Chapter 7 Meet with foreign businessmen

When they found Gu Yingchun's house, he was neatly dressed, preparing to go to the Yiqing Hospital for an appointment.After Hu Xueyan explained his purpose, Gu Yingchun thought for a while and asked, "How many do you want to buy?" "Buy two hundred pieces first." Hu Xueyan said, "I have 10,000 taels of silver with me." "Two hundred pieces are in stock. How do you transport them?" Gu Yingchun reminded him, "There must be official business in transporting ordnance, otherwise you will be detained at the checkpoint." "Yes. I have discussed with Brother You that there will be no trouble in transporting the goods from Shanghai to Songjiang. As soon as I arrive in Hangzhou, I immediately invite a businessman to pick up the goods, so that there will be no delay in life. "

"Okay! I'll accompany you to see foreigners right now, and negotiate the price face to face." Saying this, Gu Yingchun pulled Hu Xueyan and left. "Slow down, slow down!" Hu Xueyan smiled timidly, "This is the first time for me to deal with foreigners." "What are you afraid of?" Gu Yingchun interrupted him, "Foreigners are human beings, not savages, they are very civilized." "It's not about barbarism and civilization, but some foreign rules? Tell me first, so I won't make a fool of myself." "It's impossible to talk about it at this time." Gu Yingchun said, "Chinese bow to each other, foreigners shake hands and right hands. When you enter the house, you have to take off your hat. Foreigners pay attention to guests, and when you look back, you see the foreign woman wants to stand up. That Mrs. Hudson is very Hospitable, I like to ask Chinese people what's wrong, the rules of foreigners don't pay much attention to men and women, don't be surprised."

"That's good," Hu Xueyan said with a smile, "It's the same as our grandma Qigu from You's family." "Who are you talking about?" "Irrelevant joke, don't bother me." Hu Xueyan shook his hand and said, "Let's go!" So two carriages arrived at a small bungalow at Nicheng Bridge, got out of the sedan chair and stabbed him, and was dragged into the living room. The footman in a blue coat didn't serve tea or cigarettes, closed the door and left. Not long after, a door on the back opened, and Hudson with a yellow beard strode out.Hu Xueyan had already made up his mind, followed Gu Yingchun step by step, watched him get up, he also stood up, saw him shake hands, he also shook hands, only when Gu Yingchun talked with foreigners, he could only watch the expressions on their faces.

The expression was very bad, the foreigner just shrugged his shoulders and spread his hands, but Gu Yingchun was very angry, and then his voice gradually increased, obviously a dispute broke out. "It's unreasonable!" Gu Yingchun turned his face and said to Hu Xueyan angrily, "He clearly told me that trade is trade, as long as he has money, he is willing to sell anything that can be sold, but now he has regretted it. He said that there is an agreement with Changmao, and if you sell it to them, you can’t sell it to the army. I asked him why he didn’t say it before, and he said that it was notified by their consul recently. He also said that they, like the Chinese, must act I am bound by the government, so I can't help myself. Are you saying that you are angry or not?"

"Slow down!" Hu Xueyan asked, "What is an agreement? Does it mean a treaty?" "That's roughly what it means." "That's not right. The imperial court signed a business agreement with the British and opened five ports of trade. Instead, we can't do business with him, but the rebels that the imperial court suppressed can do business with him. What's the reason for that!" Gu Yingchun was overjoyed, "Not bad, not bad. It really makes sense! Let me ask him." So Gu Yingchun turned to negotiate with Hudson. Although Hu Xueyan couldn't understand the meaning, he could hear the tone and look. Gu Yingchun had a righteous voice, but Hudson seemed to be at a loss for words.

In the end, the foreigners nodded. Gu Yingchun smiled and said to Hu Xueyan: "Successful! He agreed to appeal to the consul with them. It seems that there may not be any agreement, because our business is small, and Changmao's business is big, and he is afraid of being greedy. It’s just a big loss.” "Please tell him that our business is small now, but it will be very large in the future. We need to take a long-term view and keep some friendship at present, so that we can meet in the future." Gu Yingchun then translated his words, the foreigner kept nodding his head, and at the same time kept looking at Hu Xueyan, obviously agreeing with his words.

"Brother Xueyan," Gu Yingchun said, "he said, your words are very meaningful, and I want to make you a friend, and I want to invite you to have a drink. What do you mean?" "Of course, we should talk about it, and it's up to us to be the host." "That's not necessary. Let him be the host. When the business is settled, we will invite you back." So, after Gu Yingchun conveyed the reply of accepting the invitation, Hudson went to the corner of the house and pulled a "bright yellow" silk ribbon that was banned in China, there was a clanging sound outside, and then he saw the original servant Pushing open the door and entering, Hu Xueyan learned to be a good boy. Foreigners greeted the servants by ringing the bell or shouting in a prolonged voice: "Come on!"

Hudson ordered the servant to prepare the carriage.He personally pulled the reins and drove the two of them to a foreign hotel. After entering the hotel, Hu Xueyan felt a little dizzy. There were countless figures, lamps and candles, tables and chairs reflected in the four mirrors. He quickly grabbed a chair and stood still. "It's right here!" Gu Yingchun called Hudson to stop, each pulled a chair and sat down. So Hu Xueyan also pulled out his chair and sat down. When he raised his eyes, he happened to see the beautiful image appearing in the mirror.Turning around to look, she saw a blond beauty, really snow-skinned, with a twisted waist, showing a mouth of snow-white teeth, smiling and asking questions.

So Hudson ordered a few words, and the waitress turned and left.Hu Xueyan could not stare at her back, but only looked in the mirror.I haven't seen many Western women, so when I look at them, my eyes are reluctant to leave the mirror. Seeing the vigorous and graceful walking posture, I can't help but think of the big girl wearing the "flower pot bottom", swaying and shaking, feeling that each is good at winning. , are more attractive than the three-inch golden lotus, and the Han women who pay attention to walking without moving their skirts. As she was thinking this way, the beautiful shadow in the mirror appeared again, holding a silver plate in her hand, on which was a bottle of wine with a color like green bamboo leaves, three crystal cups, and a bottle of cold water.When the arrangement was ready, Hudson took three silver coins and put them on a silver plate.

"This wine is not cheap." Hu Xueyan said, "One silver dollar costs seven taels, and three silver dollars adds up to more than two taels of silver." "Yes! The shipping is expensive." Gu Yingchun answered him, helped Hudson pour the wine, added cold water, and then toasted each other. "What?" Hu Xueyan asked, "I'm going to eat now? There's wine but no food!" "Foreign dishes!" Gu Yingchun laughed at him with a newly popular proverb in Yichang, "Foreigners eat wine, but they don't have vegetables." "This is the first time for me." Hu Xueyan took a sip, the taste of the wine was not bad, but after adding water, he felt that the strength was not enough, so he put down the glass again.

"Let's talk about business!" Gu Yingchun said, went to chat with Hudson, and then asked Hu Xueyan, "He asked when you want the goods?" "The shipment will take three days at most." "The price is different." Gu Yingchun said, "There is a batch of goods, he has promised a long-haired man named Luo in Zhenjiang, if you want to give it to you first, I want thirty taels of silver for each. If you are willing to wait for a while In a month, he shipped another batch of goods from England, only twenty taels a piece.” "Thirty taels is thirty taels. The goods are better." Gu Yingchun nodded, and went to talk to Hudson again.In this way, he acted as an interpreter, and quickly negotiated all the details, two hundred guns, ten thousand rounds of medicine, a total price of eleven thousand taels of silver, twenty-eight rebates, and a total of 8,800 taels.In addition, Hudson sent a "coppersmith" to Zhejiang to take care of the goods, asking for two hundred taels of silver. "I'll bring the payment with me, shall I pay it now?" "No need." Gu Yingchun said, "Go to his foreign firm tomorrow to go through the formalities." "Then I'll leave it to you." Hu Xueyan took out the banknote and handed it over, "Here's 10,000 taels, and the more is yours." "No need." Gu Yingchun waved his hands hastily, "Everyone will do it together, the rebate will be included in the public account, and we will talk about it in the future." "That's right. Then, the extra one thousand taels is in your hands." Gu Yingchun nodded, pointed to the banknote and went to talk with Hudson again. The foreigner was smiling and said a lot quickly. According to Gu Yingchun's translation, Hudson thought it was very happy to do business with Hu Xueyan. He would like to give an extra of the latest "Seven Rings of the Rear Chamber" as a token of respect. "Please say it for me, thank you!" Hu Xueyan said again, "Please ask him again, can you sell me some of the "Seven Rings of the Rear Chamber"?I want to take it back and give it away. " This is a bit difficult. Hudson has been in China for several years, and he knows that there are many people who are greedy for petty gains. He keeps a few good guns to entertain favors, and refuses to sell them. However, in the end Hudson gave in again, and was willing to sell two of them to Hu Xueyan at a price of one hundred and fifty taels of silver each. According to him, the sale was entirely at cost.Each gun is equipped with an additional 100 grains of medicine, which is also free. For this little extra deal, Hudson popped a bottle of champagne to celebrate.Gu Yingchun thought to himself, Hu Xueyan might not be interested in that kind of sour light wine, but opening a bottle of champagne is very expensive, and it is a trivial matter to cost Hudson. Just stop, that's very rude, it's better to say goodbye. So he told Hudson that Hu Xueyan was not used to drinking foreign wine and could not accept his kindness, and apologized, Hudson asked, does Hu Xueyan know how to drink?When he heard that he had a good capacity for alcohol, Hudson expressed surprise, saying that the bottle of wine on the table came from Scotland, and it was not only the most famous brand, but it had been stored for a long time. Why didn't Hu Xueyan drink it?He also said that he has had contacts with many Chinese people, and anyone who can drink appreciates Scottish wine. Why is Hu Xueyan unique?Then he said that if Hu Xueyan didn't mind, he would like to know the reason. Gu Yingchun wanted to perfunctory, let it go.On the contrary, Hu Xueyan saw Hudson pointing at the wine bottle and his glass, talking endlessly, and guessed that he was talking about something in the glass, so he asked about it first.Gu Yingchun naturally answered truthfully. "One meal, radish and green vegetables, everyone loves himself, just like a woman, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, there is no reason to talk about it." Gu Yingchun translated this passage to Hudson, and the foreigner nodded his head, saying that there is no reason to talk about diet, and this is the reason.Then he said that there are many types of foreign wine, and Hu Xueyan doesn't like British wine, but maybe French brandy, so he waved to the waitress and asked for a famous brand of brandy. Drinking this kind of wine is another kind of cup, with short feet and a big belly, but the wine is not poured much or mixed with water. Through Gu Yingchun, Hudson taught Hu Xueyan how to drink this kind of wine. He said that he should hold the wine glass with both hands and shake it slowly. When the heat in the palm of his hand enters the wine, the aroma will spontaneously come out, and he will feel more mellow.Hu Xueyan did the same thing, and after a try, it was as he said. Hudson told Gu Yingchun that he finally found a wine that Hu Xueyan liked and felt very happy.Then he talked about the method of making brandy, from picking grapes to bottling and selling, in great detail.Finally, he pointed to a foreign character on the sticker and read out its translated name as "Cognac". When choosing brandy, you must pay attention to this word. It is the name of a place, the best place in France to produce wine. "I understand!" Hu Xueyan said to Gu Yingchun, "It's like Chinese rice wine, it must be 'Shaoxing' to be authentic." "Yes, that's what it means." "Now—" Hudson then told Gu Yingchun that his foreign firm had just obtained the agency right of this French wine, and hoped that Hu Xueyan would introduce him to the sale. "It turns out he's a salesman!" Hu Xueyan laughed, "No wonder he's working so hard. But I don't understand, what is 'authority'?" "It's under his contract." Gu Yingchun explained to him, "This kind of wine is under his general distribution in our Chinese land, and it's called agency right." Hu Xueyan immediately understood that this kind of thing of sitting back and enjoying something depends entirely on reputation, the brand name is good, the credit is good, the goods can be sold, the payment can be received, and the bill will be settled when the time comes, and no money is owed, so they are willing to give agency rights.He was thinking in his heart that he could do the same, but that was a matter of the future, and there was no way to talk about it right now, so he stopped talking about it. The wine tasted very good, but there was no food. Hu Xueyan was not used to this way of drinking, so he didn't drink much, but in order to repay the elegant intentions and to give gifts, he decided to buy five boxes of brandy to take back.Hudson is also very good at doing business, and immediately gave him a very favorable discount, his purpose is to promote.Hangzhou is the capital of Zhejiang Province. Apart from the governor, there are all kinds of yamen. It is also the starting point of the canal, and the business is quite prosperous. From Hudson’s point of view, this wharf can make a difference. He hopes to get Hu Xueyan’s help to be able to Sell ​​all kinds of foreign goods he represents to Hangzhou. After Gu Yingchun expressed this meaning, Hu Xueyan naturally welcomed it, but he told Gu Yingchun the truth, he had too many things in his hands in terms of government and business, and he couldn't give Hudson any definite answer for a while. See how this is said? "Then just turn back to him!" The "return" here means to resign, but Hu Xueyan felt that this was an opportunity, and it was a pity to abandon it. It was best to delay it, so that Hudson would not find someone else and keep this opportunity for him. After thinking about it, I thought of something: "If you tell him like this, I could have agreed to him immediately and planned for him in Hangzhou, but the current situation is unstable, the road from Shanghai to Hangzhou will be cut off, the supply of goods will not continue, and it will become a waste of time. Pay the expenses. When the situation stabilizes a bit, I will do it for him immediately." Hudson thought his views were sound and agreed to wait until later, but he asked Hu Xueyan to look at the market of foreign goods for him in Hangzhou to make preparations.If there is any opportunity to act as an underwriter in the future, Hu Xueyan is promised to give priority to the contract. As far as the business is concerned, both parties feel very satisfied.Gu and Hu got up first to say goodbye, and walked back to the Yiqing Courtyard in a leisurely manner. They walked and talked all the way, but what they were talking about was not business. Hu Xueyan asked, "How is it? That foreign woman in a foreign tavern, what kind of name is it?" "What's the name of a wine seller!" Gu Yingchun laughed, "What do you want her to sell?" Hu Xueyan smiled and didn't answer, but after a while he said in a regretful voice: "It's a pity that I don't understand foreign language. Otherwise, it must be quite interesting to talk to her about it." "I didn't expect it," Gu Yingchun also laughed, "You would like a foreign woman!" "A woman is always a woman, it doesn't matter whether she is gorgeous or foreign, as long as she is attractive." "Take your time!" Gu Yingchun said, "In the future, if you live in Shanghai for a long time, there will always be times when you will make friends with foreign women."