gnovel Chapter 232 Observation
Chapter 232 Observation
Chapter 232 Observation
In mid-October, Shao Shuyi had already returned to Jiangyin for several days. After dealing with some backlogged matters, he received another large shipment of Huai salt—though called "a large shipment," it was still significantly less than last year, only 30,000 jin this time, and only 50,000 to 60,000 jin for the whole year. He wondered what was wrong with the overall situation at the Lianghuai salt fields, and what had happened.
After receiving this salt, Shengye Trading Company's account balance reached 891 ingots and 400 cash, along with approximately 20,000 catties of salted fish and 90,000 catties of Huai salt.
From mid-October to the end of the year, the main task is actually spending money.
Shao Shuyi approved the funds in bulk, first approving 500 ingots for Wang Huadu in Pudong.
A while ago, he reached an agreement with the salt field official who had resigned. The more than 100 acres of semi-abandoned farmland, separated from the land in Sanlinli by only a small river, had been sold off by the censor who had caused chaos. The official was eager to get rid of the land and finally negotiated a low price of four ingots, even giving up some of the cotton planted in the fields.
The second payment was given to Kong Tie, amounting to one hundred ingots.
He had previously purchased grain in Liujiagang under the name of Shengye Trading Company, and now it was time for delivery.
Although grain prices had started to rise, Madam Shen still offered a discounted price: thirty-eight taels and five mace.
Honestly, this price is very low.
This year, the grain harvest in Jiangnan was somewhat poor, and the price of grain in Taicang has exceeded 40 guan per shi. In fact, it's not just Jiangnan; the grain harvest in Lianghuai and Henan is even worse. Starting several years ago, not only has the weather in Henan Jiangbei Province been worse than in Jiangnan, but the production order has also been extremely unstable, and a larger-scale wave of migrants seems to be just around the corner.
After signing and affixing his seal, Shao Shuyi thought about the discounted price specially approved by Madam Shen, and a smirk appeared on his face: "Woman, ha! Are you trying to teach me how to do things?"
After shaking his head, Shao Shuyi approved one hundred ingots for Yu Yuan to pay for the goods at Liu's Grain Shop.
We've been buying grain from Madam Liu for a long time, and the payment has been delayed. We'll settle the debt all at once now.
It wasn't that Shao Shuyi had a change of heart; it was mainly because the power dynamic between the two had subtly shifted. Shao Shuyi had clearly gained the upper hand recently, but with Madam Liu pregnant with his child, his arrogance noticeably diminished, and he could no longer act so arrogantly.
However, one might as well take advantage of a partner's profits. Madam Liu's grain was cheaper than Madam Shen's, after all, the former purchased it from Jiqing Road, Taiping Road, and even Jiangxi, while the latter sold grain produced by the Shen family in Suzhou. Shao Shuyi, who had once been to Suzhou to transport grain several times, had long coveted the Shen family's extensive fertile fields.
Therefore, Shao Shuyi approved a second payment of 100 ingots for Yu Yuan to purchase grain from Madam Liu's grain shop. After the purchase, the grain was to be delivered to Chong Sheng Temple for storage. Not counting this new order that has not yet been delivered, Shengye Trading Company currently has nearly 130 shi of grain stored in the old Yicang granary in Taicang and about 140 shi stored in Chong Sheng Temple in Matuosha. As for the other scattered grains, after long-term consumption, there are still several dozen shi left.
In addition to these large sums of money, Shao Shuyi also approved dozens of ingots for Yang Jin, instructing him to find familiar fishmongers in various parts of Jiangyin and have them send their surplus fresh fish to Huangtian Trading Company, and then arrange for boats to be sent to Matuosha to be pickled.
This is a long-term acquisition project. We'll replenish it as soon as it runs out. After all, there are still quite a few people who only want to sell salted fish. This business can't stop until there are more and more merchants willing to sell salt directly.
After doing all this, about 150 ingots were left in the account for daily expenses.
After closing the ledger with satisfaction, Shao Shuyi let out a long sigh of relief. It felt so good to spend money.
On October 12th, the first shipment of 5,000 jin of Huai salt was transported by the Huangtian Trading Company to Huangbudun Wharf in Wuxi Prefecture.
******
On the 13th, in a teahouse diagonally opposite the old Taicang granary, Zhang Sanniu was eating pine nuts while looking at the facade of Shengye Trading Company.
He had been sitting there for over an hour. The tea on the table, which had been boiled twice, was now so weak it had lost its color. A small pile of pine nut shells had accumulated, which he slowly gathered with his fingertips, forming a small mound before gently scattering them away.
Directly opposite the window is the main gate of Shengye Trading Company.
The blue brick walls were painted with a layer of white lime, and a black lacquered plaque hung above the door with the four characters "Shengye Trading Company" painted in gold, shining brightly in the sunlight, clearly indicating that a lot of money had been spent.
The entrance was swept clean, and a stone lion squatted on each side, with red ribbons tied around its neck, probably left over from the opening, though they had faded a bit by now.
The three courtyards are not visible from the outside, but you can see a section of the warehouse roof in the last courtyard, with neat gray tiles, which has obviously been repaired.
The south side of the courtyard is right next to the dock, with a row of berths along the river where five or six boats are moored, including canal boats and sea freight boats, with colorful flags hanging on their masts, swaying gently in the river breeze.
The docks are bustling right now.
The two boats were moored side by side, and the boatmen, barefoot, carried bundles of cargo out of the hold using the gangplank.
On the shore, two accountants were counting the books. One was more experienced and skilled, while the other seemed to be new and more reserved, as if he was still learning how to be an accountant.
Each time a bundle was unloaded, a mark was made in the notebook. Three oxcarts were parked nearby; once they were full, they would be sent to the city.
He has the demeanor of a respectable businessman.
Zhang Sanniu put a pine nut in his mouth and slowly cracked it open, but his mind was on other things.
He arrived in Taicang yesterday evening. This morning, before dawn, he left the inn and first walked around the Shengye Trading Company.
To the west of the trading company is a small alley, and across the alley are several houses.
To the north was an open space with piles of timber and bricks, as if a new house was to be built.
To the east are rows of shops selling all sorts of things.
Facing the main street to the south, with the Wanghai Tower diagonally opposite, it is the best vantage point for observation—the dock is just south of the main street.
Zhang Sanniu chose a window seat on the second floor. After observing for a while, he called over the waiter and chatted for a few minutes.
"That Shengye Trading Company across the street must have quite a large business."
The shop assistant quietly accepted the money Zhang Sanniu handed over, peeked at it, and laughed, "Are you from out of town, sir? That's Shao's shop. They deal in grain, cloth, and general merchandise from all over the country. They do whatever makes money."
"Shao She? How old is he?"
"He looks to be in his early twenties, quite capable. Look at those boats, they're all his. And all those boats on the dock, they're all his too."
"What is his background?"
"Seafarers. I heard they used to be quite poor, but they've become wealthy in the last two or three years."
"Where did he get the money?"
The waiter paused, then remained silent.
Zhang Sanniu slipped another ten strings of cash over.
The shop assistant lowered his voice and said, "I've only been here for a month or so, so I don't know much. I just heard it from the old folks in the shop, so it might not be accurate. Shao She used to be a seafarer, and later he went to sea to trade with foreign countries and made quite a fortune. After he came back, he opened a warehouse here. The old folks in the shop all say that Shao She does big business, not those small-time operations."
Zhang Sanniu smiled, gave the man another five strings of cash, and sent him away.
He noted down the news about seafarers who went to sea to trade with foreign countries, but he didn't entirely believe it.
Don't joke around! Even his elder brother Zhu doesn't dare to go overseas to trade, not because he has no connections, but because he's afraid of being robbed.
A penniless seafarer who went to sea to make a fortune? That sounds absurd.
Zhang Sanniu picked up his teacup, took a sip of the now-cold tea, and then looked back at the trading company across the street.
At 3:45 AM, several people came out of the business office.
The leader looked to be around twenty years old, tall and thin, wearing a gray-blue robe with a sword at his waist. He stood at the entrance, looked towards the dock, then slowly walked over, said a few words to the accountant on the dock, and then slowly walked back and entered the trading company.
Zhang Sanniu stared wide-eyed, straining his eyes to see the person's face carefully, memorizing it.
About half an hour later, a caravan of six mule carts suddenly appeared at the dock. Each cart was piled high with goods covered by tarpaulins, so it was impossible to see what was inside.
The mule cart stopped at the gate, and seven or eight workers immediately came out of the trading company and hurriedly unloaded the goods. The moment the tarpaulin was lifted, Zhang Sanniu saw bundles of cloth inside, blue, green, and white, neatly stacked.
Cloth? Zhang Sanniu couldn't quite describe his feelings.
This trading company seemed very legitimate; the goods it handled were either grain or cloth, and there wasn't a single grain of smuggled salt in it.
The men looked like ordinary seafarers, perhaps a bit fierce and not easy to mess with, but that's just how seafarers are, it doesn't mean anything.
Zhang Sanniu recalled what Yergeni had said to him.
What is currently confirmed is that Huangtian Trading Company and Shengye Trading Company have a close relationship, as some ships frequently dock at the two companies' wharves, and the boatmen are also very familiar with each other.
In addition, Cao Luo is very likely from Taicang, while it's hard to say about his subordinates, but they are also very likely from Taicang.
The tall, thin man I just saw is probably a manager at Shengye Trading Company. I wonder if he has ever been to Huangtian Port.
Zhang Sanniu pondered silently and decided that it was best not to rush things and to continue observing.
Since Cao Luo dared to engage in the smuggling of salt, he must have been extremely careful. How could he possibly let you catch him red-handed?
He stayed at the teahouse until noon, ate some snacks casually, and then hurriedly paid his bill and left.
Next, he would take some time to visit his old connections in the state government—of course, acquaintances of Brother Zhu—to subtly inquire about the Shengye Trading Company.
To be honest, he didn't really like dealing with officials, but investigating Cao Luo was a task entrusted to him by Brother Zhu from the Liangzhe Transport Commissioner, Jiqing Road, and the Southern Censorate, so he couldn't be careless.