Chapter 29 Take it for yourself

The next morning, when Hu Xueyan went to Hengji and said he wanted to see the accounts, Zhu Funian naturally had nothing to say, so he bit the bullet, unlocked it himself, and took out a large stack of ledgers from the cabinet. "You don't need to look at the general ledger, I'll check the running water. Your account won't be wrong. I'll just pick a few days and look at it." Then, Hu Xueyan said, "Please take the three months of Xianfeng in July, October, and November. Give me your running account." Hearing this explanation, Zhu Funian was very relieved, thinking that he was really just doing random checks, so he found out the running accounts of the past three months as he said, and held them in front of him.

Hu Xueyan turned to the eighth day of the seventh lunar month and took a closer look. Sure enough, there was a sum of 50,000 taels of silver in cash, which was sent to Tongxing. "Brother Fu Nian." He said, "Please show me the passbook of the 'Hang Kee' account." Zhu Funian raised his heart suddenly: "Is it the one you are using now?" This sentence is a big loophole.According to common sense, it should be the one currently in use, so why ask?When asked about this, it means that he is a "dumb man who eats wontons and knows what he knows in his stomach", which is not what Hu Xueyan asked.

This shows that Zhu Funian is not some cunning and cunning, just because Pang Er is the young master after all, as long as his temper is right, he can talk about anything.Realizing this, Hu Xueyan became more determined to take Zhu Funian for his own use, so he respected him more on the surface, and said kindly: "I don't know if it is convenient to find it? I want to get the passbook for the past two years, roughly Take a look." The more it was like this, the more it made Zhu Funian feel unfathomable and profound, and he said repeatedly: "It's convenient, it's convenient."

A passbook was sent over, and Hu Xueyan browsed slowly and casually, gossiping while talking, not looking like checking accounts at all.Zhu Funian didn't have his leisurely mood, he sat anxiously across the desk, apparently ready to be questioned, but in fact his eyes were only on the bankbook. "Mr. Zhu!" The little apprentice came to report, "The boss of the boat has something to do." This "boat boss" is the boatman who undertook the shipment of silk to Hangzhou.Zhu Funian had to go to the meeting.Taking advantage of this gap, Hu Xueyan found in the passbook the eighth day of the seventh month of the third year of Xianfeng, where there was a record of Tongxing receiving 50,000 taels of cash.

How courageous!Hu Xueyan was thinking in his heart, could it be that he swallowed 50,000 silver by force?This account needs to be looked at carefully.He is an expert in this line of work. Although he doesn't care much about accounts and calculations nowadays, he still has a good eye and quick hands when calculating accounts. There is a pair of account books and passbooks. After looking at the general ledger, he can figure it out. I didn't dare, I just embezzled public funds and returned them in four installments within half a month. However, this is already a taboo as a buddy.Hu Xueyan thought that there was no need to read any more, put away the opened account books and passbooks, and waited quietly for Zhu Fulai's answer.

"The boss of the ship came to ask, the goods are all loaded, and when will the ship sail?" Zhu Funian said, "I told him that it would be more helpful to go with Mr. Hu's goods. I don't know when Mr. Hu's silk ship will sail. ?” Obviously, just checking the accounts like this, before any results were found, he already felt threatened, and he had to come around to show his favor.Hu Xueyan said without hesitation: "My friend Gu Yingchun is cooking our stuff. If Brother Funian is free, let's have lunch together and talk about it face to face. Do you think it's okay?"

"Okay, okay!" Zhu Funian agreed hastily, "I'll be a Xiaodong, and invite Mr. Hu to eat at Huiguan." "It doesn't matter which one is the owner. Please take the account book and passbook and collect them, and let's go." Seemingly all was well, Zhu Funian suddenly felt that his steps were brisk and energetic, he tidied up everything and accompanied Hu Xueyan out of Hengji's gate. "It's on Houma Road. There is a family emblem restaurant called Fuyuan Building. It cooks a few of our hometown dishes. It's really authentic. Mr. Hu, please try it."

"It turns out that you are from Huizhou, but you can't hear your accent." "I'm originally from Huizhou." Zhu Funian said, "I have been abroad for many years, and my accent has changed." "Since you are in Huizhou, you are naturally familiar with pawns?" "Why are you unfamiliar? I also persuaded the second young master to open a pawn. He said that the poor can't bear to earn money. No matter what." "Opening pawns is for the convenience of the poor, and the poor are willing to pay some interest." "I said the same thing. It's useless for the second young master not to listen."

Talking about pawning all the way like this, I walked to Fuyuan Building unknowingly.Sitting down, Hu Xueyan first wrote a note, handed it over to the Yuji Silk Store to invite Gu Yingchun, and then ordered food. Taking advantage of the time when the guests were waiting for the food, he talked to Zhu Funian about the bill. "Brother Fu Nian, I'm afraid there is something wrong with the 50,000 silver account I read just now." "Oh." Because Hu Xueyan's tone was gentle, Zhu Funian could hold his breath and asked calmly, "I don't know. It's been a long time, so I don't remember much."

"There is an account for sending to Tongxing in the account, but it is not in the passbook." "You mean the Hengji excerpt?" Zhu Funian replied, "Hengji has three excerpts in Tongxing." "I know." Hu Xueyan then asked, "Fuji is your brother's account, right?" This is the so-called guilty conscience, the color on Zhu Funian's face immediately became unnatural, and he reluctantly replied: "Yes." "I've been a banker for many years, and this kind of situation is rare." "Every place is different." Zhu Funian said, "For the convenience of scheduling, the second young master asked me to open an account as well."

"Oh," Hu Xueyan grasped the words "convenient for scheduling" and asked, "Does it mean that sometimes you have to transfer positions outside, and it is inconvenient for Hengji to come forward and use the name of your Fuji?" Zhu Funian couldn't answer this question, because Pang Ercai was so powerful that he never moved his position outside. If he answered "yes" and Hu Xueyan talked to Pang Er, the diorama would be destroyed immediately, and the golden rice bowl would disappear. Therefore, he could only reply vaguely: "That's not what it means." "Then what do you mean?" Hu Xueyan asked as if nothing had happened, without the slightest hint of questioning in his voice, but Zhu Funian was already sweating profusely, stammering and not knowing what to say. "Then there's no need to talk about it!" Hu Xueyan stopped pressing sideways, and pointed out his fault directly, "The fifty thousand silver, if you look closely at the front and back accounts, it's exactly the same—" "That's right!" Zhu Funian rushed to argue, "The account will never be wrong." "That's right, it depends on your opinion and who is looking at it." Hu Xueyan answered very quickly, "I think it's not bad, because the previous accounts have nothing to do with me. It would be wrong to ask your second young master to look at it." .Do you think so?" This last question made Zhu Funian feel very embarrassed again, so he had to feint first: "I still don't understand what you are saying, Mr. Hu." "I don't even understand it. The 50,000 silver was said to be kept in Hengji, but it was deposited in Fuji, and Fuji returned it in four installments. The amount is good. At least in terms of interest rate, Hengji suffered a loss. However, in my opinion, this is a trivial matter. , you take what I said back and forth, think carefully!" What did he say before?Zhu Funian was at a loss, but after thinking about it carefully, he realized that he had a sentence with profound meaning.This sentence is: "I think it's good, because the previous accounts have nothing to do with me!" This is a hint that he will not be honest about the previous accounts, but since he is a shareholder of Hang Kee, the accounts cannot be said to be irrelevant, and of course he must be serious. Knowing this, Zhu Funian realized that he was not "Zhu Bajie", but "Sun Wukong". He couldn't jump out of the palm of Hu Xueyan, the "Tathagata Buddha". "Mr. Hu, I have been in Hengji for a long time, and there are inevitably some negligence in the procedures. I have to ask Mr. Hu to forgive me and advise me. I will ask Mr. Hu to tell me what to do in the future, and I will obey everything." This is handed the "drop table".At this point, Hu Xueyan didn't need to use indirect methods, let alone pretend to be polite, and directly put forward his opinion: "Brother Fu Nian, you are entrusted by others, and since your second young master asked me to take care of it, I will take care of you." Of course, you need to have an explanation to him. You are the boss, I just need to talk to you, and you can check the accounts of the people below, and I don’t need to intervene.” "Yes." Zhu Funian said, "I will check the accounts of various places from tomorrow, and rush to do it day and night. It will take half a month, and I will definitely be able to clear it." "Okay. I won't look at the general ledger you handled for the time being. I'll talk about it in half a month." "yes!" "In the past half month, you might as well check it out yourself. If there are still negligence, try to make up for it yourself. I will only read a few accounts in the future." Then, Hu Xueyan said clearly for a few days, These are selected from the list of income and expenditure of Fuji sent by Tongxing, and they are all doubtful days. Zhu Funian was secretly startled, he knew his faults, but he didn't understand why Hu Xueyan knew so well, could it be that he had already ambushed the eyeliner in Hengji?From this point of view, this person is unpredictable, and he really needs to be careful in every step. His doubts and fears were all revealed on his face, so Hu Xueyan simply said openly: "Brother Fu Nian, you and I haven't known each other for a long time, so I'm afraid you don't know much about me. My goal has always been: Everyone eats when there is food. Not only do you have enough to eat, but you also have to eat well. Therefore, I will never smash other people's jobs. But doing business is like fighting a war. Only by working together and everyone is willing to work hard can we succeed. Needless to say, the past , look at yourself in the future, as long as you are willing to do your best, no matter if your hard work is spent in the bright or in the dark, if you say something I am proud of, I will definitely see it, and I will definitely not take away your credit. I will speak for you in front of your second young master Or, you think highly of me and are willing to fight the world with me in the future, as long as your second young master is willing to let you go, I welcome you." "Mr. Hu, Mr. Hu!" Zhu Funian was very excited, "If you say such kind words, if I, Mr. Zhu, refuse to do my best, I will not be a human being. Mr. Hu, I would like to toast to show my heart." After all, pour a full cup and drink it up with your face up.Of course Hu Xueyan was happy, he filled a glass with him, and then said with a smile: "Brother Fu Nian, we are a family from now on, if you have anything to say, don't see outsiders." "Yes." Zhu Funian thought about it and said, "Mr. Hu, in the future, Hengji will only use two accounts for dealings with Tongxing, Hengji for public funds, and Jijiatang for the second young master's personal income and expenditure. I am in Tongxing account and decided to close it." "There's no need to end it." Hu Xueyan said, "There is no need to let outsiders speculate that there are some opinions inside us." This shows Hu Xueyan's sympathy, taking into account his own face, of course he is happy to accept this kindness, "Yes!" He replied respectfully, "I understand Mr. Hu's meaning, looking for a chance, I want to tell the following 'friends' Well, Hang Kee is a family, and we must let outsiders see that we are united and don't dare to touch our crooked brains." "That's right! 'Knock off your teeth and swallow it', you are considered a hero." Speaking of this, I saw Gu Yingchun stepping in peacefully, Zhu Funian got up and gave way to his seat, extremely courteous.In Gu Yingchun's mind, this person thinks very highly of himself, and he is "hardened" by his boss, so he always unintentionally reveals the taste of "high airs" on weekdays, but now he is uncharacteristically, needless to say, he is obedient to Hu Xueyan. This is a show of joint respect. Realizing this, his expression became more calm, talking gossip instead of talking about business.But Zhu Funian couldn't bear it any longer, "Mr. Hu, brother Ying Chun is here, let's make a deal on silk matters." He paused for a moment and then said, "In my opinion, 'only draw the bow, don't shoot the arrow' That's enough." Hu and Gu looked at each other and smiled.Then it was Hu Xueyan who answered his words and asked a rhetorical question: "We are 'drawing the bow', does Gilbert know?" "I think he knows it. He will be anxious if we really 'shoot the arrow'." "Of course!" Gu Yingchun said with great confidence, "Why did he come all the way here? Not for business? If the business can't be done, where will his expenses come from?" "Having said that, things are getting a little stiff!" Hu Xueyan asked Gu Yingchun, "Are you willing to bow your head to him?" "I won't go! Foreigners have a 'candle temper'. The more you accommodate him, the more airs you put on." "It's for coming and going, just because I am the person involved. If the goods are not mine, it will be easy to talk about it for both parties. And both parties must be grateful to this person." "This person is very difficult." Gu Yingchun understood, deliberately did not look at Zhu Funian, and shook his head, "It's not easy to find!" They sang and sang like this, and they held Zhu Funian secretly, and he finally couldn't help it: "Mr. Hu! Look, is it useful for me to talk to Gilbert?" "Oh!" Hu Xueyan patted his forehead, and made a gesture of enlightenment, "With your brother coming forward, there is nothing better. It is useful, useful, and definitely useful." Encouraged, Zhu Funian became more enthusiastic and volunteered: "After dinner, I will go to see him. I want to scare him. He won't buy our ticket as originally proposed. I advise him to return to China as soon as possible. He is here. Never buy our silk!" "Yes. That's it. It's not entirely to scare him. Anyway, if this business can't be done, we won't fight for money!" Zhu Funian is really loyal and will go to work immediately.Of course Hu Xueyan wanted to keep him, and advised him to calm down and stop talking.Then I imagined that Gilbert might have a reaction. He said so and answered that way, and he said that and answered that way. We discussed one by one and made an appointment first. After talking about the business, the wine was still in full swing, Hu Xueyan has always been interested in pawning, and at this time he just asked for advice, "Brother Fu Nian," he asked first, "Are you from a pawnbroker background?" "No. But I understand. My late third uncle was a court official, and I lived with him for a year." Next, Zhu Funian talked about many rules and disadvantages in pawning, and finally sighed and sighed again. Said with regret, "I didn't get into a pawn at the beginning, so I didn't know whether it was a good plan or a mistake. Because 'eating pawn meals' is different, it is the most comfortable line of business among the 360 ​​lines, with good living, Eat well, earn a good salary, and work easily, so after eating this bowl of rice, other meals will be unpalatable!" "According to what you said, if you want to open a pawn, it is not easy to find a good player." Hu Xueyan asked, "A good player in the pawn business, the guest and the host get along well, it is better to be quiet than to move, and it is easy to refuse him. Is that so?" "It's roughly like this. However, talents are constantly emerging. There is no place for this book, and there are others who seek development." "Then, I would like to ask your attention. There is such a person, and I want to meet." This means that Hu Xueyan also intends to start a pawnshop, and Zhu Funian readily agrees, and is eager to try, quite a bit like a half-expert as an expert, to give it a try, to make up for the regret that the young man did not enter this industry. Zhu Funian met with Gilbert on the second day, and that was the time when Chen Shunsheng came to inquire about the shipping space, and the London head office transferred from the East India Company questioned why this year's silk had not been shipped so far.Therefore, as soon as Gilbert saw him, he first asked whether the goods from Hang Kee and Yu Kee had ever been shipped out of Shanghai? "The boat will sail tomorrow." Zhu Funian replied in English, "Mr. Gilbert, I feel that I have a moral responsibility to you, and I must fight for one last chance for you. There is a big news in the market recently, no Do you know if you heard?" "I don't know what you mean?" "Hang Kee's proprietor, that is, my employer, Mr. Pang, has reached a business cooperation agreement with Hu Xueyan. Hu Xueyan's strength is not sufficient, but he is a very special figure in the mall. He has an excellent relationship in all aspects, and his wrist is very flexible. These two are his greatest capital. What he lacks is cash, and this shortcoming is fully made up for by the cooperation with Mr. Pang. Therefore, I can do this Said: Hu Xueyan is invincible, no one can beat him in the mall, including you, Mr. Gilbert." "I don't need to defeat him. I only plan for the benefit of my company. At first I adopted your suggestion, otherwise, there would not be today's stalemate." "Mr. Gilbert!" Zhu Funian lowered his face and asked, "Do you want to discuss the responsibility for this matter?" "No!" Gilbert shook his head, "That's useless. I can't ask you for compensation, where is the responsibility? You feel that you have a kind of moral responsibility to me, which shows that you still have a sense of responsibility for me." With friendship, I hope we remain friends." Hearing his words, Zhu Funian reported with a sincere look, "Because of this, I want to extend my friendship." He paused, and said in a calm but firm voice, "Mr. Gilbert, you There is no failure, and everything can be realized according to your original plan. But if you miss this last chance at this moment, then your failure will not only stop this time, but will be next year and beyond. In the simplest words: you will not be able to Buy the silk you need in Shanghai." "Is it possible, in your opinion, to reduce the price of silk?" Gilbert said. "If you can do it, of course we will pay you your due commission." "No!" Zhu Funian said categorically, "It's absolutely impossible! You should know that Hu Xueyan's shrewdness in business is unmatched. It is already very lenient for him not to ask you for compensation for the delayed loss." "Okay!" Gilbert finally bowed his head, "I'll do everything, I just hope to sign the contract as soon as possible."