OBS Chapter 1217 Braids are also business opportunities
Chapter 1217 Braids are also business opportunities
Several soldiers in new uniforms chased out, holding scissors and half of Lu Zilin's braid in their hands.
Bai Jiaxuan subconsciously protected his braid and pulled Qin Hao to run.
Qin Hao suddenly had an idea. Puyi abdicated in February 1912. Due to the lack of information in the county, the order to cut the braids was only passed here now.
"Da, food."
Qin Hao broke free from Bai Jiaxuan's hand and jumped onto Lu Zilin's carriage. Bai Jiaxuan and Lu San then remembered that the food could not be thrown away, so they quickly drove the carriage out.
But due to this delay, the carriage was surrounded by soldiers.
"Hey, you still dare to run? Come down quickly and cut your braids, or you will be in trouble." The soldier threatened.
Lu Zilin at the side was still wailing: "My braid~~~"
Bai Jiaxuan bowed with both hands: "Sir, this braid cannot be cut, or you will lose your head."
"Why would you want to lose your heads? This is the Republic of China. The Qing Dynasty is gone. The emperor has abdicated. Who wants your heads?"
Bai Jiaxuan was confused. He was a small landlord living in a remote corner. The highest official he had ever seen in his life was the county magistrate. The Qing Dynasty and the emperor were both high and mighty, far away and unattainable. But now these soldiers kept saying that the Qing Dynasty was gone.
Before Bai Jiaxuan could react, a soldier picked up a pair of scissors and cut off Bai Jiaxuan's braid with one swipe.
"My braids~~"
Qin Hao looked at the distraught Bai Jiaxuan and comforted him, "Da, since the soldiers all said that cutting the braids is not a problem, just cut it off."
He had long been annoyed by Bai Jiaxuan's rat-tail braid. Not only was it ugly, but it also made it easy for lice to grow. It looked much better after it was cut off.
"Brothers, my braids have been cut off, can you let us go back?"
After several soldiers cut off Lu San's braids, they waved their hands impatiently and said, "Let's go."
Seeing the soldiers walking away with Bai Jiaxuan and the other two's braids, Qin Hao suddenly had an idea.
On the way back, Bai Jiaxuan and Lu San both had expressions as if disaster was about to happen, but Lu Zilin was dejected at one moment and then stared at them and smiled at the other.
Bai Jiaxuan was already in a bad mood, and he got irritated by his laughter. He angrily asked, "What are you laughing at?"
"Jiaxuan, this is what you look like without your braids. It's so funny."
Bai Jiaxuan reached out and pushed Lu Zilin, almost throwing him off the carriage: "How dare you laugh, you son of a bitch? If it weren't for your cart of food, Hao'er wouldn't have turned back, and our braids wouldn't have been cut off."
Lu Zilin knew he was in the wrong, but he still muttered, "I didn't ask him to help me protect the food."
This really pissed off Bai Jiaxuan, and he grabbed Lu Zilin by the collar and said, "Say it again, you bastard."
"Why, you still want to hit me? Come on, hit me. Anyway, my braids are gone, and I can't live anymore. You can't live anymore either. Let's die together."
After hearing what Lu Zilin said, Bai Jiaxuan couldn't help but feel sad and no longer had the heart to cause trouble for Lu Zilin.
Seeing Bai Jiaxuan looking dejected, Qin Hao took out a newspaper from his arms.
"Da, what do you see written on it?"
Although Bai Jiaxuan didn't receive much education, he was literate and had no problem reading a newspaper.
"I am following the order of the Empress Dowager Longyu: Because the militia started an uprising, all provinces responded, and the nine summers were in turmoil, and all lives were lost..."
After reading the newspaper, Lu San was still confused, but Bai Jiaxuan held Qin Hao's arm and said, "Hao'er, where did you get this newspaper?"
"I picked it up on the ground when I passed by Chengmen Street Market. Da, I saw many people on the street had their braids cut off. What the newspaper said must be true."
Bai Jiaxuan's hands fell limply, and he muttered to himself: "The Qing Dynasty is gone, the emperor is gone? What should we do?"
"Da, my uncle said that dynasties have changed over the past thousands of years, and no matter who the emperor is, we farmers still farm the land."
Bai Jiaxuan finally brightened up after hearing this: "Yes, we farmers make a living by farming, not by serving the emperor, so who cares."
Lu Zilin stroked his prickly hair at the back of his head and took a puff of his pipe: "Is the world really going to change?"
After returning to Bailu Village, Bai Jiaxuan and his two companions' "fashionable" hairstyles attracted the attention of people of all ages in the village.
"Jiaxuan, why is your braid gone?"
"Zilin, why did you hand over your braids as well when you went to the city to pay grain?"
Lu Zilin put his hands on his waist and said smugly: "You know nothing. The world has changed. The Qing Dynasty is gone, and the emperor is gone. What's the point of keeping this braid?"
The villagers obviously didn't believe Lu Zilin's words, as this guy always talked nonsense, so they surrounded Bai Jiaxuan.
"Jiaxuan, tell us what happened."
Bai Jiaxuan's mind was still a little confused. He squeezed out of the crowd and rushed home.
Seeing that everyone did not believe him and asked Bai Jiaxuan instead, Lu Zilin felt unhappy: "What's the point of asking him? Hao'er, bring your newspaper here, I'll read it to them... Hey, don't leave... This kid is just like Tada, so stingy."
Qin Hao stopped, turned around and walked to the carriage where Lu Zilin was sitting, and slapped the horse hard on the butt. The horse screamed in pain and jumped forward. Lu Zilin, who was standing on the carriage, almost fell headfirst. He could only hold the guardrail on the edge of the carriage and yell at his own coachman.
"Hurry up and make this beast stop."
"You little bastard, you're as annoying as your father!"
……
When Qin Hao returned to the Bai family, he saw Bai Jiaxuan telling Bai Bingde what happened in the county as soon as he entered the door.
Bai Bingde was incredulous: "How can the Qing Dynasty disappear just like that after so many years?"
It was not until Qin Hao took the newspaper and read it to Bai Bingde that he finally dared to believe it was true.
"The Qing Dynasty is gone, so who will pay our taxes in the future?"
This question may seem funny, but it actually contains Bai Bingde's lifelong wisdom. For a small landlord like the Bai family, without the background of a noble family, it is impossible to participate in the political struggle, but he is very clear that the imperial power does not go to the countryside, and as long as someone collects taxes, the Bai family must be used and the interests of the Bai family must be protected.
The Bai family has never been a simple independent entity, but has been a small landlord class deeply embedded in this land for thousands of years.
"Sir, this newspaper reminds me of a business."
"Oh, what good idea does my kid have again?" Bai Bingde asked with a smile.
Qin Hao pointed behind Bai Jiaxuan's head.
Bai Jiaxuan was a little embarrassed: "You little bastard, you come to make fun of me too."
"Da, what I mean is that our family can go and collect the braids."
Bai Jiaxuan and Bai Bingde were stunned for a moment when they heard this: "Didn't you say that the Qing Dynasty is gone and we don't need to keep our braids anymore? Why do we need to keep our braids?"
Qin Hao said seriously: "Although pigtails are useless to us, they are very useful to foreigners."
"Foreigners? When did foreigners start having braids?" Bai Jiaxuan was completely confused.
"Foreigners don't have braids, but they like to wear wigs."
The popularity of wigs in Europe can be traced back to an earlier period. At the end of the 15th century, due to the prevalence of diseases such as syphilis, wigs began to be used to cover hair loss and skin diseases. In addition, wigs were also seen as a symbol of status, especially in the upper class, where having no hair was considered a damage to reputation.
In the 17th century, French Kings Louis XIII and Louis XIV both publicly wore wigs because of hair loss, which further promoted the popularity of wigs. In the early 20th century, wigs were not only popular among the upper class in Europe, but also gradually spread to a wider range of social classes. The most representative example was that European judges and lawyers all wore wigs, which were regarded as a symbol of majesty.
Bai Bingde pulled Qin Hao to him and said, "Where did you hear all this?"
"My uncle often wrote to his classmates and friends. I found what he wrote there quite interesting, so I remembered it."
Mr. Zhu has become Qin Hao's weapon for shifting the blame. In the eyes of Bai Bingde and Bai Jiaxuan, Mr. Zhu is not an ordinary person.
Bai Bingde lit up his pipe and puffed out the smoke: "Jiaxuan, go to Xi'an and ask the foreign companies there."
"Okay, I'll go tomorrow."
"What are you waiting for tomorrow? Pack your things now and rush to the county town before it gets dark."
Bai Bingde urged impatiently. He knew very well that if this deal could be done, it would bring him huge wealth.
"Oh, I'm leaving now."
Bai Jiaxuan packed a few sets of clothes and asked Lu San to drive the carriage and hurriedly leave Bailuyuan.
"Master, if this thing can be accomplished, will it be considered as a meritorious service?"
Bai Bingde smiled so much that the wrinkles on his face could kill a fly: "Well, it's more than just a meritorious service. You are the great contributor to our Bai family."
“Rewards should be practical.”
"Then I'll give you two taels of silver?"
Qin Hao shook his head and pointed out: "I want 10% of the profit."
Bai Bingde's smile froze: "What do you want so much money for?"
"Don't worry about it. Just because I can't use it now doesn't mean I won't need it in the future. Maybe I can use this money to make more money." Qin Hao said seriously.
Bai Bingde was a little hesitant. Although he didn't know how much foreigners demanded for wigs, since it could be sold to foreigners, it must be expensive. A 10% profit might be a huge sum of money.
Seeing Bai Bingde hesitate, Qin Hao added fuel to the fire: "I have another way to make money, but I have to get my share first before I tell you."
"This kid is still hiding it from us. Okay, I'll give you the 10% profit, but let me make it clear in advance that if your way of making money fails, I'll deduct it from you."
"Then a gentleman's word is as good as a promise."
"Smelly boy..."
Looking at Qin Hao's expression as if he was afraid that he would go back on his word, Bai Bingde stretched out his bony hand and high-fived Qin Hao as an oath.
……
Five days later, Bai Jiaxuan came back exhausted. As soon as he entered the house, he didn't even have time to drink a sip of water. He pulled Bai Bingde into the inner room and didn't even let the old lady in.
The two talked in the house until late at night, and early the next morning Bai Jiaxuan went to the county town with a heavy small box.
For several days, Lu Zilin didn't see Bai Jiaxuan in the village, and he couldn't help but feel confused.
"Erdou, have you seen your Jiaxuanda these days?"
Erdou kept shaking his head: "No...I didn't see it."
Lu Zilin looked at him dumbfounded and shook his head, but he was even more puzzled. Although the autumn harvest had passed and the fields were not as busy as before, there was still a lot of farm work to do. Without Bai Jiaxuan, the Bai family lost an important laborer.
"What the hell is this bastard doing?"
Just as Lu Zilin was squatting on the stage at the entrance of the village smoking his pipe and looking out of the village bored, Shi Tou suddenly ran over from the archway at the entrance of the village.
"Zilinda, who do you think I saw in the county town?"
Lu Zilin didn't care: "Who is it?"
"Jiaxuanda, guess what I saw him doing?" Shitou asked sneakily.
Lu Zilin put down his pipe and said, "What are you doing? You can't be looking for a woman, right?"
"He's not looking for a woman. Jiaxuanda is collecting braids."
"Braid?" Lu Zilin repeated, then pointed to the back of Shitou's head, which was cut short: "That's all you want?"
"Yes, it's the braids that people cut off and don't want anymore."
Lu Zilin frowned and said, "Why would this bastard collect this thing?"
"Who said it wasn't? And it's not cheap, twenty copper coins for a braid. People in the city are laughing at him for being stupid." Shi Tou said sarcastically.
Lu Zilin tapped his pipe and said, "He is just stupid. The Qing Dynasty is gone, what's the use of this braid? No one would pick it up if it was dropped on the ground, but he treats it as a treasure."
"you do not say."
After laughing at Bai Jiaxuan, Lu Zilin felt much better. He went home with his hands behind his back, humming a little tune.
Lu Taiheng frowned as he looked at his idle son. "Why are you so happy? Did you find some money?"
"That's not the case, but seeing the Bai family lose money makes me happier than me picking up money."
Lu Zilin vividly recounted the story of Bai Jiaxuan collecting braids in the county town, and it felt as if he had seen it with his own eyes.
Lu Taiheng frowned when he heard this: "Twenty cents for a braid? How much did you take?"
This question really stumped Lu Zilin.
"That person should be quite old. He even shaved Shitou's braids."
The more Lu Taiheng pondered, the more he felt something was wrong: "The Bai family spent so much money to buy pigtails. Could it be that... the Qing Dynasty will be restored one day?"
Lu Zilin was startled and subconsciously touched the back of his head: "Will those without braids be beheaded?"
"Master, Da, Mr. Zhu said that we can't go back to the Qing Dynasty."
Lu Zhaopeng on the side said.
"Mr. Zhu really said that?"
"Yeah, Bai Hao said so too."
Lu Taiheng smacked his lips and said, "This is even more strange. Why would you want to put your braids back?"
"Dad, how about I go to the county town tomorrow to see what Bai Jiaxuan is up to?"
"Well, you might as well go and have a look."
Early the next morning, Lu Zilin set out for the county town in the morning sun. In the past, he would not have gotten up so early to travel, but he would not be able to sleep well until he figured out what Bai Jiaxuan was doing by collecting his braids.
Lu Zilin rushed to the county town at eight o'clock in the morning. As expected, he saw Bai Jiaxuan on the most prosperous street. He was cutting people's braids. What surprised Lu Zilin even more was that Bai Jiaxuan's price for braids had risen to 25 copper coins.
"Jiaxuan, why did you collect this broken thing?"
Bai Jiaxuan couldn't help but feel wary when he saw Lu Zilin, and said perfunctorily: "What else can you do with the braids? Sell them to the opera troupe."
"Does a troupe need so many braids?" (End of this chapter)