Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan now had something to do, and that was to set up a bank. Originally, they should have set up a few pawnshops before setting up a bank. They had to do this bit by bit.
However, the two of them didn't want to set up a pawnshop at this time. If they didn't want to set up a pawnshop, they had to deliberately make other people's things seem very cheap. This was a bit of a shock to the two of them. They weren't going to do that, so they could only set up a bank.
The bank's function wasn't to give out loans, at least that wasn't the purpose. It was to help other people keep their money. At the same time, it was responsible for redeeming the change back and forth. However, at this time, it could be considered as having some pocket money. In the process of helping people keep their money, they could use the money to do other things. When people came to ask for it, they could give it to them.
In other words, the more money they kept, the more stable the money they could take out when the time came. When the income and expenditure reached a certain level, it would be balanced.
The people next to them didn't know what Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan were busy with. In any case, the two of them were always busy when they were idle. They always looked like they had endless work to do.
If one looked carefully at Zhang Wong Clan's stomach, they would find that it was a little bigger, but it wasn't that obvious. Zhang Zhong didn't have much to do now, so he stayed at home all day to accompany her.
While they were busy, the fleet from Beijing finally arrived at their destination. The people on these ships were already here for the second time, so they weren't as worried as they were at the beginning. There were also some ships behind them. These ships were also big ships with sails on them.
It was very difficult for them to follow behind the fleet. The Zhang family's fleet couldn't slow down to take care of them. They still went as fast as they could, especially when they encountered a headwind. The Yellow River Shipping Company's people behind them had to chase after them with all their might every time they were pulled apart. The only way was to use the oars.
The rowers on the boat were exhausted. When they were on the Yellow River, they thought that their boat was the fastest boat. Now they realized that the boats with wheels on both sides and special sails were much faster than theirs.
Especially since they had never seen what the sea was like. Being blown by the sea breeze and the waves made them very worried. They were afraid that their boat wouldn't be able to withstand the waves and would capsize.
Fortunately, they finally persevered all the way. When they saw the dock in front of them, everyone standing on the deck cheered, as if they had conquered this place.
The Zhang family's fleet didn't care about the boats behind them at all. When they stopped at the dock, they began to unload. This time, they brought a lot of things, which could be used for the local people's New Year. If they didn't hurry up, Zhang Zhong wouldn't be able to deliver things in time.
The dock was big enough for the Zhang family's fleet to occupy all the docks. They didn't need to wait anymore. The Yellow River Shipping Company's people weren't in a hurry. They just wanted to take a good look at the situation here. Even the rowers below ran to the deck. There were many sceneries that they had never seen before. It was very novel, especially this big dock.
They really didn't know what was used to build the dock. The cement had just been transported to the capital. Of course, the people outside didn't know about it. The Emperor planned to use the cement to build something for himself first. When he felt that it was enough, he would use it to build the city wall and the streets of Chang 'an.
Many commoners were called over to help unload the things. They now knew that during the New Year, the good officials would give them some things to let them have a good New Year. A portion of these things were on the ship, so they all worked as if they didn't care about their lives. If it wasn't for someone stopping them in time, it would have been easy for a few people to die from exhaustion.
After these ships finished unloading their goods, the Yellow River Shipping Company's ships also approached. They didn't find anyone to help them unload their goods. Instead, they brought their own people. They set up a gangplank and began to carry the leftovers of the fur. As soon as they were done, someone came over to collect the money.
The Yellow River Shipping Company had sent 16 boats this time, which was all of their big boats. It was impossible to find such a big boat on the Yellow River. How could Zhang Xiaobao let 16 boats stop at the dock for nothing? They had to pay some money. It was not free to build the dock. They spent a lot of money.
The person who came said to the people who got off the boat, "16 boats. According to the rules here, one boat costs 10 strings of money. You can pay first and then stop the boat. If you don't have money, you can write a receipt first and pay after the goods are sold. But at that time, you have to pay more. How are you going to pay?"
"Money? Why do we need to pay to stop the boat? I've never heard of such a thing. We didn't pay when we stopped the boat in Beijing. Why do you ask for money when we come here? "
The person who came down didn't carry anything. At first glance, it was obvious that he was in charge. When he heard someone ask for money, he was very unhappy. It seemed that he was not going to pay.
The person in charge of the dock on the Zhang family's side didn't care about the other party's attitude. This money was a must. He said to the person, "When you are there, you can find a place to stop the boat, so generally, no one will ask you for money. Moreover, when you arrive at the dock, there will be people working there to pick you up. They will give some money to the dock. Many people are even hired by the dock.
Also, you will eat there, and the shops on the dock will also get money. The most important thing is that the dock there is dedicated to welcoming guests from all over. You can go to some of the docks on the other side of the Yangtze River and see if they accept your money. Also, can the docks in other places compare to ours? We spent a lot of money to build this dock. "
"That's not right. One boat is 10 strings of money. 16 boats is 160 strings of money. You are too good at making money. Make it cheaper. How about one boat is 10 strings of money? If that's the case, we will pay. If not, we will find a place where we can also stop the boat. At most, we will take out a small boat and transport it to the shore bit by bit. "
The person in charge of the Yellow River Shipping Company still wanted to negotiate the price, so he directly reduced it to 10%. He thought that as long as he said that he would not stop at the dock, the other party would be afraid of him. Unfortunately, he met the Zhang family. The Zhang family really didn't care about his little money. He shook his head and said, "No, it's 10 strings of money.
If you want to stop, stop here. If you don't want to stop, then do as you please. In the future, when a boat comes, we will ask first. We won't let you occupy this place like this. Stop somewhere else. When there is a strong wind or something, if you want to come again, the money will have to be doubled. "
"Do you really want to charge so much money? Okay, okay, then we will stop on the water outside and use a small boat to transport it bit by bit. I don't believe that we can't transport it. We came here specifically to help you. When the time comes, don't think that you can get any goods from us. If you don't want to sell it, you can sell it to other places at a higher price. How about it? Consider it. Do you want to stop? "
The person in charge of the Yellow River Shipping Company still didn't want to give up. If the boat was stopped at the dock, it would be much more stable. If it was stopped at other places, he would always feel worried.
"Yes, one boat is 10 strings of money." The Zhang family still insisted.
In fact, 10 strings of money was not a lot for the entire Yellow River Shipping Company. Compared to other places, it was much more. No matter what, they would not accept it. Otherwise, they would have to take out 160 strings of money. How many things could 160 strings of money buy? Just thinking about it made their hearts ache.
Having reached this point, the two of them were not willing to compromise. The people who came down once again boarded the ship. The ship slowly left the dock until it passed the perimeter of the dock. The anchor was cast down to fix the ship, and a few small boats were released. The large ship continued to deliver goods to the shore, one small boat after another.
At this time, the Zhang family did not say anything more. If they really wanted to make things difficult for the other party, it would be easy to tell them that as long as they came up, they would have to pay. However, this matter could not be done. The Zhang family's dock was really 10 strings of money for a big boat. Because it was built well, small boats were much cheaper.
The Zhang family did not make things difficult for the people from the Yellow River Shipping Company, but the people from the Yellow River Shipping Company did not think so. This time, when the people who came over heard the words of the person in charge who went down just now, they were all very angry. They really felt that the people here were bullying them.
"Hmph! Isn't it just stopping the boat? They actually want so much money. Fine, after we ship the goods up, we will not sell them and make them jealous. "
The son of the owner of the Yellow River Shipping Company's big boat company stood on the deck and said angrily. The others nodded one after another, agreeing with the son's words.
There were 16 boats. Because they had to use small boats to send the goods down bit by bit, it took a lot of time. Until the sky turned dark, they still had not transferred all the goods. The people on the boat ate while complaining about the attitude of the people here. They did not know what the person from the Zhang family said just now. It was all the thoughts of the person in charge who came back.
Because of this, the owners of the various ships didn't intend to be nice to the people here. Each and every one of them was talking about selling the leftovers of these furs from other places. They still believed that these things would be worth a lot of money.
Who knew that there was not a lack of fur here, especially with the Shiwan Mountains behind. This was also something that Zhang Xiaobao did not consider when he came here, so he made the fur into sofas and some furniture. Otherwise, how could it be like this?
At night, the people of the Yellow River Shipping Company were still working hard to transport the goods. When they were on the boat, they did not dare to casually light the torches. This was fur, and it was really easy to start a fire. They could only make some torches on the shore to light up the boat.
At the same time, there were also some owners who came ashore under the protection of the guards. They happened to meet some local people. These people were actually here to fish for prawns at night. They were all children, so that they could sell the prawns to subsidize their families.
Among the owners of the Yellow River Boat Line, a man surnamed Sun saw the kids swimming to a reef. He curiously stopped a kid who hadn't gone over yet and asked him, "What are you doing here?"
"Where did you get the clothes on you? How much is it? Is your family wealthier than mine? Also, how many people here can't wear clothes? "
The child who was stopped looked at this person and was a little confused. He didn't know why this person was asking so many questions. However, looking at the expression on this person's face, he didn't seem to be so evil. He answered, "I got these clothes by working, and so did the other people's clothes. I don't know how much they cost, as no one sells them here. My family isn't rich, but I can still have some spare money to spare after I eat.
The people here have clothes to wear, and the fabric is similar to mine. No one can't wear clothes, and everyone's family is like mine. They have a small building to live in and a little spare money. "
What the child said was true, but it was different in the ears of the people around him. When they came here, they had already asked people and knew that the people here lived very hard lives. Especially when they passed by several other states, they saw the people who worked at the seaside. Some of them did not even have a piece of clothing, and were naked from top to bottom.
Now, this child actually said that everyone had clothes to wear, and everyone had spare money. How was this possible? The owner surnamed Sun naturally thought so. He looked at the child in front of him and said: "Child, it's not good to lie. Come, tell me the truth, and I will give you candy."
As he spoke, he put his hand into his sleeve. In fact, there was no candy in his sleeve at all. They didn't bring any candy this time. However, he was going to take out two copper coins to buy candy for the child. It was the same.
In his opinion, the child should change his words, but he did not expect the child to still insist and say: "I didn't lie to you. It's like this. When you came here, did you see that other people were not like this and think that we have a very bad life? In fact, our life is very good because we have a good official. We don't lack anything. Forget it, if you don't believe me, go and ask others. I'm going over. "
After the child finished speaking, he directly took off his clothes and jumped into the water. After a while, he swam to the reef. It was not easy to fish for prawns on the reef. If one was not careful, the hook would be caught. When that time came, the line would be broken.
These people on the shore were still thinking about the child's words. Even if they did not believe it, at this time, they had to choose to believe it once. Just once, they would send people to other places to check. Was that Zhang Zhong really as powerful as others said?
In such a short time, he actually made the people here live a good life and let them live a happy life?
At this time, one of the owners said to Sun Dongjia: "I don't understand now. If these children's lives are really so good, why do they still come out at night to fish for prawns? How much can these prawns be sold for? Anyway, the prawns on the other side of the Yellow River can't be sold at a high price.
If they don't live a good life, look at those children's clothes. They are wearing new clothes. Aren't they afraid that these clothes will be accidentally damaged on the reef? Who would be willing to do that? So, I guess these children were deliberately sent here by someone with bad intentions.
They sent us here so that we can't see the depth of this place. They want to buy the fur we brought here at a low price. Do you think so? "
After hearing what he said, the others also felt that it was reasonable and nodded one after another. Even Boss Sun was like this, but he still couldn't be so sure. He said to this person, "If it's really like what the child said, then it's good. At least we can sell these things. Selling to the rich is better than selling to the poor, right? Okay, now let's immediately send people to other places to check, especially the places where there are people living.
Remember, don't split up. Each team needs five people. Hold a torch. If there is any danger, run back quickly. What if the people here are very poor? It won't be good if they rob my people. Go quickly and come back quickly. Don't go too far. Just go and take a look. "
With his words, the people who were tired from working split up and began to take torches to other places to check. In this way, the owners wouldn't wander around. If they encountered any danger, who knew if there was anyone here who could save them?
After waiting for these people to leave, Sun Dongjia said to the other owners: "When you do things here, you must be careful, especially that Zhang Zhong. If you meet him, try to be polite. Otherwise, he will easily find a reason to make you stay here. This dock is his family's. Look at those ships. If they want to make us stay, we can't outrun them at all.
If we can't outrun them at sea, it's even more useless on land. They are more familiar with this place than we are. Besides, when we came here, we didn't bring any horses. Remember, once you meet the Zhang family, try not to offend them. A little impatience will spoil the big plan. "
His words were very sincere, but not all of these owners thought the same. They thought more about how they came here to help Zhang Zhong. Without the goods on their ships, Zhang Zhong's side would be very difficult. It was this thought that had always existed in their hearts.
Zhang Zhong didn't know what others were thinking when they came here. He still didn't know how many ships came here. He had a lot of things to do. After the things on the ships were taken down, he had to send these things to the local people and let them have a good New Year.
Regardless of whether it was night or not, Zhang Zhong sat in the car and swayed towards the farthest county. It would take him a few days to walk, and this was under the condition that the car was moving at a very fast speed. Behind the car he was sitting in was a long line. These lines were all trucks that were transporting goods, and on them were things that Zhang Zhong wanted to send to others.
Along the way, they would occasionally meet a few people who were rushing through the night. When these people saw Zhang Zhong's car, they would always stop and respectfully greet him. At the same time, they also waited for Zhang Zhong to send them things. They had already heard that there were a lot of things this year that would allow them to eat and drink well during the New Year until the 15th.
As for what these things were, they didn't know. Each and every one of them could only imagine and guess. Zhang Zhong didn't lack the time to greet people. Whenever he met someone, he would say a few words with a kind smile.
Along the way, the sky was getting darker and darker. Zhang Zhong unknowingly fell asleep.
The owners of the docks were still waiting. They wanted to know what this place was like. Before long, someone came back from the docks. When he arrived, he said to everyone, "I found them. The people here have big houses and big courtyards. Those houses are very beautiful. When I passed by, I heard the sound of a duck.
I went to the back to take a look. I saw a lot of pigs being raised by them. Each one of them looked very good. But now is not the time to kill them for meat. I reckon that summer will be enough. Occasionally, people who couldn't sleep would sit outside and chat. I went to take a look. They were wearing very good clothes.
That's all. Oh, there's one more thing. They didn't build their houses directly on the ground. Instead, they built them on the ground. I don't know why they did that. Anyway, I don't understand. "
When this person was talking, he seemed very excited. He had a reason to be excited. What he heard and saw along the way was that the people by the seaside lived a very hard life. He didn't expect that this Lu Zhou was different from other places.
He was excited, but the bosses were shocked. If they didn't know that this person wouldn't lie to them, they would really think that this person was lying. How was that possible? They passed by Lianzhou on their way here, and they were very clear about the situation there.
Why was there such a big gap between the two neighboring states? This question was worth pondering. Sun Dongjia looked at the people around him and said, "Now you know. Zhang Zhong is very capable. Don't underestimate him. Otherwise, the ones who will suffer in the end will be us. If we can avoid offending him, we will not offend him. Even if he asks for these goods from us, as long as we can get on his good side, I am willing. As for what you think, I don't care. If something happens, don't blame me for not warning you in advance."
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