Volume 1 Chapter 101 Heading South (2)

  Mr. Yao's eyes lit up, and he nodded with a smile: "This is not a bad idea." The fabric produced by the Weaving Bureau every year, apart from being used in the palace and for official purposes, also has a large portion that is specifically exported, and the Xie family has more experience dealing with foreigners than they do! With the help of the Xie family, at least they will have more confidence.

  But I don't know if Xie's family will look down on Yao's family because of this. After all, the two families have just become relatives and their relationship is not very deep yet.

  "Hui'er will first probe the attitude of the Xie family, and then discuss with Lin Zhuang the pros and cons of doing this. In Hui'er's opinion, although we have to ask for help from the Xie family, we can't give them a feeling that we are inferior and begging for their favor. Our Yao family is not that kind of family."

  Moreover, her sister was still living in the Xie family. If the Xies looked down on her because of this, how would she spend her future days? Yao Cunhui thought to herself.

  "Haier's words are exactly what I wanted to hear!" Mr. Yao was overjoyed, his face relaxed and he couldn't help but smile as he nodded repeatedly, saying with emphasis: "Haier must always remember that being humble yet confident is the way to gain people's respect and admiration. Fawning and trying to curry favor will only lead to contempt! We can borrow the Xie family's influence, but we absolutely cannot compromise our own status. Only then can our interactions be long-lasting. You mustn't lower your posture too much, for those who belittle themselves will also be belittled by others - that's the principle."

  In those days, he married the daughter of the Yun family. The entire Yun family thought that the Yao family was seeking revenge and looked down on him with contempt. He relied on his humble yet firm demeanor to gain acceptance from the Yun family and win over Yunxiang's approval, successfully borrowing the Yun family's influence to expand his business. Even after Yunxiang passed away, the Yun family did not distance themselves from the Yao family.

  At that time, it was much more difficult than now. Every step required careful consideration and every move had to be just right, neither making people feel disrespected nor making them feel like they were being manipulated. The subtlety of grasping the situation, guessing people's minds, and inferring things, all had to be accurate to the smallest detail, and he never made a mistake.

  When others make mistakes, everyone just laughs it off and maybe even passes it down as a famous anecdote; but when he makes a mistake, it's a joke! Who let him be from a high-born family with deep roots while he is just a common merchant?

  He clearly remembered that in the year when Yun Xiang was ordered to provide disaster relief to Anhui, the grain was destroyed by a sudden mountain flood on the way. He pressed all his family's belongings onto Yun Xiang and helped him with all his might, rushing all the grain to the disaster area and buying more at a high price if it was not enough.

  The grain finally arrived on the last day of the relief period, when the mood in the disaster area was tense and the people were irritable. The government office had been surrounded by angry crowds, and if it had been a day later, no one knew what would have happened if the people had rioted.

  It was only after this incident that the Yun family had a thorough change of heart and truly accepted him. The Yun family knew very well what the consequences would be if they failed to carry out their duties as ordered, and that the high-ranking official would not listen to any explanations about mountain floods or natural disasters being unavoidable. Being dismissed from office and imprisoned was the lightest punishment. If someone with ulterior motives took advantage of the situation to frame and harm them, it was also possible for their entire family to be destroyed.

  With the help of Yun Jiaming, the business of Yao's family was able to rise rapidly and expand unimpeded in Beidi, eventually reaching its current state.

  But today, I will face another new test!

  "Understood, thank you for your teachings, Father." Yao Cun Hui replied respectfully, deeply agreeing with Old Master Yao's words in her heart.

  "Hui'er said she wants to buy land? Does she have any plans?" Old Master Yao asked with a smile. Originally, he wasn't interested in listening, but now he changed his mind and thought it was necessary to listen, because this daughter always gave him unexpected surprises.

  Yao Cunhui's spirit was greatly lifted, and he smiled as he said: "Hui'er had never thought of buying land in Jinling. As Father said, the land in Jinling is too expensive, and even with money, it may not be possible to buy it, which is not a good plan! What Hui'er wants to buy is land in the Hu Xiang area."

  "Hu Xiang?" Old Master Yao was stunned, and it seemed that he had never had an impression of this place in his mind. He pondered for a moment before hesitantly asking: "Is it the Hu Xiang that Hui'er mentioned, the one located southeast of Taihu, within the waters of Zezhou?"

  Mr. Yao was indeed a merchant who had read many books and thought for a while before suddenly remembering such a place.

  "That's right there." Yao Cunhui nodded happily.

  Huxiang, later generations should be called Huzhou, is a famous fish and rice town on the shores of Taihu Lake. There was a folk song that went "Su-Hu-Shu, Tianxia-Zu", where "Hu" refers to Huzhou, and its rich fish and rice can be glimpsed from this.

  However, that's a later story. At this time, Huzhou was indeed a desolate and barren land in the water town of Zezhou, with sparse population, desolation everywhere. If not for the Grand Canal passing by and being close to Taihu Lake, Mr. Yao might not have remembered this place either.

  Yao Cunhui was shocked and surprised when she opened the local gazette, never expecting that the wealthy Huzhou would be in such a desolate state; then her eyes lit up again, her heart racing with excitement, this was an excellent opportunity given by heaven to turn barrenness into granary, wasn't it?

  "What's the use of buying land there?" Old Master Yao thought it was absurd and stared at Yao Cunhui with some annoyance.

  If she hadn't come up with that good idea earlier, Old Master Yao would have thought she was still half asleep and had come to him talking nonsense, and he would have definitely scolded her a few times.

  "Dad, please listen to me finish speaking." Yao Cunhui said: "That is a water town and a marshland, but if the water is drained, wouldn't it be good fertile land? You know that over the years, the weeds there have grown and died, died and regrown, layer upon layer rotting and accumulating, making the soil incredibly fertile! Planting rice would be perfect! Moreover, that place is also in the south, so there's no problem with the climate. And transportation-wise, it's close to the Grand Canal, which means it has both heavenly and earthly advantages. That place will definitely become a popular spot for everyone, Dad. If we don't take action now, I'm afraid it'll be too late in three or five years! But if we act now, the amount of silver needed won't be much, and once it succeeds, it'll be a profitable deal that's worth ten thousand times the investment!"

  Mr. Yao couldn't help but feel a little moved, as a businessman, he understood more than anyone what it meant to "seize the opportunity and take action first". When everyone else saw the benefits, it was already too late to act, that's not how successful businessmen operate. However, making this decision all at once made him feel somewhat difficult.

  "That land can be bought now, and after half a year of drainage and tidying up, it can be tried out next year. By then, we'll also teach that couple a lesson and show them that the Yao family isn't so easy to bully!" Yao Cunhui added.

  Yao Lao Ye's heart skipped a beat as he asked: "How much land are you planning to buy?"

  Yao Cun's heart was filled with joy, and he said: "Of course, the more the better, but we still need to see how much silver we can use before making a decision. Nowadays, top-grade fertile land costs six or seven taels per mu, while barren land might be worth only seven or eight cents. I think we should at least buy 180,000 to 200,000 mu first!"

  Anyway, if you don't buy it, it won't sell. The future appreciation space is great! Yao Cunhui added a sentence in her heart.

  "Y-you..." Old Master Yao was stunned, his eyes wide with shock, and it took him a while to regain his composure. The total good land the Yao family had now was only about 5,000 mu, but she just opened her mouth and mentioned 108,000 mu! What a big tone!

  Mr. Yao couldn't help but burst out laughing, shaking his head and sighing, saying: "Hui'er, Hui'er, I thought I was quite bold in business too, but it turns out your courage is much greater than mine!" With her experiences abroad and in the water town of Ze country, Mr. Yao wondered what else she wouldn't dare to think of!

  Yao Cunhui smiled awkwardly and looked at Old Master Yao with shining eyes, saying: "Then, Father has agreed?"

  Mr. Yao just smiled and said, "You're only thinking about buying land, what about after that? Have you thought it through? There's the cost of purchasing various farming tools, buying oxen for plowing, irrigation, tilling, seed selection, sprouting, field management, harvesting, drying grains, storing them...and so on. And then there's hiring laborers, which isn't easy to do well either! Setting aside the costs, where are you going to find people who can get the job done? How will they be housed and fed? And how will you manage them on a daily basis? Hui'er, this is not just a simple matter."

  Yao Cun Hui's eyebrows also slightly furrowed, but she immediately said: "Father has thought about these things too, only... I don't understand the market price, and was just preparing to go to the south to ask around. Father, we don't have much time, but there are many things to do, so making a decision is even more urgent! No matter how difficult it is, shouldn't we at least try?"

  Mr. Yao couldn't help but be moved, with a bright light flashing in his eyes, as if it had been many years since he had this kind of surging emotions, spirited and daring to defy the heavens! Today, that feeling swept over him again, enveloping his entire soul, making him unable to contain himself for a moment.

  Not bad, no matter how difficult it is, you have to try it out to know! When did Yao Niangyi become timid?

  Old Master Yao's eyes narrowed, and he gazed at Yao Cunhui for a moment before saying slowly: "Father Kong, think carefully about this matter again. Don't mention it to anyone else, especially not the grain purchase. Tomorrow, don't head south just yet, let's talk about it in two days."

  "Yes, Father!" Yao Cunhui was overjoyed in his heart, knowing that Father was preparing to make a budget. In other words, this matter had already been considered eight or nine tenths successful.

  The father and daughter kept these two things secret, but Yao Cunhui wanted to go south to see his pregnant sister, while Old Master Yao was discussing with Madam Ma.

  The daughter is going on a long journey, and as her mother, she naturally cannot be unaware. Moreover, this is originally something that should be done openly and honestly.

  "Does Master Yao really intend to let Hui'er go to the Xie family to see Jia'er?" Madam Ma was stunned for a moment, and immediately understood Master Yao's meaning. He didn't trust Yao Cun'jia, so he wanted Yao Cun'hui to personally take a look.