usatvline Chapter 64 Departure
Chapter 64 Departure
Chapter 66 Departure
Qian Baishi's apprentice, Yuan Sanqi, led his men to clean up the last bit of dirt on the ship, and the ship was then considered handed over.
"Take three ingots back. I know the original amount of money isn't enough," Shao Shuyi said, pulling Sanqi back as she turned to leave.
Sanqi hesitated for a moment, nodded, said "Take care," and left without looking back.
Shao Shuyi calculated that he had about nine ingots of paper money left. He really was spending money like water.
Of the seven ingots of paper money he received from Zhou Ziliang, he only took one symbolically, kept one as public funds, and let Wang Huadu and the others divide the remaining five ingots among themselves, one ingot each, so that no one would suffer a loss.
At this critical juncture, money is no longer of much use; what's needed are brothers who dare to fight and high morale.
As for their team of fifteen, their morale is currently quite good; at least they all harbor the dream of making a fortune.
There was only one cabin on the Drilling Sea Loach, located in the middle of the ship, above the compartment, which was naturally occupied by Shao Shuyi himself.
Wang Huadu, Liang Tai, and Yu Yuan also squeezed in, quickly filling the room to capacity.
Li Fu stood outside the cabin, holding an axe in his hand, his expression complex.
This ship had truly been a part of his bleak life in recent years, to the point that he felt somewhat uncomfortable whenever he saw it.
But there's nothing we can do. Brother Shao only has this one boat now, so he has to take it whether he wants to or not.
With that in mind, he patiently inspected the area.
The crossbeams under compartments 2, 7, 12, 13, and 14 have all been replaced; they appear to be made of camphor wood, which is quite good.
The gaps in the bottom of the boat, which were originally filled with putty and fish glue, no longer leaked water when it was moored in the Loujiang River. To be honest, no boat is completely leak-free after a long time of use, just more or less. But the dry and clean interior of the boat is obviously more pleasant than a wet one.
Several side planks were replaced using the original fir wood from the hull. Now, sandwiched between the old side planks, they look uneven and of varying ages, but this also gives a sense of security. In particular, the densely packed nails on them give a feeling of safety, showing that the materials used in the ship repairs are truly solid.
Most of the ropes were replaced, at a considerable cost.
This stuff is all handmade by rural people during their off-season. It's not expensive, but it's not cheap either. It would cost several dozen strings of cash to replace all the hemp ropes that he had been using for many years when he took over.
The oar has also been replaced; it's made of cedar wood and is well-made. It's currently stored in the hold along with the old oar.
After inspecting the area, surprisingly, a slight smile appeared on Li Fu's lips.
There's a reason why Brother Shao always gets help wherever he goes.
Even if Li Fu himself were to repair this ship and supervise it every day, it wouldn't be this cheap, let alone the level of dedication, which is even harder to measure.
Brother Shao gave him an extra three ingots, which was to be honest, it was only right to let him earn a little too, that's just how human relationships are.
In contrast, Zhou Ziliang's three boats were only given seven ingots of cash, and his men even caused a scene, leaving everyone at the boat shop dissatisfied.
Although I heard that the cost was increased later, the parts that were repaired earlier will not be redone, which poses a potential problem.
Furthermore, he didn't know how much money Zhou Ziliang had given him later, but it probably wasn't much, which made the potential problem even bigger.
In this world, while it's true that we compete for wealth and power, we also compete for how we conduct ourselves as human beings.
His biggest flaw was probably his interpersonal skills; he didn't take advantage of his family's wealth to cultivate relationships with influential figures. Now it's too late for him to say anything.
After Li Fu sighed softly, he was about to go to the front to check if there was enough firewood when he saw Cheng Ji coming from afar.
"It's barely dawn, why did you send me here? There are still two days until the tenth of the month, aren't there? Can't you wait?" Cheng Ji quickly arrived at the shore, his face showing some surprise and doubt.
Li Fu subconsciously looked to the east. The night had just ended, and the sky in the east was just beginning to lighten. Wasn't it already dawn?
Upon hearing the noise, Wang Huadu poked his head out of the cabin and saw Cheng Ji carrying a bronze flintlock pistol in his left hand and a gleaming anchor axe on his right shoulder. He was overjoyed and said, "Qi Lao Er, quickly lend a hand and let Master Cheng come up."
Without giving any instructions, Li Fu went straight over and, together with Qi Jia Erlang, first took the equipment and then pulled Cheng Ji onto the boat.
"Where's Brother Shao?" Cheng Ji looked around, his brows furrowed, and asked.
"I'm here." Shao Shuyi pushed open the cabin door and waved with a smile.
Cheng Ji breathed a sigh of relief and walked over.
"Copper handguns, plus gunpowder, bullets, and the like. Prices are soaring these days—" At this point, Cheng Ji hesitated slightly, "...and this wasn't something I sold, so..."
Shao Shuyi chuckled, took out a coin and handed it over, saying, "Keep the extra for now, and give me more medicine later."
After thinking for a moment, Cheng Ji put away the banknotes and said, "The anchor axe is not mine either. It was borrowed from a fellow soldier who intends to sell it."
"Brother Shao, there's still some money left over from the money you gave me. Let me pay." Wang Huadu reached out, took the anchor axe from Cheng Ji, and after gesturing at it a few times, said happily, "This is exactly the feeling I wanted."
"You need to work on your strength more," Cheng Ji earnestly reminded him.
"Do you need to explain?" Wang Huadu laughed, leaning on his anchor axe, standing against the wind, and actually looked quite the part.
Cheng Ji didn't bother arguing with him. He just looked around, took two steps closer, and asked in a low voice, "Brother Shao, it's been ten days. How come you have so many men?"
"Isn't too much bad?" Shao Shuyi asked with a smile.
Cheng Ji glanced around again.
The people on the boat watched him from afar, their expressions varied.
"Only those who can be managed are truly capable," Cheng Ji said. "Those who cannot be managed will be devoured by them, and it will be too late to regret it."
"You are absolutely right." Shao Shuyi grabbed him and led him into the cabin, saying, "But I have important matters to attend to now, and I have no choice but to use these people."
"What?" Cheng Ji exclaimed in surprise, "Weren't we here for drinks? What important matter has happened?"
As they were asking questions, the ship's crew began to pull the anchor, their shouts ringing out loudly. It was the voices of the several seafarers that Gao Daqiang had brought with him.
Cheng Ji grew increasingly uneasy and asked, "What are they trying to do?"
"Sir Cheng, you've been selling military equipment countless times, yet you'll never have enough to eat or wear. Why bother?" Kong Tie advised from the side, "Today, a good opportunity is presented to you, as long as—"
As soon as Kong Tie finished speaking, the wind-drilling ship trembled and slowly began to move.
Cheng Ji subconsciously turned his head to look out the window, only to see that the boat had already left the shore and was drifting towards the middle of the Loujiang River.
The river flows mightily, eventually emptying into the sea.
Just like its true name suggests, the wind-drilling vessel is about to become a sea eel swimming between the water and the sky.
Cheng Ji suddenly turned around, his expression now quite unpleasant.
******
At noon on the eighth day, Sun Chuan leisurely finished his lunch and went to his study to write characters.
The eldest son, Sun Hou, who was grinding ink nearby, noticed this and said, "Father seems preoccupied today, and his calligraphy is far from his usual standard. Does he have some trouble?"
"You're judging me now? How disrespectful!" Sun Chuan chuckled, put down his brush, washed his hands in a basin, and said, "It's not so much a question as a feeling, but rather something I've been pondering."
Sun Hou beckoned them to brew a pot of tea and bring it in. Then, following Sun Chuan's words, he said, "I sometimes don't understand Father's lament, but I can try to analyze it."
Sun Chuan stood with his hands behind his back, pondered for a moment, and then suddenly asked, "Anren, do you think your father has changed?"
Sun Hou was taken aback.
Sun Chuan waved his hand, clearly not expecting an answer from his son, and simply shook his head, saying, "Back then, when I first came to Liujiagang, I was ambitious and full of vigor. I felt resentful towards everyone and secretly resolved to surpass them. For the next twenty years, through wind and rain, I never wavered. During that time—"
Some opponents self-destruct, handing over a favorable situation to others:
Some opponents have lost their edge and become complacent, gradually losing the connections and status they have worked so hard to gain.
Some rivals, lacking successors, are unwilling to give up and stubbornly persist, pinning their hopes on talented younger generations emerging from their families, ultimately failing in the end.
There are also people who are intelligent and steady, and they hardly make any mistakes, which makes it hard for their father to breathe.
Even worse, some people were so aggressive that they forced the father to retreat steadily, unable to defend himself.
Sun Hou listened intently. He had rarely heard these stories about his father's past.
Although the father spoke in a calm tone, one can imagine how thrilling and unpredictable the events were.
"The person who was suffocating me has been killed by someone I hired," Sun Chuan said calmly.
Sun Hou was somewhat surprised.
Sun Chuan smiled faintly and said, "The man who defeated me so many times was lured into committing a grave mistake and abandoned by the Maritime Trade Office. There are many such stories, really nothing much to say. However, reflecting on the past today, I suddenly realize that I seem to be becoming one of those I once defeated. My sharpness—"
It's gone too.
How many years has it been since you personally hired someone to kill someone?
How many years has it been since you last traveled far from home?
How many years has it been since we made an example of someone else?
Over the years, I've been engrossed in literature, calligraphy, and painting, and obsessed with family precepts and traditions. I've always wanted to emulate those renowned scholarly families, to learn from them, to become like them, as if that would earn me a higher regard from the world. In the end, it was all a futile endeavor; I've only lost myself in the process.
"My son is leaving today for Kunshan Prefecture." Sun Chuan sat back down at his desk and said, "Help me ask if we can arrange an appointment with the Grand Canal Commissioner, Lord Shan, and the Commander of Ten Thousand Households, Lord Fu. If we can, I'll pay whatever it takes."
"Also, make another appointment with the salt merchants in Jiangbei. Forget it, I'll find someone else to handle this." Sun Chuan changed his mind again, saying, "Even a lion uses its full strength to hunt a rabbit. Whatever the method, as long as it works, that's enough. Indecisiveness will only harm yourself. This time, I want to see if the Zheng family, which is about to lose its pillar, and that cunning clown who is trying to climb the ladder, can withstand this thunderous blow when they go all out."
"I will obey Father's command," Sun Hou replied in a deep voice, having just realized what was happening.
Sun Chuan nodded and said, "Don't keep bullying Li He. I still need his mother's help, so don't ruin things. That's all, go and get it done quickly."
"Yes." Sun Hou bowed and turned to leave.
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