The appearance of Indians is very conspicuous, but in fact, the number is not large, Little Rock now has a population of tens of thousands, Indians are only two or three hundred, not even more Americans come here to do business, most of them are still Chinese.

It was easy for the Cai family to find out about the largest cloth village in the city, called Cai Hexing, which was a cloth shop opened by a Cantonese person.

Cai asked the shopkeeper in front of the counter if there was any Nanjing cloth, and the shopkeeper said yes, took it out and looked at it, but found that it was a fake. The shopkeeper said that he had taken out a lot of Nanjing cloth one after another, but they were all fakes.

The cloth is real cloth, but it is not Nanjing cloth. Cai's can see at a glance that they are all woven printed and dyed fabrics. The quality is not bad, it can be sold for about 20 yuan in the Songjiang area, and the homespun cloth is 30 yuan.

Cai's was a little unhappy: "Shopkeeper, do business with sincerity, where are you Nanjing cloth." Is it the printing and dyeing cloth of Jiangnan? Do you give a correct sentence, is it true? ”

The shopkeeper shook his head: "No." How can there be so much real Nanjing cloth, and there is no one in the entire county. You really have to go to the city of the Americans and buy it. Sent from China, there is no real one. The government has intercepted more than half, and the official use is in short supply. Real Nanjing cloth, a foot in Songjiang will cost 1,000 yuan, and here it will cost 10,000 yuan. No one will buy it. ”

Cai Shi was shocked, why is it so expensive, when she was a worker, although Nanjing cloth was also very expensive, four or five times that of homespun cloth, it was not so much higher.

The shopkeeper sighed: "After this battle is over, the foreigners all go to buy cloth, and the price will be raised." Last year, I had a real one here, but I couldn't sell it for a price, and I lost it. Not this year! The owner also wants to get into the truth, but no, he deceived people. ”

As he spoke, the shopkeeper shook the fabric on the counter twice, and his face was mocking. Few of the people who come to the Americas to do business are serious businessmen, they used to be farming, changed careers to do business, have no business culture, and have not yet learned the smiling and welcoming style. The owner is an old chief in the north, who has been here for ten years, a few years ago, he hired people to help with farming, saved thousands of acres of family business, and ran here to buy and sell with spare money.

Last year, the young owner took over the family business, came here to sit in the town, and had to interfere in everything, which made the old shopkeeper quite unhappy. simply let go and let the young owner toss, and he didn't remind him to buy fakes.

Cai's was very embarrassed, entrusted by others, but he couldn't buy cloth, how to explain when he went back.

When she walked out of Cai Hexing, her face was full of sadness, she also planned to go to other stores to see, the words of the trader may not be taken seriously, the shopkeeper said that there is no Nanjing cloth in the city, maybe there is.

"Madame!"

As soon as she stepped out of the cloth shop, a young man crept out and shouted after her.

Cai was taken aback.

The other party hurriedly lost his manners: "Xiaosheng is rude, I have disturbed Mrs. ”

It seems that the person is dressed in silk and satin, thinking that he is the son of a rich family, and the Cai family does not dare to slack off, and bends his knees to return the courtesy.

"What is the matter with the childe calling the little woman?"

The young man said: "Xiaosheng Cai Li, I have seen Mrs. ”

Cai Shi paused: "Childe is also surnamed Cai? ”

Cai Li was stunned: "Could it be that Mrs. Fei is also surnamed Cai?" ”

Cai smiled: "My mother's surname is Cai, and my husband's surname is Zhang." ”

Zhang Cai's.

Cai Li gave another salute: "I don't want to meet the same clan in a foreign land, this can be regarded as fate." The younger generation has something to ask for, I don't know if it is inconvenient for the wife? ”

Cai smiled: "Childe, but it doesn't hurt to say it. ”

Cai Li looked around and pointed to a piece of ground not far away: "It's a long story, I implore Madame to move and discuss." ”

Cai Shi looked at the sky, went out very early, it was only noon, she was also a little hungry in her stomach, and saw that the place pointed by the other party was a tea stall, just eating a bowl of tea to endure hunger.

nodded and went over with Cai Li, who expected that the other party did not let her come to the tea stall to talk about things, but led her to the big restaurant behind the tea stall.

"The Yangzhou cuisine here is very famous, and the chefs are authentic Yangzhou people, and it is difficult to find them within a hundred miles. I don't know if it suits Mrs. Appetite. ”

As he spoke, he was about to order.

Cai's suddenly became cramped: "Childe, if you have something to say, just say it directly, why bother to break the bank." ”

Cai Li said: "Don't break the cost, don't break the cost." ”

Then I asked the shopkeeper to serve four cold and four hot, and after asking Cai's, he didn't ask for wine.

Cai's was even more cramped, she didn't know more and more what this young noble son wanted to do, and suddenly felt that it was a bit reckless to come to the restaurant with him, but she was a middle-aged woman, and she didn't have much appearance, so she didn't think much about it just now, and now she couldn't help blushing a little, and went to the restaurant with a strange man.

When the dishes came up, Cai's mouth was full of relish, and her stomach was even more hungry, she had never seen such a banquet, and the banquet in the countryside was not so exquisite.

Cai Li was polite again and again, but Cai just didn't dare to move the chopsticks.

"Childe, you have something to say, don't say anything about the little woman and leave."

Not only did he not dare to eat, but he stood up and wanted to leave.

Cai Li hurriedly said, "Madam, slow down." I beg Madame to save me. ”

Cai Shi was stunned: "Childe is sick?" If you're sick, look at the doctor, I can't save you. ”

Cai Li sighed: "Just look at Madame's good eyesight, could it be that she has done this cloth business?" ”

Cai shook his head: "The little woman has worked in a cloth factory, and she usually weaves at home. So it's a bit of a humble opinion, and I can't talk about it. ”

Cai Li was overjoyed: "No wonder. After all, he is a connoisseur. ”

Cai urged: "What else does Childe have to say?" It's too late, and the little woman has to rush back. ”

Cai Li sighed: "Xiaosheng is really hard to say. Wicked slaves and deceive masters......"

Cai Li said that he had just accepted the sale, but it turned out that the shopkeeper was making private accounts and filling his pockets. If you want to manage it, the other party will pick and choose, making the business in the shop worse and worse. And he told him about the situation in his house, and that if there were many brothers in his house, and the land was not enough, the shop was given to him, and this was all his possessions, and if he was defeated, he would have to drink the northwest wind.

Cai Shi was also sympathetic, but wondered: "I am a woman, how can I help." ”

Cai Li stood up and bowed and bowed: "Xiao Sheng, I beg my wife to be the treasurer of my family, I don't know what Mrs. wants?" The salary guarantees the satisfaction of the lady! ”

Cai's was really scared, and her feelings were to ask her to come out to help with the business, but she saw that Cai Hexing was indeed a big cloth shop, with a face of five or six feet, and a large courtyard behind it, with more than a dozen guys in it, and the decoration was very magnificent. Where did she get this cabinet?

hurriedly waved his hand: "Don't dare, don't dare, the little woman is a woman and can't read." Where is worthy of the treasurer? ”

Cai Li shook his head and sighed, in this America, there is no shortage of anything, there is a shortage of professionals, otherwise there is no need to be subject to the shopkeeper, from the shopkeeper to the apprentice, they are all the shopkeepers, and they have set him up. He was also sick and rushed to the doctor, and saw Cai's head of the cloth is the way, and choked the shopkeeper, thinking that he was a cloth dealer who had done cloth trading, but he didn't expect that it was a cloth factory weaver, although he knew cloth, he was illiterate, and he really couldn't be a shopkeeper.

Cai continued: "If nothing else, the little woman will retire. ”

Cai Li let again: "It's better to meet by chance, the dishes are ordered, Mrs. should eat and leave." ”

Cai Shi waved his hand vigorously: "Don't eat, don't eat." ”

She was terrified, her chest pounding.

Cai Li is not good to stay, after all, it is a strange man and woman, and it is not good to spread it.

He suddenly thought of something: "Madame, stay." I just heard from my wife that I usually weave cloth at home? ”

Cai had already stood up and nodded.

Cai Li said: "Madame wants to buy Nanjing cloth, and it is indeed impossible to buy it in this city." You have to take a boat to the city of the Americans, to New Orleans to buy it. However, I know that Nanjing cloth is woven with colored cotton, and I have some colored cotton collected from it, and if my wife can weave it myself, I will give it to my wife. ”

When Cai heard this, he thought about it and nodded.

She can weave cloth, Nanjing cloth was also woven originally, and later used a machine, the owner did not weave Nanjing cloth, but changed to plain weave.

Cai Li invited Cai's to eat again, and Cai's was indeed hungry, so he was not polite, and he was half-full.

After eating, the two returned to the warehouse in the backyard of Cai Hexing, Cai Li led Cai into the warehouse, and asked the guy to take out several cloth bags, and after opening it, Cai saw that it was indeed colored cotton, with two colors, brown and red. Unlike the colored cotton she saw in China, the colored cotton in China is also brown, but there are also blue and purple flowers, and there are also earthy red, although the colored cotton here is also red, but the color is darker, like rust.

Cai thought that if he carefully mixed it with white cotton, the color could be lighter, and he should be able to weave a similar color.

"What does Madame think?"

"Very good, very good."

Chua replied.

Cai Li smiled: "Then I'll find someone to help Mrs. send her back, I don't know where Mrs. lives?" ”

Cai waved his hand: "Don't bother, I'll take it back myself." ”

Cai Li said: "I'm afraid that Mrs. won't be able to take it, I have a lot of cotton here, and there are more than ten bags of such a big bag." ”

Cai Shi smiled: "Childe said that he laughed, the little woman is not so much." Just weigh twenty catties, and the son will calculate the price. ”

Cai Li shook his head: "What kind of money do you want, it's a waste to stay with me, if Madame can use it, take it all." ”

Cai refused: "How can this work?" Childe is a trader......"

She paused suddenly, she felt a little aggrieved, the women in the fort bought homespun cloth from her cheaply, but they had to make irresponsible remarks, and bought fakes from the hawkers without complaining.

Cai Li insisted: "Actually, the younger generation still has an idea, if Mrs. can weave Nanjing cloth, this is a good deal." I don't know if Madame is interested. ”

Then Cai Li told Cai Shi why he bought colored cotton, these colored cotton was when he went to Mexico years ago, he saw that the local natives sold it in the market, he also saw the local people weaving the colored cloth, the cloth is not good, the cotton is real, he thought about buying some colored cotton back, looking for someone to weave Nanjing cloth, he did cloth trading, of course he knew how Nanjing cloth was woven. But as a result, I searched all over the country, but I couldn't find a good weaver, and the color cotton is different from white cotton, the fiber is short, and the machine cannot be used.

If the cloth can't be made, the cotton will be smashed in the hand, but fortunately, the price is not expensive.

Today, he met Cai, an expert in weaving, and he came up with this idea. In the end, he told Cai's to let Cai's take back all the colored cotton, and if it could be woven into Nanjing cloth, he would buy it at a high price.