gnovel Chapter 109 Natural Disaster
Chapter 109 Natural Disaster
The rain pattered obliquely on the bamboo leaves outside the study window, making the room seem even quieter.
In one corner of the large rosewood table, a censer burns with aloeswood incense, the smoke rising thinly and dissipating just as it reaches mid-air.
An open account book lay on the table, its pages covered with dense writing.
There seemed to be another book next to the ledger, probably read in his spare time.
Several maids stood on either side, their heads slightly bowed.
Madam Shen sat behind the large table. When she saw Shao Shuyi, she gently parted her lips and said "Sit," before continuing to look at the account books.
Shao Shuyi bowed, sat down on a low stool, and kept his eyes straight ahead.
However, I already glanced at it when I came in.
Today, Madam Shen wore a yellow-green slanted collar cross-collar kimono.
Inside the brocade robe, a section of moon-white cross-collar was visible, the collar close to the neck, embroidered with a few faint plum blossoms in silk thread.
She wore a long, purplish-gray skirt, tied at her slender waist with a light blue palace sash.
Beneath the large table, a pair of dark blue satin shoes were visible, each with a blooming plum blossom on its toe.
This Lady Shen loves plum blossoms very much.
Shao Shuyi pondered the implied meaning, analyzing Madam Shen's temperament, and unconsciously comparing her to Madam Liu, whom he had met recently. Comparatively, Madam Shen was more dignified, while Madam Liu was a bit wild.
This is related to the two people's childhood environment.
Madam Shen came from a prominent family, lived a life of luxury, and was highly educated. From a young age, she was exposed to various political and business practices, giving her a broad perspective. Madam Liu, on the other hand, was originally a fisherman's daughter who helped her family sell and kill fish from a young age. When she was thirteen or fourteen, her family became pirates, which directly changed the trajectory of her life.
Judging from Lin Gu's age, Madam Liu should have married another pirate leader, "Brother Lin," very soon.
Brother Lin was busy at sea, while Mrs. Liu ran the business on land. The couple worked together and made a great business.
As for what happened next, due to insufficient information, Shao Shuyi could not make any predictions.
In short, these are two people from very different backgrounds and with very different personalities.
Madam Shen's shortcoming was that she had no contact with the lower classes, while Madam Liu's shortcoming was probably that she was less educated.
Shao Shuyi suddenly remembered Amu again.
Well, she was still an innocent young girl, and I wonder if she kept a few books of plays about the love between scholars and young ladies by her pillow.
If I absolutely had to choose, it would be one.
"Boom!" A thunderclap struck the sky.
Shao Shuyi looked out the window in surprise. Damn, even fantasizing gets you struck by lightning?
Madam Shen seemed startled by the thunder. She got up and walked to the window, saying, "During the Three Kingdoms period, Xiahou Taichu once leaned against a pillar to write. At that time, it was raining heavily, and lightning struck the pillar he was leaning against, scorching his clothes, but his expression remained unchanged. When I first read this passage, I didn't find it strange, but now I admire him greatly."
Xiahou Taichu must have been electrocuted, right? Shao Shuyi was full of questions, thinking to himself, "If I built a Faraday cage and crawled into it, wouldn't you all be amazed? Developing a large following is very much in line with the realities of late Yuan society."
However, he echoed the sentiments of the artistic young woman, Shen Niangzi, saying, "The power of heaven and earth can sometimes make one feel that human strength is sometimes limited. However, a true man born between heaven and earth should also be courageous in undertaking tasks and strive for self-improvement."
Madam Shen silently watched the raindrops outside the window, listening quietly to the sound of them hitting the bamboo grove and roof tiles, and said with a smile, "It sounds like the sound of an abacus."
After saying that, he turned to look at Shao Shuyi and said, "You're here, why bring any gifts?"
"I am deeply grateful for the kindness shown to me by the lady, hence this gesture," Shao Shuyi said.
Madam Shen shook her head, sat back down behind her desk, and said, "I asked you to transport the goods because you are diligent and meticulous, and you can deter bandits. It's not just because of Zheng Yifang's or Manager Mo's recommendation, but also because of Mingziyao. Take it back later."
After saying that, he thought for a moment and then said, "All the goods are ready. Come to the warehouse tomorrow to load them and send them to Jiangxi as soon as possible. You can take whatever you want on the return trip. We still have the planks, copper and iron that we brought back last time."
"Okay," Shao Shuyi replied.
At the same time, she thought to herself, "Do all women have more than one face? Just now she was like an artsy young woman, but now she's acting like a business-like, powerful businesswoman."
By the way, when Madam Shen went to the window, Shao Shuyi secretly glanced at the book and discovered that it was actually "A New Account of Tales of the World".
This is an important message, offering a glimpse into the rarely revealed inner world of Madam Shen.
"The water fare is still ten strings of cash per stone. Any objections?" Madam Shen asked again.
"No objection," Shao Shuyi said.
Madam Shen hummed in agreement and then asked, "I heard that we encountered river bandits on our return journey last time. Should we add one or two strings of cash? Business is about everyone making money together. I make a lot of money transporting goods to Jiangxi, so there's no reason for me to let you lose money."
Upon hearing this, Shao Shuyi immediately praised, "Madam is a woman of exceptional talent and courage, truly surpassing all those money-grubbing merchants of Liujiagang."
Upon hearing this, Madam Shen said expressionlessly, "Then let's add another guan. 'The best archer in Taicang' is worth the price."
Shao Shuyi almost lost his composure upon hearing this.
Even though you give yourself an identity when you're traveling, the news spread way too fast! Right, it must have been Lao Mo who told me.
"It's getting late. If there's nothing else, you should head back," said Madam Shen, glancing out the window.
Shao Shuyi stood up, bowed, and said, "Madam, the things I have brought are mostly medicinal herbs that regulate qi and improve eyesight. Madam works hard at her desk all day long, so it would be most suitable to have these herbs made into soup."
"I appreciate your kind gesture, please take it back," said Madam Shen.
Shao Shuyi remained silent for a moment, then got up to take his leave.
The rain outside was getting heavier and heavier. I had only taken a few steps when there was thunder and lightning, and the wind and rain were raging.
Just as they were hesitating, Manager Mo walked over from afar, holding an umbrella in his hand, and said with a smile, "I've been looking for you for quite a while."
Shao Shuyi laughed and said, "This is exactly what we need."
"The lady asked me to deliver it," Mo Bei said with a smile.
"Oh?" Shao Shuyi was somewhat surprised.
Mo Bei glanced at him and said in a low voice, "The lady just asked me if your ships are specifically used for transporting grain?"
"What does this mean?" Shao Shuyi asked.
"Don't be in such a hurry," Mo Bei said. "I told her the truth, and she muttered to herself, 'Then we can't go to Changguo Prefecture.' Then she asked me if we could go to the Tongzhou coast. I said that this ship specializes in traveling between Liujiagang and Dadu, so it can go to the coast near Tongzhou. That's how grain transport ships go. She didn't say anything more, but I'm wondering if she wants you to go to Lüsi Market to transport dried seafood?"
Shao Shuyi's heart skipped a beat, and he asked, "Who used to transport it?"
"The boats from our Suzhou ancestral home are similar to those of the Drilling Wind Sea Loach," Mo Bei said. "But now that Madam has left home, she can use any boat she wants." At this point, Mo Bei sighed and said, "Actually, my Mo clan also has boats, but they rarely visit, so I can't speak up for them. When it comes to social skills, Shao She, you are much better than them."
Shao Shuyi pondered to himself that, including this time, this was the second time that Madam Shen had transported dried seafood to Jiangxi. This meant that she or the Shen family had a stable channel for purchasing dried seafood, and had maintained it for many years.
Thinking of this, Shao Shuyi immediately asked, "Master Mo, if I go to Lüsi to transport fish, who should I deal with?"
"Someone will accompany you then," Mo Bei said. "If that's not possible, I'll have my nephew go with you. He's been to Lüsi several times and knows the people there very well."
"Then it's a deal," Shao Shuyi said with a smile.
"Let's wait for a definite answer from Madam before we talk about it," Mo Bei said. "Come on, I'll see you to the door."
On the sixth day of the fifth lunar month, with the goods already loaded, Shao Shuyi, along with the hired seafarers, embarked on a second journey to transport Jingdezhen porcelain for the Zheng family.
Meanwhile, Liujiagang gradually entered a busy period.
At the end of May, just as Shao Shuyi's fleet had arrived at Poyang Lake and was sailing upstream towards Fuliang, the Caofu's Spring Festival transport fleet had already arrived at Zhigu for several days.
The sea was filled with masts like a forest and ships densely packed together, almost filling the entire space between heaven and earth.
Zheng Fan and the fourth son of the Fang family did not linger and immediately hired a carriage, heading straight for Dadu.
On the evening of May 21, when they met with Wu Zhifang, a scholar of the Jixian Academy, they received a startling message: Prime Minister Tuotuo had already resigned from his post several days ago.
The stated reason was that he was ill and unable to govern.
The emperor bestowed countless rewards upon him, including the title of king and the granting of fiefs, but Toqto'a refused them all.
That's how things went. The new Right Chancellor of the Central Secretariat, Arutu, took office. Although he was recommended by Toqto'a, he "never read Han Chinese documents" and his political leanings were unclear.
There were even rumors in the court that Arutu seemed to intend to send a Mongol or Semu person south to replace Zheng Yonghe in the position of deputy commander of the Grand Canal after his retirement.
Zheng Fan knew the situation was serious, so he traveled around the capital looking for a way out.
But at this time, almost no one paid attention to them, because with the continuous torrential rains in May, the Yellow River breached its banks again.
The disaster was quite severe. In many parts of Henan, the water level was two meters deep, famine was widespread, and the local situation was unstable.
For the people of Henan, this was a natural disaster.
For the Zheng family, this was also a "natural disaster".
The foundation of their alliance with the Ye family of Chongming no longer exists.
The business cooperation between the Zheng and Shen families seemed to have become dispensable.