Chapter 467 Good Business, the Beginning of Ming Dynasty Reform
Chapter 467 Good Business, the Beginning of Ming Dynasty Reform
Inside the military tent, Lu Yunyi perked up, took a pen and paper from the side, and began to ask questions:
"How much silver do you plan to spend to start the business?"
"Sixty taels!"
"How many cars should I buy? How many people should I hire?"
“Buy five cars and hire five people.”
Lu Yunyi nodded and wrote quickly on the paper:
"An ordinary cart costs about five to ten taels of silver each. Taking the average, assuming eight taels per cart, the total cost is forty taels.
Assuming the life of the cart is two years, the average monthly cost is about 1 tael and 7 qian.”
“How much does it cost to hire one?”
Li Wu answered honestly: "This job is hard work. The salary is five cents a month, including food and lodging."
"How much does it cost for food and lodging for five people per month?"
"About two taels."
Lu Yunyi nodded:
"I hired five people, five coins each, plus two taels for food and lodging, so the monthly labor cost is about five taels of silver."
“How much does it cost to rent a storefront?”
"Twenty taels of silver a year." Li Wu replied.
Lu Yunyi lowered his head and wrote it down, then asked:
"Have you calculated the various taxes and fees that need to be paid to the government?"
Li Wu showed some pain on his face and said, "About one or two taels a month."
After Lu Yunyi wrote it down, he looked up and said:
“The monthly fixed cost is nine taels of silver.
The monthly maintenance cost of the cart will be increased by another 5 cents.
Goods are bound to be bumped and scratched, so I’ll add another ounce to your amount for the loss, making a total of eleven ounces.
This does not include your own food and drink and other miscellaneous expenses. Give me another tael, and it will be twelve taels."
After saying this, Li Wu's face turned pale.
The fixed monthly expenditure of twelve taels was a horrible amount of money for him.
Lu Yunyi smiled and comforted:
"Don't worry, I'm still calculating. How much will the customer pay for a trip?"
"When it's less, it's one cent. When it's more, it's two or three cents."
Hearing this, Lu Yunyi raised his head, a little surprised:
"So much? Then you hire someone and pay them five cents. Can they do it?"
Li Wu nodded repeatedly: "Don't worry, sir, I have already inquired about what they do for food and lodging."
"Then I'll give you two cents for each trip."
Lu Yunyi nodded, feeling a little strange, and wrote quickly.
[Break-even point = fixed cost ÷ revenue per delivery]
[12÷0.2=60]
Lu Yunyi looked at the number with a strange expression on his face. He looked up at Li Wu:
“Can each person and vehicle deliver one trip per day?”
Li Wu thought about it and nodded: "One trip is fine."
"That's 150 trips a month, which is 30 taels of silver.
The fixed monthly expenditure is 12 taels, and the profit is 18 taels.
Even if we add some variable costs, we can still make 15 taels a month.
That is to say, if you invest 60 taels, if everything goes well, you can get your money back in four months at most."
Hearing this, Liu Heiying looked strange and looked at Li Wu again and again.
Because of the huge costs of his fruit and vegetable business, it would cost thousands of taels of silver just to stock the goods.
Even when business is good, it takes at least a year and a half to make back the investment. How could this carriage and horse business make back the investment in just four months?
He had the urge to turn around and go to the horse shop.
Li Wu was already in a state of excitement at this moment. His face flushed and he stuttered a little:
"General Lu, is this true?"
Lu Yunyi looked at the paper and nodded:
"This is indeed the result we calculated."
"Then can this car dealership be opened?" Li Wu's eyes brightened!
But the next moment, he was poured with a bucket of cold water.
"It can't be opened." Lu Yunyi said briefly. Li Wu was stunned and asked:
"Why?"
Lu Yunyi picked up the paper and thought about it.
Even if the labor cost doubles, there is still profit to be made and the investment can be recovered within a year. It is a great business no matter how you look at it.
It is a good business for him, but not for Li Wu.
Lu Yunyi looked at Li Wu and asked:
"Have you ever thought about how such a good business could end up being yours?"
Li Wu's face froze, and his whole body suddenly turned cold.
Yeah, why is it my turn?
He paused for a long time before he managed to force out a smile:
"General, could it be that others didn't notice it?"
After hearing this, Li Wu felt so ashamed that he almost lost his footing.
He thought he was not smart, because if he had discovered the business, others would surely be able to discover it as well.
Lu Yunyi smiled and handed the paper over:
“Business is good business, but there must be some tricks you don’t know about.
There is a high possibility that this piece of meat has already been eaten by someone.
If you do something small by yourself, others won't care, nor will they destroy your livelihood because of this little money.
But if you run a car dealership and try to steal business, someone will come to cause trouble for you.
It doesn't cost much money, just find some thugs to hold you hostage for a few months and they will make you bankrupt.
So I advise you not to get involved, or you will be eaten up."
Li Wu's heart was filled with resentment. His passion vanished at this moment and his expression became listless.
"General, is there no other solution?"
Lu Yunyi thought for a moment, took a new piece of paper, and wrote as he spoke:
"Let me give you a solution."
Li Wu suddenly raised his head with an expectant look on his face.
“Well, don’t rush to open a car shop, buy another car first, find a lonely brother from your hometown to come over, pay him as usual, and provide him with food and lodging at your home.
In this case, the initial investment will be less than ten taels, so don’t touch the rest of your money.”
"If I make money, I can use it to buy a car.
And your brother will naturally be unhappy when he sees you making money."
Li Wu wanted to say something, but Lu Yunyi opened his hand:
"You don't have to argue, this is human nature.
The most important way to make money is to be willing to share money and build a community of interests.
If your brother is unhappy, let him pay for the third car, and then it will be a business between the two of you."
Li Wu's face was dull, but his eyes lit up again. Liu Heiying beside him also sat up straight and listened seriously.
"If I buy a third car, I will find a brother from my family.
Just like the first brother, work first, earn enough money and then buy a car, and if he is not satisfied, let him join in and buy the next one."
“Although we earn less this way, we have more people, and with more people the business will be safe enough.”
"Of course, if you do this, you will definitely make money, but you will definitely have a lot of troubles. It depends on your choice."
Li Wu couldn't figure out the key point and his head was filled with doubts.
Liu Heiying saw that he looked uneasy and patted his shoulder:
"Don't be discouraged. Some businesses may look good, but they are full of tricks.
If you weren't powerful, I could easily kill you. Just be calm and take your time."
Li Wu seemed to have recognized the reality and nodded:
"Thank you, Generals. I did have some wild ideas."
Lu Yunyi handed the paper over and said with a smile:
"Everyone has his own aspirations, so how can it be considered as a fantasy?
Don't be too busy with your business during this period. Try to find out if there is any trick in it.
Look around at other car dealerships in the city and see how they run their business.”
Li Wu took the document as if it were a treasure, folded it carefully and put it against his chest.
"Thank you, General Lu. I am very grateful.
If I hadn't come to ask you, I might have lost my life and property."
Lu Yunyi waved his hand and looked at Liu Heiying:
"Give him the money for the insoles, but don't let him work for nothing."
"No need, no need." Li Wu waved his hand quickly.
Liu Heiying smiled, took out a five-liang silver note from his pocket and handed it over:
"Just take it if you're asked to. There's no such thing as working for nothing in this world. Some things are better settled clearly."
Li Wu took the banknote and stood up nervously:
"I am sorry to bother you two generals today. I will take my leave now."
Lu Yunyi nodded and reminded:
"Eat your food one bite at a time and walk your journey one step at a time.
Even if it is hard, you have to take your time and don't rush.
I will pay more attention to the market trends recently and then decide what to do. "
"Thank you, General Lu. I understand."
After Liu Heiying sent Li Wu away and returned to the military tent, he found Brother Yun'er still calculating on the desk, so he moved closer:
"Brother Yun'er, is there anything wrong with this car dealership? No one is doing such a good business."
"I have never done business, how would I know the clues?"
Liu Heiying curled his lips and disagreed with Brother Yun'er's modesty.
He can still clearly remember that the family's fruit business did not make much money in the early days.
Later, I listened to Brother Yun'er's advice and staked my entire fortune on expanding the business, which is how it became successful.
I originally thought that expanding the scale would bring greater costs.
But unexpectedly, after the scale expanded three times, the cost actually decreased.
Liu Heiying still remembers this incident.
Just like today, I write and draw, and calculate back and forth.
Putting away his thoughts, Liu Heiying looked back at the big box in the military tent and asked thoughtfully:
"Brother Yun'er, this thing may cause more serious trouble than the cart."
Lu Yunyi nodded gently:
"There is nothing good in this world, there is always a price to pay.
But the cost is outweighed by the benefits.”
After saying this, Lu Yunyi looked at the time:
"Okay, tell them to load the car. We'll go to the Prince's Mansion."
"Ah? I'm going too?" Liu Heiying pointed at himself in confusion. "Don't want to go?"
Liu Heiying shook his head like a rattle:
"I'd rather not go. What if His Royal Highness the Crown Prince thinks I'm capable and gives me a promotion?"
Lu Yunyi had a strange expression on his face: "Did you believe in the interpretation of the old monk from Tianjie Temple? You don't even want to get promoted."
Liu Heiying raised his eyebrows and leaned back in his chair:
"It's so good now, I will do whatever I am asked to do.
There is no better life in the world than having power and money without having to worry about anything."
Lu Yunyi shook his head helplessly and admired Liu Heying's pragmatic ideas.
"Okay, I'll go by myself. The barracks are going to install two new shower facilities today. You keep an eye on them and make sure nothing goes wrong."
"Okay, Brother Yun'er, you go ahead."
Lu Yunyi stood up and suddenly remembered something:
"A lot of things happened yesterday. If you want to know more, go ask Zhang Yu's son Zhang Fu."
"His son is here?"
Lu Yunyi nodded:
"Well, not only his son, but also many descendants and relatives of dukes and marquises are here. Don't be polite to them. Treat them equally."
"I understand, Brother Yun'er."
The setting sun pours down like molten gold.
The Yingtian City was dyed with a dreamy orange-red color.
The sky was like an overturned palette, filled with sunset glow and the clouds looked like they were on fire.
In front of the Prince's Mansion, the quirky Zhu Yunhuan was sitting quietly on the threshold, his chin supported by his hands, his bright eyes sparkling with expectation, and he looked to the end of the street from time to time.
Beside him, two young eunuchs were holding palm-leaf fans and fanning him gently.
The corners of his luxurious brocade robe swayed gently in the occasional breeze, adding a touch of innocence to him.
"Why haven't you come yet?"
He muttered softly, imitating the adults and sighing slightly.
Manager Sun beside him heard his murmur, bent down slightly, and said with a smile:
"Second Prince, General Lu said yesterday that it would be delivered in the evening. I think it will be soon."
Zhu Yunxun pouted and nodded gently: "Oh."
Just then, the sound of wheels rubbing gently against bluestone slabs came from afar.
Zhu Yunhuan's eyes lit up, then he smiled and stood up suddenly.
He then walked quickly forward, but the quaint carriage that came into view made the smile on his face disappear, but it quickly reappeared.
The carriage slowly stopped, the driver got off neatly, respectfully opened the curtain, put the bench on the table,
Zhu Biao, dressed in his casual clothes, walked out of the car with an upright posture.
Although she looked a little tired, her eyes immediately showed kindness when she saw Zhu Yunhuan at the door.
"Father!"
Zhu Yunhuan jumped and threw himself into Zhu Biao's arms.
She hugged his waist tightly with both hands, tilted her head back, her eyes sparkling.
"Father, you are finally back. I missed you so much."
Zhu Biao touched Zhu Yunhuan's head, raised the corner of his mouth, and looked at the scene at the door:
"I see, you are not thinking about being a father, but about your gift."
Zhu Yunhuan's thoughts were revealed, but he was not embarrassed and smiled:
"General Lu said he would send me something in the evening, but it hasn't arrived yet."
Zhu Biao laughed out loud at his frank answer and rubbed his head vigorously:
"My father is back, and he should be here soon."
"really?"
Zhu Yunhuan raised his head, his face full of hope.
At this time, the sound of wheels rolling over the bluestone slabs sounded again, and Zhu Biao laughed immediately:
"coming."
When Zhu Yunhuan heard this, his eyes widened instantly and he looked anxiously in the direction of the voice.
I saw a cloud of dust rising from the street in the distance, and a tall horse came into view.
With a sturdy figure and majestic appearance,
Sitting on it was General Lu, whom he had always been thinking about.
Zhu Yunxun's face flushed with excitement, his feet kept jumping on the spot, and he shouted:
"Here I come."
As he said this, he was about to rush towards the team.
Zhu Biao grabbed him and warned him with a smile: "Don't be reckless, be careful not to bump into the soldiers."
When Lu Yunyi saw Zhu Biao and Zhu Yunxun at the door, he quickly dismounted, strode forward, clasped his fists and said:
"Your Highness, I am sorry for being late. Please forgive me."
Zhu Biao raised his hand slightly, motioning him to stand up, and said with a smile:
"No need to be polite."
Zhu Yunhuan could no longer suppress his curiosity.
He stared at the boxes on the cart and asked impatiently:
"General Lu, what's in that box?"
Lu Yunyi cast his gaze over, a smile appeared on his face, and he bent down slightly:
"Second Prince, the box contains a gift for you. Your Highness will definitely like it."
"Wow" Zhu Yunhuan's eyes lit up little by little.
Zhu Biao, who was standing by, saw his son's anticipation and asked, "What is it?"
Lu Yunyi smiled and said, "I'll keep you in suspense. This thing is new and not only does the Second Prince like it, but the Prince also likes it very much."
"Oh?"
When Zhu Biao heard these boasts, he looked thoughtful and looked at the many guards around him:
"So what are you waiting for? Take the stuff down."
A quarter of an hour later, in the huge courtyard of the Prince's Mansion,
The afterglow of the setting sun shines through the gaps between the branches and leaves, casting mottled light and shadows.
Lu Yunyi held a crowbar and pried the nails on the box with force.
With a few muffled "bangs", the thick box lid was finally slowly opened!
Everyone's eyes instantly focused on the box.
I saw a strangely shaped object lying quietly inside.
The main body is made of shiny metal, reflecting a soft light under the setting sun.
The overall shape is a smooth curve, like a smart dragon.
The unique shape made everyone present look confused. They whispered to each other, not understanding what it was.
Zhu Biao saw at a glance the two large wooden wheels in the front and back, with spokes that were fine and neat, like a spider's carefully woven web.
The surface of the wheel is covered with thick fur, and it has obvious elasticity when placed on the ground.
"Car?" Zhu Biao looked puzzled?
The object in front of me looks like a car.
But how do two wheels, one in front and one behind, run?
Zhu Yunhuan's eyes were as big as copper bells, full of curiosity and surprise.
He rushed forward and looked around at the new thing in front of him.
"General Lu, what is this?"
Zhu Yunhuan gently reached out and touched it.
He turned to look at Lu Yunyi, his eyes full of anticipation.
"Second Prince, this thing is called a bicycle, and it is used for daily transportation."
"This is the wheel, this is the seat, this is the pedal, this is the handlebar, and this is the brake. This small wheel keeps the bike from falling over. Once Your Highness has learned how to ride, the wheel can be removed."
As Lu Yunyi explained, Zhu Yunhuan's big eyes were filled with curiosity, and he was soon attracted by something on the handlebars.
"what is this?"
"This is a windmill. It turns when the wind blows."
Lu Yunyi took the palm-leaf fan from the eunuch beside him and fanned it hard in front of him, and the windmill started to turn with a whoosh!
A smile instantly broke out on Zhu Yunxun's face and he started to chuckle.
"Your Highness, please ride on it. Once you start to move, the windmill will naturally turn."
As Lu Yunyi spoke, he picked up Zhu Yunxun.
He was placed on the seat, causing the eunuchs nearby to exclaim in surprise.
But the prince's sharp gaze soon arrived, and the eunuchs around him shut their mouths.
Zhu Yunhuan sat on the seat, holding the handlebars tightly with both hands, his little body trembling slightly because of nervousness.
His eyes were staring straight ahead, and his feet stepped carefully on the pedals, but he did not dare to use force.
Seeing this, Lu Yunyi smiled and encouraged:
"Second Prince, don't be afraid, relax.
Just pedal slowly, and I will support you from behind."
Zhu Yunhuan took a deep breath, gritted his teeth, and slowly stepped on the pedal.
Under everyone's surprised gaze!
The bike started to move forward unsteadily!
Zhu Yunhuan's heart was in his throat and he couldn't help but let out a surprised cry of "Ah".
Zhu Biao, who was standing aside, followed Zhu Yunhuan closely with his eyes, and his steps unconsciously followed the movement of the bicycle.
At this moment, the eunuchs all widened their eyes and clenched their hands unconsciously, as if they were even more nervous than Zhu Yunhuan.
The bicycle started to move slowly, and as the speed stabilized, Zhu Yunhuan's expression became excited again.
Lu Yunyi reminded:
"Your Highness, the handlebars can control the direction."
Zhu Yunxun was very smart and quickly mastered the direction and speed.
He gradually grew bolder and pedaled faster and faster.
The wind blew across his cheeks, and the windmill on the handlebars turned rapidly, making a whirring sound.
At this moment, the shock on Zhu Yunhuan's face was replaced by a smile.
The bright eyes were filled with excitement, and the child's silver bell-like smile followed!
"Wow, wow, so fast."
Lu Yunyi initially held on from behind, but finally he simply let go and allowed Zhu Yunhuan to ride around the courtyard!
In the afterglow of the setting sun, silver bell-like smiles began to echo in the courtyard, and an unprecedented harmony spread.
In the corridor not far from the courtyard, a group of people stood there, quietly watching everything that happened in the courtyard.
In the front row are Crown Princess Lu and eldest son Zhu Yunwen.
Mrs. Lu held her son's hand, her face was calm, without any ripples in her eyes.
Zhu Yunwen stared blankly at everything that happened in the courtyard, his lips slightly pursed and a hint of longing in his eyes.
He slowly raised his head and looked at his mother.
Although he didn't say anything, he said everything.
Mrs. Lu noticed the gaze and her breathing quickened. She gripped her son's hand with a little more force.
She forced a smile and touched Zhu Yunwen's head:
"Son, go back to study. Today's homework is not yet completed."
Zhu Yunwen's eyes flashed with disappointment, he stared at his mother blankly and nodded gently:
"it is good."
(End of this chapter)