Looking north towards the rivers and mountains

Chapter 105 Fisherwoman

Shao Shuyi wasn't surprised when asked that question.

"Madam has keen insight," he praised. "Nowadays, government-supplied salt is half salt and half mud, which is truly harmful to the people. To prevent the people from suffering, we have no choice but to engage in the private salt trade."

Liu chuckled; she had never seen someone so righteous and awe-inspiring as to sell smuggled salt.

"When Lihe first came to this courtyard, he either covered his nose because he disliked the strong fishy smell, or he would stay inside the courtyard and not leave, unwilling to get his clothes and shoes dirty," Liu said. "And then?" Shao Shuyi asked with great interest.

"I gave him a beating," Liu said matter-of-factly. "His mother used to be a fisherman's daughter. She helped her family catch, collect, and kill fish from a young age until she was thirteen or fourteen, when her family couldn't make ends meet and she started doing business."

Shao Shuyi was actually a little annoyed by the smell of fish, but how could he show it at this time? Respecting customers and business partners is a basic requirement. If you can't do this, you should give up this business as soon as possible.

Furthermore, this Mrs. Liu comes from a "family with a long history of learning," so what does it mean to start a business when you can't make ends meet?

"There was a reason why I asked you to make salted fish earlier," said Madam Liu, as she scooped up another fish.

This fish was quite large, and perhaps sensing its fate, it struggled violently in its moment of life or death, managing to break free from Liu's grasp while she was distracted by her words. Shao Shuyi grabbed a kitchen knife from the side and slammed it down, stunning the fish on the low table—or perhaps killing it.

Liu glanced at him but said nothing.

Shao Shuyi held the fish down with one hand and cut along its belly with the other, saying, "I liked fishing when I was a kid, but it was mostly small crucian carp. I could catch six or seven after half a day of fishing, and I would kill them right there by the well and make soup. It was much better than making salted fish."

"There's a reason I asked you to make salted fish." Liu put down her work and let Shao Shuyi kill the fish. "Actually, my family doesn't own a salt shop in Longwan City. We sell our salt in a grain and oil shop."

Shao Shuyi nodded and listened quietly to what she had to say.

"The salt-producing area under the Liangzhe Transport Office was the remaining territory after excluding the eight routes of Fujian, Suzhou, and Hangzhou. Previously, the 'Salt Law' was implemented, which meant that salt was levied on the people based on their population, essentially an apportionment system," Liu said. "After receiving their salt permits, each route would go to the salt warehouses to collect the salt and transport it to the official bureaus in the prefectures and counties under their jurisdiction for sale. However, there were only a few official bureaus, and the salt could not be sold for a long time. Therefore, they had to recruit merchants and ask grain shops to help sell it. There were even cases where officials from the entire prefecture or county were asked to help sell the salt. If they couldn't sell it, they would eat it themselves, and many officials went bankrupt because of this."

Although the imperial court issued two edicts a few years ago ordering the Liangzhe Transport Office to abolish the "Salt Law" and prohibit the distribution of salt to the people, and instead have the Lianghuai Transport Office handle the "commercial transport and sales" of salt in the salt-producing areas, the salt tax was not reduced and the Transport Office ignored the order.

Actually, I also wanted to get into the salt trade, and I even sent people to inquire. Everyone I heard said nothing had changed; the salt trade in Zhejiang and Jiangsu was still "government-run and government-sold." So you understand now?

Shao Shuyi grunted in agreement, quickly cleaned the fish, and then carried the bucket to the well.

My newly bought leather boots got splattered with mud as I walked through puddles, and even the hem of my shirt got a little dirty.

Liu didn't take it seriously, stood up, took a deep breath, and rubbed her lower back.

Her bulging chest rose and fell slightly, and her plump, round buttocks, though dressed in coarse linen, exuded a unique charm reminiscent of a young fisherwoman.

Shao Shuyi filled a bucket with water and carefully cleaned the fish that had just been killed.

Liu walked over and quietly watched Shao Shuyi's actions.

"Do you like to eat fish?" Shao Shuyi asked.

Liu was slightly taken aback; these words sounded familiar.

"Actually, I don't really like it. I got tired of it when I was little," Liu said. "The fish that our family couldn't sell were eaten by my siblings and me. We ate too much of it and got tired of it. But today I'm craving it and want to eat it."

"Okay." Shao Shuyi nodded.

We've obtained another piece of useful information.

Madam Liu was not alone; she had two siblings. He boldly speculated whether her brother was involved in her business empire or even some shady dealings.

Let's delve deeper into this client's background!

"I saw many fishermen on the road just now," Shao Shuyi added.

"Scared?" Liu asked, arms crossed over her chest, a half-smile playing on her lips.

Shao Shuyi shook his head and said, "I just feel a bit emotional thinking about Zhou Ziliang's past. Life is tough for fishermen."

"My third uncle isn't that bad," Liu said.

"Third Uncle?" Shao Shuyi asked in confusion.

Liu fell silent.

Shao Shuyi didn't ask any more questions. He quickly finished washing the fish and then casually asked, "Where's the kitchen?"

Liu snatched the wooden bucket and turned to go to a side room in the west wing.

Shao Shuyi looked up and saw a chimney on the roof, so he immediately followed.

Inside the house was an earthen stove, with two iron pots placed side by side, one on the left and one on the right.

Liu lifted a pot lid and began to put water into it.

Shao Shuyi crawled directly into the stove, grabbed a handful of straw, lit it with a fire tinderbox, and stuffed it into the stove hole.

"Small fire or big fire?" he asked.

Liu was taken aback for a moment, then said, "Fire."

"Alright." Shao Shuyi searched around and picked up a few dry bean stalks, stuffing them into the stove. The stove crackled and popped. He didn't stop working and quickly found a few more branches to stuff into the stove.

The fire gradually grew larger, flickering and illuminating his face.

Liu's movements were slightly clumsy, as if she hadn't cooked in many years. Fortunately, her memories from her girlhood remained, and she gradually calmed down. "Actually," Liu suddenly said, "if you want to smuggle salt, your biggest opponent isn't the government, but other salt smugglers." "What do you mean by that, Madam?" Shao Shuyi asked, while using fire tongs to pry branches and pieces of wood in the stove.

"The prefectures and counties are actually quite annoyed by the salt permits forcibly imposed by the Transport Commissioner," said Madam Liu. "We often hear of chief stewards, prefectural magistrates, and county magistrates petitioning for a reduction in salt permits. If they succeed, it's considered a political achievement, and the local elders congratulate them. Because of the imperial laws and government finances, they do investigate and prohibit smuggled salt, but they're not that strict. However, smuggled salt dealers are different. If you sell salt to a certain place, you're taking their money, and they might fight you to the death." "Nothing in this world is easy," said Shao Shuyi. "If you want to make money, you have to risk your life."

"Is it like you robbing Li Da Weng's goods?" Liu asked. "Are you really not going to compensate him?"

Shao Shuyi smiled and said, "I'm not going to Taizhou, so what can he do to me? If he's so capable, he can come to Taicang."

"Aren't you planning to do maritime trade?"

Shao Shuyi didn't answer, but only asked, "Your grain shop sells salt on behalf of the government, you must not make much money, right?"

Not many.

"Alright." Shao Shuyi looked at Liu Shi and said, "Then I won't do maritime trade anymore. I'll go to the salt fields in Liangzhe and get some salt to send to your residence, so you can earn more." Liu Shi chuckled lightly, her meaning ambiguous.

"You need someone like me," Shao Shuyi said earnestly. "I'll get the salt, you sell it, and everyone can make a profit."

"Where do you plan to sell salt?" Liu asked.

Shao Shuyi was taken aback: "Shouldn't I have to ask you?"

"I've closed my shops in Liujiagang and Taicang," Liu said. "I'm afraid I won't be able to sell in those two places anymore."

"Where to?"

"Actually, there were people selling smuggled salt in Longwan," Liu said. "I only found out about it two years ago, that they got the goods from Zhu Chen." Shao Shuyi's mind raced as he analyzed this statement.

It is known that Madam Liu owns three shops in Longwan City, and that "someone sold smuggled salt there." She was unaware of this at first. Based on this, it can be deduced that some or all of these three shops are not under her control, or are only nominally under her control.

Her family's power structure is very complex.

"Let's sell it in Jiangyin Prefecture first; I plan to open a shop there," said Liu.

Shao Shuyi was secretly pleased; his role as a lackey hadn't been in vain.

"Are you confident?" he asked.

"Officially, there's no major problem," Liu said. "But the local smuggled salt is run by a man named Zhu Ding, who has about a dozen ruthless thugs under his command."

"Where did he get his salt?" Shao Shuyi asked.

"The rumor is that it's salt from Taizhou, which is the salt transport office of Lianghuai."

"Outrageous!" Shao Shuyi exclaimed indignantly, "The Lianghuai Salt Transport Office has overstepped its bounds! How did it end up selling salt within the Liangzhe Salt Transport Office's territory? Can we sue them?"

Liu chuckled again and deliberately said, "I do have that idea."

Shao Shuyi also laughed.

Just then, the pot started bubbling, and a few wisps of aroma wafted out through the gaps in the lid.

"Oh, we should have put some tofu in there," Shao Shuyi said with some regret.

Liu remained silent.

Actually, she hadn't planned to cook here at all today. She had only mentioned eating fish earlier to lead into the topic of salted fish, but things took an unexpected turn, and the two of them ended up in the kitchen without her noticing.

Thinking about it carefully, it's probably because she recalled many things from the past, her deceased parents, and the happy times she spent as a fisherwoman on the coast of Wenzhou more than ten years ago. Yes, if you asked her, who has been pampered for more than ten years, to go back to the life of a fisherwoman, she would definitely not be happy, but this is what nostalgia is all about.

Meanwhile, outside the courtyard, Wang Huadu, Tie Niu, Liang Tai, and others stood face-to-face with Xu Dafeng's group, the atmosphere extremely tense. The two sides numbered over a dozen people; some sneered, some threatened, and some even wanted to fight—the air was thick with tension. However, someone soon smelled the smoke drifting over.

Turning my head, I saw wisps of smoke rising from the kitchen chimney.

Upon closer inspection, the aroma of fish soup even wafted from the courtyard.

What exactly happened?