novelonline Chapter 1219 Combination of Knowledge and Action 1
Chapter 1219 Combination of Knowledge and Action 1
Chapter 1219: Unity of Knowledge and Action
If it were before, Bai Bingde and Bai Jiaxuan would never give such a large sum of money to a ten-year-old child, even if he was the heir of the Bai family.
But how could they earn so much money relying on this ten-year-old child?
Bai Jiaxuan looked at his father, and after getting his father's approval, he counted out twenty taels with a painful look on his face.
Qin Hao was about to reach out his hand, but Bai Jiaxuan grabbed the silver again.
"You little brat, what did you mean when you said our business won't last long?"
Qin Hao pushed away Bai Jiaxuan's hand that was protecting the silver and shook the twenty taels of silver in his hand.
"Isn't it obvious? The emperor abdicated more than half a year ago. Our county has poor transportation so the news has only spread now. I guess a large number of people in other counties have already cut off their braids. Once you have collected all the braids in the county, it will be difficult to get such cheap braids again."
Bai Jiaxuan was struck by lightning when he heard this. He had worked so hard to find a way to make a fortune, but it was all gone. He was really unwilling to accept this.
Bai Bingde was more patient and took out another ingot of ten taels of silver and handed it to Qin Hao.
"Then tell me, how can we make this business last long?"
Facing the eager gazes of the two, Qin Hao shook his head: "No matter what happens, it all depends on the right time, right place, and right people. We don't have either the right time or right place, so the only thing we can use now is the right people."
"What do you mean by right time, right place, and right people? Why do you talk like your uncle? You keep saying things that I can't understand."
Bai Jiaxuan said anxiously, but Bai Bingde seemed to be thinking: "You mean, the emperor's abdication is the right time, and our poor transportation is the right place, but what is this harmony among people?"
"Da, with just your two legs and these three hundred taels of silver, how many braids can you make in three days?" Qin Hao asked slowly.
Bai Jiaxuan narrowed his eyes and began to count on his fingers. Before he could finish, Qin Hao interrupted him and said, "We are not in the right place at the right time. We can only race against time and try to buy as many braids as possible in the shortest time to make more money."
"What you said is nonsense, but the problem is that Lu San and I can't collect many braids alone." Bai Jiaxuan said unhappily.
Bai Bingde's eyes lit up, and his originally dim eyes instantly emitted a dazzling brilliance: "Hao'er, do you mean to mobilize other people in the village to help us collect the braids?"
"That's right. We buy braids for 25 copper coins each. If the villagers buy them, we will give them 35 copper coins each..."
Before Qin Hao could finish his words, Bai Jiaxuan jumped up and said, "Why? 35 copper coins is too much..."
Bai Bingde raised his hand to interrupt him and signaled Qin Hao: "Go on."
"Although we have raised the purchase price, the cost has indeed increased, but there is still a big price difference from the purchase price given by the foreign bank, so it is still a huge profit. The most important thing is that our volume has increased, and we will earn much more than now."
Bai Bingde clapped his hands and praised: "Not only that, if we make money without telling the villagers, they will stab us in the back, but if we make money with the whole village, the prestige of our Bai family in the village will not be shaken by the Lu family, right?"
Qin Hao sighed secretly, it is true that old ginger is more spicy, as they say, an old man in the family is like a treasure.
"Then I will gather the villagers tomorrow..." Bai Jiaxuan stopped talking halfway.
"If Taihengda comes with a whip, will we take it?"
"No matter who it is, as long as the braids are of good quality, we will treat them equally."
……
The ancestral hall of Bailu Village was crowded with people, but these honest farmers all had confused expressions on their faces.
Lu Taiheng sat in the seat of the clan elders and exchanged glances with his son Lu Zilin, who came with a crutch.
"Da, what the hell is the Bai family doing? They've made such a big fuss and called all the villagers here." Lu Zilin asked in a low voice.
Lu Taiheng shook his head to indicate that he didn't know either, then he tapped his pipe and said, "Bingde, the people here are almost here, why don't we start? We are not strangers, just speak up if you have anything to say."
Bai Bingde walked to the center of the ancestral hall with his cane, faced the crowd of villagers below, cleared his throat, and said loudly:
"Fellow villagers, we have gathered everyone here today because we have a business that will help you all get rich together!"
The crowd immediately began to talk, and someone asked loudly, "Bing Deda, what's the deal? I hope it's not a scam!"
The villagers in the ancestral hall also looked at Bai Bingde with suspicion.
Bai Bingde took a deep look at Lu Taiheng who seemed to be indifferent to the matter. He had been fighting with the other party for a lifetime, so how could he not know the other party's methods.
However, Bai Bingde ignored Lu Taiheng and his son. Instead, he tapped the ground with his cane and shouted, "Be quiet. This is where our ancestors rest. Don't disturb them."
Suddenly, the ancestral hall fell silent. A hat was put on them for disturbing the ancestors, which would violate the clan rules.
Seeing this, Lu Taiheng couldn't help but sigh at how difficult this old rival was.
Bai Bingde winked at Bai Jiaxuan.
Bai Jiaxuan knew it was his turn to go on stage, so he walked in front of the crowd and bowed.
"My fellow men, I'm sure you all know that I collected a batch of braids from the county a few days ago. Some people must have called me a prodigal son behind my back, asking why I collected such useless stuff."
The villagers below were all laughing.
Bai Jiaxuan took out a few silver ingots from his pocket slowly and said, "These are the silver I earned from collecting braids last time."
The white silver ingots sparkled with dazzling silver light, making the eyes of the villagers below shine. They had never seen so much money in their lives.
Lu Zilin was also dazzled by the silver ingots, and secretly hated why the carriage was not up to standard. Otherwise, if he had followed Bai Jiaxuan, he might have been able to earn so much money.
Bai Bingde's stout back suddenly straightened up at this moment.
"Our Bai family has lived in Bailuyuan for generations. We once fell into poverty, but thanks to the help of our fellow villagers, we were able to stand up again. Our Bai family has never forgotten our roots. As long as we have a job to earn money, we will never forget our fellow villagers."
He pulled out a braid from his sleeve and said, "For braids of this length, our Bai family charges 25 copper coins from the outside. If the villagers send them to our Bai family, we charge 35 copper coins."
As soon as he finished speaking, the originally quiet ancestral hall suddenly became noisy.
The eyes of the villagers present all turned red. They worked so hard on the farm but could only save a few copper coins throughout the year. A braid could be exchanged for 35 copper coins, which was simply giving them money for free.
"Bingdeda, do you think my braid should be tucked in?" a villager asked while holding up his braid.
Bai Jiaxuan walked up to her and without saying a word, he used a pair of copper scissors to cut off her braid, then put 35 copper coins in his hand.
"We in the Bai family keep our word and will never break it!"
Bai Jiaxuan was immediately surrounded by a large number of villagers, who asked him to put away his braids first, fearing that he would regret it the next moment.
As for those who had cut their braids before, they were regretting it so much now. They had lost 35 copper coins in vain, which was already a considerable income for farmers like them who depended on the weather for their livelihood.
Lu Zilin felt so jealous when he saw Bai Jiaxuan being surrounded by the villagers like a star.
"Da, 35 coppers for the braids, definitely not to sell to the opera troupe, the troupe can't pay that high a price, and it's impossible for them to eat so much."
Lu Taiheng calmly walked up to Bai Bingde and said, "Congratulations, old brother. The Bai family has found another way to make money."
"Congratulations, the White Deer family has been inseparable since ancient times. We still need your help, dear brother Taiheng." Bai Bingde smiled and bowed in return.
The two old foxes smiled at each other, understanding each other tacitly.
Lu family.
Lu Taiheng sat on the armchair, gently stroking his braid with his hand, his brows furrowed.
"Who on earth is buying this braid from the Bai family and paying such a high price?"
He just couldn't figure out, apart from the opera troupe, who else would buy these useless braids?
Lu Zilin limped in with a cane: "Da, the Bai family not only collected them in our Yuan, but also sent people to the neighboring counties!"
"It seems that the Bai family is really planning to do something big."
"Da, what should we do? Accept it or not?" Lu Zilin asked anxiously.
Lu Taiheng gritted his teeth and said, "We should send people to collect them. We don't need to collect too many. Let's collect a batch first and see how that old fox Bai Bingde reacts."
"How much?"
"Twenty-five coppers."
"Okay, I'll give the order right away."
The morning mist had not yet dissipated, but all the villagers of Bailu Village had already come out. Except for some who were too old or too young, or those with mobility impairments, all of them walked with firm steps towards the outside of the village.
When they came to a fork in the road, the crowd scattered like an exploded beehive, each heading towards their own destination.
On a small hill, a wheat harvester who had come from a distant place had just sat down to rest when he was spotted by two villagers from Bailu Village.
"Brother, are you selling this braid?"
Mike was startled: "What do you want to do?"
"Don't be afraid, brother. I'm from the nearby Bailu Village. Would you like to sell your braid for ten copper coins?" Shitou asked with a smile.
When the wheat picker heard that the braid could be sold for so much money, he was a little tempted, but he still said cautiously: "Are you officials from the government, trying to trick me into cutting off my braid and then beheading me?"
"Why cut off my head? The Qing Dynasty is gone, and no one cares about the braids anymore. If you don't believe me, look, I cut my braids too." Shitou quickly showed the back of his bald head.
When the wheat harvester saw that it was true, his vigilance was largely eliminated.
Just when Shitou was feeling proud, Bai Xing'er beside him said, "Fifteen, I'll give you fifteen copper coins to sell it to me."
Shitou was furious: "You are stealing my business, right?"
"What do you mean by your business? The braid belongs to someone else. He can sell it to whoever he wants."
Just as Mai Ke was about to agree, Shi Tou got angry and said, "I'll pay twenty, sell it to me!"
Bai Xing'er immediately said, "I'll bet twenty-five!"
Shitou also argued with him: "Then I'll give you thirty."
"I'm thirty-five."
"Then you sell it to him. I won't take it."
The wheat picker was happily preparing to collect the money, and Bai Xinger also realized that the Bai family only had thirty-five copper coins, and he didn't make a penny at this price.
……
At the county market, a dozen peddlers hired by the Bai family carried bags full of copper coins and shuttled through the crowd. They approached and whispered to anyone with braids, and soon collected a lot of braids.
……
In just three days, the villagers of Bailu Village flocked to the neighboring towns and villages like a tide, and the news of buying braids spread like wildfire. In just three days, almost all the braids within a radius of 100 miles were looted. The yard of the Bai family was filled with bundles of braids. When Bai Jiaxuan counted the accounts every day, his fingers were calloused from counting money frequently, but the smile on his face became deeper and deeper.
"Da, with so many braids, our family is going to be rich. From now on, our family will be second in Bailuyuan. Let's see who dares to claim to be first."
Even Bai Jiaxuan, who was usually calm and composed, was overwhelmed by the overwhelming wealth.
"Look at what you have accomplished. Hurry up and wash these braids, sort them into grades, and send them to the foreign companies. The real money is what goes into your pocket." Although Bai Bingde pretended to be calm on the surface, his heart couldn't stop trembling.
The braids piled up like a small mountain in the Bai family's yard shone with a shiny black light in the sun. Bai Jiaxuan was directing the farmhands to tie the braids according to their ranks. The entire inner and outer courtyards of the Bai family were filled with braids.
The next day, before daybreak, Lu San drove the carriage to the back door. Bai Jiaxuan stepped onto the carriage lightly. The burlap bags on the carriage were all filled with braids.
"Third brother, slow down and don't make too much noise."
"Ugh."
Lu San carefully drove the carriage out of the village.
In the next few days, the villagers who came to the Bai family to sell their braids found that the person who bought their braids had changed to the young master of the Bai family.
At first, some people wanted to take advantage of Qin Hao because he was young, but they were disappointed in the end.
"The young master of the Bai family is incredible. He does calculations without hesitation. He will definitely achieve great things in the future."
"I don't know what kind of luck the Bai family has. First they got all this wealth, and now even the younger generation is so smart and capable. It seems that the Lu family can't suppress the Bai family at all."
When Lu Zilin heard these words, he was so angry that he couldn't sleep well for several nights.
"If I hadn't broken my leg, would I have been as successful as Bai Jiaxuan?"
……
Zhu family, in the small courtyard.
Mr. Zhu said to Qin Hao with a half-smile: "You are the one who caused the recent incident in Bailu Village, right?"
Qin Hao did not quibble and answered honestly: "Yes, uncle."
Mr. Zhu shook his head: "This is not something you should do at your age."
"Uncle, you always say 'knowledge and action are one'. If I just learn but don't practice, how can I know if what I learn is useful?"
Mr. Zhu laughed and scolded: "You kid is waiting for me here."
……
It is already the end of the year. This year, every household in Bailu Village is filled with joy. In the past two months, every household has earned a lot of money by collecting braids. With the money, everyone is confident. They either buy new clothes for their family members or buy two fingers of pork, waiting to have a prosperous new year.
Of course, the villagers also knew that they could have such a good life thanks to the Bai family, and they were all very respectful when they saw the Bai family.
After class, Qin Hao returned to Bailu Village and greeted everyone along the way.
Just when he returned home and was warming himself in front of the charcoal brazier, Bai Jiaxuan came back carrying a frozen woman.
"Mom, go and invite Mr. Leng."