Chapter 147: Shangxin River

At Xiaxinhe Dock west of Nanjing, the boatmen began calling for the Nanjing-bound passengers to prepare to disembark. Pang Yu crawled out of the cabin and stretched lazily on the deck. Looking out, white sails dotted the river as a thousand boats raced past; the number of vessels in the channel was several times that of Anqing.

Nanjing was a critical node in Ming Dynasty Yangtze River shipping and simultaneously the political and cultural center of Jiangnan, attracting countless wealthy magnates and gentry to reside there, which amassed enormous financial resources in the city.

When the passenger boat docked and Pang Yu disembarked with the other passengers, he realized that the majority were getting off at Nanjing, and not many were heading on to Yangzhou. Yet there were quite a few travelers waiting on the shore; the boatmen would likely have no trouble filling the boat again.

The four of them disembarked. The dock was a sea of people, even more crowded than Sheng-Tang Ferry in Anqing. Many porters clustered at the gangplank, boarding as soon as the passengers got off to retrieve grain sacks from the lower hold. Hefting nearly two-hundred-jin grain sacks onto their shoulders, they trudged slowly up the steps while the traveling merchants bringing goods watched from the side, shouting at them to follow.

There were even people carrying sedan chairs directly off the passenger boats at the dock. Pang Yu didn't need to guess to know they had chartered the whole boat. They disembarked with a retinue of twenty or thirty people, moving all sorts of luggage. All kinds of people mixed together, and in the crush, they couldn't even get up the steps.

Pang Yu hadn't expected a Nanjing dock to rival a Spring Festival travel rush train station. Seeing this, he first stepped aside and stood in a less crowded spot to the right of the stone steps. Once his three subordinates were beside him, he said to them, "If we get separated, wait at the city gate."

Xu Lengzi scratched his head. "Which city gate?"

Pang Yu was taken aback. He knew nothing about Nanjing at this time. He thought of mentioning the Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum or some such place, but feared the area was too large. He thought of naming an inn, but didn't know any names.

"Then go to the main gate of the Southern Ministry of Revenue. Remember, the main gate." Pang Yu turned specifically to Xu Lengzi and added, "Keep the silver in your bosom well guarded."

The three nodded together, especially Xu Lengzi. He had lost his coin pouch at Leigang, and Pang Yu had had to give him a few taels of loose silver, hence the specific advice, so he wouldn't end up unable to even afford a meal if they got separated.

Pang Yu turned and walked toward the dock, taking the lead as they squeezed into the crowd. The whole way, the tide of people surged. They constantly encountered groups of porters, as well as an endless stream of horse-drawn carts, donkey carts, ox carts, and all manner of human-pushed handcarts hauling goods, creating impassable gridlock on many sections of the road.

Pang Yu had never imagined he would encounter a traffic jam in the Ming Dynasty. Not only were the carts jammed, even people couldn't get through. The most infuriating part was that, whereas before he could have hoped for traffic police to clear things up, now there wasn't even anyone maintaining order.

Shopkeepers in the adjacent storefronts kept shouting curses, telling pedestrians and carts not to stop in front of their doors. Some passengers angrily cursed back at them. Ahead, the sounds of people calling out to friends and relatives and shouting at carriages blended into a chaotic din.

Amidst the tangled mess, Pang Yu clutched his money pouch and stood in the crowd, already drenched in sweat from the heat. When he looked back, He Xianya and Xu Lengzi were nowhere to be seen. Only Guo Fengyou was behind him, separated by two or three people.

Guo Fengyou squeezed sideways through the gaps between people. Those around him frowned and cursed, but Guo Fengyou paid no heed, nearly getting flattened before he finally managed to stop and rest behind Pang Yu.

Pang Yu nodded at him, then scanned his surroundings again. At least Xu Lengzi was tall and conspicuous. Pang Yu spotted his blue headscarf, then saw He Xianya beside him. Those two were now quite far away.

The flow of people ahead began to move slowly. Pang Yu couldn't stop to wait and moved forward with them. The procession walked very slowly. As they went, he realized the blockage was mainly caused by carts. The horses and donkeys, having waited too long, were defecating and urinating in the street. Mixed with the stench of sweat from the crowd, nearly everyone on the street was covering their noses.

Along the way, Pang Yu looked at the shops lining the road. Most sold beans and rice. There were some other miscellaneous goods like bamboo ware, woodwork, medicinal herbs, and paper, basically all goods coming from upstream. There were also items sold for the upstream market, such as books, Nanjing silk gauze, and folding fans.

Passing one shop caught Pang Yu's attention. It occupied a considerable area with a very wide storefront. Inside, various types of beans were sorted and displayed. Huguang rice, Anqing rice, Jiujiang rice, and Sichuan rice were each labeled and divided into upper, middle, and lower grades. The shop assistants all wore clean black short coats, and everything was in perfect order, just like a modern supermarket. Pang Yu had never seen a rice shop like this in Anqing.

There weren't many customers in the shop. Most of the helpers stood at the front, preventing the passing pedestrians from squeezing inside. A middle-aged man who looked like the shopkeeper stood at the entrance frowning, seemingly quite displeased that the crowd was blocking his doorway.

Pang Yu, feeling stifled by the crush and wanting to wait for He Xianya behind him, left the crowd and stepped into the shop. Guo Fengyou also entered and stood behind him to the side, sizing up everyone in the shop.

Seeing someone enter, the shopkeeper initially moved to shoo them out, but then he took in Pang Yu's attire: a silk Green Robe and a Square Cap, the look of a scholar, with a servant following behind carrying two swords. He was likely a wealthy young master or a traveling merchant.

The shopkeeper put on a smiling face and cupped his hands toward Pang Yu. "Young master, where do you hail from? Are you looking to see some rice and beans?"

Pang Yu wiped the sweat from his forehead. "I come from Anqing. I'm not looking at rice and beans at the moment. It's so crowded outside today; I came in to borrow a spot in your esteemed shop to catch my breath and wait for my companions behind me."

The shopkeeper gave an "oh" and, without a trace of displeasure, said to an assistant beside him, "Get a towel for the young master to wipe his sweat."

The assistant quickly brought one over. Pang Yu hurriedly thanked him, took it, saw it was very clean, and wiped his sweat.

Pang Yu turned his head and said to Guo Fengyou, "Keep an eye out for He Xianya and the others. Don't let them walk past."

Guo Fengyou acknowledged the order, swept his gaze across the hall once more, then stood at the doorway, intently watching the passing crowd.

Although he had heard Pang Yu wasn't in the rice and bean business, the shopkeeper still said with a face full of smiles, "Young master, your accent clearly marks you as coming from Anqing. The great aristocratic families there are renowned along the Great River. Your bearing is extraordinary; you must be a scion of an aristocratic family."

Pang Yu laughed heartily twice, neither confirming nor denying. He casually asked, "Have many people been coming from Anqing lately?"

"Many from Anqing, and many from everywhere in Jiangbei." The shopkeeper's smile faded. "The north is not peaceful. In previous years, the Tartars invaded, and Shandong had a rebel army. The great wealthy families of Henan and Shandong all came south. The year before last, the Roving Bandits entered Huguang, and the Huguang gentry came. After the Tongcheng Uprising last year, even more people from Jiangbei crossed the river. This year, the Roving Bandits burned Fengyang—that was the last straw. The aristocratic and great families of all Jiangbei are coming to Nanjing, often bringing many servants and luggage. Otherwise, how could the Shangxin River Wharf be so congested?"

Hearing this, Pang Yu realized it wasn't just the gentry from Anqing heading to Nanjing; it seemed all the wealthy people from the entire north were concentrating in Nanjing. They had probably been so terrified in the north that they only felt safe once they crossed the Yangtze River.

"Quite a few aristocratic families from our Anqing have come too." Pang Yu clasped his hands behind his back and walked further inside, looking at the interior furnishings as he went. "Some businesses in Anqing have been left with no one to run them. My trip to Nanjing this time is not to relocate here, but to see what business opportunities might be suitable."

The shopkeeper followed behind him attentively. "The bulk goods coming from Anqing are mostly rice, usually shipped out on the river from Zongyang, followed by bamboo ware. The Mao bamboo around Anqing is abundant, and its bamboo ware has always been famous along the Great River. However, those generally land at Longjiang Dock. Here at our Shangxin River Wharf, rice and beans are the most common. My family has run this rice shop for three generations. Many in the rice and bean business on the river know the Guo Family Rice and Bean Shop."

Pang Yu mentally noted this down, then asked the shopkeeper, "I see you sell rice from various places here, sir. May I ask which source has the largest volume?"

The shopkeeper carefully sized Pang Yu up before saying, "Huguang rice is naturally the most, followed by Jiangxi. Anqing rice is also considerable. The least is Sichuan rice. My shop's annual sales volume is enormous. Young master, if you intend to go into the rice business, dealing with my small shop is the most reliable."

"Then let me ask, of the rice consumed in the city of Nanjing, how much comes from upstream? Just how large is this business?"

The shopkeeper didn't even need to think. He lifted his head and said, "The population of Nanjing city exceeds a million. Mulberry, hemp, fish, and salt are sourced from downstream, but rice and beans come only from upstream. If Huguang or Jiangxi suffers a natural disaster and poor harvest, and the rice merchants do not arrive, Nanjing will see grain prices suddenly surge and the people will be unable to make a living. Furthermore, this Shangxin River Wharf doesn't just supply the city of Nanjing. Downstream, Suzhou, Songjiang, and Zhejiang are covered with mulberry and hemp, and the grain produced there is insufficient to feed the people. They almost all rely on upstream grain. Apart from a few grain merchants who ship directly there, most come to this Shangxin River Wharf to buy grain. Saying this, young master, you should understand: no matter how large a bulk of Anqing rice you sell, my small shop can handle it. It only depends on how much you can procure."

At that moment, Guo Fengyou called out from the doorway and ushered He Xianya and Xu Lengzi inside.

Pang Yu smiled. "That might be worth a try. When I'm on my return journey, I'll come back and discuss it with you in detail."

Seeing that Pang Yu had many servants, the shopkeeper's attitude became even more respectful. Realizing Pang Yu was about to leave, he quickly said, "Then please wait a moment, young master."

He hurried behind the counter, took out an object, and returned to Pang Yu, holding a folding fan in both hands.

"This is a gift for you, young master. Whether business is done or not, meeting is always fate. Nanjing is sweltering; take this for your personal use."

Pang Yu accepted it with both hands. The folding fan was not overly luxurious, but its craftsmanship was quite fine. He had seen Nanjing folding fans back in Anqing; they were a signature product of Nanjing's handicraft industry.

He gently shook it open to look. On it was painted a simple landscape scene. In the upper right were written the characters for "Swallow Crag Dawn View," and on the left side were the characters for Xiaxinhe Guo's Rice and Bean Shop.

Although the shop name beside the landscape painting was a bit of an eyesore, Pang Yu was still impressed by the shop's marketing.

After expressing his thanks, the shopkeeper led them out through the back door. They walked through a small alley, bypassing the congested front street.

After they said their farewells, Pang Yu followed the shopkeeper's directions, found his bearings, and headed toward Sanshan Gate.

He Xianya's face was flushed red from being squeezed. He came to Pang Yu's side and asked, "Second Brother, are you really going to do the rice and bean business?"

Pang Yu shook his head. "Business aside for now. In the short time I was waiting for you all just now, I learned two important pieces of information and deduced one more thing."

"What information?"

"First, the wealthy are all gathering in Nanjing. Nanjing is a money pit. Second, Jiangnan's grain supply all depends on upstream." Pang Yu clapped his hands and chuckled. "More importantly, the rice and beans from Huguang, Jiangxi, and Sichuan all have to pass through the Anqing section of the river."

"That... and what about the thing you deduced, Second Brother?"

"That upstream grain supply is starting to tighten. Otherwise, since he's a grain buyer, he should naturally hold the stronger position. He wouldn't be so attentive to me, a potential grain seller from Anqing. This shows that the various shops at the dock are competing fiercely for supply sources."

He Xianya frowned. "Second Brother makes sense. The Roving Bandits have been rampaging through Huguang for a long time. I've heard many places there have suffered devastation no less than Anqing. At the very least, the output from the Huguang region north of the Great River must have decreased."

"Sichuan has also suffered from the Bandit Calamity. From what we saw in Anqing, after the Roving Bandits passed through, the population plummeted. Infrastructure like houses and wells was severely damaged, and all kinds of living supplies were looted and destroyed. Restoring cultivation is extremely difficult. A reduction in grain output from Huguang and Sichuan is a certainty."

He Xianya didn't quite see the use of this for the moment. Seeing that Pang Yu wasn't elaborating, he had to change the subject and ask, "So where are we heading right now?"

Pang Yu looked at the sky. "Sanshan Gate is to the south, and Shangxin River isn't close either. This city of Nanjing is enormous. We're unfamiliar with the roads; blindly searching will waste time and effort. Let's not go to the Ministry of Revenue today. We'll settle down near Sanshan Gate first. It would be better if we can find an acquaintance to guide us."

He Xianya knew his social circle and couldn't help asking, "Is Second Brother going to look for Ruan Dacheng, or people like Fang Yizhi?"

Pang Yu thought for a moment, then said, "Ruan Dacheng."