Author: Ru Fengjun
As the saying goes: Rich heirlooms, but only three generations.
But the Qiao family, the leader of the Jin merchants, is rich enough to rival the country, and the people who have been more than six generations are the third generation of Qiao Zhiyong.
Li Hongzhang once personally inscribed a poem for the Qiao family: "The descendants are virtuous, the clan will be big, the brothers are harmonious, and the family is fat." ”
All of this is thanks to the 3 family rules set by Qiao Zhiyong after taking over the Qiao family.
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The first house rule: six prohibitions
The first house rule of the Qiao family is six prohibitions:
Concubinage, gambling, prostitution, drugs, abuse, and alcohol are not allowed.
These short 24 words warn the descendants of the Qiao family from the root to do things and be people first.
In the early years, Qiao Zhiyong's grandfather Qiao Guifa partnered with fellow countryman Qin Zhaoqing to do business.
With the joint efforts of the two, their business is thriving, and they also founded the trade name Guangsheng Gong.
The children of the two families have also become a proper rich second generation.
At that time, the children of the Qin family ate, drank, prostituted and gambled, did not learn and had no skills, and when they had no money, they sold their property, and in the end even food and clothing became a problem.
Qiao Zhiyong looked at it one by one and understood that there is a way to do business, but he must also govern his family well.
Therefore, the family rules of "six prohibitions" were set, requiring future generations to keep the moral bottom line and behave properly.
And Qiao Zhiyong leads by example.
Although he had six wives, all of them were after the death of the previous one and never took a concubine.
Hiring maids never looks for young and beautiful girls, but only hard-working and capable married women.
He has always treated his servants well, not only giving them enough wages, but also sending rice, noodles, and meat to the servants' homes during the New Year's holidays.
He also asked his children to study more, even if they did not become famous, they would have elegant conversation and morality, and they would not be unworthy of virtue.
"University" said: The virtuous are the first, and the rich are the end.
Moral cultivation is the foundation of a person's life.
Sitting on a mountain of gold, but not virtuous enough, sooner or later it will be gone.
For a family, if each member has good virtues, it can not only bring wealth, but also keep it, so that the family fortune will last for a long time.
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The second family rule: honesty and trustworthiness
As the saying goes: no business, no treachery.
In order to seek greater profits, many businesses often lack catties and are shoddy.
But Qiao Zhiyong's business principle is: "People abandon me to take, small profits and wide sales, maintain reputation, and do not engage in hypocrisy." ”
At any time, he insisted on not destroying the credibility of the Qiao family because of small profits.
Once, Qiao Zhiyong found a guy adulterated in sesame oil.
He immediately reprimanded: "Are you doing this to smash our signboard and smash everyone's jobs!"
Immediately afterwards, he ordered someone to replace it with genuine sesame oil, and also recalled the defective sesame oil that had been sold, and gave a full refund.
After this incident, the Qiao family's business not only did not suffer, but became more and more prosperous because of Qiao Zhiyong's honest management.
After the outbreak of the Xinhai Revolution, the external environment was unstable, and the money owed by others to the Qiao family could not be recovered, but the money owed by the Qiao family to others was paid off in full.
As a result, almost all of Qiao's ticket numbers were shut down.
During the Republic of China, Jin banknotes were issued in Shanxi, and after the warlords fought, the Jin banknotes depreciated rapidly.
At this time, if the Qiaojia ticket number redeems the deposit at the market price, it can make a lot of money from it and make up for the previous loss.
However, Qiao Yingxia, the grandson of Qiao Zhiyong, the head of the house at the time, did not want the people to suffer losses and insisted on paying according to the previous market.
In the end, the Qiao family made a considerable loss-making transaction, but the reputation of honesty and trustworthiness has been deeply rooted in the hearts of the people.
Qing Dynasty scholar Shen Juyun said in "Xiyan Words": "One word of sincerity can serve the world." ”
When getting along with people, you can not look at their family background or their academic ability, but we must see whether they are honest.
Honesty is the foundation of all interactions. Honesty is a person's hardest hole card.
Even if you are at a low point, you will get help from nobles because of your reliability.
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The third family rule: diligence and thrift
Qiao Zhiyong once personally drafted a couplet: "Seek fame and profit, do not seek others, you must seek yourself; cherish agriculture and food, not wealth, and cherish blessings." ”
He knows very well that although the Qiao family has a great business, if the children and grandchildren do not understand it, they will squander it wantonly, and they will only be defeated in the morning and night.
Therefore, there is a limit on the annual expenses of each room in the Qiao family's compound, and it is uniformly distributed by the family to prevent the emergence of a loser.
On weekdays, if someone wastes food, they have to kneel and recite the "Zhu Zi's Family Motto", and until they recognize their mistakes, Qiao Zhiyong will let them leave.
There are clay sculptures of the ancestors in the "Baoben Hall" of Qiao's house, and there are baskets and dog-beating sticks next to the clay sculptures.
In order to warn future generations, the ancestors are poor people, and if you are rich, you must not forget your roots.
Therefore, although the Qiao family is rich and rivals the country, their children and grandchildren are humble and courteous, and they do not have the slightest extravagance and arrogance.
Whether it is the local residents or the merchants who come and go, they are full of praise for the Qiao family.
Li Shangyin has a famous saying: "After a visit to the former virtuous country and family, success is due to diligence and thrift, and failure is due to luxury." ”
From ancient times to the present, whether it is a large country or a small family, once there is a trend of extravagance and waste, it is the beginning of decay.
For example, in "Dream of Red Mansions", the illustrious Jiafu, from Jia's mother to the small house, only knows how to covet pleasure and does not know how to plan, so that they cannot find children and grandchildren who can succeed their careers.
The good Zhong Ming Ding Food House finally came to the end of the road.
Be diligent in the state and thrifty at home. The more wealth and glory you have, the more you must know how to be diligent and thrifty, which is the way for the family to prosper.
Ru Fengjun said:
The ancients said: There are ups and downs in the family business, and there is no straight door.
The fate of a family depends on the behavior and performance of family members.
And a good family style, like a benchmark, always alerts every member of the family to do not exceed the rules.
The three family rules set by Qiao Zhiyong are not only applicable at that time and place, but also applicable today.
Only by becoming a person who is moral, honest, and thrifty can we open up the family business, strengthen the family business, and keep the family business.
Home is a harbor and confidence, may we all cultivate our families and have a happy and worry-free rest of our lives.