The "tide" Shantou area is located in the southeast, backed by the mountains and the sea, in terms of absolute temperature, it seems that the three or nine days are only like the autumn in the north, but because the air is "tidal" and humid, there is a kind of damp and cold in winter, and it is still very uncomfortable in terms of human experience.

But this winter, Niujiapu was filled with a joyful atmosphere, it turned out that they had just received a big deal! Money, sometimes more than a warm current, can ward off the cold!

The order was placed by a newly established business name - Qinghuaxiang. This firm has not been in contact with Niujiapu since its establishment, but it is no stranger to the head of the firm, Niujiapu.

At the beginning of this year, Qing Huaxiang's head of the 'door' Qing followed the owner of Shangzhai in Nanao at that time - Lin Guoxian, the owner of Penghu Island today, to Niujiapu, and asked Niujiapu to order a shipbuilding without a deposit. This business not only won a lot of profits for Niujiapu, but also enhanced the friendship between Penghu and Niujiapu, which can be regarded as a strong reinforcement for this shipbuilding village.

In this transaction, Qing Huaxiang's head 'door' Qing played a considerable role, and Niu Gonghui and others had already looked at him differently at that time. Sure enough, less than a year later, this "Wang Qing" became the head of a large business, the chief owner of an ocean-going fleet, and brought a bigger business to Niujiapu:

A five-masted Daifuku sailing ship

A four-masted ship

A four-masted Daifuku ship

A three-masted ship

Three ships with three masts

There are 12 small boats such as sea boats and "wave" boats

-- A total of 19 seagoing vessels, agreed to be 'delivered' in three installments within one year, with a deposit of 5,000 taels of silver, and the final payment will be paid when the ship is 'delivered'.

After taking such a big business, once the balance is paid, Niujiapu will not be hungry for three years!

This time, it was not Dongmen' Qing himself who came to place the order, but his two subordinates, the official name was Tang Xiuji, and the people in Niujiapu didn't recognize it, but they recognized the deputy Zhou Dafu. Arriving with Tang Xiuji and Zhou Dafu was also a Western-style three-masted sailing ship - the Fuchong, formerly known as the Golden Dog!

In the previous battles in the East China Sea, Wu Ping felt that this Western sailing ship was very useful, and commented: "The ship of the Francois is outstanding!" It is used for pathfinding and killing, which is beyond the reach of my old Fu boat. ”

This time, the East 'Gate' celebrated the fate of Tang and the two on Tuesday to bring the Fuchong, which was to lend the Fuchong to Niujiapu and order them to imitate it. However, before the trip, Tang Xiuji raised objections, he believed that for shipbuilding experts, the secret of the ship style is their lifeblood! Now the people who gave the Fuchong to them in Niujiapu for research are too cheap for them! Because after they have copied it once, they will be able to build the same style of ship in the future! The style of a good ship is an immeasurable treasure for a shipbuilding village.

Therefore, Tang Xiuji suggested: This ship cannot be imitated by the people of Niujiapu in vain. He advocated simply ordering a shipbuilding and using this ship to buy a stake in Niujiapu. As soon as this proposal came out, Yang Zhizhong, Yu Buqi and others felt that Tang Xiuji was a little whimsical, and felt that it was impossible for Niu Gonghui to agree. Dongmenqing thought that it might not be impossible, so he let Tang Xiuji take charge of the matter.

Things went even better than Tang Xiuji expected.

After he arrived in Niujiapu, he did not talk about the matter of buying shares with ships, but first discussed the business of ordering shipbuilding, and put forward all kinds of harsh requirements for the quality and 'sex' of the ship. Niu Jiapu naturally attached great importance to such a big list, although Tang Xiuji asked for a lot, they tried their best to meet it, until Tang Xiuji put forward some details that they had never touched, Niu Shiyu, the eldest son of Niu Gonghui, couldn't help but resist it, thinking that Tang Da's shopkeeper was deliberately embarrassing people!

Tang Xiuji took the people of Niujiapu to visit the Fuchong and said, "What a demand! This is what I asked for in accordance with our own ship! "He also ordered the Fuchong to sail out to sea to show the various 'sexual' abilities of this Western sailing ship in the winter wind.

It's really a good product, I'm afraid of meeting connoisseurs! In the eyes of laymen, the Fuchong is not quite the same as a Chinese-style ship, it is a little peculiar, but in the eyes of Niu Gonghui, it is clearly a treasure! When Tang Xiuji took them to visit the merchant ship, the people of the Niu family were already moved, and after seeing all the 'sexual' abilities displayed by the Fuchong, Niu Gonghui and the others even had red eyes! Tang Xiuji watched coldly, and secretly knew that he had a plan!

In fact, the Niu family covets the Fuchong so much, not because the technology of the Fuchong is much higher than the ship they built themselves, on the whole, the ship built by Niujiapu and the Fuchong can be said to have their own merits. However, the Fuchong comes from the other side of the mainland, and the Zhonghua ship type are completely different systems, in terms of 'sex' performance, structure, materials and many other aspects, there are at least dozens of technologies that can be used as the stone of Niujiapu. Niu Gonghui thought to himself that if he could break through the secret of the shipbuilding of the Fuchong and take its strengths and weaknesses, then Niujiapu's shipbuilding skills would make a major leap in his hands! With this expectation, how can he not covet it?

As a shipbuilding expert, Niu Gonghui also heard about the "sexuality" of Western ships, and he also asked people everywhere to "get" two sailing ships back, but the two ships in his hands were only the second- and third-rate cargo "color" in Western sailing ships, and they were all dilapidated, and they were not detailed in some key places. At this time, Tang Xiuji drove this Fu Chong, which is also a quasi-first-class ship in Europe at the moment, Niu Gonghui originally planned to open his eyes, but Tang Xiuji was born in carpentry, and he had a lot of experience in shipbuilding skills, although he invited them to visit the ship, but in some key places, he was secretive, so that the people of the Niu family knew that he didn't know why!

After displaying the Fuchong, Tang Xiuji asked them again to do this and change that, but he didn't say anything about the ship's technology! Niu Gonghui felt a little embarrassed, because he didn't know how to do some of the ship parts configuration that Tang Xiuji said, but the 'meat' in his mouth couldn't just spit out, so he had to lower his body and ask Tang Xiuji for advice.

Tang Xiuji said with a smile: "I bought a ship, you are a shipbuilder, why did you come to ask me instead!" ”

Niu Gonghui said: "The shopkeeper of Tang Da is modest. In fact, just now from the words of the shopkeeper Tang, the old man has also heard that the shopkeeper Tang is a master in this! If the shopkeeper of Tang is willing to give advice, it will not only be of great help to build a ship of your 'handover', but also Niujiapu will also feel "excited"! ”

Tang Xiuji only has real money in his eyes, how can he care about any 'excitement'? sneered: "After all, it turns out that you can't make it!" Forget it, I'll find someone else. ”

Niu Shiyun, the youngest son of Niu Gonghui, was young and vigorous, and stood up and said: "I'm afraid that if you search the entire eastern part of Guangdong, you may not be able to find a better shipbuilding village than us!" ”

Tang Xiuji said with a smile: "If I can't find it in eastern Guangdong, I'll go to Quanzhou, Quanzhou can't find it to go to Guangfu, and Guangfu can't find it to go to Nanzhili!" I don't believe I can't find someone better than you! Even if I can't find it, at most I'll bring a bunch of people myself! ”

When Niu Shiyun was still about to argue, Niu Gonghui had already repelled him, and asked Tang Xiuji with a smile: "Tang Da Shopkeeper, our 'friendship' with President Wang is extraordinary!" Since Mr. Wang is willing to 'hand' over such a big business to us this time, he must also be thinking about the original 'friendship'. Since the two sides have the intention of cooperating, let's open the skylight and say something! Shopkeeper Tang, what do you have to do to give us this big ship? ”

Tang Xiuji smiled and said: "Speaking of shipbuilding, in fact, there are many good shipwrights in our fleet, and there are more than a dozen shipwrights who know some Western ship standards, and there are even a Francophone man!" ”

Niu Gonghui nodded, knowing that Tang Xiuji was not lying. In this era, some of the sailors who can go to sea must know how to build ships. For example, Xu Dong and Wang Zhi personally supervised the shipbuilding and only went to sea.

Tang Xiuji said: "However, in the next year, our business was too much, and we really couldn't spare time to build our own ships, so we thought of Niujiapu as the general owner." However, our owner is picky and picky, and now the East China Sea is full of old ships waiting for him to buy, and he will either not build this new ship, since he wants to build it, he hopes to build a batch of new ships that are in line with China and Taixi! Our general owner has high hopes for you Niujiapu, but who knows that you are a little unworthy of the name, and you can't even fulfill these small requests from us! ”

Niu Shiyun was furious, and he was about to ridicule each other with his 'lips', and was dismissed by his father, Niu Gonghui was asking for help at this time, so he held back his anger and said: "Tang Da shopkeeper!" You don't have to ram around. In fact, as long as you are willing to lend us the Fu Chong for two months, I Niu Gonghui will dare to pat my 'chest' and guarantee: We will 'deliver' the main ship of Mr. Wang on time! ”

Tang Xiuji sneered: "You will plan to dish!" It's a pity that we are losing too much in this business! Don't do it! ”

Niu Gonghui thought for a while and said, "That's it." The deposit of 5,000 taels of silver, Tang Da's shopkeeper took it back first, and left the Fuchong number, which was regarded as a deposit. ”

As soon as these words came out, the whole house was in an uproar! Five thousand taels of silver is a lot of money! At this moment, I searched all over Niujiapu, but I am afraid that I will not be able to make so much money. Niujiapu wants to take over this big deal, from raw materials, hired workers to all kinds of expenses for maintaining the village, everywhere has to 'spend' money, without these 5,000 taels of silver, how can you start a job? Therefore, Niu Shiyu and others have advised Niu Gonghui to think twice.

Unexpectedly, Tang Xiuji still refused, and said: "Although five thousand taels of silver is a lot, in the eyes of our chief owner, it is nothing. ”

Niu Gonghui said: "Tang Da shopkeeper, you can make your words clear!" What exactly do you want? ”

Tang Xiuji said: "Actually, I didn't mean to embarrass you, but I was worried that you had gained benefits from the Fuchong and made a new ship, so it was a trivial matter to make money, but if you sold this new ship to our opponent, it would be very disadvantageous to us!" As you know, half of the new ships we want are going to be used for naval warfare! If one day in the future we go to war with an adversary, and we find out that the other party is using this new ship, then we will be too wronged. ”

Niu Gonghui said: "We can guarantee that we will never sell to Qinghuaxiang's opponent!" ”

Tang Xiuji said: "There is no basis for empty words, besides, this promise alone is not enough!" ”

Niu Gonghui asked: "What else does the shopkeeper of Tang Da need?" ”

Tang Xiuji said: "We want Niujiapu to make the business of manufacturing new ships independent, to make a new shipyard, we will use this Fuchong, and a few shipwrights who know the secrets of the shipbuilding of the Fuchong into the gang, you are responsible for the specific shipbuilding, if the new ship is built in the future, who to sell it to must be agreed by both parties before it can be released." The profits are divided into five and a half accounts. ”

Niu Gonghui said on the spot: "That's impossible!" Our ancestral business in Niujiapu cannot be intervened by outsiders! ”

Tang Xiuji said: "I don't want to move your ancestral business, but I hope to cooperate with each other to open a new shipyard." We won't 'meddle' in the affairs of your old ships. ”

Niu Gonghui listened to this sentence and groaned for a moment, and said, "Even so, you have taken too much advantage!" ”

Tang Xiuji said: "Then do you do it or not?" If you don't do it, we'll find another home! ”

Niu Gonghui said: "The establishment of a new factory is not impossible to consider. But if we split five or five, we are really at a loss! I still have hundreds of mouths waiting to eat in Niujiapu! He stretched out two fingers and said, "I'll give you two cents at most!" ”

Tang Xiuji said: "Four-six! ”

Niu Gonghui said: "Sanqi! Couldn't have been more! ”

Tang Xiuji said: "That's it, I'll let you give you half a point, we are three into five, and you are six and a half points!" Do not do it? Don't pull down! Let's find someone else! ”

Niu Gonghui hurriedly said: "Okay! Alas - well! ”

Tang Xiuji secretly snickered, but said on his face: "Old Niu, you really know how to bargain!" I really lost money on this deal! I don't know how to 'deliver' to our boss when I go back! ”

Niu Gonghui just laughed dryly when he heard this.

After they negotiated, Niu Gonghui said that it would take some time to draw up the contract, and he would wait until tomorrow to draw the pledge, and in the evening he gathered the main people of the clan to discuss the matter, but six out of ten people objected! They all feel that this matter is suspected of infringing on the ancestral industry.

The eldest son, Niu Shiyu, said: "This gang of 'traitors' is too hateful! Daddy, don't promise them! Without the new ship, we can't survive! ”

The young son Niu Shiyun said: "I don't think so! I think we should cooperate with Qinghuaxiang! ”

Niu Gonghui sighed and said, "I see that you are 'strong' during the day, and I thought you were against it!" ”

Niu Shiyun said: "In front of them, it is natural to rush some, otherwise they will have to lower the price." But this cooperation, I think it is imperative! ”

Niu Shiyu sneered: "What is imperative!" Wouldn't we be able to survive without cooperating with them? Hey! Our Niujiapu has a century-old foundation, and when our ship is at sea, he Wang Qing doesn't know where it is! ”

Niu Shiyun didn't argue with his brother, but asked his father: "Daddy, what is the century-old foundation of our Niujiapu?" ”