xymnovel Chapter 37 Talking About Things
Chapter 37 Talking About Things
"Lu Zhonghe puts on such a high pedestal, yet he couldn't even get a seat upstairs." Wang Huadu grinned as he looked at the Wenchao Pavilion in front of him.
Liang Tai looked up at him, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he didn't say anything and lowered his head again.
"Alright, that's enough." Wang Huadu put his arm around Liang Tai's shoulder, laughed, and said, "This is Shao-ge's first time coming out to discuss business, I know what's important."
Liang Tai hummed in agreement.
Shao Shuyi simply watched the direction the servant had left in silence.
There was a large open space there, with a small mound in the center. It was a bit far from the riverbank, so it was relatively safe, and you could also see the Loujiang River tide. It was definitely a good place.
However, having witnessed the power of the Qiantang River tidal bore in later generations, Shao Shuyi felt that the so-called Loujiang tidal bore was somewhat overrated. While the river waves were indeed surging, repeatedly crashing against the banks with a loud crashing sound, their power was far less than he had imagined.
Perhaps it's related to the location of Xijin. Nowadays, if you want to see the tidal bore, you have to go east, preferably to Liujiagang. Or perhaps, the tidal bore at Liujiagang is nowhere near as big as that of the Qiantang River; the geographical endowments are different.
A huge canopy was erected on the mound, and carpets were laid out under the canopy, with tables and chairs set up. There were many servants and maids, making it quite a grand affair.
Behind a curtain unseen by Shao Shuyi, a woman faced the river, gently stroking her hair by her ear.
"My father often said that the tides are reliable, and so should business. The tides rise and fall, and profits and losses come and go. The most important thing is to have a solid foundation and not miss the opportune moment." She took two steps forward, as if to listen to Jiang Tao better, and said casually.
The woman was wearing a red round-cut blouse. Her hair was styled in a low bun, with a glass hairpin, a popular style in the Song Dynasty, inserted at an angle.
The gold threads on the hairpin tremble, intertwined to form a peony vine, exuding wealth and nobility.
The river breeze gradually picked up, lifting the thin veil at the edge of the veil and revealing a face as smooth and lustrous as white jade.
She gently raised her hand, adjusted her veil, and continued, "After the autumn tide, the winds will shift significantly, and the fleet should set sail. There won't be many days left to delay. Zheng Fan's demand for 60% of the profits from each ship is not excessive."
Today, Lu Zhonghe wore a fitted brocade robe in the style of a scholar's robe, with a jade belt around his waist. A purse, a jade pendant, and a small knife hung from the belt, jingling softly as he moved. He looked every bit the elegant young gentleman.
Hearing his wife Shen's words, he couldn't help but shake his head and chuckle, saying, "I'll do as my wise wife says. However—"
The woman turned her head slightly and glanced at him.
Lu Zhonghe coughed and said, "I just wanted to lower the price a bit to save my father-in-law some money. My dear wife, just watch my methods."
The woman turned her gaze back to the center of the river and said nothing more.
At this moment, another white tide emerged on the horizon, initially like a silver thread, then transforming into a stampede of ten thousand horses, with a faint roaring sound.
Lu Zhonghe then turned to the back and looked at Shao Shuyi and the other two who were walking towards him under the guidance of a servant.
They walked very fast, and in the blink of an eye they were at the foot of the mound.
"Boom!" The tidal bore surged in, crashing against the riverbank with all its might, sending tiny sprays of water flying everywhere, almost reflecting rainbows in the sunlight.
"Lord Lu." Shao Shuyi and the other two stopped and bowed from a distance.
Lu Zhonghe put his hands behind his back and simply hummed in agreement.
Shen glanced at the three people under the mound, then looked at her husband.
As if sensing the pressure of Shen's gaze, Lu Zhonghe reluctantly bowed and slowly descended the mound.
"Have you seen Jiang Chao?" he asked.
Shao Shuyi was puzzled, but replied, "Of course I saw it."
"The sea storms are ten times worse," Lu Zhonghe said. "The large ship set sail from Liujiagang, first to Quanzhou, then south, with favorable winds for seven days and nights to reach Kunlun Island. The difficulties were indescribable. Forget it, you probably don't even know where Kunlun Island is, it's really like casting pearls before swine. I'll just say it bluntly, your family has 30,000 pieces of blue-and-white porcelain—"
"Is it Kunlun Island off the coast of Champa?" Shao Shuyi chuckled inwardly. As if everyone hadn't been to Vietnam and had a good time, and only you knew?
Lu Zhonghe was taken aback.
I heard that this young man is two or three years younger than me. How could he know such overseas secrets? I've never heard of him having any dealings with any maritime families. Even I only gradually learned about these things after I became Shen Wansan's son-in-law.
How does the accountant know this?
Suspicion suddenly arose in Lu Zhonghe's mind, but he quickly forced himself to remain calm. He snorted coldly, turned his back as if to gaze at the river tide, but in reality, he took the opportunity to organize his thoughts and make rapid calculations.
Shao Shuyi was somewhat helpless. What kind of people are these?
He actually had ulterior motives today, namely to get acquainted with the Shen family's representatives. Having more friends means having more opportunities, which would be beneficial for his future development. However, things took an unexpected turn.
He thought back to his words and actions just now, and it seemed that nothing out of line had happened.
Just as Shao Shuyi was worrying, Lu Zhonghe seemed to have slowly recovered. He turned around, his tone returning to its previous condescending manner: "How can you handle maritime storms by simply knowing a few place names? The fleet, the nautical charts, the trade winds, and even the relationships with the chieftains of the surrounding foreign territories—aren't all of these accumulated over generations, paid for with real gold and silver, and even lives? Your Zheng family's offer of 30,000 pieces of celadon seems like a lot, but in reality, it only covers the 'cost' of this deal. As for the 'ship cost,' 'personnel cost,' and 'road cost,' they will all be borne by my Shen and Ye families. We've taken on the lion's share of the risk, and you're asking for 60% of the profits from a single ship? Don't you think that's a bit presumptuous? Who needs your celadon? Can't the Shen family afford 30,000 pieces of celadon?"
He paused slightly, his gaze sweeping over Liang Tai, who stood like an iron tower behind Shao Shuyi, and Wang Huadu, whose eyes were shrewd and opportunistic. A faint, mocking smile played on his lips: "Zheng Yifang sent you here to negotiate, but I'm afraid he doesn't really take you seriously. Young man, don't let yourself be used as a pebble to test the waters without even realizing it."
Shao Shuyi found it somewhat amusing.
Lu Zhonghe is probably only eighteen years old, but he speaks in such an old-fashioned way, as if he really thinks he's someone important.
In business, it's normal to negotiate a lower price, which he understands. But this guy seems to be testing his limits more than just a way of venting his emotions.
In short, he's showing off!
"What you say is true, Master Lu," Shao Shuyi cupped his hands in greeting, and said, "The sea is fraught with danger; one cannot fully understand it without experiencing it firsthand. The Zheng family is new to this business and relies heavily on the Shen family. That's why we hope for a long-term business relationship. The 60% profit margin is not just empty talk. Besides, is the Zheng family's capital only these 30,000 pieces of blue-and-white porcelain? Why don't you go back and ask again?"
Hearing this, Lu Zhonghe was somewhat surprised and suspicious.
Shao Shuyi had been observing his expression and was somewhat surprised to see this.
Didn't Shen Rong explain the underlying logic of this deal to him? Helping Ye Shijian become a deputy commander of ten thousand households is the biggest investment the Zheng family has made. Moreover, this investment cannot be repaid by this one deal; there will be ongoing cooperation in the future. What exactly are you up to?
Seeing that the other party remained silent, Shao Shuyi took out a stack of papers from his bosom and said, "This contract may be reviewed by Mr. Lu."
Lu Zhonghe took it subconsciously and saw at the top: "Contract for the joint operation of blueware and spices by the Zheng family of Taicang, the Shen family of Changzhou, and the Ye family of Chongming".
His gaze gradually moved downwards, and he discovered that there was quite a lot of content.
The Shen and Ye families provided the necessary resources, including lending ships, hiring staff, preparing rations, fresh water, medicine, weapons, and even gifts for foreign countries.
The Zheng family provided the inventory, which consisted of less than 30,000 pieces of celadon ware.
The three parties agreed that Zheng would take 60% of the profits from the ship, while Shen and Ye would jointly take 40%.
These are nothing special; they are just requests that Zheng Fan had made before. In fact, the Shen family had basically agreed and was preparing to ask the Ye family to allocate a medium-sized ship to load these 30,000 pieces of blueware onto the ship carrying other goods and head south together.
But there's more content below, even listing items like A, B, C, and D—
"A. Due to the unpredictable nature of maritime transport, it is agreed that one-tenth is the fair limit for losses. For any loss of goods within one-tenth, Zheng shall bear all the losses; if the loss exceeds one-tenth, the excess amount shall be deducted from the profits that Shen and Ye are entitled to share and made up for.
B. If the ship encounters storms, capsizes, is destroyed by reefs, is plundered by pirates, or is detained by foreign powers, resulting in the loss of all cargo and the ship's ownership and cargo ownership, the ownership of the ship and cargo shall be cancelled, and none of the three parties may pursue each other for recovery.
C. If the ship's command is inadequate...
Lu Zhonghe was so engrossed in reading just these few points that he didn't even bother to look at the details below, such as how Zheng would send people to supervise the ship, how spices would be purchased at the destination (Savanghika), how profits would be distributed after the return voyage, and how disputes would be arbitrated.
He felt offended. The other party had clearly come prepared, and meticulously at that. He, however, didn't take it seriously, believing himself to be a learned man who could easily subdue a petty accountant with a few words—that's how it's always portrayed in plays, isn't it always the scholar who solves the troubles of beautiful women? And aren't the beautiful women the ones who throw themselves at the scholars?
But today's match seemed to slip out of his control, causing him to act somewhat erratically and even lose face.
The thought that his wife behind the curtain might have overheard their conversation made Lu Zhonghe feel somewhat embarrassed.
"Eloquent words and a deceitful face!" Lu Zhonghe shouted. "Overseas market conditions change in an instant. How can you possibly determine them in advance? A contract? Once at sea, a contract is nothing but a piece of waste paper! Accountant Shao, my Shen family sincerely wants to cooperate, yet you're playing with words here. Are you taking advantage of my youth, or do you think my Shen family can't go overseas without your Zheng family's few pieces of porcelain?"
"May I ask you, Mr. Lu, who among those who go overseas to trade doesn't use contracts? Even barbarian merchants know to use brokers as guarantors and draw up contracts when doing business," Shao Shuyi said calmly. "Are you even less knowledgeable than a barbarian?"
Lu Zhonghe was speechless for a moment, and his face turned even redder.
Having been pampered and praised since childhood, when had he ever suffered such a loss? Just as he was about to get angry, he heard a voice from the mound: "Bring it here."
His tone was calm, but his words left no room for argument.
Lu Zhonghe's expression shifted, but after a moment he finally gave in, clutching the contract as he walked over.
Wang Huadu chuckled behind Shao Shuyi and said softly, "He started off so arrogant, thinking he was someone important, but it turns out he's been completely controlled by his shrewish wife."
"You found out again?" Shao Shuyi turned his head and laughed and scolded.
"How could I not know?" Wang Huadu muttered. "This Lu Zhonghe looks like he's been pampered since childhood, and everything has gone smoothly for him since he grew up. Hmm, maybe he married into the Shen family. He must be feeling quite stifled. He doesn't dare to get angry with his wife, so he can only show off to outsiders."
"Shut up, don't ruin my plans." Shao Shuyi couldn't help but stop him as he talked more and more outrageously.
Behind the curtains, Lu Zhonghe handed the contract to Madam Shen, saying to himself, "You heard everything? Where did the Zheng family find such a sharp-tongued and cunning brat! He doesn't know what's good for him at all!"
Madam Shen slowly took the contract, carefully read it through, and then her gaze fell on her husband's face, which was flushed with anger. Her lips parted slightly, her voice still gentle, but her tone somewhat indifferent: "You seem rather agitated today. Do you feel you've lost face by being defeated by a commoner in front of me?"
Lu Zhonghe blushed even more when his thoughts were exposed.
Madam Shen withdrew her gaze, her fingertips lightly brushing the gold thread entwining on the glass hairpin, and said, "This contract is very well written; the terms are so clear. Perhaps some people think it's too harsh, but it reduces a lot of trouble from wrangling and cheating. In business, sometimes you need to be generous, and sometimes you need to be meticulous. This accountant is talented; what's his name?"
Lu Zhonghe was speechless, because he hadn't asked at all, and only knew that the surname was Shao.
Madam Shen sighed softly and said, "My father often said that in the way of business, one should avoid anger, avoid haste, and especially avoid underestimating any opponent, regardless of their background. This accountant is no ordinary person; it is Zheng family's good fortune that they can employ him."
Her gaze fell in the direction of Shao Shuyi and the other two. The river breeze gently stirred the curtains, and she soon saw them.
"Alright, I'll take the contract back to my brother for him to review. Calm down, you'll still have to deal with the Zheng family in the future." Madam Shen then looked at her husband and said, "I went to great lengths to get this job for you, so don't say anything more, lest you make things worse."
Looking at his wife's calm and composed face, and listening to her words, which were spoken in a calm tone but carried great weight, Lu Zhonghe felt that the fire in his heart not only did not go out, but instead ignited another kind of burning, more indescribable emotion—a mixture of frustration, shame, and a quietly growing jealousy that he himself did not want to delve into.