Here, Liu Deshan sold all the crude sugar on the ship at a very satisfactory price - leaving only refined sugar. According to the market introduction of "Hong Kong Shiphead Paper": the price of crude sugar in Jiangnan is lower than that of Dajiang, but the price of refined sugar is The market price of goods is higher in Jiangnan. [No pop-up novel website]
Now that we have arrived as a senior official, we naturally cannot leave empty-handed. Empty space is a waste of money. Their next stop is Shanghai. The Jiangnan gentry still has considerable demand for overseas luxury goods. Liu Deshan bought American furs, high-quality European woolen fabrics, Indian chintz, and spices from the East Indies, as well as some Western groceries that the gentry liked, to fill up the cabin. Liu Deshan originally wanted to buy some deer skins, but was told that the deer skins and all deer products had been sold to Australians, and the boss had no goods at all.
"Cousin, do you want to go to Kaohsiung again? Buy some Australian groceries. Australian groceries sell very well in Jiangnan..."
"Huamin, you don't know something about this. There are big shops in Shanghai that sell Australian groceries. They have sufficient stocks recently, so the market is not high. We can't make a few by shipping them. If there are many empty spaces, bring a large number with you. It's better than nothing." Liu Deshan said, "Besides, the Australian goods in Kaohsiung are mainly from foreign manufacturers. It's not too late for us to go back from Shanghai and transport them back to Guangzhou and sell them to Mr. Qin."
I immediately decided not to go to Kaohsiung and sail directly to Shanghai. We loaded up water in Kaohsiung, settled various expenses, and were about to set sail when suddenly Manager Liu came to report that someone wanted to take a boat to Lingao to work.
"Didn't you tell him that our next stop is Shanghai? Then we will go to Shandong, and finally we will go to Lingao."
"He said it didn't matter: he had no money and was willing to work on the ship to earn the fare."
"Oh? How did he know that our ship was going to Lingao?" Chen Huamin was a little confused, because the end point of this voyage was indeed Lingao. He and Liu Deshan have already discussed it. After returning to Guangzhou, they will go to Lingao to check out the "situation" and see what new products are worth buying.
"This is not a secret," Manager Liu said. "He himself said that this ship is an Australian ship at first glance. Since it is an Australian ship, it must go to Lingao."
"He is a sensible person," Chen Huamin said with a smile, "but we are not Australians, and this is not an Australian ship. He was only fooled by the fact that we were going to Lingao."
Liu Deshan asked: "What kind of person is he?"
"He is in his early thirties, and he behaves and talks like a scholar. I heard that his accent has a Cantonese accent. I spoke a few words in vernacular with him - he is a true Cantonese."
"Scholar, can you work?"
"Looks like he's quite strong, not a frail scholar." Manager Liu said, "I don't think he looks like a gangster, but like a kid from a wealthy family who goes out to wander around."
"Can such a person survive?"
"He took a boat to Kaohsiung for work and then to Dagyuan. I also know the owner of the boat - he is an old acquaintance from Guangzhou. He said that he got the boat in Guangzhou and he is very honest and capable." Manager Liu He said, "We don't have enough people on board to begin with. There's nothing wrong with adding someone who can do math. It's free of charge."
"Sure, let's take him with us." Liu Deshan heard the most "no wages" and made the decision immediately.
"Thank you, gentlemen, for your kindness!" Lin Ming kowtowed quickly. "Young one, you must work hard and repay your kindness!"
"There's no need to kowtow. I heard from Manager Liu that you are literate. You are also a polite person, so let's just call him an equal."
"I don't dare to do this. The two masters are the proprietors. How can I dare to overstep my courtesy?"
"Okay, okay. The space on the ship is small, so we don't pay attention to such false etiquette. Since you can read and write, do you know how to make an abacus?"
"Yes, yes."
"Then just follow Manager Liu." Chen Huamin looked at the other person's behavior and speech. At least he was a son of a middle-aged man who had studied in school, but he was dressed in rags and had to be humbled when he went to work on the ship. He couldn't help but feel pity for him, so he asked his caregiver to get him a new short shirt. "It is inconvenient to wear a long shirt when working on the ship." , just make do with it for now.”
"Yes, thank you sir."
Lin Ming bowed his head and quickly followed Manager Liu back to the cabin. Manager Liu ordered someone to bring him a brand new set of blue cloth trousers and jacket, and said: "Young boy, you can rest in this cabin at night, talk and play chess with me, an old man. Now, after you change your clothes, you can Come with me down to the cargo bay to take inventory."
Lin Ming had a smile on his face and said yes again and again. This time it was his desperate move. Since his sister-in-law disappeared in Macau three years ago, he has spent a lot of effort and used almost all his contacts in Guangdong to try his best to rescue Li Yongxun.
But Lingao has become an iron barrel for thieves, and the Australian people's behavior is completely different from that of the Ming Dynasty. Almost all of Lin Ming's connections are of no use - it is simply impossible to pour water into it, and when most people hear about this The matter involves the Kun thief, no matter how "skilled" he is, they all avoid it. Since the burning of Wuyangyi, the Australians' influence around Guangzhou has grown day by day. No one is willing to go against the Australians for the sake of a royal guard. He spent a lot of effort and collected a lot of information about the thief, but there was still no news about his sister-in-law's whereabouts.
In the past few years, he has been living a boring life and his life has been very boring: his wife has not treated him well at all - no wonder, his wife's natal relatives have lost a child in his house, so they are very polite without knocking on the door to make trouble. Fortunately, Li Yongxun ran away from home and came to Guangdong, and the main responsibility did not lie with him. Otherwise, Lin Ming would really have wanted to throw himself into the sea to die.
Li Yongxun disappeared in his hands, and he still had to shoulder the responsibility. After several years of futile inquiries, Lin Ming finally made up his mind: if you don't enter the tiger's den, you won't get the tiger's cubs. Since the base camp of the Kun thieves is in Lingao, and my sister-in-law is likely to be in Lingao, she can only find out the whereabouts of Li Yongxun by going to Lingao in person and mingling with the Australians. No matter whether he is dead or alive, he must have an explanation to his wife.
Li Yongxun is just a child. It is unlikely that the thief Kun will kill her, but if she falls into the hands of the thief Kun, her fate is unknown. Every time he thought about this, Lin Ming secretly exclaimed that it was a pity that this beautiful flower was so advantageous to Kun Thief - he had known that he would have struck first. If she could really be rescued, even if the girl was not perfect, it would probably be impossible to find her husband's family. She might as well just keep her at home with her wife...
Naturally, Lin Ming couldn't tell his wife what he was thinking, but his idea of going to Lingao to rescue Li Yongxun was very much in favor with Mrs. Lin. Because of this matter, she now dared not even go back to Nanjing to Guining. Moreover, every time a letter came from her mother's side, she would always ask about Qianqian's whereabouts, leaving her speechless.
"A long vine is worse than a short pain. Instead of wasting so much time and money, looking for people everywhere, it's better to go there in person!" Mrs. Lin also comes from a family of Jin Yiwei military attachés, which is the most refreshing. "Sure enough, we can find her. We can always find a way to rescue her if we know her whereabouts. If she is really unlucky, she will finally have her whereabouts. At worst, we can fulfill our filial piety to the fifth aunt’s family on her behalf!”
"Madam is right-" Lin Ming nodded repeatedly.
"It's just that you have to be careful in what you do. I heard that the thieves also have factory guards..."
"The Song Dynasty was called the Imperial City Division..."
"No matter what they are called, I heard that Kun thieves are good at this. They have ears and eyes everywhere, and their every word and deed can be spied upon. Husband, you should always be careful."
"I don't have to worry. Madam, don't worry."
"How can I rest assured?" Tears rolled down Mrs. Lin's eyes, "You have lost a sister, don't lose yourself! This whole family depends on you!"
"Don't worry, I know the severity."
His family's "five blessings bring longevity", although Mrs. Lin "understands the righteousness", the four concubines are not happy - after all, Li Yongxun's life and death has little to do with them. If her husband has to risk his life and death, they don't care. No matter what, I don't want to. There was a lot of crying and fussing, but fortunately Mrs. Lin was very good at running the house at home. She even admonished and persuaded everyone, and she finally convinced everyone.
After settling everything at home, Lin Ming had to think about how to go to Lingao.
It is easy to go from Foshan to Lingao. From Foshan to Guangzhou, go to the Dabo Shipping Agency at Tianzi Pier and buy a ticket. You can board the boat to Lingao in two or three days at most. Those who have money will naturally have neatly furnished cabins, while those who have no money will have clean cabins on cargo ships.
Lin Ming did not intend to go to Lingao like this. He had already inquired among the people who had been to Lingao. Outsiders entering and leaving Lingao were subject to strict interrogation. He is the best at arresting people, and not to mention he has too many acquaintances in Guangzhou. With his unconventional demeanor, as long as he shows up at Bopu Pier, he will be targeted by the factory guards of the thieves.
To be a spy, you must first hide your head and tail, and act like ordinary people so as not to attract attention. It's just that he has been a royal guard for more than 20 years, and his speech and behavior will be "official", and the secret will be revealed without saying a word. After careful consideration, Lin Ming decided to take a roundabout move. Specifically, it means not starting from Guangzhou, but going to another place.
He decided to go to Kaohsiung first - Kaohsiung was a new overseas territory opened by the Kun thieves. He heard that there was a lot of foreign things there and it was easy for him to hide his identity in the past, and then he took a boat from Kaohsiung to Lingao. In this way, not only can one's whereabouts be concealed, but one can also inquire about the situation of the thief in Kaohsiung along the way. Since the Kun Thief defeated Zheng Zhilong and swept across Zhangzhou Bay, the government and the public have paid more attention to this force. Lin Ming estimated that within three to five years, the imperial court would definitely have another battle with the Kun thief. The information he collected on the Kun thief would be a good thing for promotion and wealth.
The plan was made, and Lin Ming really worked hard: he dressed up as a down-and-out scholar, quietly arrived in Guangzhou with only a few coins, and boarded a merchant ship bound for Kaohsiung to work as a boy, specializing in accounting and writing documents. He worked very hard on the ship. Although he was seasick from time to time and was not a deck sailor, he did his best and was willing to help with any work. He was highly regarded by the leader. (To be continued)
