The Second World in Ancient Times

The family's business development is facing unprecedented difficulties. As surrounding markets gradually become saturated, competition becomes increasingly fierce, and profit margins are constantly shrinking. The family elders gather together to discuss countermeasures, and the atmosphere is solemn and depressing.

One elder said worriedly, "We can no longer be limited to the local market. We must find new ways out, otherwise our family business will be in dire straits."

Another elder nodded in agreement: "I've heard there's a vast market overseas. Opening up overseas trade routes may be our only chance of survival."

However, while this proposal was tempting, it was fraught with difficulties. Overseas trade was fraught with uncertainty: the rough seas, unfamiliar cultures, complex trade regulations, and the possibility of encountering pirates—each of these factors seemed like an insurmountable mountain. For a time, no one in the family dared to take on this arduous task.

At this moment, Si Qing stepped forward. She looked at the family elders with a determined gaze and said, "I am willing to take on the responsibility of opening up overseas trade routes."

Everyone was shocked, and someone questioned: "Si Qing, do you understand the difficulty and danger involved? This is not a joke."

Si Qing nodded slightly: "I understand, but the family is in crisis, and I can't watch it decline. I am willing to give it a try."

Si Qing knew that nautical charts were the key to opening up overseas trade, so she plunged into the family library, where some ancient nautical charts were stored, but most of them were incomplete and blurry.

She shuttled between the dusty bookshelves, flipping through the ancient books one by one, looking for clues about the nautical charts. Finally, in a corner, she found a tattered sailing logbook that recorded the routes and annotations of some previous voyages.

Si Qing was overjoyed and took the log back to her room, studying it day and night. She carefully analyzed every mark and every description, trying to restore the complete voyage route.

She spread out a huge blank parchment in her room and, based on the information in the log, began to draw a nautical chart bit by bit. Whenever she encountered uncertainty, she would consult more information and ask for advice from the elders in her family who had sailing experience.

Once, an old sailor looked at the nautical chart drawn by Si Qing and said in surprise, "Miss, your map is quite good. However, the wind direction and ocean currents on the sea are so changeable. We can't just rely on these old data."

Si Qing asked humbly, "What should we do then?"

The old sailor pointed to an area of ​​sea on the map and said, "The ocean currents in this area are different in different seasons. We need to find more recent records."

Si Qing then began to look for new information everywhere, not missing any source of information that might be useful.

While studying nautical charts, Si Qing also began to gain a deeper understanding of foreign cultures. She knew that only by being familiar with foreign customs, religious beliefs, and business traditions could she avoid unnecessary conflicts and misunderstandings in overseas trade.

She invited family members who had traveled overseas to share their stories of exotic places. A businessman who had visited a distant Eastern country told Si Qing, "Etiquette is very important there. When they meet, they don't shake hands like we do. Instead, they perform a gesture called 'bowing.' Furthermore, their business transactions place great emphasis on interpersonal relationships, with trust being the foundation of every transaction."

Si Qing recorded everything carefully, and was full of curiosity about that mysterious oriental country.

She also sought out exotic books, scrolls, and artifacts from her family's collections, using them to learn about foreign cultures. She saw exquisite silk scrolls from the East, depicting elegant landscapes and figures, and ornate gold and silver objects from the West, with intricate patterns and designs.

To improve her studies, Si Qing hired a language teacher to help her learn the foreign language. The unfamiliar pronunciation and complex grammar gave her a headache, but she didn't give up. She woke up early every morning to practice pronunciation and memorized words and sentences under the lamp at night.

Once, while learning a language from an Austronesian country, she couldn't distinguish between two similar sounds. Her teacher was a little worried, but Si Qing smiled and said, "Teacher, don't worry. I'll get it right after practicing a few more times." She practiced repeatedly until she could pronounce the words accurately.

The rules of overseas trade differ significantly from those at home, and Si Qing is well aware of the complexity involved. She began researching the trade regulations, tax policies, and commercial contracts of various countries and regions.

She found documents related to overseas trade in her family's business archives and carefully analyzed the terms. She discovered that different countries had vastly different import and export restrictions. Some countries imposed strict quotas on food imports, while others levied high tariffs on luxury goods.

Si Qing also learned that in some overseas trade ports, there are special trade organizations and chambers of commerce that control the local trade order. Joining these organizations can gain more trade opportunities, but also requires complying with their regulations and paying membership fees.

To understand these rules, Si Qing wrote to other families with experience in overseas trade, asking for their advice. She received many responses, some of which generously shared their experiences, while others issued warnings.

A letter from a distant family read: "Miss Siqing, while overseas trade is profitable, the risks involved should not be underestimated. When signing contracts with foreign merchants, you must be cautious, as every clause may hide a trap."

Si Qing compiled the contents of these letters into a book, read it over and over again, and tried to become an expert in trade rules.

After gaining a certain understanding of nautical charts, foreign cultures, and trade rules, the captain began to prepare ships and cargo, which was an arduous task requiring a large amount of manpower, material resources, and financial resources.

She discussed the construction of the ship with the family's shipbuilders. The shipbuilders proposed several different ship models. According to the information on the nautical chart and the expected voyage, Si Qing chose a ship that was both sturdy and suitable for ocean voyages.

"The hull of this type of ship needs to be thickened to withstand the wind and waves at sea. More storage space should also be added to facilitate loading cargo." Si Qing said to the shipbuilders.

The shipbuilders began to build the ship according to Si Qing's requirements, and Si Qing often went to the shipyard to check the progress to ensure that there were no mistakes in every link.

Meanwhile, Si Qing was busy selecting goods. She analyzed the needs of each target market and, taking into account the family's industrial strengths, compiled a list of goods. The list included exquisite silks, ceramics, spices, and some local medicinal herbs produced by the family.

To ensure the quality of the goods, Si Qing personally inspected every batch of goods. In the warehouse, she carefully examined the texture of the silk, the craftsmanship of the ceramics, and smelled the aroma of the spices. She insisted on reselecting any problematic goods.

The family elders have high hopes for Si Qing, knowing that the mission he shoulders is crucial to the family's future. One elder said to Si Qing, "Qing'er, the family's success or failure depends on your actions this time. You must know that you are not fighting alone; the entire family is behind you and supporting you."

Si Qing felt the weight of this expectation and replied firmly, "Elder, I will not betray your family's trust. I will do my utmost to open up a new trade route for our family."

Another elder warned, "The dangers at sea are beyond imagination. You must be fully prepared. If you encounter difficulties, don't be stubborn. Returning safely is the most important thing." Si Qing nodded, "I will, Elder. I am prepared to face all kinds of difficulties. No matter what, I will work hard for the development of the family."

At the family gathering, the elders explained Si Qing's mission to the younger generation, encouraging them to learn from him and contribute to the family. The young people looked at Si Qing with admiration and expectation in their eyes.

However, the preparations were not smooth sailing. There was a shortage of timber for the shipbuilding. The supplier of high-quality timber that had been originally scheduled suddenly raised the price and reduced the supply.

After the company learned about this, it immediately negotiated with the supplier: "What you are doing is a violation of our previous agreement, and it will have a significant impact on our plans."

The supplier said helplessly: "Miss, there is really nothing we can do. Recently, logging in the forest has been restricted, timber production has decreased, and costs have increased."

Si Qing didn't give up. She began searching for other sources of wood. She sent her family's purchasing agents to inquire around, and finally found suitable wood in a remote mountainous area. Although the transportation cost was high, it finally solved the problem of boat construction.

There were also some problems with the preparation of goods. Due to the need to select high-quality goods, some family-owned businesses were unable to keep up with production speed and were unable to complete orders on time.

Si Qing communicated with the head of the family business: "We must speed up production. We can't delay shipping due to insufficient goods."

The person in charge said embarrassedly: "Ms. Si Qing, we are already working overtime to produce, but we really don't have enough manpower."

The company decided to transfer staff from other departments to the production line, and at the same time improve the production process, increase production efficiency, and ensure that the goods can be prepared on time.

The ship was nearing completion, and the cargo was gradually being prepared. Si Qing began to train the crew. She knew that a good crew was the key to a successful ocean voyage.

She selected people with good physical fitness and some sailing experience from the family guards and young men to form a crew team, and then invited experienced old sailors to train them.

The training content includes navigation skills, sea survival skills, and emergency response. Si Qing also personally participated in the training and learned with the crew.

During navigation training, the crew members learned how to steer the ship and discern wind direction and heading. Veteran sailors sternly instructed, "Don't just look at the wind direction; you need to feel the wind's strength and direction. When steering the ship, be steady and don't panic."

During the sea survival skills training, they learned how to survive with limited resources and cope with severe weather and disease at sea. Si Qing and the crew practiced building simple shelters and learned how to purify seawater.

The training for dealing with emergencies is even more rigorous, including how to deal with pirate attacks, ship leaks, etc. They have conducted multiple simulation drills to improve their ability to deal with dangers.

As preparations neared completion, Si Qing once again reviewed the nautical charts, cargo lists, trade documents, and more to ensure nothing was missing. Standing before the nearly completed ship, she felt a surge of anticipation for the journey ahead and a resolute resolve to fulfill her family's mission.

As the departure date approached, Si Qing felt immense pressure. She knew that her future was uncertain and she might encounter all sorts of unimaginable difficulties and dangers. But she had no intention of retreating, because the fate of her family depended on this mission.

The night before setting sail, Si Qing went alone to the family ancestral hall. She lit incense and candles, knelt before the ancestral tablets, and prayed silently: "Ancestors, I am about to embark on a journey to open up overseas trade. I know it will be difficult, but for the sake of my family's development, I have no hesitation. I hope you will bless me and my crew to return safely, and that our family will prosper."

After coming out of the ancestral hall, Si Qing met Aling. Aling looked at her worriedly: "Si Qing, are you really going? I'm so worried about you." Si Qing smiled and comforted her: "Aling, don't worry. I will definitely come back safely. Wait for my good news." Aling hugged Si Qing tightly: "You must come back. We are all waiting for you."

Si Qing looked at A Ling, his eyes gleaming with determination: "I will, this is my mission, I will not give up."

Finally, the day of departure arrived. The family port was packed with people, as family members came to see Si Qing and the crew off. The elders' eyes were filled with anticipation, while the younger ones looked on with envy and admiration.

Si Qing climbed onto the bow and looked at her family and friends on the shore. A warm feeling welled up in her heart. She shouted, "Everyone, don't worry. I will definitely open up overseas trade routes for our family. We will definitely return safely!"

The crew cheered in unison, morale high. With a blast of the horn, the sails hoisted, and the ship slowly departed the harbor, heading out into the vast sea. Si Qing stood at the bow, braving the sea breeze, her heart filled with the unknown challenge and the sense of responsibility for her family's mission. She knew it was a difficult road, but she was prepared. For the future of her family, she would forge ahead fearlessly.