Chapter 79

"Is this lamp oil?" Chen Ming'en looked at the small flame and brought his hand closer to examine the palm of his hand.

"Yes, the best lamp oil. It's not only bright but also smokeless and odorless. Most importantly, it burns for a long time, longer than other oils." Hong Tao knew that Chen Ming'en was educated and had certainly spent many nights studying by the light of an oil lamp. He couldn't afford candles.

"What a good thing. Back in the day, my eyes would get so irritated from the smoke every night. I had to study with tears streaming down my face. If I had had this kind of lamp, I could have read many more books." As someone who had studied, Chen Ming'en had a deep understanding of oil lamps. He shielded the flame from the sea breeze with his palm to stabilize it, then held his hand as if he were holding a book, confirming that the light was indeed very bright. He felt very pleased.

"Can this lamp oil be sold for money?" Bo Fu also came over, staring at the small blue flame, his pupils turning square.

"Of course it can be sold for money, a lot of money!" Hong Tao gave the old man a very definite answer.

"Xiao Er, go and cut more firewood!" Bo Fu turned and shouted at the beach. The people who had started dozing off on the sand were roused again, herded like rabbits into the dark forest. The old man was in a hurry; how could he let such a valuable thing rot on the beach? It had to be rendered immediately!

With Hong Tao's demonstration, rendering whale oil was simple. Everyone had cooked with lard before, so they knew how to operate without detailed instructions. Soon, a second large earthenware jar was set up, filled with whale fat and lit with firewood. Hong Tao didn't let them touch the third jar; he needed it to store the rendered whale oil. The oil couldn't be seen clearly at night, and if it was too cloudy, it would need to be filtered before it could be sold, otherwise it would affect its appearance.

That night, the beach was lit with continuous fires, and the noise was deafening. All the men, except Hong Tao, were led by Bo Fu to cut firewood in the mountains. The women were responsible for skimming the oil from the jars, and Hong Tao supervised. By dawn, the jar for storing oil was almost full, and a pile of firewood had accumulated on the beach. Seeing that everyone was exhausted, Hong Tao persuaded the excited old man Bo Fu to rest on the ship, leaving only Bo Zhu, Karl, and a few children to help continue cutting firewood and rendering oil. The rest went back to rest, planning to work in shifts, with some starting in the afternoon and others working at night, thus forming three rotating teams.

"Hong brother, what are you doing?" Early in the morning, the cart ship arrived again. Luo Youde stepped onto the beach and immediately covered his nose. Although the whale oil had no smell, the odor from the whale's internal organs was quite strong, especially when heated, making it nauseating.

"Ha ha ha... Good stuff. Come, take a look at the quality of the lamp oil I've made." After a night of exposure, Hong Tao's sense of smell had become somewhat numb. This was a fitting example of the ancient saying: "If you stay in a fish market long enough, you won't notice the stench!"

"Lamp oil... Hong brother, you're rendering whale oil for lamp oil? You mean to sell it!" Luo Youde instantly understood what Hong Tao was doing and what the big deal he had mentioned the previous day was about.

"How about it? Is selling lamp oil a legitimate business?" Hong Tao wasn't quite sure if selling lamp oil was looked down upon in the Song Dynasty. If it had a low status, Luo Youde might not be interested. People in this era still had some restraint when it came to money, or rather, society didn't encourage everything being about money. Different social statuses required different occupations.

"Hong brother, you misunderstand. I'm not saying selling lamp oil is bad, but the demand for lamp oil is very high. With just the oil you have, it might be difficult to meet the demand." Luo Youde expressed his concern. He wasn't unwilling to sell lamp oil, but he was worried that Hong Tao couldn't provide enough supply.

"As long as you can sell it, I can provide enough supply. I won't exaggerate, but I have about 3 tons... no, about 5,000 pounds. How long will it take you to sell it?" Hong Tao wasn't too worried about the supply. Since there were schools of whales in the South China Sea, they could be found again. Even if they caught one whale a month, it would be enough to keep the current cooperative families busy for several days, just rendering the whale oil alone.

"So much! Let me go to Qiongzhou and Guangzhou to investigate first. I just wonder if this oil is better than tung oil? Does it produce a lot of smoke? Does it have a bad smell?" Luo Youde hadn't expected one whale to yield so much oil. He immediately felt that this business was worth doing and became more proactive. Merchants, as a class, had great potential, but they were often suppressed throughout history. Only in the Song Dynasty were they somewhat valued, and with a little encouragement, they could shine, resulting in higher tax revenues than in the Qing Dynasty. Unfortunately, the Song Dynasty was short-lived, and the merchants' brief period of prosperity soon ended.

"Follow me!" Hong Tao intended to let Luo Youde see for himself if the whale oil was suitable for lamp oil. Just listening to the fake scholar Chen Ming'en wasn't reliable; he needed to consult someone knowledgeable. If the Song Dynasty already had better lamp oil, he wouldn't risk his life to hunt whales. Catching one every two months for meat would be enough.

"Wow... good oil... good oil... Is it scented?" Luo Youde followed Hong Tao up the bamboo house and immediately smelled a faint, pleasant aroma. He saw the small blue flame coming from a small porcelain bowl on the floor and immediately cheered. He walked over, lifted his robe, and covered the oil lamp inside, blocking out the sunlight, making the small oil lamp appear even brighter.

"I won't go into the production process; it's a secret. You just sell it, and I'll produce it. We'll share the profits according to our shares. How does that sound?" Hong Tao, hearing Luo Youde's words, became more cautious. He wasn't sure if others could hunt whales, but the whale oil should remain as mysterious as possible, even if there was no real secret.

"Yes, yes, I was too hasty. Please don't be offended... This oil is smokeless and odorless, far better than sesame oil, rape seed oil, and Xanthium oil, and even better than beef tallow and beeswax. I just wonder how valuable this oil is?" Luo Youde felt that just looking wasn't enough, so he stuck his head under his robe and deeply inhaled the unique scent of the burning whale oil, looking very satisfied.

"The price is up to you, but I suggest not setting it too high because our production is large. However, it shouldn't be too low either, as that would not only be a loss for us but could also provoke the envy of other lamp oil merchants. I assume you haven't been in the lamp oil business before. If you face resistance from your peers at the beginning, it could be very troublesome. Let's start by selling slowly. This oil doesn't spoil easily if stored properly. Once you establish yourself in the industry, you can increase sales." Hong Tao was afraid that Luo Youde, seeing the potential for profit, would recklessly flood the market with whale oil, disrupting the existing lamp oil market. Previously, Luo Youde had complained that in both Guangzhou and Quanzhou, most industries had guilds that were hostile to outsiders, even to the children of officials from Qiongzhou. So he had to remind him not to let excitement turn a good thing into a bad one.

"Hong brother is truly talented, not only skilled in fishing and shipbuilding but also knowledgeable about business. To be honest, even if I go to Guangzhou and Quanzhou to sell this, I can only open a shop and operate slowly. Transporting goods by sea and selling in bulk is probably not possible in the short term. Such business is controlled by the local Thirteen Factories, and outsiders can't get involved, or they have to pay a significant fee." Hong Tao valued Luo Youde's honesty; he said what he could and couldn't do, rarely exaggerating. Working with him was less stressful.

"Yes, that's what I'm worried about. How about this: you set up a shop in Qiongzhou, Guangzhou, and Quanzhou to sell whale oil and other goods. You get three shares, I get three shares, and the Tanka people get three shares." Hong Tao thought Luo Youde's approach was sound. Starting with retail sales wouldn't threaten the interests of the Thirteen Factories. Once they had a significant customer base, they could gradually shift to wholesale. By then, both Hong Tao and Luo Youde would be stronger, and the Thirteen Factories would have to consider their opinions.

"What about the remaining one share?" Luo Youde's uncle, who went by the alias Luo Dacai, had a personality similar to Bo Fu. He rarely spoke during their conversation, but when it came to profit distribution, he couldn't help but speak up.

"The remaining one share is for you to manage as public relations expenses... Public relations means dealing with local officials and other people on the street. Do you understand?" Hong Tao wasn't familiar with the business practices of the Song Dynasty, but he believed that public relations expenses were necessary in any era. Even in modern developed countries, a portion of profits was used for union organizations and charitable donations, just in a more acceptable form, but the essence was the same.

"May I ask boldly, is Hong brother's family also in business in Australia?" Luo Youde agreed with Hong Tao's distribution method and became curious. The more he learned about Hong Tao, the more curious he became.

"Indeed, my family is in the business of trading goods in Australia. I just don't like business and prefer to return to my ancestral homeland. I spent all my wealth building a large ship, but I didn't expect to encounter a storm and end up here. But please rest assured, my ambition is not in business. I need a lot of money, so I'm willing to use my knowledge to help you become a top merchant in the Song Dynasty. As your partner, I will naturally benefit as well. What do you think?" Hong Tao understood what Luo Youde was asking. It was hard to believe he hadn't been in business, given his familiarity with business methods.

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