met free Chapter 280 Returning with a Full Load
Chapter 280 Returning with a Full Load
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After a few cups of sake, the officials from the magistrate's office accompanying them began to behave in a dissolute manner under the influence of alcohol. They were all embracing women, kissing and groping them, and some even started singing folk songs in their drunken state. Although Liu Ye couldn't understand Japanese, he could tell from their lewd behavior that they were definitely singing vulgar tunes. He couldn't help but secretly despise them. If they were so dissolute after just a few cups of bland sake, wouldn't it be like they were going to fly to the heavens if they were given two bottles of strong liquor?
Li Fu had been sitting and drinking properly, but after a few drinks, with a Japanese woman sitting next to him and her fragrant scent wafting into his nostrils, he couldn't control himself any longer. He secretly pinched the woman's buttocks while glancing at Liu Ye for a signal. Seeing that Liu Ye didn't seem displeased, he grew bolder and slipped his hand inside the woman's blouse. The woman not only didn't flinch, but actively responded.
Although Yan Guang and Liang Xiaoming were not as eager as Li Fu, they were somewhat reserved in front of the foreign maids, and their hands and feet remained well-behaved.
Li Fei, however, leisurely drank his wine, seemingly uninterested in the women filling the room. The Japanese woman beside him felt inferior in the face of his magnanimity and didn't even dare to offer him a drink.
When Liu Ye saw Li Fei, he had a fleeting illusion. Li Fei didn't say a word, just sat there quietly, yet he exuded an undeniable aristocratic air, like a prince who had fallen into the common people's trance.
Liu Ye shook his head, as if trying to shake these thoughts out of his mind.
After a few rounds of drinks, Amazaki Hyosuke smiled and said to Liu Ye, "Liu-san, which of these maids do you fancy? You can take them back to your room and enjoy them as you please."
Liu Ye smiled and said, "I appreciate your kind offer, but the journey must be tiring. It's best to rest early today..."
“I see…” Amazaki Hyosuke said with a smile, “The journey must have been tiring, so please take a good rest, Mr. Liu.”
After a satisfying meal, everyone was led to their rooms to rest under the arrangement of Amagasaki Hyosuke. Although Liu Ye said it was to politely decline the Japanese man's offer of women to serve him in bed, he was indeed quite tired and fell asleep as soon as he lay down on the tatami mat.
Silent all night.
The next morning, Liu Ye woke up late in the morning and stretched before noticing a maid waiting for him on the tatami mat to help him wash up. She looked like she had been kneeling there for quite some time. He knew that Japanese etiquette and customs were always like this, and besides, things were pretty much the same in China at this time. He had gotten used to it after transmigrating, so he accepted the maid's service without hesitation.
It must be said that Japanese women are more gentle and meticulous in serving others than Chinese women. After Liu Ye dressed neatly and left the room, he had a fleeting thought of finding a few Japanese girls to serve as maids. However, considering that he already had several women at home, and that Tang Yu was also very gentle and meticulous and that he had done well under her service, he temporarily dismissed the idea.
Upon meeting Yan Guang in the front hall, I learned that Li Fei and Li Fu had already gone out to the magistrate's office with Amazaki Hyosuke to handle the raw silk transaction. According to Amazaki Hyosuke, raw silk, a scarce commodity, is very popular in Japan, and people buy as much as they can. Usually, the weighing, counting, and payment processes can be completed on the same day. However, this time the quantity of 500,000 catties is too large, and the allocation of silver will take some time, so it was not completed yesterday. It is expected to be finished by sunset today at the latest.
Liu Ye was very satisfied: "The Japanese are very efficient. It's great that they can get it done in a day and a half. Once we receive the money, we can head back."
"Aren't you going for a walk?" A voice sounded from behind. It was Liang Xiaoming, who had just gotten up as well.
Liu Ye turned to look at Liang Xiaoming, whose face was full of expectation, and immediately understood what he meant. He laughed and said, "You've been whetted by the so-called famous courtesans in Suzhou, and now you want to 'bring glory to the country' in Japan? I'm afraid you'll be disappointed. This is Nagasaki, not Tokyo. There's no Kabukicho like Shinjuku here. Besides, Kabuki in this era isn't the kind of brothel you imagine. It's more like our Peking Opera, a proper song and dance performance. If you want to taste the flavors of Japanese women, the hostesses from last night can satisfy you."
Liang Xiaoming scratched the back of his head a little embarrassedly: "I was just asking casually, I didn't mean anything by it. But we need Japanese sulfur, should we buy some to take back?"
"Let's leave it at that this time. We're pressed for time, and besides, we need to make sure we bring back the millions of taels of silver safely. I've already proposed building a trading post, and we can purchase sulfur through the trading post and organize a separate fleet to transport it back to Lingao."
Because of the unpleasant incident yesterday, Liu Ye and the others lost their interest in shopping, lest they run into those stubborn Shimazu samurai again. In the evening, Li Fei and Li Fu returned with Amazaki Hyosuke.
Li Fu excitedly reported to Liu Ye: "General, everything is settled. All 500,000 catties of raw silk have been traded, including 350,000 catties of high-quality silk and 150,000 catties of top-grade Huzhou silk. After deducting the fees paid to the Fengxing Office, we received 2.28 million taels of silver, which has already been loaded onto the ship. I have taken a quick look and the silver here is all of excellent purity, without any flaws."
Although they already knew how lucrative this trip to Japan would be, everyone was still overjoyed when they got the money. A single transaction yielded a net income of nearly two million. What could be a faster way to make money than this?
Liu Ye was also pleased and ordered, "It's too late to go out to sea today. We'll head back to Lingao tomorrow morning. Lin San will take some men on board tonight to guard the silver. We can't afford any accidents. Li Fu, you stay here and are in charge of setting up the Qiongzhou Trading Company's branch in Nagasaki."
Amazaki Hyosuke walked over with a smile: "Liu-san, if you're not in such a hurry to leave, please stay and let me show you some hospitality."
Liu Ye declined, saying, "Thank you for your kindness, Mr. Amazaki, but I have urgent matters to attend to at home. However, my manager will be staying to handle the establishment of the trading post, so please take good care of me."
Amagasaki Hyosuke agreed: "That's only right. I've already reported this to the magistrate. It may require the approval of the chief retainer, Ito Yoshisuke, and even the lord's consent. It can't be done in just a few days. Mr. Li may have to wait here for a while."
Li Fu patted his chest and said, "Please rest assured, General, I will do my best to handle this matter well."
Liu Ye nodded: "I trust you to handle things. You'll keep things in place for now. I'll leave you some funds. If you need manpower, you can recruit locally, preferably from reputable sources. You can also hire some local Japanese for errands. After the trading post is completed, we may need to purchase sulfur and other supplies to transport back to Lingao. I'll have Master Liang write you a list later."
Li Fu nodded: "Understood."
The next day, with the farewell of Nagasaki Magistrate's Office officials and servants led by Amagasaki Hyosuke, Liu Ye and his entourage boarded the "Far Voyage," returning home laden with silver.