chapter 162

The way of business:
Honesty makes it last, (while) monopoly is a priority.
Move in when the time is right, and merging is a fundamental.
Forget old misgivings, and every venture should be profitable.
(not sure)

{east shore of Lujiang}

chapter 162 A Match Made in Heaven

[?]: I heard the price for wood rose again.

[?]: Don’t worry. Trust is important to us businessmen, so we won’t charge you more than what you already agreed to.

[?]: These years it’s rare to find merchants who keep to their principles. You are exemplary among the businessmen, mister Huang.
[Huang]: You flatter me.
(“you over-praised me”)

[H]: Frankly, if we hadn’t kept to the principles, we would have ended up like those earlier shipyards…

[?]: Right. The world changes as time goes by; who would’ve thought they would suddenly close down…

[H]: Honest dealings has always been the way of our shipyard business.

[?]: Good, then I’ll buy ten more.

[H]: To thank your appreciation, I’ll be sure to deliver on time.

[?]: Is he from the Sun clan?
[H]: He didn’t say, but it’s obvious.

[H]: Boss was right. Sun Ce really is going for the Eastern region.
[H]: But Yuan Shu might be one step ahead. Their ships that we delivered yesterday are already undergoing remodeling.

{bump sfx}

[?]: How dare you! This area is off limits to lowly servants!

{sfx: pa~}

[H]: I say, why won’t you wear something different?

[Sima Yi]: It’s easier with servant outfits.
(this could mean “easy to wear” or “easy to go places”)

[H]: Good news, Yuan Shu asked for fifty ships from us through someone else.

[SMY]: I know, that’s why I purposely designed it that way.

[SMY]: He’ll change it to double-mast,
(not sure)
[SMY]: and add a separator in the (ship’s) hold, so he can hide soldiers under the layer of food supplies – sending both down to the Eastern region.

[H]: Right. I remember when this design was first shown to the builders they snickered and said it won’t work.
[H]: But who knew… that it turned out to be the best-selling model now.

[SMY]: So what about the buyer from the Sun clan?

[H]: That man bought another ten today.
[SMY]: Execellent. Don’t make it too expensive, so we can gain more later.

[H]: Of course, but from Yuan Shu’s man I asked for more, saying that the price for wood has increased.
[H]: Our shipyard has been making quite a profit lately.

[SMY]: It’s not enough. Yuan Shu has money; he’ll buy no matter the cost.

[H]: Mister Sima, you have really made a good investment…
[SMY]: Remember, this has nothing to do with the Sima clan.

[H]: Yes yes yes, this is just our shipyard’s foresight.
[H]: Now I see why you pretend to be a servant.

[Shan Wu Ling]: Amazing, amazing.

[SWL]: Just like that, the losses at Yanzhou are completely recovered from Lujiang.

[SWL]: The Sima clan certainly makes no losing deals.

[H]: Oh, is this… Xiao Meng?
[SMY]: No, she’s a Shan.

[H]: Shan?
[H]: She… she’s… a Shan?

[SMY]: The Shan clan has invested so much around here.

[SWL]: The Shan clan?
[SWL]: Aren’t they being extorted now, and thus all belong to the Sima clan?

[SWL]: The funny thing is, the Shan clan still thinks that I’m in the hands of Yuan Shu,
[SWL]: and actually handed all the shipyards to a fake Yuan Shu.

[SMY]: Price-gauging the Yuan clan; use the profit to support the Sun clan. A small capital for a big payoff; the Shan clan really does have a good foresight.

[SWL]: We’re all working for lord Cao. I just hope that you know what must be done.

[SMY]: I have gained what I wanted, but how to recover Shan clan’s losses?

[SWL]: That’s not for me to say. You know full well.

[SMY]: I need someone who knows the ins-and-outs of this region.

[SMY]: The Shan clan also needs a cut in the Eastern region profits, right?

[SWL]: Profit takes priority, so I have nothing to say against that.

[SMY]: You really are clever.
[SMY]: I think the Shan clan should take over all the support work of Sun Ce’s Eastern Conquest.

[SWL]: That’s what I’ve been waiting to hear, mister Sima.

[SMY]: Money glitters in our eye; we are one of a kind.

[SWL]: Aren’t you afraid that I’ll back-stab you if you let me go? One day… you might regret it.

[SMY]: Regret? Regret that we couldn’t meet sooner?

[SWL]: You… really have no shame.

[SMY]: Let me say it again.

[SMY]: The Shan clan,

[SMY]: is so close I can taste it.
(“…already near my lips”; connotation for “about to be taken over” in a business sense)

[SWL]: Conversely, so is the Sima clan.

[SMY]: Like hell.
A match…

made in Heaven…

A dog and his bitch.
(The entire phrase is one sentence, but I can’t make it work well in English; need a better phrase for the last part; haven’t seen enough pimp-rap-mtv/gangster films… “dog man woman”, which has “man-woman” together meaning “a couple”, so instead of the conjunction phrase, it’s more like “a couple of dogs” or “a slutty couple”, or “a despicable pair”, etc.)