Wuhu Huizhou Wharf.

After hearing what Zhao Hao said, the three of them burst into laughter.

"Mr. Zhao, when he comes to Wuhu, it is only reasonable and moral that we must give him the highest level of reception. Otherwise, I, the county magistrate, will be blamed." The handsome prefect is as handsome as he is.

"Yes, we are honored that you have come to Wuhu in person. This is just the beginning," Ruan Bi also said with a smile.

"Haha, I told you that you want to keep a low profile, but you can't win over the county magistrate and the old chairman." There was an unusual closeness in Wang Yu's tone.

After the greetings, the three introduced other Wuhu officials and local gentry.

Among them was Ruan Bi’s nephew, Ruan Fan, the general manager of Wuhu Pulp and Dyeing Bureau... Ruan Bi was old and had no children, so he could only train his nephew to be his successor.

Wang Yu's elder brother, Wang Zao, who runs an iron mine in Fanchang, and Jiang Shuxian, the president of the Wuhu Rice Market Guild, as well as Zha Jie, the president of the Wuhu Shipbuilding Industry Association, and Wang Yilong, the president of the Medicinal Materials Industry Association, are all Huizhou merchants, and many of them are from Xiuning.

Zhao Hao had never seen such a scene before. All the gentry in a city were actually businessmen, and there were so many guilds.

This is a city controlled by businessmen and basically operated according to business rules. Even Suzhou cannot compare to this.

Of course, this has something to do with the fact that there are relatively few promising scholars in the local area... The last person who passed the imperial examination was a fellow Jinshi in the 32nd year of Jiajing, which was 20 years ago.

It can be seen that there is always a loss when there is a gain.

The lunch was held at the county mansion. As expected, Huizhou cuisine played the leading role in the banquet, and was embellished with river seafood. Dishes such as "ham stewed turtle", "marinated fresh mandarin fish", and "Huangshan stewed pigeon" were all the most authentic Huizhou flavors.

Unfortunately, Mr. Zhao was a fake Huizhou native and couldn't enjoy the taste of stinky mandarin fish. Also, the hairy tofu made him lose his appetite.

I had to say that I had lost my appetite after sitting on the boat for too long, so I picked up a few light dishes to fill my stomach.

No one felt it was too awkward. Mr. Zhao was the boss of a restaurant that specialized in delicious food, so it would be strange if he didn't have a picky taste.

However, everyone was from the same hometown, and everyone spoke in their local accents and talked and laughed freely at the table, so there was no need to worry about the atmosphere becoming dull.

When County Magistrate Shuai first took office, he always had the illusion that he was the county magistrate in Huizhou. But now he has gotten used to it, and he has even learned the Huizhou dialect, so he can mingle with these Huizhou merchants.

Besides, we are all family members, so we should share in any benefits. County Magistrate Shuai doesn't need to beg Zhao Hao like Shi Qingshan and Jia Gui.

After a great feast, everyone sent Master Zhao to stay in the Wang family's garden.

Zhao Hao will stay in Wuhu for a few days, so even if he wants to discuss something, there is no rush.

However, there was a small incident at night. Wang Yu arranged a few beautiful women to warm Mr. Zhao's bed. However, they were chased away by Qiaoqiao before they even touched his bedroom door.

"Our young master is still young, don't let him see these messy things!" Qiaoqiao put her hands on her hips and was not polite to Wang Yu who came to apologize.

"What are you talking about? Be polite to Uncle Wang." Zhao Hao came out with a wry smile, invited Wang Yu in for tea and said, "My family is too strict about this. I appreciate your kindness."

“Haha, it’s just like how your grandfather treats your father. He’s already twenty years old, but you don’t even dare to take him out for a drink.” As soon as Wang Yu opened his mouth, he looked like an old playboy.

Zhao Hao secretly rolled his eyes, thinking that he had not delayed picking up Loli. But he smiled and said, "Our Zhao family tradition has always been like this, what can you do?"

"Well, on the one hand, it's admirable. On the other hand, we should also learn from Emperor Xiaozong's lesson." Wang Yu whispered, "You are the only son of your father, and your uncle also has only one son and one daughter. The family is too small and not safe."

"Ahem, thanks for the reminder." Mr. Zhao coughed twice a little awkwardly, and quickly turned the topic to the next itinerary, asking him where he would go first tomorrow.

"Let's go to the old president first. Respect the old and love the young." Wang Yu smiled and said, "If you can make it, come to my place in the afternoon. If you can't make it, come the day after tomorrow."

"You can arrange it for the day after tomorrow." Zhao Hao said with a smile.

"Why, is there anyone else coming?"

"Yes." Zhao Hao nodded and said with a smile: "Master Xu."

This Young Master Xu was naturally Xu Bangrui, not Xu Fan who had become a missing person.

"Oh." Wang Yu nodded, not surprised. Apparently both parties had already reached an agreement.

The next morning, Ruan Bi's nephew Ruan Fan came to pick up Master Zhao to visit his dyeing factory.

From Huajin Bridge to the south bank of Qingyi River, there are rows of dyeing workshops, the largest of which is the Ruan family's "Yongxing Dyeing Bureau".

Ruan Bi had been waiting at the door of the dyeing bureau. After greeting Zhao Hao, he personally led Zhao Hao into the front store for a tour.

Yongxing Dyeing Bureau still has the model of a shop in front and a workshop in the back. When you enter the magnificent shop, you will see that the mahogany counter is filled with hundreds of colors of fabrics. There are bright red, lotus red, red, silver red, water red, wood red, purple, ochre yellow, goose yellow, golden yellow, tea brown, green, bean green, oil green, sky blue, grape green, egg blue, emerald blue, sky blue, black, moon white, ivory...

If Ruan Fan, the waiter, had not introduced them personally, Mr. Zhao would not have recognized all these colors. He could not help but be amazed. Before chemical dyes were invented, Wuhu's dyeing industry was incredibly strong, as it could produce such rich colors with natural dyes alone.

Zhao Hao counted and found that there were more than a dozen kinds of blue fabrics alone, and with blue floral fabrics with various prints, there were as many as thirty kinds.

"Blue fabric is the best-selling product, accounting for 70% of all shipments," said Ruan Fan.

"Because everyone likes blue?" Zhao Hao asked curiously. He also noticed this phenomenon. Even four hundred years later, before the 1990s, most people's clothes were blue.

"No, it's mainly because we are willing to sell blue cloth." The store is not open to the public today, so Ruan Fan must show his honesty to leave a good impression on Mr. Zhao.

"Blue dye is easy to obtain, easy to color, and not easy to fade." Ruan Bi smiled wryly and said, "And it can be dyed into layers of blue, which can make buyers feel that our products are very rich."

"Is that so?" Zhao Hao nodded. This kind of sales tactic is very common four hundred years later. Giving you a bunch of different flavors, but the product is actually the same, but making you feel like you have a lot of choices.

"But sir, don't underestimate these blue cloths. They have many patterns on them." Ruan Fan introduced confidently, "This kind of satin-like glossy blue cloth can only be dyed in Yongxing. But glossy blue cloth has not been popular in recent years. Now this kind of woolen blue cloth is more popular."

"I've worn this kind of material before." Zhao Hao said with a smile, "It has a faint red flame color, and looks like wool, and it has a very high-end feel."

"It's more expensive than plain silk." Secretary Ma behind him had already been deeply attracted by the dazzling array of fabrics in front of him and couldn't help but add in a low voice.

"Really?" Zhao Hao took a deep breath and thought that the printing and dyeing business was indeed profitable. After passing through the dye vat, the price of cotton cloth increased several times.