Looking north towards the rivers and mountains

Chapter 133

Upon hearing Shao Shuyi's words, Ali didn't answer immediately, but asked in surprise, "Did you take my advice and prepare to become a dentist?" "Just serving you, my friend," Shao Shuyi laughed.

Ali laughed and said, "Okay, but I need to check the goods first."

Having said that, he casually picked up a piece of sharkskin and tossed it to Shao Shuyi, saying, "Now, go and serve me."

Shao Shuyi nodded, stood up and came to Zheng Sheng and Zheng Guozhang, saying, "I just asked Ali, and he is very satisfied with our porcelain." The two Zhengs exchanged a glance and secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Finally, Zheng Sheng looked at the sharkskin and amber beads in Shao Shuyi's hand and asked sourly, "Did they give you a lot of things?" Shao Shuyi smiled lightly and said, "What we consider priceless treasures may just be a bag of grain they casually exchanged with savages on the road."

Zheng Guozhang remained silent, for he had been to sea once before and had seen many things he had never heard of before in Srivijaya.

Zheng Sheng's eyes were practically glued to the sharkskin and amber, and he thought to himself that San She had made a good reason for sending him over.

Such benefits should not be monopolized by outsiders.

Shao Shuyi, under the pretext of getting some fresh air, quietly came outside the cabin, beckoned Yu Yuan over, and whispered in his ear, "Find an opportunity to get off the ship and go find Manager Mo. Have him take you to see Madam Shen. Tell her that if you have any tea, cloth, ironware, lacquerware, medicinal herbs, pottery, or other items, you can make a list and see how much of it you can use to sell to the foreign merchants."

Yu Yuan listened and nodded, finally asking in surprise, "Brother Shao, are they drinking tea?"

"Yes, but not much," Shao Shuyi said. "Perhaps they're sold elsewhere? Like in Vietnam?"

"Brother Shao, they call themselves 'Da Yue,' and when they submit their petition to submit to the Tang Dynasty, they use the name 'Annan' from the 'Annan Protectorate.' Are you confusing the two names?" Yu Yuan said.

"Alright, alright, alright." Shao Shuyi slammed his iron palm heavily on Yu Yuan's shoulder, saying, "Anyway, as long as you know where it is, that's fine." Yu Yuan grimaced, slightly aggrieved, and asked again, "Brother Shao, Madam Shen also has a casting shop that sells all kinds of bronzeware. Should we ask about it?"

Shao Shuyi hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Is the export of bronze goods now prohibited?"

"I don't know," Yu Yuan said, embarrassed.

The Yuan Dynasty explicitly prohibited the export of gold and silver overseas because these were intended to be used as rewards for Mongol princes.

Sometimes copper coins and all copperware were banned, and sometimes the ban was lifted; it cannot be generalized, hence this question.

"Forget it, let's not sell this. I don't really want to see bronze artifacts shipped overseas, unless someone offers copper ingots or bars in exchange," Shao Shuyi said. "That's fine then. Go quickly, it's urgent."

"Brother Shao, are you going to become a broker?" Yu Yuan asked excitedly. "That's incredibly lucrative!"

Shao Shuyi pondered for a moment, then asked, "Who is the most powerful broker in the Qingqi industry today?"

"Gao Zhihe is Sun Chuanchuan's younger brother from his first marriage. Next is Qian Hui, Sun Chuanchuan's apprentice."

"Looks like I can't be a broker in the blueware industry anymore. I'll be ostracized by them, won't I?" Shao Shuyi laughed.

"Brother Shao, it's good to earn more money as a broker," Yu Yuan advised. "If we can't be official brokers, we can be private brokers. If we can't work in the blueware trade, we can go into other trades. Those lands in Sanlin are overgrown with grass in spring and summer, only good for grazing, which is a waste. Didn't you say you'd hire local people to clear the fields after the autumn harvest? That costs money."

Shao Shuyi hummed in agreement.

He did intend to clear that piece of land in Pudong after the autumn harvest, clearing as much as he could, depending on the funds at hand.

The farmers in the Jiangnan region have far less leisure time compared to their counterparts in the north.

One reason is the climate: high accumulated temperature, sufficient sunlight, and adequate irrigation allow for a long planting period.

Another reason is population; with a large population and limited land, intensive farming is the only option. In the north, where there are fewer people and more land, such as during the Northern and Southern Dynasties, Sui and Tang Dynasties, a single adult could be allocated 100 or 200 mu of land. Under these circumstances, extensive farming with low yields was the only option—although the overall benefits were not insignificant.

The only way to clear that land in Sanlinli was to hire local people to do so after winter set in; this was Shao Shuyi's established plan.

"I'll just act as a middleman in private, making sure to broker one deal," Shao Shuyi said. "Stop asking questions, go quickly." Yu Yuan said "Okay," and asked before leaving, "Are you going to see Madam Shen?"

"Who else can I turn to? Who else do I know?" Shao Shuyi rolled his eyes at him.

Yu Yuan said, "Go directly to Duanzihang, find a few decent shops, and talk to the owners directly. You're sure to be able to buy silk and cloth. Then go to the rice shop and Shao Shuyi pretends to hit you."

Yu Yuan fled in panic, and with the help of the sailors, he quickly called for a small boat and returned to shore.

Cao Tong skillfully drove the carriage at breakneck speed to Shen's Grain Shop, where he found Mo Bei, who was in the shop making a scene. After explaining the situation, Mo Bei didn't waste any words and got into the carriage to head to Shen's residence.

Inside the Spring Garden, Madam Shen turned her gaze away from the adjacent garden.

That's "Yingqiu Garden," which is under construction to ensure residents can move in before next autumn.

It actually cost a lot of money, but it was all paid by her parents, so it had nothing to do with her.

I grew up in luxury, and apart from some hardship during my studies, I was practically living in a honey pot.

As she grew older, worries gradually increased, and she gradually lost control of her own destiny. It was then that she realized that for every gain, there must be a price to pay; everything had a hidden price tag.

She didn't want to marry Lu Zhonghe, but it was her parents' decision, so she had no choice. In the end, she managed to get the conditions of being adopted by the family and living separately from her parents, which was actually not bad.

She sighed softly, suppressing the slight melancholy that had inexplicably welled up in her heart, and turned to look at Mo Bei and Yu Yuan, asking, "As far as I know, foreign merchants and travelers often use brokers to purchase goods. Who did Ali contact last year?"

"Madam, unless you're a professional cloth trader and don't buy much, you usually just go to cloth shops or silk shops to buy a little and sell it along the way back. Only those who buy tens of thousands of bolts at a time need to find a broker to facilitate the transaction," Mo Bei said. "Ali was intercepted by Shao She as soon as he arrived at Liujiagang, so he obviously didn't have time to meet with anyone else. According to Yu She, Ali's mind is entirely on porcelain, and he doesn't care much about these small businesses. It's really free business for him."

Madam Shen didn't say anything, but looked at Yu Yuan and asked, "What were the circumstances at the time?"

Yu Yuan thought carefully for a moment and answered truthfully, "Brother Shao had been waiting at the dock. At that time, mosquitoes were everywhere, and we all tried to persuade him to come back, but he kept waiting for the boat at the dock. Today, the boat finally arrived. Brother Shao talked with Ali for a while and then asked me to come and find the manager and his wife so as not to delay them." So Yu Yuan raised his head, looked at the two of them, and said, "So I came."

Shopkeeper Mo stroked his beard and chuckled, "Shao She is truly a man of character. You look after him, and he looks after you in return. That's the kind of business you have to do with people like him. Madam... Madam?"

Madam Shen seemed a little lost in thought. After hearing Manager Mo's voice, she hummed in agreement and said, "Ali brought four boats this year, but your porcelain is only enough to fill two of them. You must need to buy other things. Perhaps the bulk of the cost won't be on us, and Ali won't give it to us, but it would be good if we could sell some cloth, tea, and medicinal herbs."

Mo Bei nodded repeatedly and said, "Madam, shall I have someone prepare it right away?"

Shen nodded.

Yu Yuan, watching from the side, couldn't help but admire Brother Shao.

He wasn't stupid; he knew that most people wouldn't dare take on this deal for fear of offending someone. But what if the seller was Shen Wansan's daughter? The Shen family was incredibly wealthy in Jiangnan, with businesses all over the place. Merchants wouldn't dare offend the Shen family, nor would they want to; there was no need for them.

Brother Shao had a reason for sending him to see Madam Shen; he had misunderstood again.

Seeing that everything was alright, Mo Bei winked at him again, and Yu Yuan stood up, bowed, and took his leave.

Shen then sat down behind the desk and personally ground the ink.

She needs to write a letter to her brother explaining the situation. It's obvious that if she sells more goods, others will have to sell less. There's some trouble, and she'll need her brother to cover for her.

After finishing the first letter, she hesitated for a moment and then began writing the second one.

On the other side, after Mo Bei and Yu Yuan left the Shen residence, they began preparing the goods according to the list.

The product range is very diverse, and a significant portion of it is not readily available. We have to rely on personal connections to source it from elsewhere—this is the foundation of an established business family. If it were a merchant with a shallow background, even if the opportunity were presented to him, he might not be able to find a source of goods in time.

"The price is three out of every hundred," Mo Bei said, flipping through the ledger. "Unless Madam gives specific instructions, this is the amount." Yu Yuan nodded repeatedly and asked, "How many can we sell this time?"

"It's hard to say," Mo Bei replied. "A ship full of ceramics and a ship full of grain are not the same thing. In the end, it depends on how much they want. Ali knows not only brokers in the ceramics trade, but also brokers in the cloth, tea, and ironware trades. He only shared some of the profits because of Shao She's influence."

"I see." Yu Yuan's excitement subsided slightly.

"Shao She is truly a kind man," Mo Bei remarked. "My wife has only done a few business deals for him, and he's already repaying her. I originally thought he was just worldly-wise and could gather people, but now it seems he can also bring in business. This will shut some people up."

"What? There are actually people who are dissatisfied with Brother Shao?" Yu Yuan asked in surprise.

Upon hearing this, Mo Bei shook his head and chuckled, saying, "Shao She isn't gold, silver, or jade; how can everyone like him? Madam has many managers under her, and it's impossible for everyone to like Shao She. Some people think he doesn't seem like a good person and shouldn't be befriended. Their words don't just circulate within Madam's three shops and residence; sometimes they even reach Suzhou. Madam entrusted the transportation of goods to Shao She under pressure."

Yu Yuan understood and said, "Brother Shao is the most loyal of all. Madam will definitely not regret helping him."

"Absolutely." Mo Bei nodded and smiled, "We're already seeing returns. Let's go, don't just sit there. I still have to go to Suzhou. Do you want to come?"

"I'm not going." Yu Yuan shook his head.

Mo Bei did not insist and quickly had boats prepared, planning to go to Suzhou to contact suppliers.