Chapter 641 Seizing the Opportunity
Although Manager Jin felt it was better to avoid trouble, even if it was about saving people, what could a mere woman like Hongxiu possibly know?
However, since it was the matriarch of the Jin family who had specifically instructed him to take care of these three concubines who had been released from the Jin family, Steward Jin still followed behind the three of them.
As soon as Steward Jin approached, he saw Hongxiu hug the little boy from behind, her fists pressed against his chest and abdomen. Just as Steward Jin stood still, he saw the little boy vomit something.
After spitting out the obstruction in his throat, the little boy, whose face had been flushed from holding his breath, was finally able to catch his breath. Before the woman could comfort him, he burst into tears.
The lady was holding the baby and crying her eyes out. The onlookers started talking all at once about how the baby had almost suffocated. Just as Hongxiu was about to leave, a dozen or so people came running from the dock.
One of the men, a short, stout man with a mustache, ran at the front. The others naturally recognized that this group of ten or so people must be relatives of the woman and child in front of them, so they made way for them.
The short, stout man approached and called out to the woman, "Qiong Niang." Only then did the woman, Qiong Niang, raise her head to look at the short, stout man. Qiong Niang's face was covered in tears, and she still looked frightened.
"Baolang, he almost..."
The short, stout man, Liu Qing, listened to his wife's fragmented and incoherent words and the chatter of those around him, and finally understood what had happened.
Having traveled on the river for more than ten days, as soon as the boat docked, Baolang, the little boy who had had enough of sitting on the boat, insisted on getting off.
Liu Qing was still checking the cargo in the cabin when he saw Bao Lang making incoherent noises, so he suggested that Qiong Niang take him ashore to browse and buy some food.
Then, Qiongniang carried Baolang off the boat. Baolang saw people buying glutinous rice and eating it, so he clamored that he wanted to eat some too.
However, Qiong Niang naturally paid for a serving of glutinous rice, which cost only a few copper coins.
Originally, Qiongniang only wanted to give Baolang a bite to taste, since this sticky food was a bit difficult for a young child whose teeth had not yet fully grown in.
But while Qiongniang was handing money to someone, Baolang grabbed the glutinous rice from the lotus leaf and started eating it. Then, unexpectedly, he choked.
That's how Hongxiu and the others saw the woman screaming as she tried to pry the glutinous rice out of Baolang's mouth.
Having learned the whole story, Liu Qing quickly bowed deeply to Hongxiu. Hongxiu wanted to avoid it, but there was nowhere to go, so she had no choice but to accept the bow.
Before Hongxiu could speak, Liu Qing pulled Baolang, who had stopped crying, over and made him kneel down and kowtow to Hongxiu. "Kneel down. If it weren't for this lady, it's hard to say whether you would still be alive today."
Turning his head, Liu Qing said to Hongxiu, "My lady must accept this bow. We are so grateful to have you here today."
Only then could my young master be saved.
Baolang didn't understand, but Qiongniang did, and she taught Baolang to kowtow to Hongxiu.
"This, this won't do, this won't do..."
In the end, Hongxiu still accepted Baolang's kowtow of gratitude.
From that moment on, Hongxiu and her two companions began to receive help from benefactors, which enabled their shops to operate smoothly and thrive.
Liu Qing was no ordinary businessman. He was over forty years old when he had his first son, Baolang.
It goes without saying how important this little boy Baolang was to Liu Qing. After all, he had only had this son when he was over forty years old, so he was a very precious treasure. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been called "Baolang".
Liu Qing was quite lucky. He traveled all over the country, and even merchant ships that sailed down the river went not only to Yuhang (Zhejiang) but also to Minyue (Fujian). It took him more than ten years of hard work to build up his business.
Therefore, after learning that it was Hongxiu who saved Baolang, Liu Qing took out a large sum of money to reward Hongxiu, saying, "Baolang is the only son in my Liu family, and he is really important to me."
If it weren't for my wife coming to my aid, I... I really would have...
Therefore, I hope you will accept this money, madam, so that I may feel better."
But why would Hongxiu want that money?
She kept declining, but when she could no longer refuse, she said, "It was just a small favor, why should I pay such a large sum of money as a reward?"
If Liu Shang feels bad about it, why don't you sell me some goods from the south?
"My two sisters and I," Hongxiu glanced at Lüyi and Yingge beside her, "opened a shop specializing in women's items."
It would be best if we could sell some exquisite items that women commonly use or that are rare.
"That will be Liu Shang's way of thanking me."
Hongxiu refused a huge sum of money and chose to establish a business relationship with Liu Qing, a choice that seems very wise now.
Because Liu Qing's goods came from all over the Tang Dynasty, and the variety of goods was very complete. Previously, Liu Qing only sold goods in whole ships to big merchants in Jiangnan, who were even more powerful merchants than the Jin family in the area.
Large merchants monopolized these goods and only sold them to their own shops throughout the Tang Dynasty. For the middle and lower classes, it was difficult to buy good quality goods at a fair price.
However, because she saved Liu Qing's only son, Hongxiu used this merit to exchange for a small batch of goods, which directly revitalized her family's lukewarm little shop.
At Liu Qing's suggestion, Hongxiu set prices no different from those of the wealthy merchants, and even sold limited quantities of exquisite goods. This benefited the lower and middle classes, giving them the opportunity to buy items that only the upper class could afford.
In just a few months, Hongxiu and her two companions' previously unremarkable little shop became the most popular shop for women in the city.
With the help of Liu Qing, Hongxiu cleverly introduced the Jin family to Liu Qing.
The matriarch of the Jin family was very satisfied with Hongxiu's actions and directly asked the Jin steward to provide more goods to Hongxiu, even giving them away at cost price.
So, as the year drew to a close, when the three women, including Hongxiu, who had some money in their hands, gathered together to chat, Yingge brought up Li Sanniang, who was far away in Chang'an.
"Now that we've accomplished something, how about we send some New Year's gifts to Third Sister?"
"If it weren't for Third Sister's compassionate healing skills, who knows what would have happened to us back then?"
Yingge's words were naturally agreed upon by Hongxiu and Lüyi. The three of them huddled together, looking at their shop's purchase order, discussing what they should give Li Sanniang as a New Year's gift.
While delivering New Year's gifts, Hongxiu and the other two also wrote a long letter to Li Sanniang, telling her about their experiences since leaving Chang'an.
Hongxiu, Lüyi, and Yingge, three young girls who were sold by their biological parents when they were young, eventually seized an opportunity through luck and their own efforts and established themselves in the city.
Now that the three of them have left, there's no chance that someone would be so sour and say "that concubine who was released by the Jin family." They'd probably just call her "Manager."
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