Chapter 351 People who know how to make money can turn waste into treasure
After he understood what he had ordered, he handed me the menu. I glanced at it and nodded.
Shi Ting introduced, "Mr. Zhang Chi comes from a tea-producing family. His ancestors were the richest people in Shangzhou during the late Qing Dynasty and were famous tea merchants."
"Oh, Mr. Zhang Yaoting."
Zhang Chi was surprised: "You know?"
"Yes, the first thing I did after arriving in Shangzhou was to buy a copy of the Shangzhou Local Chronicles, which contains a special chapter introducing your ancestors."
“Yes, yes.”
"No wonder you're so familiar with tea. It turns out your family has a long history of knowledge. Your ancestors were top-notch figures. They were business geniuses that only appear once in a century."
Mingbai hurriedly asked Zhang Chi, "Were your ancestors the richest people in Shangzhou and business geniuses?"
Zhang Chi nodded slightly. I knew this kind of story was best told by someone else. So, "Mr. Yao Ting came from a poor family and worked for a tea merchant. Once, he and his master were transporting three ships of tea to Wuhan. A violent storm nearly sank the ships, and the tea was completely soaked by the rain."
The host burst into tears, and all the high-quality tea was wasted.
Only Mr. Yaoting had a unique vision and offered his master a plan, which made him a huge profit from the waste tea leaves.
Although Shi Ting and Yishu knew Mr. Zhang Yaoting's history, they did not know these details, and they leaned forward to listen.
Mingbai asked, "How can we make a lot of money if the tea leaves we have prepared get wet?"
I said, "The ship has arrived at Hankou Wharf. Hankou was the largest tea trading center in the late Qing Dynasty, known as the 'Venice of the East.' Merchants from all over the world gathered here to purchase Chinese tea."
He interrupted, “Isn’t there any tea in foreign countries?”
I glanced at him and said, "We'll talk about this later. First, let's talk about the plan Mr. Yaoting proposed to the master. After the ship arrives in Hankou, we should first deliver these wet tea leaves to the warehouse rented by the master in Hankou.
After the tea leaves were stored in the warehouse, they waited for the sun to come out. Five days later, the sun came out and Mr. Yaoting asked the workers to spread the wet tea leaves on the floor to dry them. At the same time, he asked the owner to send someone to find a large tailor shop to purchase a batch of flowered foreign cloth to make pillows.
A month later, while others were selling tea, Mr. Yaoting was selling 'tea pillows.' He added spices to the tea, making them soft and fragrant. Plus, the pillows were made of colorful floral fabrics, and they sold out instantly.
Besides Zhang Chi, Shi Ting, Yishu, and Mingbai all clapped their hands. One said, "He's truly forward-thinking." Another said, "People with ideas can always turn trash into treasure."
Zhang Chi was very proud and added, "In addition to spices, he also added some Chinese medicine. It can be said that it is the ancestor of today's medicinal pillows. Chinese medicine is very magical to foreigners, and foreigners are buying it."
Mingdao was still stubborn and asked, "Isn't there tea in other countries?"
I said, "Master Zhang, please tell me about this."
Of course I know this history. Shi Ting and Yishu know a little bit, but they don’t know the details, so they urged Zhang Chi to talk about the situation in this regard.
Zhang Chi said: "Tea didn't exist in foreign countries. Before the Ming Dynasty, Westerners rarely drank tea. They had no idea that tea leaves, after being kneaded and roasted, could become a drink.
What impressed them most about China was porcelain, so they used the pronunciation of porcelain to refer to China - Qielan (transliteration).
Tea was highly sought after by Westerners during the Qing Dynasty. This was the height of the Western Renaissance, with Shakespearean operas, music gatherings, literary salons, and anything culturally relevant flourishing. Chinese tea culture also became fashionable.
Later, many countries came to China to purchase tea. At this time, a British botanist came to Chelan to learn how the Chinese planted and processed tea. I have forgotten his name.
At this time, the dishes were already on the table. I gave him a sidelong look, and he stood up and said, "Ladies and gentlemen, please take your seats."
Everyone took their seats in turn. I pushed Shi Ting to sit at the top seat, and Zhang Chi and I sat on Shi Ting's left and right. Ming Bai sat below me, and Yi Shu sat below Zhang Chi.
No one drinks alcohol, saying that the inspections are strict now, and clearly asks: "Do you want to drink milk or apple cider vinegar?"
Everyone said, "Drink milk."
Everyone gathered around the tea, eating and chatting.
Zhang Chi tried hard to recall and said, "I definitely forgot the name."
I reminded him, "Fordun."
Zhang Chi glanced at me and said, "Oh, so you knew."
I smiled and said, "I like to read some leisure books."
"Then you go ahead and tell me, you're better at expressing yourself than I am."
"This story is quite long. Let's eat first and then tell it after we're done."
Shi Ting said, "Okay, okay."
Because this was a gathering where eating wasn't the main theme. The theme came later, so eating was just a formality. Without drinking, there were no persuading anyone to drink. Everyone raised their glasses politely, not even clinking them, and drank leisurely.
Although there were only five of us, the dishes were very rich and everyone said they could really eat them.
I said, "He also has a map of secret chefs in the surrounding countryside. He knows which private chef cooks the best fish, stir-fries beef, and has unique mutton hotpot. Next time he leads the team, we'll go to the countryside to eat."
Yishu was the first to agree. He suggested that our chefs follow one at a time and learn some cooking skills.
Shi Ting said: "It's no use stealing it. Big hotels want to be fancy, but others are down to earth."
Half an hour later, we finished eating.
Yishu said, "Let's go to my office and chat."
Everyone stood up and followed Yishu out. They took the elevator to the east end of the seventh-floor administration building and entered Yishu's office.
I looked around his office. Compared to Mr. Chen's, it was a little smaller, but more exquisitely decorated. It seemed that he liked calligraphy and painting. There were some calligraphy and paintings by famous people in Shangzhou hanging on the wall.
He led us into a tea room and made tea himself.
For a gathering like this, the grand finale is definitely at the end, so when changing the venue, it is even more important to warm up the atmosphere first.
Shi Ting said, "Let's continue telling the story of the lack of tea in foreign countries."
I was about to begin my speech when Shi Ting's cell phone rang. The call seemed important, so he stood up and went outside to answer it.
Mingbai winked at me, and I stood up. He walked to the window and whispered in my ear, "Is the story long?"
"What's the matter?"
"What if Mr. Shi has to leave for something? Should I tell him about my wife's transfer first?"
I shook my head and returned to my seat without explanation.
Shi Ting said, "I won't answer the phone anymore. Master, please start your lecture."
I began to narrate:
In 1840, when the British Empire used cannons and warships to break open China's door, they had two purposes: one was to open up sales channels for opium, and the other was to obtain Chinese tea.
They needed tea, but buying tea required a lot of money, which made the British frustrated. So they sent a "botanist" named Fu Dun to China.
Thanks to countless spy dramas, spies are often portrayed as skilled in martial arts, dressed in suits and top hats. In reality, some spies are simply academics who dress casually.
Fu Dun was indeed a botanist who worked for the London Horticultural Society. He was very knowledgeable and experienced. In 1842, at the age of 31, Fu Dun traveled thousands of miles to China with the intention of stealing tea seeds and tea technology.
He came to China and went to Shanghai, Ningbo and Fuzhou successively. He shaved off his big beard, put on a melon-shaped hat and a false braid, and became a "Xu Xiake" who loved to travel around.
He continued to go deep into the tea-growing areas to collect intelligence information. This lasted for six years, and after returning to China, he wrote a book introducing China's cotton, broad bean and tea cultivation.
In 1848, he received an order from Dalhousie, the British Governor-General of India - to select the best seeds and tea trees from the tea-producing areas of China and transport them to Kolkata - with an annual remuneration of 550 pounds (equivalent to one million yuan).
In June, Fudun returned to Shanghai and stayed at the home of British businessman Bill. He hired two Chinese as his assistants and guides. These two poor Chinese, completely unaware of the existence of economic spies, led this plant-loving foreigner deep into the tea-growing regions, even to Wuyi Mountain, to search for the best tea trees and collect seeds.
When I heard this, I heard two coughs in my throat.
He was reminding me not to talk too long.
I said, "Are you catching a cold? It's autumn now, so you should still cover yourself with a blanket at night."
Shi Ting was fascinated by the story and urged, "Focus on telling the story."
So, I continue my narration.
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