Tong Jia anecdote

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At the last stop to Baotou Mansion, Tong Jiu stopped and found an inn for the caravan to stay first.Looking at the map, there is only a large desert away from Baotou Mansion. All those who want to enter Baotou Mansion must supply here. There is only a small village in front of the inn.

Watching the guys prepare water bags and dry food in the inn, and replace the pack horses with camels.Tong Jiu lit the cigarette pouch, fiddled with her braids behind her back, walked around to the small village in front, and looked at it unhurriedly.

Ever since Hua Jingfu got into the car, Tong Jiu had to come out and ride a horse instead.

The weather in the past few days has been very hot, and several employees fell ill because they were not used to the climate outside the customs and they were exhausted from the journey.There was no doctor nearby, which reminded Tong Jiu of the Yangzhengtang of Jilan's family.

"How about opening a stall here?" Tong Jiu sat on the boulder under the tree at the head of the village, looking at the large expanse of yellow sand in the distance.

"This?" The steward stood beside her, looking at the desolate village, "The locals make a living by selling camel rations into the desert as guides. I am afraid that no one in this village has worn silk or satin in their entire lives, and no one has seen it. Rice."

"They are poor because camels are only used in the desert in front of them. In Baotou Prefecture, merchants are still used to using horses." Tong Jiu opened the business map he had drawn, and took a stone to press it.

He took out two coins from his pocket and placed them on the corresponding positions of the village and Baotou Mansion on the map, thinking about it.

"If we build a sub-stall here, in addition to selling our things, we can also hire local people to run a few camel caravans to transport goods to and from this desert to Baotou Mansion for passing merchants. We can also provide horse storage." Tong Jiu picked up one of the copper plates and looked at Steward Shi through the square hole on it.

"In this way, not only will our caravan be convenient, but the local people will also have work to do." Tong Jiu said, resting the copper plate in his hand.

Pointing to a few people with camels passing by the entrance of the village, "Three people like them, and each family compares prices with each other to sell a camel, and it will never be prosperous in a lifetime. Being a guide is not as safe as building a camel caravan."

After finishing speaking, he had already smoked a bag of cigarettes, got up and knocked the pipe on the stone and said, "Go and find out, who is in charge in this village, tell me what I mean." The knocking sound of the pipe echoed at the entrance of the village. .

Most of the local camel herders are settled Mongolians. Except for a few people who often sell camels and deal with caravans, they can speak Chinese, and others are very wary of Han people.

After Tong Jiu gave the order, Steward Shi entrusted the innkeeper to invite a few reputable camel dealers, saying only that he wanted to buy camels.

"How much do you want to buy?" Tong Jiu just came out of the inn. The shopkeeper had just introduced a few words, and a big Mongolian man in the lead asked straight to the point in broken Chinese.

"Come in and have some wine first." Tong Jiu arched his hands, pulled the big man, and greeted the few people behind them to enter the inn, speaking in Mongolian.

Originally, her mother was Mongolian, so she is no stranger to the Mongolian language and the living habits of the Mongolian people.

The big man was a little worried about the camel in front of the door, but they kept their house on the ground, and after thinking about it, they were not afraid that the camel would be taken by this half-grown Han boy.

After a few bowls of wine, watching the guys put large plates of mutton on the table, the camel breeders let down their guard somewhat, and the conversation with Tong Jiu was much more heated than at the beginning.

When Tong Jiu learned that their camels could only be exchanged for a small amount of tea, sorghum and money from the Han people, he immediately asked the shopkeeper to bring a box of tea bricks.

"I don't want your camels, as long as you promise to send me a few camel caravans every day to transport goods to and from Baotou Mansion. I will give you tea, sorghum and rice, and those who are willing to join the caravan to transport goods will be paid separately." A camel man poured wine "how?"

A few people never thought that she was so generous, just one box of tea bricks was enough for them to bring these camels, and they felt that she was a straightforward and capable friend.

Within a few days, with the help of the locals, Tong Jiu bought a dilapidated courtyard at the entrance of the village.

The strong labor force was recruited, and they simply cleaned up and prepared to change the front into a shop and open a stall, and the yard at the back also needs to be expanded, so that they can store goods and store horses in the future.

"Master Jiu, why don't we take their camels? What if someone else sees this deal as a good deal and steals our deal in the future?" Steward Shi said in a hoarse voice after being busy these days. no words

He took a large teapot and poured a bowl of water for Tong Jiu, who was supervising the work at the entrance of the village, and filled a bowl himself.

"Camels are inexhaustible, and the value of business is 'righteousness'. As long as our prices are reasonable and we handle things properly, we will naturally be able to retain the hearts and minds of our relatives. I have also thought about acquisitions, but who among our own people will Raising? If you hire someone to raise it, the wages and fodder will be a lot of expenses." Tong Jiu gulped down the water.

Wiping his mouth, he continued, "Now I'm just asking for directions. It's hard to say whether it's a loss or a profit. Try to exchange with the goods we have that they need. Even if they lose, it won't hurt your bones. Remember, our cash needs to be Use it on the edge of a knife, and you can't move a single point."

Butler Shi nodded in agreement, and his respect for Tong Jiu was even more spontaneous.

"My brother is much thinner than when he came out in Jiangnan." In the evening, Tong Jiu, who had been busy all day, returned to the backyard.

Hongxiao waited for her to wash up, and when she wiped her neck, she saw that the back of her neck, except for the place covered by the braid, was red from the sun, and her distressed hands slowed down a bit.

"There's no shade in such a scorching sun, so there's no reason why it's not dark." Tong Jiu washed his face, shaking off the water indifferently.

Turning around, he said to Hong Xiao who was behind him, "I'll go to Baotou Mansion with them tomorrow, and you and Steward Shi will stay here and take care of the situation. I'll send someone to pick you up when there is a certainty over there. There are not enough people right now." , the only one I can entrust to you is you, and I can’t tell what will happen when I get to Baotou Mansion.”

"Brother, why don't you let Xiaohua go there with you, so I can relax. She is always bored in the room, and I'm afraid she will have any thoughts of looking for life again." Hongxiao washed her sweat towel and asked tentatively.

"If she wants to follow, she will follow. However, I went to Baotou Mansion for business, and my trip was delayed, so I threw her to feed the wolves in the desert." Tong Jiu sat on the kang, took off her socks, and said fiercely He sat there, but squinted his eyes because of the comfort of his feet submerged in hot water to relieve fatigue, and leaned against the wall in enjoyment.

Suddenly, she felt a gust of wind whizzing around her ears, and Tong Jiu felt a chill on her shoulders and neck. When she looked down, she was shocked and jumped up.

"What's wrong?" Hong Xiao, who went out to get clean socks for her, came in exclaiming.

I saw Tong Jiu standing on the ground with bare feet, staring at a grass snake on the kang in a daze, Hua Jingfu lifted the snake from the kang expressionlessly and went out without saying anything.

"Brother, it's all right, it's just a snake, it slipped in at some point." Hong Xiao stepped forward to help her, seeing cold sweat on her forehead, she knew she was quite frightened.

"Look, this robe is wet, I'll fetch a basin of water again." Hong Xiao helped her sit on the kang, wiped her forehead with a handkerchief and said.

When she turned around to leave, she felt that Tong Jiu was tugging at her robe lapel, she held her head helplessly, and said with a light smile, "Okay, I'm not going anywhere, I'll just guard you here. After wiping your feet, rest stop?"

Only then did Tong Jiu let go, and moved into the kang, watched Hong Xiao wipe her feet, turned around and looked around on the wall of the kang, no matter how calm she was, it was hard to hide the panic just now .

But after a day of hard work, she was indeed tired. With Hongxiao watching over her, she fell asleep after half a stick of incense.

Only then did Hong Xiao take out the dirty clothes she had just changed out of.

"Ah——." She was startled by the scene outside where Hua Jingfu was skinning and cutting snakes with the dagger she gave her, especially when the snake's head was lying there.

"God!" Hong Xiao instinctively covered her mouth, patted her throbbing chest, and muttered to herself.

In the past few days since Huajingfu came here, Hongxiao would be startled by her behavior different from ordinary girls from time to time.

Hua Jingfu put away the dagger, picked up the sliced ​​snake neatly, turned around and left with the snake skin in his hand.

"Xiaohua, I want to thank you just now." After calming down, Hong Xiao chased after her and said, "My brother is going to Baotou Mansion tomorrow. You can go with her so that you can relax. I will support you here." , you let her go, I can rest assured."

Hua Jingfu nodded and continued walking.

"Don't look at my elder brother who usually looks at her head, in fact, she is also very timid sometimes. She was afraid of these things when she was young, and I have to trouble you to take care of her when she goes out." Hong Xiao followed two steps, pulling she ordered.

Hua Jingfu stopped in his tracks and looked at her with a little impatience on his face, which meant to tell her what else to say together.

"It's gone." Sensing her displeasure, Hong Xiao quickly let go of her hand, nodded politely at her, and said with a smile.

Hua Jingfu frowned slightly, bowed his head and went out.

Besides, Fucha Jilan, who went to Beijing to escape the summer, received a letter from Tong Jiuxin to "Second Master Fu" when he was staying in a courtyard in the capital.

In addition to writing about Tong Jiu's recent situation and some experiences on the way, the letter mentioned in a large part that he hoped that Erye Fu could persuade Ji Lan to open the Yangzhengtang of Fucha's family together with his Dazhengchang. Go outside.

In addition to the difficulty that my fellows couldn't find doctors and medicines when they saw a doctor there, I also said that there was no medicine shop in several pastoral areas.

"He is obviously a businessman, but he has a heart for the world." Ji Lan pinched Tong Jiu's slightly scribbled letter, as if he could still smell the smell of mutton on it, and murmured to himself, "Aren't you tired?" ?”

"Sister-in-law, who is she feeling sorry for?" When Ji Lan was in a deep trance, a female voice came in from outside.

"When did the younger brothers and sisters come to the house, and Xiaomi watched tea." Ji Lan folded the letter paper in his hand, and called Fuchaqin and Fuchami out.

The person who came was the new wife, Qi Jia Muyun, whom her brother-in-law of the late husband's family married only last year.

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