“Master! The Fifth Young Master has returned!”
Old Zhao hurried to the fabric shop to inform Master Zhang about Zhang Fang’s return.
Master Zhang was signing documents when he heard the news; his hand trembled, causing the pen to slip from his grip and fall onto the table, rendering the contract void.
However, at that moment, Master Zhang was not concerned about the contract. He stood up and hurried outside, excitedly asking, “Is the Fifth Young Master back? Is he alright? Are his hands and feet fine?”
Ever since Zhang Fang went abroad, Master Zhang had been haunted by the nightmare spoken by the eldest young master. He often suffered from insomnia and lacked appetite. Three months had passed without any news from Zhang Fang, and Master Zhang felt like someone was gripping his heart, ready to squeeze it at any moment.
Old Zhao nodded with a smile, “He’s doing great! The Fifth Young Master has grown much taller! Master, hurry back home and see him!”
Overcome with joy, Master Zhang’s mind went blank, and he let Old Zhao lead him back to the Zhang residence.
“Father! I’m back! I did not disgrace the family!” Zhang Fang greeted, his smile as bright as spring.
Master Zhang’s eyes turned red as he walked toward him step by step, directly embracing Zhang Fang and choking out, “You’re finally home; that’s all that matters!”
Zhang Fang gently held his father’s back, comforting him like a child, and said softly, “Father, the fabric shop can survive now.”
“Good, good, good…” Master Zhang released the embrace, gazing deeply into his son’s eyes, tears welling up. He touched Zhang Fang’s face, then his shoulders, sliding his hand down to his arms and wrists, confirming that his son had returned safe and sound. Master Zhang broke into a smile.
“Father, let’s talk in the study!” Zhang Fang led his overly joyful father to the study.
Once inside, with the door closed, Master Zhang remembered to ask, “Fifth Young Master, you’ve been away for so long; you must be hungry, right? Let’s eat first!”
Zhang Fang smiled and replied, “Father, I wasn’t starving. I had meals regularly! Please sit down; I have something to discuss with you.”
Master Zhang was helped to sit in a chair, his eyes fixed on Zhang Fang, reluctant to look away, fearing this was all just a dream.
“Father, this time I found a way for the fabric shop to survive, and I also acquired a batch of firearms. They are the best weapons!” Zhang Fang whispered close to Master Zhang’s ear.
Master Zhang’s eyes widened in surprise as he grasped Zhang Fang’s hand. Containing his excitement, he lowered his voice and asked, “Is that true?”
“Yes. I found a partner in the Sun Never Sets Empire. They have a good relationship with the queen there. In the future, we will engage in long-term trade with them. I plan to create a clothing brand, and eventually set up a factory there to establish a foothold for development. From raw materials to production and finally to sales, we will have control over the entire process!”
Previously, the fabric shop was merely a raw material factory supplying various dealers. These dealers, tempted by foreign businesses, began to push foreign cloth, leading to a downfall in local fabric sales. Now, Zhang Fang aimed to create a clothing brand and control everything from raw materials to sales, thus preventing others from choking the life out of them!
Although Zhang Fang had previously mentioned this idea to Master Zhang, the latter had thought it difficult to implement. He believed that as long as Zhang Fang could sell the fabric, that would be success enough. He didn’t expect Zhang Fang to turn his words into action. But now, Zhang Fang was genuinely going to realize this goal, astonishing Master Zhang, who not only saw the fabric shop’s fortunes reversing but also the potential for further expansion. He could not help but feel a sense of admiration for his son!
Master Zhang could only smile, at a loss for words. In the past, he had been accustomed to reprimanding and belittling his son, so praising him felt awkward.
“Next, we can deal with the foreign merchants in the country. The support behind the George family can now be defeated by me. Seizing this opportunity, we will drive the George family out of the overseas market! We can offer a few firearms to the court for research. Additionally, our goods will be transported by the royal navy of the Sun Never Sets Empire. By then, I will look for opportunities to study their naval systems.” Zhang Fang relayed his plans to Master Zhang.
Master Zhang nodded solemnly, asking, “Why not give all the firearms to the court for research?”
“If I do that, I won’t be able to explain it to my partner. Father, we seek long-term cooperation. We need to let them taste the benefits first, allowing us to obtain more useful things from them in the future!” Through this period of interaction, Zhang Fang could see that the John brothers had very few moral reservations. As long as they could profit, they would agree to Zhang Fang’s requests.
“I understand,” Master Zhang said, recognizing that his son had definitely attracted the attention of the court. It was essential to hand over the firearms to the court’s people promptly to dispel any suspicions they might have.
“There’s one more thing, Father. I want to buy a large quantity of raw materials. Please spread the word that we will buy raw materials at a high price. Especially for those in the Southwest, if they want to sell us raw materials at a high price, they must first eradicate their opium poppy crops!”
Master Zhang gazed deeply at Zhang Fang. This son was more visionary, bolder, wiser, and more capable than he was!
In recent years, the fabric business had been severely hit, and many fabric shops went out of business. Those who grew cotton, raised silkworms, and weaved fabric had seen their livelihood shattered, driving them to grow opium poppy as a last resort.
For years, the court had remained silent on the issue of opium. Local officials acted on their own. Some continued to enforce bans on opium, while others paid it no mind.
In the Southwest, however, with so many people growing poppy, local officials could not manage the situation and simply turned a blind eye. Ultimately, this led to a shift from imported opium to domestic production. This was only a preliminary impact, yet it was enough to raise alarms. If poppy cultivation spread widely in Jiangnan, the nation would become the largest opium producer.
By then, the populace would be addicted to opium, their health deteriorating, and they would resemble living corpses. This would be the most terrifying consequence! Zhang Fang’s earlier declaration to buy raw materials long-term was to stabilize the farmers in Jiangnan, delaying the arrival of such a day.
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