Chapter 23

"Exactly, Uncle Huang is right. We are still in the early stages and can't pass on our technology to others right away. We need to wait until we have better, more advanced technology before we can share the old technology. This is called a generational gap! Only by maintaining this gap can we stay at the top of the food chain and get the best share of the meat." Hong Tao felt that the ancients were not foolish at all. They hadn't studied or even heard of economic principles, but they understood them. "What should we do then?" Although Bo Fu nagged Hong Tao every day, he still valued Hong Tao's opinions. He had to, because Hong Tao was the one who caught the most fish. Moreover, they weren't outsiders; the old man understood from the look in his daughter's eyes that this big guy would eventually become his son-in-law. "This is what I think. We are a cooperative, a family, a single unit. In production, we shouldn't divide ourselves into the Bo family, the Huang family, and the Chen family. We should be one unit, like a person with a brain to think, hands to work, and feet to walk. Everyone should find their most suitable position. If a person had two heads, four feet, and one hand, they would be a monster, wouldn't they?" Hong Tao had already planned out the solution to the problem Chen Ming'en raised, but he couldn't say it directly. He had to wait for them to figure it out themselves and then guide them to think along his lines. This is called brainwashing. "Tao, just say what you have to say. We, the Tanka people, don't have as many formalities as the land people. Whoever has the ability should be the one to make decisions!" Huang Hai was the quickest to react; he already understood Hong Tao's meaning, while Chen Ming'en and Bo Fu were still a bit confused. "What I mean is that we should all work together in division! There should be people dedicated to fishing at sea, people dedicated to transporting the catch to Zhenzhou for sale, people dedicated to cooking and mending nets and making tools at home, and people dedicated to trading with the land people. This way, we will be like a person with a head, hands, and feet, with nothing in excess and nothing lacking." With Huang Hai's support, Hong Tao made his point clearer. "Who will be the head and who will be the hands and feet? How should we divide this?" Chen Ming'en seemed to understand, but he didn't speak, just smiled at Hong Tao. Bo Fu, being the most straightforward, didn't fully understand Hong Tao's words and needed to ask for clarification. "This is what I plan to do. My grandfather knows the most about the Han language and Han customs, so he is best suited to be the person in charge of external communication. Uncle Fu, you are the most serious about your work, and Uncle Huang has the widest network among the Tanka people. My cousins are all good at fishing, and my sisters-in-law are skilled at sewing and mending. This makes things easier. My grandfather and Uncle Fu will be responsible for selling and buying goods in Zhenzhou, Uncle Huang will be responsible for recruiting more Tanka people to join our cooperative, but not too many, just those we trust. I and my cousins will be responsible for fishing, and my sisters-in-law will be responsible for cooking and making tools. Does this sound good?" Since Huang Hai and Chen Ming'en had tacitly accepted his leadership, Hong Tao wasn't afraid of Bo Fu disagreeing, so he laid out his plan. "You, a young man, are smart. You and your grandfather should go to Zhenzhou. I'll take them out to sea; it's hard work!" Bo Fu finally understood everything, but he had an opinion. However, this opinion surprised Hong Tao. It wasn't that he thought the distribution was unfair, but that he wanted to take care of Hong Tao, not wanting him to suffer at sea. "Uncle Fu, I'm a young man in my twenties. I can handle the hard work better than you. Look at your hands and knees; they hurt when it's windy or rainy, don't they? Don't go out to sea anymore. You and my grandfather and Uncle Huang have worked hard all your lives to raise your children. Now my cousins have their own children, and you should enjoy a comfortable life. Besides, I'm from another place, I can't understand your language well, and I don't know many of the local customs. Going to Zhenzhou would just add trouble for my grandfather, don't you think?" Hong Tao wasn't unwilling to enjoy a comfortable life, but what kind of comfort could he enjoy in the poor class of the Song Dynasty? It would be better to work hard at sea. Besides, Hong Tao had another plan for going to sea. He wanted to test the navigation knowledge he had learned in the future to see if it would work in the Song Dynasty. These skills had to be figured out, otherwise his plan would be like a mirage, impossible to achieve. "Good boy! I'll listen to you! Xiao Er, Xiao San! In the future, when you go out to sea, you must take good care of your brother. If anything happens to him, I'll dismantle your boats!" Bo Fu was completely moved by Hong Tao's heartfelt words, his eyes welling up. He took the opportunity to call his sons, wiping his face and using a scolding to calm his emotions. "Oh..." Squatting behind, Bo Xiao Er and Bo Xiao San still didn't understand why they were scolded by their grandfather, but they didn't argue, as they were used to being scolded. "Brother Fu, why don't I call the Weng family back? They are struggling in Zhenzhou and can't even afford yams. I didn't bring them when I came, fearing that there wouldn't be enough fish here." Huang Hai had no objections to Hong Tao's distribution and immediately made a suggestion. "Hmm... They have many women and a hard life... Tao, the Weng family is related to your cousin Xiao San and Sha. The whole family relies on one person to go out to sea. Why don't we bring them over?" Bo Fu didn't make the decision himself this time, explaining the Weng family's situation to Hong Tao and leaving the decision to him. "Hehe, you and Uncle Huang can decide this. Don't call too many people yet. Let's see if the new method works before making a decision." Hong Tao quickly humbly deferred, although he was getting closer to the position of chairman, these old men were still the backbone, and he couldn't rush to exclude them, as his roots here were still shallow. "It's time to eat! Bring out the sea dragon wine I soaked. Tomorrow we'll go to Zhenzhou to find a way out for the young ones!" Bo Fu, seeing that Hong Tao still respected him, was in a great mood and shouted for his daughter-in-law to bring the food, dishes, and wine. The past few days with Hong Tao had been the most comfortable days of his life, with white rice to eat every day and wine to drink, and his arthritic bones didn't hurt as much. Early the next morning, Chen Ming'en, Bo Fu, and Huang Hai set off in a small boat, carrying all the fish they had caught, and sailed east along the coast. Their purpose was not only to sell fish but also to bring the Weng family back to join the cooperative. They also wanted to follow Hong Tao's suggestion to find a fixed customer in Zhenzhou who could buy large quantities of seafood, even at a slightly lower price, so they wouldn't have to worry about the fish's market in the future. The terms "wholesale" and "retail" came out of Hong Tao's mouth again. When Bo Fu asked why he wanted to lower the price of their fish, Hong Tao gave him an answer that made sense.