The Bookish Scholar of the Red Mansion

Because it was afternoon, Zijuan got Daiyu's instructions and went directly to Qiupu Street to look for her. In front of Qiupu Street, there are Wuwa Lane and Xinghuafang across the street. The vertical road was named Maxing Street because it was close to Gongyuan in the west of the city.

One refers to the fact that the road is very wide and can allow four carriages to cross each other. Secondly, horses often have the meaning of success in the eyes of the ancients, with auspicious words such as horse will bring success. Named Ma Xing Street, it also has a good sign that the designated line will succeed.

Zicuckoo was only halfway through Ma Xing Street when she was shocked by the increasingly dense flow of people in front of her. When she came to Yangzhou, Qiupu Street had already been opened, so she didn't know how lively it was that day.

In the days that followed, I also went shopping with Daiyu and Jia Min at home. But there were not many tourists on Qiupu Street at that time, except for some young ladies and ladies who came to play. In Zijuan's impression, Qiupu Street is just a boring place to rest.

But this street, which doesn't sound special, was crowded with crazy Yangzhou people today. Traffic jams started from Maxing Street. No one knew what treasures were hidden in Qiupu Street. The dumbfounded Zicuckoo, thinking about the young lady who was waiting for the news at home, had no choice but to bite the bullet and go inside.

The second half of Maxing Street was still passable, and even though she was walking slowly, Zicuckoo didn't have to put in much effort to reach the archway of Qiupu Street. But from this point on, the flow of people inside was really dense like rain, and the voices were like thunder.

Looking around, in addition to countless heads, clothes, and scarves, there are only banners on the archway fluttering in the wind, and further away are the colorful flags and slogans hung on the second floors of various shops. Zicuckoo looked up at the archway and saw the banner on the left saying: Happy New Year, buy one, get one free. The banner on the right reads: After purchasing, you will be entered into a lottery, with a prize of fifty taels.

These two sentences don't sell anything at all, they are very straight to the point. But people in Yangzhou have never seen such methods. In the past, they had to spend a long time trying to get some benefits when bargaining with stores. The boss of Qiupu Street acted this way, which was no different from throwing money away.

Zijuan rubbed her eyes in disbelief, and murmured in her heart: How much can a piece of clothing cost? Fifty taels of silver, how much do you have to sell it to earn back?

After all, she didn't turn around, and she didn't expect that there is a method in the world of raising prices first and then discounting. Among them, except for Chen Heng, an outsider in his heart, most people would not think about it in detail.

Don't be surprised that Zicuckoo can think freely, because she doesn't need to worry about walking at all. The crowd behind her was already pushing the girl forward, and she couldn't stop even if she wanted to.

When passing by the small vendors under the archway, the things these people sell are even more miscellaneous, but there is only one thing that is the same. They all have smiles on their faces. As soon as Zicuckoo passed by, the store selling candied haws alone had already made three or four sales.

This kind of excitement is no different to these small businessmen and hawkers than money falling from the sky. Zicuckoo didn't even have time to turn around and take a closer look, she was already pushed into Qiupu Street by the crowd.

Today's Qiupu Street is dominated by goldware and cloth shops, with only one or two tea shops here and there. Even in this way, Yangzhou people’s enthusiasm for shopping cannot be stopped. A considerable number of people stood in front of each store.

After all, when you buy some clothes on Qiupu Street, you not only get the clothes as a gift, but you also get a chance to draw a prize when you go to the end of the street with the receipt issued by the store. I can’t imagine winning fifty taels, but it would be nice to win half a bag of rice and a few bottles of soy sauce. Have you ever seen people doing business like this? In addition, the clothes here are really not expensive, and Yangzhou people are also very enthusiastic about shopping.

Zicuckoo is smart. She knows that she is trapped like this and doesn't know when she will be able to get out. Just squeeze towards the door of the shop where there are slightly fewer people. After finally standing in front of someone else's shop and breathing evenly, she realized that this place turned out to be a gold shop.

No wonder there are so few people visiting here. Zicuckoo paused and was thinking about how to meet the young master of the Chen family. Suddenly, among the people passing by, there was a child riding on his father's neck. He excitedly pointed his finger towards her and said, Dad, look, those two characters are seventeen.

His father didn't have the energy to meddle in this nosy business. He said, Okay, my son is great, he knows two more words, but his eyes kept looking around, thinking about how to take his wife and children out. Although it is winter now, the old father's forehead is already sweating, and just looking at it makes him feel tired.

Zicuckoo blinked and turned her head to look at the child's finger. I saw a wooden sign saying No. 17, Qiupu Street on the door of the gold shop.

She couldn't help but be stunned, a little curious about the use of this thing. Oops, Zicuckoo, what are you thinking about. Have you forgotten the lady who is still waiting at home?

Zicuckoo stomped her feet, suddenly having a plan on her mind, she walked directly into the shop. The waiter in the store had already been eyeing her. Seeing that she had been waiting for a long time without entering the door, he knew that the other person was not really here to buy anything. He simply said directly: We don't offer buy-one-get-one-free items in our store. If you want to draw a lottery, you have to go to the clothing store next door.

The waiter also saw that Zijuan was well dressed, so he was willing to talk to her. Zicuckoo was not annoyed and just smiled and said: Excuse me, little brother, I am the maid of the prefect's family. Because I got the master's password, I have to go to the office on the street to find a manager. I don't know, little brother. Brother, what do you know, it’s easier to take a shorter route.”

After she said this, the waiter understood that it was the prefect's personal order. He looked at Zicuckoo's appearance again and thought to himself: Only the prefect's family can afford such a maid.

The waiter hurriedly put on a smiling face, which was really a convenience for Zijuan. I really have a small road here. You can go out through our back door and keep going along this road. Count thirty rooms ahead and you'll be there.

Zicuckoo was overjoyed when she heard this and thanked her again. Along the path at the back door, after a lot of hard work, we finally entered the office on Qiupu Street. Although there are no customers here, it is no less lively than on the street.

The empty room was surrounded by long tables, and people were standing everywhere. Everyone's face was anxious and happy, their feet did not touch the ground, and they were coming and going in a hurry.

Zijuan squeezed forward and saw Chen Heng, who was surrounded by everyone in the middle. Before she could speak, another person hurriedly ran in at the back door and shouted to Chen Heng: My boss, my boss. All the twelve items, Yi seven and Yi eight, are sold out, and there is not much left of Yi ten. too much.

What he said was so confusing that Zicuckoo didn't understand it. But Chen Heng immediately knew what the other party meant. Twelve was the store number, and the last three were the numbers of the clothes sold in the store.

These things are naturally Chen Heng's handiwork. Everything is done to facilitate scheduling when the street is busy. Although things were arranged in place, Chen Heng still shook his head in his heart. The man who came to report the news was a refugee captured from the workshop. There are many people like him who work temporarily as waiters in various directly-operated stores.

Since they are temporary workers, they are inevitably not smart enough. How much is the phrase ‘not much left’. How much should I prepare for the store? Chen Heng's thoughts were fleeting, thinking about arranging some training courses for the waiters after the new year, but he already said: Write, twelve shops, B, seven, B and eight will make up three hundred pieces, and B and ten will make up another hundred pieces. .”

As soon as Chen Heng finished speaking, there were already two accounting clerks in the room who were holding pens at the same time, scribbling down the bills on the paper, and then handed the paper to the third person next to him, who passed the office. Seal, punch a hole in the upper right corner, leave a copy for accounting, and then give one copy to the waiter.

With this receipt, the waiter can go to the warehouse to pick up the goods. On the other side of the warehouse, Chen Heng has also arranged an accounting room. The same process is similar. When the waiter returns to the store with the delivery person, the receipt in his hand has become the warehouse. Delivery order issued.

These things are extremely important and cannot be lost easily. In the evening, the office, warehouse, and store will sit down and reconcile today's accounts.

Chen Heng naturally saw Zijuan, but he was really busy today. Apart from looking at each other, he was already thinking about other things.

How many original cloths are there in the warehouse? Chen Heng asked Director Zhao beside him. Now that the business is open, the original defective or defective products can no longer be called. Changing the name to original cloth is enough to fool people.

At this time, Director Zhao was already smiling from ear to ear, and regarded Chen Heng as a god in his heart. Hearing this, he immediately said: We bought fifty thousand taels of cloth before, and now we have left ten thousand taels of goods to prepare. Then use it as an aphrodisiac.

Chen Heng shook his head. It was okay to think so. But even he himself did not expect that the enthusiasm of Yangzhou people would be so high. Now that business is getting better and better day by day, should we drive away the money that comes from the door?

Take them all out and let the female workers in the workshop make winter clothes now. Chen Heng opened the album in front of him with his hands. This was something he asked Xue Biao to help make. Each piece of clothing has a number and price on it. .

He calculated in his mind the fastest-selling items of clothing today, and then asked the person in charge of statistics in the corner, Are A-3, B-5, B-7, and B-8 the most popular items today?

Yes, boss. The man immediately replied in unison, A-5 and B-8 are also good.

Chen Heng nodded and gave Director Zhao a look. The latter immediately understood. He is now in charge of production in the workshop, and he has full authority to handle all affairs. Naturally, he has to issue relevant bills himself. Having dedicated people dedicated to their work makes it easier to hold them accountable if something goes wrong.

My boss, my boss. Another waiter ran in, with a smile infected by the excitement on his lips, Another prize winner came out from the prize redemption office.

Chen Heng nodded and asked, Did you bring the guests?

Waiting at the door. The waiter pointed behind him. Sure enough, there was a mother and daughter standing at the door facing the street, looking into the house.

Go ahead and do it. Chen Heng pointed to the location closest to the door, where the prize redemption area is. A total of four jackpot tickets were placed in the box today, which was considered good luck to the mother and daughter.

Hey. The waiter got the order and happily led the mother and daughter to communicate with the person in charge of the matter. Seeing the guests receiving the money happily, there was also a special person to guide them and escort them through the path through the back door, thus avoiding unnecessary risks.

If a money-grabbing scandal really happened, wouldn't it ruin Chen Heng's overall plan? He would naturally not make such a mistake.

After having a moment of leisure, Chen Heng was about to ask Zicuckoo about his purpose when an urgent call came from outside, My boss, my boss. The waiter ran in in a hurry, On the 22nd...our people are coming with us. The guests are making a noise.

Chen Heng rolled his eyes. He knew this would happen. Xinda, let me go. After saying that, he picked up a dental card from the table. This is specially prepared for people who have special things to do. The thing is to prevent it from being inconvenient to go out. People in the store can tell who is sent by them.

Now Chen Heng is the brains of the entire street, and it is the third day of Qiupu Street's re-establishment. As the leader, how can he move around and leave at will. It would have been best to let Chief Zhao handle this matter, but Chen Heng was a little selfish and wanted to take the opportunity to exercise Xinda's ability, so he asked him to step in for him.

Xinda had been waiting nearby. After receiving the order, he took the tooth tag from his brother and ran outside. The incident ended with Qiupu Street giving the guest a set of clothes as an apology.

But Chen Heng's energy was not focused on trivial matters. He estimated the turnover in the past three days in his mind, and then asked Director Zhao: How much money do we have on our account?

I bought 50,000 taels of raw cloth and 30,000 saplings, and paid two months' wages. Not counting the accounts for these three days, we should still have 27,812 taels.

Director Zhao is indeed a good deputy, and he clearly explains everything that happened before and after. Chen Heng nodded, put his hand on the table to press it, and after thinking about it, he said: After calculating the accounts tonight, we will tally up the money of the past few days. Let's buy 100,000 taels of original cloth from Suhang. . Bring 20,000 yuan to make the order, and we can make back the remaining money in the next few days. Pay cash on delivery, and the money will be paid in full.

Okay. Director Zhao was already obedient to Chen Heng's advice, and every time they met he shouted, Mr. Chen is really a god. At this moment, he was helping Chen Heng think wholeheartedly, and then asked: Mr. Chen, how are we going to transport this batch of goods back?

Now, instead of selling raw silk, the Weaving Bureau is responsible for its own transportation. If I were to handle it myself, I might not be able to see the goods until February or March after the new year. Private transportation is sometimes so troublesome. If something is too valuable, finding someone you can trust is also a problem.

It's okay, I will take care of it. Chen Heng glanced at Zijuan. He only remembered that he could ask Uncle Lin to handle this matter because the other party was here. With the results of the past few days, going to the government office is not competing with the people for profit. Instead, we ask for orders for the people and provide them with convenience.

Now that the situation on Qiupu Street has not yet spread in the capitals of Jiangnan, he plans to take this opportunity to sneak attack Brother Su and Brother Hang. When the business expands in the future, the people in the Weaving Bureau are not fools if they want to get goods at such a cheap price, so specifying will not work.

The success of this business is entirely due to the reputation of Brother Su and Hang and the excellent skills of the Weaving Bureau. It was probably the first time we cooperated, and the people from the Weaving Bureau also specially selected the cloth. The first batch of goods received has a very low defective rate.

If life is just like the first meeting, the same is true in business. Chen Heng smiled and shook his head, even if it was because of the subtle teasing in his heart, it was just for Zijuan to see. Tell the person that now is not the time to talk.

The latter also understood it by heart. She saw the waves of people coming and going, and knew that Chen Heng was at his busiest time. If I go up to disturb him now, not to mention whether Chen Heng will be angry or not, when the young lady finds out when she gets back, she will definitely blame him too.

After thinking about it like this, Zijuan simply waited aside and watched Chen Heng, who was motionless, handling everything in an orderly manner in an understatement. People's eyes are really strange. Zijuan is on Daiyu's side and also knows what the little overlord in the capital is thinking.

Subconsciously, they were compared together. When I was at the dock before, I thought Chen Heng was just knowledgeable and as gentle as jade. Looking back now, apart from being better-looking, Baoyu is really not as good as the young lady's brother in any way.

Just this calm demeanor and confidence in strategizing are already admirable. Under the influence of the young lady, Zijuan loves the house as much as Wuxia, and feels that comparing Baoyu with Chen Heng is really a competition between Yinghuo and Mingyue, which is too insulting to the latter.

It was so busy that in the evening, the crowds on the street gradually dwindled. Chen Heng, who finally got it, stood up and said to everyone: It's still the same as yesterday. Let's work hard again. Wait until Director Zhao goes to each store to collect the money and everyone has settled the accounts before going to rest. Okay. ?”

Yes, boss.

My boss doesn't have to worry about things that are part of my job.

Although everyone is tired, they also know that Chen Heng is very particular about what he does. Today's work must be completed today. If it is not done, no one will be able to leave today. If there was a miscalculation, not to mention everyone would have to stay and work overtime.

You two, pay close attention. Keep all accounts and bills carefully and keep them. No one is missing. Chen Heng told Director Zhao and Xinda. Seeing that they both nodded, Xinda, you go to the restaurant outside. Order some meals here. It’s been really hard for everyone these days, and I will give you some interest at the end of the year.”

Chen Heng knows the current rules. Many shops that ask for accounts only settle accounts once every half a month or once a month. As strict as he is, if he doesn't treat his subordinates better, he will be like Zhang Juzheng.

When everyone heard that there was an extra reward, not to mention how much, their faces showed joy. The boss is affectionate and righteous, and they will be more motivated to do things. Immediately he said: Don't worry, boss, if you have anything to do, just go.

Yes, yes, boss, we will do our best and we will never make any mistakes.

Chen Heng chatted with them for a few more words, and then led Zijuan around Qiupu Street through the back door. Only when the two of them reached the shadow of the archway did Chen Heng have time to ask each other.

Thank you, sister Zijuan for waiting. Chen Heng said politely. In fact, he and Zijuan were about the same age. He called her sister because calling her sister would seem too intimate, and the relationship between the two was not that familiar yet.

Don't you dare. Zicuckoo waved her hands repeatedly, and the intoxicating sunset glow shone on her face, making her face look red. Before Miss asked me to come, I gave you many instructions not to delay Master Chen. It's a matter of time. I'm afraid that I will show up at the wrong time and cause trouble to Master Chen.

A smart person makes people feel like a spring breeze when he speaks.

Chen Heng smiled, but a thought suddenly flashed through his mind, and he didn't say anything more. He and Zicuckoo walked all the way to the government office, and then entered the back house through the side door. But what he didn't expect was that before he had gone far, Uncle Lin at the other end had already sent a steward to stop the guests.

Master, Master. Master knew you were coming and said he would be waiting for you in the study.

The manager's words made even Zijuan feel stupid on the spot. The master is always older at home. Seeing that she was in trouble, Chen Heng made the decision for her and said, Go and tell Sister Lin that I will wait for her in the study.

Okay, thank you Master Chen. After receiving Chen Heng's words, Zicuckoo, who had made Daiyu wait at home for a long time, was relieved, so that she could have business with the young lady.

Chen Heng changed his path temporarily and followed the Lin family manager to the study. When they entered, Lin Ruhai was already laughing so hard that he kept praising: Well done, well done.

After being praised by someone close to him, Chen Heng, who was still calm, showed a little bit of embarrassment, Uncle, next time you can praise your nephew, Yushu Linfeng or something like that.

Hahahaha. Lin Ruhai laughed out loud, feeling that Chen Heng was a bit naughty, and liked his casualness in front of her, If you start to praise this word when you become mature, my uncle won't be able to open his eyes and tell lies.

Chen Heng was about to laugh, but a crisp laughter could be heard from behind, Dad, what are you going to say to your brother? How come you are telling lies?

Seeing his darling daughter happily jumping into the study and hiding behind Chen Heng like a probe, Lin Ruhai couldn't help but pursed her lips and teased: I knew you were indispensable. Dad is looking for Heng'er today because he has business.

Oh, daddy, I also have business to see my brother. Lin Ruhai had no choice but to stretch out his hand to lead the two of them to sit down, and said impatiently, Heng'er, what did you think of getting that house number?

He had been in the government office for the past two days and had heard so many strange things about Qiupu Street. Among them, the most talked about is this house number. It is a small gadget. When it first appeared, it attracted the attention of the curious Yangzhou people, and it spread lively for a while.

To this day, some people have followed the same pattern and put up house numbers on their homes, but the serial numbers are not as neat as those on Qiupu Street, and the style of left single and right double is still retained. It's just the order of numbers, but it's very complicated. Sometimes the first number is eight, and the second number becomes eighty-eight. There are all kinds of weird things.

This thing looks inconspicuous, and ordinary people don't understand it. They just want it to be novel. Anyone who knows a little about business can see the way inside, and if you think about it carefully, you will understand its convenience.

Chen Heng didn't expect that the first thing Uncle Lin paid attention to was this. He paused, collected his thoughts for a while, and then slowly began to explain.

This initiative in Qiupu Street was all caused by external factors. As a commercial street, how to make it faster and more convenient is something that must be considered.

There are dozens of stores on the street, and it is impossible to move everything in the warehouse there. It will be inconvenient to store and count. Secondly, it is easy to lose everything.

In this way, we have to arrange things one by one from the warehouse. When things are small, we can still rely on one person to take charge of each task. But if the plate is large, the situation involved will be several times more complicated.

The core of management and systems is actually to subtract complex things. The logic behind letting the right people do the right things is also here.

Chen Heng explained the various reasons. Lin Ruhai nodded and asked, In your opinion, is it necessary to have your house number in the city?

Hearing this question, Chen Heng turned his head and thought for a moment, and replied frankly: It may not be beneficial at the moment, but in the long run, the benefits will be great.

Uncle. Chen Heng talked too much these days, and his voice sounded a little hoarse. Qiupu Street did this because of business needs. Now the people are watching the excitement and want to make a picture that is fresh enough. But the government This head of the government will be specifically responsible, and the statistics may increase exponentially.

Lin Daiyu heard the discomfort in Chen Heng's throat and poured a cup of tea with great distress. She winked at her brother and signaled Chen Heng to finish drinking before talking. The latter could not refuse, so he had to take a sip and continued: But after this is done, it will be much easier for the people to do things among themselves in the future.

If this matter can really be done, it will be much more convenient for Qiupu Street to provide door-to-door delivery in the future. Takeaways have been around since the Tang and Song Dynasties, but they were all owned by wealthy families because their houses were easy to find and easy to identify.

As for the postal system between the two cities and across regions, there is no need to think too much about it for the time being. Nowadays, when people send letters home, they mostly ask relatives and passers-by for help. The main background of society is here. Don’t change the official inn system or change people’s habits of going out. The benefit of house numbers only lies in making people lively and happy.

Lin Ruhai listened silently, feeling pleased with Chen Heng's astuteness and feeling that Chen Heng's perspective on things was more comprehensive than before. He immediately said happily: You learned very well from Master Pei.

After hearing this, Chen Heng did not argue. The mountain leader did teach him a lot and opened his horizons a lot. Master really taught me well and taught me a lot.

Lin Ruhai asked again about the situation on the street these days. Together with Lin Daiyu, he listened to Chen Heng talk about the excitement for a long time. Then he said a little unsatisfied: When the Yamen is on vacation, I will also go to the streets to take a look.

This is the most important people's livelihood project under Lin Ruhai's rule. If it can be as good as Chen Heng said, it can be regarded as benefiting the people of Yangzhou.

When Lin Daiyu heard this, she couldn't help but nod. She invited her brother to come because she felt something was wrong in the atmosphere at home. Firstly, she wanted to ask her brother about the reason, and secondly, she asked him to help give advice. Seeing that he hadn't said anything yet, his father had already thought of this and hurriedly smiled and said: Dad, won't you take me and mother with you when you go out?

Take~ Lin Ruhai prolonged the last sound, and then deliberately pointed at her tea cup, But you have to have a cup of tea.

Hahahaha. Chen Heng laughed, shook his head helplessly, and said, Uncle, I have something to ask you for help here.

Let your mind calm down for a while and have dinner. Hungry, hungry, really hungry. September has come to an end. I seem to have coded 200,000 words this month, which is really amazing.