Chapter 23 Twin Ponytails

Chapter 23 Twin Ponytails

Chapter 23 Twin Ponytails

Fifteen thousand taels of silver were sent to the Butterfield & Sullivan Company, and Yung Wing began to contact Shao Quanzhong to buy a gun.

Shao Quanzhong was unable to do anything about this matter, so he handed it all over to Manager Rong and took Zhang Siwen to visit Shanghai.

At that time, the Shanghai Concession had just been opened for fifteen years and did not yet have the reputation of the Magic City and the Paris of the East. The foreign concession had begun to take shape, but it was not as prosperous as it would be in later generations.

When a man goes shopping, he will not linger, but go straight to the point and come to a tailor shop opened by a Ningbo native.

The famous "Red Gang" tailors who specialized in making western suits in Shanghai had not yet emerged, and tailor shops were still making traditional Qing Dynasty clothing. But this was just right, as Shao Quanzhong was not here to make western suits.

As soon as he entered the store, Shao Quanzhong went straight to the boss to try to get his hands on him, asking him to design a set of female student clothes for himself and have it made to order.

Zhang Siwen watched his brother holding a brush and with a few strokes, a new set of clothes appeared on the paper.

A short jacket with cheongsam-style diagonal buttons and wide flared sleeves, paired with a knee-length black midi skirt. Even though Zhang Siwen doesn't understand fashion design, he still thinks it looks trendy and comfortable.

What caught Zhang Ersha's attention was the model of the clothes. She had a round face and a sweet smile. Just a few strokes made her very vivid and she could be recognized at once. The prototype was the daughter of Manager Rong.

Zhang Siwen smiled knowingly, his brother is in love.

Ningbo people are world-famous for their skills in using the "three knives" of kitchen knives, scissors and razors. The tailors are very skilled and have no problem cutting according to the drawings.

Clothes were very expensive for ordinary people, but they were only a few taels of silver, so Shao Quanzhong could still afford it.

Shao Quanzhong specially paid extra money, and the boss worked overtime overnight. He got the finished product the next day and took Zhang Siwen to Rong's house as a gift.

Shao Quanzhong picked up girls just for fun, and the clothes were not worth much, his main purpose was to express his gratitude to Yung Wing.

Yung Wing was patriotic and helped him for free. If I gave him money as a kickback, it would be vulgar and would also affect my image in Yung Wing's mind.

Yung Wing was selfless and always caring towards his daughter.

He left his wife and children at home and went to study in the United States. He was away for seven years. He felt very guilty towards his children. If I tried to please his daughter, I would definitely hit his soft spot, and he would have to give in.

When they arrived at Rong's house, Manager Rong had not yet finished get off work. When Rong Hui saw the two brothers, she opened the door with a smile and welcomed them in.

"Sister Huier, this is a new style of clothing I just designed. I think it will suit you very well. You may as well try it.

You will look extremely beautiful in this dress, Huier."

Brother Shao can also design clothes. He is so talented. He also knows how to give clothes to girls as gifts and he is very sweet.

In this age of arranged marriages, this kind of free love pursuit is very rare.

Rong Hui felt sweet in her heart. She ran into the bedroom with her clothes in her arms, leaving the two guests in the living room.

As soon as the door opened, Shopkeeper Rong came back and said, "Master Shao, it's great that you're here. The purchase of the gun has been completed."

Shao Quanzhong was shocked. This speed was beyond his expectation.

Who is Yung Wing? He was one of the two major managers of the company in Shanghai.

The headquarters of Matheson & Co. was in Hong Kong. Its business in Shanghai included two items: selling opium and collecting silk and tea, which balanced the trade.

Mr. & Mr. Schneider was one of the largest trading companies in Shanghai. Yung Wing was the manager in charge of collecting silk and tea. He was half of the boss of Mr. & Mr. Schneider's Shanghai branch and had a huge influence.

"Master Shao, I bought you the latest British Enfield P1853 rifle, equipped with a bayonet and a thousand rounds of ammunition, each set costs ninety taels of silver.

One hundred rods of spot goods cost nine thousand taels.

In addition, we sent the clipper ship "Water Monster" to Hong Kong to purchase goods. We ordered another 500 poles. The deposit is 1,000 taels. You can pay the rest when you get the goods. There is still 5,000 taels left, so you can take it back."

What does it mean when someone is there to help you get things done? With the help of the manager of the foreign company, Shao Quanzhong's plan to buy guns at a cheap price was accomplished the next day.

Why was it so fast? One reason was that Yung Wing had the final say and was powerful.

Another reason was that Shao Quanzhong, as a military attaché of the Qing Dynasty, went to a British trading company to purchase arms, which made the top management of the Butterfield & Sullivan Company extremely excited.

Since the sixth year of Emperor Xianfeng's reign, the British and French allied forces have started the war against the Qing Dynasty. Until now, in the tenth year of Emperor Xianfeng's reign, the British and French allied forces have entered the capital, and the Old Summer Palace has been burned. It would be strange if the Qing Dynasty had any good attitude towards Britain and France.

The United States thus took advantage of the situation. The Wall Brothers formed a foreign rifle corps to help the Qing Dynasty fight the Taiping Rebellion, while at the same time selling large amounts of arms to the Qing Dynasty.

Even if they sell at a high price, our Qing Dynasty accepts it and will underwrite the sales. This money cannot be earned by the hateful British devils.

Henry Wall was also a big Qing official, giving out kickbacks like crazy. The money from the Qing buying arms and hiring foreign soldiers flowed into the pockets of the Wall brothers. The British trading companies could only watch with envy, and they could not make any money from the arms.

So when Yung Wing brought Shao Quanzhong's rifle order, the top management of the Butterfield & Sullivan Company were overjoyed.

This is an opportunity to pry open the Qing Dynasty's arms trade channels. We will sell them at a low price. We must break the American monopoly.

Of course, considering the cost of the bullet is about ten taels of silver, and it is sold for ninety taels, even if the ocean shipping costs are deducted, this is still a huge profit, but not as ruthlessly as the Americans.

What if there is no spot stock? Is this a problem for the largest foreign company in Shanghai?

The British guards and Indian policemen in the British Concession needed guns themselves, which were of course supplied by British trading companies, so they still had some in stock.

As the inventory of Jardine Matheson & Co. was running low, Yung Wing immediately contacted Jardine & Co. (later Jardine Matheson) and Sassoon & Co. and took over all their inventory.

It was not enough, so the general manager of the foreign bank branch personally came forward to discuss with the guards and police chiefs in the British Concession and embezzled the active spare guns, and finally gathered a total of 100 guns.

As for the order of 500 poles, Shao Quanzhong didn't have that much money - just place the order first anyway.

Shao Quanzhong has already planned the next money-making plan - with a hundred guns in his hands, there are many things he can do. Will Shao Quanzhong let his men stay still with guns in hand?
Shao Quanzhong bowed to the ground and said, "Thank you, Manager Rong, for your help.

Giving iron to a poor man is better than giving gold to a rich man.

If Shao achieves success in the future, he will definitely remember the help that Manager Rong has given him at this time. "

Rong Hong waved his hand and said, "It doesn't matter whether Rong is rich or not. I just hope that Lord Shao can make a breakthrough soon. Then Rong will work for you for free and build China into an industrial country."

"It's a word."

The two men high-fived, and Yung Wing's identity as the leader of the "Shao faction" was confirmed.

"Dad, do you think it looks good? This was specially designed and made for me by Brother Shao. Brother Shao is so talented."

Seeing his daughter running out jumping and skipping, Yung Wing was stunned.

The light blue student uniform and the black mid-length skirt have both the characteristics of the Qing Dynasty and Western style. With Yung Wing's taste, it is immediately clear that this outfit is not simple.

How could it be simple? This is the standard student uniform that was popular in the late Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China. Once Rong Hui put it on, her temperament was greatly improved.

"Look, Daddy, this is the design drawing that Brother Shao drew. Isn't he so talented?"

As soon as he called himself "Brother Shao", a sense of crisis spread throughout his body. Yung Wing suddenly felt that something was wrong. His precious daughter was in danger.

"Ah - no, Brother Shao drew two ponytails. I need to comb my hair again."

Seeing his daughter hurriedly running back to the bedroom, Yung Wing let out a long sigh, and a feeling of being a father-in-law, both relieved and reluctant, suddenly surged into his heart.

"My dear nephew, are you married?"

Nowadays, people get married at the age of 16 or 17. Shao Quanzhong might already have a wife at home. Wouldn't it be a waste of his efforts on his daughter? It is unacceptable for his daughter to become someone's concubine.

"Mr. Shao" became "my dear nephew", which fully demonstrated Yung Wing's attitude.

Shao Quanzhong bowed and said, "How can I take care of my family if my great cause is not yet accomplished? My nephew doesn't even have a family yet."

Yung Wing did not continue talking. It was impossible to progress so quickly.

We still need to observe whether this knowledgeable Lord Shao really has the ability to fight and do things. It would be bad if he is not Ma Su who can only fool people.

Rong Hong and Rong Hui, who had twin ponytails, saw Shao Quanzhong out. Rong Hui looked more lively and graceful with her new hairstyle. Even after they walked a long way, Shao Quanzhong still looked back reluctantly.

He arrived at the port, took nine personal guards with him, hired a car, and went to the Bao Shun Foreign Company to transport the 100 sets of foreign rifles and the 5,000 taels of unspent silver back to the ship. Shao Quanzhong did not order the ship to sail.

We found Evan, a Prussian Jew who was wandering around the port looking for work, dizzy with hunger and blacking out.

Evan, who was well-informed, had already learned that Shao Quanzhong had bought good goods at a low price. He thought that Shao Quanzhong had come to make fun of him on purpose, and raised his head proudly.

"Gu, Gu!"

His stomach betrayed him.

Shao Quanzhong stood with his hands behind his back and looked at the down-and-out broker with a smile, "Help me do something. If you succeed, I will find you a stable job that makes money."

(End of this chapter)