17
Li Niu pursed his lips but said nothing more.
After two trips back and forth, negotiating big business and fighting big battles, no one dares to question this Master Cheng now.
But even though he was obeying her, he still had to give her the name of the fleet, which made people feel a little uncomfortable.
But he couldn't think of a better way, so what else could he do?
Ignoring Li Niu's awkward expression, Cheng Xi continued, "It's best to choose dried seafood like pickled fish and dried shrimp that are easy to store. If you encounter someone who owes you money, you can also consider buying on credit."
Li Niu's eyes widened at this. "Buying on credit? That's not right! What if someone doesn't pay back the debt? I can't throw the hard-earned money into the sea!"
Cheng Xi raised an eyebrow. "We are all people from the seaside. Don't you know what life is like when there is a bandit problem? And the credit is not for individuals, but for the village. We can go directly to the village chief and the elders. If you have goods, you can exchange them for rice or grain. If you don't have any, you can place an order for their seafood for next year. We need to buy and they need to sell. Instead of letting the merchants profit from both ends, why don't we do it ourselves? Once we get credit, the future channels for receiving goods will be guaranteed, and maybe we can even make some friends."
Li Niu hissed. He had not expected such a method.
Wasn't it just about selling grain to make money? How had it suddenly become a real caravan? Yet, he couldn't find a way to argue. If someone could deliver grain to their doorstep, take care of the delivery, and sell on credit by pre-ordering the goods instead of charging exorbitant interest, it would be a lifesaver for those struggling villages.
This is a blatant way of buying people's hearts, but you can still make the same amount of money, it's really amazing!
Sun Erlang thought for a moment before saying, "What about those villages that were plundered and can't afford to buy food on credit?"
This question hit the nail on the head. Cheng Xi glanced at him and smiled, "It would be fine if we had someone. Men can load and unload goods, and women can do the laundry and cooking. When the business grows bigger in the future, we'll need more manpower, so it's not a bad idea to exchange manpower for food."
Is this to take in people? Li Niu looked at Cheng Xi in shock: "Feeding people also requires money and food. Pirates are rampant now, and countless families have been ruined. Who can afford to support them..."
"I'll take care of them." Cheng Xi interrupted him. "I have money in my account and I have my share of the rice and grain. It won't be a problem to support a few people."
Li Niu was stunned.
Is this guy rich? Of course, he owns a quarter of the rice, and a boatload of camphor and shellac, which he can get a 40% share of if he sells them. Adding and subtracting, he's probably worth nearly a thousand taels. What's that to support a few dozen people? But if he had someone under his wing, this guy wouldn't be fighting alone.
Although the villagers with the same surname may not be reliable, they are still a force! By then, won't the three families bow down to him?
But he really couldn't bring himself to ask Li Niu to object.
The village that had been in trouble was either enslaved or banditized, but following Brother Cheng offered a way out. Furthermore, the expansion of the fleet was also good for him!
Sun Erlang looked at Cheng Xi deeply.
Is this an attempt to win people over? Giving a starving person a bite to eat is such a huge favor! Who knows, these newcomers might be even more loyal than the Lin family, and even more willing to risk their lives.
In the long run, the people gathered around him might become a brand new village, a village even bigger than the three of them.
Was this something he had in mind when he proposed transporting grain?
Sun Erlang didn't object. After a moment's thought, he suddenly said, "This method is feasible, but we won't be able to sell much rice. There aren't many people in coastal villages to begin with, and they may not be willing to buy rice."
Because of the maritime ban, there are not many villages left on the coast to fish, and the population is not prosperous.
Those who don’t have boats to go to sea probably don’t have money to buy rice, so they mostly rely on taro and wild vegetables to fill their stomachs. At most, they can eat more fish.
By this calculation, it would be good if we could sell 700 to 800 stones. It is not easy to sell them all.
"It's best to process other grains and pound them into brown rice. The brown rice can be sold in the county town, and the rice bran can also be sold again." Cheng Xi also thought of a countermeasure. How could it be enough to just transport and sell grain?
Since we plan to establish a grain route, deep processing is indispensable.
These days, rice bran is not only used to feed livestock, but can also be eaten. Brown rice is much more expensive than hulled rice. While rural residents might not be particular about it, city dwellers often eat brown or even polished rice.
If the remaining rice can be processed and sold, not only will sales be guaranteed, but profits will also be greatly increased, which is like killing two birds with one stone.
Sun Erlang frowned at this. "The price of brown rice is high, but we don't have the manpower. We need to train soldiers, sell rice, and go fishing. Even if we exchange slaves from outside, it won't be enough."
Pounding rice is a physical job. It would probably take more than a few dozen people to pound out a thousand dan of grain.
Now, not only the men but also the women in the three villages have to go to sea to fish and process the seafood. Where will they get the manpower? Even if the people recruited by Cheng Xi are included, it may not be enough.
Cheng Xi shook his head. "Why would you need manpower to pound rice? Your three villages all have boats, and presumably experienced carpenters. Why not ask them to build a large water wheel and use the water to drive the treadle pestle to pound the rice?"
Water-powered rice pounding has existed since ancient times. Cheng Xi had seen something similar in a documentary and could also draw a rough outline of it.
The carpenters in these villages can even build a boat, so they should be able to build a waterwheel and a connecting rod.
"Is this... a water mill?" After all, Sun Erlang has been out to sea all year round and has much more experience than ordinary fishermen. As soon as he heard Cheng Xi's description, he understood what she meant.
However, even though he understood, it was not easy to make up his mind. Seeing that he did not say anything, Li Niu grumbled, "Not to mention that it is difficult to make a water mill, we are prone to wind disasters here. What if it is blown away?"
"With three villages, we can always find a suitable location. Furthermore, it would be much easier for the three families to build the rice mill together than to work alone.
"Transporting grain isn't a one-time deal. As the saying goes, sharpening the knife makes chopping wood easier. Spending some effort now will yield greater returns in the future." Cheng Xi said confidently.
Can this be done?
Not to mention Sun Erlang and Li Niu, even Lin Meng hesitated and whispered, "This matter is too serious. I have to ask the village elders first."
Indeed, if we really want to build a rice pounding mill, we don’t know how many people will be mobilized. How can we do it without the approval of the village chief and clan elders?
Li Niu had a bigger voice in the village and was concerned about more pressing issues: "Letting a carpenter build it might work, but the workshop isn't like other ones. How long will it take to finish it?"
The skills required for shipbuilding are among the best of all carpentry. If you can build a ship, you can apply them to other things.
The water mill was just a large wheel, so it shouldn't have been too difficult. The difficulty lay in building a workshop and a house, choosing a river with abundant water flow to construct a canal, and also considering the issue of wind protection.
This is a workshop that pounded hundreds or even thousands of stones of rice, and it consumed a lot of manpower and material resources.
"Even with the combined efforts of the three families, it will take at least a month to complete the project. We definitely won't be able to catch up in time for the autumn harvest." Sun Erlang paused thoughtfully, "But the next time we bring back grain, we can use it directly."
Were they only transporting grain this time? Jiaozhi rice is harvested three times a year, and its harvest time is staggered with the local rice harvest. This means tens of thousands of dan of grain could be harvested.
Simply pounding the rice into rough rice would send the price soaring, and if it were further refined into polished rice, the price would rise even higher. This was a family business that could be passed down to future generations, and with just food, the villagers could become wealthy.
The only problem is that this rice pounding mill does not belong to the Sun family, but to the entire fleet and the people from their three villages.
Sun Erlang looked up at the tall, upright young man. Just transporting grain had bound the three families together; sharing the profits equally meant they had to advance and retreat together, not just on their own. And by the time the rice mill was built, the fleet had become one, inseparable.
Was this his plan? With just a few moves, he had brought the three families together and brought them under his control. Such scheming and tactics were truly terrifying.
However, Sun Erlang did not hate these plans. When he only saw one step, the other party had already seen what would happen three or five steps later. Having such a person leading the way was actually a good thing for them.
In today's world, it is difficult to survive, but after this young man took over, in just two months, the three villages were transformed, and they now have hope and goals.
In that case, why hesitate?
"I am willing to take on this task and build the workshop as soon as possible." Sun Erlang said solemnly.
When assigning tasks before, only Lin Meng and Li Niu were mentioned, and the intention was self-evident.
If Master Cheng believes in himself, then he must take responsibility.
Li Niu was a little surprised that Sun Erlang actually agreed, but he didn't find it strange.
You have to know that building this workshop requires negotiations with three villages, not to mention the issues of gathering manpower and choosing a site for building a house. Just thinking about the trivialities is enough to give you a headache.
Sun Erlang is the calmest and most capable of the three of them, and is just right for handling these troublesome matters.
Seeing that Sun Erlang agreed to the task, Cheng Xi also breathed a sigh of relief.
Only after the rice pounding mill was taken care of did the team become truly stable and she had a foothold.
Nodding slightly, Cheng Xi continued, "I still have camphor and pepper on board. Do you want to ship them to Panyu to sell first?"
Each village also gets a 2% profit, which is not a small amount.
Unexpectedly, Li Niu simply shook his head and said, "It's just a small amount, not worth making a special trip. We can just wait until our next trip to Panyu to buy more goods and then sell them."
This statement was also supported by Sun Erlang and Lin Meng. The cargo was not afraid of being overloaded, and a special trip would require manpower and a boat. Instead of wasting time, it would be better to practice for a few more days.
"Do you have enough money? It's hard to say how long it will take to sell this batch of grain." Cheng Xi was still a little worried and asked again.
They went out to sea to pay the government's increased taxes. The tax collection period was approaching, but they couldn't sell all their goods in a short time. If they didn't have enough money, they would be in trouble.
Hearing this, Sun Erlang smiled slightly and said, "Master Cheng, don't worry. When we came back, we left some silver in the bottom of the box."
This time, apart from selling grain, they did not buy anything else in order to save enough silver.
The money earned from this round trip can cover the income of the past two years. Is there still a shortage of tax?
Lin Meng also nodded vigorously: "Don't worry, benefactor, the money is definitely enough. Let's get down to business."
Since even the Lin family said so, Cheng Xi stopped talking nonsense: "Then everyone should do their job and set up the stall as soon as possible."
As the beginning of winter approaches, it is time to harvest the late rice. All those who grow crops are getting nervous. They watch the sky every day and can't wait to rush into the fields to harvest.
We experienced several windstorms this summer, and most of the early rice was destroyed. Replanting was not timely. This season's harvest is life-saving food. We rely on it to feed the family, pay high taxes, and make a living.
However, farmers still have some hope, but the fishing villages on the coast have already been complaining bitterly and are at their wits' end.
The pirates who had disappeared for more than two years have reappeared, living on the islands. Not only do they rob merchant ships, but they also go ashore to burn, kill and loot.
Everyone along the coast was in danger. Not only did merchants not dare to come to collect their goods, but fishermen in some places were afraid to go deep into the sea to fish. After working hard to get their catch, they had to transport it to the city, where they were severely undercut by fishmongers, and it was barely enough to make a living.
That’s not all. The government is going to collect an additional salt tax. Isn’t that forcing people to death?
If it weren't for the fact that the bandits on Luoling Island were so brutal and committed all kinds of evil, many people would probably have thought of abandoning the village and joining the bandits.
At this critical moment, a caravan quietly approached along the coast.
"Can we exchange seafood for grain?" Upon hearing this, the old village chief with white hair and beard widened his eyes like copper bells. "How do you exchange? How much can I get?"
"Thirty catties of dried shrimps and scallops can be exchanged for one stone of rice, and fifty catties of salted fish can be exchanged for one stone, but they all have to be good goods. If there is dried seaweed, it can also be exchanged for grain, but the quality must be considered." The man who was also dressed as a fisherman said generously.
This price is not low! The late rice hasn't come in yet, and the price of grain is at least one tael of silver and one stone. How can their seafood be sold at such a good price?
Old Man Zhang was immediately moved and asked quickly, "How did you guys receive the goods? Did you come to the door to receive them?"
The vendors at the fish stalls are the most cunning. They use their own small buckets to collect the goods. Not only do the weights vary, but they also deliberately pick and choose and try their best to lower the price.
If this family also uses large and small buckets, it will be troublesome.
"We don't do business with individual households. If you want to exchange things, we can gather the things in the village and move them to the seaside." The man said simply.
"Can this be exchanged?" Old man Zhang's eyes widened and he couldn't speak for a moment.
Could this be a benefactor who fell from the sky? They could be so lucky, couldn't they be a scammer?
"It can be exchanged, but only for today. If you want to exchange it, please ship the goods as soon as possible." The man turned around and wanted to leave without any further ado.
Old Man Zhang quickly grabbed the man and said, "No! No! Don't leave yet. Just wait half an hour. We'll go get ready!"
This was a life-saving straw, how could he dare to let anyone go? He quickly asked everyone to sit down and ran to ask the young and strong people in the village to collect seafood.
Upon hearing the news, the entire village was excited. A sea merchant passing through at this time? And could they directly exchange goods for rice?
A vigilant person hurriedly asked, "Village Chief, are they really here to exchange food? Are they trying to lure us to the seaside and kill us all?"
Hearing this, Old Man Zhang was stunned. He took off his straw sandals and slapped him: "Bullshit! Do you think all pirates are as stupid as you? Their soldiers rushed ashore directly. Do you think you can stop them? Stop talking nonsense and pack your things!"
After a busy day of shouting and promoting, they actually managed to produce a lot of seafood.
Although they caught fewer fish, they still had plenty of dried shrimps and scallops. They also brought some dried seaweed with them, just in case someone took a fancy to them.
However, before leaving, Old Man Zhang was more thoughtful. He divided the heavy load into small ones and found a number of young and strong people to carry them.
There is strength in numbers, so if anything goes wrong, we can escape danger.
Such a large group of people followed the man to the beach. When they saw the fishing boats anchored, the villagers were all stunned.
It’s simple, there are too many people on the boat!
A single-masted ship, with a dozen men standing on the deck, each holding a spear and a broadsword, looking majestic and murderous. Could this really not be pirates?
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