gnovel Chapter 12 Greenware
Chapter 12 Greenware
On April 19th, as previously agreed, Shao Shuyi arrived at the boat shop and boarded the boat with the Zheng family to go to Liujiagang. Before leaving, Shao Shuyi gave Li Zhuang five strings of cash as a token of his gratitude. He was quite adept at handling interpersonal relationships.
The banquet the day before yesterday lasted until late at night.
The poor guys practically sucked out the marrow from their mouths, and they ate every last bit of the vegetables, soup, and rice—this was the best and most satisfying meal Shao Shuyi had had in less than two months since his transmigration.
The next morning, Kong Tie was the first to say goodbye.
Because Cai Luantou, a wealthy man from Wenzhou, secretly led a group of people away, the Grand Canal Administration and the provincial government had to requisition ships from other places, thus delaying the Spring Festival travel rush until now. But it's about time they set off; the first batch of ships will depart in two days at the latest, fully loaded with grain and transported to Zhigu.
Yu Yuan was the second to leave.
He was like the well-behaved, academically gifted kids of later generations, hanging out with a bunch of delinquent teenagers, calling each other brothers. If his elder brother found out, a good beating was inevitable—Yu Yuan's elder brother, Yu Chu, was an interpreter in the Caofu (Grain Transport Bureau), one of the forty-seven clerks who received a salary.
Wang Huadu is still staying in the Shao family's courtyard.
Shao Shuyi handed over the remaining grains and beans, as well as the vegetable plots in his yard, to him, leaving him to do as he pleased.
Wang Huadu didn't say much, only cupped his hands in greeting. He would probably stay at the Shao family's house for a while longer, until things calmed down before coming out again—he'd heard he was going to Shanghai County to stay with relatives, but he didn't know if that was true.
When the sun was high in the sky, the ship carrying Zheng and his companions finally weighed anchor and set sail.
The three-masted sailing ship with a deep draft sailed down the Loujiang River, heading straight for Liujiagang. It was only then that Shao Shuyi saw the entire lower reaches of the Loujiang River for the first time.
This main stream, also known as Liuhe, is one of the three major tailwaters of Taihu Lake—the Dongjiang, Songjiang, and Loujiang rivers.
The Dongjiang River, which flows into the sea near Jinshan, was abandoned during the Tang Dynasty.
As the coastline expanded outwards, the Songjiang River (Wusong River) continued to lengthen, its riverbed gradient gradually decreased, and its flow velocity slowed down. Therefore, starting from the late Southern Song Dynasty, the Loujiang River gradually became the main outlet channel of Taihu Lake, and it "quickly avoided siltation" and "deepened without dredging."
In addition, under the influence of river currents, tides, and waves, Liujiagang, located at the mouth of the Loujiang River, has become a well-known excellent port. With its wide and deep waters, it is home to more than a thousand official and private vessels year-round, making the Loujiang River a perfect match for it.
After sailing downstream for half a day, Zheng's boats had reached the lower reaches of the Loujiang River.
Shao Shuyi stood on the foredeck, looking at the wide river, and was quite moved.
The closer you get to the Yangtze River, the wider the Loujiang River becomes. This section looks to be more than two miles wide, and the old boatman said the water is nearly two zhang (about six meters) deep, which is truly astonishing.
It was here that the number of buildings on both sides of the river began to increase significantly. Docks, warehouses, shops, taverns, brothels, and even naval camps of all sizes stood side by side and could be seen everywhere.
Many wealthy businessmen and ordinary people from home and abroad have settled here, for no other reason than to make it convenient to do business.
"This Liujiagang must be teeming with wealth," Shao Shuyi thought to himself, marveling.
In his view, Liujiagang was already an independent town, no different from Taicang, the location of Kunshan Prefecture, the Grand Canal Administration, and the Maritime Trade Office, and even more prosperous.
The commercial atmosphere in the dozens of miles between Liujiagang and Taicang City was also very prosperous. Even among the local people, it seemed that not many people grew grain. As far as the eye could see, orchards, vegetable plots, mulberry groves, livestock pens, and even horticultural nurseries were everywhere, occupying almost half of the fields. There were not many people who grew grain exclusively.
"Residents in the suburbs of commercial cities probably prefer to grow cash crops, as they earn more than growing grains," Shao Shuyi pondered silently.
Some things haven't really changed much from ancient times to the present.
A series of footsteps sounded, and Zheng Song arrived on the foredeck.
Shao Shuyi turned around and bowed, a smile on his face.
Zheng Song nodded slightly, his expression unchanged, and stared straight at the river.
The bow cleaved through the river, and the boat sped along. More and more boats were moored on both sides of the river, indicating that they would soon be entering the core area of Liujiagang.
"My family owns several shops in the port. You'll be working at a shop that sells ceramic ware, as an accountant." After a long pause, Zheng Song finally spoke, saying, "The work isn't much; it's just some writing and calculation. You'll also need to help organize and inventory the warehouse when you have free time. You can live in the shop and eat with the elders. At the beginning of the month, you'll receive four dou of rice, three liang of salt, a jar of pickles, and twenty guan of Zhongtong paper money. You'll also receive gifts for the four seasons and eight festivals that others have; in short, you won't be treated like an outsider."
After saying this, Zheng Song turned his head and looked Shao Shuyi up and down with the eyes of a hawk.
Shao Shuyi forced a few smiles and bowed again.
"There's no need for that," Zheng Song waved his hand and said, "Just do your job well and don't have any disloyal thoughts. The Zheng family will not mistreat those who have made contributions, nor will it let those who betray their family get away with it. Remember that."
"Yes," Shao Shuyi replied respectfully.
Zheng Song quickly shut his mouth; he had said everything he needed to say.
The ship's steward poked his head out of the cabin, seemingly wanting to say something but then stopping himself.
"What is it?" Zheng Song glanced at him and asked.
"The old locust tree is about a mile ahead," the steward said.
"Let's lower the anchor," Zheng Song nodded and said.
The foreman responded and began instructing the boatmen to prepare for anchoring.
Looking ahead, Shao Shuyi indeed saw several tall locust trees standing on the riverbank.
Beside the locust tree, there is a wooden pier extending into the river. This is much more convenient, because large ships can dock directly on one side of the pier without having to use small boats to go back and forth—which is not possible in many places in Liujiagang, where large ships are moored in deep water and have to rely on sampans to travel between the water and the shore, which is quite troublesome.
Zheng Song quietly left, seemingly having something to discuss with a few trusted confidants. Shao Shuyi stood on the deck for a while, wanting to help but unsure where to begin. In the end, he simply shook his head and carefully observed the riverbank.
As the boat drew closer to the old locust tree, the pavilions, towers, and brick-and-stone courtyards on the shore became faintly visible.
More and more people gradually gathered. They shaded their eyes with their hands, carefully distinguishing the boats on the river. When they saw the Zheng flag flying high on the mast, they immediately started waving their arms.
Donkey carts, mule carts, and even ox carts were brought over one by one and lined up on the shore, ready to unload the goods.
There were seven or eight men dressed in blue robes scattered around, keeping watch at a distance. They were not necessarily professional martial artists, but most of them were just part-time thugs. However, they looked intimidating when they were carrying weapons, and they could easily be used as police officers against petty thieves.
The ship's foreman's booming voice echoed from the second floor of the cabin. The sailors chanted their commands, furling the sails and turning in one fluid motion. The massive river barge, like a tamed beast, slowly and precisely approached the pier. As it drew nearer, a bundle of rope was thrown from the ship. The people on the shore caught it, tied it to a wooden stake, and slowly pulled, finally bringing the ship to a perfect stop on the east side of the pier.
The stone anchor fell into the water, splashing up murky spray. Several planks were deployed, connecting the deck to the pier.
"Let's go." Before anyone knew it, the ship's foreman came to the foredeck and called out to Shao Shuyi.
Shao Shuyi turned his head to look at the cabin, and when he saw that Zheng Song had gotten up and left the cabin, he did not hesitate any longer and stepped onto the pier.
He finally arrived at Liujiagang.
******
As dusk fell, various porcelain pieces were piled up on the ground inside the courtyard with its blue bricks and gray tiles.
After reporting to Zheng Song, shopkeeper Wang Sheng personally came to the courtyard to supervise the shop assistants in sorting the porcelain into categories and storing them in the warehouse.
When Wang Sheng saw the thousands of celadon chrysanthemum-shaped plates, vases with tubular handles, fish-ear censers, and tripod censers, his eyelids twitched involuntarily.
This is only part of it; there's more on the ship, and even more will be unloaded tomorrow.
"Take over the Class B house." Wang Sheng instructed, "Be careful not to damage it; it's all money."
A tall, sturdy clerk responded and left carrying a stack of plates.
The others were also nervously selecting various celadon items, proceeding with great care.
Shao Shuyi picked up two celadon single-handled cups and followed behind Gao Zhuangshi, wanting to help.
"Wait a minute, accountant. This item should go to the first-class department," Wang Sheng said after squinting at it for a moment.
Shao Shuyi was surprised.
Perhaps in a good mood, Wang Sheng explained, "It's understandable that you're unfamiliar with celadon ware since you're new here; you'll learn as time goes on. The item you're holding must be from the Longquan kiln, which is extremely valuable. During the Song Dynasty, there were two brothers, Zhang Shengyi and Zhang Sheng'er, both from Chuzhou, each in charge of a kiln. Zhang Shengyi's ware was light in color, hence the name Ge kiln. Zhang Sheng'er's celadon ware was pure and beautiful, like fine jade, and highly valued by the world; it was the official kiln, also known as the Sheng'er kiln or the Di kiln. Nowadays, it's often referred to as the Longquan kiln, and the foreigners love it very much."
"I see." Shao Shuyi nodded and said, "I've learned something."
"Stone!" Wang Sheng suddenly called out.
"They're here." A servant who was busy with something put down his green vessel and walked over quietly.
Wang Sheng beckoned him closer, whispered a few instructions, and finally said, "Take the accountant to familiarize himself with the various storehouses."
"Yes," Shi Tou replied, then walked to Shao Shuyi's side, bowed, and said, "Accountant, please follow me."
Without saying a word, Shao Shuyi followed behind, carrying the green vessel.
The two walked one after the other through a house, then turned into a corridor, and finally stopped in front of a few brick houses.
The door to the innermost room was open, and many boxes and shelves could be vaguely seen.
"The accountant can simply place the blueware on the ground; I will put it into storage," Stone said.
Shao Shuyi didn't stand on ceremony and gently placed the blue vessel on the ground.
One stone at a time, they were picked up and placed in their corresponding positions in the room.
Shao Shuyi followed him inside, looking around.
The room contained over a thousand pieces of porcelain, ranging from cups and plates to vases, from incense burners to lamps—a dazzling array of items.
This is just one room in the so-called Jia-character warehouse. As you can see, the outer walls of several rooms side by side are painted with huge "Jia" characters. There should be several thousand pieces of celadon wares of all sizes.
Besides the Jia-class repository, there should be at least a Yi-class repository, which should store slightly lower-grade blue artifacts. As for whether there are Bing-class or Ding-class repositories, no one has told him about that; he needs to find out more.
"The Zheng family has really made a fortune!" Shao Shuyi exclaimed.
He quickly realized that he was there to work as an accountant, so should he re-inventory the blue artifacts in the warehouse?
Thinking of this, he asked, "Stone, are there any ledgers for all these items?"
Shi Tou, who was about to walk out, paused, his face showing tension.