Chapter 323 The First Cotton Business
It was a sunny day on the first day of the New Year. Although the wind was strong, it did not affect everyone's good mood of seeing the sun. When the servants and helpers of the Sui family saw the brother and sister Sui Yu and Sui Liang walking out of the main courtyard holding a small wooden box, the joy in their hearts reached its peak.
"Sister-in-law, Happy New Year." A Shui shouted loudly.
"Master, I wish you great fortune in the new year."
"My dear, I wish you will never get sick again. You won't have to drink bitter soup anymore."
"Shopkeeper Yu, Happy New Year."
“…”
The servants and helpers gathered together and talked about their own things. Sui Yu responded to them with a smile. Sui Liang put the money box on the ground. She took out a string of copper coins and handed them to the servants and helpers one by one, and also wished them health, success and worry-free.
Hua Niu took the string of copper coins strung together with a red thread. She took a look at it and estimated that the long string was worth two hundred copper coins, which was equivalent to her monthly salary.
Sui Yu took a quick look and saw that everyone had received their reward money. She took the seven small strings of copper coins from Sui Liang and said, "Today is the first day of the new year. Aside from the seven people in charge of cooking, the others don't have to stay here. Have fun and have fun. Come, Yin Po, you, Meng Ma, and Cui Sao have been working in the kitchen all year round. You will get another string of reward money."
"Oh, thank you, ma'am." Grandma Yin smiled happily. She took the reward money, which was quite a lot, probably one hundred copper coins.
"My lady, you are so polite. This is what we should do." Cui Sao said this, and her movements to take the money were so smooth that others couldn't help laughing when they saw it.
Another wave of reward money was distributed, and there were still five strings of copper coins left in the cash box. Sui Yu looked at the maids with a smile, and the meaning was very clear: the reward money was here, and it would depend on who could get the lucky one.
"I wish my sister-in-law a good cotton harvest this year." A Shui was well prepared.
A string of reward money was thrown over and A Shui stepped forward to catch it.
"I hope that the master's new guest house will be crowded with guests, and that our Changgui Guest House can be opened at the foot of the imperial city in the future." Hua Niu gathered her strength and spoke loudly, and her words sounded like beans rolling on a plate, each word ringing loudly.
"Okay, I'll take your good words." Sui Yu handed over a string of reward money.
When it was Ah Qiang's turn, she blushed and said, "I wish our caravan will make money and be prosperous every year."
After handing over a string of reward money, Sui Yu looked at Dazhuang, waiting for this silly boy to say something.
Da Zhuang scratched his head. He thought and thought, then asked, "We can't say the same thing, right?"
"Yes." A Shui and Hua Niu said in unison.
"Well, well..." Da Zhuang hesitated, his face full of confusion.
"You just bully Dazhuang for being stupid. Dazhuang, on the first day of the Lunar New Year next year, you go and wait for the boy to get up early in the morning and grab the lucky charm when he sees his wife." Grandma Yin spoke up for the stupid boy.
Da Zhuang was delighted when he heard this. He said loudly, "The cub will become smarter every year. I hope he won't cry again in the future."
Sui Yu immediately handed over a string of copper coins and said, "Thank you on behalf of the little one."
Da Zhuang stared at the other string of copper coins in her hand. It seemed as if he had finally come to his senses. He glanced at Hua Niu and A Qiang and said proudly, "I hope the little guy gets what he wants. His sister won't be as naughty as Jin Hua."
Hua Niu's eyes lit up and she interrupted, "I wish the master will give the cub a little sister this year."
"Not this year, let's talk about it next year." Sui Yu didn't have time to get pregnant or give birth this year. She handed the copper coins in her hand to Da Zhuang and said, "Go to the city with Hua Niu and use this string of copper coins to treat them to candy."
Da Zhuang agreed with a smile. He didn't understand why he got the reward instead of Hua Niu. Since he didn't understand, he didn't think much about it. He took the money and went back to the house to hide.
The group dispersed, Sui Liang moved the cash box away, then pulled the kid out of bed. The uncle and nephew dressed up and went to the kitchen to have breakfast.
The Zhao family who lived in Qianhu Suo came over. Zhao Dalang brought his younger brothers and sisters to pay New Year's greetings to his uncle and aunt. The boy swallowed the dumplings, wiped his mouth and went to pay New Year's greetings to his grandparents, uncle and aunt.
After the younger generation paid their New Year's greetings, the three brothers of the Zhao family paid their New Year's greetings to their elders one after another. Father and Mother Zhao were so happy that they were beaming with joy. With their children and grandchildren surrounding them and the whole family enjoying themselves, their faces were beaming with joy.
The big black dog came in, wagging its tail. Sui Yu peeked out and saw the two young masters of Captain Gu's family peeking out from the door. She called out to the little cub, "Have you eaten enough? Your classmates are here. If you've eaten, go with your uncle to greet them. When everyone's gathered, go and wish the old master a happy new year."
After the boy finished drinking the noodle soup from the bowl, he took the handkerchief to wipe his mouth and followed his uncle out.
Zhao Dalang followed his younger brothers and sisters out. The children's chattering faded away and the yard became much quieter.
"I'm going into the city to wish the captain and the commander-in-chief a happy new year." Zhao Xiping wiped his mouth with the handkerchief his son used to wipe his mouth, and stood up to walk out.
Sui Yu sat with her brother and sister-in-law from her husband's family, listening to them talk about the work in the fields. They also asked about her business trips outside, which she briefly mentioned.
"You are so brave. You ran away from the interior and you dared to run outside the exterior. I came to Dunhuang with your brother this time. We stayed in the village on the way. We didn't dare to sleep at night. The wind blew the door open, and I was afraid that there was someone outside." Mrs. Zhao's words were full of admiration.
"It's the same. I'm also nervous when I go out." Sui Yu stood up and said, "It's a nice day today, let's go out for a walk? Shall we go for a walk in the fields?"
Zhao's mother knew at a glance that the third daughter-in-law didn't want to talk anymore, so she said, "Okay, go walk around the fields. You'll be back in time for lunch."
Mrs. Zhao didn't want to go. She didn't have a warm cotton-padded jacket to wear, but she didn't want to go out and get cold.
"You guys go out for a walk. I caught a cold after walking all the way from the city and my stomach aches." She made an excuse.
"Then you stay at home." Mrs. Zhao and Sui Yu went out.
Sui Yu didn't plan to go far. She took the old couple and her brother and sister-in-law north to visit the ten acres of wasteland she had acquired the previous year. Last summer, while Zhang Shun and his family were still home, they had plowed the land with camels. In the fall, after finishing their work, Ding Quan and Erhei plowed the land again with camels and applied a layer of manure before the snow fell.
Old man Zhao kicked away the snow, rubbed a handful of dirt, and said, "There's so much sand on this land, I can't grow any crops no matter how I cultivate it."
"You can plant radishes." Sui Yu continued, "If you plant radishes in sandy soil, as long as you apply enough fertilizer, they will actually grow bigger than those planted in the vegetable garden, and it will also take less effort to pull them out."
Old man Zhao didn't know that his family had a lot of land, and all the manure he saved was applied to the crops. The fertilized land was used to grow crops and would never be used to grow radishes.
"It's a pity that the two places are far apart, otherwise I could come to your place to collect manure to fertilize the fields. The manure stored at home is not enough every year." Brother Zhao was not jealous of the third brother's family making money, nor was he jealous of their big houses. He was just jealous of the big manure pit behind the livestock pen. He couldn't walk when he saw it.
"Jiuquan and Zhangye are closer. If you want manure, I'll ask Ganda to keep it and you can collect it in the summer," said Sui Yu.
"Why didn't you build a guesthouse in Jiuquan?" Mrs. Zhao asked what she had been wanting to ask. "If you had built a guesthouse in Jiuquan, we could have helped you keep an eye on it."
"When a caravan travels from Dunhuang to Jiuquan, or from Zhangye to Jiuquan, the two counties are separated by six or seven days' journey. They still have some food and fodder left when they pass through Jiuquan, and the people aren't exhausted yet. Many caravans stop in the city for an hour or two to stock up before leaving. They don't stay overnight," Sui Yu explained. "I choose the location of the guesthouse based on the caravan's resting habits and schedule while on the road."
Mrs. Zhao's face turned red. She was being mean-spirited and thought that Sui Yu was deliberately guarding against her husband's family.
"There are a lot of things to pay attention to when doing business. No wonder you can make money." She was completely convinced.
"Sister-in-law—Sui Yu—" Second Sister Zhao shouted from behind the leeward wall of the guesthouse. Seeing Sui Yu finally heard her voice and looked over, she waved her back, "You have a guest."
"You guys keep walking around, I'll go back and take a look." Sui Yu walked back.
As soon as she left, the others followed her back. If it weren't for her wishes, they would never have gone out at all. The wind blowing from the west was mixed with yellow sand, and it felt like needles pricking their faces.
Old Man Zhao looked at a hill of loess on the west side of the river and said, "If you want to grow crops on this land, buy that hill of loess and have someone dig it up and use it to spread on your land."
"It's not easy to buy. This belongs to an enemy." Sui Yu shook his head. "Others can buy the loess cheaply, but we have to pay a high price and flatter them. If I don't buy it, I won't grow crops on these ten acres."
Mrs. Zhao was still hiding behind the wall. When she saw someone approaching, she came around and said, "Someone came to wish you a happy new year and brought you a lot of gifts. Sui Liang didn't seem to recognize them, so he asked me to call you."
Sui Yu quickened her pace and saw the boy standing outside the kitchen yard waving at her, so she walked straight over.
"It's someone from the Jinxiu Weaving Workshop in the city." The boy told her first.
"My sister is back." Sui Liang stood up upon hearing the voice. He went over to introduce them, saying, "Sister, these two are surnamed Du. They are the second uncle and nephew of the owner of Jinxiu Weaving Workshop. The cotton cloth that Wang Nongjian brought was woven in their weaving workshop."
"Shopkeeper Yu, hearing about you is worse than meeting you in person. I've heard a lot about you." Du Jibai greeted him first.
"I should be the one saying this." Sui Yu said with a smile, "Sorry for the long wait."
"No, no, it would be rude of us to come here so hastily." Du Jibai sat down and said, "I'm sure Shopkeeper Yu must be confused by us. I won't beat around the bush. I'm here on behalf of my nephew, Du Dianqing, the owner of the weaving workshop, to wish you a happy new year. He'll come and discuss business with you whenever you're free."
Sui Yu understood instantly and asked directly: "About cotton?"
"Ah." Du Jibai smiled and nodded. "Thanks to Wang Nongjian, the world's first cotton cloth was born in our weaving workshop. Since then, we have never forgotten it. To be honest with Shopkeeper Yu, cotton cloth is not only softer than linen, but also has stronger water absorption, which means it is easier to color and easier to hold the color. Take a look..."
The young man waiting on the side untied the bundle on the table and took out the ochre reed-flowered jacket, the moon-white silk dress, the crabapple-colored silk skirt, and the raven-blue and light persimmon-colored handkerchiefs and placed them on the table one by one.
Sui Yu walked closer to take a look, and Du Jibai introduced to her the weaving methods of the cloth one by one, such as plain weave, twill, satin, and various colors.
"We met you once before the New Year at the west city gate. We took your figure into account and made you a winter coat." Du Jibai noticed that Sui Yu had no interest in weaving techniques, so he immediately changed his tone and said, "Whether the deal is successful or not, these dresses are given to you as a thank you for showing us another kind of fabric in the world."
Sui Yu thanked him, thought for a moment, and said, "I don't need to entertain guests or visit relatives on the fourth day of the New Year. If Master Du is free that day, I will wait for him at home."
"Okay, we'll come visit again on the fourth day of the New Year." Du Jibai stood up. "We won't bother you anymore."
Sui Yu followed him out. She glanced at the silent young man and asked, "Are all the names in your family named after colors? Master Du is called Du Indigo, meaning "the blue is better than the blue"?
"Yes, this is my son, his name is Sang Zi."
"That sounds good. My family has mulberry trees." Sui Yu said, "Do you have any other children? What are their names?"
"I have a daughter, her name is Ouhe."
Sui Yu exclaimed, "Wow!" "You're really good at naming."
"Indigo has a younger sister named Meiran, and his younger daughter is called Ailu."
Sui Yu tutted his words a few times, "This is the most meaningful name I've ever heard."
"What's your son's name?" Du Jibai asked.
"Mingguang, it was named after his uncle."
"It's a good name, and it suits the person." Du Jibai nodded. "Shopkeeper Yu, please wait. We came here on camels, so there's no need to see us off."
"Walk slowly." Sui Yu stopped.
When the hoofbeats faded away, Sui Liang came over and asked, "Sister, are you planning to do business with them?"
"I have a good impression of them. It just depends on how Mr. Du wants to negotiate business with me," said Sui Yu.
On the second day of the Lunar New Year, Zhao Xiaomi brought her son and daughter back to her parents' home as a guest, and Sui Yu entertained her for a day.
On the third day of the Lunar New Year, Sui Yu followed her husband's family into the city to pay New Year's greetings to the Huang family.
On the fourth day of the New Year, Sui Yu had just finished breakfast when Master Du came to his door, walking through the muddy ground and carrying a lot of New Year gifts.
Master Du had a different personality from his second uncle. Du Jibai was easygoing and talkative, but Master Du had a serious expression. As soon as he approached, Sui Yu smelled the dye on him, and when she saw the indelible color on his hands, she understood that he was a man of action.
Seeing this, she didn't exchange too many pleasantries. After introducing each other, she asked directly: "How do you plan to do business with me, Master Du?"
"Aren't you planning to open a weaving workshop?" asked Master Du.
Sui Yu shook her head. She didn't have the ability to do so and would not get involved in a business she didn't understand.
"Then sell the cotton to me, so you don't have to transport it back to the interior to sell it." Master Du said bluntly, "Cotton originated in Dunhuang. There's no need to benefit the weaving workshops in the interior. Our Jinxiu Weaving Workshop's weaving and dyeing techniques are not much worse than those in the interior. My second uncle should have introduced them to you. Sell the cotton to me, and the cotton cloth comes from Dunhuang County. In the future, more caravans will come to Dunhuang, and your inn's business will be more prosperous."
Sui Yu nodded. "My family lives in Dunhuang, and I hope Dunhuang County will prosper in the future. But I'm a businessman, and I value profit. You want me to sell cotton to you. What benefits can you bring me that others can't give me?"
"After the cotton cloth is woven, your caravan can buy it from me at a 20% discount. If the selling price is 800 coins per piece, I will sell it to you for 640 coins per piece. Not only cotton cloth, but also linen, silk, and ready-made clothes can be sold to you at a 20% discount." Du Fangzhu said, "Also, most of the silk and satin in our weaving workshop is purchased from the interior of the country. We rarely buy silk ourselves. If the deal is successful, we will buy silk and satin from your caravan in the future. We will also purchase dyes from the interior of the country, and these businesses can also be handed over to you."
Sui Yu saw his sincerity and his enthusiasm for cotton cloth. This was probably the same as people who love flowers and stones. When they come across new and rare exotic flowers and stones, they will spend all their money to buy them.
"Yes, but we need to sign a contract," Sui Yu said. "I won't bully you. I estimate that within thirty years, the territory of the Han Dynasty will be covered with cotton. By then, cotton will be as common as ramie. The term is thirty years. After thirty years, this contract we have reached will be invalid."
Master Du smiled his first smile since arriving, and said sincerely, "Shopkeeper Yu, you are such a good person."
"You're not a profiteer. If you came here with a plan, I would definitely rip you off." Sui Yu took out a bamboo slip and wrote down the details of their agreement. "Take a look. If everything is alright, we'll go and deposit the deed once the officials arrive."
"No problem." Master Du returned the bamboo slips to her and said, "After the government signs the contract, I plan to dig a canal downstream to divert water, buy land to build a dyeing and weaving workshop, and move the weavers to the north of the city. It's quiet here. When caravans come here in the future, 90% of them will stay here with you."
His previous words were not meant to deceive Sui Yu.
"I have a feeling that the north of the city will become a prosperous downtown in a few years," said Sui Yu.
"That's great." Master Du smiled. "It's getting late. I should go back."
"Stay for lunch?"
Master Du waved his hand and said, "Stop bothering me. I have guests waiting at home."
Sui Yu saw him off and watched him ride away on his camel. She turned and looked north.
After the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, Master Du couldn't wait to invite Sui Yu to the government office to sign the contract. As soon as the contract was signed, he started to arrange to buy land and build a house.
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