Wang Xiaoxi is a capable person.
At first, the family was so poor that they couldn't afford to eat and were hungry all day long.
When everyone only knew how to dig for food in the fields, he was one of the first farmers from the capital to run to Xinmin County to make a living.
My first job was in a coal factory, selling coal stoves and honeycomb coal all over the area, and I worked my way up from a clerk to a manager.
It was because of him that Wang Xuecheng was able to leave his hometown and be admitted to Shanhe Academy.
Wang Xiaoxi saved money, bought a house, got married, and settled down.
He is a restless man.
He took out the money he had saved over the years, brought in several managers from the coal factory, and they all pooled their money to open a coal factory.
In recent years, more and more people have started burning coal.
Their coal plant is not large in scale, but by going from village to village and working diligently, their business has gradually improved and can bring them a considerable income every year.
It's still much higher than the income of being a manager in the old company.
After saving for a few years, he rented a shop and started a business. Taking advantage of the opportunity to travel from village to village, he bought and sold various local products, and his business was pretty good.
Nowadays, when he walks on the street, everyone calls him Boss Wang.
He was very satisfied with the title.
Life is going well.
However, recently his heart, which had been quiet for a long time, has become lively again.
He would read a copy of "Da Zhou Life Show" over and over again all day long, and whenever he had time, he would go to Sanhe Express. He did nothing but listen to people chatting about the Western Regions and commercial goods.
Finally one day, he slapped his thigh and said to the people around him, "I want to go to Xiliang."
"What? Xiliang?"
Wang Xiaoxi's wife was terrified.
"Boss, you can't go."
His wife cried and screamed, trying to stop Wang Xiaoxi from leaving the house. She said all sorts of excuses, all sorts of dangers, and everything she could think of, but she couldn't change Wang Xiaoxi's decision.
Seeing that Wang Xiaoxi was determined, his wife stood up, wiped her tears, and ran out to ask her parents-in-law for help.
Wang Xiaoxi's family was large, and when they heard that he was going to Xiliang, the whole family, young and old, including sisters, brothers, nephews, nieces, parents and relatives, all came to his house to persuade him not to go to Xiliang.
"The coal factory and the shop have always been doing well. Isn't it better to live a down-to-earth life? Why do we have to make such a fuss?"
"We are a small family, and it's not easy to save up some money by doing a small business. If you go to Xiliang and make trouble, and you lose money, our family will be finished."
"If anything happens to you, what will happen to the whole family?"
"Your father and I are both half-buried in the ground. If anything happens to us after you leave, what will we do?"
"Live a good life. You are not young anymore. Your children will be able to get married in a few years. Don't bother with this anymore."
"Going to Xiliang is profitable, but it also depends on whether you have the life to make that money. Those who do business in Xiliang are all from big trading companies and big families, with powerful backers. We have nothing at home, no assets at all, and we can't withstand your tossing and turning."
The family tried to persuade Wang Xiaoxi, who was determined, but failed.
"I must go to Xiliang once in my lifetime. When I wanted to come to Xinmin County, you all stopped me, and your words were so similar to what you said today. What was the result? If I had listened to you back then, I probably wouldn't even be able to afford to marry a wife."
“It was different then than it is now.”
"It's all the same to me."
"Back then, my family was so poor that we couldn't even afford to eat. At least when I left home, I could still earn a living. Now, we live in a stable life, with enough food and drink. We live in a cement house, own a coal mine, and have a shop. There's no need to struggle anymore!"
"Yeah, don't bother. It's not easy to save some money, you can't take it to Xiliang and waste it."
Wang Xiaoxi remained unmoved.
"I earned the money myself, so I can spend it however I want. Besides, we've already separated, so you have no right to interfere in my affairs."
"You unfilial son, are you deliberately trying to piss me off to death?"
Seeing that he couldn’t persuade the child, Old Man Wang raised the banner of filial piety.
But still couldn't stop Wang Xiaoxi.
He was determined to make the trip, just as he was determined to leave home and strike out on his own.
Everyone gave up and the family left in anger.
Wang Xiaoxi's wife was so angry that she packed up her bags and took her children back to her parents' home to avoid being bored with them.
Before leaving, he didn't forget to say, "Don't touch the money in the shop. It's used to purchase goods. If you take all the money, this business will be impossible to do."
When buying and selling local products from the north and south, most of the transactions are done on a cash basis.
Wang Xiaoxi was also firm, "I won't touch a penny from the shop."
He found his partners at the coal factory, hoping that they could pool their money to take the goods to Xiliang.
However, others do not have his same enterprising spirit.
"You're already old, just stay honest and take care of this little family business, don't make any more trouble."
This is what his partner advised him, and it is very similar to what his family advised him.
Wang Xiaoxi refused to admit defeat, so he returned to his old employer to look for opportunities. He also went to the Chamber of Commerce to look for opportunities.
He scraped together a little money, but it was still a long way from his goal.
On the way, he met Wang Xuecheng.
Wang Xuecheng always remembered Wang Xiaoxi's kindness and care for him.
When he first came to Xinmin County, he would have had to take a lot of detours if Wang Xiaoxi hadn't helped him settle down.
Later, he bought a house and his family was clamoring to divide the property. It was Wang Xiaoxi who helped him to settle the matter.
After learning about Wang Xiaoxi's idea and difficulties, Wang Xuecheng said, "I don't have any money, but my friend does. Come on, I'll take you to meet him. Tell him about your idea. If you can convince him, all the funding problems will be solved."
Wang Xuecheng took Wang Xiaoxi to find Yan Ci.
Among the people Wang Xuecheng knows, Yan Ci is the richest one.
After hearing Wang Xiaoxi's plan, Yan Ci became interested.
"What are you going to buy with the money?"
Wang Xiaoxi scratched his head. "Cloth? Porcelain? Cashmere clothes? Food? Carriage..."
Yan Ci shook his head repeatedly, "What you said, those big merchants want to get, you are a small merchant and you have no competitiveness."
"Excuse me, Mr. Yan, what kind of goods should I buy? I know nothing about the Western Regions."
"Tea!" Yan said in a resounding voice. "The diet in the Western Regions is mainly meat-based. People who eat meat for a long time will have greasy stomachs, and tea is the best thing to relieve greasiness."
"Tea is too expensive. I can't afford to buy a few kilograms of tea with this little money."
"Who told you to buy premium tea? Rich people drink premium tea, and the big trading houses and families have long since monopolized the market. Your little capital won't even make a splash. In the Western Regions, it's not just the wealthy who need to detox; ordinary people need it too. Just buy ordinary tea, something the common people can afford. Transport it to Xiliang with all the hard work, and there's definitely a market for it."
"Low-grade tea?" Wang Xiaoxi was surprised. In his opinion, the goods that were transported to Xiliang with so much hardship must be the best of the best.
Inferior goods are not worthy of traveling thousands of miles across mountains and rivers to be traded in another market.
Yan Ci glared at him and said, "Low-grade tea is still tea, and it has its own market. If you agree with me, I will invest five thousand taels to help you."
Wang Xiaoxi was not overwhelmed by the five thousand taels. "Let me think about it. I'll think about it carefully."
"Take your time to think about it. I'm not in a hurry."
The three of them were chatting in the room when Samsoon came over.
When he learned they were raising money to buy goods to go to Xiliang for business, he excitedly said, "Count me in! I can't go to Xiliang, so it would be worth it if I could catch a wave of popularity. Coincidentally, my son has connections, so Boss Wang can follow a large merchant's caravan to Xiliang, and his safety is guaranteed."
Yan Ci teased, "Samsoon, how much money are you going to take out?"
When the money was mentioned, Samsoon chuckled and said, "Not much, not much, fifty taels."
Yan Ci laughed heartily, "I knew your money was controlled by your wife."
Samsoon smiled and said, "My wife manages the household well and in a proper way."
Yan Ci continued, "I suggested to Boss Wang that we buy some low-quality tea and sell it to the common people in Xiliang. Boss Wang thinks the profit is too low and is still considering it."
Wang Xiaoxi looked embarrassed.
Yan Ci continued, "Sanshun, go ask your son if my idea is feasible. Boss Huang has a lot of connections, and he might know if Xiliang needs low-grade tea. Please ask him."
San Shun agreed, "Okay, I'll ask for you."
This question attracted Huang Qubing.
"I heard you were planning to ship tea to Xiliang, and it was low-quality tea at that."
"Boss Huang, can you tell us if it's reliable to ship low-grade tea to Xiliang? You're well-informed and have served as a Shaofu Household Supervisor. You must know more about Xiliang than any of us."
Upon hearing that Huang Qubing was the previous Shaofu Household Commander, Wang Xiaoxi immediately straightened his back and perked up.
What the Shaofu's steward said must be true words, every word is gold.
Huang Qubing laughed. "Mr. Yan, you're a writer, but I didn't expect you to have such a unique vision. To be honest, the people in the Western Regions are very fond of valuable things like silk and porcelain. At the same time, they are equally fond of worthless things from our land. Not to mention low-grade tea, even if we send a cart of tea leaves over there, people will scramble to get it. Why? Because tea is only available in our Great Zhou, not anywhere else, and the people in the Western Regions cannot live without it. It's not just tea, but also books, paper, any book from Wenqingchu. If you send a cart of it over there, people will be crazy about it."
"So amazing. Is there nothing in that part of the Western Region?"
"Yes! Gold, jewelry, jade, camels, cattle, sheep, horses, carpets, fine clothing, seeds... The reason we attacked Xiliang was to open up trade routes. Trade routes are for exchanging goods. They value our Great Zhou's products, and we value theirs just as much."
"Boss Huang is still insightful. Boss Wang, have you made a decision?" Yan Ci asked Wang Xiaoxi with a smile.
Wang Xiaoxi nodded heavily, "I'll listen to Mr. Yan and buy some low-quality tea."
Huang Qubing suggested, "We should also buy some mid-range tea. The Northwest Army is stationed in Xiliang, and the soldiers also need tea to relieve the greasiness. It would be even better if we could send some local products over."
"What kind of local stuff?"
"For example, fermented bean curd, pickles, and so on. The Northwest Army has long been tired of eating beef and mutton, and they want to eat the food of their hometown. If you can transport 100 kilograms of rice over, the soldiers in the army will definitely treat you like a treasure."
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