Houya, Du Xun looked at the pot of mutton served and said unhappily: "I used to eat a lot of mutton at home. Now, thousands of miles away, I'll come to see you. Why do I bring a pot of mutton? In such a huge Tanglong Town, there is nothing else to order?"

Du Zhongxiao smiled and said, "Dad, it's really different. The sheep this one grew up with bitter alkali water. The meat is delicious and has no odor. Today's sheep comes from a fanluo in the west. The meat is particularly good. You and Director Luo will know it once you eat it."

After saying that, Du Zhongxiao asked Shisanlang to take out the meat from the pot and arrange it in a large plate. The cooked mutton ribs were all mutton ribs, and each piece was kept a small piece of bone for easy to hold and eat with his hands. It was learned by Du Zhongxiao from his hands in his previous life.

Du Xun didn't believe that mutton tasted the same? He grabbed a piece and ate it, his complexion was gentle, and he nodded: "The taste is really different. The meat is much tender, not comparable to ordinary mutton. It is often said that the customs and customs of different places are different, but I didn't expect that the sheep are different."

Du Zhongxiao said: "It's not entirely true. Since ancient times, there have been many sheep raised here, so there will naturally be some places that are particularly different. The mutton outside is not all so good. There are a few places that are special, only local people know. A few days ago, this Fan Luo came to Tanglong Town and sent a few sheep. I raised it in the yamen. You came today and slaughtered one."

After saying that, he took the wine and poured a bowl of Du Xun, and said, "Dad, this is the calamus wine here on Hedong Road. It tastes fragrant and is most suitable for drinking at this time. Do you taste it?"

The father and son, together with Luo Jing and Shisanlang, gathered a large plate of mutton, and talked about the changes in the past few years.

After talking about the current situation at home, Du Xun said: "I heard from people on the road that the price of frankincense in Tanglong Town has plummeted recently, and many businessmen have lost their capital and have been in a state of depression. If something happened to you in your office, don't be blamed by the court."

Du Zhongxiao smiled and said, "Dad, it's common for the price rise and fall in the market. How could the court blame the local officials for such a thing? Besides, the merchants lost money this time, but the government did not lose money, and they made a big profit, which was not a problem."

Du Xun was stunned: "When encountering such a thing, can the government still make money? I have never heard of such things."

"It's not just the government that makes money, but some merchants have also made a lot of money. Especially those who have strong capital, such as those sugar merchants, who have made a fortune in buying and selling bonds because of this. Prices rise and fall, and the goods are still there, which is not a problem."

Du Xun shook his head: "I don't understand how you do business here. Unlike the serious businessmen in Zhongyuan, they sell goods and specialize in doing things that are not understood. I come from afar, and I want to sell some goods from here, so I have to be cautious."

Du Zhongxiao said: "It's okay to go back with the goods. Who dares to tamper with you? As long as you don't buy short selling, there will be nothing wrong."

Du Xun said: "I spend a few cents of money and I am careful when I don't see the goods. Who can give me money? What are you buying and selling short? I know that it's not a legitimate business after hearing this statement. Dalang, you are a down-to-earth person, how can you make such a name?"

Du Zhongxiao drank a sip of wine and sighed: "What's the way? This place is too poor and too remote, and it's difficult to make money. To develop the place, money is needed everywhere, and the yamen can do things. With Tanglong Town, the money of the Volcano Army cannot be used up and everything is easy to do. I'm working as a Zhijun for more than a year and built a land steward, and the food produced is enough for the military and civilians to eat. The people under the rule, from 3,000 to 7,000 households, are all piled up with money. Now, look at the volcano Army, the roads are flat, the markets are prosperous, and the people are happy to work, and they are all piled up with money from Tanglong Town!"

Du Xun thought for a while and shook his head: "Forget it, I don't know what you are doing in the officialdom, and I can't persuade you. If you become your official, I will take good care of your family. - By the way, at noon today, I met a tourist at home and said he was a sugar merchant from Shu. He asked me if I wanted to do some sugar business. Sugar is a good thing and everyone likes it, but long-distance trafficking is not small."

Luo Jing on the side said, "Isn't it? Business is risky, and you need to be cautious when doing things. Look at those Hu merchants in the Western Regions, before the frankincense plummeted, everyone was rich. When they encountered a storm, they could only be a servant for others."

Du Xun nodded: "That's the reason. Although we are wealthy families, we never do risky businesses. The restaurants at home sell home brewed wine and the farms grow crops, which are all down-to-earth industries."

Speaking of this, Du Xun turned to Du Zhongxiao and said, "Dalang, but the traveler mentioned that you asked them to build a sugar-squeezing workshop, saying it was a way to make money. I asked me if I was interested and went to them to see if I could make money."

Du Zhongxiao said: "This is indeed a way to make money, and it is a way to make a lot of money. Silk, sugar, and tea are all bulk goods, and only bulk goods can make big money. This is true. There are big tea merchants on the market now, but they rarely hear about big sugar merchants. Except for Tanglong Town, where have you seen sugar sellers in other places? This is because in the Sichuan and Shu area, sugarcane is planted by small households and squeezed sugar by themselves. Each company has a different recipe, and the sugar is squeezed out at various prices, and it is difficult to purchase. As far as I know, sugarcane is the most conducive to large-scale planting, and the more planted it, the easier to manage it. The same is true for squeezing sugar. The larger the workshop, the more sugar is squeezed out, the lower the cost. Moreover, the sugar squeezed out in large fields is the same, which is easy to price and sell."

Du Xun said: "I also asked the tourists that the sugar they sell here is the cheapest in Sichuan and Shu. The most valuable ones, such as Suining frosting, have high prices and low yields, and no one has trafficked it here."

Du Zhongxiao had talked to sugar merchants many times and knew that the sugar industry is still developing in a limited manner and has not been commercialized on a large scale. The main products such as frosting are rock sugar, which is not as good as the price. Compared with tea, sugar at this time is characterized by luxury goods, and it is not popularized on a large scale in society, nor is it a daily necessity. The sugar merchants in Tanglong Town are locally part of marginal people, and they are all categories that other merchants are unwilling to acquire. However, taking advantage of the loopholes in the huge market in the north, the business has grown rapidly.

Because sugar is not a necessity, the ones who grow sugar cane most want to make are frosting, which can be eaten as snacks. The sugar that can be widely used as condiments is not large in quantity, and only those who are not capable of making frosting make sugar.

In fact, the most important product of sucrose is sugar. Whether it is white sugar or brown sugar, it is easy to add to other foods and has the prospect of becoming a daily necessity for the people. Moreover, compared with tea, sucrose is more convenient for large-scale operation. What Du Zhongxiao thought was to build large-scale plantations and large-scale sugar-pressing workshops in places suitable for planting sugarcane. This not only makes the profits higher, but more importantly, it is conducive to large-scale commercialization. Once commercialized, it is easy to form industrialization.

If Du Zhongxiao hadn't been able to get rid of himself, he would like to go to Sichuan and Guangdong to promote the sugar sugar industry. The prospects of this industry are brighter than wool textiles and can also bring more tax revenue. Seeing Du Xun's intention, Du Zhongxiao hesitated. Thousands of miles away, there are many unpredictable difficulties, and he really doesn't want his father to go for a trip. But it would be a pity to keep the opportunity in front of him and not seize it. In the future, this will definitely be a huge industry. For the sake of the family and the future generations, he cannot be spared.

After thinking about it, Du Zhongxiao said to Du Xun: "Dad, I have indeed told those who go out to the outsiders that it is best for officials to go out and pay a lot of money and make big scenes. If you can plant tens of thousands of acres of sugar and produce hundreds of thousands of kilograms of sugar, you can be richer than the kings and princes."

When Du Xun heard this, his eyes lit up: "Dalang, what do you think I'm going there, and do with these extras?"

Du Zhongxiao thought about it and nodded: "This matter is also feasible. My father can go there, build a manor, and find a local supervisor to take care of it. The family will send people there from time to time. If it is well managed, this is a big family business. I also served as an official in Shu in the same year, so I can entrust them to help take care of it. I think nothing big will happen."
Chapter completed!