9

A schooner has only one upright mainmast and lacks complex ropes and crossmast support, so the top of the mast shakes particularly violently when sailing.

A small board that can only accommodate one person, with no support in front or behind, and the vast ocean and sails under your feet, as if floating on the clouds.

Anyone else might have been horrified by such a lookout tower, but Cheng Xi didn't care at all. He just stared at the distant coastline and fell into deep thought.

At this altitude, it was impossible to see the entire coastline, lacked reliable stargazing methods, and could not accurately measure longitude and latitude. Before setting off, Cheng Xi had learned the route in detail and knew the actual locations of Panyu and Hepu.

However, even so, she was still not sure whether she was still in the original world, and whether this route could still lead to the Southeast Asian countries as she remembered, or even cross the Strait of Malacca to the Indian Ocean.

At this moment, she is on a sloop. Can she explore the vast unknown world with just this one?

After sitting at the top of the mast for four full hours and enjoying the cool breeze, Cheng Xi returned to the deck and asked someone else to take over.

The new captain, Lin Meng, was clearly a bit anxious. As soon as he saw her coming down, he came over and asked, "We're taking a long detour this time. Will we run into pirates again?"

The last time the Lin family’s ship was attacked was because it was too close to Luoling Island.

Therefore, this time they changed their route and chose to take a detour instead of following the coastline. Although this was riskier, it also reduced the chances of being spotted by pirates.

Even so, Lin Meng couldn't rest easy. The tragic scene of that day lingered in his mind. If they encountered pirates again, Linjia Village would be doomed!

"Whether we encounter pirates is a matter for the future. What you need to do now is to stabilize the morale of the troops. You can't lose your composure first." Cheng Xi frowned slightly and scolded.

Lin Meng was stunned for a moment, then calmed down a little: "My benefactor is right, I was reckless."

Yes, what's the point of worrying? They've made all the necessary preparations this time, and they have three ships. Although they're not big, they can still be considered a "fleet."

Pirates usually don't attack fleets easily. Even if they do, they will target larger merchant caravans to make a killing. A small fleet like theirs wouldn't have much to gain, so they might be spared.

Thinking of this, Lin Meng felt a little relieved, but he still attached great importance to the lookout tower.

Several young men selected from the village took turns observing the enemy. By the second day, they had only spotted a few merchant ships and one suspicious vessel without a flag, but fortunately, none of them approached.

After sailing for three days and completely bypassing Luoling Island, the fleet encountered a pirate ship for the first time.

As the flag was hoisted, people on the three ships became nervous, picked up their weapons and stood guard at the bulwarks.

Seeing the pirate ship approaching, but never entering the attack range, they followed it for half a day. Perhaps because they saw that they were on high alert, or because they felt that it would be difficult to attack three ships, the pirates finally turned around and left.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. The rest of the voyage was uneventful, but it took four days longer than normal, and they finally reached their destination.

The three ships docked smoothly at the pier, which was not the main port of Hepu but a private port. Perhaps due to the influence of pirates, the port was deserted and there were almost no ships to be seen.

Seeing the deserted dock, Li Niu's brows immediately lit up: "With fewer ships, it will be easier to sell our goods!"

The cargoes on his ship were all popular goods shipped from Panyu, including cloth and raw silk. They were the accumulated capital of the village. Now that there were no competitors, they should be able to be sold at a good price.

Sun Erlang didn't say anything, but a look of joy appeared on his face. Sailing has always been a profitable business. The more dangerous the road, the more money you can make.

All three families were eager to ship their goods, so they had no time for small talk and each went to find a familiar merchant. Lin Meng's cargo on his boat was simple, so he could just find a random fish stall to sell it to.

Due to the recent rampant piracy, the price of seafood has risen slightly. In addition, since they are all purchased from fishing villages, the cost is lower, and we actually made an 80% profit.

"My benefactor, this trip was not in vain!" After selling the goods easily, Lin Meng's face flushed with excitement and he was full of joy.

Even in the best of years, they couldn't earn this much. How could they not be excited to have a good harvest after such a disaster? Unfortunately, the capital was still a little less. In addition, Cheng Xi took 60% and they took 40% of the profits, leaving little for the village.

Cheng Xi didn't find it strange. If smuggling couldn't make a 100% profit, why take the risk? After thinking for a moment, she said, "Since we're here, we can't go back empty-handed. Have you decided what to bring back?"

This made Lin Meng feel a little embarrassed. "In previous years, I had more capital, so I could buy raw lacquer or dried or fresh fruits, and occasionally spices. But this year, I have too little money, and I have no connections. I really don't know what to choose..."

The captain was in charge of the buying and selling of goods. However, the previous captain passed away suddenly and was unable to take over. The new captain, Lin Meng, was inevitably at a loss.

"Let's go for a walk on the street first." Cheng Xi decided.

Since it was a private port, there were naturally many shops. However, unlike other places, most of the shops here were converted warehouses, and the shopkeepers didn't hawk their wares to attract customers. Some goods were even monopolized by one or two companies, but no one minded this bullying and market domination.

Large stores are backed by fleets, wealthy merchants, and even pirates, while smaller shops are slick and cunning. Which shop that can survive in a private port doesn't have some skills? Selecting the right products requires a keen eye and experience.

Due to limited capital, they did not even enter the big stores selling spices, ivory and gems, and they did not consider sandalwood and fresh fruits because they had no sales channels.

The rest were small shops selling local products, raw lacquer, minerals, etc. Lin Meng led Cheng Xi to visit each one.

After all, Hepu is an important thoroughfare connecting the north and the south, and even though it is a private port, it has a wide variety of goods.

Lin Meng, who has been traveling by sea for many years, was dazzled by the sight. He thought more than once that the things in the store were good and would definitely make money, but Cheng Xi just looked and said nothing, as if he didn't like anything.

After strolling around for a while, Lin Meng felt a little guilty and advised, "My benefactor, we will be returning in two days. Why don't we choose one thing first? As long as we can make money..."

Before he finished speaking, Cheng Xi suddenly asked, "What is the current price of grain in your county?"

Lin Meng was stunned and said quickly, "We suffered a disaster this year. The price of rice in the county is nine cents of silver per stone, and it may not be available... My benefactor, do you want to buy grain?"

Cheng Xi nodded slightly: "Rice here is only 5.31 dan, and I can buy 300 dan of grain for less than 200 taels. The price and profit are good."

Lin Meng shook his head. "Your Excellency only knows one side of the story. Rice is cheap here, but it's not expensive in Panyu either. The grain shipped over there can only fetch about seven coins at most. But it's used as ballast, so a ship can't carry much, and with the losses, there's no profit at all."

As a major port, Panyu also had many grain ships, so the price of rice was naturally low. Wouldn't it be a loss to go through so much trouble to transport the rice back only to find that it couldn't be sold at a good price?

"Who said we're going to sell it to Panyu? Just 300 shi, can't we sell it in one county?" Cheng Xi asked back.

Lin Meng opened his eyes wide: "Do I have to sell it myself? But no one knows how to do business..."

Three hundred dan isn't a lot, but selling it myself is too difficult. Linjia Village is full of fishermen, so who knows how to do this?

"Since we can collect seafood, we can naturally sell grain, and even exchange grain for other people's goods. In this way, the profit will be high." Cheng Xi explained.

Although she has not studied economics, she still understands military politics.

In ancient times, grain has always been hard currency and the largest component of maritime trade. Jiaozhi State, which is adjacent to Hepu, has been a grain-producing area since ancient times, and there is a high probability that grain prices will remain low.

If you run this business long-term, you'll be lucrative. It's not just a matter of money, but also of influence. As long as you can control the transportation and sales channels for grain, the situation will naturally be dramatically different.

Why not sell rice in Panyu? Lin Meng was stunned by Cheng Xi's idea, but after thinking about it carefully, it might not be a bad idea! Even in fishing villages, people need rice to eat, and exchanging rice for seafood might be easier than buying it with silver.