Chapter 1187 Market conditions

While Pan Yan was enjoying the food, he kept his ears open to listen to the group of Zhejiang businessmen next to him chatting about business. Due to the difference in accents, he could only understand five or six points of the content, and he relied on half-guessing to understand the rest.

After listening to the discussions among these businessmen, he also realized that the big drama planned by Haihan was not a fuss, but actually affected the choices of these businessmen. These small businessmen were so enthusiastic, and those who had the resources in their hands were behind the scenes.

Big businessmen with strong backing will only get the news earlier and more comprehensively than these people, and they may have already secretly planned how to get a piece of the pie.

After finishing the meal, Pan Yan paid the bill and walked out of the restaurant with a chubby belly. Although the food in Haihan Army was not bad, the oil and water were definitely not as good as the food in the restaurant, so he was satisfied with this meal.

, which can be regarded as fulfilling his little wish of tasting authentic Jiangnan cuisine.

It was still early, so Pan Yan decided to walk around the city. After listening to the discussion of the merchants at the table, he wanted to see what Haihan products were sold in the shops in the city. Before this operation, he had seen Haihan products on Zhoushan Island.

I still have some general impressions of the main commodities exported by the Han Dynasty to the Ming Dynasty.

Pan Yan soon discovered a variety of products produced in Haihan in the shops along the street. Naturally, the products that appeared most frequently were various glass products. Among them, the ones that attracted the most attention were large and small glass mirrors. Compared with the previous products

When the annual supply is insufficient, Haihan's supply can now be delivered to Zhoushan Dinghai Port outside Hangzhou Bay. As a result, the price of glass mirrors has dropped to a level acceptable to ordinary people - of course, this is only a small-sized glass mirror.

The price of larger glass mirrors is still high. Most people buy smaller and cheaper cosmetic mirrors. Only those dignitaries who are not short of money can afford to spend a lot of money.

Spend hundreds or thousands of taels of silver to buy a half-length glass mirror.

In addition, transparent flat glass is also a popular building material among wealthy people. Replacing the window paper and plain tiles in the study room with more transparent glass to increase the lighting in the house has become a popular choice among wealthy local families in Hangzhou.

An emerging trend. Pan Yan visited a glass workshop that had started trial operation on Zhoushan Island, and was very impressed by the strange manufacturing techniques mastered by Haihan. After the local glass workshop is up and running, he can go to the nearest glass workshop.

A large number of products have been supplied to the Zhejiang market. By then, the price of glass products will further drop, which means that more people will become users of Haihan products.

However, Pan Yan has no plans to buy property and live in Zhejiang for a long time. He knows that after completing his training, he will return to Liaodong and work in Dongjiang Town, so these glass products are just a curiosity to him and do not have much consumption.

desire.

Pan Yan came out of the shop selling glass mirrors and saw a bookstore next door. He had seen books printed by Haihan on Zhoushan Island, such as "Army Training Outline", "Navigation Skills", etc. It was said that he would also print them.

Some classics such as the Four Books and Five Classics were exported to the Ming Dynasty. I immediately decided to go into the store to see if there were any books produced in Haihan for sale.

Many bookstores in this era are front-end stores and back-end factories, that is, drafting, finalizing, engraving, plate making, printing, and sales are all completed in the store. The production cost of engraving books is similar in terms of engraving, paper materials, etc.

Large, the profit mainly depends on the quantity of printing. The more you print, the lower the cost will be. However, if you print too much, you may not be able to sell it off quickly to recover the cost. There are also a small number of strong booksellers who can make copper movable type or wood type.

Movable type is used to print books, which reduces the labor cost and time required for plate making. However, the number of booksellers at this level is very small, and there may only be two or three in a province.

In addition to being sold in their own stores, these relatively low-cost books will also be sold wholesale to other small booksellers. Haihan, who is already very proficient in movable type printing, seems to be also engaged in this business. It is said that books in Zhejiang are currently selling

It has occupied a considerable share of the market.

After Pan Yan entered the store, a waiter came to greet him. Pan Yan did not want to waste time asking around and over again, but directly asked: "Do you have any books printed by Haihan in your store?"

The clerk didn't show the slightest surprise at this, and immediately responded: "This gentleman has asked the right place. Our store just received a new batch of Haihan books this morning. They are beautifully printed and reasonably priced. This is my place."

please!"

Pan Yan followed his guidance and came to a row of bookshelves. Seeing that the books on them were all the most common classics and history collections on the market, he picked out one and flipped through it. Sure enough, it was a familiar paper and font. It was the same type of books commonly seen on the market.

Compared with books, the paper is whiter and smoother, and the handwriting is clearer, which fully reflects Haihan's leadership in papermaking and printing technology.

The bookstore clerk said next to him that the price of these Haihan books is 20% lower than similar books on the market. They can be considered high quality and low price, and are very popular among readers.

Pan Yan asked curiously: "Did the Haihan people bring samples to sell to you?"

The clerk shook his head and said: "How could Haihan people do such a time-consuming and labor-intensive thing? Many scholars came to ask if there were any Haihan books for sale. The boss thought there was a market, so he found a way to find Haihan people to buy the goods.

.”

Pan Yandao: "Why do these scholars behave like this?"

The clerk explained: "The colorful glass stationery sold by Haihan is very popular among local scholars. When they sell stationery, they often use books as a promotional method. The scholar got one of the Four Books and Five Classics and found that the book was beautifully printed.

Naturally, I want to get a set together. The Haihan people don’t sell them directly, so I just told them to buy them at bookstores in the city."

Pan Yan suddenly realized that he admired the Haihan people's business methods even more. They could come up with such a way to market their new products. They only needed to find one or two bookstores in advance, and after their colleagues noticed the market conditions,

, will naturally follow suit and start selling Haihan’s printed matter.

The guy continued to sell Pan Yan non-stop, suggesting that he buy it in sets in exchange for free glass stationery. Yes, there are also reverse promotion measures in bookstores. No matter whether readers plan to buy books or the Four Treasures of the Study, they will definitely do it.

Get exposed to other Haihan products.

Although Pan Yan was not a scholar, he did not stand up to the salesman's eloquent salesman in the end. He spent money to buy a copy of "The Collection of Cao Zijian" and a "Small Characters Record", but he did not want to go to a brothel with two books.

I asked the clerk if I could store the book in the store first.

The clerk was a good person, so he immediately responded: "If it's inconvenient for me to carry it, it's okay to leave it in the store first. If you find it troublesome, you can also give me a reward. I'll find someone to take it to the master's residence later."

It’s a hassle to come back and pick up the books.”

Pan Yan thought that this might be a solution, so he took out a few more copper coins, told the address of Fengsheng Rice Store, and asked the clerk to find someone to deliver it to him. Before Pan Yan came out of the store and walked far, a man and a half walked past him.

The eldest child was carrying two books that had been packed just now. It seemed that these books would definitely arrive home before him.

Looking at the hustle and bustle of people on the street, Pan Yan suddenly had the idea of ​​​​stopping here. People here seemed to be living a carefree and peaceful life. For him who had been wandering outside for the past two years, it was simply a kind of

Luxurious life. If you can stay here and be a commoner, it seems to be a good choice.

However, such emotions did not bother Pan Yan for too long. He was still very clear about his current situation. The biggest reason why he came to Hangzhou was just because Haihan liked his ability and was willing to give him some super-standard treatment. In

After completing the winter training, he will have to return to the north and continue to work for Dongjiang Town. At the same time, he will assume the responsibility of communication and coordinated action between Dongjiang Town and Haihan. His destination in the next few years will definitely be the battlefield in Liaodong, not the battlefield in Liaodong.

The comfortable life in the Jiangnan water town, if you are lucky enough, you may be able to become a general in a few years, and then you will also have the opportunity to enjoy the life of glory and wealth.

Pan Yan wandered around the city for half an afternoon. Seeing the sun turning to the west, he slowly headed towards his intended destination. The place Lin Si introduced to him was called "Bichun Garden" in Hangzhou.

It is considered a relatively high-end brothel in the city.

This Bichun Garden does not look like a traditional brothel. From the outside, it looks like a very quiet private residence. There are two soft sedans parked at the gate. It seems that there are people who came earlier than Pan Yan. When Pan Yan walked to the door,

Then a young man in green clothes came over to greet him, and after asking him his purpose, he was led inside.

After entering the courtyard, Pan Yan saw the small bridge in the atrium, flowing water, green trees and red walls, and the garden scenery was quite eye-catching, which fit the name of the Bichun Garden. However, it was late winter, and there were too many dead leaves on the trees.

Some flowers and plants are almost in a dormant state, looking a little depressed.

The young man in green clothes brought Pan Yan to the flower hall and sat down. Someone immediately poured hot tea and brought it to him. Pan Yan was a little thirsty after wandering around for a long time. As soon as he took a sip from the tea cup, a woman wearing a purple cotton robe came from the back hall.

He came out to greet him: "This old man looks unfamiliar. Is this his first time in Bichun Garden? I don't know what to call him?"

Pan Yan saw that this woman was also a bit purple, but she was already a mature woman. He expected that the woman was a Madam here or something like that. He immediately raised his hands and said, "My surname is Pan. I'm a grain merchant from the north. I heard from the locals."

My friend said this place is nice, so I came here to have a look."

"Master Pan has come to the right place!" The madam immediately followed Pan Yan's words and began to brag about the benefits of this brothel: "The girls in this courtyard are all from Jiangnan, they are all good at sex, and they are all very young.

...Many dignitaries in this city will come here to visit from time to time. If Mr. Pan comes here often, he will definitely get to know many people."

This madam has some knowledge and understands that many of the customers who spend money to come to this place are not just for prostitution, but use it as a place for recreation and socializing, especially in shopping malls and official circles.

Everyone will use this to build up their own social connections. Since Pan Yan claims to be a foreign merchant, the madam naturally wants to promote the benefits of this place in a targeted manner.

Pan Yan said with a smile: "The dignitaries can let it go first. You can introduce a few lovely little girls first. Don't waste my time!"

Not long after, the madam brought a group of pretty girls. Pan Yan picked the one he liked. The madam dismissed the others and asked the girl named Xiuzhu to take Pan Yan to the room to "communicate alone". Pan Yan

Seeing that it was almost dinner time, I ordered a few more drinks and dishes and asked the boy to bring them to the room.

Pan Yan hadn't touched the opposite sex for a long time. When he got to the room, he couldn't hold it anymore, so he pushed Xiuzhu on the bed to vent his anger. After resting for a while, Pan Yan felt a little hungry, so he got up to eat. But the little girl was

He was tired from all the tossing and still fell asleep on the bed. There were lamps and candles prepared on the table, but Pan Yan couldn't find anything to light the fire for a while, and he didn't bother to get dressed and go out to call for help, so he just lit it.

Under the light cast by the open tiles on the roof, I sat alone at the table and ate.

Pan Yan was eating happily when he suddenly heard someone talking in a low voice outside the window. He had a sensitive hearing and could vaguely hear words such as "Haihan" and "Fire". He immediately felt alert, so he put down his chopsticks and walked quietly to

Stand by the window and listen to the sounds outside the window.

Then I heard a man's voice ask: "You just said that the incident at Tongsheng Wharf might be Haihan's trick. Is this really reliable? Do you know that this matter is extremely involved? If you are lying, your life may be in danger!"

Another female voice responded: "The person who told the little girl the news had contact with the Haihan people at the dock that day. According to him, there was something fishy in the cargo that Haihan unloaded from the ship that day, and he recalled it carefully later.

, there are a lot of weird things about it. As for whether it is true or false, I don’t dare to vouch for it.”

The man said: "Forget it, I will know the truth after I ask that person. Tell me, how much money does it cost to reveal this person's identity?"

The woman said: "Sir, as you just said, this matter is of great importance. If you say the wrong thing, you may lose your life. Naturally, the little girl needs more money to protect herself, so two hundred taels!"

The man's voice became slightly louder: "Are you crazy? Two hundred taels of silver is not enough for you to redeem yourself!"

The woman responded: "The little girl just plans to redeem herself and leave. Otherwise, if the news gets out, the little girl's life may not be saved. It's better to get some money and leave as soon as possible."

When Pan Yan heard this, he had already surmised what was going on. The woman probably heard some news from a prostitute, so she planned to ask the man for two hundred taels of silver in exchange for it, and then redeem herself and leave.

.She called this man "Sir", indicating that he should be from the Yamen, so this should not be taken carelessly.

Pan Yan roughly knew the inside story of the Tongsheng Wharf fire case. Haihan handled the matter so cleanly that the Zhejiang government still had no clue after investigating it for several days. Although the fire case has been announced as closed, forcibly

The accusation was placed on a group of non-existent robbers, but if the case was repeated, it would not be a good thing for Haihan after all.
Chapter completed!