15

"There are still a lot of things to do at the dock, so I can't delay any longer. Please forgive me, Brother Lu." If the other party hosted a banquet, Cheng Xi would certainly have no problem with it, but it was hard to say about the three captains around him. It would be better for him to leave as soon as possible.

Seeing that he was determined to leave, Lu Jian also stood up and said, "The next time the rice is ripe will be at the end of the year. If you come again, please make sure to have a drink with me."

This may seem enthusiastic, but it's also a test. Jiaozhi rice is harvested three times a year, which coincides with the double harvest of rice. They didn't miss this new crop of rice, but what about the next one?

Cheng Xi also laughed: "Of course, of course."

With such a large amount of rice on their shoulders, they probably won't go out to sea again in the near future. Moreover, after returning, they have to deal with the best fishing season and officials who come to collect taxes, and they can't let all the young and strong people drift on the sea.

I'm afraid I'll have to wait until the end of the year for the next one.

The next transaction was finalized with just two sentences. The two said goodbye with a smile, and Lu Jian personally sent the person out of the yard.

After the others turned around to say goodbye, Lu Jian did not go into the house immediately. Instead, he narrowed his eyes slightly and looked at the back of the person with a straight waist and a clear step.

He had invited this guy here, originally intending to test his strength and show his power, but he had ended up being used as a raft. After this incident, the three captains following him were probably submissive and didn't dare to resist, right?

What kind of background could a young man of sixteen or seventeen have to possess to be so calm, sophisticated, and quick-witted? He seemed like a well-informed son of aristocratic family, yet his demeanor, posture, and courage all had the air of a military strategist.

But how could a young man of such talent and good looks, born into a military family, end up hanging out with a group of smuggling fishermen? It was truly puzzling.

But in this way, this person would be even more valuable to win over. Lu Jian smiled slightly. Transporting grain was easy, but selling it was not so easy, especially if one wanted to forgo the big grain merchants and forge one's own grain route.

Only if he survives this, will that kid be qualified to become a guest of honor, and then he can add another chess piece to the plan.

After the group left the Lu family mansion, Li Niu finally breathed a sigh of relief and patted his chest with lingering fear: "The Lu family is so grand, I can hardly sit still!"

He was a fisherman who had only seen a few mansions in Panyu City, but had never been inside one. The chair he had just sat on was covered with embroidered satin, and he didn't dare to put his butt on it for fear of dirtying it.

He's still eating, but he definitely doesn't even know how to use chopsticks when he gets to the table!

"This Lu family is probably more than just a grain merchant." Sun Erlang couldn't help but say, "How can someone who can easily take out two thousand dan be a simple person?"

A big grain merchant must also be a big landlord, and in the countryside he is at least a local bully.

Not to mention that Mr. Lu didn't look like a country gentleman at all. He was so noble and aristocratic. Would such a person only open a small grain store in a private port? There was something strange going on. There must be some ulterior motive. How could it not make people shudder?

"No matter how wealthy he is, he has no boat and no suitable people. This alone is in our favor." Cheng Xi answered straightforwardly.

These words stunned the three of them. Li Niu was a little bit incredulous: "You mean, we can ask him to be our host?"

Large fleets at sea often rely on mountainous terrain. They need channels for purchasing goods, ways to sell them, and even people to provide weapons and money to maintain the ships and crews. Only in this way can they withstand the attacks of wind and waves and pirates.

They are just doing small things now, just to earn a living. If they really rely on a big family, wouldn't they have to change their appearance?

Unexpectedly, Cheng Xi shook his head: "Not the boss, but a business partner."

The phrase is a bit awkward, but it's easy to understand. Are they refusing to acknowledge their master and wanting to negotiate terms with him? With such immense wealth, what's their claim to do so?

However, when the words were on the tip of his tongue, even a person like Li Niu couldn't help but swallow them back.

If it were the three of them, they naturally wouldn't be able to stand on equal footing with him, but Cheng Xi was different! For the first time, Li Niu realized that he didn't understand this young man at all. With such a mansion and such a master, he could still chat and laugh, not falling behind at all.

It's not surprising that he can fight and kill, but he can also read, write, speak eloquently, and not show fear in front of nobles. What kind of background is this? I'm afraid that the Lin family's benefactor is not as simple as they think?

As soon as he thought of this, all his previous resentment immediately disappeared. Li Niu knew his own abilities very well, and he also knew that if he encountered a big event, he would not be able to think of any way to deal with it.

Being able to successfully go out to sea and make money is already good luck. Now a great opportunity is right there, can you really miss it because of a little thought? Since he has the ability, just obey his orders.

Cheng Xi saw every change in Li Niu's expression. Today's show of force didn't scare her, but the three people accompanying him.

She was too young and alone, and even with the support of the Lin family, it would be difficult for her to convince others.

The more money she made, the greater the conflicts within this small team would become, and they might even break up due to conflicts of interest. The only thing she could rely on now was this fleet, so how could she just sit back and watch?

And now, these three ships and three families are tied together tightly because of the transportation of grain, and they also have fear and expectations because of Lu Jian, the unexpected "noble man".

Then she, who can "hold on", will naturally become the backbone and the person they rely on, and there will be a possibility for her to return home.

Cheng Xi didn't come from a business background, nor did she have much business sense. However, as a member of the commando team, and a rare woman on the team, she had participated in many operations that required concealing her identity, in addition to rescue missions, and had come into contact with people from all walks of life.

From drug lords to the powerful, from the wealthy to warlords, study their psychology and behavior, as well as those methods that are different from ordinary people.

When it comes to handling affairs and understanding people's hearts, she is no worse than others.

Now that the goal has been achieved, Cheng Xi nodded slightly: "Let's go back first, sell all the goods as soon as possible, and load the grain onto the ship. We can discuss it in detail when we come back next time."

Back at the dock, the three companies began clearing out their cargo. It's important to note that barter is the norm in private ports, so exchanging all four ships' cargo for silver wasn't easy.

Fortunately, transporting grain does not require that much capital, so exchanging a batch of goods for something lighter and more valuable becomes the best option.

Southeast Asia is very short of textile raw materials, but is rich in spices. Apart from grain transportation, these two commodities are the most popular.

And she had a whole boatload of cotton cloth, wouldn't that be just perfect to exchange for spices?

It was for this reason that Cheng Xi asked Lu Jian about the price of spices, only to receive an unexpected answer. The pepper trade in Hepu was monopolized, and even the entire trade route was in danger of being controlled, completely thwarting Cheng Xi's plans.

She had originally planned to run pepper as a side business. After all, it had stable profits and did not require ballast, making it an excellent supplement to grain trade. If she could import it from Southeast Asia in the future, the profits would surely be considerable.

One stone of rice weighs about 60 kilograms and can be bought for only three or five cents of silver. One catty of pepper sells for eight taels of silver. You can imagine how amazing the exchange rate is.

Moreover, the price of pepper is constant, and the price increases by at least 60% to 70% when it is transported to Panyu. Even if we exclude the price fluctuations caused by modern logistics and the increase in planting area, it is still ridiculously expensive, and the profit must be astronomical.

How could one not be tempted by such a good business? After thinking for a long time, Cheng Xi decided to go and check out the situation in person.

When it comes to future development, how can you make a decision based on just a few words from others?

After changing into a clean and neat set of clothes, Cheng Xi returned to the store where he bought pepper last time.

This shop is the largest spice shop in the private port and the only one selling pepper. Cheng Xi originally thought that this shop had monopolized the market by suppressing prices, but now it seems that it may not be that simple.

I stepped into the lobby, and just like last time, there wasn't even a waiter to talk to me. The white-haired and bearded shopkeeper sat behind the counter without even raising his eyelids.

As expected of a service attitude in a monopoly industry, Cheng Xi was not surprised at all. He walked up and asked, "Boss, do you have any pepper in the store? Do you have much in stock?"

The second half of the sentence was too arrogant, but the old shopkeeper didn't take it to heart. He just said slowly: "Eight taels a catty, one ship can buy ten catties."

The measurement he used wasn't "people," but a boat. Cheng Xi nodded thoughtfully: "What if there are too many boats? Can we buy more?"

"If it's over 20 catties, 12 taels per catty." The old shopkeeper answered nonchalantly while flipping through the account book.

Twelve taels, that wouldn't make much money in Panyu. Is this really to prevent people from shipping large quantities and diluting their profits?

Cheng Xi frowned as he pondered something in his heart. "What if it's sold by the stone? How much is one pound?"

One stone is not a small amount. This sentence finally made the old shopkeeper raise his eyes. His sharp eyes swept across Cheng Xi's face. He said coldly: "If it's a matter of stones, your master must come to negotiate."

"What if I can make the decision?" Cheng Xi pretended to be impatient.

"You can decide the navigation route and the lives of everyone on board?" The old shopkeeper laughed, his eyes revealing sarcasm.

The implications were profound. Could it be that if one wanted to delve into the pepper trade, they had to obey the Long Whale Gang's orders? They had to transport their goods, obey their commands, and even risk the lives of everyone on board, becoming a branch of the pirates?

Cheng Xi pursed her lips and lowered her voice: "Then I'll buy ten kilograms of pepper."

The old shopkeeper sneered and raised his chin to the waiter: "Weigh ten pounds of pepper for the customer."

As if frightened by him, the young man said no more, picked out ten pounds of pepper, threw down the silver and left in a hurry. The old shopkeeper didn't care about this guy who fled in panic.

He didn't know how many young men he would meet in a year who came to his door without asking any questions. What were a few thousand taels of silver? Could a small fleet deal with the power of the Changjing Gang?

What a presumptuous person! The shopkeeper snorted, licked his fingers, and continued to look through the account books.

After leaving the house, Cheng Xi breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that the pepper business was not going well. This had basically locked up Hepu's port trade. If anyone had the idea of ​​selling pepper on a large scale, they would be targeted by the Changjing Gang.

They are either forcibly pulled into gangs or targeted and left with no chance of survival.

Faced with such a powerful force, only fleets engaged in bulk trade can break through the blockade and purchase goods at low prices from the source of goods. They may even have to reach an agreement with the Changjing Gang. One can imagine how complicated the situation is.

It turns out that there are no simple roles in cross-border trade.

With a sigh, Cheng Xi put this long-term goal out of his mind. Greed is insatiable, like a snake swallowing an elephant. There are already enough problems at hand, so it's better not to think so far ahead.

But pepper still needs to be bought, even if it's in small quantities. It's easy to store and lasts a long time. If we really run into trouble and can't save the cargo in the hold, can't we save a small box? That would be enough to fund a comeback.

As for other spices, or even ivory and pearls, Cheng Xi was inexperienced and didn't want to rush into them. After exploring the market, Cheng Xi followed Lu Jian's advice and traded one shipload of cotton for camphor and shellac. The other three ships were emptied of their cargo and began to carry grain.

Looking at the porters who were constantly loading goods onto the boat, Li Niu sucked his teeth and said, "This is quite a commotion. I wonder if this will cause trouble."

The biggest problem with grain transport ships is that they carry a heavy load and move slowly, making it extremely difficult to escape if they encounter pirates.

The 2,000-stone cargo capacity was enough for everyone on the dock to see clearly, and it was hard to say whether there were any pirates inside. Thinking of the last encounter, Li Niu's heart trembled a little. If a few more ships came, it was hard to say whether he could defeat them.

"No matter what you transport, there are always risks. We will practice along the way and should be able to be more relaxed than last time." Cheng Xi answered straightforwardly.

If he had heard this before, Li Niu might have muttered a few words, but this time, he kept his mouth shut.

Since Master Cheng has said so, just listen. This is a matter of life and death, how can we act recklessly?

This roughneck might not have noticed the impact of the previous beating on him, but Cheng Xi saw everyone's reaction clearly. Previously, the fleet didn't have this condition or centripetal force, but after this grain sale, the situation should be very different.

Without further ado, after the 2,000 shi of grain were loaded onto the ship, the fleet set sail again.

"Boss, there are so many ships on the sea, why should we guard a grain ship? Can't we switch to another fleet?" Drifting on the sea, bored, naturally some people have active thoughts.

They all make a living by robbing merchant ships. The fattest sheep have always been those transporting spices and ivory. How can there be any profit in transporting grain?

"The boss has given the order, why are you talking so much nonsense?" The small leader on the ship snorted coldly and scolded, "Besides, is the fleet so easy to rob? Didn't Tian Shuer run into a tough opponent before? Forty or fifty people died, and even the ship was lost. Who dares to go to sea now? Who doesn't have some skills?"

Previously, Tian Shuer took two boats to rob a caravan, but he never came back and lost a boat.

That was a large two-masted ship. The boss was so angry that he overturned the table and beat up all those who had escaped.

Later, he secretly inquired and learned that the small fleet only had three ships, all of which were single-masted boats, but they were well-equipped with bows and crossbows. They surrounded Tianshu'er's boat and attacked it, eventually capturing the large ship.