Chapter 43: How Much Did You Earn?

  Chen Xin was exhausted when he returned to Erdao Street, it was almost dinner time. After walking for nearly two months, the dog in Zhou Laifu's house no longer recognized him and barked frantically at him. Chen Xin kicked out with one foot, and the dog hastily retreated into the courtyard.

  Chen Xin didn't notice that the two doors were open until he got to his own courtyard. He had been in a hurry when he came back earlier and hadn't paid attention to the situation inside the door. He walked in casually, and found that Zhou Lai Fu's wife was still busy inside the shop. Chen Xin took a look around and saw that on the doorframe were placed two wooden models wearing cheongsam dresses and sporting ponytails made of horsehair. In the corner, a fitting room had been partitioned off with wooden boards. The walls had been whitewashed, and in the middle section, dark-colored cotton fabric had been pasted up as a backdrop. Some cheongsam dresses were hung on clothes racks, and a row of skirts was also hung on the long rack in the middle of the shop. The layout was similar to that of modern clothing stores.

  Mrs. Zhou Laifu just noticed Chen Xin and hurriedly greeted him. Chen Xin smiled and nodded, and Mrs. Zhou Laifu said to Chen Xin: "Brother Chen, you're back! These days, Brother Liu has mentioned many times that if you were here, this business would definitely be better."

  "Zhou's wife, you're also working here, what about your two kids at home?"

  "What's the big deal now, bringing a happy younger sister is fine, one person cooking for over ten people, we're all following your family to eat. I said take out the food money, Liu brother didn't deduct it either, how can we feel at ease going there."

  Chen Xin wouldn't mind the little food expense, smiling: "Why be polite between neighbors? When we first arrived, Zhou Ge took us to buy things and helped us clean up. It's only right that we return the favor."

  "Brother Chen is from where, that's what should be, my husband and I are working night shifts here now, Brother Liu's wages are also high, this month it's already 7 or 8 yuan, you say you two can do more, now there are many people on Second Street following Brother Liu to work, they're all looking forward to Brother Chen coming back, this business will be even better."

  Chen Xin saw that Zhou Lai Fu's wife had dark circles under her eyes and advised: "Sister Zhou, don't exhaust yourself, business has just started, there's a long way to go, don't lose the big picture for the small things."

  "Yes, I believe it, everyone trusts you, and it will definitely get better and better."

  Chen Xin smiled and flipped through the dress she was organizing, which had a clothes hanger with a note attached to it. The top half of the note read: Salesperson Tian Po, type: consignment, outer packaging Zhang Jia towel hat store, tailor Li Cai Gui, organizer Shen Li Shi, status: not picked up. The bottom half of the note was the size of the clothes.

  Chen Xin couldn't help but praise Liu Min, who had originally been meticulous in managing projects at the company and was now just as serious about making clothes, with a tag on each garment's hanger that clearly indicated its status.

  "Zhou's wife, what does this arrangement mean?"

  "All the clothes made outside need to be sent back here for a thorough inspection, and then matched with hangers. If some threads are not sewn well, they will be re-sewn here. If the size is not right or the sleeves are not equal in length, we will deduct money from that household and have them redo it. If they can't do it well, we won't let them work for us again. Now, many people want to work with our store... even Li Ye Fang is eager."

  It turned out to be quality inspection and packaging. Chen Xinyi took a look at the neatly written "Shen Li" on the back, could it be that Shen Lou girl?

  "Zhou's sister-in-law, is this Shen Li who is tidying up the daughter of Shen Lou?"

  "It's all right, she has already gone back today." Zhou Laifu's wife looked around and whispered: "These days are short of people, Shen Lou's mother is in charge and let her come. This Liu Gongzi has a good heart, keeping Shen Jia's daughter to work, one or two silver coins for a month, it's not a small amount. It's a pity that Shen Lou makes trouble every day, originally many families wanted to talk about marriage with Liu brothers, but he made a fuss and they all delayed. If I say, she shouldn't have been allowed to come."

  Chen Xinyi was taken aback, "Is this really a good thing? Brother Liu is so prosperous? How good is the business of this shop?"

  Zhou Lai Fu's wife raised her face and said, "I don't know about that, anyway every day is filled with endless clothes to make, even the matchmakers from Shiye Fang have come to ask about Liu Brothers."

  It's really hard to predict the world, and I haven't found a good candidate yet, but Liu Min has already benefited from this opportunity. He walked through the entrance, came to the courtyard, and sat down on a stool at the door of Chen Xin's house, just like a gate god. Wang Yong was also standing outside, the door was open, and more than a dozen large packages were placed on the ground.

  "Brother Chen, you've finally returned." Dai Zhenggang exclaimed with a glance at Chen Xin. Chen Xin looked around the room at the goods, each package worth three thousand taels, totaling twelve packages.

  "Brother Wang Yong, you sleep in this house tonight. Mr. Song will come tomorrow and I'll arrange for someone to keep watch inside the courtyard."

  "Thanks a lot, Mr. Chen," replied Wang Yong in his deep and loud voice.

  Chen Xin called Shang Dai Zhenggang, and the two of them carried Chen Xin's six packages into Liu Minyou's house. Then Wang Yong went inside by himself, closed the door, and apparently planned to stay there until tomorrow before coming out again.

  Liu Minyou was writing in the ledger, clearing up the orders for the past few days. Wang Daxi helped with the abacus, looking at the several large packages that Chen Xin had brought in and said: "These copper ingots are so heavy, I estimated with Dai brother that these packages of copper ingots are worth almost 100 taels. Earning this much in two months is quite worthwhile." During the day, Chen Xin told them that there were copper ingots in the bags, but Liu Minyou and the others didn't bother to open them up to take a look.

  Chen Xin didn't bother explaining: "It's not that, but compared to our store, it's far worse. Boss Liu, quickly tell me how much you've earned."

  Liu Min smiled confidently: "Director Chen, please wait a moment. My secretary will report on the performance of these two months."

  "Director?" Wang Dai Xi scratched his head.

  Liu Min said, "Never mind about anything else, just report to Brother Chen how many pieces you've done and how much silver you've earned." Since crossing over, it's been mainly Chen Xin who has been making money. Liu Min has been looking forward to showing off for a long time, and now he finally has the opportunity.

  "Alright, Brother Chen, we opened on the 1st of June and up to today, we have sold 630 dresses, with 121 still in production. We've also sold 460 pieces of silk fabric, 170 pieces of cotton fabric, making a total profit of 360 taels."

  Chen Xin was slightly surprised, "Over 300 taels a month, Boss Liu is indeed formidable." In this day and age, clothing stores aren't like garment factories, with many only making tens of taels in profit per year.

  Liu Min waved his hand generously and said, "This is also inseparable from your idea. I think you shouldn't go out to sea in the future either. We are now short of hands and it's severe. The nearby tailors come to work at night, and every family in the scarf shop can find a tailor to do some work. You and Lu Lüzǐ can help with some work."

  Dai Zhenggang said: "Liu Ge is right, going out to sea can earn a lot of money, but which one is more peaceful than running a clothing store?"

  Chen Xin rubbed his nose, these two have really tasted the sweetness, but he himself definitely cannot do this cutting and trimming thing, Liu Min has love to do it then let him do it himself.

  "Alright, I'd rather not go out to sea than be a tailor..."

  "It's not a tailor job, that requires skills, I'm going to arrange for you to be a laborer foreman."

  "Thank you, Mr. Liu, for your concern, but I'm afraid I'm not capable enough, it's better to ask someone more skilled. My main priority is the living environment of this institution and when it can be improved. Secondly, I care about the training of the sea dog children and when it can return to normal." Chen Xin asked with a smile.

  Liu Min glanced around and saw that the floor was littered with scraps of cloth and paper, making it hard to find a place to step. He said with some difficulty: "It's indeed messy, but since the space is only this big, what can you do?"

  "Or else, Liu boss, we can buy a special shop on East Gate Street for the clothing store and return here to live at night. Wouldn't it be better if we separate a bit?"

  Liu Min thought for a moment: "Well, that's certainly better, but there's no silver on the account, it's all been spent on materials. Brother Chen will probably have to hold on for some more days."

  "Never mind, I'll do it..."

  At this moment, Zhu Guobin's voice rang out in the courtyard, "Mr. Chen, there is nothing here, I will return to the boat and guard it."

  Chen Xin hurriedly walked out, Zhu Guobin brought Qin Lüfang and Ning Chengxian to this place, Zhang Erhui arranged for them to live in the three attendants' house. At this time, Zhu Guobin heard Chen Xin coming back, so he wanted to bid farewell.

  "Zhu brothers can rest here tonight, today Lu brothers will guard first..."

  "No, I'm used to living on the boat, besides Lu brothers have been away from home for a long time, they should come back and take a look first."

  Zhu Guobin's martial arts skills were all honed in life-and-death battles, without a single fancy move. Moreover, he treated his ordinary comrades with kindness and warmth, earning the respect of many sailors. Chen Xin also valued him highly and hoped to keep him by his side for his own use.

  Zhu Guobin insisted on going back, Chen Xin couldn't persuade him otherwise and had no choice but to agree, escorting him out all the way.

  "Guo Bin, what are your plans for the future?"

  "I'd like to fight against the Tartars; if we don't set sail from here again, I'll prepare to go to Liaodong and join the army."

  "Joining the army is also a path, but you've earned quite a bit of money this time. At least you're considered a moderately well-off family, why do you have to go join the army?"

  "I've only kept a hundred taels, and put the rest of the silver under Second Brother's bed. I don't need that much silver, just enough for myself is fine."

  Chen Xin certainly couldn't let such a powerful helper go to Guanning Army, so he advised him: "Guo Bin, you are determined to kill the Tartars, which is a good thing. However, it's not necessarily going to Guanning Army. I will be going to Weihaiwei soon, and you know that place too. It only takes two days to get to Lüshun with favorable winds. I chose Weihaiwei specifically because it's convenient for killing Tartars. Although they are not combat troops, we can still kill the slaves for our country. We have people and ships, so we can also go from the sea. When has Guanning Army ever gone to Hebei or taken the initiative to kill Tartars? It's better if we brothers work together and do it with ease."

  Zhu Guobin lowered his head and thought for a moment, saying: "As long as Brother Chen kills the Tartars, I'll follow Brother Chen. However, I won't take back the silver; holding onto it would be a burden since I don't know how to use it. Let's just consider it a gift to those little brothers from Liaodong."

  Chen Xin knew how to deal with such a person and didn't stand on ceremony, agreeing to it. He only told him that when he needed silver, he could come directly to him. Zhu Guobin was a brave warrior who was used to hardship and simplicity, truly a born soldier. First, let's keep the man here, whether or not to kill the Tartars can be discussed later.

  He saw him off all the way to Zhenhai Gate Street and then Chen Xincan turned back.

  Before dinner, Lu Zizi also rushed back, and everyone arrived, naturally with another joyful scene. Chen Xinming had to go to the pawnshop to help deal with Zhao Dong's family affairs the next day, so he rested early after dinner. Because Wang Yong occupied Chen Xin's room, Qin Lüfang and Ning Cheng occupied Zhang Erhui's room, Chen Xin had no choice but to live in the same room as Liu Minyou.

  "How come I didn't see the meeting." Chen Xin went under Zhang Er's bed to retrieve the silver left by Zhu Guobin, and only then did he remember that there was still a Zhang Dahui.

  "I sent him to the brothel to squat for a while, and this month is still pretty good, selling 80 or 90 pieces."

  "Hey, you actually agreed to let him go there? Isn't the sacrifice too great? Aren't you afraid those women will devour his youthful energy?"

  Liu Min pulled him into the house, saying: "They are all seventeen or eighteen years old and should be in charge of themselves. Besides, we are doing legitimate business and don't care what others say."

  Chen Xin nodded and said: "That's it, actually my sacrifice is even greater, I have killed people too."

  Liu Min looked at Chen Xin with a puzzled expression and said, "Is this for real? You guys earn several bags of copper coins and still want to kill people?"

  Chen Xin pulled over a stool and sat down, looking at a pile of silver bags on the ground and sighed: "Really, the food on the sea is not good to eat."

  Liu Min said, "After that, I won't go out to sea. Anyway, your master is dead, so don't do the accounting work anymore. The money we earn from our shop is enough. Once this batch of goods is sold and the payment is collected, we'll buy a store on Zhenhai Gate Street and expand our business. You can be the general manager, and I'll be the deputy general manager..."

  "Just take this to buy it, what are you waiting for the goods?" Chen Xin slapped the more than 1,000 taels of silver that Zhu Guobin had left onto the table. Liu Minyou opened it and saw a pile of shiny silver, he was shocked, jumped up suddenly, knocking over the stool, and hurriedly went to close the door. Chen Xin heard the doors of Lu Zizi's and Dai Zhenggang's rooms in the courtyard also closing with a bang.

  "How can there be so much silver? I thought you guys would only make a few bundles of copper ingots back..."

  "That's right, it was those few packages of copper ingots that made the profit."

  "You're still deceiving me, then what's with all these silver coins here?"

  "Why don't you just take a look inside the bag yourself?"

  Liu Min hesitantly opened a silver package, revealing a dazzling silver-white color. Liu Min stared blankly for half a moment before suddenly opening another silver package, and then fell to the ground with a thud.