Chapter 294: The Partner (Part 2)
He explained that he had already found a location for the coal mine, and there was no need to worry about sales—the coal produced would not be sold locally but transported elsewhere for sale. The Hai family would not need to be involved in the management of the mine; they would simply collect their share of the profits.
Seeing his confidence, Hai Shuzu no longer objected. Although he had many reservations, his current situation did not allow for deep deliberation. He immediately drew up a written agreement to partner in opening the coal mine.
The mine would be nominally owned by Hai Shuzu, with a manager appointed by Lin Baiguang to handle the actual operations. They agreed to settle the accounts once a year at the end of the year and then distribute the dividends.
As for Hai Shuzu’s current debts, Lin Baiguang offered to advance him the money to clear them.
“I will definitely repay this sum, brother,” Hai Shuzu said hastily.
“There’s no hurry.” Lin Baiguang knew he was a man who cared deeply about face. Having already received such a great favor, he was reluctant to take more money. “Just consider it an advance on your dividends. We can deduct it when we distribute the profits at the end of the year.”
“How will the interest be calculated?”
“Hey, hey, that’s being too formal,” Lin Baiguang laughed. “I’m not a moneylender, what do I need interest for? Don’t mention it again.”
And so, the letter of intent for the Haikou coal mine was signed. With no time to lose, Lin Baiguang immediately sent a telegram to the Executive Committee, reporting that he had successfully negotiated the cooperation with Hai Shuzu and requesting funds and professional personnel to be sent to Qiongshan. Ma Qianzhu, seeing that a long-planned project was finally taking shape, immediately approved five thousand taels as start-up capital and ordered the Far-Range Exploration Team to immediately organize a capable team to go to Qiongshan with the necessary data. They had detailed information on the location of the coal mines in the Haikou area; they just needed to select the most suitable site for mining.
With the silver in hand, Lin Baiguang acted quickly. He first allocated a portion to Hai Shuzu to compensate the shareholders for their losses. In terms of amount, the shareholders’ losses were not large, totaling just over a thousand taels. They were all paid in full. The troublesome shareholders were finally sent away.
As for the family servants who had participated in the protests, after their investments were repaid, each was given an additional five taels of silver and asked to pack their bags and leave. Hai Shuzu finally got a bit of his own back.
The small merchants who had died on the ship were also given five or ten taels as compensation. This was not originally the Hai family’s responsibility, and the families had only come to make a scene in the hope of getting a few taels for burial expenses. Now that they had been given money, continuing to cause trouble might attract the attention of the authorities, which would not end well for them. They all dispersed.
The entire Hai family now regarded Lin Baiguang as a savior. Overwhelmed with gratitude, Hai Shuzu declared that he could not thank him enough and wanted to become his sworn brother.
For someone of Hai Shuzu’s standing, becoming sworn brothers with an outsider who was just a rice merchant was a great honor. Lin Baiguang knew that the bond of sworn brotherhood in ancient times was no small matter—this meant that Hai Shuzu had already placed one foot on the Transmigration Group’s “pirate ship.”
The members of the Far-Range Exploration Team, now in disguise and escorted by the Hai family’s servants, went out early and returned late each day. They quickly identified several potential mine sites in Qiongshan County and marked out the approximate land area required. Hai Shuzu had someone inquire about the landowners.
“It probably won’t cost much; it’s all wasteland,” Hai Shuzu told Lin Baiguang. “If it’s ownerless, we can just register it at the county yamen and buy it for a small fee. If it has an owner, it will take a few more days.”
“There’s no rush, but this news must not get out.”
“I understand, brother,” Hai Shuzu nodded. If the landowners knew they were planning to open a coal mine, they would surely jack up the price. “The servants I sent are all born and raised in the family; they are the most reliable. Besides, I haven’t told them the real purpose.” He hesitated for a moment. “Brother, I have something that has been stuck in my throat…”
“Please speak freely, brother.”
It turned out that Hai Shuzu had been worrying. His situation had gone from having to flee his debts to suddenly being able to pay them off and even having the prospect of opening a coal mine. He didn’t know what people outside would say. If someone started a rumor that he was involved in some illegal business to launder money, he couldn’t bear the shame.
Lin Baiguang thought to himself that it was hard to believe there were people in the world so pedantic as to be afraid of a little gossip. There was no need to be so scrupulous about one’s reputation. He thought for a moment and said:
“I heard you have a large ship that has not yet returned?”
“Indeed! If it weren’t for that ship, how would I have ended up in such a state! Come, let’s drink this cup first.” Hai Shuzu’s once bleak prospects had suddenly brightened, and his mood had improved considerably. He ordered the kitchen to prepare a few side dishes and bring a pot of home-brewed liquor.
Lin Baiguang was secretly pleased. Being invited to drink meant the other party was expressing a desire for closeness, a sign that their real relationship had taken another step forward. He immediately downed a cup to show his sincerity. Although the liquor was a rustic home-brew, it was unadulterated and had a very mellow taste.
Hai Shuzu also drained his cup and then recounted the whole story. Lin Baiguang, of course, already knew everything. After listening, he put on a show of deep thought before saying, “So the ship is now with the Australians in Lin’gao?”
“That’s right. They sent someone with a message, asking me to retrieve the ship. I wanted to go, to at least recover some of my losses,” Hai Shuzu said with a bitter smile. “But my mother and my wife were afraid I wouldn’t return, so it has been delayed.”
“In Guangzhou, I’ve also heard of the Australians. Although they are visitors from overseas, they are generally a group of businessmen who play by the rules.”
“That’s what I said too—they already have the ship and the cargo, what’s the point of kidnapping me for ransom? Besides, with the wealth of the Australians, why would they care about my meager family fortune!” Hai Shuzu shook his head.
The phrase “with the wealth of the Australians” made Lin Baiguang’s heart skip a beat. A reputation for being rich was not a good sign. He quickly asked, “How do you know the Australians are extremely wealthy?”
“How could you not know in Guangzhou, my worthy brother? The fame of Australian goods is so great now that even a poor place like Qiongshan has heard of them. Just a small crystal mirror is worth half of my family’s property,” Hai Shuzu said with enthusiasm. “If it weren’t for the strong persuasion of my mother and wife, I would really like to go to Lin’gao to broaden my horizons and see what the Australians look like, to have created so many exquisite things.” He sighed with envy.
It seems this man is not only very upright but also values his family. Lin Baiguang’s confidence in the Transmigration Group’s ability to control him grew. After all, the Group would soon need some figureheads to demonstrate its political correctness.
“I happen to know a few merchants who do business with the Australians and are on very good terms with them. If it’s inconvenient for you to go, brother, I can send someone to handle it. Getting the ship back shouldn’t be a problem,” Lin Baiguang said. Now that he had established a connection with him, there was no need to insist on him coming in person. They could just release the ship.
In truth, even if the ship returned, after accounting for cargo damage and compensation, it still wouldn’t cover his current deficit. But the return of the ship would at least provide an excuse, preventing people from thinking Hai Shuzu’s money came from an unknown source. Hai Shuzu was a smart man and understood immediately. He knew this was Lin Baiguang’s way of helping him save face in public—he might even have to spend more money to get the ship back. He quickly said:
“The expenses for retrieving the ship, my worthy brother, should also be recorded. We can settle it together when the dividends are distributed.”
“What expenses? We might even make a small profit,” Lin Baiguang said. His only regret was that he couldn’t get him to go to Lin’gao in person to see the “new society” and “new order.” The propaganda value of the case as a precedent for the “Maritime Court” would be much lower.
“Not at all, not at all. To get the ship back safely is the greatest fortune. As soon as it returns, I will sell it. I’m done with this troublesome maritime trade,” Hai Shuzu said, still shaken by the experience.
Lin Baiguang instructed Chen Tong to return to Lin’gao. Hai Shuzu, in turn, assigned Hai Ji to go with him. After much thought, Hai Shuzu realized he had few servants who could read, and Hai Ji was the only one who was both reliable and relatively young.
Although Ma Jia didn’t get to see the ideal candidate, Hai Shuzu, in the end, he at least got an agent. He proceeded to issue the necessary documents according to the regulations he had single-handedly drafted, following every procedure to the letter.
Hai Shuzu’s five-masted ship case was a major one, involving not only the vessel but also a great deal of cargo and assets. Some goods were a total loss, others partially damaged, and a twenty percent salvage fee had to be deducted. The various documents were bound into a book-thick volume.
Hai Ji was taken to the Maritime Court to hear Ma Jia read the verdict, his heart pounding. He didn’t know how much ransom the master would have to pay to get the ship back. Even though Master Lin had assured him and had even sent Steward Chen to handle it, he was still nervous.
Ma Jia’s torrent of legal jargon immediately made Hai Ji’s head spin, but he managed to understand a few key points: first, they had to pay one-fifth of the total value of the ship and cargo as “ransom”—Hai Ji had no concept of a “salvage fee”; second, the ransom could be paid by offsetting the value of the cargo on board; third, the Australians were willing to buy the cargo at market price.
Hai Ji, of course, nodded in agreement to everything. Although these Australians, apart from their hair and clothes, didn’t look much different from the people of the Ming, in Hai Ji’s mind, they were still a group of pirate-like figures. He didn’t dare to say “no.” He signed where he was told to sign and put his thumbprint where he was told to put it. In the end, he received a stack of documents and one thousand one hundred and seventy-four taels and four qian of silver. The silver was of the highest quality, packed in a special small chest.
“This is the payment for your ship’s cargo after it was sold. Count it,” Chen Tong explained. “The one-fifth salvage fee for the ship and cargo, as well as the storage fees for these past days, have already been deducted—here is the detailed list.”
Hai Ji was stunned. The Australians were actually willing to give him silver! This was completely unexpected.
“The price for the cargo is based on the Guangzhou market rates, so don’t think it’s too little,” Chen Tong said with a smile.
“Not at all, not at all,” Hai Ji said, as if waking from a dream. “I wouldn’t dare! I wouldn’t dare!”
“Next is the ship,” Chen Tong said. “Come with me to see it.”
Note: I made a mistake. The Changchang coal mine in Haikou was actually located in Ding’an County in ancient times. And it was in the hinterland, 120 li from the Haikou area. It would have been very difficult for the Transmigration Group to develop. So here, I’m assuming that in the world where the novel takes place, there are small, exploitable coal mines near Haikou.