The next morning, Wulin's small classroom officially started.
Sunlight streamed through the window lattice, illuminating the focused faces of the people inside.
Wu Lin stood at the table, looking calm and composed, and spoke eloquently about the local customs, people and relationships in Nancheng, recounting what he had seen and heard.
His words carried a certain confidence, clearly indicating that he had a considerable understanding of this land.
After a while, someone asked, "Lord Wu, if we want to do pearl business, we need to know about nearby pearl mines that we can cooperate with. Please tell us more about this."
"Speaking of pearl farms around here, there are dozens of them, large and small, with at least a dozen large ones. I don't know where to begin."
Wang Xiuxiu sat to the side, gently tapped the table, and suggested, "Let's start with the biggest one."
Ulin respectfully replied, "Yes! The largest pearl farm is called Slan Pearl Farm. The pearls it produces are mainly supplied to the Abbasid Caliphate and the Fulin Kingdom. It has never cooperated with anyone else."
Upon hearing this, everyone nodded in agreement, and some whispered among themselves, "Slanjuchang truly lives up to its reputation, managing to cooperate with powerful nations like the Abbasid Caliphate and the Fulin Empire."
Ulin continued, "The second largest pearl farm is called Mande Pearl Farm, and most of the pearls produced there are sold to Parthia."
Wang Xiuxiu nodded slightly, "Arabia, Fulin, Parthia, these are all countries that have close ties with our country."
An elderly gentleman stroked his beard and pondered, “If I remember correctly, Da Gan exchanges nearly 80% of its pearls with these three countries every year.”
"The old man is not mistaken! Last year, the Abbasid Caliphate, together with two other countries, raised the exchange price of pearls. Unfortunately, other small countries did not come to exchange pearls due to war, which allowed them to extort a lot of silk and porcelain from us."
"They've really gone too far! Our precious silk and porcelain are so valuable, yet they've managed to cheat us like this!" A young man surnamed Xu said indignantly upon hearing this.
Wang Xiuxiu glanced at the young man, then turned to the crowd and asked calmly, "In that case, what do you gentlemen think? Should we compete with them, or seek out a new pearl farm?"
The young man surnamed Xu replied without hesitation, "Of course we should compete with them! Let them see what we're capable of!"
Another older gentleman shook his head. “No! These pearl mines have been cooperating with them for many years. Not to mention how difficult it would be to persuade them, even if the pearl mines wavered, how much benefit would we have to offer?”
“I think so too,” a middle-aged man beside him added. “We’ve just arrived here and our foundation is not yet stable. If we make enemies with them now, it will be even more difficult to get things done in the future.”
Wang Xiuxiu then looked at the young man and asked, "Xu Yuan, what do you think? Have the two gentlemen's words convinced you?"
The young man, Xu Yuan, lowered his head, a hint of shame on his face: "Sir, I am ignorant and acted impulsively. The matter of the pearl farm should be handled as you gentlemen have said."
Upon hearing this, Wang Xiuxiu waved her hand and said gently, "You don't need to be so modest. This discussion is meant to gather the strengths of many schools of thought. Without debate, how can we find a better solution?"
"Wulin, tell me again, are there any other suitable pearl mines?"
Wu Lin thought for a moment and continued, "There's also the Gu Clan Pearl Farm, which is a bit worse. I've heard that its head is also from the Central Plains."
Upon hearing this, a hint of interest flashed in Wang Xiuxiu's eyes: "A person from the Central Plains? Tell me more about it!"
"The head of the Gu family's pearl farm is named Gu Yuanshan. His ancestral home is in the Central Plains. He moved here due to war in his early years. With his talent and diligence, he gradually gained a foothold in the South City and established the Gu family's pearl farm, which has been passed down from generation to generation. Although it is not as large as Slan and Mande, it has its own pearl pool."
These words sparked a great deal of discussion among the crowd.
As a pearl-collecting area, Zhuchi has always been managed by the government, and even if it is leased out, its pearl-collecting activities are still strictly controlled.
It's truly remarkable that this ancient pearl farm has its own pearl pool.
Seeing that everyone was puzzled, Wu Lin explained, "The Gu family established their business early and cooperated with the city lord of Nancheng to jointly develop the pearl industry. Later, they provided a considerable amount of money for the initial construction of Nancheng. The city lord of Nancheng was grateful for their kindness and gifted a pearl pond to the Gu family after the city was built."
"I see!"
Everyone suddenly realized, but Wang Xiuxiu asked in confusion, "If you have your own pearl pool, why is it ranked third in size?"
Seeing the eager looks in everyone's eyes, Wu Lin scratched his head sheepishly. "Sir, you may not know this, but the pearl farms of the Gu family mainly rely on their pearl pools passed down through generations. However, this is limited year after year. The other two pearl farms mostly employ pearl slaves to explore pearl caves in the deep sea. The sea pearls there are not only of superior quality, but also larger than those produced in the pearl pools."
"Doesn't the Gu family's pearl farm employ pearl slaves?"
"They also hire, but the Gu family has strict ancestral rules, so they mostly use their own family's generations of slaves, unlike the other two schools that hire and train commoners to go into business."
What is the quality of the pearls from the Gu family's pearl farm?
"The pearls from the Gu family pearl farm are of superior quality and reasonably priced, making them particularly popular with local merchants."
Wang Xiuxiu nodded thoughtfully: "It does meet our needs. Wu Lin, do you have a way to contact the person in charge of the Gu Clan Pearl Farm?"
Wu Lin smiled slightly: "Don't worry, sir. I have already inquired. The Gu family's pearl farm is currently looking for new partners. If you are interested, I will send them a formal invitation right away."
"Seeking new partners?"
"Yes, the whole of Nancheng knows about this. The Gu family is willing to give up a portion of the pearl farm in exchange for capital injection."
“Even if they mostly use pearls from their own pearl pools, a family with such a rich heritage shouldn’t be so short of money.”
"Sir, you may not know this, but in recent years, the Gu family has been plagued by various misfortunes, sometimes natural disasters, sometimes man-made ones. In short, the pearl farm has suffered losses year after year. Now, we do need a large sum of money to get through this difficult time. But even a starved camel is bigger than a horse, and everyone in the city is watching us closely."
Wang Xiuxiu nodded thoughtfully, "Alright, I'll leave this matter to you."
"Yes, sir."
Upon seeing this, everyone inside the room showed expressions of approval.
Wang Xiuxiu looked around and said firmly, "Everyone, although the matter of the pearl shop is difficult, as long as we work together, we will definitely find a solution. Let's stop here for today and go about our business."
The group rose, bowed, and left one after another.
Wu Lin finished tidying up the documents on the table and was about to leave when Wang Xiuxiu suddenly called out to him, "Wu Lin."
Wu Lin stopped and turned around respectfully, asking, "Sir, is there anything else you require?"
Wang Xiuxiu smiled slightly, her tone carrying a hint of approval: "You did well today, your thinking was clear and your response was appropriate!"
Wu Lin smiled shyly, "Thank you for your kind words, Mr. Xie. I will definitely work even harder in the future!"
Wang Xiuxiu nodded and waved her hand: "Go ahead and prepare well for the negotiations with the Gu family's pearl farm."
Ulin responded and turned to leave.
Wang Xiuxiu was the only one left in the room. She gazed at the bright sunlight outside the window, a deep light flashing in her eyes, as if she were pondering something.
After a moment, she murmured to herself, "Although the South City is prosperous, there are undercurrents. This competition in the pearl market is probably just the beginning..."
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