Chapter 478 - 255 Long united, must divide Part 1
When the mountain flowers were blooming and the scent of lotuses wafted through the air, Huaxi Jetty officially opened for business. Surprisingly, it turned out to be quite bustling, with a significant number of boats entering and leaving the port every day. People from the nearby towns would come here to catch a boat or transport goods, some even from the neighboring counties. The key was that there was a large kiln yard in the neighboring town, and the jetty solved their major transportation issue.
The Hong River was merely a tributary of the Green Spring River, capable of accommodating only medium-sized or small boats. Qian’s third wife had purchased two medium-sized boats that not only transported their own goods but also occasionally took on business from other families. These boats could go directly to Capital City or down to Jiangnan. But some small boats could only take people or goods to Wen County Port, where they would transfer to larger boats to enter the Green Spring River.
Despite its name, Huaxi Jetty was actually a fair distance from Huaxi Village—three li away. Since a stone bridge had been constructed next to the jetty, the port was much closer to Shili Town on the opposite bank of the river. To express their gratitude to the Qian family for building the bridge, which facilitated the lives of the common people, they named it Qian’s Bridge.
Since the jetty was built by the Qian family, they appointed someone to manage it and charged a certain management fee.
And because of this jetty, Shili Town suddenly became lively, and businesses there flourished.
Qian Manhe spotted this business opportunity first. At the start of the jetty’s construction, he borrowed two hundred taels of silver from Qian Sangui and bought two two-story shop fronts in the town. Once the jetty was completed and the town became lively, he sold them for three hundred and sixty taels of silver. After repaying Qian Sangui’s two hundred taels and spending ten taels on a thank-you gift, he netted a profit of one hundred and fifty taels. He then used this money to buy a larger courtyard in Xishan County Town than the one Qian Manchuan had bought. But he didn’t live there; he rented it out instead.
Qian Yixiu thought to herself that real estate is a lucrative business, no matter the era or dynasty.
At the same time, the Qian family’s Mountain of Flowers and Fruits produced a large amount of a new variety—the Golden honey peach. When the golden color was only as wide as a band around the base of the peaches, they were picked and shipped directly. Due to the limited quantity, they were only sent to Capital City Splendid Shop. By the time they arrived in Capital City, twenty days later, the peaches were just ripe.
The Golden honey peach hit the market and became a sought-after item, selling for forty-five wen per jin. Commoners couldn’t afford nor access this fruit; it was mostly purchased by powerful and influential families. Wealthy merchants who wanted to buy them had to pull strings through acquaintances.