Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 377 Expansion
Xie Yuyan listened to Duan Dalang and Yang Xiaoshan talking.

Besides boatmen, cargo handlers, and perfume shops, the South City Wharf also needed manpower for restaurants, post stations, and inns. This made it easier to find work.

Master Zheng said, "Yesterday, someone came to us looking for workers and asked us to keep an eye out. If we found a suitable person, they would give us fifty coins as a thank you."

"They're treating us like a brokerage firm."

Xie Yuyan said, "We are not a brokerage firm, nor do we compete with brokerage firms for business. We can help them find workers, but we will not charge them money."

For merchants, receiving money is the simplest business, but repaying favors is the hardest thing to do.

Only through mutual exchange can all paths be clear.

Now is the time for them to pave the way. They don't need to rush to collect money. Instead, they should try to seize opportunities to associate with merchants from all walks of life, whether they are good or bad, as they will all be useful to them.

Besides, although the employer pays fifty coins per person, it will eventually be credited to the worker. Without this money, more workers will come looking for work.

What she wanted was the reputation of Nancheng Wharf.

Master Zheng said, "Madam instructed that the South City Wharf must be kept clean, and I have made all the arrangements."

With so many people coming and going every day, if we don't manage these things, they'll soon become unbearably smelly.

More people need to patrol the streets, and workers looking for jobs should be informed as soon as possible. It will certainly be difficult to get them to follow the rules at first, but over time, they will get used to it.

Even if she buys this land, it doesn't belong to her yet. But if she establishes rules here, things will be different.

Rules are an invisible fortress; once you get used to working here, your mindset can be subtly changed.

She can't arbitrarily beat or scold her employees or lower their wages. If employees who are used to working here were to switch employers, would they still allow themselves to be bullied by their new employers?

As long as these rules are accepted, it doesn't matter if she leaves her shop or the village association. After all, they're doing what she wants to do anyway.

Xie Yuyan looked at Yang Xiaoshan: "How are Guo Xiong and Guo Chuan's fleets doing now?"

Fearing that someone might be watching the two brothers, Yang Xiaoshan had not allowed Guo Xiong and Guo Chuan to come to the courtyard again. When the two brothers brought boatmen to Nancheng, they just ate and rested like ordinary merchants, and it was not obvious that they were familiar with them. However, Yang Xiaoshan would have people pass messages back and forth in private.

Yang Xiaoshan said, "In addition to transporting coal, the fleet has begun to carry cargo."

The Guo brothers led their fleet back and forth so many times that they have finally opened up this waterway completely.

Xie Yuyan said, "Our porcelain will be delivered to Huaizhou soon."

Yang Xiaoshan nodded: "It should be within the next two days. Once the porcelain arrives in Huaizhou, it can be transported to Bianjing by ship. Even if the government conducts a spot check, they will have difficulty identifying which kiln the porcelain came from."

The porcelain merchants were all eyeing the porcelain from the kiln in Xie Yuyan's hands. The porcelain she had transported from Daming Prefecture was difficult to get to Bianjing smoothly, but it would be different if it went by this waterway.

No one could have predicted that Xie Yuyan would make such an arrangement.

Only when the porcelain was successfully delivered to her could she successfully close the deal at the border market.

Having secured a foothold in Bianjing, the next step was to establish a foothold.

“Send a message back,” Xie Yuyan said. “Transfer more people from the clan, and bring them to the capital when we no longer need to hide our identities.”

The business in Bianjing still needs to be taken over by people.

Since there is a shortage of people in charge, we can only draw people from Daming Prefecture first, and then gradually select and train people later.

After Yang Xiaoshan and Duan Dalang finished discussing their matters, it was Zheng Sanye's turn.

Master Zheng said, "There are quite a few merchants who want to rent our shops, and I think a few of them are quite good." As he spoke, Master Zheng took out a booklet from his sleeve and handed it to Xie Yuyan to look at.

"There is a family-run vinegar workshop and a raw silk shop. Both of these shops require a lot of coal, so opening them here is also to reduce costs."

"In addition, repairing incense burners and candles, and lacquerware are also good."

“I told them that they could pay rent or they could partner with us. They could use the shop, and we would contribute some money. We would take 50% of the profits and losses.”

Xie Yuyan nodded and said, "These shops should all be opened on the west side of the bridge, and the shops on the south side of the bridge should be reserved for restaurants and inns." It's a pity that she still bought too little land.

I only bought some land west and south of the bridge. If I had enough money, I should have acquired all the land west of the bridge.

However, Xie Yuyan only thought about it for a moment. Too much of a show would attract too much attention, and what he had at hand was enough for now.

Master Zheng pursed his lips: "It's a pity I don't have enough money, otherwise I could open a few more shops with joint ventures."

Although the perfume shops, restaurants, and teahouses are making a lot of money right now, there are still many places where the money can be spent, and some still needs to be reserved for Yunqi Temple.

Xie Yuyan said, "We have enough money. Another five thousand strings of cash were sent today." He Tan had Wang Yan send three thousand strings of cash, and the remaining two thousand strings of cash were raised by Wang Yan separately. This should last until Daming Prefecture sends more money.

Master Zheng's eyes lit up when he heard this; five thousand strings of cash could do a lot of things.

Besides the money sent by Wang Yan and He Tan, she also received a considerable amount of money from people at Yunqi Temple.

Originally, she didn't have enough money to support so many transactions. Yunqi Temple was willing to sell shops, but she really didn't have the money to buy them. Fortunately, someone was able to lend her a hand and help her turn the purchase into a rental.

To lure her into the trap, they didn't even charge her much for the house, but made many demands on the paperwork.

To slander her shop and tarnish the reputation of Yunqi Temple?
I'm afraid they'll have a hard time getting what they want, and in the end they'll have to beg her to stay.

Master Zheng and Duan Dalang left.

Xie Yuyan instructed Yang Xiaoshan: "Is there any movement from Yunqi Temple? Was someone secretly watching us while we were digging?"

Yang Xiaoshan shook his head: "Not yet."

Xie Yuyan pondered for a moment, wondering if she had remembered the wrong place?
"Then let's expand it outwards a bit more."

Yang Xiaoshan said, "Those places weren't rented to us, I'm afraid someone in the temple will object."

"We told them that if they were going to open a shop, they would have to level the surrounding land, and that they would not be using that land."

Yang Xiaoshan didn't know what the old lady's intention was, but... digging like this in all directions... could it be underground...?

"Be careful," Xie Yuyan said. "Don't make a fuss if you find anything."

Yang Xiaoshan couldn't help but ask, "What exactly are we going to dig up?" If he didn't find out, he was afraid he would ruin Madam's plans.

Xie Yuyan paused slightly, his expression turning solemn: "Bones."

The remains of a woman.

Yang Xiaoshan was stunned.

The discovery of remains at Yunqi Temple led to the punishment of the monks and the demolition of the temple. However, this occurred before Xie Yuyan was born, and she only learned about it from others.

Therefore, finding those remains will require a long and careful search.