While several people were talking, Xu Dayong entered the front hall.
"Sir, that man named Jia Wang and Chen Yapo are here again."
"You came early enough. We'll go there right away."
It is said that for a business to develop into an industry, it cannot be formed through one or two sales. It requires sufficient supply of goods, complete production and processing sites and broad market demand in a certain period and in a certain area.
Since the Ming and Qing Dynasties, officials and businessmen have colluded to exploit the people. Even the Ming Empire, a country that seemed to have the potential to be powerful in the eyes of many people, had long been acute in its internal conflicts due to the huge gap between the rich and the poor. The social hierarchy in ancient China was the highest in law.
The simple classification standard is "good" and "mean". Slaves are untouchables, the lowest social class, and have no independent personality in law.
On the one hand, the upper class officials and gentry were full of fat and shameless debauchery; on the other hand, due to natural and man-made disasters, heavy taxes and labor, and other reasons, the poor and landless had to sell their already thin daughters to their families in order to survive.
Human trafficking was originally a legal business in feudal society. There has always been a distinction between "good and bad" in ancient society, that is, the long-term combination of the remnants of slavery and the feudal hierarchy. During the Qin Dynasty, the government established a "market for slaves and maidservants, with fences for cattle and horses."
When the tax deed system was implemented in the Eastern Jin Dynasty, the objects of taxation were divided into three categories: "goods sold to slaves, horses and cattle, and houses." Therefore, intermediaries engaged in human trafficking became an officially allowed behavior.
In the history of another time and space, it was not until the first year of Xuantong that the Qing government abolished the private ownership and trade of slaves and allowed domestic slaves to redeem themselves. So don't just talk about opposing the Qing Dynasty and restoring the Ming Dynasty and promote democracy. It really feels like cutting off the pig's tail and holding a flint.
Does it mean that you are advanced when you feel good about firing a gun? The first thing to fight against is the "differentiation between good and bad", which is for slaves to become masters! If this is not solved, China will always be a feudal slave society.
So you see, there is broad market demand, sufficient supply of goods and "raw materials" are available, and the government has institutional guarantees. Then "skinny horse" has naturally become an industry.
Let’s talk about regional factors. Because the wealthy salt merchants in Yangzhou were extremely rich and had abnormal psychology, they developed a deformed aesthetic concept that regards thinness as beauty. In fact, as an aesthetic form, there is nothing in itself about thinness as beauty.
Wrong. However, the result of excessive pursuit of thinness is that women as male accessories endure painful torture, such as the three-inch golden lotus.
Women who are engaged in thin horse brokerage are called "yapo" and "yasao", which are one of the "six pos" in the commonly known as "three nuns and six pos". Men are called "婵䩩", "䩩" means traders, and "婵婩"
"驵" means a trader engaged in the business of cattle, horses and other livestock.
Chen Yapo did not have her feet bound because she was born as a boat girl. The boat girls were untouchables. If the boat girls had their feet bound, they would have fallen into the water and drowned. As for Jia Wang, he was a charlatan, and his ancestors were indeed
Those who go to Yangzhou to sell livestock.
People like them are also called "white ants", which means they dig in when there is a crack. These white ants are entrusted by the families who raise "skinny horses" and look for buyers everywhere.
The two of them were the first to arrive, so they whispered and discussed countermeasures outside the concierge. After a while, Zhao Xin and Wu Siyu came out. Chen and Jia hurriedly greeted each other. After a brief discussion, Zhao Xin and Jia
Wang left, and Wu Siyu left with Chen Yapo.
After leaving the courtyard gate, Jia Wang called a carriage. After Zhao Xin was seated, he got on the carriage and told the driver where he was going.
The same procedure has been carried out several times, and Zhao Xin has long lost the initial novelty. So Jia Wang also wanted to introduce where to go today, so Zhao Xin kept talking.
In addition to looking at Shou Ma these days, he also went on a buying spree at antique shops all over the city. Whether it was jade, ancient books, calligraphy and paintings, all kinds of furniture, or porcelain, as long as he thought it was good, he would pay for it. He became an antique dealer in Yangzhou. They were all talking privately, saying that a "idiot" came to the capital recently. Regardless of whether it was true or false, he would pay for it after taking a fancy to it, without even telling the price.
Originally, he wanted to exchange gold for silver through Shen Jingdan, but Shen Jingdan told him that he could just go to a bank opened by a Shanxi man in the city to exchange for a banknote, which was very convenient. There were both payable on demand and long-term bills. .
During the Qianlong period, because a quarter of the world's finances and taxes came from Yangzhou, and the amount of silver circulating in the market was huge, the price ratio of gold and silver was one to eleven. Zhao Xin took four boxes of Japanese small gold, accompanied by Shen Jingdan and Lao Huang , I went to a bank and exchanged it for pay-on-demand banknotes, ranging from three thousand taels to five taels (one pound was sixteen taels in the Qing Dynasty, but one tael was 37.5 grams.)
More than half an hour later, the carriage passed through the bustling streets and stopped in front of a courtyard outside the city. Jia Wang jumped out of the carriage and walked forward to knock on the door.
"Old Chen, Old Chen! Are you at home?"
"Coming, coming."
There was a soft knock on the courtyard door, and a middle-aged man opened the door and came out. "Hey, it's Jia Er! What kind of wind brought you here today?"
Jia Wang laughed and scolded: "Your memory is like a pig's brain. Didn't you ask me to help find a few buyers last month? I invited the buyers here today."
The middle-aged man looked over and asked in a low voice: "Why is it just one car? I have more than twenty daughters here!"
"Don't worry, this gentleman has a good background. He is from the capital and wants to buy dozens of them!"
"Ah!" The middle-aged man was overjoyed when he heard this. He quickly stepped forward to lift the curtain of the carriage and said, "Master, please get out of the car."
Jia Wang and the middle-aged man helped Zhao Xin out of the carriage together, and asked the carriage driver to wait at the door; the three of them entered the yard. As Jia Wang walked, he pointed at the middle-aged man and introduced: "Master, His name is Chen Songyuan. He has more than 20 daughters at home, which is the same in Yangzhou. Last month, he asked me to help find a family." He gave a thumbs up.
Chen Songyuan flattered him with a smile on his face: "Master, you look like a big shot at first sight. You are young, you are talented, and you are as beautiful as a tree. My daughter will be happy when she sees her. I don't know whether you want to be younger or take her back to the back house to learn from." ?”
Zhao Xin smiled and said: "When you meet a good person, you naturally want to be small. If you don't like her, but she is smart, you won't treat her badly if you become a maid in the house."
Chen Songyuan said: "I wonder what kind of business you do in the capital?"
Zhao Xindao: "It's nothing. I just help the palace and the adults buy some fur ginseng from the north every year. It's boring."
"That's that." Chen Songyuan was flattering while guessing that Zhao Xin might be from the Ministry of Internal Affairs. However, this cannot be said or asked. Even if you ask someone about their name and origin, they usually won't tell the truth.
Of course, the local salt merchants in Yangzhou are different. But with Jia Wang accompanying them, there should be no problem.
Jia Wang helped from the side and said: "The daughters of the Chen family are considered to be the best in our Yangzhou. They are all first-rate and stunning. They play the piano and flute, recite poems and paint, go, play chess, play dominoes, and are all kinds of obscene and skillful. Master, they are all excellent.
After a while you will know that the villain is not talking nonsense."
Zhao Xinxin said, "Who are you trying to fool when you make such clichés every time?"
Chen Songyuan walked two steps slowly and asked Jia Wang in a low voice: "Have you brought the gold hairpin?"
Jia Wang smiled and nodded, which meant that of course he had taken it with him, don't worry.
The gold hairpin mentioned by the two is a necessary prop when choosing a "thin horse". If the customer is satisfied with the girl, he will insert a gold hairpin in the other person's head, and then start to negotiate the price and agree on the wedding date. Generally, women enter
There will be a three-day "regret period" after the woman takes them home; that is, if the owner is not satisfied with them, they can return them to the owner.
The gold hairpins that Zhao Xin was carrying actually just meant something, otherwise people would think he was just here for fun. He didn't want to give them to anyone at all. Anyway, he would have a pot of Bao Yuan and a "Rolled Bun Stew" in two days.
, why waste it in advance!
As Zhao Xin walked, he discovered that the house was quite large. There were three entrances in the front and back, and two entrances on the left and right. It seemed that they had raised a lot of girls. When they entered the flower hall on the second entrance and sat down, a woman brought them
Tea.
"Which girl do you plan to see first? My girl is in Yangzhou but this one, I guarantee you will be satisfied." Chen Songyuan said while giving a thumbs up.
Zhao Xin took a sip of tea, the temperature was just right. He put on an impatient look and said to Jia Wang: "Hurry up! I have to pick out antiques later."
Jia Wang said to Chen Songyuan: "The master has high standards and ordinary looks cannot catch his eye. Invite your little Tang out."
Chen Songyuan made a look of pain and reluctance, and sighed: "Oh! I don't want to stay in college, but Tang Xiaome raised me as my own daughter."
Jia Wang smiled and said, "Well done to my dear daughter. When I go to the capital to enjoy the blessings, you will also benefit from it."
"Sir, please wait a moment. I didn't know you were here today, and the daughters have to freshen up and will come out in a while. I'll go take a look first." After Chen Songyuan finished speaking, he handed over to Zhao Xinyi and exited the flower hall.
After about 30 minutes, just when Zhao Xin felt a little impatient, he heard whispers from outside the door, and then a woman helped a girl into the flower hall. The girl was wearing a light yellow top with pink edges on the upper body and a pink skirt on the lower body.
A light green skirt embroidered with lace.
The woman said to the girl: "Girl, I'm here to pay my respects."
The girl didn't say anything and bowed her head.
The woman said again: "Girl, go up."
The girl still lowered her head and was helped to take two steps forward. This was to show her posture to the guests.
The mother-in-law waited for the girl to stand still and said, "Girl, turn around." The girl then shyly lowered her head and turned sideways, her face facing the sunlight shining in outside the house. Zhao Xin took a look and saw that the girl was wearing light makeup, with delicate eyebrows and a pink face.
She has an oval face and looks like a beautiful woman. But she looks...she looks like a little girl, thirteen or fourteen years old at most!
The mother-in-law continued: "Girl, lend me your hand and take a look." After saying that, she reached out and picked up the girl's left arm and lifted up the sleeve.
The old lady was obviously a veteran and knew how to seduce guests. She lifted up her sleeves and walked up little by little. When the girl's thin and white hand gradually appeared, the old lady turned her head and glanced at Zhao Xin.
There was no response from the other party, so she continued to slowly roll up the girl's sleeves, and her forearms, which were like snow lotus roots, were gradually exposed.
Zhao Xin looked at the girl's slender arms and couldn't help but sigh in his heart. Just giving him some porridge for the whole day, look at how thin his child is! When he returns to Beihai, he will eat steamed buns and stew three times a day. He will have to keep up with his nutrition.
When the old woman saw Zhao Xin's look of regret, she immediately smiled and said to the girl, "Girl, look at your husband."
The girl lowered her head shyly, glanced at Zhao Xin for a moment, and then quickly turned back. Then a blush appeared on her cheeks. This glance showed that she was knowledgeable, and she could only do it after thousands of exercises.
You can't let the guests feel that you are staring blankly, but you also have to let the guests see your eyebrows clearly.
The mother-in-law continued: "How old is the girl?"
The girl replied shyly: "I am thirteen years old." Her voice was clear and slightly delicate.
Zhao Xinxin said, her guess was indeed correct! A film about a thirteen-year-old girl.
Now comes the last item, which is what Zhao Xin and others dislike the least.
The old woman said: "Girl, let's go for a walk." After hearing this, the girl stretched out her left hand to hold the skirt, and supported the old woman with her right hand. She stretched out her toes and walked a few steps. The slender embroidered shoes looked not yet worn.
The new one is as big as the palm of your hand, and this is the famous "three-inch golden lotus"! A good cabbage is ruined before it lasts!
Seeing that Zhao Xin had no reaction, Jia Wang stepped forward and said, "Sir, this girl is Tang Xiao, one of the most beautiful girls in Yangzhou. Do you think she is?"
Zhao Xin nodded, smiled and said, "Let's look at the others."
After hearing this, Jia Wang waved to the old woman. Seeing the old woman, the old woman had no choice but to pull the girl and bow to her again, then turned to go out. When the girl was about to go out, she suddenly turned around and glanced at Zhao Xin, with a look in her eyes.
Sadness, misery, reluctance and other emotions made even Zhao Xin, who has read countless people, feel a tremor in his heart.
Haha~~You are actually playing this trick at such a young age. It seems that you have been taught a lot by your mother-in-law!
In the next two hours, Zhao Xin saw more than 20 girls in succession. Among them, there was actually a pair of twin sisters named Ertang! When they first met, they looked like they were made from the same mold, and it was impossible to tell which one was which.
No matter who is the elder sister or the younger one, they are both equally beautiful and lovely. But then Jia Wang said that the one with a black mole on her left hand is the elder sister, and the one without it is the younger sister.
Among these twenty-odd girls, according to appearance and beauty, the ones who stand out are first class; the others are second class; and the most common ones are third class.
After Zhao Xin finished reading, he didn't say who he liked. This made Chen Songyuan very surprised. He knew how outstanding his girls were. He couldn't even look down on the stunning girls like Ertang and Tang Xiao. Could this person be deliberately playing tricks on him?
of?!
"Pah!" Zhao Xin patted the coffee table, and a one-hundred-tael silver note appeared on the table. "It's for you! I have to check it out carefully when I get back. Come back in a few days." After saying that, he stood up and went out.
Walk.
Chen Songyuan hurriedly picked up the banknote and saw that it was one hundred taels. He was overjoyed. It was really rich! One hundred taels without blinking an eye. For someone like Tang Xiao, the price in his mind was five thousand taels. Thinking of this, he
He quickly chased after him.
Zhao Xin walked out of the courtyard, glanced at everything around him, then turned back and took a closer look at the appearance and characteristics of the courtyard door, and remembered it in his mind. Then he stepped on the footstool and got into the carriage.
Chen Songyuan stood outside the courtyard gate and bowed with a flattering look on his face: "Master, come and get engaged as soon as you think about it. My Tang Xiao and Ertang fell in love with me at first sight."
On the way back from the carriage, Zhao Xin went to an antique shop on East Street and bought several sets of Ming-print books and two blue and white plum vases. When he returned home, Jia Wang helped Zhao Xin deliver the purchased antiques to the front hall. Zhao Xin said
After saying "hard work", I gave him a 10-tael banknote and said I wouldn't read it for the next few days. I would rest for a while and then go to Chen's house in five days to finalize the candidate.
After Jia Wang left with a smile on his face, Zhao Xin told Xu Dayong in detail the location he went to today and the appearance of the courtyard. Finally, he told Xu Dayong: "Find out the details of that house and the surrounding situation for me."
Dayong nodded after hearing this and immediately left the house.
Zhao Xin sat on the armchair in the front hall and secretly cursed: "Chen Songyuan actually raised more than 20 girls, all of them as thin as bamboo poles. You bastard, I can handle you!"
Two days passed in the blink of an eye.
Jia Wang has been worried about his business being intercepted for the past two days, so after having breakfast early in the morning, he hurried to Zhao Xin's house and knocked on the door. Unexpectedly, no one opened the door after knocking for a long time. Jia Wang was anxious and worried.
, a young boy in green clothes walked over from the alley, and when he walked to the courtyard gate, he looked at Jia Wang with a strange look on his face.
"Who are you looking for?"
"This little brother, I'm looking for Mr. Zhao from this family."
"Dong Zhao's family is gone."
"Gone?!" Jia Wang was stunned and quickly asked: "Dare I ask, little brother, who are you?"
"I am a servant of Master Shen's family. This house was originally lent by Master Shen to Dong Zhao's family. The master asked me to come over and clean the yard."
"Excuse me, when did Mr. Zhao leave?"
"Yesterday afternoon, they said an urgent message came from the capital and asked them to go back quickly. Mr. Zhao and his party hired a boat from Tianning Temple Pier and left."
Jia Wang was stunned for a moment. When he saw the young man in Tsing Yi was about to open the door and enter the hospital, he quickly took out a few coins from his arms, stuffed them into the other man's hands, and continued to ask: "Excuse me, did Mr. Zhao bring Xin Na with him when he left?"
Concubine?"
"There is no concubine!" Guisheng put the money into his arms with a smile and said, "Are you a monk? Mr. Zhao walked in a hurry and only brought some antiques he bought. There is no girl at all."
"Oh. Thank you so much." Jia Wang looked regretful and left dejectedly.
In the morning that followed, five or six monks and yapo came one after another. When they heard that Guisheng, who was cleaning the yard, said that Mr. Zhao and his party had returned to the capital in a hurry because of urgent matters, they all stamped their feet and sighed in frustration.
These gentlemen from the capital are generous with their money. Every time they meet a girl, although they don't like her, they can always reward them with a few taels of silver. In fact, they are the biggest fools in the world throughout the ages. They have lost such a huge source of wealth.