Looking north towards the rivers and mountains

Chapter 48 Ship

The servants of the Zheng family took Shao Shuyi straight to the street, and in no time they had prepared almost all the necessary items for the funeral.

After the deposit was paid, the shopkeeper found two oxcarts to deliver the coffin and all the other items to the door.

In the evening, the group arrived at Li Fu's house.

The servants settled the payment with the shopkeeper and then handed the remaining money to Shao Shuyi.

Shao Shuyi bowed to express his gratitude and specifically asked the servant's name. After learning that his name was Mao Shiba, he was a little unaccustomed to it, wondering why such a random name was chosen.

He then roughly counted the money and found that there were a little over three ingots left.

The biggest expense was the coffin. It was actually a fairly ordinary thin coffin, but after much persuasion, we bought it for a single ingot of silver.

Other items like firewood, pottery jars, incense, and paper money don't cost much; the total cost is minimal. Even with the custom-made wooden tombstone, it wouldn't cost more than one ingot.

"Brother, I just bought some food and wine, and I'm almost out of money." Yu Yuan pointed to the neighbors who were helping him and said, "We can't let them help us for nothing."

Shao Shuyi turned his head and looked over, a slight sense of emotion in his eyes.

To be fair, the boat-dwelling people were not a "typical" social group in the Yuan Dynasty. Apart from vegetable fields, they owned very little land and relied on transportation, small businesses, odd jobs, and illegal fishing for a living, exhibiting a strong commercial spirit. Even so, their simple sense of neighborly mutual assistance still led them to put aside their own affairs and spontaneously come to Li Fu's house to help.

Li Fu was helped to bed and, perhaps due to the shock, had already fallen into a deep sleep.

The two children were held in the arms of a neighbor who rushed over and was gently comforted.

When Shao Shuyi stopped the oxcart at the door, everyone couldn't help but look over.

"Brother Shao is back!" Wang Huadu, who was setting up the tent, immediately called out upon hearing this.

"Who is Brother Shao?"

Are they relatives of Li Fu?

"It seems to be from Dong Erdu. I saw him before on the Thirty-Mile Long Embankment. He was competing with me for work."

"I peeked at my aunt taking a bath when I was little, she deserves to be cursed..."

When Wang Huadu heard their increasingly absurd talk, he jumped down from a bench and said, "What nonsense are you spouting? Brother Shao came here out of kindness to help Li Fu. If you keep spreading rumors, don't blame me for being ruthless!"

As he spoke, he gripped the hilt of a short blade that appeared out of nowhere at his waist, his eyebrows furrowed, and the fierce aura of someone who had been out in the world instantly emanated from him.

The gossiping men were ordinary seafarers who usually only dared to spout idle chatter and had no courage to confront a ruthless man like Wang Huadu. Seeing this, they shut their mouths and lowered their heads to continue their work. Some moved firewood, some set up the mourning tent, and some began washing the rice and vegetables they had brought. After a while, no one dared to utter a sound.

Shao Shuyi walked in, signaling to Wang Huadu not to get angry, then turned to the crowd and bowed, saying, "I'm so sorry to trouble you all. Li Fu has suffered such a misfortune, and there's really no one to take care of his family. We're counting on you all today."

After saying that, he counted out another ingot of paper money and handed it to Yu Yuan, saying, "Go and buy some more wine and food. Everyone has a hard time."

"Okay," Yu Yuan replied, and ran out the door.

Seeing that he was thoughtful and willing to contribute money and effort, the slight discussion completely disappeared, and everyone echoed "It's fine" and "It's only right", and their hands moved much more quickly.

In rural areas, getting things done requires a lively and enthusiastic atmosphere. With someone taking the lead and others lending a hand, even the most difficult matters can be gradually sorted out.

Kong Tie then came out from the inner room, pulled Shao Shuyi aside, and whispered in his ear, "Li Fu just woke up once and asked about his funeral arrangements. I only said that everything was arranged, and he didn't say anything more before lying down again."

Shao Shuyi nodded.

Outside the courtyard, Wang Huadu had already ordered the coffin to be carried to the center of the mourning tent.

Shao Shuyi walked over and touched the thickness of the coffin again, finally feeling relieved. Although it wasn't very thick, it was flat, which was much better than many people who died wrapped only in reed mats and hemp cloth.

The sun has set, and night is gradually enveloping the earth.

During this time, neighbors kept coming to visit or help. Everyone who came would glance at Shao Shuyi sitting in the corner, and no matter what they thought in their hearts, they would always praise him as "benevolent and righteous".

After an unknown amount of time, as the night deepened, people gradually dispersed. After all, they were all ordinary people, struggling to make a living every day, the kind who almost went bankrupt just to pay taxes, and couldn't possibly stay here for long.

Shao Shuyi, Wang Huadu, Yu Yuan, and Kong Tie stayed behind to keep watch.

A middle-aged woman, worried about her two babies, also volunteered to stay and take care of them.

Shao Shuyi told Wang Huadu and Yu Yuan to rest in the next room first, while he and Kong Tie stayed by the mourning tent, adding firewood and keeping the oil lamp burning.

"Was the money well spent?" Kong Tie added a piece of firewood, the firelight illuminating his dark face. He said, "Li Fu is already in this state; it's uncertain whether he can even survive this, let alone repay you. As for the ship..."

"There's no rush regarding the boat," Shao Shuyi interrupted him, gazing softly at the coffin. "I want to buy his boat, and Li Fu has agreed to sell it. What more can I say? Besides, I truly can't bear to see such a tragic situation. I was incompetent before, unable even to support myself. Now that I can lend a hand, what's wrong with helping out?"

Of course, that's what they say, but people are all human, and others can see things for themselves. Li Fu won't run away with the ship; just consider it an extra two or three ingots spent when buying it. However, there's no need to make this public.

"Yes, it's good that you understand." Kong Tie nodded.

The two chatted casually, mostly with Kong Tie recounting his experiences at sea, while Shao Shuyi listened, occasionally interjecting a few words. Around midnight, a slight noise suddenly came from the inner room. Shao Shuyi quickly got up and went over, only to see Li Fu standing there, leaning against the door frame, his face as pale as paper, his body swaying as if a gust of wind could blow him over.

"Li Fu, why are you up?" Shao Shuyi stepped forward and helped him sit down on a low stool next to the mourning tent.

Li Fu stared blankly at the coffin, and after a long while, he slowly spoke, his voice hoarse: "Thank you... thank you, Brother Shao."

He paused, then said, "I know you want the boat, and others want to buy mine. But I'm disheartened and don't want to go through all that trouble anymore. This boat is twenty years old and not worth much anymore. It will cost several ingots to repair after a voyage, and it can't go out to sea without repairs. After the New Year, the court will most likely seize my boat and force me to pay summer grain taxes, which will cost me a lot of money."

At this point, his voice trembled slightly: "I really have no other choice, absolutely no other way."

Shao Shuyi was silent for a moment, then asked, "What are your plans for the future?"

Li Fu raised his head blankly and said, "Send the two children to Qingyuan."

"Where are you going?" Shao Shuyi couldn't help but ask.

"I..." Li Fu trembled all over and said, "I have no face to go back to Qingyuan."

Shao Shuyi sighed softly and said, "If you trust me, you can stay at home for a while. When I return from Suzhou, I will give you twenty ingots of paper money, and then I will give you the boat."

Li Fu glanced at him and said, "Brother Shao is truly a kind man."

This statement is not made lightly.

Everyone knows about Li Fu's family situation. In today's cruel world, his ship cannot be sold at a normal price. Some people are even waiting for Li Fu to escape, then capture him halfway and buy the ship without paying a penny.

Of course, this is the least refined approach. A slightly more refined person would wait for Li Fu to offer up the ships, then "reluctantly" accept them, perhaps giving him a few ingots of cash to keep him from starving to death on the spot.

It is extremely rare for someone like Shao Shuyi to take the initiative to help him with the funeral arrangements, pay the money in advance, and then be willing to spend twenty ingots to buy a boat, although twenty ingots is still a very low price for this dilapidated boat.

But Li Fu, disheartened, had given up on any other ideas.

Although his wife did not come from a wealthy family, she had never really suffered much hardship growing up. When she first married him, they did enjoy a good year or two, but after he was issued a seafaring permit, things took a sharp turn for the worse. Not only did he quickly squander the family fortune within a few years, but his wife, unable to bear the humiliation, committed suicide in despair.

At this moment, Li Fu's guilt and remorse were so intense that they could not be dispelled.

What did he do wrong? He just wanted to live a peaceful and law-abiding life. But the world never gave him a chance, turning this man, who once had a modest fortune, was called a "rich man," and felt happy living under the rule of the Yuan Dynasty, into a state of ruin and death.

He didn't know why things were like this before, but now he vaguely understands.

Now, besides sadness and regret, there was also a trace of uncontrollable tyranny in his heart, a desire to smash the world to pieces.

But he couldn't do that because he had two children, his and hers.

He has already wronged her; he cannot wrong their child as well.

Thinking of this, Li Fu covered his face with his hands and wept silently.

The flickering firelight cast his long shadow on the ground.

After a long silence, Li Fu asked softly, "Brother Shao, if you can't survive in the future, will you rebel?"

The room fell silent for a moment.

Just when Li Fu thought he wouldn't hear a response, Shao Shuyi's voice rang out: "Yes."

Li Fu nodded and said, "Take the boat first, and pay later."