Chapter 21 decline to cooperate

Most of the sericulture families in Jiangsu and Zhejiang combine production and sales.Of course, cocoons can also be sold to cocoon shops that own the "Bu Tie", but the valuation of cocoon shops is not high, and the price is uniform through peer consultation. If you don't sell cocoons, you will be exploited. , or people can't wait, eager to ask for money, or the cocoon can't wait, the silk moth will bite through the cocoon after a long time, so unless it is absolutely necessary or has other plans, they always raise silkworms and make silk at home, which will feed many people Yes, because making silk starts from cooking cocoons, and there are many procedures. After silk reeling, "twisting" and "patting silk", going to the training and dyeing room for dyeing, twisting weft silk into warp thread, and "dropping warp" and "drawing warp". "And so on, the last is "joint", only here can we weave silk.

Once there is a machine-made silk reeling factory, the cocoons go in from one end of the machine and the silk comes out from the other end. There is no need for "spinning silk" or "pulling sutras", and the workers in this industry will lose their jobs.What's more serious is that almost every household in the rural areas of Jiangsu and Zhejiang has a spinning wheel for reeling silk, and most women, regardless of age, rely on it as a side job. The ones on the spinning wheel can be found everywhere. If this spinning wheel becomes a waste, there will really be a scene of "crying all the way".

Therefore, people have been complaining to Hu Xueyan for a long time, asking him to come forward to control the machine silk reeling factory, because he is too powerful, and he often holds 10,000 bales of silk worth three million taels in his hand, which can monopolize the market , So Jardine Matheson actually moved Hurd, a "Second Rank Officer", to negotiate terms. Condition is very good.The so-called "commission in addition to the market price" is two incomes, because the "market price" usually has a commission of two to five yuan per bag, and the middleman who introduces the foreign company to buy silk will split it with Hongzongzhan. "Commission", at least one or two per package, enjoy huge profits, which others can't dream of, but Hu Xueyan had no choice but to give up.

The trouble is that Hurd's affection cannot be ignored, at least he has to think of a way to refuse without hurting Hurd's face, so that he can explain to Jardine Matheson.After thinking about it, I decided to delay it. "Lu Weng," he replied calmly, "Chinese people have a saying, 'Business speaks of business'. I couldn't wish for such good conditions as Jardine. However, Lu Weng also knows the situation in Guangdong. The silk reeling machines are all broken. If I sign a contract with Jardine and a turmoil arises, it will not be my loss alone, but the locality will also suffer. Lu Weng, please think about it. Don't you blame me when you go to the military aircraft department and the Prime Minister's Yamen? "Master Du" is powerful, Lu Weng has been in Beijing for many years, and he always knows that they will spare me?" See if the water can't get in, don't tell Hu Xueyan Suddenly, "However," he said in a heavy voice, "Lu Weng, you are not a lobbyist for Yihe, you are for the prosperity and strength of our China. This matter must be successful. Wait for me to work with all parties. I have figured out a proper way, as long as there is no trend and the market is not damaged, the people who rely on silkworm raising and reeling have a way of life. I will obey Lu Weng's order and only make a contract with the Jardine family. As for the extra commission , it is Lu Weng's face, and I will never dare to accept it."

These words are very beautiful, but Hurd is well-known as a cunning and cunning man, and he is familiar with Chinese people and the world. He can't think of the trend, not bad for the market, but also for the silkworm farmers to have a way of life. We must avoid these three "proper" method", even if it took ten years of work, it may not be possible to plan it out.But what "only contract with the Jardines" and the extra commission "dare not to receive" is nothing more than "lip of mouth" in name only. Having said that, he can still understand Hu Xueyan's painstaking efforts. It is obviously impossible to do it, or he refuses to obliterate his conscience and do things regardless of interests. The first half of what he just said is enough, and there is still the second half. The addition below the paragraph "but" is a sign of respect for the guests.Its meaning is still perceptible.

Therefore, he nodded deeply, "Xue Weng is really a sensible person, much wiser than those elders in Beijing." He said, "I finally made this trip worthwhile." "Where, where!" Hu Xueyan replied, "They are all as considerate as Lu Weng, and they are easy to talk about." The waiter served the food, temporarily cutting off the conversation.This dish was invented by Gu Yingchun. It is called "Fried Shrimp Cake". It looks like deep-fried flatfish, but it tastes quite different when you slurp it. Wrap long cubes with bean curd, dip in bread flour and deep-fry. The method is similar to the "deep-fried bell" in Hangzhou cuisine, but the materials are too particular.

Hurd's teeth are not very good, so this dish was especially appreciated.This is a topic for chatting. Hurd said frankly that he was reluctant to leave China, and his appetite was a big reason. "Master Dong often invites me to dinner." He said fascinatedly, "His chef is the best in the world in my opinion!" "Master Dong" refers to Dong Xun, the Minister of the Ministry of Household Affairs, who is "head of the family" in the Prime Minister's Yamen. He is from Yangzhou and is good at socializing. Seats" and "Full Eel Seats".To entertain foreigners, Dong Xun still has a set of arty tricks of Yangzhou salt merchants, and often has elegant gatherings of "throwing pots" and "shooting tigers".Sometimes the poems of Homer and Byron are translated into "ancient style" or "modern style".Hurd, who is fascinated by Chinese culture, has a special affinity with him.

"The poem written by Bai Letian in your Hangzhou, 'Failed to throw Hangzhou, half of it stayed in this lake', I would like to change it, 'Failed to throw China, half of it stayed here, this—" Hurd was a little bit blind, scratching his gray hair for a while, "this" for a while, then suddenly raised his eyebrows, "Dish! Half of it is this dish." Hu Xueyan felt ashamed secretly, not knowing what he said.Gu Yingchun understood half of it, and immediately asked: "I heard that Mr. He and Mr. Dong often do poetry and singing together, it's really amazing!"

"I can't talk about singing and harmony, but we often talk about poetry and lyrics together." Hurd said, "Xiaogou has been studying Chinese since he was a child, and the teacher was recommended by Mr. Dong. Now he has started to do stereotypes. In the future, he wants to study Chinese Asking about my background in the arena, Mr. Dong agreed to play for me, but I don’t know if he can agree or not.” Hu Xueyan understood these words. It is already a miracle that a "doll" reads Chinese and does stereotyped essays, but it is really unheard of for her to want to take the exam.

"Definitely." Gu Yingchun replied, "It's rare for Xian Qiaozi to admire China like this. The emperor must be very kind." "I hope it will be accurate." Hurd said suddenly, "I think of one thing, let's talk about it now, so as not to forget it later. Xue Weng, there is something I want to ask for your help. Jardine Matheson sent people to Huzhou to buy silk. Yang has already paid, and now there is news that the new silk is on the market, and they don't plan to deliver it. If this happens in the future, I'm afraid we will lose face." Hu Xueyan vaguely heard about this incident, and a "religionist" surnamed Zhao was also involved, but he didn't know the details, let alone who was who.However, the weight of Hurd's words has already been weighed in his heart.

"Lu Weng," he asked, "How do you want me to help Yihe, please explain first, and I will think of a way." "Xue Weng keeps his promise. Since Yihe paid Dingyang, I want to ask Xue Weng to explain that we can deliver the goods as scheduled." Hu Xueyan thought that Hurd was extremely treacherous, and what he said might be a trap. If he agreed, he would go back to Beijing and say that people who raise silkworms and make silk only rely on a word from Hu. If you say you can sell it, you will sell it, if you say you can't sell it, no one dares to sell it.If he comes to the Zongli Yamen, he may be ordered to make sure that Jardine can directly buy silk in the countryside for the sake of good relations. This is a big problem. So Hu Xueyan replied: "I don't dare to take the words of keeping a promise. Whether the silk is sold or not is a matter for others. My surname is Hu, and I can't interfere. If I interfere, they may not be willing to listen. But the transaction must always be fair. I can’t justify not delivering the goods after accepting Dingyang. No matter how difficult it is, I must at least return Dingyang. I have to do my best to do what Lu Wengte told me. In this way,” he pondered for a while, “I heard that the It involves a person surnamed Zhao who works in the church, I will ask Brother Ying Chun to go down and take care of this matter for Weng Lu." "Thank you very much." Hurd cupped his hands in thanks. "Excuse me, Mr. He," Gu Yingchun asked, "Can you ask Yihe to send someone to meet with me?" "Eric, the proprietor of Jardine, is in Hangzhou." Hurd asked in English, "Aren't you very familiar?" "Yes, very familiar. And I heard that he has also come to Hangzhou. I don't know where I can find him." "You can come to my place." Mei Teng even interjected. "Okay." Gu Yingchun replied, "I'll go to Guangji Hospital tomorrow morning." After seeing off the guests, Hu Xueyan and Gu Yingchun still had something to talk about.The wine was gone, and the family members of the Hu family were all accompanying the old lady in Lingyin. Without twenty or thirty maids, the tranquility was a bit lonely. "It's rare, it's rare! Today is really a time for us brothers to dig out what's in our hearts. Ying Chun! It's very warm today, so let's sit outside." "Outside" refers to the front porch of Jingshen Pavilion, which is extra wide because it wants to reflect the scenery outside the pavilion. However, the seats are placed on the fence, but it is in the west corner. The moon on March 11 is also very big, and the clear light shines obliquely , Both of them had a faint look of solemnity on their faces. "Yingchun," Hu Xueyan said, "I have had a very strange idea these days. As the saying goes, 'people do not know happiness when they are blessed'. I don't know if this sentence is right?" Gu Yingchun couldn't answer, because he didn't know why he had such a "weird idea". "Our old ladies often say that we should cherish blessings. How do we cherish blessings?" "This——" Gu Yingchun thought, and said, "It's just that you don't want to go too far, and don't enjoy all your blessings." "Yes, but then there is no talk of enjoying happiness at all. As long as you have such a thought in your heart, you have to think about it when you drink tea or eat a meal. Is it too much? How can a person do this? What does it taste like?" Gu Yingchun felt that he was sophistry to some extent, but he couldn't refute him, so he had to ask: "Then, uncle, what do you think should be done?" "In my opinion, on the contrary, 'people don't know happiness when they are blessed', and they are really enjoying happiness." "Uncle, what do you mean you don't need to cherish happiness alone?" "No, that's not what I mean. What I mean is that enjoying the blessings is about enjoying the blessings, and getting rich is about getting rich. Don't mix the two things together. If you want to get rich, you need to use your brain. If you want to enjoy happiness, you don't have to worry about how to get rich." "Uncle," Gu Yingchun said with a smile, "the more I listen to what you say, the more I don't understand it." Hu Xueyan laughed it off, "Not only the more you listen, the more you don't understand, but the more I think about it, the more I don't understand." He said abruptly, "Let's think of a way to get rich—no, think of a way to get rich and enjoy life at the same time. Gu Yingchun thought for a while, then smiled, "Uncle," he said, "there is a way, I'm afraid it can't be done, but even if it can be done, I'm afraid you and I will never do it, uncle." willing to do it." "Let's hear it, what can you do?" "'Whoring can pay you back, and you can make a living like no other in the world.' That is the way to get rich and enjoy happiness." "That's not necessarily true!" Hu Xueyan was hesitant to say anything, "Okay, let's talk about business at a reasonable price. Today I rashly agreed to Heard, and you have to show off your face." "That's more to say! My uncle said it, of course I will do it. Fortunately, after today, I have nothing to do. I will go to see Eric for the first half of the day and spend the second half of the day with the group of people I brought. You can move in one day." "Who are you bringing?" Gu Yingchun pondered for a while and said: "It's enough to bring a buddy from the silk shop. For important people, fortunately, Huzhou Qianzhuang pawns, and the silk shop can mobilize them, but there is one thing that must be brought." "What is it?" "Official affairs of the vassal yamen—" "Why?" Hu Xueyan asked impatiently. "This is an official matter for the Huzhou government. I want to say this: I heard that Zhao XX, a Christian in Huzhou, bullied others, and what he did was not tolerated by the king's law. He specially sent Gu XX to investigate. The Huzhou government should give it extra convenience." "Gu XX" was what Gu Yingchun called himself.He donated the title of alternate general judge, spent money in the Ministry of Officials, and distributed it to Zhejiang.In fact, he didn't want to be an official, and he didn't want to be an errand, but having such a title brought a lot of convenience, and he could even take advantage of it, so it was time to use it. "With the status of being ordered by the constitution to investigate the case, I can have a serious discussion with Mr. Zhao. If we can't agree, it's not too late for me to report to the Hufu." "This idea is not bad!" Hu Xueyan said, "Tomorrow morning we will go to see De Xiaofeng together." "I made an appointment to see Eric in the morning. Do you want to see Defan TV in the afternoon?" "I'm afraid I can't make it on the day of business." Hu Xueyan followed up, "It doesn't matter if you leave a day later." "Okay, then we must leave the day after tomorrow." "Ying Chun," Hu Xueyan changed the subject, "You will meet with Eric tomorrow and ask him for the account, how much Dingyang he released, who he released, and how much. He must open a roster." "This—" Gu Yingchun hesitated, "I'm afraid he won't be able to open it, and the account is all in his foreign firm." "It doesn't matter, wait for him to return to Shanghai before opening. You tell him that as long as the roster is opened and there is no expense account after checking, he must pay the full amount, so he can rest assured." "Uncle," Gu Yingchun warned solemnly, "it's very dangerous to do this." "You mean risk?" Hu Xueyan asked, "We don't take risks, who should we call?" Gu Yingchun thought for a while and said: "In this case, why not simply pay him the money first and buy a beautiful one too." "That's exactly what I mean. I don't just want to buy a beautiful one. I want to tell him to retreat. And this way, all his clients have been transferred to me." "It's still my uncle who is amazing." Gu Yingchun said with a smile, "I didn't think of it at all." Speaking of this, I saw Ruixiang coming, and asked where the midnight snacks are?Hu Xueyan explained: "Just drive here!" Gu Yingchun couldn't eat supper at all, and was a little tired, and wanted to go back to bed early, but it seemed that this would disappoint Ruixiang's hospitality, and she was afraid that she would feel disappointed , so it remains. But as soon as it started, he regained his appetite, because the supper was only very thin fragrant stalk rice porridge, six kinds of porridge dishes, except for the drunk crab, the others were vegetarian dishes such as cold bamboo shoots.I have been full of fat and sweet food for several days, and I am thinking about light food, so my stagnant appetite has opened up again. Before serving the porridge, Ruixiang asked, "Would the old man have a glass of wine?" "Okay!" Gu Yingchun happily replied, "I want a glass of brandy." "There's brandy our wife soaked in ginseng. I'll get it." As he said, he filled two bowls of porridge first, and then went to get the medicinal wine soaked in a crystal bottle. , a wine glass for drinking brandy. This made Gu Yingchun think of a dinner at home last month. He invited a giant businessman with a wine cellar in France. He was particular about the pre-dinner wine and the after-dinner wine.Gu Yingchun used to have a full set of wine glasses, but the maid didn't understand the rules, and the preparations were not thorough, Grandma Qigu knew about it somehow, and was anxious on the bed.If Rui Xiang was there, she would not have to worry about it. Thinking of this, she unconsciously raised her head to look at Ruixiang, with a smile on her face naturally, Ruixiang was pouring wine, and she didn't realize that Hu Xueyan was watching coldly, but she could see clearly. "Xiangyin will go on tour in April, and the Shanghai Manufacturing Bureau must go to see it. Of course I will wait for him at that time. Ying Chun, I want to wait for the old lady's birthday to let Fourth Sister Luo go to see the seven Sister, when I change shifts with him, I will take care of both ends. Do you think it is okay?" "What's wrong?" Gu Yingchun replied, "This time, Fourth Sister Luo will go and stay with me." "Of course, of course, I have to live with you, otherwise it will be inconvenient." Gu Yingchun felt that there was something in his words, but he couldn't guess it, but after Zuo Zongtang went on a tour to Shanghai, he thought of many things. "Xiangyin to Shanghai, how should we prepare?" "Oh, I've thought about this a long time ago, because the old lady's birthday, and I don't have time to talk about it." Hu Xueyan replied, "Xiangyin has two problems, you know, one is trying to save face, and the other is always wanting to defeat Mr. Li Er. So I was thinking, first ask Mr. Li Er to go to Shanghai as the governor of Liangjiang, what was the scene? This time he went to Xiangyin, Mr. Li Er was overshadowed by the scene, and he was happy." "I remember that Mr. Li Er was released as Governor of Jiang in the fourth year of Tongzhi. After more than ten years, the situation has changed. Back then, he was the 'Eternal Victory Army', and he was regarded as his subordinate. Of course, he should be invited to watch the drill. Now there are people in various countries. It is his own business to send warships to Shanghai, so he may not be invited on board to see them." "When I mentioned this, I thought of it. The salute can be fired on the warship. When he arrived at Gaochang Temple by boat, more than a dozen foreign warships in the Huangpu River fired the salute. It can be heard as far away as Kunshan and Songjiang. This face is enough." "It can be done. Foreigners are willing to do such empty favors. But Russian warships, I'm afraid they won't." This is because Zuo Zongtang took a hostile attitude towards Russia in the Yili incident.But Hu Xueyan thinks that things have changed, and the commander of the Russian warship may not remember this old grievance. "Ying Chun, you have to deal with this matter as soon as possible, and you have to make a deal. With the Russians, you can entrust someone to clear it up. Isn't Russia and Germany quite close?" "Okay. I'll find a way." "I think, if there is time, it would be nice for Fourth Sister Luo to go with you." After Hu Xueyan said this, he caught a glimpse of Ruixiang listening attentively, so he beckoned her over and asked her something. "Ruixiang," he said, "Madam is going to Shanghai to see Grandma Qigu, so you have to go with her." "yes." "Let me ask you one more question. My wife has this intention and wants you to stay in Shanghai and help Grandma Qigu take care of the house. Are you willing?" "I don't dare to be a housekeeper. Grandma Qigu used to be a housekeeper." "Then, what about taking care of Grandma Qigu's illness?" "Of course it should." Ruixiang replied, "As long as the master and wife tell me, I will certainly serve you." "I don't dare to be a servant." Gu Yingchun interjected, "But she is sick in bed, and there is no one to talk to her, so she is inevitably depressed, and the illness is not easy to recover. I thank you in advance." Saying, stood up. "Don't dare to do it, don't dare to do it." Ruixiang wanted to press his shoulder to prevent him from standing up, and stretched out her hand, only to think of avoiding suspicion, she immediately blushed and took two steps back, lowering her head. "Okay! That's the rule." Hu Xueyan said with a pun, "Ying Chun, don't worry, go to Huzhou!"