Gu Jiu drew a huge picture.
The Shaofu household official was so excited that he was dazzled.
The reason why he hasn't let go is because he is still missing the final blow.
Gu Jiu mentioned the most realistic question and asked, "Our ancestors also invested money in this project. If the Shaofu is unwilling to lend money to refugees to buy houses, it will be impossible to sell the houses outside the South City Gate."
If the house can’t be sold, not only will the money not be able to make money, but the original capital will be lost. Our ancestors wouldn’t want to see their retirement savings turned into houses that can’t be sold.
The Shaofu Housekeeper blew his beard and glared, "Have you been waiting for me here for a long time?"
Gu Jiu pursed his lips and smiled, "Grandfather, you misunderstood. I was wholeheartedly planning for you."
The Shaofu Housekeeper snorted, "Never mind. I will give this matter careful consideration. As long as Your Majesty agrees, the Shaofu will allocate a special fund to ensure that everyone has their own house."
"Our ancestors are truly living Bodhisattvas. Millions of ordinary people will remember our ancestors' achievements and build ancestral temples in our honor."
"Don't do these empty things." The Shaofu Household Order waved his hands repeatedly, "I only want to be remembered after my death."
Gu Jiu smiled knowingly, "I understand. I will definitely not embarrass the old ancestor."
The Minister of the Imperial Household did not really want the common people to build a shrine for him, but he was afraid of the emperor and feared that he would be suspicious.
That’s why I only seek fame after death.
Gu Jiu knew it very well, so he naturally wouldn't do anything taboo.
She stood up and bowed, "I'll leave everything to you, ancestor. I hope to hear good news from you soon."
The Shaofu family commander nodded and said, "Go back and wait for news."
Gu Jiu said goodbye and left.
Once the Shaofu starts lending money, the refugee relocation plan can be officially launched.
…
Erzhuang personally took his men to the countryside to purchase poultry and livestock.
The farmers are very simple, so simple that they only recognize cash.
What about Sihai Trading Company? No matter how big your background is or how strong your financial resources are, it’s all useless.
Without cash, you can't take even a chicken away.
Erzhuang also suffered a lot because of this.
He couldn't understand why he should do something that was thankless.
He personally took cash to the countryside to purchase poultry and livestock to increase the farmers' income, but the farmers were not grateful and were wary of him.
The way he looked at them was as if he was looking at a liar.
When the real gold and silver were placed before the farmers, they remained vigilant. They grabbed the silver, confirmed it was real, and then carefully put it in their pockets.
Time and again, Er Zhuang took his men and went around the area with cash to show their faces. It took more than a month before he truly gained the trust of the farmers.
At this time, Erzhuang told the farmers that they could take their livestock, poultry, rice, vegetables and fruits to the market outside the south gate of the capital and find Sihai Trading Company.
As long as the goods are in good condition, Sihai Trading Company will accept them all, and all payments will be made in cash, and they will never default on a single penny of payment.
Looking at the cloudy eyes of the farmers, Erzhuang didn't know what he could get in return for more than a month's hard work.
It was not until the early morning of two days later, when it was still light and the sun had not yet risen, that the door of the store was still closed.
However, there was already a lot of noise outside the business.
The guy opened the door and saw something.
The farmers drove their pigs and sheep, carried vegetables and fruits, and came to the market at night with torches to sell all their excess produce to Sihai Trading Company.
Er Zhuang, who rushed over after hearing the news, looked at the enthusiastic farmers and the trust in their eyes, and was more excited than making a million-dollar business.
Because he knew that this trust was not easy to come by.
It's true that the farmers are simple, but they are also extremely xenophobic.
They only sell their products to people they know in their hometown.
Even though they knew the price was very low, no one thought of going out and looking for a new buyer.
This is a kind of local consciousness engraved in our genes.
The elders told them that only local people were trustworthy, and that outsiders were bad people and liars.
This situation is repeated even in modern society.
Isn’t this how the so-called “killing the familiar” comes from? Doesn’t regional discrimination have similar reasons?
If we ask the farmers to carry their goods to the capital to sell, they will be unable to do it because they don’t have any acquaintances.
But Erzhuang and the guys did it.
They used the method taught by Gu Jiu, using cash and frequent facial recognition to gain the trust of the farmers.
For the first time, the farmers in the valleys mustered up the courage to walk out of their one-third acre of land and come to the feet of the emperor.
"Thank you! Thank you!"
Erzhuang just wants to say thank you at this moment.
Because this trust is so rare.
Although he didn't know the deeper meaning of Gu Jiu's actions, at this moment, his excitement made him not regret his efforts over the past month.
Do you know where the chicken, duck, fish, meat, vegetables and fruits that the millions of people in Beijing eat every day come from?
The imperial palace has its own imperial farm for exclusive supply.
Rich families have their own farms to supply them.
Ordinary people eat food bought by second-hand dealers, third-hand dealers, or even fourth-hand dealers or fifth-hand dealers.
These second-hand and third-hand dealers purchased poultry, livestock, vegetables and fruits from the countryside through local people, and then transported them to the capital for sale.
Living in the capital is not easy.
It’s not just because housing prices in Beijing are high, but also because prices in Beijing are high.
Aren’t there any local farmers who carry their own products directly to the capital to sell?
have!
There are quite a few more.
But compared with the food and drink for millions of people, the amount of agricultural products provided by local farmers is insignificant.
Just like in modern society, when you go to the vegetable market to buy vegetables, how many of them are produced and sold by local farmers?
I'm afraid not.
Nine out of ten vegetables and fruits grown by local farmers are sold to middlemen, who then distribute them to various farmers' markets.
In today's society with such developed transportation and communications, agricultural and sideline product growers cannot replace second-hand and third-hand dealers.
What’s more, in ancient times, transportation was inconvenient and communication was seriously backward.
The entire agricultural market in the capital was monopolized by a series of middlemen and third-party vendors, large and small. Naturally, prices remained high.
At least compared to the cost, the price of vegetables in Beijing is a bit high.
However, when the farmers took the initiative to carry their own vegetables and fruits, and drove their pigs, sheep, chickens and ducks to the Sihai Trading Company in the market outside the South City Gate, the vegetable basket pattern of the capital finally changed.
Sihai Trading Company purchased poultry, livestock, vegetables and fruits directly from farmers, so the prices were naturally higher than those offered by middlemen.
There are no middlemen to make a profit from the price difference. Sihai Trading Company's agricultural and sideline products are directly put into the market at low prices and high quality.
At first, only the refugees living nearby benefited.
As local craftsmen spread the word, housewives from small households in the capital city took the trouble to walk a few more miles, carrying baskets, to the market outside the city gate.
The low price and quality of agricultural and sideline products were guaranteed. With the spread of word of mouth, the market outside the South City Gate was packed with people from morning to night in just half a month.
"Big sale, big sale. Five cents for twenty eggs."
"Two bundles of cabbage for one penny. Come and buy them quickly. If you're late, they'll be gone."
"The last 1,000 kilograms of pork. If you need it, please line up here."
At the market, shouts were heard one after another.
A row of newly built houses was packed with young girls, young wives and old women coming from all directions.
"Don't push, don't push, we have them all!"
The guys were shouting at the top of their lungs, holding tin trumpets, their voices almost hoarse.
In addition to local housewives, some refugee women who had some spare money also joined the scramble.
At first, the refugees had no idea that they were eating the cheapest agricultural products in the capital.
When the local women swarmed in, the refugees were all confused.
Holy shit! Even the locals in Beijing have to rob. So let's rob too.
The two groups are clearly divided, yet they crowd together to fight for the same piece of meat, the same plate of eggs, or the same hen.
Amidst this frenzy of buying, a grain and oil shop quietly opened its doors.
They didn't sell polished rice, but brown rice, brown flour, wheat, and cornmeal, which was extremely rare in the north. They also sold wheat bran, rice bran, vegetable oil, and countless varieties of soy sauce.
In short, they are all cheap agricultural products.
The shopkeeper stood at the door, frowning as he watched the crazy scene next door.
The eldest lady asked them to open a branch in this market. She must be out of her mind.
It's obvious that these people have no money. How can they make money by opening a branch here?
He would find an opportunity to talk to the steward of the palace some other day and ask him to advise the princess to stop her from doing anything she wanted.
Look, the shop has been open for almost an hour, and there hasn’t been a single customer.
The business closed with zero profit on the first day. Humph, he wanted to see how the eldest lady could have the nerve to say that she had never lost money in business.
After a whole morning of hard work, the housewives finally managed to buy their favorite agricultural and sideline products.
They carried baskets and struggled to get out of the crowd.
Their hair was messy, their clothes were disheveled, but all this could not hide the satisfaction on their faces.
They stamped their feet and prepared to leave when they saw the grain and oil shop next door.
They walked in, compared prices, and then decided to buy a few pounds.
The grain and oil shop opened and the first business was completed.
With the first one, there will be the second and third...
The housewives came in and left one after another.
Not only did they buy cheap meat and vegetables, they also bought cheap brown rice, vegetable oil, soy sauce, etc. This gave them a great sense of accomplishment.
Those who had some spare money also weighed some cornmeal to take home and try it.
The shopkeeper was indifferent at first, thinking it was just a few small orders, but later he personally went out to greet the customers.
From morning till noon, the grain and oil shop was always busy, with customers coming in and out, and the shop assistants were also very busy.
When the meat and vegetable shop next door closed down, the grain and oil shop ushered in a second small peak.
The migrant women began to purchase.
I have little spare money, so I can only buy enough food for one day.
Therefore, each business is very small, but there are so many people.
In such a large refugee gathering point, with thousands of people eating at the construction site, there are still tens of thousands of people who need to cook for themselves.
These tens of thousands of people are potential customers for the grain and oil store.
After noon, the grain and oil store finally ended its busy day.
The shopkeeper personally counted the accounts and was a little bit unbelievable when he saw the daily turnover.
Knock knock!
Someone knocks on the door.
Er Zhuang walked in and said, "Boss, it's the first day of business. How's business? The madam is still waiting for a reply."
The shopkeeper swallowed subconsciously and handed the account book to Erzhuang, "Manager Chen, please take a look."
Er Zhuang flipped through the account book and laughed, "It's a good start. We sold nearly two hundred taels on the first day. Not bad. It seems I was right to keep you here."
The grain and oil shopkeeper in front of him, surnamed Lin, was in his early forties and was originally the accountant of a grain and oil shop under the name of the royal palace.
It took him twenty years to work his way up from clerk to accountant.
Later, Pei handed over the grain and oil shop to Gu Jiu for management.
Gu Jiu acted decisively and directly fired the manager and some of the employees of the grain and oil shop.
Erzhuang acted as a guarantor and kept Lin the accountant.
Recently, Erzhuang informed him that he was going to open a branch and asked him if he was interested in being the shopkeeper.
After weighing the pros and cons, Lao Lin, who was just an accountant at the time, decided to take a gamble and came to the market outside the South City Gate to become the manager of a branch store.
After arriving, seeing the dirty and messy environment, the naked children running around, and the women who were half-naked, the shopkeeper Lin, who had been promoted and had a raise, felt desperate.
He immediately regretted it.
But he didn't have the courage to quit. He still had to rely on this job to support his family.
He had no choice but to open the branch.
However, every night when he returned home, he would complain to his wife.
But I didn’t expect to be slapped in the face on the first day of opening.
This unpopular grain and oil shop delivered impressive performance on the first day of its opening.
Shopkeeper Lin said hurriedly, "It's all thanks to Manager Chen. I'm just the shopkeeper."
Er Zhuang laughed and said, "I have no credit whatsoever. Everything is entirely thanks to Madam's meticulous planning."
"Manager Chen is right. Madam is truly amazing. Any business that falls into Madam's hands can make money."
Er Zhuang laughed, "Do your best. Madam will not treat you unfairly."
"I understand, I understand." Shopkeeper Lin was very excited.
Er Zhuang was not talking nonsense.
Anyone who works under Madam Gu Jiu may have an average salary, but the bonus is definitely generous.
He heard that the three people who received the most bonuses last year were Bai Zhong, Er Zhuang, and Deng Cunli. Each of them received at least three or four thousand taels of bonus.
Even ordinary shop owners and accountants received bonuses ranging from dozens to hundreds of taels.
Shopkeeper Lin was extremely envious.
When he thought about the chance to get a generous bonus at the end of this year, he was filled with energy.
Erzhuang took the account book and left.
He had to rush back to the palace to report.
A few dozen meters away from the shop is a newly opened construction site. A new market will soon be completed and put into use.
Not far away, there was an inconspicuous carriage.
There was an old man sitting in the carriage.
This old man is low-key, but people who know him dare not be presumptuous.
Because this old man is the emperor's uncle and the only living elder of the emperor's mother's family.
This old man did not hold any official position, but he had the title of earl. He was Zhu Ci, the Earl of Cheng'en of this generation.
The Zhu family is the real number one wealthy merchant in the capital, and the wealth accumulated over generations is terrifying.
"Old man, are you going back?"
The butler asked in a low voice.
Zhu Ci, the Earl of Cheng'en, stared at the closed meat and vegetable shop and said, "I never thought that Madam Zhao could come up with so many things. She has brought so much popularity to this place with just a meat and vegetable shop.
This market will soon become popular. Fortunately, I arrived not too late. Remember, after the market is repaired, send people to buy all the houses in the market, no matter the price.
The butler bowed and accepted the order, "I will remember this."
Zhu Ci, the Earl of Cheng'en, said, "Take a look around. I also want to see what the cheap houses built by Madam Zhao look like."
"I heard that the Shaofu has agreed to lend money to those refugees. On the first day of next month, the houses in the first phase of the project will be officially sold. Those who register and pay the earnest money can choose a house and complete the paperwork on the spot. They can get the keys and move in that same day."
"Oh! How much is the earnest money?"
"Not much, fifty cents."
Cheng En Bo Zhu Ci laughed, "Could it be that this Madam Zhao is born with a very clever mind, even lending money to refugees to buy houses can be thought of by her?"
"The Shaofu Household Manager has connections with Madam Zhao." The housekeeper took the opportunity to complain.
"That's not the case." Cheng Enbo Zhu Ci shook his head slightly, "They just benefited each other."
The Shaofu Jialing was the emperor's uncle, and Cheng Enbo was the emperor's uncle.
One is a royal relative, the other is a relative by marriage. The two have not gotten along well since they were young and dislike each other.
Whenever something related to the Shaofu's household order was involved, the Zhu family would not hesitate to speculate with the greatest malice.
On the contrary, Cheng Enbo himself has become more open-minded as he grows older.
The driver drove the carriage around in a circle.
They entered the construction site which was being completed under the pretext of looking at the house.
The houses are very close together and the area is relatively small, after all, they are cheap houses.
The advantage of the house is that it is made entirely of brick and wood, with blue bricks and black tiles, and is reinforced with cement.
This house is not afraid of leaks in the rain or drafts in the winter, and it is also sturdy. What a great house!
"It would be a luxury to provide housing for those refugees," Cheng Enbo said casually.
"Does the old man like the house here?" asked the housekeeper.
Cheng Enbo laughed heartily. "How about I buy dozens of houses here and rent them out one by one?"
“I’m afraid it won’t be rented out.”
"No, you're wrong. This place will be very popular soon. Such a nice house will be rented out easily."
Gu Jiu didn't know that someone had set his eyes on her house and wanted to become the biggest landlord in Beijing, trying to monopolize all the high-quality houses outside the South City Gate.
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