Chapter 9 Unfavorable employment

After the completion of the first garden, Hu Xueyan was dissatisfied with the rockery and decided to transform it.I invited a few people who specialize in this field to look at it, and I didn't see any outstanding features after drawing the drawings. Finally, I found out that there is a famous family in Beijing, whose surname should be single and the first name is Chong. He was born in Henan and lived in the early years of Xianfeng. He is a Qing guest under Prince Yi Zaiyuan's gate.During the Xinyou coup, Zaiyuan's family was ruined and his family was destroyed. Ying Chong watched him build a tall building, and saw his building collapsed.Fortunately, when Zaiyuan was very popular back then, Ying Chong had received a generous gift, and he could make a living with simple food and drink for a few years without being in a pinch.

This Ying Chong didn't want to go out of the mountain at first, and couldn't bear Hu Xueyan's humble words and rich coins, so Liu Bucai, who was sent to invite him, was able to speak well, and finally invited him to Hangzhou. After looking at the rockery that has already been built, as well as a lot of unused drawings, Ying Chong thinks it's not too bad, it only needs to be modified, and there is no need to rebuild.But Hu Xueyan disagreed and insisted on a comprehensive update.Ying Chong thought to himself, this is because of too much money, but it is inconvenient to say this clearly, and if you talk shallowly, it will make Hu Xueyan misunderstand that there is no ravine in his chest, so he dare not tear it down and rebuild it.

That's why Ying Chong closed the door and didn't go downstairs for a month. He drew a sketch, but he still refused to show it to others. The north and south peaks, explore the seclusion and search for strange things, come back and light up the lights to show the pictures and revise them carefully.Three months after arriving, it was finally done. This set of pictures consists of seventeen pictures, one general picture and sixteen sub-pictures. Strange rocks and ravines, hundreds of twists and turns, and the land of the abbot, the big is seen from the small, which is amazing.Hu Xueyan was overjoyed, held a grand banquet, and invited the supervisor face to face, and Ying Chong also agreed.

To make a rockery, of course you must choose strange stones.Hangzhou was the capital of the Southern Song Dynasty, and there were many famous gardens, some of which were abandoned. Ying Chong had seen them all, but he didn't pay much attention to them.On this day, we arrived at Gongyuan West Bridge, an abandoned garden. It is said that it was originally the ancestral hall of Zhao Wenhua, Yan Song's godson. There is a stone lying on the ground, but it is very impressive. On the beauty of stone, there is a three-character tactic called "thin, crepe, and transparent". You should see that although half of this stone is buried in the soil, the part exposed to the ground is enough to be the three characters, and the other half is also the same. .

When I was watching it repeatedly, I saw an old man with white eyebrows, short clothes and straw sandals, holding a Xiangfei bamboo dry pipe in his hand, walking over leisurely.Ying Chong saw that he was not dressed like a Mr. Jin Gentleman, but his demeanor was like that of an old man who had retreated to the forest, so he immediately questioned him in awe. "The old man's name?" "I dare not take it. My surname is Zhao. What is your surname?" "My surname is Ying." Ying Chong asked, "Excuse me, Mr. Zhao, can someone take care of this abandoned garden?"

"Why not? I am." "Oh! Disrespect, disrespect." Ying Chong cupped his hands again and again. The old man Zhao returned the gift with a pipe in his hand, and asked, "I want to find the garden manager, what can I tell you?" "I want to ask about this stone." The old man Zhao nodded, looked at Ying Chong from top to bottom and asked: "I also have a habit of rice bumping when I think about it. Since I have asked the question, I dare not refuse to tell. When I mention this stone, there is a lot of history. It was transported from Genyue, Daliang."

It turned out to be an old item of Genyue, Emperor Huizong of Song Dynasty. It was transported from Kaifeng all the way for six to seven hundred years. "I'm afraid I still don't know the real beauty of this stone." The old man Zhao turned back and shouted, "Little Si, bring a 'wave pole'!" The bamboo poles used to dry clothes are called "wave poles" in Hangzhou.Xiao Si'er knew what the "wave pole" was for, so he took it without saying a word, and stuck it into the bamboo pole from one end of the stone——only then did Ying Chong discover that there was a bowl-sized hole in the middle of the stone, which went through both ends, and the bamboo pole Easily pops out the other side.

"This is the real 'line of the sky'." Ying Chong quickly thought of this rock stacked on the rockery, and at noon, the sun shines directly into the cave, and a round beam of light, isn't it a very unique scene. "Old Zhao," Ying Chong asked bluntly, "Can this stone be parted?" The old man Zhao took a closer look and asked, "Do you build the garden yourself, or do you want to find materials?" "To be honest, I was invited by God of Wealth Hu to renovate the garden for him. With this strange stone, I have to modify the design again."

"It turned out to be him!" The old man Zhao shook his head and said, "I won't commit such a crime." Ying Chong was stunned, "Old Zhao," he asked, "how do you say that?" "Speaking of which, this Mr. Hu Da is worthy of admiration, and he has done a lot of good things. It's a pity that in the past few years, he has been extravagant and dissipated, and his nature has been greatly changed. It is all because of the flattery of his despicable villains. He has always been diligent and thrifty. Prosperity and extravagance will lead to defeat. Just look at this stone. If the Emperor Dao hadn’t wanted to set up Genyue and come up with the “Flower and Stone Gang” back then, where would the Jin soldiers have gotten to Bianliang? I think I have built many gardens for high-ranking officials in my life. I don’t know how many of these owners have virtuous descendants? As for this Mr. Hu Da, his tail is too big. He is really a good friend of his. Shou Shan, if you continue to push him to spend extravagantly, sooner or later he will be blamed by his conscience."

This eloquent talk made Ying Chong sweat profusely, deeply regretting his wrongdoing.But things have been like this, and we can't say that we will refund the hire money and take back the drawings, so we can only resign from the post of supervisor on the pretext that there is an urgent matter in our hometown. Hu Xueyan tried repeatedly to persuade him to stay but couldn't, so he had to ask him to recommend someone to replace him.Ying Chong is not affectionate, and after all, it was sent with a lot of hard work, and he is afraid of being buried by vulgar hands. Among the Qing guests of the Hu family, there is a man named Zeng Xiaosu. He had an original idea, so he said: "Zeng Xiaosu is worthy of this job."

When Hu Xueyan employs a person, he must first find out the person's ability, and then invites Zeng Xiaosu, and asks him to look at the drawing in front of Ying Chong, and then asks: "I don't know how long it will take to follow Mr. Ying's drawing. , to complete the work?" "This," Zeng Xiaosu said with a smile, "I am here in front of a big expert, so there is no room for me to comment." "Don't dare, dare not!" Ying Chong said, and at the same time gave him a wink, "Brother Su, please estimate." Zeng Xiaosu understood that this lucrative job as a supervisor can probably be obtained, so he concentrated on thinking for a while before asking: "How long does it take Mr. Big to finish the project?" "How about fifty days?" "Fifty days will require 120 people." Zeng Xiaosu counted with his fingers bent, "Construction according to the plan, four caves, each cave has 20 craftsmen, and the remaining forty are dedicated to transporting stone materials. Slurry Five days, 20 days for construction, 10 days for preparation, and 10 days for topping off. If everything goes well, the project can be completed in 45 days. Mr. Da wants to have a big banquet with guests, so it’s better to pick a date after 50 days.” Hu Xueyan was noncommittal, turned around and asked, "What do you think, Mr. Ying?" "It's very smart. But if it's a little tighter, if you relax a little bit during construction, fifty days won't be enough." "The original five-day surplus was built inside." Zeng Xiaosu replied, "Mr. Ying, you always don't know. If the construction is done elsewhere, the stone materials may not be available and the manpower may be insufficient. I dare not say that it will be possible someday." When the project is completed, in our Mr. Hu Da’s house, we need people, money, materials, and materials, and we are sure to complete the project in fifty days.” "That's right." With Ying Chong's words, it is like when the imperial court releases the main examiners of the provincial and rural examinations in the year of Ziwu Maoyou Grand Competition. Only after passing the test can he be released as the chief and deputy chief examiner. Zeng Xiaosu's position as supervisor has been approved by Ying Chong, and Hu Xueyan trusts it. So choose auspicious to start work, 120 craftsmen, divided into 12 circles on the open space where the original rockery had been demolished, and started pounding. Hu Yunfu, the manager, took care of it in advance: "You can't make a sound when pounding the pulp, the old lady hates it." That sound." It turns out that there is a particularity in it.The so-called pounding pulp, Hangzhou people call it "squeamish pulp", a special kind of tree leaves, soaked in water, thick like shavings water used by women to comb their hair, then mixed with lime and yellow mud, and added to this thick juice , you can start pounding. The method of pounding pulp is that several people form a circle around lime and yellow mud, and each holds a waist-high T-shaped hammer. , There is a two-foot-long horizontal bar that is firmly inlaid on the top of the column for easy grasping. Standing together when the head gave a signal, he stepped back, straightened his waist, and turned the T-hammer upwards, turned it upside down and fell down, and at the same time stepped forward and bent down, and the hammer head was pounded heavily on the lime and yellow soil. ——Someone kept pouring the thick juice with a wooden spoon.At the beginning, it was white ash and yellow mud, which could be seen scorchingly, and then they merged seamlessly. The longer the pounding, the better the toughness.Hangzhou people build tombs, and the coffins must be surrounded by thick pulp. After drying, it is extremely hard, and it is truly "invulnerable".As for those who need to be relocated, there is another way to break the mound. The method is to open the grave, pour strong liquor all over it, light it with fire, and when the liquor is exhausted and the fire is extinguished, the mud becomes brittle and can be hoeed by itself. Once upon a time when Taizu of the Ming Dynasty built the city of Nanjing, Shen Wansan, a wealthy man at the end of the Yuan Dynasty, was tasked with constructing the city. The city walls were piled up with boulders, and the joints were glued together with glutinous rice paste.The most important thing is that it has been pounded evenly and for a long time, so the signal of the head has a lot to do with it, and the signal is nothing more than the sound of "Xie Xu". From the "song of stupidity" that vents hard work, there is naturally a command in the syllables. The weight and slowness of the hammer, counting the number of hammers, and the "size" of the moving steps are taken into account - the person who is pounding the pulp will slowly turn to the right while pounding, in order to seek uniformity and also to calculate the effort. In one method, it is generally necessary to turn twelve to sixteen times before the function of curling pulp can be brought into full play. In addition to building tombs, the other use of the slurry is to build rockery. The joint of stone and stone cannot be strong without the use of slurry.But this sound of "Xie Xu" with special syllables, every time I heard it in Dingshan in the Spring and Autumn Period, it naturally made people realize that a new tomb was being built nearby. Mrs. Hu was getting old and hated hearing this, so Hu Yunfu told her not to speak out. This is like the army losing its order, naturally chaotic and slow-moving.Zeng Xiaosu is eager to seek merit, so he can't help scolding and scolding, the craftsmen dare not speak out when they are angry, and when the casual workers go out, there are many discussions, not to say that Zeng Xiaosu is not considerate, but to say that the Hu family is mean. It's not that there are mean things, it's just that Hu Xueyan doesn't know it at all.It has always been that the big family has a business, contractors or foremen, it is inevitable to cut corners and materials, and build a rockery. The materials cannot be reduced, but the work can be stolen. Only Zeng Xiaosu is quite shrewd and dare not falsely report the number of people. He only pretends to be proficient with apprentices craftsmen.The first two days were fine, but on the third day the situation was not quite right. Zeng Xiaosu racked his brains and made a rule that wages should not be paid in advance, but paid on the same day.When working casually, a special eight-foot-high stool is placed at the gate of the garden. There are twelve people in each shift, and twelve wages are placed on it. Do.Not only the underage apprentices had to go out empty-handed with tears in their eyes, even the short ones had no choice but to do nothing.Zeng Xiaosu also triumphantly expressed his merits, saying, "It is not a loss in length and strength. Even if a dwarf has strength, his strength is limited. How about a pile of rockery without strength, so what's the use? This is the only way to keep the good and weed out the bad." But the public opinion outside is unbearable. It is said that Hu Xueyan bullied others and ordered them to work without paying wages.Some people didn't believe it, and said, "Mr. Hu Da is famous for his good deeds, how can he be so mean?" But there are all witnesses and witnesses, and those who want to speak well for him can't say anything. There is another thing, even more absurd.One year, Hu Xueyan performed Buddhist rites for his late father Mingshou. In the early winter, he donated clothes and food. Anyone who was willing to shame himself could line up to get it. Each person had a blue cotton-padded jacket and four steamed buns with rice bowls.Hu Xueyan has seen and tasted the padded jacket and steamed buns himself, and he is not sloppy. This good thing should be done very well, no one is gnashing their teeth and scolding. After all, it was still Hu Xueyan's improper employment and the audacity of the principal.It turned out that there was a greedy person who queued up once and came back the second time to get an extra share.To put it broadly speaking, he also spent a lot of time and energy in exchange for an extra handout, which is not cheap, even if he is strict, a few words of reprimand will be enough. Come to pick up the cotton-padded jackets and steamed buns, and there is a group of "Dai Zhao" waiting at the exit—the barbers are also called "Dai Zhao", each with a razor, and a piece of hair is shaved off as a sign that he has received the alms. , unless not received. "Uncle," Grandma Qigu talked about this matter, still feeling angry, "Think about it, some people go to line up before dawn, and it's their turn at noon. I didn't expect such a rule, otherwise As for the collar, it’s been a hard work for nothing, and I’m unwilling to do so. As for the collar, a piece of hair is missing, and there’s a signboard for wearing clothes. It’s really a dilemma. Is there anyone who doesn’t grit his teeth?” These few words made Hu Xueyan's face turn red and blue, in the deep autumn weather, but his back was wet with sweat, "Seventh Sister," he said, "I don't know anything about what you said. I'll check when I go back. If I find out, I want a bloody shower head, and I will scold him." "You don't have to look it up. This person is no longer with you, grandpa, that's why I said it." "So, there are people like this out there?" Grandma Qigu is silent, that is, she acquiesces.Gu Yingchun felt that since he had said so, he simply persuaded him again. Gu Yingchun has followed Hu Xueyan for many years, and he is familiar with most of the hardships of starting a business, so the words of advice to him are not only many, but also very profound, "Uncle," he said, "in your career, pawning is completely a problem in your opinion. For the convenience of the poor, I don’t want to make money. That is to say, how can there be a pawn in the world that doesn’t make money? However, because of your intentions, those who should make money don’t make money. Uncle, this level, I don’t know Have you thought about it?" "I've thought about it. I told them that a bank is a pawnshop for the rich, and a pawnshop is a bank for the poor. I'll deal with the rich. He'll treat it as 'credibility' and 'friendship'. How much, I have a rough idea. There are too many poor people, I can’t take care of them, I leave it to you, everyone has to rely on their conscience. I think, I treat those ‘Huizhou friends’ well, so I shouldn’t be unconscionable.” The pawnshops were all located in Huizhou, so Hu Xueyan called them "Huizhou friends".Hearing his words, Gu Yingchun knew that he knew nothing about the disadvantages of his pawn, and at the same time felt that his opinion was really useful to Hu Xueyan. "Uncle, do you know how many pawns you have?" Hu Xueyan was taken aback, scratched his head and said, "There must be twenty families, right?" "Uncle," Qigu's grandma urged, "You should do the math! Start from Hangzhou." Counting from Hangzhou, the first is Gongji, which is the first pawn shop set up by Hu Xueyan, and then Guangshun, the Gongchen Bridge outside the Wulin Gate, the starting point of the canal, which is specially designed for the convenience of Tai'an in Caobang—Hangzhou, Zhejiang, Huzhou, Jiaxing, Haining, Jinhua, Quzhou, Suzhou and Zhenjiang in Jiangsu, as well as Hubei and Hunan, a total of 23. The capital of a pawn shop is called "frame book". Traditionally, it is not counted in silver, but is calculated in money.Pawns vary from big to small, ranging from 50,000 wen to 200,000, or 100,000. Twenty-three pawns have 2.3 million silver. The discount price of "shelf goods" must be doubled at least. "Grandpa, let's calculate it as a total of four and a half million silver. If you do business, you will be charged a penny, which is low. It is forty-five thousand silver a month, and you can't use it up no matter how you use it. Little Grandpa told me that I don't need to do any other business, just run these twenty-three pawnshops." Hu Xueyan thought to himself that 45,000 a month would be 540,000 a year. In his memory, at the end of each year, the surplus of the pawn part had never exceeded 200,000. Ten thousand silver coins were swallowed up by "Huizhou friends". "My monthly expenses, including entertainment, are only 40,000 to 50,000 silver. Once the pawn is done, I can be invincible." Hu Xueyan asked, "Ying Chun, where do I start?" Do you want to fix it?" "Naturally, we start with an investigation." "Should we investigate one family after another? Or should we investigate together at the same time?" "Of course we check together." "Are you talking nonsense?" Grandma Qigu interjected, "Twenty-three pawnshops are checked together. Where is the manpower? Not only checking the accounts, but also checking the goods on the shelves. It's not something a layman can do." "Seventh Sister," Hu Xueyan said to stop her, "Ying Chun came up with this idea, of course he has his know-how." "Uncle Xiao is right!" Gu Yingchun said proudly, "I have a trick, which is not only fast, but also practical, and it will not offend anyone. The unreliable ones attacked first, in order to catch him off guard, but in this way, needless to say, if the problem is found, if it is clean, the family will feel uncomfortable, and it will not be easy to succeed in the future.” "Don't gossip." Grandma Qigu was impatient, "Since you have a trick, tell me quickly!" "There is no trace of this trick. Uncle, I advise you to make a big move. The 'managers' and 'management packages' of the twenty-three companies are all transferred. The transfer must be handed over. The person who takes over has the responsibility, so of course not. If you dare to be sloppy, won't you be able to find out the truth of the accounts and shelves?" "This method is really ingenious. But if you use a minor key, there will be nothing to say, and if you use a major key, there will inevitably be gossip." "There is also a way. The size of the pawn is divided into three classes, and the same lottery is exchanged. The difference between good and bad is limited. Everyone depends on luck, and everyone has nothing to say." "Besides," Grandma Qigu added, "for those who are really capable and have done a good job, grandpa might as well comfort and reward them in private." "That's right, I'll do it when I return to Hangzhou."