Chapter Thirty-Six: Having Money is Really Good

  Three days later, there was a commotion in the other courtyard. More than 20 sailors were eating and drinking wildly in the courtyard. They had been drifting at sea for 20 days and then locked up on the ship for three days. As soon as they were released, they were like hungry tigers out of their cages. The Zhu Yin ship was quietly moored at the dock, while Lu Zi and two others remained guarding the ship. At this time, there were only two ships in the private harbor, along with Li Guozhu's three ships. The cargo from the Fu ship had all been moved to Li Guozhu's ship over the past two days.

  In a private port, there will be no shortage of brothels and casinos. In Li's private port, there were two or three brothels. Li Guozhu found more than ten prostitutes, including Chinese, Japanese, and Korean ones. They accompanied the sailors in the courtyard, drinking and having fun. The sailors had been suppressed for a long time, so they grabbed one of the prostitutes and hugged her tightly. These prostitutes had seen many sailors before, so they shouted loudly in an exaggerated manner.

  Chen Xinduan held the wine bowl and toasted one by one, finishing each bowl as soon as it came. His original job often involved reception work, so he was used to drinking high-proof liquor and had a high tolerance. He didn't feel anything from the low-proof distilled liquor (below 20 degrees) and rice wine of this era. He also took special care of Han Bin, pulling him to down multiple bowls in one go. Song Wenxian smiled and just took a sip, stopping there. The journey at sea had been tense, and they had just gone through a bloody battle. Everyone was using liquor to vent their emotions, and those who drank too much had red faces. Hei Paozongzi and Han Bin were also stumbling around, some sailors directly carrying women into the house, not even closing the door before starting their business, with **** everywhere.

  Li Guozhu's man arrived in time and shouted loudly: "Mr. Li's boat is about to leave, you guys quickly come and unload the cargo on the boat." No one in the courtyard paid attention to him, Han Bin did hear it, but unfortunately he had drunk too much, stood up and took two steps before stumbling to one side, he raised his hand, pointed at Li Guozhu's man once, and fell to the ground with a thud.

  Song Wenxian stood up and said to Li Guozhu's man, "This brother, you see that everyone here is drunk. How can you suddenly say you want to settle the bill?"

  "Mr. Song, it's Mr. Li's order, there is a boat that will set sail soon, and you can go with him."

  Song Wenxian's face was filled with helplessness as he looked at the group of people and asked Chen Xin, "Chen Cai, can you still count?"

  "Okay."

  "Then you find two more sober ones, and we'll go to the boat together. This brother, if we go with a few people to clear the goods, those who unload the goods will have no choice but to ask you to take over."

  Li Guozhu's man agreed, Chen Xin grabbed the most drunken Pockmark and had Li Guozhu's follower support one of Han Bin's men, and they arrived at the dock together. As soon as they got there, Chen Xin let go of Pockmark, who fell to the ground with a long flow of saliva from his mouth. Han Bin's man was even more unbearable, leaning against a large stone, vomiting all over his body. Lu Louzi had also gotten two people on the boat half-drunk, and he himself was also weak in the hands and feet, with a dazed look in his eyes.

  Song Wenxian said to the attendant, "Alright, brothers, let's hurry up and get your boat set off early."

  Li Guozhu's attendants hurriedly called out to some people, and they began unloading the cargo. Chen Xin set up a table on the deck and started recording, while those people carried bags of pepper from Zhu Yin's ship, counted by Chen Xin, and then loaded them onto another ship beside it. Song Wenxian found a stool and sat down on the shore, smiling as he watched.

  It took two hours to move everything, and it was easy to finish. Chen Xin rubbed his sore waist and stood up to report to Li Guozhu, who had just arrived.

  "Li Gongzi, on the lucky ship there are 60 bundles of white raw silk, 20 bundles of yellow raw silk, 17,000 pieces of white satin, 1,200 pieces of gauze, 7,000 pieces of worsted wool, 5,000 pieces of red satin, 300 catties of swan down, and 1,500 pieces of porcelain bowls. The total price for these goods is 100,890 taels of silver."

  Li Guozhu glanced at his entourage, who nodded in agreement. Li Guozhu then gestured for Chen Xin to continue.

  "Today, 1,300 packs of Japanese pepper, 1,600 pieces of Cochinchina cloth, 300 pieces of morning cloud brocade, and 200 packs of foreign silk were received. Including agarwood, sandalwood, and dragon's birth fragrance, the total price is 99,100 taels of silver."

  Li Guozhu had his attendants verify the accounts, then dismissed them and took out an abacus to calculate. After finishing the calculations, he said in a low voice to Chen Xin and Song Wenxian: "The two of you, according to our previous discussion, the cargo on the Fushun ship will be paid in full, 1,008,900 taels. The cargo on the Wokou ship will be paid at 90%, which I'll round up to 900,000 taels. The dried shark fins, sea cucumbers, and dried abalone you selected over the past two days, as well as the Japanese swords, are worth 28,000 taels. In total, I'll give you 1,600,890 taels. You can handle your own accounts."

  Song Wenxian and Chen Xin readily agreed, and Li Guozhu asked: "Which boat will the silver be put on?"

  The two of them exchanged a glance and said in unison: "Both are pretending."

  A large amount of white silver was moved out of the warehouse and loaded onto two ships. The goods and Japanese swords were all loaded onto the Zhu Yin ship, while the silver belonging to the two gentlemen from Dengzhou was loaded onto the Fu ship. The proceeds from the sale of Zhao Dongjia's goods and the Japanese ship's goods were also loaded onto the Japanese ship. The plan was to have only five or six people on board the Japanese ship, all of whom were close to Chen Xin and Song Wenxian, in order to minimize the chances of others discovering the extra 30,000 taels of white silver. On the return voyage, they would sail with the Fu ship, ensuring their safety. After arriving at Dengzhou, the Fu ship would no longer proceed, and Han Bin and others would be sent back to Dengzhou. The Zhu Yin ship would continue on to Tianjin, where Song Wenxian would also go to divide up the spoils.

  Chen Xin has told Song Wenxian that he plans to engage in maritime trade, and this broken-down ship with the red seal can still be used after repairs. However, after arriving in Tianjin, they will need to dock, and Song Wenxian will have to find a way to get in touch with that important person in Tianjin.

  Two men finished counting the silver and didn't dare to leave, so they stayed by the boat. Chen Xin went into the cabin and took out a Li Guozhu's silver ingot, which was of good quality but not pure white silver, mixed with a small amount of other metals. Song Wenxian looked at him and smiled: "The Japanese silver is quite good, better than most of the silver in our Ming dynasty market. In previous years, 'Blowing South' was even better, unfortunately these Japanese pirates are no longer allowed to use it."

  Chen Xin was slightly surprised and said: "It turns out there's even better silverware, I wonder what other good things this Japan has?"

  "Copper is also not bad, Japan has a lot of copper, transporting it back to make copper coins can earn several times the profit, unfortunately these few gentlemen are not interested in this, every trip they have to collect silver and go back, losing a large source of wealth. Others are lead and sulfur, Japan's lead refining is insufficient, leaving some silver behind, taking it back for further refining can still yield some silver, but it's an extra step, and the lead needs to be sold, these few gentlemen also disdain it."

  Chen Xin listened with great interest, and this time he naturally didn't dare to buy copper to take back, because the cost couldn't be seen in daylight. However, next time it would be possible. The profit margin on Li Guozhu's route was probably around 100%, but the profit margin for goods on the return trip wasn't high. Although Japanese knives had a profit margin of up to three times, they were limited by sales volume. After all, Japanese knives weren't as good as Chinese knives. If copper was transported back and made into copper coins, it could bring in several times more profit. The only problem was that there was no channel for issuing copper coins. Those money exchange shops were all run by royal relatives and officials, and the collection cycle was also long. It's estimated that those dignitaries also had this concern.

  "Mr. Song can help me pay attention to this matter, if I come again in the future, I can bring some back on my way, and Mr. Song can also have a share."

  Song Wenxian smiled and agreed. Chen Xin took out a few sheets of paper, placed them on the table, calculated the balance, and gave the sailors' reward money for the past few days: 48 people, with a total of 4,880 taels of silver as a reward for seizing the ship; six people who couldn't find their families were temporarily not given any, which was 4,200 taels. The reward for killing the pirates was 3,100 taels, making a total of 7,300 taels. There were 11,000 taels of silver on Zhu Yin's ship, leaving 3,700 taels remaining.

  The cargo on the Fujian ship cannot be divided, and what can be divided is the 90,000 taels on the Japanese ship. Among them, 30,000 taels belong to Chen Xin and Song Wenxian, with each person having 15,000 taels, which were placed at the very bottom of the hold, covered by layers of goods. No one can find it until the cargo is unloaded. The remaining 60,000 taels are placed in the second layer of the ship's cabin, and they will be divided within these two days. However, how to divide this 60,000 taels needs to wait for Song Wenxian to convene an enlarged meeting, and everyone will discuss it together. This money was earned by everyone risking their lives, and if the master were here, he would naturally make the decision. Now, it's only natural to listen to everyone. Song Wenxian's initial opinion is to set aside a portion for Zhao Dongjia's family members, and then divide the rest.

  Chen Xin himself had 200 taels of head reward and another 100 taels of boat reward, plus the private share of 15,000 taels, making a very good income. This six thousand taels, even if divided up a bit, was already a small fortune that wasn't to be sneezed at. Song Wenxian relied on his official background and by moving his mouth and brain also got almost the same amount.

  Chen Xin played with the silver coins in his hand, thinking of Liu Min and others in Tianjin. If he took back so much money, Wang Dai Xi Hai Gou Zi and others would be overjoyed. A smile involuntarily appeared at the corner of his mouth as he silently sighed: "Having money is really good."

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  "It's great to have money." Liu Minyou said with satisfaction, holding a few pieces of loose silver.

  Dai Zhenggang was all smiles, the over ten taels of silver that Deng Keshan had allocated to them a few days ago had solved their urgent needs, and the shop had opened its doors on the second day. Wang Daxi took the flyers printed by the bookshop and distributed them to people buying handkerchiefs and hats on Second Avenue. In three days, they sold eight cheongsam dresses, three made of silk, and five made of cotton. After closing the door today, they counted their earnings and recovered over seven taels of silver, with a profit of over two taels. This was already a decent income for the two of them, as Dai Zhenggang had not even earned one tael in a month before. As for Deng Keshan's business at the brothel, it was still ongoing, but he didn't know if it would be successful or not.

  "Kill!!"

  A burst of loud shouting came from the courtyard, Liu Minyou's heart skipped a beat as he listened, and he couldn't help but feel annoyed. The three followers had been training with renewed vigor since that day, every session was like they had been injected with chicken blood, each time they practiced stabbing, they would shout loudly. Zhou Laifu had already come to protest once. But the three were unaffected, now their afternoon training sessions only started after the gate was closed, Dai Zhengang had reduced the amount by half, and the training time was not long, because at night they still had to attend a writing class. Liu Minyou had become a primary school language teacher and math teacher. He selected several hundred commonly used characters, one by one compared with traditional characters, and taught them to learn in the evening.

  Dai Zhenggang had a smile on his face as he spent every day with these big and small friends, full of energy, especially when it came to the sea dog children, who showed hope that was not seen in local kids. At night, he also followed them to learn how to write, at this stage, for him, the pen was much heavier than the iron rod.

  Another "kill" later, Dai Zhenggang couldn't hold back and ran to the courtyard to practice together. He had already begun studying three-person and four-person assassination tactics. Chen Xin only knew two-person tactics, so he hadn't taught them before. Dai Zhenggang seemed to have a natural talent for this sort of thing, and by feeling out the characteristics of pairs, he was starting to get a bit of a grasp on it.

  Liu Min had no choice but to go to the hospital to see a few people and vent his excess energy. Wang Dai Xi was starting a fire, sitting on a small stool in front of the stove, cooking rice, she was now a skilled worker, and the simple kitchen soon filled with smoke.

  Dai Zhenggang and Zhang Erhui were facing off against Haigouzi and Zhang Dahu, in a two-on-two match that had just begun. The four of them wore thick cotton padding on their heads, engaging in fierce combat. Their battles didn't involve much back-and-forth, as they charged forward with reckless abandon, stabbing without any thought of passive defense. Their stabbing motions were extremely practiced and familiar, having been honed through daily training, and after the battle the other day, their momentum was even more ferocious. However, Dai Zhenggang's skills were still formidable, and despite being paired with the slightly weaker Zhang Erhui, they hadn't lost a round yet.

  Another round, with a distance of ten steps in between, the Sea Dog and Zhang Da Hui whispered to each other for a while before turning their heads and shouting "Kill" in unison. The Sea Dog then muttered a low chant from his mouth.

  "One, two, three."

  Zhang Da Hui heard the words and followed with slow steps, the two of them keeping pace like one person, pressing forward in unison. This time Dài Zhèng Gāng and Zhang Er Hui made a mistake with their slogans and could only stop on the spot to defend themselves, losing the upper hand in terms of momentum. The synchronized movements of the two Haigouzi made Dài Zhèng Gāng feel a kind of pressure rushing towards him.

  "Damn it." Dai Zheng just cursed quietly, these two broken kids actually made him feel pressured.

  The two sea otters walked three steps slowly and approached each other within a distance of seven steps.

  One, two, quick

  The two men increased their stride, Dai Zheng's eyes narrowed, and the person approaching him from the front was not easy to measure the distance. Moreover, the two were still accelerating, both with sticks of the same length, and could only win by striking at the most suitable distance. In a face-to-face gun battle, timing was crucial. The sudden acceleration of the opponent made Zhang Erhuai somewhat flustered.

  "Four steps, charge!" The sea dog son shouted loudly, and the two of them simultaneously exerted force under their feet, suddenly increasing their speed. Zhang Er Hui could no longer hold back, and without waiting for Dai Zheng Gang, he stabbed out with the long spear in his hand, but misjudged the distance. By the time he had used up all his strength, Hai Gou Zi had only just reached the tip of the spear.

  Zhang Erhui hastily tried to retract his spear and strike again, but in this short period of time, Hai Gouzi and Zhang Dahuai tacitly ignored Zhang Erhui and rushed towards Dai Zhengang. Dai Zhengang was already facing a two-on-one situation, with one person on either side of him. Hai Gouzi loudly shouted "Kill!" as the two long spears were about to strike out.

  "Boom boom boom"

  The gate creaked loudly, and several people stopped in their tracks. Dài Zhèng hastily said, "I'll go open the door, I'll go."

  He walked to the door, secretly wiping away cold sweat. Haigouzi and these two people were not strong, but they practiced only these two moves every day, their speed of killing was already very surprising, and their tacit understanding was very high. The two came at him simultaneously, making it difficult for him to defend himself. This knock on the door was just in time, otherwise his undefeated golden body might have been broken.

  He won't be able to practice with his apprentice again, he said to himself silently as he walked to the door and opened it. A thin face of Deng Kesha appeared at the doorway.

  "Liu Ge, Dai Ge, a few younger brothers, brought Xi Mei Mei, everyone is here, oh, the meal is almost ready, what a coincidence, Dai Ge is practicing his skills right now, if you have time also teach me, that Qing Lou matter..."