Chapter 3 Chapter 2 Apprenticeship: Hard work at Osaka Senba

Behind any successful person there is an unknown bitter past, and their success is obtained at an extremely hard price.The same is true of Konosuke Matsushita. It seems unimaginable to be self-employed at the age of 9, but he did it, and he also learned a lot of business skills from his apprenticeship. On the train, Matsushita Konosuke excitedly looked at the scenery outside the window, fantasized about various possibilities in the future, and came to the commercial capital——Osaka with longing.At the train station, Konosuke Matsushita saw his father waiting on the platform, and the sadness of parting from his mother was swept away. He rushed excitedly and hugged his father's neck.

His father took Matsushita Konosuke to the Miyata brazier shop. Along the way, Konosuke looked around, feeling fresh and curious about everything.There is a distance from Osaka Train Station to the urban area. Due to financial difficulties, the father and son had to walk there.The father stroked Xingzhisuke's head and said: "Aji, if you have to work hard in the brazier shop, the Matsushita family is counting on you. You see, those who are worthless can only pull rickshaws for the rest of their lives; those who are promising can let others pull themselves." At this time, the father felt that his hope of achieving great things was slim, so he pinned his hopes on the only son.

In this way, Konosuke Matsushita stumbled on the road under the leadership of his father, his curious eyes kept looking around.When Konosuke Matsushita felt tired from walking, he finally arrived at the brazier shop. "Ah, fortunately, you are here." The brazier shop boy greeted him warmly. The father found the boss and said to him: "Boss, I put my son with you. Please take care of me in the future." The boss said: "Don't worry, I will take him well." The father turned around and told Konosuke Matsushita again: "Aji, you must listen to the boss, work hard, and be successful." Then he left in a hurry.

At this moment, Matsushita Konosuke suddenly felt the sadness of parting from his mother, but as his father's back gradually drifted away, he began to fall into an unaccompanied and lonely situation, and the excitement along the way disappeared instantly. without a trace. That night, Konosuke Matsushita got into the cold bed, thinking of his mother's warm embrace, and couldn't fall asleep for a long time.Listening to the wind outside the window and the snoring of Miyata's boss next door, Konosuke Matsushita, who was in a foreign land, shed a few tears sadly.With the pillow wet with tears, Konosuke Matsushita spent a long night.

In this way, 9-year-old Konosuke Matsushita became an apprentice in the brazier shop and started his apprenticeship. When it comes to brazier shops, it is an ancient industry in Japan, and it is a small family shop that produces and sells itself.Winter in Japan is very cold, and it is humid and humid indoors.In order to keep warm, no matter the dignitaries or ordinary people, they will put a charcoal brazier at home in winter.These braziers are made of pottery and vary in size from high to low.As a household item, the brazier has been prosperous since ancient times.However, after the Meiji Restoration, the lives of the Japanese have undergone tremendous changes. Everyone has a new way of heating to survive the difficult winter, so the business of selling braziers is getting worse day by day.

The brazier is divided into high-grade and low-grade, so the polishing methods are different.Sanding the brazier is not an easy task, first use wood sandpaper to smooth the surface of the basin, and then polish it with hay.It takes a whole day to polish a fine brazier.Konosuke Matsushita, who grew up under the care of his parents, had never done such rough work. After a day, his delicate hands were worn out, red and swollen like steamed buns.When washing with cold water in the morning, the dry and cracked skin hurts deeply. Konosuke began to appreciate the hardships of life, and even felt the loneliness of being away from home.

When Konosuke couldn't take it anymore, he cried and went to his father to complain.Seeing his tear-stained son, Matsushita Masansu felt pain in his heart like a knife.However, he couldn't let his son give up like this. He gently rubbed his son's hand and said, "Aji, you must persevere. Only by suffering and suffering can you become a superior person. The hope of the Panasonic family lies in you body." Hearing what his father said, Konosuke Matsushita nodded with a vague understanding.After that, the father always sent his son back to the brazier shop with guilt and reluctance.

Fortunately, he was used to living a hard life at home. He didn't feel hard helping others with chores. The most difficult thing was the loneliness and loneliness in his heart. At the age of 9, he should be acting like a baby at the knees of his parents, but Konosuke has to make a living independently and bear the burden of life.When night comes, Fortunately, he will cry and think of his mother, always falling asleep with tears.Sometimes I would wake up in a dream, see a strange environment and think of my mother's embrace, and cry non-stop.It was like this in the first few days. After getting used to the life in the brazier shop, it gradually got better, but occasionally I still cry when I think about it.Another thing that makes Konosuke Matsushita feel uneasy is his bed-wetting problem.At home, I wet the bed, and my mother cleans it up, but here, I can only rely on myself.Sometimes Konosuke Matsushita would sleep on a cold mattress, even though he felt aggrieved, he did not dare to cry out, and Konosuke Matsushita grew up little by little in this kind of training.

The brazier shop issued money on the first and fifteenth day of the lunar new year. At that time, Konosuke Matsushita's salary was 5 cents a time.Don't underestimate the 5 cents, for Konosuke Matsushita, this is not a small sum.But once, he had to spend 1 cent of it. At that time, in addition to polishing the brazier and cleaning, Matsushita Konosuke had to take care of the young master of the Miyata family.Fortunately, the short boy had a hard time carrying the fat young master on his back.One day, there was the sound of children playing in the street. After hearing the sound of children, Fortunately, he ran out with the young master on his back.The children quickly accepted the newcomer, Lucky Help, and pulled him into the game. Because of too much force, they threw the young master on their shoulders to the ground.The young master burst into tears, and the surrounding children saw this posture and left one after another.Fortunately, his face turned pale with fright, he picked up the young master and kept coaxing him, but the more he coaxed him, the more he cried.Just when Lucky's assistant was at a loss, he subconsciously heard the sound of buns being sold in the pastry shop, so he took his salary in his pocket and went to the pastry shop to buy a red bean bun for the young master for 1 cent.Strange to say, the young master stopped crying when he saw the red bean buns, and ate the buns bit by bit.

Seeing that the young master stopped crying and fussing, Konosuke Matsushita felt a little relieved, but he was still very worried, for fear of being scolded by the boss.Matsushita Xingzhisuke took the young master back to the brazier shop tremblingly, and told the boss and the proprietress in detail. The boss and his wife saw that the child was fine, so instead of blaming Xingzhizhu, they said, "You little devil is really good!" Generous!" "Hehe, yes, Aji is quite honest!" The reaction of the boss and the proprietress was completely beyond Matsushita's expectations, but he still blamed himself secretly: "How can you do great things if you can't even look down on a child?" He swore to himself: "From now on, I will never be so greedy for fun. It's delayed."

Since then, Konosuke Matsushita has worked more attentively and strictly demanded himself from time to time. Konosuke Matsushita worked in the brazier shop for only 3 months, and the shop closed down due to poor management.The boss has a friend of the fifth generation in Phuket who opened a bicycle shop.The kind shop owner recommended Konosuke Matsushita to go to this shop.Here, Konosuke Matsushita worked for 7 years, laying the foundation for him to show his talents in the business world. In March 1905, Matsushita Konosuke was introduced by the kind boss Miyamoto, and took the 30 cents he earned to enter the "Five Generations Bicycle Shop" as an apprentice. That year, Matsushita Konosuke was 10 years old. The owner of the fifth generation bicycle shop is called Gothai Phuket. His father Masao Matsushita and Mr. Miyata brought Konosuke to the fifth generation bicycle shop. Mr. Miyata said to Gothai Phuket: "Mr. The important thing is that he is very honest. I will ask Lord Wudai to discipline him more in the future, and I will entrust him to you." The fifth generation of Phuket is also a very good person, and he readily accepted Konosuke Matsushita.Masao Matsushita helped his son settle down, and before he left, he told his son again: "Aji, you have to work hard. Compared with the brazier business, the development prospects of the bicycle industry are much better. You have to remember that today's Japan is not the same as the past. It’s different, there are always a lot of new things you don’t understand, so you have to work hard and study hard, and you will definitely be able to make a career. Don’t stop doing well just because the apprentice is young, there will be university questions in it! You will To do great things, you must first start with small things! "Also, no matter what you do, the boss is watching you, so you have to be diligent and don't be afraid of doing things, so that you can make progress. If you can't do small things well, the boss will not dare to entrust you with big things. After listening to his father's instruction, Konosuke Matsushita nodded vigorously.In this way, my father left Konosuke Matsushita in the bicycle shop.From then on, the 10-year-old Matsushita started a new apprenticeship at the fifth generation bicycle shop. In Japan at that time, generally only the rich could afford bicycles. Selling bicycles was a fashionable industry. At that time, Japan could not manufacture them by itself, and all of them were imported from Britain, the United States and other countries, which could be called high-end and durable consumer goods.At that time, the only ones who could ride bicycles were the sons and daughters of wealthy families. When the Tokyo Mitsukoshi Department Store opened in 1908, the company sent young clerks to deliver goods on bicycles across the city, which became a national sensation.Being able to work in such a high-end bicycle shop, even as an apprentice, is very enviable, and Konosuke Matsushita is in a much better mood. Fifth Generation Bicycle Shop is located in the Osaka Shipba neighborhood, which is the cradle of Osaka industry.After the Meiji Restoration, many small factories such as textiles, papermaking, and hardware tools were successively built in this area. Rows of low wooden houses lined up one after another, forming several streets and alleys, which lead directly to the sea.The seaside is a shipyard for building large wooden boats and motor sailboats equipped with motors, hence the name of the shipyard block. Five generations of bicycle shop is a relatively large professional shop, not only sells bicycles and their accessories, but also runs a repair business. Konosuke Matsushita is the youngest among the apprentices.Konosuke Matsushita's apprenticeship here is no easier than in the brazier shop, and he is very nervous all day long.The boss asked the apprentices to start working at 5:30 and finish at 7:00 pm.Although the store closes earlier, but because customers come to buy car parts at night, it always closes after 9 pm.Therefore, apprentices and fellows often still have to look at the shop after dinner. Apprentices can read novels after closing at night or while browsing the shop.In the process of reading novels, they gain knowledge and understand the ways of the world.Konosuke Matsushita's favorite novel is "Popular Toyotomi Hideyoshi".Toyotomi Hideyoshi was a general who unified the country at the end of the Sengoku period in Japan. During his rule, he actively developed and rewarded foreign trade and promoted economic development.In addition to "Popular Toyotomi Hideyoshi Biography", he also likes to read the novels of Sasuke Sarutobi who practiced "Ninjutsu".The cultivation of loyalty of warriors, the morality and management skills of businessmen are all displayed in his chapter novels. For Konosuke Matsushita, who did not have the opportunity to receive formal school education, he not only gained knowledge of social life from his apprenticeship, but also learned personality cultivation from reading novels in his spare time.Konosuke Matsushita often recalled those unforgettable days in the future. He once said: "My views and ideas on management are all from the 7 years of working in the bicycle shop. I used the time to look at the shop after work and read it from the novel. What has been accumulated and has become a living knowledge has exerted great power today." Apprentices have a fixed time for daily life, get up at 5 o'clock every morning, half an hour later in winter.After washing, clean the store and sprinkle clean water. Breakfast at 6:30, only pickles and rice, not even bean paste soup, but the boss promised to make them full.At noon, they can have some vegetables.Fish can be eaten on the 1st and 15th of every month. This time is the happiest time for the apprentices. The proprietress always smiles and watches the children gobble up the meals she has carefully prepared. Konosuke Matsushita's main job is to sweep the floor and serve customers. At the same time, he learns to repair bicycles while others are repairing cars. He has to work fifteen or sixteen hours a day from morning to night.The days of being an apprentice were very hard, but Konosuke never complained about being tired from work. He always kept in mind his father's teachings: "Those who can't even do small things well can't do great things." So, no matter how much things are No matter how small and trivial, he did it with his heart, even such a small thing as laying a quilt.Konosuke Matsushita was not discouraged because he kept doing small things. He believed that one day he would be effective at critical moments. As time went by, Konosuke Matsushita began to train for repairing bicycles as an assistant to the clerk.The work of repairing bicycles is similar to that of a small blacksmith, requiring equipment such as lathes. Konosuke Matsushita has liked this kind of work since he was a child, so he is also very interested in doing it.However, after a long time, the thin Konosuke began to feel overwhelmed.At that time, turning the lathe did not require electricity but was turned by hand. Konosuke Matsushita was young and weak, and he could hold it for ten or twenty minutes at first. Later, his hands and arms became weaker, so he turned more and more. slower.Sometimes he was too tired to turn at all, and the senior workers would hit his head with a small hammer, which meant to cheer him up.It may seem rude, but in Japan at that time, this was the usual way of training apprentices.There is an old saying in China that "if you don't fight, you can't be a weapon". Japan has inherited this very well, and their apprentices are all trained in this way. Konosuke Matsushita was honored to be allowed to learn how to ride a bicycle on the first day he entered the fifth generation bicycle shop.This is derived from the very enlightened concept of the five generations of bosses.He believes that since he is an apprentice in a bicycle shop, he must be able to ride a bicycle, and the clerk riding a bicycle to go out is itself a living advertisement.Besides, if the clerk can not ride a bicycle, it is impossible to be familiar with the product, and it is difficult to sell and do a good job in after-sales service.The boss's seemingly disadvantageous move actually brought a lot of business to the store. This concept also subtly affected the future business philosophy of Matsushita Konosuke. Konosuke Matsushita was very excited when he learned that he could learn to ride a bicycle. However, the bicycle did not bring him as much happiness as he imagined.Because there is no baby carriage, Konosuke Matsushita, who is short, has suffered a lot when riding a big bicycle. He can't sit and ride like an adult, but can only use the "dog squatting style", which is a posture of bending over and half squatting. Awkward and very ugly.But Konosuke Matsushita didn't care about other people's strange eyes, he practiced hard, and his hard work paid off. After a week, he learned it. Although his posture was not good-looking, he was able to go on the road. At this time, bicycle racing began to flourish.Businessmen in Osaka saw that Tokyo businessmen benefited from holding bicycle races, so they prepared to hold bicycle races.The owner of the store in Osaka, in order to promote sales, cultivated players and organized support groups to hold competitions in various places. At that time, the Osaka Shinpo also contributed a lot to the competition. The enthusiasm was a bit like the current baseball game. The "Fifth Generation Chamber of Commerce" also signed up for the competition. Because of this, Konosuke Matsushita also wanted to be a player. He got up at 4:30 every morning, ran to the competition field at that time, and practiced on the bicycle used for the competition.Every morning, there are more than 30 or 40 players practicing on the field.Although Konosuke Matsushita practiced hard every morning, his progress was limited.After consulting the coach, he learned that his own strength was insufficient. For this reason, Konosuke Matsushita did strength training every day after work.Seeing the thin Konosuke Matsushita, the proprietress always distressedly advised him not to continue training, but Konosuke Matsushita still practiced firmly. Success is not so easy to come by.In one day of training, when Konosuke Matsushita was about to overtake a competitor, an accident happened.The front wheel of his car collided with the rear wheel of the car in front, and there was a "click". Before Konosuke Matsushita could react, he was thrown to the ground hard. The doctors and nurses at the scene rushed to help him up. Fortunately, Konosuke Matsushita did not hurt his head.He felt that his legs were in pain, and when he looked down, his heart went cold for a moment, blood was already oozing from his pants. "It's over, it's over, isn't it because I'm going to be disabled?" He suddenly felt a burst of despair, "The game I've worked so hard to prepare for is about to go to waste, my God, it won't even be a problem for my life... " Just when he was thinking wildly, he suddenly felt a sharp pain, and he yelled, "Oh, it hurts!" The doctor said, "What are you shouting for? No bone was hurt!" off his leg. "What? You didn't hurt your bones?" Konosuke Matsushita jumped up happily, which startled everyone around him, and everyone looked at him in bewilderment.He stretched his limbs and raised his bicycle to continue training, completely ignoring the shouting doctors and nurses. After some arduous preparations, Konosuke Matsushita ushered in the competition with full confidence.In order to encourage him, the fifth-generation boss personally assembled a bicycle for Konosuke Matsushita, and the proprietress also carefully selected a sportswear for him.On the morning before the game, the proprietress specially prepared a hearty breakfast, and all the guys in the store came to cheer up Konosuke Matsushita. With the support of so many people, Konosuke Matsushita became more confident. As soon as the gunshots rang out, the brand-new Konosuke Matsushita stood out from the crowd like a clever deer and rushed to the front. Then, relying on the good physical strength he had trained before, he maintained his leading advantage until the end .In the cheers of the crowd, Konosuke Matsushita reached the finish line first, won the championship of the junior group, realized his wish, and fulfilled the promise he made. Another important business item of a bicycle shop is to repair bicycles, and there are often customers who come to repair bicycles in the shop.Sometimes customers have to sit and wait in the store for a while because the car is seriously damaged or there are too many people coming to repair it. At this time, the five-generation boss will send apprentices to bring a cup of hot tea to the customer and hand over a newspaper of the day.The boss found that the guests liked to play with the youngest Konosuke Matsushita, so Konosuke Matsushita found his own special job: greeting waiting customers. Sometimes, because it takes a long time to repair the car, customers often ask Konosuke Matsushita: "Little guy, would you like to help me buy a pack of cigarettes?" "Aji, let's go!" The boss told him when he heard the request from the guest, "Go and come back quickly, don't delay." "Okay, I'll go right away!" Konosuke Matsushita promised while washing his hands, took the money and ran to the grocery store to buy cigarettes, and then handed the cigarettes and the change back to the customer.Things like this have to be done several times a day, and no matter it is windy or rainy, they must be on call to buy back cigarettes quickly. Konosuke Matsushita bought cigarettes more often, and Konosuke Matsushita began to think in his heart: Every day someone asks me to buy cigarettes, and I have to go out again and again. How convenient it is to take out 1 pack and sell it to him.Not only does it save energy and time, but customers can also immediately satisfy their smoking cravings.In the process of running errands, Konosuke Matsushita also found that if you buy a pack of cigarettes (20 packs), the store will give you a pack of cigarettes. The working boss is happy, the customers are also very happy to smoke cigarettes immediately, and he can make money from it. It really serves multiple purposes! Konosuke Matsushita told his boss what he thought, and the boss said after hearing this: "Well, you are very good at using your brain. This is a good way, so you can do it like this." Thanks to Konosuke Matsushita's thoughtful service, more customers come to repair cars The guests all said: "Aji is really smart and capable, and he will definitely do something when he grows up." With the approval of the guests and the boss, Konosuke Matsushita felt very happy, and worked harder. However, other apprentices and buddies in the store began to be dissatisfied, thinking that Konosuke Matsushita should not make money by himself, and they all began to ignore him.Finally one day, the guys couldn't hold back and sued Konosuke Matsushita to the five generations of bosses. The boss heard the complaints from the guys, so he had to call Konosuke Matsushita: "Aji, you have earned extra income from selling cigarettes. Everyone is very dissatisfied when they know about it, so don't do it again." Boss, holding back tears, backed off with a "ha Yi".After that, Konosuke Matsushita started to drop the work at hand and went to buy cigarettes for the guests again and again.As a result, the bicycle shop regained its former peace, and the apprentices no longer isolated Konosuke Matsushita. In the future, Konosuke Matsushita recalled this incident and said: "Maybe I was still young at the time. If I distributed the money I earned to everyone, it wouldn't be like that." There is an apprentice named Saburo in the bicycle shop, who is also very popular with the boss, and gets along very well with Konosuke Matsushita.Once, San Lang stole the boss's money and was severely reprimanded by the boss after he found out, but out of kindness, he still kept him in the shop and continued to work.But there is no impenetrable wall in the world. It didn’t take long for Konosuke Matsushita to know about his good friend Saburo. "Boss, I heard that Saburo stole the money. How can you let the person who stole the money continue to work in the store? If you let me and the person who stole the money continue to work, I can't do it. If you don't fire him, Then I have to resign." "But, aren't you two best friends? How can you have the heart to drive him away? Don't you want to give him a chance to reform?" the fifth generation boss asked back after hearing what he said. "Yes, we used to be best friends, but from the moment he stole something, our friendship ended, we are now strangers with no relationship, let me continue to be with him, yes My insult, please fire him!" The boss saw that Konosuke Matsushita was so firm and felt that what he said made sense, so he fired Saburo. From the current point of view, Konosuke Matsushita may have gone too far at the time, Saburo is also a child, why not give him a chance?He didn't understand the boss's forgiving virtue, but forced the boss to adopt his own opinion with pure childishness.But from it, we can see Konosuke Matsushita's disgust and tough side to getting something for nothing. For the young Konosuke Matsushita, the one who had the greatest influence on him was his father Masao Matsushita.After success, Konosuke Matsushita often said: "Without my father, I would not be where I am today." Father has always occupied a very important position in Konosuke Matsushita's mind. When Konosuke Matsushita went to Osaka, my sister found a job at the Osaka Savings Bureau because she could read and write.The mother and elder sister didn't want Konosuke Matsushita to suffer any more, and they were recruiting employees at the savings bureau. After discussing with their mother, the elder sister and her mother thought it was a good idea, so they wanted him to come and let him finish his studies by the way.After that, the mother told Konosuke Matsushita of this idea and asked him to discuss it with his father. Full of joy, Konosuke Matsushita found his father and told his mother and sister's thoughts to his father. Unexpectedly, his father said: "I don't agree with you going to the savings bureau as a servant, Aji, listen to your father's words and work as an apprentice in a bicycle shop. It will definitely succeed, this is the best way to success, believe in Dad, don’t change your ambition, keep going!" Then the father said: "As long as we do well and the business is successful, we can hire people to work, At that time, you will stop being an apprentice and work as a handyman." Hearing the last few words of his father, Konosuke Matsushita was moved, and he was also very eager to be able to stand out. In this way, Konosuke Matsushita continued to be an apprentice according to his father's wishes. . In the days of being an apprentice, Masao Matsushita encouraged Konosuke Matsushita every time and said: "Aji, don't be discouraged. Those successful people in history started as apprentices, and they also went through untold hardships to succeed. You must learn to be strong and patient!" His father constantly spurred and inspired Konosuke with his love, so that Konosuke Matsushita gradually developed a progressive personality in his bones while suffering from hardships. In the autumn when Konosuke Matsushita was 11 years old, one day, the fifth generation boss suddenly said that he would give him a few days off and let him go home.This surprised Konosuke Matsushita, but the boss never gave apprentices a holiday for no reason.Konosuke Matsushita tidied up in a hurry and rushed home. When he stepped into the house, Konosuke Matsushita saw his father Masao Matsushita lying on the bed dying, already on the verge of death.Konosuke Matsushita rushed forward recklessly, calling loudly: "Dad, wake up, Aji is back, Aji is back! Dad!" The father opened his eyes with difficulty, looked at the youngest son, squeezed out With a slight smile, "Aji, you are finally back, remember, the Matsushita family depends on you." Konosuke Matsushita nodded vigorously, tears gushing out. "Dad has been able to persist until now because he is waiting for you." said the elder sister who was guarding the hospital bed. "Why didn't you call me back earlier?" He asked his sister hoarsely. "It was my father who refused. He said that apprentices are most afraid of being distracted. If there is no serious matter, I will not let you come back." My sister said with tears. When Matsushita Konosuke heard it, his heart felt as if a knife had been twisted. He hugged his father's thin body tightly, trying to keep his dying father.However, the father passed away peacefully in the arms of his youngest son. The teachings of his father kept appearing in the mind of Konosuke Matsushita: "Great people in the past worked hard when they were young, but they endured hardships and finally became outstanding talents, so don't feel hard, be patient, and don't let your father down." I hope that the Matsushita family depends entirely on you." Thinking of this, Konosuke Matsushita wiped away tears silently, straightened up, looked at the crying mother and sister, and said softly, "Let's discuss about Dad's funeral." As soon as the father left, the house seemed empty, and the mother hadn't gotten rid of her sorrow, and her sister and Konosuke Matsushita were always by her side.However, on the day after finishing the funeral, Konosuke Matsushita said to his mother, "Tonight, I'm going back to the store." "What? Tonight? Stay for two more days. You haven't come back for so long." His mother and sister were very puzzled when they heard him say that. "No, if Dad is alive, he will definitely support me to go back." Thinking of Dad, Konosuke Matsushita immediately felt full of strength. "Now that my father is gone, I have to work harder and show myself, so that my father in heaven can feel at ease." "But, Aji, mom and I need you very much." The older sister begged the younger brother to stay. "Sister, it's not that I don't want to, but thinking of my father's wish before his death, I can't stay any longer. I will work harder after I go back, and let you and my father see me achieve great things as soon as possible." Konosuke Matsushita said firmly to her sister.In fact, he didn't feel much uncomfortable in his heart at the moment. "Aji, then you can go back, don't miss me. But you must take care of yourself." Mom knew that she could only support her son's decision at this moment. "Mom, I will take care of myself! Please take care of yourself too!" Konosuke Matsushita shed tears again.Facing such an understanding and caring mother, he couldn't say anything more, so he bowed deeply. Mother Tokuko helped Konosuke Matsushita pack the luggage back with tears in her eyes. She was old and could not go to the station to send Konosuke Matsushita off as she used to. She stood at the door and watched her son's back gradually disappear into a field, her tears blurred Eye. That night, Konosuke Matsushita returned to the store. The father's spirit of never yielding to fate left a deep imprint on the young Konosuke Matsushita.From that day on, Konosuke Matsushita told himself secretly: "From today onwards, I will be a man." In a blink of an eye, Konosuke Matsushita has spent several years in the bicycle shop.Under the care of the fifth-generation boss, he has basically done all kinds of work in the store. With his cleverness and eagerness to learn, he has mastered many skills. At this time, Konosuke Matsushita can't wait to do some more important work. Every day, seeing those big guys go out to sell brand-new bicycles and hearing their eloquent business talks, he was very envious.He secretly made a wish that one day he would go out to sell bicycles independently.In his young heart, he always felt that it was a great skill to successfully sell goods with a penetrating tongue. Konosuke Matsushita thought to himself, the opportunity just came unexpectedly. One day, the phone rang, and Tie Chuan, the owner of the mosquito net wholesale store, wanted to buy a bicycle, and asked the store to send someone to send them one to take a look. "Okay, okay, I'll send it to you right away." The fifth generation boss agreed without hesitation. Putting down the phone, he looked around, the big guys went out to sell, and there were only a few young apprentices left in the store, "Who can let this go?" Turning around, he found Matsushita Konosuke who was cleaning. Thinking of his usual smartness and diligence, he decided to entrust this task to him: "Aji, you go and send the car to Boss Tiechuan." "Hey! You, do you mean to let me go alone?" Hearing the boss's order, Konosuke Matsushita was so excited that he couldn't even speak clearly. "Yes, Aji." The boss nodded, "Mr. Tiechuan is a decent man, and he won't make it difficult for you. Don't you always say you want to sell, this is a good opportunity to show your skills, don't let me down Trust me." "Then thank you very much!" Konosuke Matsushita bowed deeply to the boss, immediately rode on a brand new bicycle, and rushed to Boss Tiechuan's wholesale shop. "I can finally sell independently." Konosuke Matsushita shouted excitedly, the bike was riding fast, and he felt that this was the happiest time since he was an apprentice. He suddenly remembered the sentence his father said, "If you can't do small things well, you can't do big things." What his father said was true, "According to my father's words, I really started to do big things!" Become an indomitable man, and you can achieve a career. "You must not fail! You must seize the opportunity!" Matsushita Konosuke secretly encouraged himself. Konosuke Matsushita rode the bike to the door of Tiechuan's store like an arrow, "Hello, you are the boss Tiechuan. My name is Konosuke Matsushita. The fifth generation boss sent me to deliver the car to you. Please have a look at it, sir." Konosuke Matsushita told Tiechuan He bowed deeply and was polite. "It looks like you're still an apprentice. How old are you, Lord Wudai sent you here?" Tie Chuan looked like a boy, so he didn't pay attention to him, just inspecting the car on his own. Seeing Boss Tiechuan's indifferent attitude, Matsushita was not discouraged. He knew it was time for him to show off his eloquence, so he followed behind the boss and kept explaining to let the boss know more about this bicycle. "Boss Tiechuan, you Look, this bike is light and comfortable, and it looks very beautiful. It looks decent when you ride it. The price is not expensive, only 140 yen, which is really good quality and cheap. If it breaks down, we will call Come and fix it for you." "I really didn't see it, you little guy can talk like that!" Boss Tiechuan softened his attitude when he saw that this guy was smart and cute. He touched Konosuke Matsushita's head and said, "The little guy is really enthusiastic. Just For your enthusiasm, I bought it. However, you have to give me a 10% discount." "A 10% discount?" Matsushita Konosuke was in a difficult situation. Before he came out, the five generations of bosses had explained that they couldn't easily make concessions on the price. He thought for a while and said, "Boss, our boss told us not to allow discounts, so please don't let me give you a discount." I'm in a dilemma, how about I go back and discuss with the boss to give you a 5% discount? This is already the lowest price." "Oh, if that's the case, forget it!" Tie Chuan turned and left. "No," Konosuke Matsushita shouted, "Wait a minute, I'll ask you." Konosuke Matsushita wanted to make this business too much. This was his first independent sale, so he could only allow himself to succeed. Never fail!He ran all the way back to the store, but forgot to ride his bike. "Boss," Konosuke Matsushita said out of breath, "Mr. Tetsukawa promised to buy our car..." "Really? It seems that it is really right to send you there!" The fifth generation boss was very happy. "However, Mr. Tiechuan asked for a 10% discount..." "What, 10% off, how can this work?" The fifth generation boss suddenly darkened, "Didn't you tell him that the maximum discount is 5% off?" "I said it, but Mr. Tiechuan disagrees..." "Then go back and talk about it again. We can only sell it at a 50% discount. If he still doesn't agree, then forget it!" Wu Dai said after pondering for a moment. Hearing the boss's explanation, Matsushita Konosuke was very sad. He felt that he had failed and lost such a good sales opportunity. He didn't know how to tell Boss Tiechuan when he went back. The more he thought about it, the more anxious he became. began to cry. Seeing Konosuke Matsushita crying, the boss was a little angry, and reprimanded: "Aji, which store are you a clerk? How can you face outsiders? Stop crying and cheer up!" 正在这时，铁川老板把松下幸之助忘在自己店中的脚踏车送了回来，碰巧看见这个场面，他问：“五代君，怎么还和小孩子生气啊？” “啊，铁川君，是这样的……”五代把松下幸之助回来和他讲价格的事向铁川说了一遍，“真是个孩子啊……”五代感叹说。 “原来是这样。小家伙还挺认真，有意思！看着孩子这么心切，九五折就九五折吧，我买下了。以后，只要他在你们店，我就只买你们店的脚踏车了。”旁边的松下幸之助一听这话，顿时破涕为笑了。 铁川又接着说：“我看阿吉是个好孩子，将来肯定会有出息的。你五代君若是还不满意，就把他让给我吧。” 五代笑着说：“一个孩子，你太过奖了。”之后，他让松下幸之助陪铁川老板去选一辆中意的车。就这样，松下幸之助个人第一次推销就做成了一笔大买卖，刚才还失落的心情一下转晴了。 虽然这是一桩靠眼泪做成的生意，但是它却让松下幸之助懂得了真诚在商场上的力量。 学徒生涯虽然艰辛，却可以练就一个人吃苦耐劳的精神、坚忍不拔的毅力、克服困难的决心，这些，都是有成就者必不可少的素质。生意场上的知识，学徒是通过师傅的言传身教，在耳濡目染中逐渐得到的，这种方式虽然不是正规有序的，却是实用的。经过几年这样的磨炼，对于生意的要诀、往来的礼貌、资本的筹集等，学徒们就有了切身的体会，这比从课本上学到的还要实用得多。有了这些基本的素质和知识，他们以后就能独当一面了。大阪船场的商人，都是这样被培养出来的。 在大阪当学徒的日子里，松下幸之助学到了许多有益的知识。大阪商界对招牌的重视，大阪商人对招牌的珍惜，给身处其中的小学徒松下幸之助留下了不可磨灭的印象。松下幸之助在五代脚踏车店的工作中逐渐认识到：招牌，代表着特色，更代表着信誉。所以，松下幸之助在后来的经营实践中，继承了大阪船场商人的传统，视信誉如同生命、法宝。在处理许多事情的时候，宁肯有什么别的损失，也不干一丝一毫有损信誉或可能影响信誉的事情。 松下幸之助在大阪船场所学到的，远不止这些。在老板五代普吉的身上，他学到更多。五代普吉生意兴隆、顾客至上等生意经，也就是松下幸之助以后创业、经营的秘诀。比如，松下幸之助向来有“决不降价求售”、“商人必须赢利”、“把顾客当做主人”、“卖货要像嫁女儿”等的主张，这种观点，就来自五代。五代普吉认为，做生意就一定要获益，而价格要定得既能保持一定利益，又不可以离谱。因此，既然是合理的价格，就不可以降价销售，否则商家就不能获利。反之，那些有意把价格定高，又再降低出售的销售法，是对商人道德的背叛。在处理商品价格的问题上，松下幸之助特别欣赏五代老板的做法。 碰到有顾客要求降价的时候，五代老板会说：“我的价格定得已经非常低了，要再降价的话，我就无利可得。商人不能做不赚钱的买卖，那样无法长久维持下去，也就不能为顾客服务了。” 在以后的生意中，松下幸之助也正是这样对待顾客的降价要求的，而且他向对方所作的解释，和五代普吉先生简直一模一样。