Ancient pearl divers were called "danmin" or "danmin", and they drifted and settled on the water all year round.
Pearls are obtained from clams, and clams grow on the seabed, so salvage has to be involved.
The ancients had very limited mining equipment, and all had to rely on manual labor. There was no oxygen cylinder, so they could only rely on water, holding their breath for diving, and fishing in the sea.
There are many islands and reefs in the coastal areas, all named after "zhou", and most of the Dan people who make a fortune from sea goods live there. He Xianglian, whom she met at the West Lake, once said that her mother was a pearl diver on Meizi Island.
If you want to purchase pearls, you have to take a boat to the island.
Song Che set off in the morning and first went to major jewelry stores to do market research and find out the basic prices and purchasing channels of pearls——
Because mining is extremely difficult, the price of pearls is naturally high. A round, bright and medium-sized pearl can often be sold for three hundred copper coins. If you buy a pearl necklace, you have to spend at least two to three copper coins.
As for agate and coral, they often grow in the deep sea. No matter how good the water quality is, people cannot withstand the pressure of the sea water. To mine coral agate, you must use large ships and cast iron nets and hooks. Not to mention the harvest is slim, and it is extremely destructive to the seabed. Because of this, the price of agate coral is so high that even big jewelry stores only have a few pieces.
Pearls and jade are the main products in Hangzhou’s jewelry industry.
It was almost impossible for an empty shell store to start a jewelry business again, so Song Che thought of putting the products at a lower end, and if the quality was not good, then quantity would be the choice——
Pearls pay attention to the word "round". If they are oddly shaped and dull in color, they will be greatly devalued.
Bad pearls are like chicken ribs, tasteless and a pity to throw away, so the villagers thought of a way to sell the best pearls to jewelers, and the poor quality pearls to pharmacies and rouge shops.
Pharmacies and rouge shops will grind the purchased low-quality pearls into powder and use them as medicine or make cosmetics, which are very effective in whitening and beautifying the skin.
After conducting market research on jewelry stores, Song Che visited several drug stores and rouge shops, and found that they all had a common feature - although they sold pearl powder, the dosage was not high, and often a dime of pearl powder would suffice. It can be sold for three to five months, and pearl powder is also ground from pearls, so the price is much higher than ordinary medicinal materials.
It can be concluded from this that there is an oversupply of low-quality pearls in Hangzhou. If we can "turn waste into treasure", we will definitely make a lot of money.
Pearl powder is Song Che’s next business.
During the visit to the medicine shop, Song Che also took the opportunity to identify the medicinal residue collected from the Zhou family's kitchen the night before. The result was as expected. It was not a medicine for reducing fever at all. On the contrary, it increased Qi and blood and stimulated the circulation of blood. Tonic for the meridians.
"Doctor Huang, let me ask one more question, what will be the result if a person with a fever takes this medicine?"
"This patch of medicine must not be given to a person with a fever. It may burn out the brain, or in severe cases, the blood will surge and the patient may die!" The doctor said and added: "This tonic is not worthy of our small shop. Hey, half of the eighteen medicines in it are precious medicinal materials and are very valuable."
"Oh? Then where should I go?" Song Che asked.
The doctor said: "Of course we have to go to the largest 'Qian's Pharmacy' in Hangzhou."
Qian?
Song Che secretly wrote down the name, and then ordered seven medicinal ingredients of Atractylodes macrocephala, Angelica dahurica, Bletilla striata, Bletilla, white Poria, white peony root, and wolfberry, ten kilograms each at the drug store, and agreed to pick up the goods in the evening.
In the afternoon, Song Che came to the pier, rented a small boat, and prepared to go to Meizi Island to find out.
Islands and reefs like Meizi Island are not far away and can be seen from the pier. There are some green plants at the head of the island, but most of them are haphazardly built shanties.
When he got closer, Song Che discovered that the island was not very big. There were fishing boats all around the island. The fishing boats were connected in a chain, forming a "new continent". Many of the shanty towns that he saw from a distance were actually located in the "boat city".
"Old man, have these Dan people been living in this boat city for generations?" Song Che asked the boatman.
The boatman said: "Yes, even though they live in poverty, they can make a fortune."
"How about talking to Wan Sheng in detail?" Song Che asked again.
"You are so polite, sir," the boatman said, "these people are all good at swimming. They can dive several feet deep in one breath. If you are lucky and pick a few pearls of good quality, you can cross the sea in one day." I have been ferrying for a month, and if my ancestors have accumulated good deeds and picked up the big pearl, they will be completely out of poverty."
"Isn't it easy to pick this big pearl?" Song Che asked again.
The boatman said: "That's natural. If you want big pearls, you must have deep water. Let's not talk about whether you can go down. Even if you can go down, there is a chance of only one in ten thousand. Anyway, a lot of people drown every year during the pearl fishing season. Someone who makes a fortune.”
It is not unusual for people to die for wealth and for birds to die for food.
"To be honest, I'm here to buy pearls. I've been ferrying on the sea all year round. Can you guide me?" Song Che asked again.
The boatman smiled and said, "I can tell the purpose of your coming just by seeing what you are wearing. You have to look for it somewhere. As long as you go to Zhoutou and stop wherever you go, the villagers will soon come with pearls to buy them." But you have to be careful, there is a man named Niu Er on Meizi Island, and he manages the transactions of the people in this sea area."
Niu Er? Isn’t he the bully who killed He Xianglian’s mother?
During the chat, the ferry docked, and before Song Che could set his feet on the ground, a group of people rowed boats and gathered over.
Dan people are very dark and bold. Men only have one pair of underpants, while women have an extra bellyband. Their skin is dark and shiny, and their muscle lines are quite strong.
The villagers carried a small cloth bag around their waists, which was filled with pearls.
Song Che asked the boatman to dock, and he sat on the bow of the boat, holding a steel scale, waiting for the seller to come.
"Sir, I'm here to buy pearls. Look, this is what I just delivered this morning."
"I have some here too, buy mine!"
The villagers rushed to pour out the pearls. The quality and appearance were very poor, and almost no pearls were found that were full.
Good pearls are judged by their grains, while bad pearls are judged by their kilograms.
"You have met a noble person today. I never look at the quality of my pearls when I sell them. One hundred coins per catty is as much as you want." Song Che said loudly.
"A hundred cents? It's too low, sir. Could you please increase it a little more?"
If sold to a medicinal herb dealer, the price would be one hundred and twenty cents per catty, but seeing how they couldn't sell the bags full of them, if the price was lowered, they would definitely sell it.
Song Che shook his head resolutely: "One hundred cents is one hundred cents, and I won't accept any more, but the quantity is large and enough is enough. I want as much as I want, and there is no shortage of money!"
"Oh... that's all! It's rare to find someone who collects bad pearls. Just wait, sir. I still have a good vat at home!"
The bad beads were reluctant to throw away, so they naturally gathered them up, and the people went home to get them.
"Everyone, line up in a line. Don't be anxious if you come one by one. If anyone cuts in line and causes trouble, I won't accept his pearls." Song Che said loudly.
Soon the villagers formed a long queue.
Song Che asked the boatman to help with the weighing, and he was responsible for exchanging the silver coins. These Dan people had really hoarded a lot of goods, and each household started with at least one kilogram.
"Sir, he only has one catty and nine taels here."
"Calculate it by two pounds. If you do big business, don't stick to trivial matters!"
The extra change was taken into account, and almost everything was given to him. Song Che's generous move won him a good reputation among the people.
Gradually, more and more people lined up.
