Chapter 17

The bustling crowd, the unpleasant smell... This was Lin Sha's impression of the Foshan dock market. It seemed that no matter whether in his past life or this one, the situation in the market was more or less the same, with only the hygiene conditions differing.

"Senior Brother, what do you think?"

Lin Sha grinned and approached Rong, who was selling pork, helping him sort the sliced pork while asking in a low voice.

"You little brat, aren't you being too unrealistic?"

Rong paused his movements, gave Lin Sha a disapproving look, and muttered under his breath.

"Not at all unrealistic, and it's very practical!"

Lin Sha, who had sharp ears, quickly put on a serious face and replied.

"Have you forgotten the tragic state of the uncle who got shot?"

Rong continued his work, but didn't forget to question.

"We're different from that uncle. At least our brothers all recognize the flags of the major powers!"

Lin Sha didn't get angry, but smiled and argued.

"Are you just being stubborn?"

Rong couldn't stand the annoying chatter, put down his bone knife, and rolled his eyes. "We've never done business with foreigners. You want to expand so quickly, aren't you afraid of messing it up?"

"Hehe, to be honest, I am a bit worried!"

Lin Sha chuckled, but before Rong could say anything to dampen his spirits, he continued seriously, "But, Senior Brother, you know the living conditions of the militia brothers. If we don't change, they'll be ruined!"

"Changing is easier said than done."

Rong's expression changed, and he could only shake his head and sigh.

"Senior Brother, don't be so pessimistic. We have a trump card!"

Lin Sha smiled, his face full of confidence and mystery.

"What trump card?"

Rong's interest was piqued, and he turned his head curiously to ask.

"Yap Chah Su!" Lin Sha said solemnly.

"Tch, that fake foreigner?" Rong sneered, raised his large knife, and chopped a large piece of fatty and lean pork, wrapped it in oiled paper, and handed it to a customer. Then he shook his head, looking annoyed. "Are you just messing with me? Don't you see I'm busy with business?"

"Because Yap Chah Su is a fake foreigner, it's easier to handle things!"

Lin Sha smiled, not taking it to heart, and explained, "And he speaks fluent foreign languages, which is a huge advantage!"

"Don't rush, let me finish!"

Seeing Rong's lips curling, Lin Sha quickly stopped him and continued, "How many of the foreigners responsible for procurement on the ships understand Chinese?"

"And those who understand foreign languages are all trusted by the upper echelons of the ships. They have status and money. Who would bother to help the procurement staff of the foreign ships communicate with our Qing vegetable vendors?"

Rong nodded involuntarily; this was true.

Lin Sha, seeing this, pressed on, "Our vegetable vendors mostly live at the bottom of society. If they understood foreign languages, they would have found good jobs in foreign firms. Why would they still sell vegetables in the wind and rain?"

Seeing Rong listening intently, he smiled and continued, "Language barriers naturally lead to unnecessary trouble, possibly losing out on prices or unintentionally offending foreigners like the uncle who got shot!"

At this point, he smiled confidently, "We have someone like Yap Chah Su who understands foreign languages. If he helps us communicate with the procurement staff of the foreign ships, we might just succeed!"

Rong's expression finally became serious, and he asked earnestly, "Are you sure the foreigners will go for this?"

"Hehe, Senior Brother, you don't understand. A foreign ship is like a military camp!" Lin Sha's confident smile grew. "Supplying the military camp is a big deal. They want a stable supply, and they don't mind spending a bit more!"

"Okay, even if the foreigners have no issues, what about the vegetable vendors?"

Rong's expression relaxed, and he slammed his bone knife into the chopping board, wiped his hands on his apron, and raised a new question, "Doing business with foreigners is very profitable. How can we make them listen to us?"

"Buy vegetables at a price lower than the market rate, then sell them to the foreigners at a price one to two times higher than the market rate!"

Lin Sha smiled lightly, his eyes cold. "We'll go to the vendors' homes to pick up the goods, directly avoiding extortion by the government and gangs. This way, they will earn more. If they are still unsatisfied, we can compete with them!"

"You little brat, you're ruthless. This is cutting off the source!"

Rong's eyes lit up, and he couldn't help but give a thumbs up in admiration. But then his expression turned hesitant, "I'm afraid the master won't agree."

"Don't worry, I already talked to the master last night. As long as we don't overstep and cause trouble, the master won't say much!" Lin Sha chuckled, looking confident. "The master is a bit idealistic, but as long as the fault isn't on our side, it's fine!"

"Then, when do we start?"

Rong was thoroughly convinced. After a moment's thought, he forgot about his senior brother's dignity and lowered his voice to ask.

"This needs Senior Brother to work with the militia brothers. As soon as Yap Chah Su is free, we'll start immediately!"

Lin Sha was delighted, finally convincing Rong, but he still reminded him, "Senior Brother, don't use force. At the beginning, it should be voluntary. Don't force those who are unwilling to take the risk."

"I know better than you!"

Rong nodded solemnly, then raised his voice and waved his thick arm to call the young and strong militia members nearby to discuss something.

Lin Sha didn't join in. He stood to the side, eyes half-closed, waiting for the result.

The weather was nice today, with a gentle breeze and clear blue skies.

Today was the day when his master, Huang Feihong, had agreed to negotiate with the British fleet commander.

Early in the morning, after morning exercises, the master changed into a new robe and left Baozhi Lin with Yap Chah Su as the translator. He didn't know if the negotiations had started or if they were going smoothly.

He hoped the master would know when to stop and not make any excessive demands in a moment of passion. There would be plenty of opportunities to avenge the uncle who got shot; there was no need to rush.

Just then, a commotion suddenly broke out on the road leading from the city to the port market. People were scattering, as if something had happened. Lin Sha narrowed his eyes and looked up.

Before he could see what was happening, a series of extremely aggressive shouts reached his ears:

"Chase him, don't let that kid get away!"

"Kill him, I'll cut off that kid's arm!"

"Kid, don't run, if I catch you, you'll be in for it..."