Chapter 40: Spitsbergen Islands (4)

Huang Xuan didn't have much time, but he didn't even have time to discuss business. About 10 tons of wheat and rice, and dozens of kilograms of spices that Lorraine put down at a loading dock in the port, almost caused the Dutch and Spaniards to break their heads.
In order to cool the enthusiasm of both parties, and also to let other captains hear the news, Huang Xuan decided to start the formal transaction early the next morning, and the price will be traded at 30 rials or 10 florins per 1,000 pounds, and it can be Exchange it with seafood such as whales.
Florin is a gold coin with 5500 currency units containing 110 ounces of gold. At the current price of gold, each florin is worth about $ 6. It is equivalent to 0.2 yuan per kilogram of grain.
It seems that Huang Xuan is somewhat deficient in this calculation. However, if you consider the inflation rate for 400 years, the price will be much higher. If you are not in the desolate Arctic Circle, you should make a big profit if you want to come here. Too.
However, people are very content, Huang Xuan is very grateful that he has not been sent to an Indian jungle, and hopes that travelers in the era of large planes will have fewer such perverts and a little less such plane data.
Huang Xuan carried a total of 1,500 tons of food, which is equivalent to 3.3 million pounds and worth 33,000 florins. This is a huge asset, which is more than enough to form a fleet. In addition, he brought several tons of spices and Exquisite white sugar, compared to the sucrose currently used by Europeans, these exquisite sugars have risen several grades in both taste and appearance.
In the Green Bay area near the warehouse, Huang Xuan set up a stall. Behind him was a small warehouse with a volume of hundreds of cubic meters. In front of him, he placed rice, wheat, spices and sucrose at a time.
Governor Governor seems to be very busy and did not come. Juan stands behind Huang Xuan with interest. The Dutch of the East India Company seem to be hiding at home. Only the sailors passing by look at Huang Xuan ’s stall. Ask about the price, but when I heard that they were selling at 1,000 pounds, they left.
A sailor risked his life and stayed in a dirty ocean-going ship for three months. He could only get 20 florins. When he bought 1,000 pounds of wheat, he could not eat it by himself. In this way, Huang Xuan sat down in the warehouse area. in the morning.
However, he was not discouraged. Yesterday afternoon, he already understood that as long as the price is right, the captains in the Green Bay who are running for profit do not mind whether they bring whale oil or food to Europe. For those ocean-going vessels that catch whales, Selling whale oil at a price in Europe and even other parts of the whale that is treated as garbage, and receiving a large amount of food, is equivalent to earning two dollars. Why not do it.
Juan did not think so. He persuaded Huang Xuandao: "Mr. Philips, I can receive all of your food at the price of 18 florins per 1,000 pounds. Is that all? Do you not think about it?"
"But you have to defer payment." Huang Xuan shrugged helplessly: "I need cash."
Deferred payment is a gadget invented by the Dutch, it is this mercantilist country that invented the financial basis of deferred payment, letter of credit, etc., and developed a modern banking industry, making the whole of Europe willing to send wealth to Amsterdam for reuse All European assets conduct business activities.
Now, the Spaniards have learned the same method, but Huang Xuan can only regret to refuse, as a plane traveler, the most unbearable is the extension.
Juan was a little unhappy. He spent two hours explaining why the deferred payment did not affect the income, but he was already used to Huang Xuan of Lorraine. He did not change his mind because of the Spanish spit. He was stubborn. Ask for cash, but Juan's money is pitiful.
"You can't sell it this way." Watching another dirty sailor leave the stall, Juan said angrily: "You don't understand business, you don't understand!"
"Just do it." Huang Xuan is not ready to eat, he sits cross-legged with his eyes narrowed, waiting for the next customer to visit.
The sun in Svalbard is very comfortable, bright but not hot, and the light is soft, especially in the environment of 3 or 4 degrees Celsius, standing under the sun, the heart is very warm.
Huang Xuan was very quiet. Compared with Juan, the latter was more like a businessman who could not sell things. In this afternoon, the first real customer came to the door.
Dutch captain Gonard has an old four-masted sailing ship, and his main job is to whale and cod every year, and occasionally do some transportation business, just like most Dutch merchants. Later this morning, his second officer told him that a Spaniard was selling wheat and bought the whole or split whale at 1/8 (Note 1) of whale oil. He and the first officer laughed very much. Happy, no one would do such a stupid thing. But in the afternoon, he decided to check it out.
Gonard ’s ship encountered some ice floes when entering the port. Although there was no problem with the keel, it still needed to be repaired. The sailors all went to Longyear to drink. He would stay at the port and watch the workers repair it. Since that is ridiculous Before the Spaniard left, he wanted to appreciate it. This is perhaps the dumbest guy in the entire Northern Hemisphere.
"Where did you bring the wheat from? Paris?" Gonalch said with a smile, showing half of his front teeth missing.
Gonard wore tight captain suits, of course, not gorgeous, but still clean-clean is also a privilege on a ship without fresh water. This seems to be a guy who can buy wheat. Huang Xuan grabbed a handful of wheat and sprinkled it in front of him, saying: "10 florins per 1000 pounds, or 30 rials."
The captain didn't care about rubbing the wheat grains, and then dropped one into his mouth, chewing: "It's just ripe wheat, won't you really ship it from Europe?" Yes, due to the inherent superiority of white people, he assumed that the Spaniard was the seller ~ EbookFREE.me ~ and Huang Xuan, maybe a slave?
"I just sell it." The answer was "slave." Gonard grew stranger. He rubbed another grain of wheat and said, "These are yours? How much do you have?"
"Of course it is mine." Huang Xuan lowered his hat, revealing a black inch, and said, "I can sell you 20,000 pounds now, if you want." 20,000 pounds weighs almost 10 tons. That is the capacity of the small warehouse behind him.
Gonard did not answer immediately, but turned over the heap in front of him and looked at it carefully before saying: "I heard that you are willing to buy whale at the price of whale oil. Is this the case?"
"If it is the other part of the whale, I use wheat or rice for it. I don't have much cash on hand."
"If your wheat is like this, let's talk about the price."
"of course."
Note 1: The rial is often divided into 1/2, 1/4, or 1/8 for change. This rule is derived from other units of measurement. Therefore, to this day, the lowest unit of the London Stock Exchange is still 1/8, not 1/10.