Chapter 103

"Zihou."

Qian Qianyi patiently advised, "One must be down-to-earth and practical in life."

"Aiming too high and fond of grand talk — it only invites ridicule~~~~"

Opening with a business worth millions — who would believe it?

"Mr. Mu Zhai." Lin Dao spoke frankly, "What do you think — is glassware valuable?"

"The price is indeed not cheap."

Qian Qianyi shook his head, "But it is hardly a rare commodity."

"The Frankish machine people of the Wanli Mirror have shipped over quite a lot; some are even colored."

"If you want cheaper ones, the sea merchants also bring them over from Wokou Country to sell."

"If you sell glassware, you can make some profit, but to make it big is extremely difficult."

In the late Ming, although they shouted 'sea ban' with their mouths, the Jiangnan gentry were doing maritime trade business like crazy, one and all.

As early as when Dong Xia openly burned shipbuilding data, watermark data, route sea charts, and the like with a single fire, these precious materials had secretly all fallen into the hands of the Jiangnan gentry — from that point on, they took over the maritime trade business.

They forbade the Imperial Court from doing maritime trade; only they themselves could do it.

Tea leaves, silk, porcelain, rhubarb, and all sorts of goods were sold overseas, earning shiploads of silver in return.

Faced with a massive trade deficit, the European merchants also brought out their killer move.

Glass products.

Portuguese, Dutch, and even Wokou Country people were desperately importing glass products into the Great Ming.

You can't say this stuff is everywhere, but its value is absolutely not that exaggerated.

"Mr. Mu Zhai, what if what I'm selling is a glass mirror like the Ke Fu?"

Glass mirrors had been invented for decades, but the technology was not yet mature enough and had not been popularized on a large scale.

Qian Qianyi expressed neither agreement nor disagreement, "My household also has this item; we'll talk after I've seen yours."

Relying purely on words, he would not believe it.

"Mr. Mu Zhai~" The Madam came around the screen, beaming as she brought the wine, "It's already this hour; please grace us by staying for a meal."

"Hahaha~~~" Qian Qianyi laughed, "Then I have disturbed you."

"Mr. Mu Zhai gracing us with your presence is our good fortune." The Madam's words were very pleasant to hear.

She greeted the servant girls to bring the dishes, and added, "My daughter learned of your arrival, sir, and specially went to the kitchen herself to make a few small dishes."

"Oh?"

Qian Qianyi also nodded with a smile, "My disciple is here?"

The Madam seized the chance to say, "Ever since she returned from touring Huangshan with you, sir, and the Lord of Hedong, she has been longing to play a tune for you to repay your grace."

"Hahahaha~~~"

Qian Qianyi laughed toward the screen, "Xiaowan?"

From behind the screen, a young girl of delicate beauty emerged, wearing a moon-hued skirt, cradling a red pipa as she stepped forward to pay respects.

"Master~~~"

"Your Madame has been nagging constantly." Qian Qianyi smiled and greeted her, "Saying you haven't written her a letter in a long time; now that she's seen you, she'll surely give you a proper talking-to."

Dong Xiaowan and Liu Rushi had once secretly competed for Qian Qianyi.

Don't look at Qian Qianyi's old age, and that he was even swept out of the Court.

But he is a bona fide leader of the Donglin, once held the high post of Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, and his family is a proper scholarly lineage.

He has reputation, power, family wealth, and talent.

A genuine wealthy family.

Qian Qianyi is very popular in the Ming Qi.

Back then, Dong Xiaowan and Liu Rushi accompanied Qian Qianyi on a tour of Huangshan — it was a secret rivalry.

In the end, Qian Qianyi chose Liu Rushi.

As for Dong Xiaowan, he took her as a disciple in name, to save her face.

As for saying Dong Xiaowan doesn't write to Liu Rushi — a loser writing to the winner, what would she write?

Could it be she has to write, 'How have you been~ lately~~~'?

Not tearing each other's faces off, pulling hair, and scratching skin is already not bad.

After a few simple pleasantries, Qian Qianyi finally introduced Lin Dao.

"Lin Dao, Lin Zihou, does overseas foreign market business."

Before demonstrating value, introductions are always this casual.

Dong Xiaowan glanced at Lin Dao, handed the pipa in her hand to the maid Spitting Liu, and performed a full kowtow salute toward Lin Dao.

"This slave-girl has met Young Master Zihou."

Lin Dao, who had been observing from the side, just sat there, nodding, "No need for ceremony."

Qian Qianyi showed no reaction, the Madam smiled radiantly, and Dong Xiaowan kept her head lowered, her expression unclear.

But their inner thoughts were surprisingly unanimous.

'No manners — either an arrogant type, or a first-timer greenhorn.'

Dishes were brought to the table; Dong Xiaowan personally poured wine for Lin Dao and Qian Qianyi.

Accompanying them for three cups, she then moved to sit on the chair by the boat window.

Taking the pipa the maid handed over, she put on finger picks and skillfully plucked the strings.

Playing the pipa on one side, singing clearly on the other.

She was singing Kunqu.

Undoubtedly, Lin Dao couldn't understand the term.

He set down his wine cup and looked at Qian Qianyi. "Master Mu Zhai, besides opening a shop selling imported goods, I also plan to open a gift recycling shop."

Qian Qianyi, holding his wine cup and listening to the music, frowned slightly. "A pawnshop?"

A pawnshop isn't something just anyone can open.

"It's not a pawnshop."

Lin Dao emphasized again. "It's a recycling shop."

"Only accepting high-value items. Jewelry, precious medicinal herbs, spices, gold, and the like."

"Only accepting, not pawning."

He opened the recycling shop to recover valuable things; he absolutely wouldn't accept worm-eaten, rat-gnawed, threadbare, fur-less clothes.

These things, taken to the Modern World, could all sell for very high prices.

"Still a pawnshop." Qian Qianyi wasn't interested in doing business. "It's not a difficult matter either."

Just two shops.

As long as there really is a sole copy of the *Qian Wheel*, with his Qian Qianyi's face, it's still no problem.

Lin Dao actually wasn't short on silver.

This stuff in the Modern World is very cheap.

The reason for opening shops to sell industrial goods is mainly to make a name, provide a reasonable financial source, and simultaneously cover for the recycling shop.

An undocumented person with no status but a large sum of silver, coming in to sell all kinds of rare treasures right away.

This is practically begging for thieves to take notice.

Not only thieves, but local government offices, local gentry, meritorious nobles, eunuchs, and even gangs and beggars would all want to swallow him up.

Borrowing Qian Qianyi's name, opening shops to clear his financial sources.

Using this to cover the recycling shop that truly takes things to the Modern World to make money.

The good things the recycling shop recovers are the trade goods he truly needs.

Still that same sentence: his several hundred thousand starving troops can't cross over.

Everything has to rely on him starting from scratch and fighting his way up.

Although the late Ming Dynasty is a chaotic era, the basic order in Jiangnan here still exists.

Jumping around too happily right at the start makes it very easy to attract the baptism of guns and cannons.

As for going north to seek out the roving bandits, or simply building his own power base.

Lin Dao firmly remembers that the primary purpose of his crossing this time is to raise funds for the Yonghe Spacetime~~~

The Yonghe Spacetime lacks grain and supplies; people are nearly starving to death. He has to make money to buy grain and supplies to raise people.

Building power and such, at the very least, has to wait until the grain shortage in the Yonghe Spacetime eases.

"How about this."

Qian Qianyi felt that discussing business while listening to music was a huge mood-killer.

He simply stated his position. "Three days from now, at the hour of Xu, you bring the *Qian Wheel* and the goods samples, come to this Meixiang Fang, and I'll be waiting for you here."

"Good."

Lin Dao also didn't want to waste time, so he simply got up, said his goodbyes, and left.

From beginning to end, he never once gave Dong Xiaowan an extra glance.

By the time he left, Dong Xiaowan had also finished playing a tune.

Qian Qianyi said with a smile, "Doing business at sea year-round, he's forgotten his manners. Don't take it to heart."

Dong Xiaowan covered her mouth and laughed lightly. "Why must Master say such things? Xiaowan is honored to serve; it is already a fortunate matter."

Women's words sometimes have to be listened to in reverse.

Undoubtedly, Lin Dao's disregard and rudeness made her angry.

Her fame is very great; powerful men and talents compete to pursue her, and she's even been targeted by Tian Hongyu's servants.

Daring to disregard her like this, Lin Dao is still the first one.

And she can tell, he isn't playing some hard-to-get game; it's genuine disregard.

This is very infuriating~~~

'Three days from now, right? Watch me win back face!'

On Lin Dao's side, he naturally doesn't know that famous courtesan's mental activity.

In the Yonghe Spacetime, the Princess and Empress queue up to compete for the chance to serve in bed and be drilled; what does a famous courtesan count for?

Not to mention Dong Xiaowan, even Qian Qianyi he doesn't put in his eyes.

Right now it's purely because he needs to use him that he was polite a bit.

Once Lin Dao pulls together his own team, they'll all be a dish on the plate!

First make money, buy enough grain, to fill the mouths of the several million in the Yonghe Spacetime waiting to eat.

Only after solving the Yonghe Spacetime's needs is the time to pull a team on this side.

Returning to the Modern World, Lin Dao went online to seek help from the omnipotent netizens.

'Transmigrated to the Ming Dynasty, what products are suitable to sell?'

The netizens' replies were strange and varied.

Ignoring the water-posters, the advertisers, the nonsense talkers, summarized there were quite a few useful suggestions.

'Glass products, mirrors, cups, teapots, oil lamps.'

'Sell watches ah, whose family has a birthday, give a clock!'

'Perfume, cosmetics, no matter which era, women's money is always the easiest to earn.'

'Sell wine — red wine, white wine, champagne — package it nicely, and make a killing.'

'Sell medicine — modern industrial pharmaceutical products; even a single cold medicine is a life-saving divine medicine.'

'Sell cultured pearls — cheap to restock, good quality, sell them in the Ming Dynasty at wild pearl prices.'

'Soap, cigarettes, white sugar, salt~~~'

'Western erotic magazines — let the country bumpkins of the Ming Dynasty see what modern art is.'

'Get lost upstairs, there are plenty of Ming Dynasty illustrations, drawn better than magazines.'

'Original poster, you weren't you in the Wei Jin Southern and Northern Dynasties before? How did you run to the Ming Dynasty again? Is your Transmigration Gate double-opened? I can't even survive here anymore, take me along~~~'

Lin Dao had always admired the wisdom of the netizens.

He decided to buy a sample of everything, take it over to see which was popular, then restock on a large scale.

The next three days.

Lin Dao went to the small commodity wholesale market, major supermarkets, pharmacies, bookstores, and so on during the daytime morning to restock.

In the afternoon he guarded the warehouse for restocking and shipping, remotely contacting the Gang City, South Africa, and Hai Gang Cheng companies in the three places for various cargo handling procedures.

At night he went to Yonghe Spacetime to clock in, and by the way dug Da Di.

He also set aside one night to stay overnight with Su Tongtong at the new home.

'I feel my body is getting better and better lately.'

'Digging Da Di every night isn't tiring at all.'

'Sure enough, once a man has a career he likes, his body also gets better and better.'

End of Chapter