Chapter 28 of 100
Chapter 28
12 min read3,034 words
"Brother, I've missed you so much." Yuan Zhao suddenly jumped out. Goodness, after not seeing him for a while, he had actually advanced to the seventh level of the Qi Cultivation stage.
Shangguan Yong pushed Yuan Zhao aside with his shoulder, "Brother, let me take a look. Wow, your cultivation seems a bit higher than mine."
Zhang Quan was the most composed, or perhaps the most profound. After Yuan Zhao and Shangguan Yong had greeted each other, he stepped forward, "Brother, there are a total of 2,500 stones of textile materials, including cotton, hemp, and silk. Additionally, there are various dyes such as blue, black, red, yellow, gray, purple, green, and peach pink, enough for 20,000 bolts of cloth."
"I won't say thanks. Come, let me show you all the power of a miracle."
Li Xian knew that neither Zhang Quan nor Yuan Zhao believed he could produce 20,000 bolts of cloth by the New Year. The best way to make them believe was to show them the textile factory.
To be honest, Li Xian had given a lot of thought to showing others the textile factory. No matter what, the four of them were still partners, and they would likely remain partners for at least the next five years. Since that was the case, he needed to "gain their trust." Moreover, Li Xian understood that the textile machines and the low-end engine technology could not be kept secret for long. Therefore, it was better to disclose them himself and seize the opportunity to gain the maximum benefit.
Besides, the textile machinery had the lowest technological content, so it didn't matter if they saw it. The doors of the other workshops were already closed for production. Only the door of the textile factory was open.
The materials would naturally be sorted by someone else; such trivial matters were not something Li Xian and the others needed to worry about.
Li Xian led the way, and Xu Ren was responsible for the explanations. The five of them toured the textile factory together. The reason Li Xian had Xu Ren do the explaining was that he was afraid he might inadvertently reveal too much in his excitement. Xu Ren, on the other hand, was an excellent strategist, stopping at just the right point to leave Zhang Quan and the others amazed and understanding, without revealing more.
"Is this the power of industry? Why is it called 'industry'?" Yuan Zhao asked casually.
Li Xian chuckled, "The great business of craftsmen, abbreviated as 'industry,' so this place is also called a 'factory.'"
Xu Ren, who was introducing the textile machinery to the group, twitched at the corner of his mouth: Master, you're fooling them again.
In the end, Shangguan Yong, Zhang Quan, and Yuan Zhao stood in front of the first combined textile machine, staring in amazement. Watching the machine roar and the cloth flow like a waterfall, the shock in their hearts was unimaginable.
Zhang Quan was the first to look at Li Xian, "Brother, are you selling this machine?"
When Zhang Quan asked, Shangguan Yong also turned his head, but Yuan Zhao was still curiously circling the textile machine, examining the quality of the cloth, seemingly unconcerned.
Li Xian was naturally well-prepared. Hearing Zhang Quan's question, he simply said three words: "A bit expensive."
Li Xian's meaning was clear: He could sell it, but it was a bit expensive—be prepared!
Selling cloth was certainly profitable, but the most profitable thing was selling the machines—this was one of Li Xian's plans! Cloth was just a product, but the textile machine was a real money tree.
The higher the technological content, the more profitable it was—this was the nature of technology. When Li Xian decided to reveal the loom to Zhang Quan and the others, he had already considered this.
However, if you wanted to get this money tree, you had to be prepared to bleed—especially if you took it apart to copy it, which was almost inevitable!
Li Xian knew his "good friends" too well. They were fine with playing and enjoying life, and there was no problem with making money together. They could even unite against external threats as long as it didn't threaten their own interests. But they could never be considered close friends. With enough profit, they wouldn't hesitate to stab you in the back.
In fact, Li Xian was 100% sure that they would take it apart and study it, especially the engine. That's why he had specially categorized and priced the stainless steel wire.
Zhang Quan pointed to the ordinary textile machine, "How much is this?"
"1,350 taels of gold."
"Whew..." Despite being mentally prepared, Zhang Quan, Shangguan Yong, and Yuan Zhao all drew in a sharp breath when they heard the price.
After all, when Li Xian first arrived at his jade workshop, the entire workshop's annual profit was only 500 taels of gold, which was already considerable. 500 taels of gold was 5 million copper coins!
1,350 taels of gold was almost the Li family's income for the past six months. And now, it could only buy a very basic textile machine.
Yuan Zhao was the first to jump up, "Brother, this is extortion, this is robbery, this is blackmail. Just a few wooden frames, a few iron poles, and an engine, and you dare to sell it for 1,350 taels of gold. You're crazy."
Li Xian said nothing, pointing to the roaring combined textile machine in front of him, "5,500 taels of gold! Delivery in five days. Ordinary textile machines can be delivered immediately."
"500 taels, 500 taels of gold, I want ten combined textile machines." Yuan Zhao haggled shamelessly.
Li Xian shook his head, "Brothers, it's only because of our friendship that I'm selling to you. In fact, if I didn't show you and didn't sell to you, I could build a huge textile factory and even monopolize the textile industry in the Great Xia Kingdom and the surrounding countries. What do you think?"
Li Xian was very clear—selling to them was a great favor. This was the power of technology. If you didn't have it and I could sell it to you, it was a favor; as for the price, of course, it could be set arbitrarily.
In fact, Li Xian's pricing was not random; it had been carefully considered.
This low-end engine technology could not be kept secret forever, so it was best to make as much profit as possible now. Once the three of them bought it, they would likely master it soon, and such a cheap deal would not benefit Li Xian. Therefore, he had to set a high price.
Secondly, the stainless steel wire in the engine was the key. Selling the engine was not the goal; selling the stainless steel wire was the goal.
As long as he had stainless steel, the stainless steel wire would be endless. If you wanted to produce high-efficiency engines, you would have to come to him.
Thirdly, it was a matter of human nature. If you set a low price, they might not appreciate it! As long as it was within their acceptable range, the higher the price, the more grateful they would be—thanking you for selling them such a good thing, they would be deeply moved.
Zhang Quan squinted and looked around; Shangguan Yong also observed, even lowering himself to talk to the textile workers, but they ignored him. Only Yuan Zhao darted around, calling aunts "sisters" and sisters "younger sisters"; in this joking manner, he managed to gather quite a bit of information.
Taking this opportunity, Xu Ren approached Li Xian and whispered, "Master, none of your three friends are simple. Zhang Quan is good at calculation, Shangguan Yong is rough on the outside but meticulous on the inside, and Yuan Zhao is the most profound of the four of you."
"Um." Li Xian nodded, still somewhat shocked. Indeed, the children of officials were rarely fools.
After a while, Shangguan Yong came over, "Brother, let's cut the zeros. 1,300 taels of gold, I want two looms, right now."
Zhang Quan also said, "Two looms."
Only Yuan Zhao returned leisurely, "Brother, two combined textile machines, 10,000 taels of gold, how about it?"
"Deal. All textile machinery will be under warranty for five years for non-human damage, but material costs will be charged." Li Xian pretended to be generous with the "five-year warranty."
"Good." The four of them immediately reached an agreement. The fact that this would delay the production of cloth on Li Xian's side was completely ignored by both sides.
After finalizing the details, Li Xian said, "Brothers, let's talk about the Wang family's lantern imitation."
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