Chapter 2366: Financing (Part 1)

The ice trade was familiar territory for the Senate. Ever since they had developed the capability to build cold storage, ice blocks had been sold to Guangzhou as a commercial commodity. The iced drinks at Purple Ming Pavilion in summer and the "local air conditioners" cooling its rooms all came from the Lingao Cold Storage. High officials and wealthy patrons had gradually grown accustomed to ordering ice blocks from Zicheng Ji to create summertime coolness.

The weather in Nanyang and India was even hotter. Present-day Guangdong could still harvest ice naturally during the coldest days of winter, but Southeast Asia and India lacked even this possibility. And looking further ahead, the ice trade could eventually expand to the Red Sea coast.

If this business grew large enough, it might prove more profitable than selling sugar—at least it would fully utilize cargo space.

The thought quickened Xu Yanliang's pulse with excitement. The company's layout and development in Sanya had seemed chaotic before, but now the threads were beginning to weave together into a coherent vision.

December 1, 1635.

"Faster—a bit faster." Chu He paced anxiously on the deck, muttering to himself. Captain Zhou Shengfu, standing nearby, was thoroughly puzzled. They could almost see the lights of Lingao Point. Bopu Pier lay just ahead. Why was this Senator still so agitated? Could there be a family emergency?

Zhou Shengfu had been running the Hong Kong-Lingao route for quite some time, and he had rarely encountered a Senator in such a state—practically sitting on fire. Even when transporting wounded for the Logistics Department, racing against time, the accompanying Senator doctors hadn't urged him like this.

"Don't worry, Chief. Our ship can only go this fast..." He explained. "But since we can already see the lighthouse, we'll definitely arrive within an hour." After speaking, he slowly edged away from Chu He.

Chu He cursed silently. If not for the time pressure, who the hell would take this clumsy old-style vessel? Its speed was laughable—three or four nautical miles per hour at best. Nearly twice as slow as the H800 he had taken from Jeju to Hong Kong.

Unfortunately, no ships were scheduled from Hong Kong to Lingao for an entire week. The reason was simple: the plague blockade in Guangzhou had just ended, and the liner route to Lingao hadn't yet resumed. He could only travel back and forth on ships carrying "essential materials." The only one allowing a "seamless" transfer had been this decrepit, sluggish hulk.

His family wasn't in Lingao—since his appointment as Provost of Jeju National School the previous year, he had brought them to Jeju. He found the climate there far more agreeable than Lingao's. The children weren't yet old enough for primary school, so he kept them with him.

What drove him to change ships multiple times and race to Lingao wasn't a family emergency, but burning ambition.

At last, the cargo ship docked at the pier. Chu He was already waiting at the gangway before the vessel had fully moored. The moment the sailors set up the gangway, he rushed down with his guard. Captain Zhou Shengfu shouted after him: "Chief, the Senator-exclusive passage is over here!"

Chu He strode away without looking back. The sentries on the pier barely had time to salute before he brushed past them. His guard, Xiao Pu, trotted behind, lugging the suitcase. The instant they exited the port gate, Chu He climbed into the Senator carriage arranged by the General Office. "Bairen City, Senator Villa Area. Quickly!" The coachman said nothing, raised his whip with a crack, and the carriage sped toward Bairen City.

Chu He sat inside, ignoring the scenery outside the window—quite different from when he had left for Jeju five years ago. Back then, he had been a "soy sauce Senator"—a slacker, drifting through Fangcaodi. Now he remained a soy sauce Senator, drifting through Jeju National School. The dull, ordinary life had grown unbearable. The opportunity to change everything lay just within reach. This time, he would seize it with both hands.

The moment the carriage stopped, he strode toward his long-neglected Lingao home. He walked fast, acknowledging acquaintances' greetings on the road with only hurried responses, never breaking stride.

Returning to his apartment and opening the door, he was greeted by the dampness peculiar to long-unoccupied houses. The interior, however, was tidy—obviously cleaned regularly.

He entered the study, removing his coat as he spoke to Xiao Pu. "Open the box and take out my computer." Xiao Pu placed Chu He's laptop on the desk.

"Chief, shall I unpack for you..."

"No need." Chu He said. "Go to the Service Agency and have them send dinner, and a pot of tea. While you're at it, take my dirty clothes to be washed. After you've done that, go rest in your dormitory. No need to attend to me."

"Yes, Chief."

After the guard left, Chu He lit a cigarette and plugged in the power cable and network connection. Having gone without using it for so many days, would it still work? Fortunately, both power and network functioned normally.

He retrieved a draft from his briefcase and began typing its contents into the computer. The title read: "Proposal on Simultaneous Use of Equity and Debt for Nanyang Company Financing."

Before crossing over, Chu He had been a "financial migrant worker"—a trader at a public offering fund. Emotional problems had driven his decision to cross. Since his original job and professional background were useless skills in the Senate's view, he had spent his first few months after D-day driving an excavator, then drifted through the Military Group and Fangcaodi. His lazy nature made him unwilling to observe strict military discipline or set an example in the army, and equally unwilling to punch in for classes and take exams on time at school. After Zhang Zhixiang's rectification of Fangcaodi in 1633, Chu He discovered he could no longer "muddle along" there. Not only did a group of Senators "dedicated to education" regard him as a "lazybones," but even the naturalized teachers felt he was "neglecting his proper duties." Hu Qingbai had bluntly interviewed him privately, urging him to "exert a positive influence as a Senator" and "not shame the Senate."

To prevent Hu Qingbai from eventually kicking him out of Fangcaodi and having the Organization Department "arrange other work"—which would likely mean driving an excavator again—he decided to proactively apply for a transfer to Jeju as a teacher. The Senate planned to open a National School on Jeju Island, the first in the northern region, and attached great importance to it. They intended to send a Senator to organize the effort.

Jeju Island was far from the emperor—an excellent place to slack off. Running a school there wouldn't require following all those rules and regulations; he could be a gentleman in peace. He didn't understand civil engineering, but Lingao Construction Company would handle that. He just needed to "rule by doing nothing."

He submitted an application to the education sector. Hu Qingbai was eager to "send away the god of plague," and Jeju Island had few Senators as it was. Feng Zongze naturally welcomed any Senator willing to support Jeju's development. With his strong backing, Chu He became Director of the Preparatory Office of Jeju Island National School.

Chu He spent over two years in Jeju. Besides preparing for the school's construction, he also taught for two years and occasionally assisted Feng Zongze with internal affairs. Life was carefree and comfortable. But overall, he accomplished nothing. Apart from Hu Qingbai and the General Office still remembering him, he had gradually faded from the Senate's collective memory. As he grew older and found himself still "dangling around," his lazy heart gradually waned. He couldn't go on slacking like this forever.

Returning to the finance sector was certainly an option, but the current sector's main business had little to do with "finance"—it focused primarily on "accounting." His expertise in funds, stocks, and the like had limited application in Lingao's world. Going there would mean becoming, at best, a senior accountant. And while he was familiar with accounting, he couldn't claim mastery.

While wrestling with this dilemma, the Great Discussion triggered by the Wuzhou Incident produced a clear shift in Senate policy. The establishment of the Nanyang Company made Chu He sense that his moment had arrived: once matters like stock issuance, bond financing, and stock trading entered the picture, his skills would finally find their stage. Last month, as soon as he spotted news in Weekly News about preparations for the Guangzhou Stock Exchange and raising private funds, his spirits soared—wasn't this a heaven-sent opportunity? He resolved to return to Lingao, submit the financing plan he had prepared, and secure a position in the Nanyang Company.

Throughout his journey, at every port, he used his Senator status to transfer to the fastest available ship, racing toward Lingao. Along the way, he refined his financing plan while praying he wouldn't see news that the Nanyang Company's financing scheme had already been settled. After two weeks at sea, Chu He finally reached his home. Ignoring the exhaustion of travel, he wanted to post his plan on the BBS immediately. As he typed, he imagined other Senators' approving expressions, and a smile crept to the corners of his mouth.

While lost in these daydreams, someone knocked at the door. It was someone from the Service Agency delivering dinner. He suddenly remembered something, quickly filled out a temporary pass, sealed it in an envelope, wrote a few lines on the cover, and handed it to the waiter.

"Have someone deliver this letter to this address immediately."

"We'll send someone right away." The waitress took the envelope, a knowing smile crossing her face. Obviously, she understood exactly what was inside.

Late that night, Senator Chu He lay sleepless in bed. Beside him slept a woman with a graceful figure; her gently rising and falling silhouette appeared curvaceous beneath the sheet. But the night's pleasures had only relaxed his mood temporarily. Now, in the deep silence, anxiety flooded back.

After posting his proposal, he had browsed the various related plans on the BBS. Generally speaking, issuing stocks and establishing a stock exchange was the consensus among many in the financial sector. The various plans had their respective merits. Some had attracted many replies and appeared quite popular.

(End of Chapter)