In Hongwu, we started as rebels

Chapter 658 Harmony in the Family Brings Prosperity in All Things, Textile Workers (Supplement: 219)

The night poured down thick ink, turning the entire city of Daning into darkness.

However, the Liu residence on Red Leaf Street was brightly lit.

The courtyard had five sections, and every room was lit with candles.

It looks particularly spectacular when viewed from the night sky.

The main hall was bustling with activity.
The original eight-immortal table has been removed and replaced with a large round table.

Liu Huaipu sat at the head of the table, holding a wine cup in his hand, his body swaying unsteadily.
He looked at the dishes on the table and the group of younger people with a happy smile.

Lu Yunyi sat to one side with his three wives.
Liu Heiying sat on the other side with his two wives.
At this moment, they are playing the game of Captain Ming, and the atmosphere is extremely harmonious.

Two empty wine jars were already placed beside Lu Yunyi.

There were even more people around Liu Heiying, a total of four.

The two felt an unprecedented sense of ease.

No matter how high one's official rank, when elders are present,
It always gave people a sense of having someone to rely on, making the two of them feel especially at ease at this moment.

Sitting next to Liu Heiying was Hua Jieyu, who was heavily pregnant, with a sweet expression on her face.

She had fruit tea in front of her, and she would occasionally lift the cup to take a sip.
Just as the two were shouting fiercely,
Liu Huaipu looked at Hua Jieyu and said with a smile:
"Xiaoyu, you're from the South. Da Ning is a land of ice and snow. Are you used to it?"

"Thank you for your concern, Father. I'm comfortable here."
Although it's very cold outside, my husband installed underfloor heating at home, so it's very warm.

Hua Jieyu smiled slightly, her voice soft.

Liu Huaipu smiled gently and nodded repeatedly:

"I hope you're comfortable living here. Your father bought you a large house in Beiping, with five courtyards, near the former Yuan imperial city."

Everything inside has been arranged; you can move in immediately.

As he spoke, he slowly took out two documents wrapped in red cloth from his pocket and handed them over.

"Here you go, these are the house deed and land deed, and they're in your name."

Hua Jieyu stared blankly at the object in her hand.

His hands trembled slightly, and his cheeks suddenly became burning hot.

Liu Heiying downed the wine in his bowl in one gulp, then nudged Hua Jieyu with his elbow:

“Take what your father gave you; he has money.”

Surprisingly, Liu Huaipu did not refute this time, but kept nodding and smiling.

Hua Jieyu pursed her lips, wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, and smiled through her tears:
"Thank you, Father."

Liu Huaipu nodded repeatedly, smiling broadly.

"Xiaoyu, I have another copy here, it's for Xiaorong, don't hold a grudge."

As he spoke, he pulled out two more items wrapped in red cloth from his pocket.

He looked at Ya Rong, who was sitting to Liu Hei Ying's right.
Ya Rong was stunned, her beautiful eyes filled with disbelief.
"Do I have one too?"

Liu Huaipu laughed heartily and nodded.

He looked at Hua Jieyu and explained:

"Xiaoyu, our family has lived outside the Great Wall for many years."

If the imperial court hadn't sent a large army to drive Nahachu away, both Black Eagle and I would still be grassland people.

In our family, women are treated equally.

Now that she's married into the Liu family, she's a daughter-in-law of the Liu family.

As the eldest member of the family, I shouldn't be treated differently; I hope you understand.

Hua Jieyu shook her head repeatedly:
"Father, please don't say that."

A daughter-in-law is already incredibly fortunate to marry her husband; she should not ask for more.

Besides, my husband had already told me about this, and I knew about it long ago.

"Excellent, excellent!"

Liu Huaipu looked at his son.
"Black Hawk, you've done a really good job."

Liu Heiying rolled his eyes at him, looked at the house and land deeds in his hand, and asked excitedly:
"Father, where is the house?"

Liu Huaipu ignored him, stood up and handed over the two documents, then turned to Ya Rong with a smile and said:

"This house is also near the former Yuan Dynasty palace in Beiping, which is the liveliest place."

I bought these two houses from a powerful figure from the grasslands.
The prices are all about the same, around ten thousand taels of silver.

You take all the houses.

If Black Hawk treats you badly in the future, go live in Beiping.

"Our Liu family's daughter-in-law must not lose face when she goes out."

Ya Rong was already in tears, large tears streaming down her cheeks and soaking her fair neck.
"Thank you, Father. The General has been very kind to me. How could I possibly leave him?"

Hahaha, good, good, good.
Now that Xiaoyu is pregnant, Xiaorong, you need to step up your game too!

Otherwise, if the two children are too far apart in age, it could cause problems later on.

Ya Rong blushed and nodded repeatedly, her voice barely audible.
"My daughter-in-law knows."

"Sit down, sit down, eat and drink well. Life is all about having fun." Liu Huaipu repeatedly urged his hands to sit down.

Liu Heiying was somewhat dissatisfied:
"Father, why are you bringing this up on such a joyous occasion?"

So what if there's a big age gap? We're still good brothers.

"Hey, what are you saying? I've traveled all over the country for so many years, haven't I seen more than you?"

Liu Huaipu stroked his beard, his eyes blinking.
"Take that old geezer Shi Yu for example, he was just here today."
His eldest son is almost forty, while his youngest son, Shi Baifeng, is only twenty.

They're from different generations, how can these two brothers have a good relationship?

Right now, the two brothers are fighting tooth and nail for the position of third-in-command of the Snowwalking Merchant Guild.

Lu Yunyi, standing to the side, slightly raised his eyes, somewhat surprised, and asked in a deep voice:
"Uncle, why is the competition for the position of third manager at Taxue Trading Company so fierce?"

Liu Huaipu pursed his lips, revealing a helpless expression:

"Yunyi, you're just too capable. You don't know how hard it is to make money and how hard it is to get promoted."

Whoever takes the position of third manager will be looked up to wherever they go.
This doesn't even include the tens of thousands of taels of silver earned each year.

Without this shopkeeper, our good days would be over.

That old bastard Shi Yu is still alive.

His sons are all doing well.

He died as soon as he kicked his leg.

Just you wait and see, whoever takes power will ruthlessly eliminate the other brothers.

After thinking about it carefully, Lu Yunyi realized that this made sense.

Liu Huaipu continued:

"So, if you're going to have children, have them quickly, you can have several at once."

Growing up together like this fosters a sense of kinship, which can help maintain family ties in the future.

Lu Yunyi listened to these words and found them to be very reasonable.

Liu Huaipu, perhaps intoxicated and in high spirits, became more talkative:

"You have no idea how much I've witnessed brothers fighting amongst themselves in the past two years in Beiping."

On the contrary, those brothers were all around the same age.

The brothers each run their own business, get along well, and their businesses are thriving.

I know a tofu seller.

His five sons now each own a tofu stall, and they've almost taken over several streets nearby.

Recently, the brothers pooled their money to buy a house along the street to open a restaurant.

The five brothers each contributed a portion, some more and some less.
Their spirit of unity was truly astonishing, even to an old man like me.
Their family will definitely make a name for themselves in Beiping.

Liu Huaipu spoke with great intonation and humor.

Everyone present listened attentively, their faces showing deep emotion.

Seeing them like this, Liu Huaipu smiled even more broadly:
When you two were little, you always loved listening to adults talk.

I remember once I caught a cold,
A mistake occurred while negotiating business with merchants in Beiping.

"It was thanks to you two eavesdropping and reminding me that I didn't let anyone else get away with it."

Liu Heiying and Lu Yunyi had slightly vacant eyes, reminiscing about their childhood.

Lu Yunyi spoke with great emotion:
"When I was a child, I always looked forward to growing up, but life got harder and harder every day."

But now that I'm an adult, looking back, I realize how quickly time has passed.
Even my childhood memories are somewhat hazy.

Liu Heiying was stunned after hearing this.

After thinking about it carefully, I realized that my childhood memories were indeed blurry.

Even the texts they learned in school that they knew by heart have been forgotten.

Who knows what things will be like in another ten years?
Perhaps many of my experiences in Daning City will gradually fade from memory.

Liu Heiying's voice was somewhat emotional as he grasped Hua Jieyu's and Ya Rong's hands, one on each side, and held them tightly.

The two felt the immense force from the palm of his hand, and a sweet feeling suddenly welled up in their hearts.
For women their age to find such a considerate and capable husband is truly a blessing from their past lives.

Especially since her husband's family and her father didn't mind,

They all knew how rare this was.

Liu Huaipu looked at Lu Yunyi and the three girls beside him:

"Yun Yi, I knew you were capable all along."
Even though I've watched you grow up, I never imagined you would be so capable.

"In the blink of an eye, you're all married."

"Thanks to you leading Black Hawk all these years, otherwise our Liu family would not have achieved such glory."

Thanks to you, my uncle made a lot of money in Beiping.
Even those merchants and powerful figures gave their uncle a nickname, something like Liu Bukui.

But how could they know?
I'm just a melon vendor, what skills do I have?
"It's all thanks to you and Black Hawk."

Lu Yunyi glanced at the ladies beside him and said with a smile:
"Uncle, please don't be modest. There are plenty of people in the court who know about military campaigns and warfare."
However, very few people were able to find opportunities to make money from it, and my uncle was one of the best among them.

After the victory of this northern expedition,

The prices of houses and mansions in Beiping (Beijing) will surely continue to rise.

"Can we really win?"

Liu Huaipu looked somewhat strange and explained:
"Recently, there have been some rumors circulating in Beiping."

Some say His Majesty is too fond of war and neglects civil administration, and that such a hasty military campaign might lead to unforeseen circumstances.

When too many people say this, people's hearts become confused.

In addition, the three departments in Beiping made a series of blunders.
They ordered us merchants to search for grain everywhere, which only made things more chaotic.

"Can we even win? That sounds rather hasty."

"Father, rest assured, the northern expedition will surely be victorious."

This time, the troops are led by two princes and the Duke of Ying.
"If we can't even win this, it would be absurd."

Liu Heiying curled his lip in disapproval.
They are increasingly dissatisfied with these people who spread rumors everywhere.

The same goes for Lu Yunyi.

They were all generals who led armies into battle.
What I hate most is them fighting desperately on the front lines.

There were still people behind them constantly pulling them back.

They say we can't win this, we can't win that.

Even if they win, they can still say things like "too many casualties" and "too much loss," which is really annoying!

After listening, Liu Huaipu's expression changed several times, and he nodded in realization:
"Since we're certain of winning, let's wait until we return to Beijing after the New Year."

We should buy more houses; then we can make a killing off him later.

Lu Yunyi reminded him from the side:

"If Uncle makes money from his properties, it's inevitable that some people will be envious."

A share of the profits should be appropriately allocated to the three departments in Beiping.

"Yunyi, you can rest assured about this."

A few days ago, news of an impending war broke out, so I bought a lot of grain and fodder from Henan and Shandong and sent it to the commander.

You wouldn't believe it, the officers in the capital were laughing so hard their eyes disappeared!

Lu Yunyi nodded repeatedly, and after a moment of contemplation, he said:
"My uncle can also do some businesses that don't make money but support people."

It can be considered as taking from the people and using it for the people.

In this way, even if someone wanted to plot something, they would have to think twice.

"Not making money but supporting people?"

Liu Huaipu seemed to be deep in thought.
"Yunyi, are you referring to a business like a carriage and horse trading company?"

"No, no, no, businesses like carriage and horse shops are mostly occupied by the powerful and wealthy in the city."

If someone were to easily squeeze in and disrupt the market, they would become the target of public criticism.

"hiss--"

Liu Huaipu gasped, suddenly realizing what was happening:

"Yes, yes, you're right. There are many businesses that support people, but most of them are very profitable."

If I suddenly stop making money, they'll tear me apart.

Yunyi, give me an idea.
"I'll get it done when I get back. I'll hire about a hundred workers and pay them a monthly salary."

"A hundred or so is too few and won't attract the attention of the three departments."

We need to recruit at least a thousand people so that the three companies will understand the importance of the business.

Just like the Yingtian Trading Company, news came a few days ago that...
It has already connected more than 70 villages in the eight counties surrounding Yingtian.

There may be 50,000 people who depend on the merchants for their livelihood.

At this point, even if the palace wanted to shut down the businesses, it would have to consider public opinion.

"so much?"

Liu Huaipu's eyes widened suddenly.
He knew about the business, but the speed of its development was simply too fast.
"Does Yunyi mean I should set up something like a trading company in Beiping?"

Liu Huaipu pondered for a moment, then spoke thoughtfully.

"This matter concerning the merchant guild is of great importance, and the palace will not allow it to fall into the hands of others. Uncle cannot do this."

Yunyi wanted his uncle to work in a trade similar to textiles.

"Weaving?"

"On the road from Yingtian to Daning,"

I have some knowledge of many cities, and the breadwinner of a family is often the male head of the household.
The women could only do simple chores at home, such as washing clothes and sewing, earning very little money.

It's not that they can't work, but that there are too few machines available.

So I thought
Let all the women work and earn a decent monthly salary.

For government offices, hiring a thousand female workers might be more effective than hiring three thousand male workers.

Because these female workers' jobs were created out of thin air, just like at Yingtian Trading Company.
If you choose the right path, you can create enough jobs and generate a lot of wealth out of thin air with very little money.

As a result, even the imperial court had to take it seriously.

Listening to his eloquent speech, Liu Huaipu was somewhat unable to keep up with his train of thought.

Even some of the principles are still a bit unclear to me.

He scratched his head somewhat awkwardly:

“Yunyi, your uncle doesn’t understand what you’re saying.”

So, it's still the same as before.

You write the documents, I'll handle the paperwork; we're not afraid of spending money.

"Your uncle may not be very capable, but he's extremely good at obeying orders!"

Lu Yunyi laughed; he was very experienced in this kind of thing.
"Recently, the weapons workshop created an object called a sewing machine."
It's a very tiring job that allows for the rapid processing of fabrics.

However, compared to jobs like manual labor or driving a cart, it is much easier and more suitable for women.

Tomorrow I will order the workshop to expedite the production of three hundred sewing machines.
My uncle brought them all back to Beiping and set up workshops there.

To get all three hundred sewing machines running, it would require at least a thousand people working from top to bottom.

I will send a letter to His Highness the Prince of Yan.
They said the workshops were set up to house the families of soldiers who went to war, so they would have work to do.
They wouldn't have to struggle at home and live a frugal life.

In this way, they would have the moral high ground, and the workshop could be opened smoothly.

As for how to balance income and expenditure...
This will have to be handled by my uncle.

It doesn't matter how much or how little you earn.
After all, my uncle doesn't rely on this hard-earned money to make a living; he's only after his reputation.

Liu Huaipu's face flushed red, even though he didn't know what a sewing machine was.
But listen to this procedure.
He knew that with such a noble cause at its disposal, the workshop would surely open smoothly!
"Alright, alright, Uncle has also put his words here."
This initiative is solely for the benefit of the people and will not generate any profit.

Of course, don't lose too much, it'll hurt your wallet.

Liu Huaipu touched his chest and said with some grievance.

"Hahahaha"

Everyone present burst into laughter, creating an unprecedentedly warm atmosphere.

Just then, a guard strode in and whispered something in Lu Yunyi's ear.

Lu Yunyi nodded slightly:
"I understand. Let Lord Duan and Lord Tan handle it."

"Yes!"

Liu Huaipu sensed the sudden weightlessness in the atmosphere and tentatively asked:

"Yunyi, if there's something going on at the yamen, go ahead and take care of it. Don't worry about this old geezer."

Lu Yunyi smiled and waved his hand:

After a busy year, everyone needs a few days to rest.

Today is a family dinner, so let's ignore that and drink!

(End of this chapter)