Chapter 3114 Ship Arrives
The merchant ship assigned to Bai Shan by Laizhou came from the sea outside Laizhou early this morning and arrived at Longchi Wharf in just over an hour, which was faster than traveling by land.
Under the gaze of the crowd, the merchant ship slowly entered the port and stopped at the berth...
It was a day off, and the farmhands who had nothing to do were crowded on the dock. When they saw the merchant ship entering the port, they all shouted with joy.
Bai Shan waited for all the merchant ships to dock safely. After confirming that there were no problems, he ordered people to light firecrackers. The deafening firecrackers crackled...
Bai Shan covered Zhou Man's ears with his hands and couldn't help but smile. Once Longchi Wharf was opened, he had a foundation for what he wanted to do.
Governor Guo couldn't suppress the smile on his face. He ignored Governor Liu's forced smile and turned around to talk to Bai Shan. When he saw him covering Zhou Man's ears, the smile on his face faded. He turned his head back to continue looking at the merchant ship, and the corners of his mouth twitched slightly.
The firecrackers gradually died down, wooden boards were laid between the boat and the dock, and the people on the boat disembarked...
These four ships belonged to two trading companies, and they had been docked at Laizhou Wharf.
Governor Liu persuaded them to move to Longchi Wharf, but offered them many benefits, such as preferential taxes for their remaining ships docked in Laizhou every time they entered and left the port.
He specifically chose two large trading companies, Chen and Su. These companies had many seagoing ships. Although two of their ships were docked at Longchi Wharf, there were still many seagoing ships left.
Compared with the well-established Laizhou Wharf, the Longchi Wharf is simple and far away from the county town, so it is really not worth mentioning. Governor Liu is not afraid that the merchants with many merchant ships will give up the Laizhou Wharf for petty profits.
If it were a business with only one or two merchant ships, I'm afraid they would give up Laizhou Wharf and switch to Longchi Wharf in order to save money.
While looking at the manager of the business who was walking towards them, Governor Liu comforted himself in his heart: It's okay, I have agreed with Bai Shan that these four ships will go through Longchi Wharf whenever they go out to sea or enter the port within this year, but he didn't say what will happen after one year.
So if Bai Shan can't keep the ship after a year, it's not their fault.
The managers of the Chen and Su families came down from the boat with a smile on their faces to greet everyone. They had recently received a message from the head of the family, asking them not to go to Laizhou Wharf when they escorted the boat back, but to stop at the newly opened Longchi Wharf.
To be honest, although they often go to Laizhou Wharf, they really don’t know where Longchi Wharf is.
Finally, we arrived in Laizhou first, stopped outside the port, and used a small boat to send two people on board to lead the way, and only then did we find the place.
To be honest, it’s really close.
They didn't ask why. Since the head of the family had given such an order, it was obvious that there was a benefit to doing so.
They had never seen Governor Guo, but they had seen Governor Liu. However, the two of them were not standing in the middle at this time. In the middle was a... pregnant young lady and a handsome young man, but the most eye-catching one was the couple standing behind them.
There is also a pregnant young lady and an even more handsome man.
The two stewards hesitated for a moment and then stepped forward with a smile and saluted. They first introduced themselves and then looked up with some confusion.
Governor Liu smiled and explained to them, "This is Her Royal Highness the Princess and her husband."
Manager Chen and Manager Su's eyes lit up and they immediately saluted Mingda and Bai Erlang.
Governor Liu then introduced Governor Guo, and then Governor Bai Shan.
Upon learning that Bai Shan was the magistrate of Beihai County, the two of them couldn't help but look up at him again. If nothing unexpected happened, they would often deal with this magistrate in the next year.
Everyone had arrived early and hadn't had breakfast yet, so Bai Shan wanted to make a quick decision. Zhou Man and Mingda were pregnant, so they couldn't stand for long or be exposed to the wind. However, after greeting the two managers, he still made way for Cui Wei, who was on the left side of the back, and introduced him, "This is the chief engineer of the dock, Mr. Cui from the Ministry of Works."
Stewards Chen and Su showed even more respect for Cui Wei and bowed quickly.
But Cui Wei didn't like to talk, so he just clenched his fist in return and stood there without saying anything.
Bai Shan quickly said, "Let them get off the boat."
Manager Chen didn't expect Bai Shan to be so anxious. He wanted to build relationships with several officials, especially the princess and her husband, as it was rare to see them.
But seeing that Governor Guo and the others had no objection, he also agreed with a smile, then looked behind them.
Bai Shan pointed to the people watching the excitement at the back and on the side of the dock and said, "These are the workers on the dock. They are nimble and strong. If the two managers need laborers, they can choose from among them."
County Magistrate Fang immediately came out from behind Bai Shan and said with a smile, "As for the warehouses, our dock has already prepared them for both families. Since it coincides with the launch of the voyage, we can give them two warehouses for free for one year."
This is indeed a happy event. Although the cost of renting a warehouse here may not be very high, it is still very happy to get it for free, and it also shows that Beihai County values them.
Manager Chen and Manager Su took a few of their men to the side of the dock to pick people.
Although the workers at the dock have worked hard over the past few months, they have eaten well and look healthier than when they first arrived.
Manager Chen glanced at them and seemed quite satisfied. He pointed them over and asked them to follow him to get off the boat and carry the goods.
The workers looked at each other but didn't move.
Manager Chen was stunned for a moment and asked, "What's wrong?"
A worker in the crowd shouted, "How much does it cost to unload the goods?"
Manager Chen: ...The warehouse is free, so he thought the labor was also free, after all, these workers are from the dock.
County Magistrate Fang was also a little hesitant. Just as he was wondering whether to ask the farmhands to help, Bai Shan said with a smile, "Manager Chen, you can negotiate the price with them. These farmhands are all honest people and are easy to talk to."
Manager Chen's eyes flashed slightly, and he replied "yes" with a smile. After looking at Manager Su, he quoted a price, which was nearly half cheaper than the price of unloading at Laizhou Wharf.
Bai Shan, who had been to Laizhou Wharf, naturally knew this, but he didn't say anything. Instead, he looked at his workers.
Sure enough, the farmhands were all very happy. Although the money was little, they were on holiday today and could still earn some money. In their eyes, the money was free, so they were naturally happy. So they raised their hands and let the two managers choose.
Manager Chen and Manager Su were relieved. They each picked more than 20 people and led them onto the ship to unload the cargo.
The goods they brought back from the south this time included porcelain, cloth, tea, jade and other ornaments, all of which were valuable items.
After the things were moved down, they did not put them into the warehouse immediately. With so many people coming to watch the launch today, of course they would sell as much as they could.
So when the goods were delivered, the servants of both families carefully laid out their goods in the open space in front of the warehouse.
Sure enough, many people came forward to take a look out of curiosity.
(End of this chapter)
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