Transmigrated into a female county magistrate during a famine, leading her country to prosperity

Chapter 296: To solve the problem, establish a chamber of commerce

Zhou Lizheng's few words left everyone speechless.

Adults do this for their own good and for the good of the children.

Instead, they are hesitant and procrastinating, which is so shameful!

Seeing that the time was almost right, Zhou Lizheng raised his chin and asked:

"Just give me one word, go or not go?"

"Go! Go! Go! Zhou Lizheng, we just didn't know what's good for us. This is a good thing for the kids, so we must go."

The children started to read and write at a young age!

Not to mention the surrounding areas, in Liuyang Prefecture, their Tongan County is probably the first case like this!

"Okay, since you're going, I'll trouble you to run errands for the village. I'll notify the east side of the village, Uncle Huzi will go to the west side, Erniu, you and Aunt Zhang will go to the north side, and Brother Zhuzi will go to the south."

Zhuzi, who was called last, looked dejected and nodded without saying a word.

Zhou Lizheng frowned.

"Brother Zhuzi, what's wrong with you? Is there something that is inconvenient for you?"

Zhuzi forced a smile and said, "No problem, I'll go right away."

"Wait a minute!"

Zhou Lizheng held his shoulder and asked with a strange look, "Brother Zhuzi, I remember your family has a girl, right?"

Zhuzi smiled bitterly and nodded, "Yes, it's a girl. What a pity, I don't have that kind of luck."

Several people who were about to leave stopped and looked at the pillar, seeming to want to say something.

Did they understand it wrongly, or did Zhuzi understand it wrongly?

They said that when Zhuzi heard that the children could go to school, he felt happy but also a little disappointed.

Is this what all this trouble is about?

Zhou Lizheng didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

"No, Brother Zhuzi, you usually look quite smart, how come you acted so stupidly over such a small matter?"

Being stupid?

When asked, a ray of light suddenly shone in the eyes of the pillar.

He asked tremblingly in disbelief, "You mean, girls can go to the county school with boys?"

"This is not nonsense!"

Zhou Lizheng hit him with a palm-leaf fan.

"Brother Zhuzi, in our Tongan County, both boys and girls are good children. Families who gave birth to boys understand this, why is it you who can't figure it out? I will pretend that I didn't hear what you said today, and don't say it again in the future."

Zhuzi was stunned by the huge pie.

He nodded randomly and walked straight in one direction, muttering:

"Girls and boys, they are all good babies, all good babies... Girls can also read and write, they can also read and write, hahaha, hahahaha."

Everyone looked at each other with smiles on their faces.

"Hey - Zhuzi, Zhuzi! You're going the wrong way! Why are you walking to my north?"

"Oh yes, yes, I'm going to the south, the south!"

Zhuzi turned around and walked north. His muttering was gradually drowned out by the sound of children playing.

......

Tongan County Government Office, meeting hall.

Shen Zheng sat at the head of the table, while Shen Xingjian sat at one side of the long table with his head tilted to the side.

Sitting first on the other side was Wang Guangjin, followed by merchants and gentry from Tongan County.

Everyone was extremely curious about Shen Xingjian, the adult from above, and kept glancing at him from the side.

Shen Xingjian looked at his nose with his eyes, and his nose at his heart, while his hand secretly picked at the wooden pendant around his waist.

Shen Zheng tapped the table with her fingers and called out, "Everyone——"

Everyone stood up upon hearing this.

Shen Zheng raised her hand and pressed it down, "No need to be polite, just sit down and listen to me."

She turned around and asked Wang Guangjin, "Master Wang, I have something to ask you. Have the merchants in Tongan County established a chamber of commerce?"

Wang Guangjin bowed and replied, "My Lord, no."

Shen Zheng knew the general reason, but still asked: "Why?"

Wang Guangjin thought for a moment and answered:

"Resources are in short supply, merchants are scarce, and people's demand is low... If I remember correctly, Mr. Liu had this idea in the past, but due to the above reasons, the Chamber of Commerce existed in name only, and no one mentioned it soon after."

"Ah."

Shen Zheng nodded.

“The problems you mentioned are all problems. But problems are meant to be solved.”

Everyone present raised their heads.

My Lord, what you mean by this is...

Shen Zheng smiled, "You are right. The most important thing I invited you to discuss today is... to take the lead."

As for what the matter was about, it had already appeared on paper.

Everyone looked around and whispered.

"Of course I agree with Lord Shen's proposal. With our own county's own Chamber of Commerce, we can stand up straighter."

"But Young Master Wang just said that it's not that we didn't try, but that we failed..."

Therefore, if we want to set up a chamber of commerce now, we must solve the problem first.

Shopkeeper Li, who sells cloth in the county, was the first to speak:

"Sir, actually, of the several problems that Prince Wang just mentioned, the last one is the easiest to solve. Nowadays, the people are more affluent and are more willing to spend money on things than before. Take my cloth shop for example. In the past, when people bought cloth, they basically bought rags, but in recent days, coarse cloth is sold by the piece."

"But the first two problems mentioned by Mr. Wang cannot be solved overnight. Let's take my shop as an example. In the past few days, the coarse cloth in the shop has been selling well, but I am both happy and worried."

Many people present could understand why he was worried.

Shen Zheng asked, "We need a lot of fabric, but you can't supply it?"

Shopkeeper Li had a worried look on his face.

"As you said, my fabrics were all brought to me by my boss when he went to Liuyang Prefecture. I can't say for sure about the delivery time. After all, it's not something you can get just because you say you have it."

Someone echoed, "That's right. The money that could have been earned is stuck in my pocket because of the shortage of goods. My heart aches..."

This person spoke humorously, making everyone laugh.

It's good that you are here, but the purpose of doing business is to make money.

They are not profiteers, so there is nothing inconvenient to say.

Shen Xingjian, who had been listening in silence for a long time, spoke for the first time:

“How many of you buy directly from Quanyang County?”

More than half of the people raised their hands.

"Your Excellency, we bought the goods from the Fang family in Quanyang County."

"Because Master Fang promised the cost price not long ago, in the past, most of us were like Shopkeeper Li, relying on the upper merchants to bring goods here, and rarely went to Quanyang County to purchase goods."

Shen Xingjian nodded, and then asked those who did not raise their hands:

"Why don't you buy from Quanyang County?"

Several people were talking about it.

Shen Zheng summarized the reasons.

Or the goods sold by the Fang family, although not very good, are definitely not inferior goods.

This kind of goods has a small audience in Tongan County and has no sales.

——In the past, the poor people of Tongan County could only afford the cheapest items.

This problem is no longer a problem, it’s just that the thinking of merchants has not kept up with the purchasing power of the people.

Or maybe the "cost price" given by the Fang family is still not low.

The so-called "cost price" actually includes the shop rent, monthly wages of the manager and the clerks, and other expenses. After all the calculations, the "cost" has already risen.

Shen Zheng nodded to show her understanding.

If you open a business, the store space, labor, and losses must naturally be included in the costs.

It’s no wonder that Fang Wenxiu doesn’t keep his word.

She took out the drafted contract from her bosom and said:

"Now there is an opportunity before us. I hope that the merchants in Tongan County can put their hearts together and establish a chamber of commerce first, and then..."

"You can really buy the goods from the Fang family at 'cost price'."

Everyone present was a businessman, so how could they not understand the meaning of the phrase “real cost price”?

During this period of time, they have made a profit by buying at "cost price" from the Fang family.

Not to mention the "real cost price".

How is this any different than the money tree knocking on your door?