After hesitating, Chunying was still a little embarrassed and said to her father: "Actually...... for in these two or three months I have earned some money. I...... I just took a look at the prices in nearby towns...... There are two shops in Changshu County, the kind of front shop and back house, the place is quite spacious, the price is not expensive, and it happens to be on the edge of the river, and it is very convenient to come and go. I thought...... If you settle there, it is quite convenient to travel to and from Suzhou, and it is not far from Taicang Prefecture, and it is not troublesome to go to the Nanyang fleet station in Houfu. She carefully examined her father's face and quickly lowered her head.

Where do you still not understand? Hu Fei's grange is in Changshu County, his family settled there, and when his daughter gets married, it is naturally convenient to come and go, even now, Hu Fei has not come back, and it is not a problem for his daughter to take care of his grange. It's just that he himself has other ideas: "Although Changshu is good, Changshu cloth is not as popular as Songjiang cloth outside, why not buy property in Songjiang?" Otherwise, Jiading County is also good. I heard that there are also a lot of cotton cloth in Jiading, no less than Songjiang cloth. The house price is not too expensive, and it is closer to Taicang. ”

Chunying blushed and whispered, "Jiading...... The tooth shop there controls the cotton cloth trade, only local merchants can do it, and outsiders are not even allowed to find weavers to receive goods, if they violate, they will be sent by the tooth shop to send people away. We can't get in. Moreover, the fields there can only grow cotton, which is not as good as the ever-growing fields, and can still grow grain. ”

Lu Yougui didn't know these things, he also heard others talk about it, where like Chunying was in the surrounding towns a few times, heard his daughter say this, but he didn't insist, but he was still too far away from Changshu: "Let's do a few more days of trading in Suzhou for the time being, it's convenient to collect cloth here, and you don't have to worry about finding a buyer." Chunying had no choice but to respond.

Not long after, Lu Yougui went to the yamen of Suzhou Mansion to obtain a dental license. Because he was a person from Beijing and had no intention of settling in Suzhou, he took a lot of effort, and asked a steward of the Hou fleet to write a letter, and spent some money, and finally got the permission of the government five days later.

Lu Yougui is not like Chunying, there is no tooth shop, just a guerrilla war. He thought of the practice of Jiading Dental Store mentioned by his daughter, and knew that he was a foreigner after all. If you don't have a serious idea to integrate into the local dental circle, it is difficult to do it for a long time, so I bought a yard of the front store and the back house in the commercial area where the cotton cloth and tooth shops gathered in Suzhou, and invited an economic introducer who had done a transaction before, and invited the peers of the surrounding shops to have a meal in the restaurant to contact and contact the feelings.

The tooth shop specializing in the cotton cloth business in Suzhou has long heard of the reputation of "Second Sister Lu", and it is not without ideas in her heart, but because Chunying's business is not large, and she got a letter of introduction from Wu Di, she also undertook Wu Di's supply, and she is a woman, and their group of "big men" are not good at dealing with little girls, so they didn't do anything. Now that she saw that her father knew each other, and expressed his willingness to advance and retreat with everyone, she reluctantly accepted them to open a dental shop in the local area, planning to see the Lu family's behavior before making a statement.

Lu Yougui has also experienced in the business field for a few years, and when he was on an errand in the concierge in the past, he has seen all kinds of people, etc., where can he not see the meaning of everyone? And don't say anything. Still laughing and groaning, he asked them about the rules and taboos in the industry, and planned to do so. When the people saw him like this, their faces became more affectionate.

Chunying was a little unimpressed with the practices of these tooth merchants, there was no problem with unifying the selling price, and it could avoid the price war, which was a taboo for the merchants, but it was too unkind to unify the buying price, and the price was still very low. According to the standards they set, the weavers can only maintain food and clothing, but if there are other merchants who give a slightly higher price, the weavers may change their ways, and the tooth shop in Suzhou is not as good as the tooth shop in Jiading, which can completely control the local weavers. The result of forced low-price receipt will only become more and more unfavorable to the operation of local dental stores in Suzhou.

However, she also understands her father's concerns, the so-called strong dragon does not suppress the head snake, and their family is new to the country, so there is no need to break the rules of the local cloth tooth business.

Lu Yougui probably also understands his daughter's thoughts, since the opening of the tooth shop, he has not let Chunying out of the fabric business again, and even the account room is hired by another person, from purchase to sales, they are all men, there are skilled hands hired by trustees, and there is also a temporary employment economy, except for one account office is a local, the others are not from Suzhou. Mo Han became a buddy. Give Lu Yougui a hand, he is very capable. Lu Yougui specially gave him a monthly increase, which was two taels of silver, which was almost the same as the treatment of the little steward of the Hou Mansion at the beginning.

Chunying was quite sullen for a few days because of her father's actions of putting aside herself, and her face eased after listening to her father say a few good things. Although she doesn't come forward to do business, she can also help with housework. She specially took Sister-in-law He and Aunt Yao to carefully clean up the new house, whether it was the shop in front or the residence in the back, it was all clean and decent, and every furniture and furnishings were just right.

She also specially set up a reception room on the edge of the front store, that is, the elegant room that the world often says, placed a simple and generous style of furniture, and bought two works of a well-known calligrapher to hang on the wall, a small few potted orchids by the window, as a spaced museum shelf neatly stacked with a roll of samples, with a label attached to it, which kind of merchant fancied, as long as the number of the heavenly stem branch on the label, you can find the corresponding goods in the warehouse, and quickly complete the delivery procedure, which is very convenient.

After the house is cleaned up. Lu Yougui carefully inspected it before and after, and nodded secretly: My daughter has been waiting in a big family for many years, and it is really not useless, at least she has seen the world and knows how to take care of housework. However, thinking about the style of the Hou Mansion and thinking about the East Mansion, I am grateful to the second old lady and the second wife of the East Mansion, and I am more confident that my daughter will be able to take care of the small family properly after she gets married, and she doesn't have to worry about it herself.

Of course, in the style of Chunying. You can't stay in the backyard and do the housework of the ancient lady, the cotton business father has already decided, she is not good to interfere, so she made three suggestions to him.

The first is to also deal in satin leno. This is also to give Dongfu and Houfu a reliable cloth supply channel, in addition to the daily use of the two mansions, it can also be supplied to the shop in charge of Mu Chen and the newly opened silk village in Dongfu, which can not only maintain the contact with the two mansions, but also ensure the market, and at the same time borrow the power of the Houfu fleet to travel between Beijing and Shanghai for free, and even the communication channels do not have to pay out of their own pockets, which is convenient and fast.

The second is that all clothing, whether cotton or silk fabrics, is only fixed to a few varieties, and the quality is strictly controlled. After all, in the area of Songjiang in Suzhou and Hangzhou, there are many varieties of cotton cloth, almost every village and town has its own characteristic products, the word "complete" is not practical for outsiders such as Lujia, and it adds labor costs, it is better to keep a few reputable and popular cotton varieties, and add a few other cotton cloth teeth do not do Suzhou characteristic silk fabrics, in order to achieve the maximum profit at the minimum cost, and the strict requirements for quality are also conducive to the establishment of word of mouth. Lu Yougui used to run a silk shop, and for a while he didn't get out of the words "complete colors", thanks to his daughter's reminder, he changed his business mode and improved his efficiency.

Third, it is to establish a limited cooperative relationship with other cloth shops and silk villages, and master the list of fabrics and colors that each family does not operate - because they only do a few fixed varieties of colors, they are not afraid that the other party will be suspicious - if the door-to-door merchant cannot find the goods he wants in his own dental shop, the dental shop can contact the cloth shop, silk village or even the tooth shop for him as soon as possible, if the business is done, only charge a little intermediary fee. In this way, on the one hand, it can make good friends with peers, and on the other hand, it is also convenient for customers, which is very beneficial to foreign newcomers like them.

Lu Yougui thought about it for two days before deciding to adopt all of these suggestions. Soon. The clean and elegant storefront, as well as the neat and thoughtful style of the owner, as well as the high-quality goods, have won unanimous praise from foreign merchants and peers. Even if the price is the same as that of other dental shops in Suzhou, foreign merchants are still willing to come to their homes. It didn't take long for Lujia Yaxing to gain a firm foothold in the city of Suzhou.

After the Mid-Autumn Festival, and after the Chongyang Festival, after entering October, the weather will be cool, although it is in the warm Jiangnan, people will also wear thick jackets. Lu's mother was worried about her son and daughter and grandson who stayed in Beijing, so she clamored to go back and asked Chunying to accompany her. Lu Yougui said: "I'll keep Chun'er for me to check the accounts!" Although there is an account room, if it is an outsider, you should be careful. If you want to go, I will ask someone to send you, the fleet of the Hou Mansion is going north before the winter, I will ask them tomorrow when they will go, you just follow the boat. ”

Lu's mother pursed her lips, but she also knew that her husband's tooth shop had just gained a firm foothold, and it was impossible for him to accompany him home at this time, so she complained: "It's all made by your father and daughter, where can't you open a store in Beijing?" I want to go to Suzhou, and now it will take more than 20 days to go home! ”

Chunying whispered to persuade her: "Mother, the winter in Jiangnan is warmer than in the capital, otherwise, you just don't leave, wouldn't it be good to ask someone to send your brother over?" If my sister's family is fine, let her family come! Children are most afraid of the cold, and this winter in Jiangnan will always be better than in Beijing. ”

"It's useless!" Mother Lu shook her head, "Our relatives and friends are all in Beijing, is it possible that the Chinese New Year is over, and we won't go back to see it?" Alright, you've got something to do, I'll go back by myself! With that, he went upstairs in a rage. Chunying glanced back at her father, who quietly turned back to look at the ledger, and she had to sigh helplessly.

Lu's mother insisted on returning to Beijing, but Lu Yougui had no choice but to entrust the steward of the Hou Mansion fleet, send her on the ship back to Beijing, and let Sister-in-law He accompany her. As soon as her mother left, Chunying took over all the housework, because there was only one elderly Aunt Yao in the inner house, she went to the city again, and selected a ten-year-old girl who was sent over by her uncle after the death of her parents, named Xiaoxiang, and bought it to be her helper.

The days passed day by day, the life of the Lu family got better and better, and the Lu family's tooth shop became more and more stable. Although it is not the largest business, nor is it the best quality, nor is it the most complete set of goods, but in the day after day of trading, it has gradually established its own brand, and has been trusted by dental shops, weavers and foreign merchants inside and outside Suzhou with a steady and friendly style.

Seeing the benefits brought by his daughter's proposal to Yaxing, Lu Yougui sighed again: "It's a pity, why are you your daughter's family?" If it's a son, I have a helper. ”

Chun Ying said disappreciably: "Dad, what are these words?" Am I not your helper now? Why is it that only your son can be your helper? ”

Lu Yougui smiled: "Having said that, but in this world, there is no one whose daughter's family shows up to take care of business, so I have to run outside." ”

Chunying was even more disapproving: "I think that Jiangnan is more enlightened than the capital, and the Zhang family cloth shop at the end of the street, isn't the owner Zhang Niangzi a woman?" I don't shy away from seeing her take care of the store on weekdays, and even when she interacts with other peers. ”

"She's different from you." Lu Yougui said, "She is a widow and has a son, but her son is too young, so she takes care of the family business for him." The Zhang family is also an old qualification in the local area, and she is old, so people naturally respect her. You are a girl who has not been out of the cabinet, and it is inconvenient to do things everywhere, and waiting for you to get married is another story. After a pause, "Then again, Brother Hu is already on his way back, right?" When he returns, it's time for you to get things done, you're not too young! ”

She's not even nineteen yet, okay? Chunying pursed her lips, knowing that it was too late to marry at this age in ancient times. But her father's words reminded her of one thing: "Dad, I almost forgot to tell you, I asked Mo Han to hire someone in Liujiagang, give him a penny a month, and let him make a special trip to the dock to inquire about the itinerary of the treasure boat." As long as Brother Xiao Fei and their mission return to Daming, we will be able to get the news immediately. I told him to report to the shop in front of him, and you remember to tell him to go down and tell the guys not to drive people away. ”

Lu Yougui was drinking tea, he was choked when he heard the words, and stared at his daughter for a long time before sighing: "Forget it, it's not easy for you to ......."

(Someone's coming back...... ）。.。