Chapter 2 There is a big treasurer of the humerus at home
When Dong Shuheng woke up early the next day, he found that he could already move. It turned out that he mainly suffered a blunt blow to the head. He probably had a concussion. After resting for a few days, he was almost healed.
Hearing his movements, Hui'er had already walked over unknowingly. "Master, you're awake! Don't move yet. I'll get you some hot water to wash up." She was about to go out.
"Wait a minute, um... Hui'er, help me get my clothes. I'll get up first."
"Master, how about I tell my wife first that you are in good health and it is not appropriate to move too much now." Hui'er was obviously very worried about her young master.
"Hui'er, listen, Master, my bones are already strong. If I don't move, they will get rusty."
"Haha, Master, when did you become funny? I will help you get your clothes."
Hui'er brought a blue gown, which is very popular among students. Dong Shuheng refused Hui'er to help him and insisted on wearing the clothes himself. As a good young man in the 21st century, Dong Shuheng really couldn't do anything.
Let a little girl serve you.
He stood in front of the mirror. What jumped into his eyes was a handsome young man. He was not as weak as a wealthy young man, but more resolute. He had a straight nose, thick eyebrows and big eyes, a smooth forehead, and a big head.
The braids are very twisted.
Hey... don't think about when he can cut off the tail for now. He still thinks it's important to save his head. As for the braid... it will have to be cut sooner or later.
After washing up, Dong Shuheng went to the mirror and admired his handsome face for a while. His smile made our Huier tremble.
After coming out of the room, Dong Shuheng, guided by Hui'er, went to see Mrs. Chen to say hello. Mrs. Chen also got up early. Most people in this era did not have the habit of sleeping in.
"Oh, Heng'er, why are you up? Go back and rest quickly."
"Mother, my son has given you a gift. You have been worried these days."
Dong Shuheng made a grand gift neatly. No matter what, this mother who loves her son deserves respect.
Mrs. Chen was so moved that she couldn't help but shed tears. Nothing can satisfy a mother more than a filial son.
"Mom, please stop crying, otherwise the child will kneel down and die."
"Heng'er, get up quickly, mother, don't cry." Mrs. Chen said quickly.
"Mother, today the child got up in a hurry. On the one hand, he is here to pay tribute to you. On the other hand, the business at home has not been taken care of for many days. The child is very worried. No wonder the child was so badly injured. Many things are not clear. Please mother.
Give me some advice."
"Blessed by our ancestors, our Heng'er is filial and takes care of the family business. He is such a good boy." Mrs. Chen was greatly relieved when she heard Dong Shuheng's words.
"Heng'er, since Emperor Jiaqing changed the business of salt stamps, our Yangzhou salt merchants are not as good as before. Fortunately, the master has noticed this early and transferred his family's business from selling salt to hoarding land, transportation and commerce."
"Today, our family still has 30,000 acres of farmland in Dongtai, which is managed by your uncle Chen Dongsheng. There are also twelve sand ships running on the Shanghai Canal and Jinan route. They are managed by Liu Dahai, the boss of the ship. Old Liu is the elder of the family and is also very special.
Reliable. A few years ago, your father opened a Runji trading house in Shanghai in the foreign concession, doing business with foreigners. Our family also has a salt farm in Touzo, and we make some money from the salt production every year, and of course there is more than 500 yuan.
Every household needs to be fed."
"There have been bandits recently. The waterway to the south has been cut off. The fleet can only run to the north. I don't know what happened to the trading houses in the south recently? I heard that foreigners are also uneasy. Fortunately, your uncle Liu's eldest son Qingbei is watching over you.
, I think it’s no big deal.”
After listening to Chen's narration, Dong Shuheng finally felt confident.
In fact, he already had a plan in his mind last night. Whether he could ride on the wind or not, he really had to rely on the inheritance that his father had left for him.
"Mom, how much money do you have left at home?"
"What? Does my son need money?"
"If a child wants to take charge of the family business, he must understand the family background."
"In the past few days, the big shopkeeper has reported that there is still about 350,000 taels of working capital on the counter. Of course, there is also 1 million taels of heirloom silver at home. Only we, mother and son, know about this money. The master has told us not to touch it casually."
"Fuck, I'm really a rich second generation. Chinese people really have the habit of hiding money."
"Mother, I want to talk to the shopkeeper alone."
"Well, it's time for my son to take charge of his own business. After all, I am a woman who has many inconveniences. I will send someone to inform the chief shopkeeper to find you. From now on, you will directly deal with the chief shopkeeper regarding matters at home."
Back at her residence, Hui'er had already prepared breakfast. Breakfast was a bowl of hot fish noodle soup, which is a special snack here in Dongtai. Dong Shuheng in his previous life liked it very much. There was also a small plate of meat sauce and a small plate of pickles on the table.
Dong Shuheng sat down and skillfully poured the side dishes onto the milky white fish soup noodles. A strong umami flavor rushed towards him. This wild fish that has not been contaminated is so fresh. After taking a sip of the noodles, he felt slightly
It's hot, but Dong Shuheng likes to eat it at this temperature. If the temperature is lower, you can feel the fishy smell.
Inadvertently, Dong Shuheng caught a glimpse of Hui'er next to him pouting his mouth. Apparently he was afraid that the young master would see him swallow his saliva.
"Hui'er, go to the kitchen and bring another bowl over, saying that this young master doesn't have enough to eat."
"Oh, yes, Master, but you couldn't finish a bowl before."
"I'll just go if I ask you to go. Where did all the nonsense come from?" Hui'er was confused. The young master had been very gentle to her when he woke up yesterday. Why did he suddenly become angry? After thinking about it, Hui'er went to the kitchen and brought another one over.
.
Seeing Hui'er return, Dong Shuheng said in a commanding tone: "Sit down and eat together."
"I don't dare, young master, I just need to wait until the young master finishes eating and go to the kitchen to eat with the servants," Hui'er said weakly.
"You eat with me, so that I can enjoy the meal and eat more. Then you can also take credit, right?"
"Okay, anyway, my slave is stupid and I can't talk you through it. From now on, you can do whatever you ask me to do."
"You can do whatever I really want you to do?" Dong Shuheng said with a wicked smile, "Then you can warm the bed for me tonight, young master."
"I'm going to kill you, you stinky young master." Hui'er's face turned red to her neck. "If the young master wants it, I will agree to it, but I have to wait until the young master gets well."
"Watt? That's okay. Are all the girls in the late Qing Dynasty so open-minded?" Dong Shuheng was shocked. In fact, Dong Shuheng misunderstood that the personal maid, also called the maid in the house, has the same status as a concubine, and it is natural to warm the bed.
thing.
At this time, Xiao Si came to report that the big shopkeeper was here. Dong Shuheng asked Xiao Si to lead the big shopkeeper to the study.
The big shopkeeper's name is Liu Mingyuan. He grew up with Dong Shuheng's father, and they were both servants and friends. His eldest son Liu Qingbei learned foreign languages from foreigners and was an interpreter. He worked at Runji Trading Company in Shanghai. His second son Liu Qingnan was brave and fierce.
, followed Liu Dahai to run the boat. This old shopkeeper can be said to have firmly tied his family to the Dong family.
Dong Shuheng looked up and saw an old man in his fifties walking slowly. The old man was thin, but very capable. The beard on his chin was neatly trimmed. A pair of glasses on the bridge of his nose made the old man even more excited.
Seems much more enlightened.
Dong Shuheng hurriedly stood up to greet him, and said with a smile: "Uncle Mingyuan, I am not feeling well, so I have to ask you to come to see me. Please forgive me." Dong Shuheng respected the old man very much, and treated him as his nephew.
"Young Master, you are embarrassing me. There is a difference between master and slave. Master, please don't lose your dignity. It's okay if no outsiders are present today, but you must not act like this next time." Liu Mingyuan said with a serious face.
"Hehe, Uncle Mingyuan, why don't I pay more attention next time!" Dong Shuheng smiled like a child.
"You, you, are still the same as before. The Second Madam has just told me that she is ready for you to completely take over the Dong family's property. As the saying goes, "inherit the crown and accept the responsibility", now that you are taking over the family business, you must be prepared.
.”
"Well, I'm ready, Uncle Mingyuan!"
"Hui'er, go out and close the door. Don't let anyone get close." Dong Shuheng suddenly turned his head and said to Hui'er.
Hui'er nodded in agreement, walked out of the room, closed the door, and stood far outside the door.
In the study, Liu Mingyuan looked serious.
"If you have anything to say, boss, please say it clearly."
"Uncle Mingyuan, what do you think of the current situation?"
"At present, the Qing Dynasty is dark and weak, and there are banditry rebellions within. It has become a climate to capture Jiangning and establish a capital. There are powerful powers from outside who are greedy and cruel and continue to suck the blood of our court. These are troubled times."
"Of course, Uncle Mingyuan really hit the nail on the head. His knowledge is better than that of many governors and governors in the imperial court. It's really disrespectful to condescend to me, the Dong family, to be the chief shopkeeper."
"I'm so old, so I can only rely on my old age in front of a kid like you."
"Uncle Mingyuan, why we Yangzhou salt merchants can be called "first-grade officials, second-grade merchants" by the world is not because we Yangzhou salt merchants not only talk about business, but also understand politics. How honorable and favored our seniors were in front of Emperor Qianlong
.”
"Under the current general trend, if we continue to stick to our family business, wouldn't we just wait for others to take advantage of us?"
"I don't know my boss, what do you want to do?" Liu Mingyuan said seriously.
"To be honest, Uncle Mingyuan, I only have a vague plan, but there are some things that can be done first. First, I ask Uncle Mingyuan to help me pick a few reliable people, each with a more handsome face, smart and good at communicating.
This person must be firmly in our hands, and there are a few more that I plan to use as personal guards, and I plan to take them with me. I felt that something was fishy about what happened last time, and I want you to know the conditions."
"Second, help me prepare a sum of cash, about one hundred thousand taels. I think this should not affect the turnover on the counter. I have urgent need for this money, and there is no profit for the time being. I may have to invest it later. I am going to tell the court
Make a big deal."
"I'm going to go out for a walk later, to the salt field, and then to Shanghai. You can transfer another 50,000 taels to the counter in Shanghai. You may need it."
Liu Mingyuan left, and Dong Shuheng sat alone at the desk, picked up the short hair on the table, and wrote and drew on the paper. Dong Shuheng did not study history, but he could know a general idea of some things. He was worried that he would not be able to remember it in the future, so
Write it down in your notes and plan for the future.