Chapter 192 Two Years Later (Part 1)

When Chen Heng told him about his idea of ​​importing another batch of raw cloth before the New Year, Lin Ruhai nodded immediately and said, "It's easy." As a fourth-rank official, it was only a matter of a word for him to ask the river workers of the canal to transport the goods.

Lin Daiyu was free, and she diligently poured water into Lin Ruhai's teacup, and sat behind Chen Heng, watching the two continue to discuss the matter of Qiupu Street. Lin Ruhai also deliberately did not nod his head to tease his daughter, and only talked to Chen Heng.

The latter didn't know what the father and daughter were talking about, and seeing that Uncle Lin kept asking questions, he had something to say and answered every question. Now there are still 20 or 30 shops on Qiupu Street that have not been sold. Chen Heng's idea is very simple, he is ready to continue to attract business.

"What kind of people do you want?" Lin Ruhai asked.

Chen Heng already had a draft in mind for this matter, so he roughly talked about the requirements of "eating, drinking and playing". These are the things that Qiupu Street lacks the most. The shops on the street are mainly gold and cloth, which are rather monotonous. He hopes to design Qiupu Street into a commercial street with comprehensive attributes.

It is impossible for guests who come to play to just buy two sets of clothes and leave. How many opportunities to make money will be lost, and Chen Heng feels painful just thinking about it.

When Lin Ruhai heard the sentence, "Anyone who comes to Yangzhou must go to Qiupu", his eyebrows were also full of joy, and he directly decided: "Just do it." He thought about it again and quickly added, "Remember to write a charter and hand it in. Just write the things in it in detail."

At the end of the year, it is time for all officials to report to the court, and Lin Ruhai naturally has to write memorials to the palace. With Chen Heng's charter, His Majesty will surely feel much better when he sees it.

Chen Heng nodded immediately. He knew that Uncle Lin liked to read the plans he wrote. His writing style is capable, and he often directly quotes data and actual conditions as supporting evidence, which makes people understand it at a glance.

The two discussed the matter of the government office withdrawing its shares, and Lin Ruhai was most concerned about this matter. But Chen Heng advised the other party not to rush. Now that the jewelers have just been introduced, they have not found a suitable third party. If the government office withdraws rashly, according to the former's style of doing things, it will definitely become unscrupulous. After all, the current business situation in Qiupu Street is indeed a bit scary.

Speaking of this, Lin Ruhai also became interested and asked about the business of Qiupu Street in recent days. When asking, Lin Ruhai had some idea in his mind. The bustle of the street was even spread wildly in the government office in recent days. There were also many police officers on duty who said the scenes they saw when they went there.

The account office on the street was still counting, but Chen Heng was in charge in person, and the items of each block had passed through his hands, so it was no problem to estimate the approximate number. Chen Heng calculated in his mind and stretched out his hand to make a "five".

Seeing this, Lin Ruhai was also shocked. After a long silence, he said, "I finally lived up to your majesty's trust."

In the past few months, your majesty was very short of money. It was Lin Ruhai himself who resisted the pressure and did not hand over the money in the treasury. Keeping it in hand as a reserve, the price of goods in the city stabilized as soon as possible.

But after this incident, there is really not much deposit in the treasury of Yangzhou. Lin Ruhai and Jia Yucun also discussed with the salt merchants that they had to slow down.

Now that there is an additional source of income like Qiupu Street, when taxes and dividends are collected next year, the Yangzhou government will have a lot more money on hand. With money on hand, Lin Ruhai naturally doesn't have to frown.

"It's also the merit of my uncle's governance." Chen Heng said sincerely. He is an outsider and sees it more clearly. The people of Yangzhou still have spare money and elegance to eat and play in Qiupu Street. The governance of the Yangzhou government is indeed indispensable.

Both prefects were capable, good at affairs, and far-sighted. They provided a comfortable living environment for the people of Yangzhou and created good conditions for Chen Heng's plan. The relationship between these three is indispensable and complementary.

Hearing this, Lin Ruhai accepted Chen Heng's compliment with a smile, and said with a smile: "When you are in your position, you should do your job."

After he sighed, he said, "Have dinner at home in the evening? Have a drink with uncle?"

"Uncle, I'm afraid it won't work." Chen Heng smiled bitterly and shook his head. He roughly described the recent situation on the street, "My nephew will go back in the evening and teach the waiters on the street the ways of welcoming and seeing off."

Like the quarrel with the guests in the afternoon, it has happened from time to time on the street in recent days. What kind of thing is this? How can you drive away the guests when they come to the door? The lack of professionalism and professional talents are all because Qiupu Street has been in a hurry and lacks the necessary training.

At this point, Chen Heng remembered something and asked, "Uncle, I have something else to ask you."

"Go ahead." Lin Ruhai nodded, signaling the other party to just talk.

Chen Heng then told him about his idea of ​​pulling out a group of women from the street to work as waiters. This is also a way to do it. Nowadays, the most popular things sold on the street are women's clothing and children's clothing. If the waiters are all men, not only can they not accurately grasp the customers' minds, but conflicts in communication are inevitable.

In each household, most women are in charge of the house and money. Since the current situation of the customers cannot be changed, the only thing that can be changed is Qiupu Street. However, now there are very few shops that let women work as waiters, except for brothels.

This matter will definitely cause criticism. Lin Ruhai understands that Chen Heng needs the help of the government to endorse it. Thinking about the pros and cons that Chen Heng just said, considering that the future turnover can still increase, he said: "Okay, but if you want this to go smoothly, uncle will recommend you another person..."

"Is it Master Pei?" Chen Heng replied.

Lin Ruhai laughed when he heard this, nodded and said: "He is a leader in the literary world, tell him. As long as he comes forward with me, you will not have any obstacles in doing this."

"Yes, I will go to the Master to discuss this matter tomorrow."

When the matter comes to this point, the things that need to be reported and requested for instructions are pretty much explained. The two reached a tacit understanding of the overall situation, and Lin Ruhai no longer invited guests. When Chen Heng resigned, he only said a few words to remember to come home to pay New Year's greetings after the new year.

Chen Heng agreed with a smile and left the study with Daiyu. Seeing that her brother wanted to go back to Qiupu Street to continue doing business, Sister Lin was embarrassed to chat with Chen Heng. When sending him out of the house, she talked about her worries and questions on the road.

Hearing that Aunt Lin was in poor health and mood recently, Chen Heng thought for a while and said, "It should be something in the capital." He told Pei Huaizhen what he had heard from him, and then suggested, "Sister, you Don't we often exchange letters with them? You might as well write a letter and make some insinuations. I think my aunt is in a bad mood because of something happening in the capital."

What action can be taken is nothing more than building a grand view garden. Chen Heng knew about this, but he didn't want to be a prophet, so he mentioned it in a vague way.

He was talking about Tanchun, Xiangyun and others. After Daiyu returned to Yangzhou, she did not lose contact with these cousins ​​and sisters.

Only then did Lin Daiyu know that there was such a big event in the capital, and she vaguely understood something in her heart, so she said: "Okay, I will write to my sisters when I get back."

The two of them were talking and had already arrived at the side door. The sky is very dark now, and the cold wind blows in from time to time from the collar. Lin Daiyu saw Chen Heng shivering and complained: "Brother, you should wear more clothes."

Chen Heng didn't pay attention. He accepted his sister's concern with a smile and explained: "It's okay. Just walk a few steps outside and your body will be warm." They had been staying in the study before, and there was always a heater in there. It was really different from the cold outside. The difference.

Lin Daiyu looked up again and saw that it was already half way through the day and the sky was already extremely dark. She said again: "Brother, I'll find someone to take you back."

It's dark like this. How can anyone walk at night without someone holding a lantern to guide the way?

Chen Heng suddenly became interested, pointed to the door, and said with a smile: "Sister, brother makes a bet with you. Believe it or not, as long as you open the door, there will be gods to guide me."

Being teased like this by her brother, Lin Daiyu showed disbelief. She just raised her eyes to look at the moonless and starless night, shook her head and said: "Brother knows nonsense, I don't believe it."

"Hey." Chen Heng called out, smiling and declining Zijuan's offer to open the door for him. He held the two door handles and said proudly, "Sister, take a look."

As soon as the door opened, Lin Daiyu couldn't help but tiptoed and poked her head. On the dark long street, in the corner on the right, there was indeed a person waiting here with a lantern. Hearing the sound from the side door, he looked over with the lantern. The person he saw was indeed Chen Heng. That person He immediately said happily: "Second brother."

"It's me, Xinda." Chen Heng winked at Daiyu, indicating his clever plan, and then said to Xinda who was coming, "You must have been waiting for a long time."

"Soon, soon." Xinda waved his hands repeatedly, and the white breath from his lips was blown away by the cold wind.

Only then did Lin Daiyu know why her brother left in such a hurry. She was happy for the relationship between the two of them, but also said a little anxiously: "Why do you know to wait at the door? What should I do if I get frozen?"

"Ms. Lin, I'm fine." Xinda shook her head quickly and stamped her feet, "I've been hot since I was a child and I'm not afraid of the cold."

Chen Heng laughed, knowing that if the two of them continued to answer each other, it would probably take a long time. He stepped out of the door and waved directly to Daiyu, "Sister, I'm going to do some business first. You should also go back and rest early, so as not to freeze yourself."

"Xinda, let's go."

Xinda didn't say anything, but walked in front of his brother tacitly, holding the lantern in his hand.

"Didn't I ask you to wait for me on the street?"

"I'm afraid it's too dark and my second brother can't see the road clearly."

"Haha, have you forgotten who took you to play when you were a kid?"

Lin Daiyu waited until the two figures disappeared into the long night, until no sound could be heard. Only then did Zicuckoo close the door and walk into the house together.

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When Chen Heng returned to Qiupu Street, the store, warehouse, and office had all checked the accounts and were waiting for him to come back to sign for acceptance. Seeing that everyone had already eaten, Chen Heng felt at ease. While eating the snacks Xinda left for him, he personally checked the calculations in front of everyone. After confirming that they were correct, he finally let everyone go back.

Today's business is much better than the previous two days. When everyone said goodbye, there were always happy words on their lips.

"Boss, our business is getting better and better day by day."

“We all rely on our boss’s wise eyes and strategizing.”

Chen Heng agreed with a smile, and politely sent the accountant away before taking Mr. Zhao to continue discussing the matter. Director Zhao also looked happy when he heard that the government office would personally handle the matter of receiving the goods.

"What about opening the workshop early?"

"The government office is also on track." Chen Heng smiled and nodded, "When spring comes after the new year, we can open the workshop an hour earlier."

"Okay, okay." Manager Zhao cheered repeatedly. Now he was eager to have the workshop open for twelve hours. There are millions of people in Yangzhou city, and it is the New Year, so there is no need to worry about selling the clothes on the shelves.

"We will continue to recruit workers after the New Year." Chen Heng has already begun to prepare for the next step.

"How many will we recruit this time?"

"Ten thousand is the standard, and only female workers are recruited." Chen Heng thought for a while, and added, "This time we will only recruit people from Yangzhou, and we can consider more peasant women from various counties and villages."

In the past two years, there have been constant disasters, and the countryside must have had a hard time. Taking this opportunity, it is urgent to invite the women locked at home to come out and release more labor.

If you miss this east wind, when the countryside people come back, you don't know when you will have this opportunity. Zhao Zhushi couldn't guess what Chen Heng was thinking, and he just calculated the money in his mind. According to this situation, it feels that Qiupu Street can support another 10,000 people.

"Okay, I'll prepare for this right away." Zhao Zhushi nodded immediately.

"There are two more things to prepare. One is to go to the city to find some female teachers. We will open evening classes in the workshop. Teach female workers to read and write. If the female teachers know arithmetic, it would be best."

When he heard Chen Heng's instructions again, Zhao Zhushi hurriedly took a pen and paper to write them down.

"There is one more thing. We can sell out a batch of shops we have now. This time we only want food shops. If the restaurants in the city are willing to come in, we will also give them some discounts."

"Restaurant?" Zhao Zhushi asked after he finished writing, "But we have sold all the good shops. Will restaurants come? If they come, we don't seem to have a place for them."

"It can be set up on the second floor." Chen Heng smiled and began to remind Zhao Zhushi again, "Most of the houses on the second floor are empty. People in the shops buy them and use them for rest."

"It's too wasteful to keep them idle." Chen Heng shook his head and sighed, "We can just take the lead in this matter. Let them decide how to negotiate and whether they can succeed."

"Okay."

Chen Heng thought about it a few more times and confirmed that there was nothing to explain, so he told Zhao Zhushi to rest early and took Xinda home.

When the two of them got home, Gu and others had also returned not long ago. There are many things to do in the workshop recently, and Gu has no time to teach her children who go out early and come back late. She just nags with her family at the dinner table: "I don't know who came to the workshop, and there are more and more jobs recently."

Li and Xinda's mother have been transferred to the tailoring workshop because of their better skills. During this period, they have been holding scissors and cloth all day long, and they are also surprised: "When business was not good before, I was always worried that the upper level would not pay the wages. Now that business is good, I feel that business doesn't have to be so good, which makes people exhausted."

Chen Heng and Xinda eavesdropped for a while, and they were holding back their smiles. Chen Xian, who was standing aside, saw that the younger brothers looked wrong, and thought about Chen Heng and Zhao Zhushi going in and out of the workshop together before, so she asked: "Brother, do you know who the person from the workshop is?"

"Sister will know in a few days." Chen Heng chuckled, not deliberately concealing it, but if this matter is told, the family will not believe it. It is better to meet in the workshop in the future and speak with facts, which will be more convincing.

"I heard that there will be another batch of shops on the street. If mother and second aunt feel tired, we might as well pool our money and buy a shop for you. Then you can directly buy goods from the workshop and become a cloth shop owner."

"It's probably not easy to get it now." Gu was also interested in moving when she heard it, but now everyone can see the bustle of Qiupu Street. Let's not talk about the price, whether we can get it is a problem.

Chen Huaijin was very thoughtful and took the initiative to ask Zhou, "Mom, do we have enough money?"

Zhou was already a little proud when she heard it, "You and your eldest brother each have a shop, and Heng'er often sends money home. If this money is not enough, how can our family live."

Ordinary people can only eat fine meat once or twice a day, but the old Chen family can't do without it every meal. The dried fruit snacks that are always available at home are no worse than those of small families. Compared with Chen Heng's childhood, Chen Qingyue and Chen Yin's childhood was really much better.

Chen Heng also knew this, so he gave his family a suggestion, "Grandma, you and mom might as well prepare some money. Wait until after the New Year, when the shop is open. Just go and give it a try. Who knows, we might be lucky and buy it right away."

Xinda couldn't hold it in when he heard this, so he put down his chopsticks and covered his mouth with laughter.

I will never take a nap again. After lunch, I was too tired, so I lay down to take a nap. When I opened my eyes, it was almost six o'clock. Speechless... . . . .