whale wave

In spring, the flowers of Erythrina in Fanfang are as red as fire. Zhao Yousheng's figure is walking on the bustling street, followed by Wu Chu and his agent Huang Chengde.

Since Zhao's father became an official, Zhao Yousheng's figure often appeared in Fanfang. He was dressed in a simple way among the wealthy businessmen on the street, but his low-key luxury, combined with his outstanding appearance, was still easy to attract people's attention.

Along the way, Huang Chengde was flattering and courteous all the way.He was originally a poor broker, but he ran into obstacles everywhere in the fan hall. He happened to meet this son of a noble family surnamed Zhao, and asked him to help find a boat and promise him benefits.He also worked hard to find a seller today, and only waited for the business to be completed.

Buying and selling ships is definitely a big deal, and once the business is done, Broker Huang will definitely get a generous commission.

The seller made an appointment to meet on the first floor of Fanguan. I learned from Broker Huang that the seller was a maritime merchant from Bintong Longguo. Due to a storm, the hull was seriously damaged, and most of the cargo was lost due to flooding, so there was no money to repair the ship. .After staying in Quancheng for a long time, the seller became increasingly shy and had no relatives, so he had no choice but to think about selling the boat and returning home with the money.

All this was learned from Broker Huang, but Zhao Yousheng didn't believe him very much, and the specific situation had to be learned from the seller.

The three of them came to Fanguan, the owner of Fanguan recognized Zhao Yousheng, and hurriedly invited people inside. This guest official is a frequent visitor to him, he spends a lot of money, and he looks easy to recognize.

Zhao Yousheng chose a table in the corner, and Wu Chu waited on him. Manager Huang didn't see the seller, so he was busy looking around in the hall, looking for it.

When the food and wine were served, Zhao Yousheng waited leisurely. He was not only waiting for the seller from Bin Tonglong, but also a general manager.It is very convenient to find a generalist in Fanguan. Just ask the clerk, and the clerk will immediately invite a generalist who is proficient in foreign languages ​​from among the drinkers.

Bintong Dragon was originally attached to Champa, and Champa has been occupied by Chenla for many years. The seller can understand Chenla and can't speak a word of Chinese, so he needs to find a communicator who understands Chinese and Chenla.

Not long after, the clerk brought in an officer, who was none other than Fei Chunjiang.Seeing that the employer who wanted to serve was Zhao Yousheng, Fei Chunjiang's jaw dropped in shock, because the other party was the eldest son, and the eldest son always disdained visiting Fanyi places in person, and they rarely appeared in Fanfang.

"Zhao Sheren?" Fei Chunjiang was taken aback, his voice was a little louder, but fortunately there was a lot of noise in the fan hall and no one noticed.

Seeing that it was Fei Chunjiang, Zhao Yousheng was also a little surprised, and said with a smile: "It's such a coincidence, I asked the staff to find a general manager who is good at Zhenla in the museum, and I invited Fei Tongshi here." He stretched out his hand to signal, Very enthusiastic: "Fei Tongshi, please sit down."

After being surprised for a moment, Fei Chunjiang began to talk eloquently, asking what kind of deal he was going to make when he was invited to act as the coordinator.

Zhao Yousheng only met Fei Chunjiang a few times at Chen's house. He knew that he was Chen Yu's fan language teacher, and he also knew from Chen Yu that his conduct was very good, so he felt relieved to tell him about the business he was going to discuss today.

After hearing this, Fei Chunjiang clapped his hands and said, "I know who it is, and I even drank with him! This person's name is Fan Touli, and he has been living here for a year."

Zhao Yousheng nodded and poured the wine for Fei Chunjiang himself, thinking that it was luck that he met someone familiar with the seller's situation.The seller's news obtained from Fei Chunjiang later was exactly the same as what Manager Huang said, and it was completely true.

When Manager Huang reappeared, he was accompanied by a foreigner, who was thin and very young, maybe only 25 or [-] years old.Fanren went forward to salute Zhao Yousheng, and after a few words in Fan language, Zhao Yousheng hurriedly got up and also saluted, Fei Chunjiang was on the side to translate, it turned out that Fan Touli was late when he went to the dock today, he apologized and said that Zhao Yousheng waited for a long time.

Zhao Yousheng invited everyone to sit down, and clapped his hands to signal Jiu Ji to come and serve him, as if he was a seasoned drinker.Amidst the fragrance of Jiuji's clothes and delicious food, the conversation was going on. Zhao Yousheng said that the other party's quotation was expensive, but he was willing to look at the other party's boat. , but it can still be sold for a good price if it is properly dehydrated. The price he gave was the combined price of the boat and the nine pieces of iron wood.Fei Chunjiang promptly and fluently translated the conversation between the two, and reminded Zhao Yousheng in the local dialect that the iron wood needs to be checked for quality. The quality is different, and it has been soaked in seawater, which is ordinary wood.

Zhao Yousheng did not lower the price, saying that he wanted to see the boat first, and Fan Touli made an appointment with him at the dock in the east of the city at noon tomorrow, so the matter was settled.

During the banquet, Manager Huang was full of smiles and was drunk. Fan Touli and Zhao Yousheng talked like ordinary friends. Zhao Yousheng asked him who was in his family, and he spoke earnestly. Can't stop feeling homesick.

From the conversation, I learned that Fan Touli was originally the son of Bin Tonglong's rich family, and their family has a very important position in them.He was supposed to live the life of a local rich man, but he heard people say that overseas is vast, ships are profitable, and young people have a heart ready to move, so he moved the idea of ​​a ship dealer. The money from the sale was swept away, so that he almost lost his underwear.

It is also the tears of the listeners, and the sadness of the hearers. The wealthy landowners should cherish their lives, and young people have any perverted ideas about sailing.

Fei Chunjiang said to Zhao Yousheng in local dialect: "It can be used as a warning, Sheren. If Sheren really wants to engage in maritime trade, it is better to deposit some capital with Chen Gangshou, so that you can make money without losing money."

"Today's matter, please Fei Tongshi not to tell Chen Gangshou, even Xiao Yu can't tell." Zhao Yousheng told him that he didn't want to rely on the power of the Chen family, but also because he wanted to have his own sea-going ship.

"It's fine, it's fine as long as it's decided by the family. I, Fei, won't talk to outsiders." Fei Chunjiang is very honest. In business, integrity is the most important thing.

When the wine was full, Fan Touli left the banquet, and bowed to Zhao Yousheng as he entered the country, and Zhao Yousheng sent him and Huang Ji out of the fan hall.Fan Touli could see that he was in a good mood. He and Zhao Yousheng had a good chat, and he was full of expectations for this business.

After seeing off Fan Touli, Zhao Yousheng went back to Fanguan to continue drinking and chatting with Fei Chunjiang. Fei Chunjiang told him that Bintonglong's products are not rich, but the geographical location is good. It is adjacent to Champa and Chenla, so you can go back and forth to purchase ivory. , Ironwood, Cuiyu and other hot-selling goods are very convenient, and Bintonglong’s shipping tax is lighter than other places, especially close to China, and you can make multiple round trips a year. This is a short-distance business, which is very profitable. head.

Fei Chunjiang tapped the table with his fingers, and suddenly said to Zhao Yousheng in a thoughtful tone: "The only inconvenience is that Bin Tonglong's officialdom requires an official certificate to enter the transaction. Such an official certificate is not easy to obtain."

"I know that in some ports, the number of foreign businessmen is limited, and the number of official certificates issued each year is limited, and they need to be purchased with a lot of money." Zhao Yousheng intends to become a ship merchant, so he naturally knows a lot about this aspect.

"Not only that, Bin Tong Long is a place where the Liu family's ships often go in and out, and small sea merchants are often oppressed by them when they go there to trade." Fei Chunjiang really knows everything, Fan Touli's ship is a small sea boat.

Zhao Yousheng smiled and said, "Fei Tongshi, what's the difficulty? I'm an outsider, and Fan Touli is a local native."

"Zhao Sheren said..." Fei Chunjiang had a thought at this moment.

"I'm in partnership with Fan Touli. I still pay him the full amount of the boat money. If he uses his official credentials to go in and out of Bin Tong Long, he can get [-]-[-]% of the benefits. If he is willing to invest money to participate, [-]-[-]% is not too bad. .” Zhao Yousheng actually had this idea before, but it was more obvious now.

Of course, it depends on what Fan Touli means, and whether he still wants to participate in the maritime trade and earn back the money he lost.

Fei Chunjiang drank a glass of wine and flattered: "He will become the head of Zhao Gang in the future, don't forget Fei's contribution today." He was naturally joking, but he was quite optimistic about Zhao Yousheng, a man who is good at flexibility. No matter how difficult it is, he has a way.

It was already night when Zhao Yousheng left Fanguan. He took a passenger boat and passed through Haoqu in order to return to the west of the city. He stood on the bow of the boat, watching the dim lights on the bank and the full moon in the sky.

He was in a good mood, the wind blowing on his face was very pleasant, and the song of the singing girl on the shore was also very pleasant and soothing.

The night in the east of the city slowly passed behind the boat, and after another period of silent journey, the boat berthed at the pier in the west of the city, Zhao Yousheng got off the boat, and walked with Wu Chu in the dark alley, Wu Chu raised a lamp to illuminate the road.

It was late at night, the shops on the bustling Post Street were all closed, Zhao Yousheng passed by a piano shop, stopped to look at it, and that was all, he and Wu Chu hurried into another alley, where his home was.

When they came to the door of the house, they saw that the courtyard door was brightly lit, Wu Chu knocked on the door, Wu Xin opened the door, they chatted with their grandparents, and Zhao Yousheng went into the house by himself.The fire in the hall was still on, and Zhao's mother heard the sound and came out to check. She knew that her son had returned, and ordered the maidservant to prepare hot water for bathing.

Zhao Yousheng took off his scarf, belt, and outer robe under the service of his maid Yanyan. Zhao's mother saw that something was missing from his waist, and quickly remembered that a crystal pendant was missing.

She asked Zhao Yousheng why he didn't see his crystal pendant. Zhao Yousheng said that he didn't know where it was lost. It had been missing for many days, and it was probably lost when he went out to drink.

"That's a precious gift from your grandfather, how could you be so careless!" Even Mother Zhao's heart aches for something, so it's clear that it's really valuable.

Zhao Yousheng let his mother miss him and never said anything back. He pledged a few trinkets around him, and the purpose, of course, was to buy a ship.Mother has always been careless, until today she found out that the crystal pendant was missing.

"Fortunately, I got a lot of rent in Haichang before the Chinese New Year. My son, go buy a similar ornament, but don't let your grandparents know." Zhao's mother has a dowry and can collect a sum of money every year.

"Mother, this item costs a lot of money, so don't rush to buy it." Zhao Yousheng has many accessories, and this one is not missing.

Zhao's mother was of course dissatisfied, and told the child that he was not allowed to go out to drink at night in the future, but to stay at home honestly. Zhao Yousheng responded: "I will come back earlier, mother, go and rest."

Zhao's mother sighed angry, thinking that he is now at the age of socializing, it would be unreasonable not to allow him to go out and drink with friends.Forget it, seeing that he didn't get drunk every time he came back, and he didn't drink much after thinking about it, so he wouldn't drink badly.

Zhao's mother left, and the lights in the house were quickly extinguished. Zhao Yousheng took off his clothes to take a bath, and Yanyan waited on him.Yanyan is one year older than Ah Jin, with good looks, reticent and steady.

Zhao Yousheng changed into his underwear and went back to the dormitory to sleep. He was quite tired after being out all day, drank a lot of wine, and fell asleep as soon as he touched the pillow.

On the second day, Zhao Yousheng and Fei Chunjiang went to the dock in the east of the city, and saw Fan Touli and Manager Huang waiting at the gate of the dock, and the four entered the dock together.Zhao Yousheng carefully looked at the sea boat that was yet to be repaired. He boarded the hull, entered the bilge, and raised a fire to illuminate it. He saw the iron wood that had been moldy in the cabin after being soaked in sea water.He didn't understand why Fan Touli didn't sell the nine pieces of iron wood at first, but now it seems that a lot of labor is needed just to carry them, besides, the selling price is different now, and the things are big, so it may not be easy to find a buyer .

After looking at the iron wood, Zhao Yousheng inspected the damaged position of the hull. It did not damage the main parts of the hull and did not affect the life of the hull. If it is repaired properly, it will look like a new ship.

It seems that the previous buyers were all negotiating because they couldn't agree on the price of the bundled iron wood.

Ask the boatman for the cost of repairing the boat. The cost is staggering, but acceptable.Zhao Yousheng and the others left the dock and found a teahouse nearby to talk.

The money for buying the ship plus the money for iron and wood, and the money for repairs, is a very considerable sum, and Zhao Yousheng can't afford so much money for a while.With the help of Fei Chunjiang, Zhao Yousheng signed a contract with Fan Touli, and he would pay the seller six-tenths of the boat purchase fee first, and then pay him four-tenths after the sale of the iron wood.

After signing the contract, Broker Huang took the commission from both parties and left happily. Only then did Zhao Yousheng talk about the partnership with Fan Touli.

They are all young people with great ambitions. Fan Touli is still unwilling to accept a setback. After living in Quancheng for more than a year, Fan Touli naturally envies and hates other maritime merchants who have made fortunes through maritime trade.

"I will use the four-tenths of the money to form a partnership with Sheren, and I will transfer Bin Tonglong's official certificate to you." Fei Chunjiang translated Fan Touli's words, and he winked at Zhao Yousheng while translating, he thought it was feasible.

Although Fan Touli didn't need to pay any money in this way, but he sold a precious and rare Bintong Longguan certificate, which can be sold for a good price.

"Yes." Zhao Yousheng agreed, and he said: "In the future, I will share with you fifty-fifty of the ship merchant's income."

Seeing that Fei Chunjiang didn't translate, he glared at Zhao Yousheng, but Zhao Yousheng urged him to translate, so Fei Chunjiang had to tell Fan Touli the ratio, and the other party smiled, and showed Zhao Yousheng their courtesy.

After signing two contracts and transferring the official certificate, Fan Touli left, Zhao Yousheng put away the contract and one official certificate and put them in his pocket.Now he is also a man with a sea boat. He drinks tea calmly with a slight smile on his lips.

"Zhao Sheren was caught in business and didn't know the rules of the industry. I was trying my best to wink, but Sheren couldn't understand. This time, I really lost a lot." Fei Chunjiang looked very annoyed, and kindly reminded him that he still didn't listen to the persuasion. .

Zhao Yousheng put down the tea bowl, and said with a smile: "Don't be angry with Fei Tongshi, I will give him two more, and he will give me a little more help. When I arrive at Bintong Dragon Ship Merchant, I have to rely on his family for everything. I I don't want to join the shipping merchant as the eldest son, as Fei Tong said, the small shipping merchant can only endure the Liu family's bullying."

Finding a backer for Bin Tonglong is very important, not to mention getting Bin Tonglong's official credentials.

"It's reasonable to say that. It's really generous to give up others. No wonder Chen Gangshou often said that you shouldn't be fussy about doing business with people." Fei Chunjiang admired it a little, but in his opinion, it was also because Zhao Yousheng was the eldest son, and his family was not lack of money.

Zhao Yousheng rode home from the east of the city, and couldn't help touching his clothes a few times along the way. There were contracts and official certificates hidden in the clothes, so they had to be put away carefully.

Going home first, Zhao Yousheng locked the contract and the official certificate into the box, and soon rode out again. This time, he was not going to discuss business, but to Chen's house.

For some reason, on the way back from the east of the city, I suddenly wanted to see Chen Yu. Although I couldn't tell him about buying a boat for the time being, I couldn't stop wanting to share my joy with him.

The author has something to say: Director: A wrecked ship with nine pieces of iron wood at the beginning, pass the customs and become Zhao Gangshou, come on.