The Portuguese were the forerunners of the Age of Discovery. By the early 16th century, they had already invaded Goa and gradually monopolized the Eurasian trade. But the Portuguese got up early in the morning and rushed to a late meeting. By the 17th century, their trade network had been overtaken by rising stars such as Spain and the Netherlands, and even the British were on the verge of catching up with them.

Britain has already begun to set foot in India and even share the convenience of Goa. However, Goa will remain under Portuguese control for hundreds of years. Now Goa is a completely free port, accepting merchants, adventurers and penniless poor people from all over the world.

The monastery where Zhou Qingfeng settled was run by a poor Portuguese priest. This bald middle-aged man named 'Marcelo' ran from Madrid to Goa to make a fortune, but it didn't turn out to be as good as it could be. He did not recruit enough followers or make a large business, and had to live on a small handout from the Portuguese governor in Goa.

The child 'Santos' was adopted by Father Marcelo and such children are everywhere in Goa. Skinny and small, they scurry through the streets like rats, looking for any chance they can live. But these children usually don't live to adulthood, and they are likely to die in a corner of the street from a heat wave, waiting for their bodies to stink before being cleaned up.

But as long as there is a breath left, these children will show amazing survival**. They will do whatever it takes to grab any straw. Many homeless beggars in Goa rely on their talent to eat. The talent for begging, the talent for stealing, the talent for robbery, whatever the talent, just be able to eat. Santos relied on his language talent to catch Zhou Qingfeng.

For Zhou Qingfeng, who came to the door inexplicably, Father Marcelo was very generous and enthusiastic. Without asking where the other person came from, he invited them into his convent and asked if he could give some charity for God's sake.

"I don't believe in God." Zhou Qingfeng walked around the humble monastery and visited. It's a big place, but it's dilapidated. The statue of the Virgin is mottled with paint, and there is not a single complete table or chair to be found in the domed hall. Even Marcelo's own dwelling was extremely rudimentary, with nothing but a wooden bed covered with wreckage.

"I'm a businessman and I want to do some business. If Father Priest can make it easier for me, I don't mind paying for it. Zhou Qingfeng took out a silver coin and threw it to the child Santos, who continued to say to Father Marcelo: "As long as it satisfies me, I have always been generous. But if it makes me angry, I've always been fierce. ”

Zhou Qingfeng's left and right eyes projected cold light and heat respectively, and Father Marcelo, who was looking at him, felt that his body was cold on one side and hot on the other. The latter was frightened, but immediately became much more honest, and even became a little proficient in Cantonese, which had not been used for many years.

Santos, who received the silver coin, was overjoyed and grateful to Zhou Qingfeng. He marveled at the delicate patterns on the silver coins, and the current coinage technology used in the West is still very ordinary, and in terms of details, it is far less violent and direct than that of high-horsepower stamps.

"What do you need, sir?" Child Santos asked. Whoever can give him a silver coin at his fingertips deserves to be taken seriously.

"Let's go get something to eat first, I think you're all hungry. I need a quiet room. After dinner, I'll talk about my needs. Zhou Qingfeng said indifferently.

"Room, there is something." Father Marcelo finally interjected a sentence, stretched out his hand and led Zhou Qingfeng to the backyard. He had a special guest room in his backyard, but it was empty and dusty. "Honorable sir, may I know your name? I think you need a couple of servants, I can recruit them for you. ”

Father Marcelo rubbed his hands together and said with a flattering smile: "For ten silver coins, I can find you five or six of the best servants." ”

"My surname is Zhou, you can call me Mr. Zhou." Zhou Qingfeng released the tent magic weapon, and the ghost servants inside floated out to work, cleaning up. He has the ability to refine the Ghost King Pill, and the ghost servants around him have all been trained and trained very well, and they are more reliable than living slaves. "I'll bring my own servants, so I won't bother you."

Seeing that Zhou Qingfeng actually used ghosts to work, Father Marcelo was so frightened that he immediately drew a cross on his chest. But when the rent for the room of the two silver coins fell into his hand, he had a smile on his face again, and he was very kind and tolerant.

Kid Santos paid a silver coin to buy a lot of ingredients. Goa is tropical, rich in rice and seafood, and these two alone are enough for a hearty dinner. In addition, there are dried fruits such as mango, pineapple, cashew nut, etc., and the food variety is very rich and the price is very cheap.

Zhou Qingfeng carefully inquired about the prices of goods in the market, and even recorded them. Santos originally thought that he should cook dinner as a servant, but Guo Jiao took the matter over. She doesn't cook, she only instructs the ghost servants to cook. But when the hot dinner was served, both Marcelo and Santos were stunned.

"Let's eat together." Zhou Qingfeng directly placed the table in front of the statue of the Virgin Mary. After being cleaned up by the ghost servants, the domed hall that was originally used for prayer was given a new look.

Father Marcelo had no problem with Zhou Qingfeng's anti-guest occupancy of the hall, because there was really no other place to set up a huge dining table in this dilapidated monastery.

The priest was a little stunned by the sumptuous food, and was surprised by the few bright lights that were placed around the table. These made him not know how to put his hands and feet when he entered the table, for fear that he would be rude if he did something wrong.

"Dear Mr. Zhou, you must be a nobleman from the East." Marcelo is determined to learn Chinese from Santos from tonight, and he must have a good relationship with this extraordinary young man in front of him.

"Well...... sort of." Zhou Qingfeng is dealing with a prawn. It was freshly caught from the sea and was very fresh.

The child Santos stood at the table, hesitated for a while before taking out some copper coins left over from his pocket to purchase ingredients, "Master, this is the remaining money." ”

"I've got it for you, let's eat at the table."

"I'm just a servant, and I'm very satisfied if you give me some food after your meal."

"I order you now, sit down and eat."

Receiving the order, Santos sat down at the table with some trepidation. The child was amazed by the smell of the food on the table, while Father Marcelo, opposite him, prayed to the Virgin for forgiveness for his sin of gluttony. The ghost servants at the table still poured wine from time to time, and they suddenly shouted that they had eaten like an emperor.

After a full meal, Zhou Qingfeng began to get to the point, "I want to sell some silk and porcelain. The quantity is not very large, but the quality is definitely the best. Can you find the best buyer for me? ”

Silk and porcelain from China are never short of market in the Western world, and their prices are very high. For example, the famous 'thin porcelain' is known as one piece that can change an army. When Marcelo and Santos heard that Zhou Qingfeng was going to sell these two goods, they immediately nodded and said that there was no problem at all, and there were businessmen in Goa who bought them at a high price.

Father Marcelo steadied himself and asked, "Dear sir, the most generous buyers of silk and porcelain can be found in Goa. But can you give us some samples? ”

Zhou Qingfeng turned his head and said to Guo Jiao, and the girl took off the hairpin that tied her hair. When Marcelo held this elegantly colored, light and silky silk fabric, he looked straight at the spot.

"This ......, it's the best silk I've ever seen. I can't put into words how beautiful it is. If your silk is of this quality, it will surely drive the princes of Lisbon crazy. ”

The 'revolutionary army' has all set foot in the cotton spinning industry and achieved great success, so naturally it will not let go of another silk weaving industry, although the market is smaller but the profit margin is higher. The success of mechanization in cotton spinning is also remarkable in silk weaving, which enables the production of higher quality threads and satins.

Song Yingxing pioneered the dye industry in the use of coal tar, which made the cloth and satin of the 'revolutionary army' have more colors and are more popular in the market. Just looking at Father Marcelo's exclamation of the name of Our Lady is enough to prove the excellent quality of the products of the 'Revolutionary Army'.

"This hairscarf alone is worth ten Portuguese gold coins, enough for my convent." Marcelo returned the hair towel to Zhou Qingfeng, "There is no need to look for merchants for such valuable goods, they must come to meet you." ”

Marcelo's offer was obviously a bit exaggerated, but Zhou Qingfeng didn't mind using these gorgeous goods to open up his reputation and attract more merchants to come and trade. He took back the scarf and said, "What do you think of my porcelain?" ”

"Porcelain? Where is it? Father Marcelo asked.

"It's in your hands." Zhou Qingfeng pointed to a full set of utensils on the dining table.

Wow...... O Virgin Mary!

Father Marcelo had always been fascinated by tonight's extravagant dinner, and it was only now that he realized that he should pay more attention to the luxurious tableware he used. These beautiful, delicate and warm tableware are truly priceless. He looked down at the plate in his hand, couldn't help but wipe the grease on it with his sleeve, and finally sighed into the light: "It's transparent." ”

It's too much of an exaggeration to say it's transparent, but it's a very appropriate description.

Zhou Qingfeng developed the kaolin in the direction of Dandong on a small scale, and with a supreme master of controlling flames like Huofeng, it would be a loss not to burn some porcelain. The silk in his hand still needs to import raw materials from Jiangnan, but the porcelain can be fired in his own kiln. His visit to Goa this time is equivalent to opening the market, and what he takes out is naturally a high-quality product.

At first, Ye Na went to Jiangxi to 'invite' Song Yingxing, and later she was arranged by Zhou Qingfeng to go to Jingdezhen to 'invite' craftsmen who fired and painted porcelain. He also specially selected those top talents who produced tribute to the royal family, and with the progress of advanced technology, the products fired were also cross-generational.

There are two types of porcelain on the table, one is traditional ceramics and the other is bone china mixed with calcium oxide and alumina. The two types of porcelain complement each other and have their own merits. As the saying goes, 'white as jade, thin as paper, bright as a mirror, and sound like a rock', the goods that Uncle Zhou can bring out for sale are not said to be priceless, but they are also precious.

"I swore to be poor, but today I eat with such precious porcelain. I was ashamed of my faith. Father Marcelo shed a few tears of emotion. But he quickly said to Zhou Qingfeng: "Dear sir, do you want to live in Goa permanently?" Maybe you need a Portuguese who understands Chinese to be your butler? ”

Zhou Qingfeng shook his head, "No, I don't live in Goa permanently, and I don't need a housekeeper. ”

Fr. Marcelo, full of hope, was so sad that he felt that he had really been abandoned by Our Lady......