As the head of a wealthy businessman's family, Mi Zhu traveled around a lot, and his understanding of various places was better than that of scholars and celebrities who traveled around.
In fact, there is not much comparison between the two.
Scholars who studied abroad mostly cared about the local celebrities or aristocratic families; Mi Zhu was more concerned about commercial information such as what specialties each place had, what goods were more marketable, how wealthy the people were, and whether the local officials governed the Qingming Festival.
Xuzhou is adjacent to Qingzhou. It was also a prosperous place in the early years. Mi Zhu often went here. It was not until Qingzhou started to be in turmoil and he became the head of the family that he came less often.
Now that he was revisiting his old place, he looked around with great interest, and all he saw was a vibrant scene.
"Mi Jie, when was the last time you came to Qingzhou?"
"Reporting to the master, it was last spring." A middle-aged man dressed as a manager, who was quite capable, recounted the experience of last year as if he were pouring beans out of a bamboo tube without waiting for Mi Zhu to ask again.
"There were rumors at that time that maritime merchants were purchasing grains and seeds in large quantities, and the goods in exchange were leathers and medicinal materials that were in short supply in the Central Plains. I thought I could make a fortune, so I planned to take the risk of going to Donglai via Beihai. However, not long after I entered the country, Zhang Rao
I raised the flag. If I hadn’t seen the opportunity quickly and abandoned some goods, I’m afraid..."
The loss last year was one of the few losses recorded by the Mi family in recent years. Mi Zhu did not pursue it at the time, but now the old matter suddenly came up again. Mi Jie felt a little uneasy in his heart. Although there is risk, there is profit, but his adventure last year
This move was indeed a bit too reckless.
"Let's forget about the past. How can we do business and make money without taking some risks?" Mi Zhu waved his hand, his tone was quite meaningful. Mi Jie breathed a sigh of relief, but also felt strange. The master's sigh seemed to
...Aren’t you here for yourself?
"How does the scene in Qingzhou this year compare to last year?" Mi Zhu asked again.
"It's totally incomparable!" Mi Jie calmed down, thought about it carefully, and replied: "Last year, it was the spring plowing season, but there were no people in the fields. The wormwood grew as tall as a person. When the wind blew, it would
You can see the bones. Even if you pass through the official road, you have to be careful. You always feel like you will be ambushed. Now..."
He raised his eyes and said no more, the surrounding scenery explained everything.
The wormwood has long been cut down and turned into ashes. It is held in the hands of those rough-handed peasant women and sallow-faced children. Under the command of the gray-haired old man, they mix it evenly with the dung, and then carefully
Sprinkle it into the freshly turned soil.
The men were either manipulating new or old farm tools, shouting and working hard to turn the soil; or they were organized in groups, working hard to repair and dig under the command of local officials or pavilion chiefs.
Ditch leading to the field.
No matter what I do, I sweat profusely, but no one calls me hard.
Qingzhou, a land of mountains and seas, has many hills, but it is also a place rich in water resources and fertile land.
In a place like this, every bit of hard work means a bit of gain. It is conceivable that with the concerted efforts of Qingzhou’s military and civilians, unless there is an extremely serious natural disaster, no matter drought or flood, it will not seriously threaten Qingzhou’s future.
harvest.
Mi Zhu is not the only one who has this awareness, everyone who is busy seems to have similar thoughts, so they are all in a good mood.
Although their clothes are tattered, their tools are crude, and their work is heavy, the farmers and women all have smiles on their faces. From time to time, the childish singing of children can be heard in the fields, faintly and faintly, in the air.
This peaceful picture with thick ink and colorful colors has been filled with various strokes.
When the busy adults hear the singing, they will raise their heads and shout a few words in the direction where the singing is coming from, or scold, or more often, exhort, their voices full of concern, longing and expectation for the future.
Only those who are full of hope for the future will have such a relaxed smile on their faces.
Looking at such a peaceful scene, who can imagine that just about last year, Qingzhou was still a place full of ghosts? Who would have thought that these busy people once roamed Qingzhou and cut off the trade routes?
, where are the Yellow Turban thieves who turned the world into ghosts?
There is actually only a thin line between destroyers and builders. Those who can promote the transformation are either extremely stupid or capable officials.
"Brother, how long has this been? Do you still care about this? Why don't you think about it quickly, what will you do when you get to Linzi..." Mi Fang is not as calm as her brother. No matter how good the prospects of Qingzhou are, what's the use of just watching from the outside?
Use it? You have to find a way to integrate it and become part of a better future.
"What?" Mi Zhu looked back at Siye and turned to his younger brother with a smile.
Mi Fang didn't say anything. She glanced at the steward from the corner of her eyes. Mi Jie noticed what was going on and hurriedly bowed and left.
After the troublemaker left, Mi Fang lowered her voice and said: "Brother, the one who applied for the governor's office will probably be the little girl! I don't know what the damn girl has planned. Since you are going, it would be great if you explain it to us in advance and discuss it with us.
, in the end it won’t be a trivial matter, it’s fine now, it’s completely over! What should we do if we go this time?”
Mi Zhu waved his hands carelessly and said with a faint smile: "It's still unknown whether the woman in the rumor is a younger sister. Even if she is, it's not like flying eggs, right? As the saying goes: There must be a road before the car reaches the mountain, Zifang
You should stop worrying unfoundedly."
"Why are these worries so unfounded?" Mi Fang was a little worried.
I used to be wild and uninhibited, but now I have restrained myself a lot and am seriously planning for the future of my family! However, in the eyes of my brother, he still seems to regard me as the former ranger. When it comes to serious matters, he is
He was determined to show off this look before arriving in Linzi.
"Brother, you said it yourself, saying that you may have misunderstood Junhou's meaning. Now, the little sister is here again. No one else knows, but it has spread in Quxian City. Who doesn't know that the little sister is planning something?
What's your ability? This kind of thing spreads the fastest. In less than a month, it will definitely spread throughout Donghai County. Before summer, it will spread throughout Xuzhou!"
Mi Fang blushed and shouted: "Junhou has no whereabouts, and the family's reputation is...what will my little sister do in the future? Brother, you are still laughing, what on earth are you..."
"Okay, okay, I know you are thinking about my little sister and the Mi family." Mi Zhu was helpless by her younger brother, so she could only smile bitterly and comfort her: "Forget it, don't yell, I will explain it to you from the beginning.
Listen, is this okay?"
"Sure." Mi Fang nodded.
"It was true that I misunderstood at the beginning, but who would have thought that Junhou also has such experience in doing business? In fact, if you think about it carefully, this is not a bad idea now... Don't worry, just listen to me."
Mi Zhu put down the car curtain with one hand and held his younger brother's shoulder with the other, "The Lord knows how to do business. What he said that day must have been solicitation. What's more, Qingzhou is in ruins, and the Lord has adopted the strategy of recuperating and farming. I'm afraid this cost will be too much."
No small matter, I think it means that he wants to discuss a way to make money with my Mi family."
"The way to make money? Isn't it necessary for my family to contribute money and food?" Mi Fang's eyes widened.
Whether it is Tao Qian or other Han officials he has met, whether he values a merchant's family or not depends entirely on the amount of money and food he contributes. It was effective at the time, but over time, this favor was useless. It must be
New contributions can be consolidated.
Therefore, Mi Fang felt that while contributing money and food, it was best to add the bond of in-laws, which would be the safest way.
"How can a prince be like an ordinary person?" Mi Zhu smiled lightly, but a bright light flashed in his eyes. If you observe carefully, you will find that the smile in his eyes is the same as that of the farmers he just met.
"Brother, what's the reason for your words?" Mi Fang was puzzled and didn't know where her brother's confidence came from.
"I didn't dare to confirm it before, but after hearing the question, I was convinced. Zifang, do you still remember the argument with me about that question?" Mi Zhu asked rhetorically without answering.
"Of course I remember." Mi Fang nodded, "I think the answer is a loss of one penny. It is obviously a profit twice in a row, one penny at a time. If not, it is three penny. If you say it is a loss, you can only say it is a penny!"
"
"That's why Junhou said that when looking at this question from different angles, the conclusions drawn are different. From the perspective of ordinary people, it is indeed making one money at a time, but from the perspective of doing business, the first time
After the transaction, the merchant only has nine coins in his hand, and he needs to add one more coin before he can conduct a second transaction. Where does this money come from? Isn’t it a debt that needs to be repaid?"
"That makes sense..." Mi Fang rubbed her scalp and said distressedly: "Hey, the question itself is quite torturous. It's a lot of trouble over nothing."
"Doing business is basically making trouble out of nothing. How can a businessman get rich if he doesn't produce anything? So the world's talents..." Mi Zhu shook his head and gave another wry smile. Businessmen can get rich without producing, which is very enviable. Even if
Wasn't it that Lu Buwei, who was so powerful back then, was completely despised under the pen of the historian?
"These are all trivial matters. The key point is that if it is just sophistry, the answer given by Junhou should be to lose one coin. Since the answer he gave is to lose two coins... Haha, it is obvious that besides using troops, Junhou
He is like a god, and he also knows how to run a business!”
"If you put it this way, even if there is nothing to do with my little sister, the prince will still promote you and re-employ you in my Mi family?" Mi Fang was not very interested in the complicated process, but his brother's inference made his eyes light up.
.
"It shouldn't be wrong." Mi Zhu smiled slightly: "Maybe you don't know yet? The wedding is about to happen, but the monarch has spent a lot of time improving papermaking technology, and now he has achieved preliminary results..."
"Paper? This thing can also make money?"
"Why not?" Mi Zhu reached into her arms and took out a piece of white paper, "Zifang, take a look at it, what do you think of this paper?"
"This is..." Mi Fang couldn't move her eyes as soon as she saw what was in her brother's hand. He raised his hand to lift the car curtain to make the light in the car brighter, and put his face directly into Mi Zhu's hand.
The bright sunshine shines through the car window, illuminating the interior of the car brightly. What is brighter than the sun is the piece of paper in Mi Zhu's hand, the white paper!
The light reflected from the paper was white, delicate, uniform, and bright in color. It made people fall in love with it at first sight. Mi Fang couldn't help but touch it with her hand. The soft feeling made him mistakenly think that the thing in his hand was of the best quality.
Silk, not paper.
"Zifang, tell me, what price can such a piece of paper fetch in Xuzhou?"
"Ten yuan? No, if our family comes to sell it, thirty yuan is no problem!" Mi Fang blurted out.
Since the Yellow Turban Rebellion, Xuzhou is one of the few places that has not been war-torn. There are already many local celebrities, and with those who have taken refuge from other places, there is even more of a gathering of elites.
Celebrities are very generous in spending money, and they are especially stingy with things for the study. The quality of Qingzhou's new paper is far better than the original Caihou paper. Once it is launched, even if no commercial operations are carried out, it is likely to cause a rush to buy. If there is corruption,
The family is dispatched from it, then...
Mi Fang felt dizzy, and she seemed to see countless five-baht coins falling from the sky.
"I understand, the legend is true. The Lord has the Mohist scrolls in his hands, so he can create so many..." After sighing for a while, Mi Fang remembered the original theme: "What should I do, little sister?"
"There must be a road before the car reaches the mountain. It's not too late to see the situation after arriving in Linzi." Mi Zhu once again cast his eyes on the surrounding fields, admiring the vitality of Qingzhou.
Ps. The question on that topic is actually a toss-up. Viewed from different angles, there are different reasons. There is no right or wrong, it just depends on how to look at it and how to think about it. Please don’t get entangled. (To be continued. Please
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