Chapter 162 Transportation

Chapter 162: Transportation

Bi Yun's marriage was settled. Since Chang Jinhua didn't know local customs, the Tao family hired a fortune-teller to pick a lucky wedding date, which was finally set for the eighth day of the second month after the New Year, based on the birth charts of Bi Yun and Tao Jiu.

Meng Wan had a rough idea of what to do. From then on, when he went to the sugar mill he would bring Bi Yun along. He had other tasks to attend to and couldn't be there every day to oversee it. Since he would eventually need to train someone to manage the sugar mill anyway, why not pick one of his own loyal servants?

He decided to hire only women and young men as workers at the sugar mill, and the manager would also be one of them. After marriage, Bi Yun's home would be close to the city gate, making it convenient for travel. Her husband's family served in the government, which could provide Meng Wan with some additional support. Wasn't that the best of both worlds?

Once the sugarcane from Hongshan Village and Hongni Village was harvested, the fields would go to waste. Meng Wan purchased a big load of potato seeds. The climate in Heshan was suitable for planting potatoes now, with a harvest expected in March or April of the following year, after which the fields could be replanted with sugarcane.

He also had a few ideas about what to do with the potatoes. But unlike sugarcane, which had Old Gan as an experienced guide to teach him, he had to figure out the potato thing all by himself. However, if it didn't work out, the potatoes could still be sold as food.

When the first batch of red sugar was produced at the sugar mill, Third Master Zhu also arrived in Heshan County with the original escort team, weary from their travels.

"Earlier, when Zhu Zening told me you could write books, I knew you were no ordinary person. And now you've built such a large sugar mill on a whim?" Third Master Zhu didn't even take time to rest or tidy up; with a long-neglected beard, he made Meng Wan take him straight to the sugar mill without even washing up.

From the washing and cutting of the sugarcane by the workers, to crushing it for juice, filtering out impurities, and settling it into purer sugar water, then transporting the buckets of settled sugar water to the boiling area for cooking—this was the most critical step. The heat and constant stirring during the boiling process required both precise timing and physical effort. Finally, the boiled syrup was poured into prepared molds to cool, cut into blocks, and stored properly in the warehouse. What was presented to Third Master Zhu was a warehouse full of brown sugar.

Meng Wan let out a sigh, speaking from the heart, "I was forced into this situation. Thanks to my master and his father for their help, along with some capable people, I had the guts to start something this big." In front of an acquaintance and elder, he didn't pretend to be strong. Back when he and Song Tingzhou first got to Lingnan, things were pretty rough. They had to either break through or be controlled by the local gentry. Only by making bold moves and catching them off guard could they turn the tables. One wrong step, and everything would be lost.

Meng Wan never showed it in front of Chang Jinhua or his subordinates, but when he carried out those actions, even though he deliberated endlessly, he still felt anxious and uncertain.

Initially, he only knew that sugarcane could be used to make sugar. In his past life in Lingnan, some provinces were major sugarcane growers, and that was it.

Was the terrain of Heshan County suitable for growing sugarcane?

How could he successfully lease land from the local gentry?

What were the specific methods for planting sugarcane seedlings? And if pests got into the sugarcane, how would they handle it?

How many steps were required to set up a fully operational sugar mill?

How many catties of sugarcane did it take to make one catty of brown sugar?

All of that was up in the air.

Meng Wan's master's father, Lin Yi, helped solve one major problem for him, but many issues still remained.

He pondered and planned bit by bit until he successfully produced brown sugar.

Before meeting Meng Wan, Third Master Zhu had always believed that women and young men were weak creatures dependent on men. Even though Song Tingzhou and Zhu Zening were close, he only regarded Meng Wan as a clever young man junior, nothing more. But now, standing in this vast and smoothly running sugar mill, he was genuinely blown away.

At this moment, Third Master Zhu started talking to him like a peer. "Wan Geer, in your opinion, how should we negotiate this business deal?"

Meng Wan adopted a different attitude for different people. His expression relaxed, and his speech was more casual than usual. "Third Uncle, you're family. I'm not gonna beat around the bush. Your nephew has three suggestions for you. You can weigh the pros and cons before deciding."

Third Master Zhu's eyes flickered. "Go on, Third Uncle is listening."

Meng Wan invited him to the office beside the brown sugar storage warehouse, which was usually locked. He unlocked the door, let Third Master Zhu in, and then said, "Third Uncle, you've been a traveling merchant for years and have a group of escort masters. If you only handle transportation for me—delivering goods—it's low risk. You just need to focus on the journey, with fewer worries." This was the safest option, but Third Master Zhu was an ambitious merchant who had experienced the glory of the Zhu family as imperial merchants, so he probably wouldn't choose this path.

Indeed, after Meng Wan finished speaking, Third Master Zhu's expression didn't change at all. "I know this. I've made two trips between Shengjing and Yangzhou before."

Yangzhou was a gathering place for merchants from all over the world. It was difficult for newcomers to break in, and even the leftover scraps had long been claimed by local small vendors. If Third Master Zhu tried to squeeze in, others wouldn't even bother to scheme against him because, alone, he couldn't secure any goods.

Meng Wan didn't advise him to simply trade as a traveling merchant. He specifically invited Third Master Zhu here because he trusted his skills and wanted to share a piece of the pie. "Second option: You can purchase goods from me and distribute them wherever you like. We'll split the profit at a 70-30 ratio—seventy percent for me, thirty percent for you." After all, the large workforce, land, and facilities were under Meng Wan's control. He bore the costs and risks, so the 70-30 split was already favorable to Third Master Zhu.

"What if I take goods from the sugar mill directly? How would that work?" Third Master Zhu asked after a moment of silence.

Meng Wan looked at him in surprise. "If you take goods from me, I naturally won't overcharge you. The brown sugar from my mill comes in two types: one is common-grade brown sugar sold in shops at fifty wen per catty, and the other is high-purity brown sugar at eighty wen per catty. If you want to buy in bulk, I can reduce the price by fifteen wen per catty. However, you'll have to bear all the risks during transportation. Are you sure you want that?"

Third Master Zhu smiled. "Back in the day, my ancestors traded salt. That was truly fighting a bloody path through thousands of merchants in Changping. Now that you, as the host, have made it so easy for me, if I don't dare to try, that would be too cowardly!"

To be honest, Meng Wan agreed with Third Master Zhu. When the right opportunity presented itself, one should act decisively. "Since you're so straightforward, I won't advise you further. Just remember to promote my Heshan Sugar Mill wherever you go."

The sugar mill was built outside the south gate of the county town. Meng Wan had already rented a courtyard near the south gate for Third Master Zhu. Since Third Master Zhu brought many people, Meng Wan also hired two maids to do laundry, shopping, and cooking.

All the sugarcane had been brought into the mill, and the sugar filled one warehouse. The output could now be calculated on a large scale.

After settling Third Master Zhu, Meng Wan began keeping accounts in his study, holding several ledgers. Chang Jinhua wanted to ask him what he wanted for dinner, but seeing him so focused, she tiptoed out to not disturb him.

Meng Wan worked through the books quickly, using ledgers and scratch paper. The sugarcane had been weighed and recorded by the village heads field by field. Each mu yielded about ten thousand catties of sugarcane. Meng Wan didn't know the sugar yield per catty in his past life, but based on his mill's current technology, approximately thirty catties of sugarcane produced one catty of common brown sugar, and forty-five catties produced one catty of high-purity, less-impure brown sugar.

To be safe, he turned all the harvest from the six hundred mu of leased fields into common brown sugar. On the hills, except for one used for raising chickens, the rest of the sugarcane was used to produce high-purity brown sugar.

From six hundred mu, he harvested six million catties of sugarcane. After deducting the sugarcane used for experiments and wasted due to mistakes, the six hundred mu produced approximately two hundred thousand catties of common brown sugar. At the market price of fifty wen per catty, that was ten thousand taels of silver.

The high-purity brown sugar from the hills amounted to about fifty thousand catties, valued at eighty wen per catty, worth four thousand taels of silver.

However, since the mill was the wholesale point, he couldn't sell at retail prices. Taking Third Master Zhu's purchase as an example, Meng Wan reduced the price by fifteen wen per catty. Common brown sugar was then thirty-five wen per catty, totaling seven thousand taels. High-purity brown sugar was sixty-five wen per catty, so fifty thousand catties came to three thousand two hundred and fifty taels.

In total, that was ten thousand two hundred and fifty taels.

Costs: land rent of three hundred taels plus several small hill rents of five hundred taels. The workers' wages from the two villages came out way too high, totaling five thousand one hundred and forty taels.

Including the purchase of sugarcane seedlings, building the mill, hiring staff, etc., Meng Wan spent about six thousand nine hundred and eighty taels, roughly seven thousand taels.

If all the sugar was sold successfully, he could net a profit of three thousand two hundred and seventy taels. The villagers' wages ate up the most money.

In reality, Meng Wan didn't need to hire so many workers. Two hundred people would have been plenty for six hundred mu. But he purposely made those people feel just how big the gap in treatment was.

Meng Wan couldn't always hold their hand. Someone had to be inspired to break out of their current state. As long as one person dared to take the first step, others would gather their courage and follow.

Productivity didn't mean blindly working hard; it meant collective progress, driving the development of the entire Heshan County. This was impossible for Meng Wan to achieve alone, so he was very clear about his goal. Starting from the Tong family incident, he and Song Tingzhou had planned step by step.

Now—they only needed that final push to get things moving.

Before the New Year, Third Master Zhu bought ninety thousand catties of common brown sugar and twenty thousand catties of the high-purity brown sugar from Meng Wan. Sugar in the southern regions was almost monopolized by mills in Jiangnan, but since the north lacked its own sugar mills, sugar prices there were five to twenty wen higher than in the south. That was a big market gap just waiting to be filled.

Changping was once the Zhu family's home turf. Although the family had declined, their connections remained. So Third Master Zhu planned to return to the north. The distance between Heshan and the north was vast; if he bought too little, he wouldn't even cover travel expenses. Since he was determined to take a risk, he might as well go all in.

When Meng Wan and Song Tingzhou saw him off outside the county gate, Meng Wan called out, "Third Uncle, next time you come to Heshan, feel free to bring some grain. You can make another profit. Also, bring me any good seeds you come across on the road."

Third Master Zhu, riding his horse, laughed heartily. "Sure thing. It's inconvenient to travel, so we'll correspond by letters."

Song Tingzhou performed a respectful gesture as a junior. "The Lingnan area isn't all that safe. I've already asked Lord Qin to send soldiers to escort you out of Lingnan. I wish you a safe journey, Third Uncle."

"Good, good. You're both good children. I'm off. If all goes well, see you next year." Third Master Zhu wasn't one to dawdle. With that, he led his merchant convoy away.

This batch of goods from Third Master Zhu alleviated Meng Wan's financial strain. But Meng Wan wasn't worried; Song Tingzhou had already lined up buyers for whatever was left.

As New Year approached, the festive atmosphere in the county town grew stronger. On the twenty-fourth day of the twelfth lunar month, Xue Sheng, Huang Ye, and Qiuse used bamboo leaf tea to wipe the furniture in the house, a tradition to sweep away bad luck from the past year.

Bi Yun was holding A Yan in the courtyard, watching them work. "Young master, look who's that? It's grandmother boiling bamboo leaf tea. When she's done, we'll have some milk, okay?"

A Yan's dark, pure eyes moved from Xue Sheng climbing high to Chang Jinhua boiling water, then back to Xue Sheng, babbling a jumble of "wu wu ah ah" from his small mouth.

Meng Wan came out of the room and took his son. "Does A Yan want to climb high too?" He wiped the drool off A Yan's chin with a soft handkerchief, speaking in a gentle voice.

A Yan let out another round of "wu wu". Meng Wan found it amusing, but after playing with him for a bit, he realized his sleeves, chest, and belly were all wet, and yelled in exasperation, "Song Tingzhou, your son has soaked me!"

Song Tingzhou had just gotten back. Hearing this, he skillfully went to Chang Jinhua's room to get A Yan's little pants and a diaper. "Wan'er, bring A Yan to me."

Meng Wan hurriedly carried the child into the room and handed him to Song Tingzhou, then rushed back to his own room to wash and change. By the time he came out again, Song Tingzhou had already coaxed the child to sleep.

"Is he doing this on purpose? Every time I hold him, he soaks me!" Meng Wan couldn't wait to tattle.

Song Tingzhou laughed. "How could that be? He's so young, he doesn't even recognize faces yet."

Meng Wan looked skeptical. "In theory, that's true, but why is it always me?"

Song Tingzhou washed his hands, told Bi Yun to go in and look after their sleeping son, and earnestly explained to Meng Wan, "The day before yesterday, I was also peed on. Our A Yan just likes to pee when he's being held."

Meng Wan suddenly understood. "Oh, I see. Then he's just being naughty."

Chang Jinhua came up behind him and tapped him twice with a dry bamboo stick. "You and your nonsense! How can you talk about your own son like that? You're asking for a beating!"

Meng Wan dodged behind Song Tingzhou. "I was just joking, Mother! Don't hit me, don't hit me. My husband and I are going to take a turn by the grain shop. I heard the shop on Quanshan Street has brought in flour from the prefectural city. If we're late, someone else might buy it. We're going to check it out!"

After saying that, he pulled Song Tingzhou and ran off, leaving Chang Jinhua standing there, both angry and amused. "You're a father now, yet still so immature."

Bi Yun quietly added, "Master Meng only acts like that in front of you. Outside, he wouldn't do that."

Chang Jinhua went inside and looked at her grandson, who resembled Meng Wan greatly, and smiled kindly. "I know that. Wan Geer is good to me."