Chapter 78

The sky outside was dark and gloomy, with the north wind howling continuously. Zhou Chong was wearing a blue cotton robe, and over it, a hooded cloak, making him look like an ordinary wealthy young master. Due to the matter with Xie Lingyun, Zhou Chong was quite troubled and didn't want to stay in his study, so he decided to take a walk. Behind him, Wangcai and Fugui were dressed as servants, closely following and attending to him.

Wangcai and Fugui were originally servants of the Zhou family. When Zhou Chong dismissed the servants in the manor, they were left unemployed because of their unattractive appearances. They almost ended up as beggars, but fortunately, they had accompanied Zhou Hai on sea voyages before and knew some things about Shuangyu Port. They eventually sailed to the Nanyang Chamber of Commerce and were taken in by Sun Tong as sailors.

After Zhou Chong's identity was confirmed, for confidentiality reasons, Wangcai and Fugui stayed in the back courtyard of the chamber. Later, after the destruction of the Quanluo Chamber of Commerce, Zhou Chong asked Sun Tong to transfer them to his service as personal attendants. After all, they were family servants and had accompanied Zhou Hai on sea voyages, indicating that they were trusted by Zhou Hai, making Zhou Chong feel more at ease using them.

The Nanyang Chamber of Commerce was located near the port, so Zhou Chong didn't bother with a carriage. He walked out of the gate and soon arrived at the port. Pointing to the bustling port, Wangcai introduced, "Young Master, look, this large area ahead is all part of our chamber's port. The westernmost part is our private dock, which only takes up less than one-tenth of the area. Any other ships can dock here, but we do charge taxes."

Following Wangcai's finger, Zhou Chong saw a cluster of cargo ships at the nearby port, with numerous vessels of various sizes tightly packed together, their sails almost covering the entire sea surface.

Despite the bad weather, the port remained bustling. People were constantly moving on and off the cargo ships, most of them laborers sweating profusely as they loaded and unloaded goods. The ship managers stood at the bow, shouting loudly to remind the laborers to handle the goods carefully and not to damage them.

It's worth noting that these laborers were also part of the Nanyang Chamber of Commerce, though they were peripheral members. They were responsible for the physical labor and were paid for their work. When the chamber had dangerous tasks, such as the destruction of the Quanluo Chamber of Commerce, the formal members were usually assigned to handle them. Wangcai and Fugui, who were with Zhou Chong, were formal members of the chamber.

From a safety perspective, it seemed that the peripheral members of the chamber had an advantage, as they worked for the chamber without having to risk their lives. However, in reality, every peripheral member dreamed of becoming a formal member, mainly because of the better treatment. For example, a laborer, as a peripheral member, could only earn enough to make ends meet with their hard work.

In contrast, formal members of the chamber, although occasionally having to risk their lives, received much higher monthly pay, enough to support themselves and even provide a comfortable life for their families. As the saying goes, "People die for wealth," and the generous rewards made most people overlook the dangers of being a formal member, especially the peripheral members who worked tirelessly, who would do anything to become formal members.

However, due to the limitations of scale and financial resources, a chamber could not indefinitely recruit formal members. Normally, the chamber only absorbed people with special skills, such as experienced sailors, craftsmen, or literate individuals. These were the talents the chamber needed, and as long as they were willing, it was relatively easy for them to become formal members. Of course, there were exceptions, such as when a chamber suffered significant losses and needed to urgently recruit new members, thus relaxing the entry requirements.

Zhou Chong walked calmly onto the port and looked at the laborers, who were dressed in thin clothes even in the cold winter. In modern terms, these laborers were the reserve force of the chamber. After the chamber's recent losses, it should have recruited more members, but due to the significant impact on business and financial constraints, it had not been able to do so.

" Wangcai, the chamber needs sailors. If we recruit these laborers, how long would it take to train them into qualified sailors?" Zhou Chong suddenly asked.

If Zhou Chong's plan to quickly revitalize the chamber were implemented, the chamber's development would accelerate exponentially, especially the smuggling fleet, which would grow rapidly. At that time, more sailors would be needed, and these laborers would be the main source.

Hearing Zhou Chong's question, Wangcai immediately replied, "Young Master, becoming a qualified sailor is both easy and difficult. Most of these laborers are fishermen by origin, so handling ships is not a problem for them. They can be considered sailors as soon as they board a ship. However, they usually fish in coastal waters, while transporting goods requires long voyages, sometimes lasting several months. Not everyone can endure such a life. When Fugui and I accompanied the master on a cargo trip, we spent two months at sea. Thinking back, I don't know how we managed to survive. If we hadn't been desperate, we wouldn't have come back to work for Sun Boss as sailors."

"Exactly! The skills to handle a ship are secondary; the key is whether one can endure months at sea. I've heard from some old sailors that some new sailors went mad after spending too much time at sea, with some jumping into the sea and others committing murder. Although we haven't encountered such cases, it's truly terrifying to hear about them!" Fugui added.

Although Wangcai and Fugui's explanations were a bit disorganized, Zhou Chong understood. In modern terms, these laborers already possessed the basic skills to become sailors but lacked the psychological resilience. In the Ming Dynasty, sea voyages were slow, and a single trip could take a long time, requiring sailors to stay at sea for extended periods. Imagine being confined in a small space on a ship for months, sometimes eating moldy food and drinking foul water. Not everyone could endure such a life.

For this reason, to become a true sailor, one not only needed to learn the basic skills of handling a ship but also had to develop strong psychological resilience. However, psychological resilience was intangible, and the only way to ensure it was through repeated voyages, gradually building up their resilience. Therefore, there were no shortcuts to becoming a true sailor; one had to go on several voyages and adapt to the monotonous life at sea to become a qualified sailor.

"I see, I didn't realize being a sailor had such requirements!" Zhou Chong nodded. In his previous life, he had been involved in smuggling and was familiar with sea life, but the sea transportation of that time was much more advanced. For example, smuggling in the southeastern region usually took only a few days, unlike now, where it could take months relying on wind power.

Zhou Chong walked around the port and roughly calculated that nearly two hundred cargo ships were loading and unloading goods simultaneously in the port under the jurisdiction of the Nanyang Chamber of Commerce. After completing their tasks, these ships would immediately vacate their berths for the next ships. Considering that this was only one-third of the northern port, it was evident that the daily cargo throughput of the entire northern port was astonishing.

It was already noon, and many laborers had finished their work. After the foremen informed the ship owners, the laborers began to go to the nearby area to eat. Zhou Chong felt a bit cold and was about to turn back when Wangcai and Fugui playfully stopped him, saying, "Young Master, since we're at the port, there's a place we can't miss. That's where someone of your status should go."

"Hmm, a place for someone of my status?" Zhou Chong was puzzled but then realized something and smiled, pointing at the two brothers, "What are you two up to? You're not planning to take me to some seedy place, are you?"

Shuangyu Port, like the Zhoushan Port he had passed through, was filled with taverns and brothels. The port was larger and more prosperous, with more taverns and brothels than Zhoushan Port. For example, in the northern port area alone, there were two or three dozen brothels. Interestingly, most of these brothels were not run by Ming merchants but by Japanese and Korean merchants, who brought women from their countries. These foreign women attracted many men seeking novelty. At dusk, the dim pink light from the brothels and the drunken men lingering with foreign prostitutes became a common sight in Shuangyu Port, earning substantial profits for the foreign chambers controlling these establishments.

Because the port was filled with brothels, when Wangcai and Fugui said they wanted to take Zhou Chong to a place suitable for his status, he immediately assumed they were taking him to a brothel. In the Ming Dynasty, visiting brothels was legal, and for men, it was not much different from visiting a tavern. Even if their wives found out, they wouldn't say much.

However, to Zhou Chong's surprise, Wangcai and Fugui quickly denied it, "No, no, Young Master, you misunderstood. Master Zhou hated brothels the most. How could we dare to take you there? If Xu Bo found out, he would break our legs!"

Relieved that they weren't going to a brothel, Zhou Chong asked curiously, "Then where are you taking me?"

Although Wangcai and Fugui had poor eyesight, they could see the curiosity on Zhou Chong's face. However, they decided to keep him in suspense, saying, "Hehe, Young Master, you'll see. Don't be fooled by the bustling port; the place we're going to is the most important in the entire port. Anyone who comes to the port will run there as soon as they disembark."

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