As the saying goes: there is heaven above and Suzhou and Hangzhou below. In the hinterland of Suzhou and Hangzhou, the four seasons are distinct, and the agriculture is ten thousand acres. The river is vertical and horizontal, and the water of the two streams flows through Yang, Dang, River and Harbor...... The water is as clear as a mirror, and the soil is sticky and tough, which constitutes a good natural condition for mulberry breeding, silkworm raising and silk reeling.

The unique silk reeling process here has gradually formed the eight characteristics of "fine, round, even, firm, white, clean, flexible and tough".

Here the walls are whitewashed and tiled, and the small bridges and flowing water are people's homes. A north-south city river runs through the town. On both sides of the river, businessmen gather and houses stand in abundance. From April and May to October every year, every household: the smell of steamed tea comes out of the hut, and the sound of silk is heard through the bamboo fence. The cocoon foil mountain stands, and the sound of the car is heard in the house. The squeaky squeak of the squeak is intertwined with the squeak of the silk car. The imprint of history lingering on the bluestone slab is the golden years of a wisp of silk "weaving".

Middle Qing Dynasty.

By a small river, there lives a family, whose ancestral home is Shangyu County, Zhejiang, and the owner's surname is Liu. At the beginning of the Kangxi Dynasty of the Qing Dynasty, the distant ancestor Liu Shang moved to Nanxun in Wuxing (now Huzhou), and set up a small coppersmith shop under the Tai'an Bridge in Daqiaowan. He makes a living by helping others repair copper spoons, copper pots, and repair keys.

The master had a son named Liu Yong (1825-1889), who was later called "Liu Sandong" because he was ranked third.

Liu Yong is 15-6 years old and has been smart and clever since he was a child. Although the family was in tatters, in order to help his father maintain the family and inherit the craftsmanship of his ancestors, he also maintained this small coppersmith shop. Usually in the shop to help people repair copper spoons and copper pots, in his spare time, carrying the burden to the countryside and alleys, the wind and rain come and go. Sometimes, at the end of the day, I don't get any work.

It was drizzling, and the sound of the 'clanging' copper sheets on the burden turned from one street to another.

A small shop full of all kinds of pots and pans. Father Liu Huanzhang sat on a small bench smoking hookah.

Liu Yong listlessly carried the coppersmith in.

Hearing the sound, Liu Yong's mother came out of the back room.

Liu's mother said with concern: Ah Yong, you are back! Look at your clothes are soaking wet. Did you do it today?

The mother picked up the towel hanging on the pillar and helped Liu Yong wipe the rain off his body.

Liu Yong shook his head helplessly.

Liu's mother: Hey! One morning, there was no one in the store to repair things, and this 'hundred family rice' was also unpalatable. Either way, eat first.

In a dilapidated room, Liu Yong sat next to his father and mother. A bowl of porridge per person. A plate of pickles was placed on the table. The three of them ate. Mother Liu put down the chopsticks in her hand, pulled up the placket and wiped her eyes.

Liu's mother sighed and said: This pickle is also from Uncle Zhang's soy sauce shop on credit, I really don't know how to live this kind of life. Then he said: Ah Yong, your father is not young, although you are still young, but this family will have to rely on you in the future.

Liu Yong looked up at his mother, who was full of sorrow.

Liu Yong said: Mom, don't worry, I know this. I am a man, and people say that a filial son drags his parents from begging. I don't think my begging son is capable of it. In the future, I will not feed you by begging. I'm 16 years old and know my responsibilities. Hey, Mom and Dad, I want to be a coppersmith but I don't want to pick one, I want to go to the silk factory to learn the idea.

Dad Liu: Life still has to be lived, and now the "100 family meals" are also unpalatable! But that's fine, don't come and go in the wind and rain, as long as the boss controls your mouth and your stomach is not empty. I can still do it in the store, and my life is passable.

In a silk cloth shop, Liu Yong was busy with this and that, sweeping the floor, mopping the floor, laundry, cooking, chopping wood, carrying water, doing chores, leading children, pouring night pots, and he was busy all day and night, and could only sleep in a small attic that was too low to straighten his waist at night. Eating can only be after the masters, grab a few bites, often eat leftovers and cold rice, sometimes only a few bites, shouting over there, you have to leave the rice bowl to work. Liu Yong started from being a handyman for one year, a helper for two years, and three years later to be able to pick up a ruler to measure cotton silk and cloth, and began to measure his future road.

In the cold winter of Layue, a thick layer of ice formed on the surface of the river.

In the morning, the sky was still bright. Liu Yong picked up an iron rake, smashed the ice on the river, and washed things in the river. His hands were purple and cracked from the cold, and the blood flowed down the vegetable leaves into the river, and he didn't dare to make a sound when he went in and out for fear of being scolded by the boss.

Liu Yong got up and went to bed late, worked hard, and could only earn ten yuan a day, and the boss didn't care about food, so he used three or four yuan to buy something to eat to fill his stomach. In the morning, he has a bowl of flatbread fritters, sometimes drinks a little porridge at noon and evening, pulls up a piece of kohlrabi, and puts it on the line, and the rest goes to his mother to supplement the family.

However, I later learned that the salary of the housekeeper of the store was only 100 yuan (100 strings of copper coins) a year, and I thought that this was not a place to stay for a long time.

Later, introduced by a friend, Liu Yong entered the town to talk about Dechang Silk Company to work.

In Tan Dechang Silk Bank, Liu Yong works hard and does everything, he not only works actively, but also explores the doorway in the silk business.

Liu Yong and the boss stood in front of the counter, and a customer came in with a bag of silk.

Someone said: Boss, how is the silk market today? I sold this pack of silk today.

Liu Yong opened the bag, touched it with his hand, and then shook his head and said: We don't want this little silk. You go to other stores and have a look.

Liu Yong's words stunned the visitor and his boss.

The boss then said: Why?

Liu Yong: In my opinion, this bit of silk is stained with greasy things. The silk itself is very smooth, stained with greasy things, dyeing is difficult, easy to lose color, if we buy, and then sell, the next house can not be colored, it becomes a defective product, then, the next house must find us, our store, to compensate not to say, our store's brand will also be smashed.

The person who came was dumbfounded by Liu Yong's words, and finally said to the boss: This young man of yours is really amazing. Yes, the one in my house accidentally knocked over the kerosene lamp and splashed some kerosene on the silk.

Liu Yong continued: It's not a big problem now, after you take it back, put it in clean water, and then put a little old alkali, the greasy can be removed, but the silk is still discounted. I can only use it myself.

People admired Liu Yong very much.

The shopkeeper patted Liu Yong on the shoulder and stretched out a thumbs.

Once, a customer brought a bag of silk, and Liu Yong touched it with his hand and said: Your little silk can only be regarded as a third-class product.

The visitor was surprised and asked: Why?

Liu Yong said unhurriedly: You are a little silky, the heat has passed. So the quality of the silk is poor. If you don't believe it, try it. So he drew out a piece of silk, and then, wearing three copper coins on it, the wire broke. He took out another piece of silk from the shop, and wore seven copper coins, which were not yet broken. Liu Yong then said: The toughness of silk depends on the water temperature, and the water temperature is too low to be extracted; The water temperature is too high, the cocoon is boiled, and the toughness of the silk is poor. Therefore, it is very important to control the water temperature with silk reeling.

Talking about the surname of the boss of Dechang Silk Bank, he is kind and kind, he admires Liu Yong, a young man, he is not only beautiful, loyal and hardworking, but also willing to specialize in business. In just four years, he has been 'swept away, without waiting for advice, and cutting to the crux of the problem'. Later, most people knew that there was a young man who had a very good business, which also made the reputation of Tan Dechang Silk Company higher and higher, and it also became a good story on the streets.

By the end of the year, the shopkeeper not only cashed out Liu Yong's annual salary of 10 silver dollars, but also took out 6 silver dollars to reward Liu Jiakang. This number was not a small number at the time. So the Liu family's life became rich all of a sudden.