At the end of February, Beijing City, can already feel a trace of spring warmth, together with the locust tree on the side of the road, also shows the green leaves, the warm sun basking people are lazy, it is the spring warmth, the street is naturally more lively, the business is to put all kinds of flower cloth and other goods on the stall in front of the shop.

Compared with the bustle of the main street, the tofu alley across a few alleys from Zhengyangmen Street seems a little deserted, and the teahouses and restaurants on the side of the alley also have a quiet and leisurely place in the middle of the noise.

In the alley of a store with the word "Yan", a middle-aged man walks back and forth in front of the shop from time to time, Yan Zihao, this is one of the oldest coal shops in the capital, from the Kangxi period will be this tofu alley to do business, more than 200 years, relying on the truth of Tong Suo, a small coal shop, into a large number of 10,000 catties of coal per day, whether it is a large piece of coal made of peach kernel, coal mass made of pulverized coal, where the Yan number comes out, it seems to be blind.

But in recent days, Yanzihao has been as lively as before, and even the guys in the coal rolling group in the backyard have not worked for two days, and as for the lump coal, it has pressed 10,000 catties or 20,000 catties.

"Hey!"

Looking at the lazy guy in the shop, Li Tingyu couldn't help but sigh, and then silently wrapped a bag of cigarettes and smoked it, his brows even more frowned.

After smoking a bag of cigarettes, Li Tingyu walked towards the backyard, the coal pile in the backyard became a hill, if it was put on the usual, the coal pile could not be two days, two days of hard work can be almost the same, every day the city gate opened, the coal car transporting coal will transport the coal over, now it is good, three days have not produced a thousand catties of coal.

In the shed built next to the wall, when the six-foot iron sieves were put aside, there were shirtless guys in winter and summer who were sweating like rain shaking the sieve, squeezing the coal balls into fist-sized briquettes, but now, a few guys were touching Pai Gow there, and there was still a little heat?

"What's wrong?"

Li Tingyu didn't ask those guys, but walked straight to the corner of the courtyard, where a master was making slime with an iron bucket, and there were a few scattered coal balls on the side.

"Owner, what do you think is the hole in this briquette? Not to mention, all the sizes are the same, I have tried, although it can be squeezed out with an iron bucket, but when the briquettes are squeezed out, the eyes are either crooked or blocked, if you wait until you squeeze out and then pierce the eyes, the briquettes will not be round! ”

As soon as Zhou Laozhuan said this, he sweated on his forehead, but the owner promised twenty taels of silver, as long as he could make the same "honeycomb coal" as the "Huayang".

"Don't worry, don't worry, Lao Shu, I asked someone to inquire, the owner of the Huayang is Tang Ziran, the Tang Ziran who wrote "Taixi Zhi", the honeycomb coal is made by him, maybe it is something from the West......"

Li Tingyu said this, but the anxious look on his face couldn't hide from others, and now the business on the number is about to make Huayang's honeycomb coal run out of it.

"Foreigners' stuff, no wonder, no wonder ......"

Ding Yujia, the shopkeeper standing next to him, nodded again and again when he heard this.

"Owner, now don't talk about the business of the coal group, it is the business of the lump of coal, and let Huayang grab it, the three-eyed stove, the restaurant burns, compared with the lump of coal, can save two or three percent of coal, if it continues like this, not a friend, our business, really can't do it!"

Not really!

A month ago, who would have thought that Huayang could set off such a big storm, originally thought that it was just a coal shop, but who would have thought that Huayang from the first day of opening, not only things are different from others, but even how to do business, but also different from others, he did not stay in the coal shop to do business, but the casual workers of the car and horse shop, relying on the commission of three pieces of coal and two pennies, so that those handlebar type turned into coal dealers, in the shouting of coal dealers, Huayang, honeycomb coal, and small coal stove only took half a month's effort

In the past, whether it was briquettes or coal blocks, they would buy them themselves in the coal store, but now there are hundreds of coal dealers stringing together in the alleys, shouting, and delivering the coal directly to the doorstep, which is really convenient for many people. It also makes Huayang's business bigger day by day, if it is put aside, it is naturally not a matter of worry, but the problem is the honeycomb coal.

"This briquette is really good, three yuan a day, after cooking at night, stuffy on the stove, open the door the next day, and the fire will come up after a while, not to mention the less money, but also save trouble!"

Lao Zhoutou's words suddenly made the shopkeeper Ding unhappy.

"What a save!"

put his face on the board, and the shopkeeper Ding said directly.

"How much does a briquette weigh? Two catties and one tael, at least mixed into two percent of the soil, that dare to charge 17 yuan, this heart is comparable to coal black! ”

What the shopkeeper Ding said is to implement, honeycomb coal seems to be used in saving, and it can save seven or eight cents more than the coal burning group, but in fact, the same money can buy ten catties of coal balls, but it can be replaced with less than seven catties of honeycomb coal.

"The owner, according to me, they Huayang are not allowed to let others exchange coal balls and crushed coal for honeycomb coal, or we will also change ......."

In order to squeeze the business of others, Nahuayang not only sells honeycomb coal, but also allows people to exchange coal balls and broken coal for honeycomb coal, but to increase the wages slightly, one catty three taels for one catty of honeycomb coal, maybe it is an annoying relationship, Ding shopkeeper said this sentence casually.

"The owner, this can't be done, in this case, we can't afford to lose money, in the end, the silver is all earned by Huayang, and we can't afford this loss alone!"

The speaker was unintentional, listening intentionally, as soon as Lao Zhou heard that he was willing, his words were just finished, and the shopkeeper Ding reluctantly smiled.

"Owner, I'm also very angry, so I will say this!"

"I know,"

Nodding, Li Tingyu's brows furrowed, this is extremely angry, it is clear that there is no way, no way? If it continues like this, it is difficult for Yanzihao's 220-year-old family business to be destroyed in his own hands?

"No way?"

In the courtyard of Yang Ji Coal Store, Yang Shuren looked at the pile of collapsed or deformed honeycomb coal in front of him, and his face, which was always smiling, was full of anger.

"No, no, the coal shape of the Huayang is so neat, it must have used a machine qì, there is no machine qì, and there is no shape for us to make!"

Lao Liangtou, who has worked in the Yangji coal industry for three generations, patted the coal ash on his hands, and his face was full of helplessness.

Staring at the unformed honeycomb coal on the ground, Yang Shuren's heart was blocked by a fire, now this honeycomb coal is more impactful to the coal market than when Yang Ji made the coal ball during the Yongzheng period, and anyone can make the coal ball, but this honeycomb coal? It's been almost half a month, and the big guys don't know how to make it!

If you can't make honeycomb coal, sooner or later this business will have to let Hua Yangji grab it, and at that time, Yang Ji Coal Store will not be able to close its doors, is it possible that the business left by the ancestors will be ruined in their own hands?

"Boss, I have an idea."

Suddenly, Lao Liangtou raised his head and looked at the owner and said.

"Otherwise, let's send someone to Huayangji, they must use people in their workshop, let's see what kind of machine they use, and then we will buy or build it!"

Lao Liangtou's words made Yang Shuren's brows lock slightly, and he looked at Lao Liangtou for a while before speaking.

"This, this is not appropriate, we are ...... in business."

"Boss, when other industries learned from us to use iron sieves to make coal balls, they didn't talk to us about any rules!"

Lao Liang's first sentence was brought to the Yongzheng year, although there were also coal balls and briquettes in other coal shops at that meeting, but they were all patted by hand, but Yang Ji relied on a few iron sieves, but made a coal ball as round as a ball, and with that selling image, it was sold into the Forbidden City lightly, but later let the guys sent by others learn it secretly, and those people didn't say any rules at that time.

"Boss, why don't I let San'er go over?"

Just when Yang Shuren hesitated, he heard the words of the shopkeeper over there.

"East, East,"

The shopkeeper Fang, who came in a hurry, walked quickly to the owner with a look of urgency on his face, and his voice was slightly suppressed.

"Owner, Huayang is here."

"Huayang is here? What do they want to do? ”

"The contemptible person is Han Che of Huayang, who has seen Yang Dongjia!"

In the back room of Yang Ji Coal Bank, Han Che respectfully bowed to Yang Shuren, although he has a meritorious reputation, but now he is doing business here, and everything has to be done according to the rules of the business field.

"Today, Han Che was ordered by the owner to come to meet Yang Dongjia!"

"You're ......"

Yang Shuren looked at Han Che suspiciously, but he couldn't figure out the other party's intention for a while.

"Yang Ji and Huayang don't have any friendship! I don't know what your boss commands? ”

There is obviously annoyance in these words, no wonder, Yang Ji's current business has been robbed by Huayang, how can he not be annoyed?

"Our host will have a banquet in Yumanlou tonight, and we sincerely invite Yang Dongjia and the owners of various coal banks to talk, and I hope that Yang Dongjia will come at that time!"

Han Che said as he took out an invitation card and handed it over.

Banquet?

The proprietors of the coal banks?

Until that Han Che left, Yang Shuren was still staring at the invitation on the table, pondering the other party's intentions, what did the surnamed Tang want to do?

"Boss, what is this?"

When the shopkeeper entered the room, he saw the invitation card on the table.

"Tang Ziran's banquet, I'm only afraid of ......"

With a long sigh, Yang Shuren shook his head helplessly.

"There's no good feast!"

(Today's update, the first update!) It's been a long time since I've added more, and I've had a little more things lately, and I don't have enough manuscripts at hand, so I'll add more at least once a week in the future, and normally twice! Ask for collections, ask for recommendations! ）