Chapter 73: Capital

For the next two days, Liu Yanping was hardly ever home, going around the village asking households with weaving machines about the prices small vendors used to come and collect raw fabric in the village in previous years. He also began visiting local small weaving workshops in Anyi County to check the quality and inquire about prices.

The market price for summer fabric ranged from five hundred to six hundred wen, which was the retail price for dyed mature summer fabric. The wholesale price for raw summer fabric from the weaving workshops ranged from three hundred to three hundred sixty wen per bolt. Liu Yanping inquired and found out that the price for raw fabric woven from spring hemp when purchased by merchants in the village was between two hundred seventy to three hundred wen per bolt.

Farmers barely had any extra money throughout the year, and households that could weave fabric mostly used undyed raw fabric to make clothes. Therefore, whether a household’s weaving skills were good or bad could be determined by the quality of the clothes they wore. After several comparisons, Liu Yanping found that there wasn’t much difference in quality between the fabric woven by skilled women at home and that from small weaving workshops.

He pondered over it and started to consider the possibilities.

He didn’t have much capital. If he discussed it with his mother, they could probably come up with ten to twenty taels. As for the money from Liu Yu, Liu Yanping hadn’t considered using it.

With ten to twenty taels, he wouldn’t be able to get much raw fabric. Even if it were twenty taels, calculated at three hundred wen per bolt, it would only be around sixty-six bolts. This amount would also need to reserve money for dyeing the fabric. In other words, at best, he could manage to get fifty bolts of fabric to sell.

Twenty taels, with a profit margin of thirty percent, would earn him six taels.

Six taels wasn’t a small amount. It was half a year’s worth of salary for his eldest brother, Liu Yanching. However, as Liu Chengxiao had mentioned, even if he made six taels, it wouldn’t be enough for the travel expenses.

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???

Wei Shi was momentarily stunned, almost thinking that she would soon be able to enjoy some wedding tea. Then, there was a small moment of disappointment.

But since her eldest son hadn’t settled down yet, Wei Shi wasn’t in a hurry for her second son. Her disappointment lasted only briefly before she pushed it aside. Instead, she asked about the matter of them planning to sell fabric, “You’ll be assisting Chengxiao with carrying and running errands?”

Wei Shi didn’t think they had the capital to become traveling merchants. Without five hundred or a thousand taels, how could they venture into Zhejiang for business? What she could think of was her son’s strength and skills, and him working as a laborer or assistant while gaining some experience on the side seemed like the most plausible scenario.

Liu Yanping chuckled. “You really understand me.”

Liu Yu was momentarily taken aback. While Chengxiao had mentioned the idea of traveling for business before, they hadn’t discussed it during their last meeting. Liu Yu assumed it wasn’t happening so soon.

Seeing her puzzled expression, Liu Yanping explained, “Since the hemp weaving is still ongoing in various households, there isn’t much finished fabric available yet. So Chengxiao probably hasn’t had the chance to tell you. Most likely, he’s been visiting weaving workshops in the neighboring counties these days.”

Unlike him, who could collect enough fabric from just two households in his village, Chengxiao needed to move quickly if he wanted to go to Zhejiang. If he wanted to move fast, he’d have to order from two or three weaving workshops.

Moreover, there was also the possibility that Chengxiao hadn’t discussed the matter of selling fabric in Zhejiang with his family yet.

After several interactions, Liu Yanping had some understanding of Chengxiao. He wasn’t one to talk much, but he would quietly get things done. He would first assess the market and have a plan in place. He would probably only discuss it with his family once he was confident and had a clear plan. If he hadn’t approached him that day, Chengxiao wouldn’t have mentioned it to him first. Similarly, he probably wouldn’t have discussed it with Liu Yu until it was approved and confirmed by his family.

Liu Yu nodded. “I understand. Opportunities wait for no one.”

Of the hemp fibers harvested throughout the year, those collected in May had the best quality. The summer fabric woven from these fibers was delicate and white. Chengxiao would undoubtedly be pressed for time if he wanted to sell fabric in Zhejiang. Just as she was busy making clothes to seize the golden opportunity for summer clothing sales, Liu Yanping had his own concerns.

Liu Yu asked about the specific plan, and Wei Shi and Liu Yanan also showed interest, all looking at him. Liu Yanping then explained the recent market trends he had learned about and the agreement he had made with Chengxiao. He also discussed with Wei Shi, planning to take twenty taels of silver from her to purchase a batch of high-quality summer fabric from the village and Chengxiao’s fabric together.

Seeing the benefits of traveling for business along with her niece’s success in making clothes, and realizing that Liu Yanching was working as a constable in the county office, while Liu Yanping and Liu Yanan didn’t necessarily have to toil in the fields for the rest of their lives, Wei Shi naturally supported the idea. She nodded and said, “Alright, I’ll give you the money in a while. When you purchase the fabric, you can start by choosing from our own clan’s households.”

At this time, clan consciousness was very strong. Even though the Liu family had only resettled in the village and settled down for two generations, they still received considerable attention from their clan members. Therefore, whenever there was something that could benefit others, Wei Shi always considered the clan first. When Liu Yu was looking for someone to make clothes, she sought out women from the clan. Now, as Liu Yanping was going to collect fabric, she reminded him to start by purchasing from clan members.

Liu Yanping naturally understood this principle. There were also skilled weavers within the clan, so it made sense to prioritize their fabric. He nodded and said, “I understand.”

Wei Shi didn’t say much more. She turned around and went back to get the silver for Liu Yanping. At this moment, Liu Yu also said, “Second Brother, twenty taels won’t be enough for your trip to Zhejiang. I’ve recently settled a few accounts, and there’s a total of forty-five taels now. You can take it all.”

Liu Yanping was unwilling to accept her money. He shook his head and said, “Keep the money for your shop. I’m not going on this trip to make money. I’m just going to gain some experience along the way.”

Liu Yu smiled and corrected him, saying, “The shop belongs to our family, so the money naturally belongs to you, Second Brother. You’ve seen it yourself, not having the shop open doesn’t make much of a difference now. We can still earn money. We still have half of the fabric we purchased last time, and the money from selling that fabric should cover the cost. Money needs to circulate. These forty-five taels are just sitting idle with me, useless. Money is meant to be used. If it’s just sitting there, it’s like a lump of iron. If you bring a bit more goods with you this time, the profits from this trip could be even greater. And when you make money on this trip, perhaps I’ll be able to gather enough to open the shop earlier.”

Not allowing Liu Yanping to refuse, she turned and went back inside the west wing to get the money.

Liu Yanping was an ambitious person. Initially, he wanted to sell fabric to help Liu Yu gather the capital to open the shop in the county. Now, hearing this, he naturally felt tempted, especially by the statement “money needs to be used.” Liu Yanping found it extremely reasonable.

In the hall, only the two brothers were left. Looking at him with great envy, Liu Yanan asked, “Second Brother, are you really going to Zhejiang with Chengxiao?”

Liu Yanping glanced at him. “Do you want to go?”

Liu Yanan nodded eagerly. “Yes, I do.”

Liu Yanping smiled and ruffled Liu Yanan’s hair, saying, “This time, Chengxiao is funding the trip. It’s not convenient to have too many people. Next time, after I’m familiar with the route and have earned some capital, I’ll take you with me when we go for business.”

“Alright.” With the assurance that his elder brother would take him along next time, Liu Yanan was satisfied. He patted Liu Yanping on the back and said, “Then, Second Brother, you must do well.”

Seeing that his mother and sister hadn’t come out yet, he whispered, “All our family’s money and the money for Yu’er’s shop are all given to you. This money isn’t easy to come by, so please don’t… mishandle it.”

Seeing his mother and sister sewing day in and day out, he felt sorry for how tired they were. Unfortunately, he couldn’t sew, so he could only help with household chores and run errands.

Avoiding the ominous word “lose,” Liu Yanan trailed off.

Liu Yanping understood. He nodded and said, “I know.”

He would be as cautious as possible.

Wei Shi and Liu Yu came out each carrying a money box and met in the inner courtyard. The money box in Liu Yu’s hand was the one Wei Shi had given her. How could she not recognize it? Her heart skipped a beat, and she said, “You should give this to your Second Brother to use. In case…”

“Aunt.” Liu Yu interrupted Wei Shi’s words, smiling. “We are family. Originally, these were shares for the three elder brothers. I trust Second Brother, and besides, even if something were to happen, it’s okay. We can just continue making clothes for a few more months, like we’re doing now.”

Wei Shi couldn’t argue with that. Liu Yu had already pulled her close with a smile. “Let’s go. Think positively. If Second Brother makes money, my shop might be able to open in the county sooner.”

Touched by her words, Wei Shi now understood that her niece truly considered them close relatives, treating the three sons as if they were her own brothers. There was no need for further discussion between the two families. Wei Shi nodded and said, “Alright.”

The mother and daughter went to the main hall together. The two money boxes contained silver ingots weighing five taels each, scattered silver pieces totaling one or two taels, and a string of copper coins.

Liu Yu put all forty-five taels of silver, except for the copper coins, into Wei Shi’s money box. Sixty-five taels of silver. Even before Liu Yanping had a chance to hold it, he could feel its heavy weight.

“From purchasing fabric to dyeing and selling it, you’ve discussed everything with Chengxiao before proceeding. The Lu family has been in the fabric business for over ten or twenty years. I’ve heard that the old master Lu started as a fabric peddler. This experience is invaluable, and we can’t buy it. Always ask Chengxiao about everything; you won’t go wrong.”

This was the only admonition from Wei Shi.

Liu Yanping nodded, took the money box, and, despite previously wishing to acquire more fabric, he became quiet upon receiving sixty taels of capital. Now, he needed to spend it cautiously and with great care.

Meanwhile, in the main hall behind the Lufeng Fabric Shop, the whole family had just finished dinner, and they had exchanged their bowls and chopsticks for tea.

After some time of planning, Chengxiao finally mentioned his plan to trade summer fabric in Zhejiang to his father, Lu Xun, and his two elder brothers.

Lu Xun had already been intrigued by the idea of trading when Chengxiao told him about his experiences in Suzhou back in March. He had always known about his youngest son’s intentions, so he never forced him to stay behind the counter in the fabric shop like his elder brothers. He allowed Chengxiao to arrange things himself, whether it was learning from the shopkeeper or going out to explore.

Now, finally hearing that Chengxiao was ready to take action, Lu Xun felt like he was watching a chess piece hovering in mid-air, and after a long time of waiting, it was finally about to fall into place. He smiled and asked Chengxiao, “Have you worked out all the details of the plan?”

Chengxiao nodded and explained everything he had learned recently to his father and brothers, as well as outlined his plans for purchasing fabric, dyeing it, and selling it.

Listening to it all was like hearing a story for Lu Chengzong. After hearing it all, he had only one thought in his mind: his third brother was truly remarkable.

Lu Chengzhang’s emotions were somewhat complicated.

Trading, that was something small-scale businessmen like them didn’t dare to imagine. Without a solid financial foundation, how could they venture into trading?

But his third brother had been outstripping him and his elder brother since he was in his teens. Even though they had the same background, his way of doing things was always different. He dared to do things that Lu Chengzhang never dared to, and when he talked to their father about it, he didn’t seem worried at all that their father wouldn’t support him.

In fact, Lu Chengzhang didn’t see any signs that their father didn’t support him.

He was indulged to the extreme.

At this moment, Lu Chengzhang’s heart felt a little sour. Seeing Lu Xun always asking the third brother how to do this business, but never asking how much capital he needed, Lu Chengzhang couldn’t help but ask, “Isn’t the capital required for trading in Zhejiang considerable? How much is the third brother planning to bring?”

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