usatvline Chapter 177 A One-Year Plan
Chapter 177 A One-Year Plan
On the sixteenth day of the first lunar month, just after the Lantern Festival, the fleet that had traveled to Jiangxi finally returned.
At that time, Shao Shuyi was on his way to the Tianfei Palace Cloth Shop. After hearing the news, he couldn't help but ask about the details.
Transportation went smoothly, and the goods were delivered safely. Meanwhile, a batch of Jiangxi timber, bamboo ware, copper, iron, and tin was also hauled back to Liujiagang. The reason it took so long was mainly due to frequent banditry in the Yuxikou, Leichi, and Hukou areas. Rumors circulated about robberies and murders, so detailed and believable that people couldn't help but believe them.
The imperial navy was unusually inactive, but in addition to suppressing bandits, they also harassed passing merchant ships and even extorted money from them, creating a chaotic mess. Out of caution, Kong Tie anchored at the shore multiple times to gather information before continuing his journey, which delayed him considerably and cost him a lot more money.
He is currently at the old granary paying wages, distributing rewards, and settling debts incurred before his departure. Roughly calculated, he will end up with less than fifty ingots.
Shao Shuyi didn't care about that; as long as the person was brought back safely, nothing else mattered.
At noon, he arrived at the "Xia Zheng Silk Shop" located southwest of the Tianfei Palace. Although it was called a silk shop, it actually made all kinds of cloth, from the most expensive brocade to the cheapest linen.
Upon arrival, Shao Shuyi instructed Yu Yuan, the "royal accountant," to contact the accountant and retrieve the account books.
Tie Niu, Liang Tai, and Wu Heizi and his nephew Wu Jianbo also came over and were standing in front of the counter, chatting idly. "Buddha Tooth, we all gained weight over the New Year, but you haven't changed at all," Wu Heizi said, somewhat shocked.
"Even on the first day of the Lunar New Year, I get up before dawn to train my muscles and hone my skills." Liang Tai stopped after saying this, but the meaning was clear: you are not self-disciplined and indulge yourselves too much, so you have gained weight.
Sure enough, Wu Heizi blushed upon hearing this and said, "Sigh, there's nothing I can do about it. We have to visit relatives before and after the New Year, and even the masters, grandmasters, and fellow disciples I apprenticed with when I was learning to slaughter pigs. We drink until we're completely drunk and eat like crazy. It's already good that I've only gained a little weight." Wu Jian secretly glanced at his uncle and thought to himself, "You don't have no choice at all. You actively go there to eat and drink, don't you? Any Tom, Dick, or Harry will come when you call. You never refuse. When others see that you've made a fortune, they flatter you a few times, and you immediately lose your sense of direction."
"Tie Niu, do you have any hammering or forging skills for the New Year?" Liang Tai asked again.
Tie Niu nodded and said, "I've worn out one of the big shields from practice, so I'm using rattan shields again. Brother Shao also taught me how to shoot arrows, but I haven't fully mastered it yet." Liang Tai seemed quite satisfied with Tie Niu's self-discipline and added, "If you can't learn to shoot arrows, then don't bother. Think about how to use a musket later." This time, Tie Niu didn't speak. Instead, he stood there like a statue, completely oblivious to what Liang Tai wanted him to do, even though Brother Shao had clearly stated that the latter would be solely responsible for all training.
Seeing that he didn't speak, Liang Tai seemed to understand something and didn't say anything more.
After an unknown amount of time, Shao Shuyi and Yu Yuan arrived at the counter carrying the account books.
"Fortunately, there shouldn't be any major problems with this shop, otherwise it would have delayed things even more," Shao Shuyi said with a smile.
Hearing this, Wu Heizi breathed a slight sigh of relief and said, "If we're held back by this shabby shop, we won't be able to do many things. If you ask me, we should have done it long ago." "Alright, you don't know the inside story, why are you making such a fuss?" Shao Shuyi said helplessly, "I just checked, the warehouse is empty, there are only a few bolts of cloth. It seems that Huangtian Trading Company's first transaction after the New Year is about to begin."
"Transporting cloth?" Wu Heizi asked.
Shao Shuyi nodded and said, "Cotton cloth is definitely needed, and no less than 20,000 bolts. I'll have to decide on the specific purchase method." As he spoke, several people came over from the warehouse in the backyard. They were Xu Yuanqi, Fang Chang, the internal and external accountants, Zheng Du, the warehouse manager, and Sheng Yongqing, the martial arts instructor. They looked at Shao Shuyi with complicated expressions, then at the people beside him, each with their own thoughts.
Shao Shuyi was too lazy to play mind games with them. Zheng Yonghe had already delegated power to him; what were they waiting for?
Therefore, after only a moment's thought, he looked at the group and said, "The first batch of foreign merchants and travelers will arrive as early as mid-May. So, by the end of April at the latest, the shop needs to be stocked with 30,000 to 40,000 bolts of silk, 20,000 bolts of cotton cloth, and 20,000 bolts of mixed-color cloth. Stockpiling takes time, so we must prepare early. I know that after Manager Li left his post, many relationships were severed. But that's alright. There are countless cloth sellers in the world; one or two more won't make a difference. If you have any familiar merchants, you can invite them to the shop to discuss things in detail. If the cloth is acceptable, I will arrange to buy it and pay you the brokerage fee. Merchants who previously supplied the shop, if they wish to continue doing business with me, should come to me."
In short, don't let your mind wander; getting things done is the top priority. Understand?
Having said that, he picked up an account book from the counter and threw it directly to Xu Yuanqi, the inner accountant, saying, "I won't look at it anymore, keep it safe."
Xu Yuanqi hurriedly took it, his face beaming with joy.
Fang Chang glanced at him, then at Shao Shuyi, hesitated, and finally just sighed inwardly.
Zheng Du's eyes darted around, seemingly lost in thought.
Martial arts master Sheng Yongqing quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
Shao Shuyi took in their expressions. Like the blueware shop before, this shop also had significant problems. The departure of two managers took some of the issues with them, and with Zheng's several sudden accounting incidents, many losses were gradually covered up. However, it would not be accurate to say that the accounts were completely without problems.
But Shao Shuyi didn't want to spend too much energy on this shop; he had more things to do.
He couldn't be bothered with minor issues or mistakes regarding money; as long as they weren't excessive, he could tolerate them.
Furthermore, putting aside his elder brother, Shao himself isn't exactly a model of public service. When it comes to purchasing fabric, he'll probably need to network with a bunch of people he knows. Understand Wang Sheng, become Wang Sheng, surpass Wang Sheng.
After leaving the Xia Zheng silk shop, Shao Shuyi led his men to "Pi Xiang Ge," which was just across the street. In fact, this street was lined with all kinds of fabric shops, making it a veritable fabric market street.
Pixiang Pavilion is a new fabric shop opened by Madam Shen. Judging from the style of the name, one can only say that she is indeed a cultured young woman with some taste.
Old Mo was sitting in the shop, watching the newly hired manager reprimand his group of employees. When he saw Shao Shuyi, he came out with a smile and said, "Shao She, it's been a long time since I've seen you."
"I've just taken over as the manager of the Xia Zheng Silk Shop. The two shops are very close, so I came to take a look," Shao Shuyi said, then pointed to Pi Xiang Pavilion and asked, "Is the shop already open?"
"Not only have we opened, but we've even found all the goods." Mo Bei paused after speaking, then added, "We've found the blankets, raw silk, and satin, but we haven't bought the cotton and linen yet. Shao She, if you'd like to get some, that's not out of the question. Last year's Jiangyin cotton cloth was quite good; just make it a bit lighter and thinner, and I can buy 30,000 bolts."
"So many?" Shao Shuyi was somewhat surprised.
Mo Bei smiled and said, "The Shen family has always been involved in foreign trade. It's not difficult for them to sell some goods. Some might say that the goods from foreign trade have a source, but if Madam wants to sell them, she can go back to the old house, give Master Wan a shoulder massage, and give Madam Zeng a leg massage. As many goods as she wants to sell, it's just a matter of saying a word."
Shao Shuyi was speechless.
He'd been tinkering around and seemed to have made a lot of money, but in terms of profit, nothing was as lucrative as clinging to Madam Shen's coattails. "If you want to sell silk, raw silk, and silkworm cocoons, you'd better start planning soon," Mo Bei said. "Many merchants have been coming to our door lately. I can give you some time, but you need to hurry up and not delay."
"Okay." Shao Shuyi perked up and said, "I'll go to Jiangyin in a few days and find all the goods as soon as possible."
"We might need to make a trip to Wuhu later," Mo Bei added. "Most of the raw silk and blankets my family buys are produced there, and a lot of silk fabrics also come from Xuancheng. They are transported across the Qingyi River into the Yangtze River and then back to Liujiagang."
"Oh? Why Xuancheng?" Shao Shuyi asked.
"It's nothing more than social obligations," Mo Bei said. "Even Lord Wan has old friends who need your help."
Shao Shuyi understood, so he didn't ask any more questions, only saying, "Don't worry, Wuhu isn't far, leave the transportation to me."
Mo Bei nodded with a smile and said, "I met Madam at the Shen residence during the New Year. We talked about the river bandits on the Yangtze River. I said that if we want to be safe, we still need to let Shao She take action. Madam agreed wholeheartedly. She should be returning to Liujiagang at the end of November."
At this point, Mo Bei lowered his voice slightly and continued, "Madam is very pleased to know that you are in Jiangyin searching for and trading silkworm cocoons, raw silk, and cotton cloth. I told her that Shao She knew he was wrong last time and felt guilty. Only you, Madam, could make Shao She repent. Although Madam didn't say anything, I could tell she was very happy."
Holy crap! Old Mo, you're amazing! Shao Shuyi bowed deeply and said, "Thank you for your kind words, Mr. Mo. I will definitely repay you in the future."
"I'm also trying to help Madam's business reach new heights." Mo Bei waved his hand, then seemed to remember something and said, "Before the New Year, the four friends from Songzhu Garden got together and said they wanted to prepare several boats and hire people to transport goods. They should be making some moves after the New Year. From now on, we'll probably have to hand over the tea transportation business to them."
Shao Shuyi smiled and said, "It's alright. I'm busy right now, so it's fine to take some time off."
It's perfectly normal for a female CEO to outsource part of her logistics business to her husband and his friends. After all, they're a married couple, and they should give each other some face. If things really get too tense, outsiders will start gossiping.
However, he still casually asked, "Who did you buy the boat from?"
"We ordered them from shipyards in Liujiagang; they're all brand new," Mo Bei said.
Wow! The "Four Great Talents" of Songzhuyuan are really extravagant, actually ordering a new ship! What a waste of money! Shao Shuyi, who could only buy a used ship at a bargain price, thought sourly.
After composing himself, Shao Shuyi bowed again and said, "Master Mo, there's no time to lose. I'll go back and prepare. I'll come back to you as soon as I have news." "Of course, of course," Mo Bei returned the bow.
Shao Shuyi left Liujiagang that same day, his next stop being Jiuyicang.
Meanwhile, the order to gather manpower was passed down from top to bottom.
The year's plan starts in spring. In the new year, wouldn't the Great Sage of the Flat-Tent not do something interesting to live up to the name "Flat-Tent"?