Guo Ren, Guo Qianyuan, Mi Fan, and Mi Weitong just watched without saying a word. They really wanted to learn how this was done. Would it work if it was on the Jingshui River?
The two of them really couldn't figure out how this could be done in such a short time. Was the top scholar different from others?
As the boat moved forward, the two of them also looked around. They had already entered the places where the merchants did business. Most of them were auxiliary businesses, but there were many people coming in and out. There was even one who had joined forces with Little Luoshui to set up an intermediary. The information from both places didn't go by boat, but by horse.
In this way, there was an exchange of information between the two docks. In just one day, the new intermediary's information would be sent over, and the merchants at the two docks would be able to obtain more useful information. From there, they would be able to decide whether to unload the goods at the docks or ship them to the docks.
When the boat reached the dock, the two of them realized that this dock was different from other docks. Other docks docked directly by the river, but this river was small. There were too many boats docked here, and other boats couldn't pass through. The person who built this dock had actually dug a man-made lake.
It wasn't that big to call it a lake. It was just that at the back, there was a connecting waterway. The water wasn't too deep, but it was slightly wider. All the boats docked at the dock directly entered the waterway and unloaded from there.
This way, the water flow wasn't fast, and the river wasn't blocked. It was really convenient.
"How is it? Brother Qianyuan, do you see now? A few days ago, the people who came to ask for information didn't mention that there was a waterway here. Today, you see it. That Zheng guy doesn't have such great ability. It must be the Zhang family who told him. "
Mi Fan didn't want the boat to stop. She stood at the bow of the boat with her hands behind her back and said to Guo Ren.
Guo Ren nodded. He had to admit that Hua Yuan County was changing rapidly every day. "I don't know what it will be like in a few days. Let's go, this isn't our destination. Let's go to the Chen family first, then go up and see where Little Luoshui is."
"Let's not go to the Chen Family for now. I think the people from the cloth store want to take advantage of us this time. While we are in chaos, we have no reason to let them do what they want. When it comes to collecting grain, we used to rob a part of the grain store's business.
It couldn't be that a lion had snatched some food that belonged to wolves in the past and found that another lion had also come over to eat it, and then said to the other lion that this was his food, right?
The result would be two lions fighting, with a wolf waiting at the side. There would also be a person who was originally going to kill the lion, happily hiding at the side with a hunting bow in his hand. "
Mi Fan thought a bit more and analyzed the situation. She used the simplest example to explain it so that Guo Ren could understand.
He was also vexed about this matter. When there were benefits, everyone wanted to get a share. When the cloth company interfered, the grain company did nothing. It could only be said that the grain company was waiting for an opportunity. In the past, they couldn't get a share, but now that they had lost it, they were waiting for a conflict to break out between them and the cloth company.
"Then what should we do? We can't let the cloth company interfere just because this hole should belong to the grain company, right? Now that we are robbed, we can't just let the cloth company interfere, right? Look at the price they are paying. They are actually increasing the price by one wen for one bushel of wheat. Wait until other places find out and transport the wheat here. Should we also increase the price by one wen or even more to collect the wheat? "
Guo Ren didn't think it was a good deal no matter how he thought about it. The wheat that San Shui County could collect was too little. Other people grew rice, while Hua Yuan County grew more rice. However, the people in Hua Yuan County were starving this spring, so they wouldn't be able to sell much wheat in the fall.
The extra wen from the cloth company was clearly prepared for the people who grew wheat in the surrounding areas. To be more precise, it was prepared for the small merchants who bought wheat. They bought wheat and spent the transportation fees. No matter what, they could earn three or four wen per bushel. They didn't have to manage it themselves, so they just had to arrange for people to do it.
There were even some small merchants who would hoard the grains and wait for others to increase the price. When the time came, they would consider who to sell to. This was not the result they wanted. In the past, transporting by land was more expensive than the grain itself. Those merchants had no choice but to sell the grain to them. They controlled the Jing River.
But now, they didn't have to be afraid. The merchants could take another route, which was more convenient for them to transport the grain. When that time came, how much would the price of this year's grain increase?
Mi Fan also understood the importance of this matter. Other people were not fools. Naturally, they would estimate the price. However, he always felt that things weren't as simple as they seemed. There was a conspiracy, but he couldn't figure out where the conspiracy was.
This made him have no choice but to be cautious. He knew who his opponent this time was and how powerful his opponent was. He had also heard of many people who had come to find trouble with him, but they had all been defeated in front of that ordinary-looking manor.
Seeing Guo Ren beside him anxious, he advised, "Brother Qianyuan, there's no need to be like this. Right now, we're in the dark, and they're in the light. If we really look for that Chen guy, it's very likely that we'll be exposed. We're not dealing with the cloth company, but the Zhang family. The cloth company's matter has indeed caught us a little off guard. At worst, we can give up on this.
Let's deal with the Zhang family first. "" What's so difficult about dealing with the Zhang family? Let's show them what we're capable of and they'll know what to do. I'll let them beg us to come and get a share of the profits. Last time, I said that we should burn down their shipyard, but you didn't agree.
What do you think now? They don't make big ships there, they only make small boats. We can even go to other shipyards to buy skeletons, stick a piece of wood on them, and sell it to others. This will increase the number of small boats on this river. When they make big ships in the future, if they don't sell them, we can directly transport goods on the Jing River. We still have to think about how to deal with a Marquis. "
When Guo Ren brought up the matter of dealing with the Zhang family, he felt a bellyful of anger. The shipyard had just been built, and it was a mess. If they set fire, no one would be able to find out who did it. In the end, he brought it up a few times, but Mi Fan didn't agree. Once they started building big ships, the security there would be tighter, and it wouldn't be so easy to set fire to it.
Mi Fan also knew that Guo Ren had been complaining about how he had tried to stop him back then, but he couldn't do anything about it. After being flooded once when he was young, he always knew about some dangers in advance, so he was able to prepare and avoid them. This time, just as he was about to agree to set fire to the shipyard, that uncomfortable feeling came again.
And it was even worse than before, so he didn't dare to agree. Even now, he was standing at the bow of the ship with a relaxed expression, but he still felt uncomfortable. He always felt like he was being watched, and when he wanted to do something, not only did the person not stop him, but he also sneered repeatedly.
Just now, when Guo Ren said that he was going to the Chen family, he couldn't help but tremble, as if he couldn't go anywhere.
Now that Guo Ren brought up the matter of burning the shipyard again, he could only continue to persuade him. "Brother Qianyuan, we're all businessmen, and we're just looking for money. Last time, I listened to you and sent people to rob you. What happened? They almost found out our identities. Do you think it's so easy to set fire? It's better to be safe than sorry.
Don't be anxious, let's think about it at length. Setting fire to the shipyard, we definitely can't do it unless we have no other choice. They're still so chaotic now. Didn't the people we sent to gather information say that because they were rushing to make boats, it's even more chaotic than before? It's not too late to set fire to the shipyard then. Let's go up and see if there's any other way. "
After hearing Mi Fan's words, Guo Ren didn't mention setting fire to the shipyard anymore. He was used to listening to Mi Fan's words, and Mi Fan was always able to let him and the others gain more benefits. Now, he had no other choice but to go up with the ship and let Mi Fan come up with ideas.
Their ship was different from the small boats here. They had built it themselves, had more oars, and could row very quickly. If it wasn't for the heavy load on the ship, there wouldn't have been a need for someone to pull the cable.
When it was almost noon, the two of them sat at the bow of the ship, eating and drinking with the others while admiring the scenery on both sides. In front of them, they could faintly see the restaurant Between the Clouds and the Water.
Compared to the original Between the Clouds and the Water, there were many people coming and going between the Clouds and the Water now. Many people came here on small boats because it was convenient to travel. They wanted to taste the unique dishes Between the Clouds and the Water and experience the feeling of being in the center of the water.
The ship moved forward for a while and came to a man-made lake. Reeds had been planted here. Next year, or perhaps this autumn, they would see patches of reeds growing. Many people only knew that the reeds looked good, but it wasn't hard to guess that the Zhang family was preparing to cut the reeds in winter and weave them into straw curtains to sell to people who were preparing to grow vegetables in winter.
"Good, the scenery is really good. What do you think, Brother Weitong? If they didn't steal our business, I would really like to have a chat with that Zhang Zhong and come here when I have nothing to do. "
While eating, one of the people looked at the scenery Between the Clouds and the Water and sighed. There were pavilions built here, and there was no lack of corridors connecting the pavilions. There were also some flowers and plants on the corridors and pavilions. When the sun shone on the water, the water vapor appeared through the reeds. It really did feel like a trip between the clouds and the water.
"It's good, but I wonder what happened in front. From now on, don't say what you said just now. If someone hears it, they will expose us."
Mi Fan also felt that the restaurant built in the water was good. When eating there, they could see the reeds outside, the corridors and pavilions in the lake, and the clouds in the sky and the flowing water in the distance. Sitting there, he felt that it was worth a few strings of coins.
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
