Chapter 145: Xiong Dao

Liu He, the Liu family steward specifically in charge of outside errands, had been liaising between the two sides after receiving the master's approval. Early this morning, he boarded a boat with the Lin brothers and set out from Hangzhou City, heading straight for Tangzhuang.

Along the way, Liu He gave the two a brief introduction to his good friend: the man's surname was Xiong, given name Dao, a Sea Merchant from distant waters and the Village Head of Tangzhuang. Master Xiong possessed immense wealth and deep resources, his word was as good as gold, and his friendship with the Liu household was unbreakable; he was a top-tier great merchant.

After learning these details, the Lin brothers were still somewhat baffled. Logically, this Sea Merchant Liu He spoke of, no matter what goods he wanted to procure, could certainly find them in Hangzhou City. Why go to the trouble of urgently requesting a meeting with the two brothers?

... Suppressing the doubt in his heart, Lin Baoquan plastered his face with smiles and chatted merrily with Steward Liu the whole journey. After traveling east from the city for over ten li, the boat turned along the River, and shortly after, the Lin brothers saw five warehouses built along the riverbank.

This row of warehouses was clearly newly built, their structures tall and grand. The fresh whitewash on the stone walls had not yet fully dried. In front of the warehouse doors were several blue-stone river docks, where a few boats were currently unloading cargo. Lin Baoquan, a veteran of the sea routes, swept his gaze over the scene and immediately knew the laborers were carrying Rice into the warehouses.

"These are all newly built warehouses belonging to Master Xiong," Liu He added with a smile, seeing the Lin brothers staring intently at the warehouses.

Lin Baoquan nodded without replying, his mental assessment of the yet-unmet Master Xiong's financial power rising another level: such large stone warehouses were not cheap; an ordinary merchant household could not even afford to build one. And after building them, one still needed silver to buy large quantities of stock, hire men to guard them day and night—the expenses were considerable.

... As they talked, the boat arrived at its destination: in a clearly Rest and Reorganization river bend ahead, three Sand Ships were currently moored. The lead ship was even broader than the Lin family's Xing'anping, and some laborers were currently loading cargo onto the Sand Ships.

Before the two could observe these Sand Ships in detail, several people conversing on the river dock had already noticed them. As soon as Liu He and the two Lins stepped ashore, the man at the head of the group opposite let out a long laugh, dismissed the Servants and attendants beside him, and walked forward slowly to greet them.

This man was tall and stout, in his prime, with a fair, prosperous-looking face. When he opened his mouth, he Revealed a set of gleaming white teeth, clearly marking him as someone from a wealthy background. He was Wearing an embroidered Nanjing Brocade long gown patterned with mottled bamboo, a Pig-Dragon Leather Belt at his waist, and three or four gold and jade Rings on his fingers. When he cupped his fist in salute, it flashed with gold.

"You must be the two esteemed brothers of the Lin family. I am the unworthy Xiong Dao. My presumptuous invitation yesterday was somewhat abrupt, and I hope our honored guests will be magnanimous. Laugh Heartily, Laugh Heartily." Xiong Dao's voice was loud, but his tone was gentle. Although his accent was slightly peculiar, it sounded rather amiable to the ear.

"Not at all, not at all. Upon learning of Master Xiong's summons, we brothers were overjoyed; how could there be any abruptness..." Merchant Lin, speaking with a Fujian accent, cupped his hands in salute and naturally began exchanging warm pleasantries with Merchant Xiong.

The group chatted as they walked, with Liu He cracking jokes on the side. In just a few steps, everyone was as close as old friends, and their conversation arrived at the gates of Tangzhuang.

Tangzhuang was unchanged, still that grand, imposing estate. People bustled at the gate, with figures dressed in short jackets, resembling Crewmen, coming and going from time to time, each one fierce-looking and physically powerful.

Seeing the Lin brothers grow pensive at the sight of the Crewmen, Xiong Dao casually steered the topic toward the profits of sea routes, mentioning that the seas had been unsettled in recent years, business was increasingly difficult, and one dared not leave port without a full complement of crew.

Xiong Dao's words resonated with the Lin brothers. Both were seafarers and understood these hardships. The Lin family's ships now did not even want to go to Fuzhou, preferring only to sail north to Hangzhou, precisely because the seas were not peaceful.

Xiong Dao would Naturally Not reveal the secrets of a confidential place like Tangzhuang's Backyard to outsiders. The guests were subsequently led to an elegantly secluded side courtyard within the estate. After host and guests were seated inside, maids and Servants bustled about, preparing hand towels, fruit platters, and tea before withdrawing.

After slowly drinking three rounds of tea, during which everyone chatted idly about gossip and anecdotes—the passing of the Xi Emperor, Nine Thousand Years being in a tight spot, who knew the road ahead—the atmosphere in the room grew increasingly harmonious. Xiong Dao had the tea replaced with a fresh Batch before finally revealing the reason for today's meeting.

According to Xiong Dao, when he was procuring goods normally, he discovered that the Iron materials used locally in Jiangnan mostly came from Fujian and Guangdong, with Fujian Iron being particularly excellent, abundant in quantity and high in quality.

In the Current Age, Xiong Dao had a property in an outer port that urgently needed Iron materials. He then thought, rather than buying Iron in Jiangnan himself, it would be more convenient to ask a familiar Fujian Merchant to purchase it locally. Better yet, the Fujian Merchant could ship the collected Iron directly to the location, saving the expense of traveling to Hangzhou again, a convenience for both parties. As for all shipping costs and goods payments, everything was negotiable.

Hearing this, Lin Baoquan nodded slightly: Master Xiong's proposed deal fell within the scope of several guesses the two brothers had made last night; this matter did not surprise him.

Fujian was mountainous; prefectures and counties with iron Pits were countless, and furnaces were everywhere. Fujian Iron had been sold throughout the Great Ming's Two Capitals and Thirteen Provinces for years, its reputation resounding. The Funing Prefecture where the Lin brothers resided not only had iron Pits but even government-run silver Pits. The Lin clan itself held shares in mountain iron Pits; purchasing Iron materials was no major issue.

The only concern was that Master Xiong had just specified a whole shipload of Iron materials, which made Lin Baoquan somewhat wary: Iron materials were bulk goods, rarely purchased by the shipload. This "outer port property" Master Xiong spoke of was likely not so simple.

Thinking this, Lin Baoquan stroked his beard and asked, "May I ask to which destination Master Xiong wishes the purchased Iron materials sent?"

Xiong Dao chuckled, lightly tapped the black lacquered tabletop inlaid with mother-of-pearl dragon-playing-with-pearl design twice with his middle finger Knuckle, and then slowly uttered two words: "Dayuan."

"Hiss..." The two Lins simultaneously sucked in a breath of cold air upon hearing this place name. Even though the brothers had previously formed conjectures, they had never expected the Iron materials were actually destined for Dayuan!

It had only been just over two months since Dayuan changed hands. The Lin brothers would Naturally Not Know the situation there. So the brothers' first reaction was: Hello, Comprador!... At that moment, they took Xiong Dao for a Red Hair Comprador.

Unfortunately, the Ming Dynasty did not care about such things. Merchants along the southeast coast had been doing business with the Colored-Eye people for over a thousand years. In this era, no one despised Compradors, because the Colored-Eye people had not yet launched the Opium War, so they were not very arrogant yet. Everyone took pride in collecting payment from the Colored-Eye people and then Escaping...

Upon hearing the word Dayuan, the two Lins instantly pieced the whole matter together: the Red Hair people were having a hard time on Dayuan, spending silver everywhere to seek great merchants to purchase goods on their behalf. This was already public Knowledge along the Fujian-Guangdong Coast. It seemed this Master Xiong was one of them. What the two Lins had not expected was that the Red Hair's lines were cast so far, that even in Hangzhou City there were people managing operations for them.

Lin Baoquan pondered in silence for the time it took to drink half a cup of tea before finally raising his head and asking Xiong Dao, "I have often heard that these 'People of Dayuan' ordinarily love Raw Silk and delight in porcelain and cloth. Bulk goods like Iron materials probably cannot fetch a good price."

... Lin Baoquan, having been a merchant for half his life, was naturally cautious. He knew well that in this Hangzhou City, words like "Red Hair, Dutch" were best left unspoken, so he used "People of Dayuan" as a substitute at this moment.

After listening, Xiong Dao smiled faintly: These two were feigning understanding while pretending to be confused. He would Naturally Not expose them now, so he feigned confusion while pretending to understand: "Worthy brothers, please rest assured. Dayuan Island is currently in a state of rebuilding, with everything waiting to be developed. Those 'People on the Island' intend to do long-term business; how could they let friends who travel far to deliver goods have no profit?"

As he spoke, Xiong Dao extended a palm covered in Rings: "Five percent. Five percent of a tael of silver per catty of Pig Iron."