Chapter 249 The Prosperous City of Nanyang

The dock was bustling with people.

Zhao Dashan saw Cheng Wanwan and the other two off at the dock, and suddenly felt a pang of reluctance.

However, being a grown man, he couldn't possibly show his emotions about parting on his face. He repeatedly instructed, "Be careful while you're out and about. Find a decent inn to stay in, and don't skimp on the money... Er Gou, you have a quick temper, so don't cause trouble. It's okay if you get beaten up, but don't drag your mother down with you..."

Cheng Wanwan couldn't help but chuckle: "Dashan, when did you become so talkative? We're on the boat now, you should go back."

Zhao Dashan nodded, but didn't leave. He stood there watching the three of them board the boat before finally leaving, looking back every few steps.

Cheng Wanwan and her two companions brought a cart full of goods. Because they were carrying too much, they had to pay an extra two hundred coins before they were allowed to board.

The boat ticket cost 500 coins, which was a very high price. Cheng Wanwan thought that after boarding the boat, there would be a special rest area, and even if there was no private room, there should at least be a seat.

Unfortunately, she miscalculated.

Before them was a huge cabin. All the passengers could find a place to sit on the floor. Those who arrived early could lean against the wall, while those who arrived late could only sit in the middle, with nothing to lean against.

The cabin was very enclosed, and men, women, and children all sat there; you can imagine the smell.

Cheng Wanwan realized for the first time that she could get seasick.

She turned and rushed onto the deck, looking down at the rolling river, which intensified her dizziness.

She quickly bought a motion sickness pill from the mall and swallowed it.

Behind her, Zhao Ergou and Zhao Dawang quickly followed, pushing a cart.

The cart was loaded with so much cargo that it attracted a lot of attention, drawing curious glances from many people on the deck.

Cheng Wanwan pressed her temples and said, "Ergou, go ask if they have any private rooms, any price is fine."

They would be on the ship for a day and a night, and people need to rest. It's inevitable that they would be careless at times. If someone were to spot them and steal their goods, it would be a huge loss.

Zhao Ergou nodded and went to do it immediately. Before he returned, a horn sounded and the ship slowly left the dock.

After leaving the dock, the river widens and gets wider and wider, enough to accommodate at least three or four ships of this size passing side by side.

The riverbanks were lined with rolling green hills, and the bright sunshine made Cheng Wanwan marvel at the scenery. Her dizziness gradually disappeared.

A moment later, Zhao Ergou rushed over: "The price for a private room on this ship is three taels of silver. I tried to persuade them, but they'd rather leave it empty than lower the price and let someone stay there..."

Cheng Wanwan could understand; it was like modern capitalists who would rather pour milk down the drain than sell it to the poor at a lower price.

She took out three taels of silver from her sleeve: "Let's just open one room, the three of us can make do."

Zhao Ergou turned around and went to do it.

The ship has three decks. The lower deck is for storing cargo, the first deck is the cabin where most passengers squeeze in for a day and a night, the second deck has individual rooms and dining areas, and the third deck should be for luxury rooms.

Three taels of silver could only buy a room on the second floor.

The room was neither too big nor too small, with a bed, a table, four chairs, and tea on the table.

Zhao Ergou quickly poured Cheng Wanwan a glass of water: "Mom, you lie down and rest first. I'll go out and inquire about the situation in Nanyang."

Half the people on the ship were going to Nanyang to do business, a small portion were looking for work, and a few were visiting relatives and friends.

You can get a lot of useful information by chatting with these people.

Zhao Dawang followed behind Zhao Ergou, silently learning many techniques for getting close to people...

Zhao Ergou told Cheng Wanwan the information he had gathered: "They said that the cheapest thing in Nanyang is porcelain. Many villages have kilns, and the whole village works in the kilns. The men do hard labor, the women farm, and very few people spin yarn or weave cloth, so the price of cloth is very high. The Cao family in Hekou County also made their fortune by trading cloth. I heard that most of the cloth in the Cao family's cloth shop is transported to Nanyang to sell."

Cheng Wanwan nodded: "Then you'll have to think carefully about the pricing."

Zhao Ergou began to think seriously.

He had just asked those people, and they said that coarse cloth in Nanyang cost around eight or nine coins, linen cloth cost twelve coins, and fine linen cloth could cost more than twenty coins. In other words, the more complicated the production process of the cloth, the higher the profit in Nanyang.

The ship will only stop in Nanyang for three days, so he must sell all the cloth within three days... no, preferably within one day. He needs to allow enough time to expand the soap business. He can't let his mother do everything, otherwise he would be too unfilial as a son.

Throughout the journey, Zhao Ergou kept thinking about ways to sell the cloth.

Zhao Dawang arranged the chairs together and lay down to sleep casually.

Cheng Wanwan lay on the bed, swaying back and forth, sometimes asleep, sometimes awake, sometimes feeling carsick, sometimes wide awake, in short, she felt very uncomfortable...

She used to think that once she made a lot of money, she would travel abroad. The ancient landscapes were unpolluted and very beautiful... But now, she has given up. Whether by carriage or boat, she can't do it. Traveling is just suffering, why bother making herself suffer?

She swore that this was her first and last time traveling far from home!

The ship finally reached its destination when the sun rose the next day. Standing on the deck, one could see Nanyang.

This wharf is many times larger than the wharf in Hekou County. It is bustling with people, a prosperous city.

Cheng Wanwan regained her spirits and disembarked with her two children.

As soon as she stepped down, two laborers came up to her: "Madam, do you need help transporting goods? Ten coins to deliver them to your lodgings..."

Cheng Wanwan waved her hand: "Thank you, but no need."

Zhao Ergou and Zhao Dawang pushed the cart together. The road was flat, so pushing the cart wasn't too tiring.

After disembarking at the dock, there was still a distance to walk. After walking for a while, we arrived at the gate of Nanyang City. Only after entering from here could we enter the real Nanyang City.

Before they pushed their goods into the city, they had to pay taxes. The merchant tax in this dynasty was one-tenth, which was higher than the land tax. There were people specifically responsible for assessing the tax amount to determine the value of one-tenth of the goods, and they paid taxes according to this value.

Because it was in Nanyang City, the value of the goods was based on Nanyang prices. The carts were full of coarse linen and hemp cloth. If you take one-tenth of the price, that's more than thirty taels of silver.

Although Cheng Wanwan felt bad about the money, she knew that it was money that had to be handed over, otherwise she wouldn't be able to enter the city.

The three of them pushed the cloth in, and the city became even more lively. There were vendors on both sides of the street, selling all kinds of things. The people walking on the road were not only ordinary people, but also some women and girls who looked like they were from wealthy families.

Zhao Ergou had already inquired about the inns in Nanyang. They couldn't afford the most expensive inns, and the cheap ones weren't safe. This Yuelai Inn had received praise from almost everyone, so they chose it.

But this inn had such a good reputation that people from out of town would head straight there as soon as they got off the boat. By the time the three of them arrived, all the rooms were taken.

Cheng Wanwan looked up at the surging crowd on the street. In just a short while, more than three boats had been docked at Nanyang Wharf. With so many people, would the inns in the city be enough?

It would be ridiculous if we had nowhere to stay.

She immediately said, "Let's go to a more expensive inn. It's only for three days, we can afford it."

There's an old saying in the countryside: "A poor family can afford to travel more." It's okay to spend a little more money when you're away from home; you can always earn it back later.