After confirming the next plan, Shopkeeper Tian followed Li Yi's instructions and began to purchase a batch of glass jewelry from An Xin. Then he began to take the existing samples and recommend them to the customers who had already identified them, hoping to pre-sell them in advance.

Shopkeeper Tian also has a good business acumen. Although individual glass jewelry is expensive, it is far less profitable than the complete set. If the glass jewelry is sold as a complete set, it is not a problem to sell a set for several thousand taels of silver. At this price

There must be someone buying in the now vacant market.

In fact, there are some glass-like jewelry in the Ming Dynasty, but the raw materials of these jewelry are all kinds of crystals, the quantity is not large, and most of them are single pieces and do not form a set. But Li Yi and others

We have the advantage of being able to produce glass of various sizes, shapes, and colors through technology, which can meet most needs.

In the Ming Dynasty, jewelry represented family background and financial resources, and was also an indispensable part of a woman’s face. Even a rural woman would carry a copper hairpin.

Of course, it is impossible for Li Yi and others to sell glass to them. Shopkeeper Tian's sales target is a small part of the women, the daughters and wives of those wealthy families. Only they can afford such new things as glass.

Only women like them who are "stupid and have a lot of money" would spend a lot of money on a complete set of jewelry to show their difference and nobility.

Shopkeeper Tian, ​​who has been doing business in Baoding for decades, knows the rich and powerful households best, and he has already identified many targets.

For the wealthy people he knew well, Shopkeeper Tian approached them one by one and said that he would be able to produce a small batch of glass jewelry soon, but the quantity was very limited and had to be ordered, and a part of the silver had to be paid, and the goods would be delivered three days later.

At this time, Shopkeeper Tian's role as a local businessman in Baoding Prefecture and his decades of business experience was revealed. When he saw the crystal clear glass jewelry in the wealthy families he found, he was immediately attracted. He also detailed his requirements.

He came out and handed the deposit to shopkeeper Tian with confidence.

Shopkeeper Tian came to a large-scale mansion. The street here is about three meters wide and the view is wide. In front of the main entrance are two stone lions as tall as one person, which are lifelike and lifelike. There is also a plaque hanging on the door of the mansion.

, the plaque reads "Washington" in two large gilded characters.

The carriage stopped, and Shopkeeper Tian got out of the carriage with a smile on his face. Behind him was an entourage in brocade robes, holding a nanmu treasure box in his hand. Judging from the dense patterns and simple style, you knew it was worth a lot.

It doesn't take much to think that the items placed in such expensive boxes must be very precious.

The entourage went forward to see the concierge. After a while, the door of the mansion opened, but it was not the main entrance, but the side door next to the main entrance.

The side door was half opened, and a maid in gorgeous clothes came out. When she saw Shopkeeper Tian, ​​she bowed slightly and said calmly: "Shopkeeper Tian, ​​my wife is already waiting for you, please come with me."

Saying this, he led Shopkeeper Tian into the mansion.

After passing through three courtyard gates and walking through two gardens, Manager Tian finally arrived at a living room with sweat on his forehead and was arranged to sit down.

The entrance to this living room is a red sandalwood screen carved with pine and crane patterns and inlaid with a jade stone base. There are several tables with tilted heads on both sides. There are large porcelain vases and marble inserts on them, as many as five or six. The furnishings in the living room are gorgeously decorated.

It is carefully carved and inlaid with marble, gemstones, enamel, etc. Although it looks beautiful, it has a strong suspicion of trying to compete for wealth.

Screaming inwardly that he was so rich, Shopkeeper Tian wiped the sweat from his forehead and sighed inwardly that the financial resources of the Washington State were so strong that he was worthy of being a person who could compete with the He family.

After a while, a group of people walked in slowly, led by a dignified woman who looked to be in her forties, and the rest of the people surrounded her like stars holding the moon.

Next to him was a woman in her twenties, followed by some maids in relatively uniform clothes.

"Shopkeeper Tian, ​​my husband has gone out, and he probably won't be back for a few months. You said you have something important to do with me, and now I'm confused. What are you doing with a woman like me?"

The person speaking was Mrs. Hua. She was not from a scholarly family, but was the daughter of a wealthy businessman. Therefore, she was not very polite when speaking, and often made other women laugh at her behind her back.

With a warm smile on his face, Shopkeeper Tian stepped forward and bowed his hands: "Mrs. Hua, I'm not here to discuss business matters with Mr. Hua this time, but I'm here specifically to come to you."

"Looking for me? Why are you looking for me?" Mrs. Hua said lukewarmly. If Shopkeeper Tian had not had several business dealings with her husband, and she had met Shopkeeper Tian several times, she would not have seen this kind of thing.

Small businessman.

"Mother, we are guests. I think you should sit down and talk." Miss Hua next to her said.

"This is the eldest lady. She is really a beautiful person. She looks as dignified and beautiful as Mrs. Hua. I came in a hurry today and didn't bring anything good. I just brought a small jewelry that is the most popular in Baoding now.

I hope Miss Hua won't dislike it and accept it." Shopkeeper Tian had a smile on his face and took out a small box. Inside was a crystal clear red glass pendant. It looked bright and colorful, as if it was burning like a flame.

Burning, lifelike.

Although Miss Hua was dignified and polite, when she saw such a beautiful pendant, she couldn't help but stretched out her hand, took it, and said, "What a beautiful pendant." She even forgot to postpone it.

Fortunately, no one here cares about etiquette. Seeing that her daughter was happy, Mrs. Hua's face became a little enthusiastic. She pointed to the chair and said: "Let's sit down and talk. Hua'er, serve tea."

The pretty maid next to her was Hua'er, the eldest girl next to Mrs. Hua. With a smile on her face, she bowed and went to make tea.

"Shopkeeper Tian, ​​what is the jade on this, and why have I never seen it before? It is not only bright in color, but also very light. It is so beautiful." Miss Hua carefully held the pendant and tilted her head to admire it, Cherry Little

My mouth kept sighing.

"Don't you know, Miss Hua? This kind of gemstone jewelry is very popular in Baoding recently. Many ladies have bought some from me and like them very much. I still have some beautiful ones left, so I gave them to you in such a hurry.

Come here. And the gems on it are from Fo Langji, which is thousands of miles away from the Ming Dynasty. I bought these gems from them by chance, and then asked craftsmen to make them to make such beautiful jewelry."

"Fo Langji? But that group of people with blue eyes and red beards? No wonder I haven't seen such gems before. It turns out they brought them." Miss Hua was still relatively simple and quickly believed what Shopkeeper Tian said.

"Shopkeeper Tian is really thoughtful. I will tell the master about this when he comes back." Although Mrs. Hua was talking, she was still looking at the pendant in her daughter's hand, because the color and shape were very special.

She is beautiful, and as a grown-up woman, besides exquisite clothes, the only thing she likes most is beautiful jewelry.

Shopkeeper Tian certainly saw the desire in Mrs. Hua's eyes and said with a smile: "Mrs. Hua, although many people have bought this kind of jewelry, I still have the most exquisite set here, because Mrs. Hua may need it.

, I just came to visit today and wanted to show Mrs. Hua a look."

"What? There are such jewelry?" Mrs. Hua's eyes instantly became hot and she said, "Quickly take it out and let me see it."

Shopkeeper Tian summoned his entourage and stroked the exquisite wooden box to whet their appetite before slowly opening the box.

What is in the box is a set of small jewelry. The top is a blue aquamarine hairpin with a golden butterfly spreading its wings. Below are three pairs of brightly colored pearls, and then there are jewelery strings that look like earbands.

, plus the drop-shaped pendant hanging on the body, with the three colors of heaven, earth and man, symbolizing the three layers of heaven, earth and man, making people appear elegant, noble and graceful.

Mrs. Hua, who was dressed in gorgeous clothes, felt that she was dressed like a country bumpkin when she saw this set of jewelry. Not to mention the dull colors, there was no meaning at all. She stared at the glass jewelry with shining eyes, thinking that this set of decorations might

Not even a queen, which made her heart even hotter.

"Mr. Tian, ​​how much does this set of jewelry cost? I bought it." Being rich means being domineering. Mrs. Hua didn't say a word and just asked to buy it.

"Mrs. Hua is really a stranger. I have always admired Mr. Hua, and now I am borrowing flowers to offer to Buddha..."

Shopkeeper Tian originally wanted to be polite, but Mrs. Hua obviously couldn't wait any longer and said: "Shopkeeper Tian, ​​we don't talk secretly. Please tell me how much this set of jewelry costs."

"This, someone saw me before and offered me 10,000 taels of silver, but I didn't even want to part with it..."

"Fifteen thousand taels of silver." Mrs. Hua said.

Shopkeeper Tian remained calm, with a friendly smile still on his face, and continued: "Well, the third lady of the He family also asked someone to say that she wanted to buy this set of jewelry. I have been holding off, just thinking about waiting for you to see it...

………”

When Mrs. Hua heard about Mrs. He Jiasan, she immediately raised her eyebrows. Mrs. He Jiasan, relying on someone in her family to be a Jinshi, often said behind her back that she was a country bumpkin. Mrs. Hua had tolerated her for a long time, and this time she could not use this set of jewelry.

Let out.

"Twenty thousand taels of silver."

Shopkeeper Tian accepted it as soon as he saw it. Knowing that this amount was already the limit for this set of jewelry, he hurriedly said: "I originally wanted to give it to you, but now I have to keep the money. Damn it. I want this set of jewelry today."

I'll leave it to Madam. When Madam wears it out one day, she will probably make a lot of people crazy."

Mrs. Hua also had a smile on her face and said: "You are also interested. When the master comes back, I will say a few words for you and let you do some business."

Mr. Hua's grain business is quite big, but secretly his silver business is the biggest. Shopkeeper Tian was secretly happy after hearing this and quickly thanked him.

"By the way, do you still have this kind of jewelry?" Mrs. Hua asked.

Shopkeeper Tian smiled and said: "There are still some of this kind of gems, but there are no sets of jewelry like this one. They are just some single jewelry. But when the Folangji people are transporting some gems, they may be able to make some other ones."

, but I don’t know how long it will take.”

After hearing this, the smile on Mrs. Hua's face became even stronger. Since it disappeared in a short time, it meant that Mrs. He's third wife would not be able to compare with herself in a short time.

After Shopkeeper Tian ordered another batch of jewelry for Mrs. Hua, he said goodbye and left.

Today, just from business in Washington, one can earn 25,000 taels of silver, which is about tens of millions of future generations' currency. From this, we can see how rich the merchants of the Ming Dynasty were, and they were as rich as the country.
Chapter completed!