Chapter 480 Scorpion Shit
Glass grapes are also called container grapes.
The Chang family, who pioneered this craft product, is known as "Grape Chang".
However, "Grape Chang" was not originally named Chang, but a Mongolian family.
It was around 1850, when a Mongolian tribal princess was selected into the palace by the Qing royal family.
There was a Mongolian woman named "Fugui" who followed him to Beijing, and she also married a soldier in the Mongolian barracks of Zhenglan Banner in the capital.
The daily life of the couple depends on the salary issued by the palace.
In the third year of Xianfeng, that is, 1853, due to the emperor's decree, some bannermen were exempted from money and food.
When he was unable to make a living, Fugui had to learn to knead fruits with clay, dry them and paint them before selling them on the streets.
Later, she kneaded the clay into beads and collected the mud beads into grapes. Compared with other mud melon fruits, she looked more novel and gradually gained the favor of buyers.
Han Qiharibu, Fugui's son, also made clay grapes from elementary school.
When he became an adult, he tried to make grape beads out of glass frit, saved them into doulu and sent them to the market for sale.
The glass material at that time was very fashionable and fresh. This innovation was very popular and was quickly sold out.
Since then, there have been glass grapes in the capital.
In the 20th year of the reign of Emperor Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty, that is, 1894, the tenth day of the tenth month of the lunar calendar was the 60th birthday of Empress Dowager Cixi.
The palace sent people to collect handicrafts everywhere, and also ordered the bannermen in Beijing to distribute a birthday gift to each household, regardless of rich or poor.
The officials of the Ministry of Internal Affairs selected some exquisite products from these offerings and displayed them in the Summer Palace for Cixi to enjoy.
The tenth month of the lunar calendar in Beijing has reached the "light snow" solar term. Cixi suddenly saw glass grapes with green leaves and round beads hanging among the withered vegetation. She thought they were real and wanted to pick a few bunches to taste.
When she learned that this was a fruit made by a Mongolian woman named Fugui and her son, and heard about Fugui’s life experience, the Queen Mother of the West made Fugui a permanent presence on a whim, in order to create a " It means "wealth is always there".
In addition, she also wrote "Heaven's will is constant" in her own handwriting, which originally meant the words "Heaven's will is constant" to reward wealthy mothers and children.
Afterwards, the palace made a plaque with these three characters, one meter long and half a meter wide, with gold characters on a black background, and gave it to the wealthy family.
From then on, this imperial title caused the Fugui family to change their surname to Chang, and they were called "Grape Chang" by the people in the capital.
There are always people of all ages who have hot spots.
Seeing the Chang family become famous overnight and their business becoming increasingly prosperous, the same industry in the capital could not help but rush to imitate their grapes.
It’s just that no matter which company makes grapes, they are not as exquisite as Chang’s.
People say that the Chang family has a "special trick" in making grapes that they keep secret from others. This is true.
Because only Chang’s grapes are hollow, unlike others, which are dead.
In this way, not only the material is saved, but the texture is also good.
But the most important thing is that the Chang family can create the effect of hanging frost, which is so fake that it looks like the real thing.
For this reason, "Grape Chang" has even become famous overseas.
In 1914, Changjia's grapes won the first prize at the Panama International Exposition in the United States.
Since then, the Chang family has suddenly grown rich, and there is a lot of traffic at the door. Even foreigners' "foreign estates" come to the door to buy it.
How popular were the Chang family’s grapes at that time?
After one month, the Chang family can receive almost twenty-four or five kinds of advance payments in foreign currencies.
So later, the Chang family gradually added glass fruits, wine glasses, flag tops, etc., and exported them in large quantities to European and American countries.
At that time, Zhen Dexing in Xihuying, Beijing, Renli Company in Wangfujing, and Hansen & Co. in Maojiawan were all dealers of the Chang family.
But this kind of life also makes the third generation of men in the Chang family indulge in pleasure.
None of them touched the family crafts, only willing to carry cages and cages, and became young masters who did not do their jobs properly.
Needless to say, once you get into the habit of eating, drinking, whoring, and gambling, no matter how big your family fortune is, it will come to nothing.
After the death of the head of the family, Han Qiharib, and only a few years of good life, the Chang family was in danger because of the huge debts owed by the young masters.
And the men of the Chang family couldn't bear the creditors' visits, so everything fell on the actual inheritors of the technology, the third-generation daughters of the Chang family, Chang Guifu, Chang Guilu, Chang Guishou, and the fourth-generation granddaughters. On Chang Yuqing and Chang Yuling.
In order not to lose their craftsmanship and to support their family, they made a common decision with tears in their eyes - not to marry for the rest of their lives.
It’s just that although sacrifice is great, fate plays a trick on people.
Due to years of war and changes in the world, society's demand for luxurious furnishings has been decreasing.
All kinds of exorbitant taxes and extortion are increasing day by day.
Soon, the Chang family's grapes could no longer be sold, and their decline was inevitable.
The aunt and niece had no choice but to make a living by selling baked sweet potatoes, sugar snap peas, candied haws and fried pancakes, collecting cinders, and unpacking and washing bedding for others as the seasons changed.
It was not until 1949 that the Chongwen District Government of the new society approached the Chang family and mobilized and supported them to restore the glass grapes under the "Tianyi Chang" brand as soon as possible. Only then did the five girls of the Chang family resume their old business.
In the early summer of 1952, the first batch of glass grapes that resumed production came out and were sent to the National Material Exchange Conference held in the Temple of Heaven in Beijing.
A refined "May Fresh" grape container attracted all the viewers to praise its "excellent craftsmanship".
As a result, bulk orders were placed, and sales quickly opened up.
Subsequently, during the handicraft industry cooperative movement, the five daughters of the Chang family did not join the Capital Materials Factory out of consideration of keeping the secret recipe. Instead, he joined the No. 1 Velvet Silk Flower Production Cooperative in Beijing and formed the company's first independent professional production group that produces and sells its own products.
Chang Guilu is the best at craftsmanship and earns a monthly salary of 130 yuan, while others range from 70 to 80 yuan per month.
The company not only kept its promise, but also allowed them to stay at home and work.
In order to expand production and improve labor efficiency, they also transferred two glass bead furnace workers from Tong County and recruited four female apprentices from other places.
In 1956, the five daughters of the Chang family and several apprentices were able to achieve an annual output value of 38,000 yuan from grape production alone.
One foreign businessman even asked for 50,000 grapes when ordering.
On this order, they are busy all year round, which makes them feel happy and sad at the same time.
In the summer of this year, Chang Guilu was also rated as the only female "old artist" in the handicraft industry in the capital, and was elected as a member of the Women's Federation.
It is a pity that the flowers are not as red as a hundred days, and the manpower cannot compete with the general trend of history.
When 1966 came, Chang's grapes disappeared from the market again.
After that, Chang Guilu, Chang Guishou and Chang Yuqing, among the five daughters of the Chang family, passed away one after another.
In 1977, even Chang Guifu left.
At this point, the "Grape Chang" grapes have completely disappeared from the market in the capital.
The only real successor is the fourth generation Chang Yuling, the last of the five daughters of the Chang family.
It was not until June 1979 that, in order to help the street solve the employment problem of unemployed young people, Chang Yuling, with the support of the Donghuashi Street Office, used an old warehouse as a blank blowing workshop and took several unemployed young people to resume the production of materials. Handicraft making of grape utensils.
However, because glass grapes are purely manual techniques, there are many processes.
At the beginning, the apprentices were unskilled and the output was low, resulting in very poor economic benefits.
As a result, in the autumn of 1980, the production cooperative finally announced its dissolution due to poor management and lack of funds.
The craftsmanship of "Grape Chang" failed to stand up after all.
The above was what Director Niu from the street office introduced to them in detail after Ning Weimin and Qiao Wanlin found the Donghuashi Street in Chongwen District, where Chang Yuling lived, to learn more about the situation.
And not only that, Director Niu even showed them the two bunches of grapes produced by the street production cooperative under the guidance of Chang Yuling a few years ago.
It should be said that the story of "Grape Chang" becoming famous is quite legendary, and it sounds like a wonderful storytelling.
If the novel is made into a film or TV series, its excitement should not be much worse than that of "The Mansion Gate" with a Chinese medicine background.
The physical effect of the grapes in the container is also extremely amazing.
Whether it is purple grapes or mare's milk grapes, they are both full of texture. I am afraid that no one can believe that these are fake grapes.
So for these reasons, Ning Weimin and Qiao Wanlin opened their eyes and their trip was not in vain.
However, no matter what, there is no way to offset the frustration of not getting things done.
Qiao Wanlin couldn't help but sigh after hearing this, feeling discouraged by the decline of "Grape Chang".
"Wei Min, together we have made another trip in vain. The 'Grape Chang' is gone, and we can't buy it even if we want to. What do you think we should do next? We are going back to the capital to ask for information. What about the utensil factory? Or should we just give up on using utensils? If not, let’s stick to the jade factory. No matter how expensive the jewelry and jade bonsai are, it’s better to have less, right? Be smaller..."
Ning Weimin was deep in thought when Director Niu suddenly answered.
“Hey, Comrade Qiao, I’m not refuting you, but there is still something wrong with what you just said. ‘Grape Chang’ no longer makes grapes, but as long as people who understand technology are around, we can still do it if we want to. Ah. If Chang Yuling is gone, the unique skill of 'Grape Chang' will be effectively declared dead. As for now, if our district can provide some policy support, we can only grant some loans to the Chang family. Reignite the fire and blow the beads. How many grapes do you want?”
“To tell you the truth, our street strength is limited and there is really no market for foreign trade. This is the reason why the production cooperative failed last time. But the stuff is really good. You two came here because of the reputation. You are not disappointed when you see this thing?”
“Isn’t this comrade who wants to buy grapes your age? If a foreign company can sell our grapes abroad, it will be a piece of cake. Then, your company will make a lot of money from it, and the "Grape Chang" technology can be passed on. "
“I’m really not bragging on Mrs. Chang’s behalf. She is actually a craftsman who has been praised by our great leader. If I hadn’t insisted on keeping the secret recipe, my whole family would have gone to the Capital Materials Factory. It's a pity that this person doesn't have the ability to memorize words. Now he wants to hand over the secret recipe, and it's not uncommon for other food manufacturers..."< br>
After talking, Director Niu not only unintentionally pointed out the discord between the Jingcheng Material Factory and "Grape Chang". Let Ning Weimin and Qiao Wanlin understand.
And his hidden thoughts were exposed.
That is, I am worried that the crying child will have milk, and I want to take the opportunity to cry a few times to see if I can reopen the production cooperative with the help of the district.
Why else would you treat me so warmly and introduce me so patiently?
It's obvious that it's too late to do anything without benefits.
Needless to say, if he can really achieve his goal, then their Donghuashi Street will be able to earn more income, and the several alleys in the area will have fewer unemployed young people.
But the question is, if the grassroots units are having a hard time, are the higher-level units in the district having an easier time?
There is a lack of funds everywhere now. Otherwise, if the service bureau is in charge of so many catering companies, why would it be interested in Ning Weimin's proposal?
Isn’t it because the foreign company has strong capital and he has the ability to make a lot of money, and he also wants to take advantage of it and make some living money for the small treasury.
So Qiao Wanlin refused without even thinking about it.
"I said, Director Niu. You are really capable, and you still ambush us like this. We are here to buy things. Oh, just because we didn't sell anything, we have to invest money. Support you? Is this reasonable? It’s not that I don’t want to help you. The point is that I can’t even report it to my superiors.”
“Besides, you. I’m not sure about the authority of this matter. Arts and crafts production companies like yours should be under the jurisdiction of the Light Industry Bureau. We have to provide money to support you. The District Light Industry Bureau will have to file a lawsuit against us.”
“Also, you want to simplify the export channels. Don’t forget that Manager Ning is Pierka. The company has no right to sell domestic handicrafts abroad. What’s more, it’s a clothing company. How can you ask a clothes seller to help you sell glass grapes? ”
Director Niu blushed when he was told that, and then he realized that he was indeed ignorant and reckless.
But the matter was still so weird, and he didn't even wait for him to explain it out loud.
Ning Weimin sitting aside made Qiao Wanlin look bad.
His response surprised everyone.
“Hey, Wan Lin, you can’t say that. In fact, I think Director Niu’s idea is understandable. It’s for the benefit of the residents of the street. This is what a parent should do. I am doing my duty. Much Good cadre! Besides, it’s not like I haven’t cooperated with the street. Our sewing club on Meishi Street originally had only a few dozen people, but now it’s a small sewing factory with 60 people. I’m the one who helped. You're busy..."
"No, you...what are you talking about? Did you take the wrong medicine? Why don't you raise your own pigs if you don't buy pork?"
Qiao Wanlin was stunned. He didn't expect that this boy Ning Weimin would actually go against him.
A stern warning was then issued.
"Let me tell you, we don't care about that. When we come here, we will talk about buying the feeder. If you can't buy it, leave! Can you save me some time and stop making troubles..."< br>
Ning Weimin quickly handed over the cigarette and forced Qiao Wanlin to take it.
While lighting a fire for him, he persuaded him.
"Don't be anxious, don't be anxious, I think these grapes are really good. If you can really put them in our restaurant and have a scorpion shit, it would be absolutely shocking."
"We are planning to spend money anyway. Who would buy the equipment for tens of thousands? Why not just give the money to the street to help Grape Chang resume production? "
" The reporter said, we have the Temple of Heaven at our back, so we can’t attract foreign tourists. Although we don’t have the means to engage in foreign trade in bulk, we can still sell these grapes in our hands and retail them to individual customers..."
Director Niu looked so beautiful now, and he clapped his hands excitedly.
"Oh, I just said that I saw a magpie on the branch today. Manager Ning, you are not an ordinary person. Your method is really grand. It sounds reliable to me. If you can really give us tens of thousands, we The production company can really start up again. Good for individual customers. It is difficult for us to sell grapes in batches according to the method you said. ”
Ning Weimin immediately handed him a cigarette, but he held on to it.
"Goodbye, Director Niu, don't get excited first. Although the things are good, the overall cost also depends on it. First, please tell me briefly how many people will be needed if a production cooperative is set up in the street again. ? How much investment? How many qualified grapes can be produced this month? If we buy out your goods, what price will you sell us? "
This is a good question, Niu. The director didn't dare to fool him at all.
Seeing the unhappy look on Qiao Wanlin's face next to him, Director Niu recalled it carefully and began to introduce the situation more cautiously.
“You don’t need too many people, six or seven people are enough. The investment is not too much, the traditional equipment is very simple, we still have some now, the factory is found on the street, it doesn’t cost money. The main thing is The cost lies in raw materials and workers’ wages. If we reopen this stall, it will only cost less than 15,000 yuan in the initial stage.”
"As for the production volume, when our subdistrict management was in the past, we were not very skilled at the beginning and could only produce about 70 skewers per month. After about half a year, the output increased to more than 200 skewers per month. For external sales, we are based on raw materials. Doubling the profit would cost about fifteen yuan per bunch of grapes. But after deducting the cost of raw materials, workers' wages, coal, fire and taxes, we only have 30% of the profit left. "
"Anyway, the output value is more than 3,000 yuan per month. The key is to control the scrap rate and find sales. If the scrap rate is high, the cost will be high, and the product will be backlogged every month. We can't stand it without the investment in raw materials and wages. If you can really buy it all out, we can save us from having to worry about sales. We can actually make a living by giving you 13 yuan or even 12 yuan. That's enough."
Ning Weimin's mind is like a calculation. After a brief review, he came to the conclusion that this was a huge advantage.
So suddenly, "Jileng" stood up.
Of course Director Niu was surprised.
"What? Manager Ning? What do you feel dissatisfied about? Let's talk about it again..."
Ning Weimin couldn't help but waved his hands.
"Director Niu, don't get me wrong. I think the key depends on the attitude of the Chang family. The old man is over seventy and has suffered so much. Logically speaking, he should enjoy his old age. He's old. If he's disheartened and doesn't want to talk about it anymore, it's useless for us to say anything, right? So let's go meet the old man together and talk about the conditions there. Now, let’s move on to the next step, right? Isn’t it convenient for you now?”
Director Niu stood there for a moment, then jumped up even more eagerly than Ning Weimin. .
"Convenient, convenient, let's leave right away. Don't worry, Mrs. Chang will never be unhappy. Just because she is of this age, her biggest wish is to take care of the Chang family. The only condition is to pass on the unique skills to the world again. Do you believe it? She can do it without payment..."
But different from Ning Weimin, and different from Director Niu.
Qiao Wanlin, who was last, lowered his head and smoked a sullen cigarette.
After going out, he gritted his teeth and grabbed Ning Weimin's arm.
As we walked all the way, I started whispering to him, trying to persuade him to stop.
“I’m telling you, boy, with the little money we have, you really plan to buy thousands of bunches of grapes. Can you just calm down and calm down! No matter how good the things are, you can’t handle too much! If you have too much, you can’t stand it. It’s valuable!”
"What's going on, you? I've never seen you be so tossing! Are you the one who plays the good part and let me play the bad side? Opening a factory is not something that happens in a day or two. You will be tied up from now on. Every day You have to worry about how to sell these glass grapes!"
"I know, you must have said that you should find other funds to top up the money first. You are not afraid of a big hole. You can’t even make up for it. You forgot how you promised me, good guy, if you don’t buy the rags in other people’s warehouses, you plan to make it yourself..."
Qiao Wanlin is really for Ning Weimin. Worried, so anxious that my eyes were red.
But Ning Weimin laughed. "Brothers, don't get so angry! It's not that bad! Wan Lin, don't you still believe me? Have I ever done a business that lost money?"
He also lowered his voice to explain the trick. .
"You have to think this way, if we hadn't suffered a lot in the food factory, we would have bought everything smoothly. Then it still costs 50,000 yuan, right? You can't buy such awesome grapes. Right? But Now, listen to Director Niu’s introduction, two hundred bunches of grapes cost less than three thousand yuan.”
“What does this mean? It doesn’t just mean that the grapes from ‘Grape Chang’ are better than we expected. Cheap means that the cost of the material factory is also very low. If we start burning glass here, we already have the equipment for the material. Then I can hire a master from the material factory to come here and make what we want! Do you still need to look at the face of the feeder factory?”
“Think about the first few days, we foolishly sent the money to the feeder factory, but the feeder factory just didn’t do it. We, we can save a lot of money!"
"Do you understand? We are not going to be a "grape-making" production company, but a real production company that can produce tens of thousands of high-end feeders. That’s it. Isn’t it cheap enough? If it works, we will benefit from it all year round. If it fails, it can also solve our current needs and buy what we want.”
“I’m even thinking that it can. We can't let the master craftsman of the utensil factory cooperate with "Grape Chang" to make real utensils made of grape leaves instead of the ones commonly made of cloth. Only then can we use copper wire instead of wire for stringing beads. It's transparent, gorgeous and high-end. Although the cost is high, it may make 'Grape Chang' out of the category of folk toys, but it's worth it..."
Qiao Wanlin was not a fool, and he quickly figured it out.
Immediately became very excited, "Hey, Weimin, what kind of brain do you have. I have to say, you are the one who recruits more people!"
At this moment, they didn't know Unconsciously, I have reached the place.
Hearing a shout from the front, Director Niu had already crossed the road first and ran to a small cart selling popsicles on the opposite side.
He turned around and waved to Ning Weimin and others to come over.
Then the old lady pointed at Ning Weimin and the two of them and muttered, as if to introduce their identities.
Looking at the old lady with a pair of glasses and a kind face who was selling popsicles to passers-by with a smile.
Qiao Wanlin couldn't help but open his eyes wide again.
"Ah! No way? Is this 'Grape Chang'? He's actually a popsicle seller! Oh, this guy named Niu is talking nonsense! Weimin, be careful! What is that! Look, People are in such a difficult situation, how dare he say that they don't want to be paid? I don't believe it..."
Who knows, but Ning Weimin said, "I told you, just blame this old lady. You are so downtrodden, but you can maintain such a calm and calm attitude. You have to be more confident now after we pass. This is really an expert. If you do this, you can do it."
"Ah? Why? Why are you so sure?"
Qiao Wanlin looked at the traffic on the road and was anxious to cross the road, but also questioned Ning Weimin's judgment with disbelief.
However, Ning Weimin confidently said something intriguing.
“My uncle Kang told me that it is not easy for people to be rich without being arrogant, but it is even more difficult to be poor without complaining. Especially for someone like Mrs. Chang who has been rich for a long time. A poor person who can be happy with things and be happy with himself is already much higher than ordinary people. It’s right to find such a person to work for..."
Qiao Wanlin looked at that " The last descendant of "Putao Chang" seemed to have respect in his eyes.
It was precisely at this moment.
The director of the Jingcheng Material Equipment Factory is asking the business section chief for information related to Ning Weimin and Qiao Wanlin.
“Did you receive the people who came from the district service bureau a few days ago?”
The business section chief stepped forward and said, “Director, I have already sent them away. Are there any high-end goods? I agreed to make it for them, so I sold them eight mid-range utensils from the canteen."
"Oh, I heard that they are two young people. You are so perfunctory with them. Aren’t you unhappy?”
The business section chief smiled scornfully, "Oh? Come and beg us, do they still have the spirit? Then don't come! In fact, if they weren't from the district, if they dared to mention the 'Grape Chang' in our factory, I would We won't even sell those few pieces to them, and let them go away empty-handed. Our high-end feeders are too labor-intensive. Of course, we have to prioritize completing political tasks. Where can we sell them so many good feeders? "< br>
The factory director scratched his head and said, "Let's do that. Anyway, we don't rely on high-end products to live, we still focus on industrial production. Ah, by the way, have you made arrangements for the wholesale card to be shipped to Shandong? You don't have to I forgot to tell those Shandong people that if they come to our factory next time to pick up goods and want 50,000 more units, we can give them another eight cents per unit..."
The business section chief nodded vigorously, "Yes, yes, I understand, I have written it all down."
(End of this chapter)