things. No matter where you are from, if you want to establish a foothold in Zhangjiakou, you have to pay a price. I heard from my father that even if you open a restaurant in Zhangjiakou
For a small noodle shop, you have to burn incense sticks first to worship Buddha. But we didn’t burn any incense and we successfully bought a leather shop..."
After Zhou Dingshan finished speaking, Tie Mo's face no longer looked happy at all.
Tie Mo doesn't know much about business, but that doesn't mean he doesn't know how to deal with the world. He burns incense and worships Buddha, which is also called worshiping the dock.
Shanxi merchants are very united, but they also have rules. If you want to join the group, you must first visit the dock.
How come you forgot about this?
"Forget it, let's go see our leather shop first!"
The location of the leather workshop is relatively remote, very close to the western suburbs of Zhangjiakou. Han Niuer led the way and soon arrived at Taichang leather workshop.
When you walk into the skin shop, you are filled with a strong pungent smell. There are wooden frames everywhere in the wide yard, and there is a row of houses to the east.
However, the wooden frame was empty and there was nothing in the house.
The entire leather shop is empty!
Tie Mo's face instantly turned cold, and he clenched his right hand tightly, almost bleeding from the palm of his hand.
What is the most important thing about a leather workshop? It is not the shelves of the house or the leather goods, but the leatherworkers and craftsmen inside.
But now there is nothing but empty houses and empty shelves, and not a soul left.
Tie Mo still didn't understand that he had been tricked.
I spent four thousand taels to buy a larger empty yard with a row of dilapidated houses outside.
Without leather masters and craftsmen, a leather workshop would be nothing.
Looking for people? Can anyone do the leatherworking job?
Xie Ke jumped up in anger, cursed for a while, and slapped Han Niu'er with his backhand.
"Niu'er, I asked you to stare at Zhangjiakou, and you just stared like this. There are no people in the leather shop, and you didn't even react."
Han Niuer's eyes were red, he pulled out the knife and turned to leave.
"It's all my fault for the mother-in-law. I'm going to find someone named Kuang right now!"
Han Niu'er hadn't taken two steps when Tie Mo's angry shouts came from behind him.
"Stop! Niu'er, what do you want to do? Kill the person named Kuang? The documents are all signed, with black and white writing on the paper and signatures. It's useless for you to find the person named Kuang!"
"But...but that's four thousand taels of silver, all brothers paid for it with their lives..."
The more Han Niuer thought about it, the more he felt aggrieved. He squatted on the ground and cried bitterly.
Xie Kaila kicked Han Niu'er in anger, "Cry, cry, cry, what's the use of crying? Normally, he talks sharply and seems to know everything. When he does something, he's like a blind man."
Tie Mo walked over, raised his hand and patted Xie Kaela on the back of the head.
"Stop scolding Niu'er. He can't be entirely blamed for this. It's also my fault. There's no mention of the leatherworker in the document, and I didn't find out."
Zhou Dingshan nodded with a cold face, "Brother Tie, actually I don't blame you for this. According to the rules, after the leather workshop is transferred, the new owner decides whether the leatherworkers and craftsmen will stay or not. Don't blame us, even if this business is run
People who have been around for a long time will not think about this."
"Yes, it seems that this family is not easy to establish. We are a few outsiders who don't know anything. If others want to trick us, there are many ways."
Tie Mo frowned, with a hint of ruthlessness in his eyes, "Since the Zhangjiakou follows the rules, let's follow the rules. Dingshan, don't you know the young master of the Chang family? Can you help me pay a visit?"
"No problem, I'll go to Chang's house right now!"
...
Tie Mo and others had been waiting in the inn until they saw Zhou Dingshan return in Xu.
Seeing Zhou Dingshan's pale complexion, Tie Mo's heart skipped a beat.