gnovel Chapter 138 Mobile Crime
Chapter 138 Mobile Crime
On the 22nd day of the ninth month of the fourth year of the Zhizheng era (1344), there was continuous drizzle.
A small boat parted the reeds and ventured into the harbor.
The riverbank was covered in gray fields, but upon closer inspection, one could see vibrant green shoots – the wheat sown in autumn had already sprouted. At the edge of the wheat field, by the vegetable patch, an old farmer in a straw raincoat was tending to the land. Occasionally, when he encountered an acquaintance, he would stop his work and exchange a few words with a smile.
A little further away, across a dirt road, are scattered houses nestled among bamboo groves and trees.
As evening approached, wisps of smoke rising from chimneys dispelled the bleakness of late autumn, adding warmth and tenderness to the approaching cold, rainy night. This is autumn in Shanghai, an ordinary evening that couldn't be more so.
The small boat slowly came to a stop, and the harbor river smoothed out the rippling waves.
With a "caw," the crow took flight, looking somewhat flustered.
With a series of "swish" sounds, the sound of swords being drawn rose and fell.
Then came the "squeak, squeak" sound as the rain boots slipped and slid through the mud.
In the desolate graveyard, the first thing to appear was a face with a somewhat fierce yet indifferent attitude.
He was wearing a straw raincoat and a bamboo hat, with a gleaming anchor axe slung over his shoulder.
Following closely behind was a face that conveyed a mixture of excitement, anticipation, and a touch of melancholy. He too wore a straw raincoat, a bright red headband, a ring-hilted sword at his waist, and a long spear in his hand.
After taking only two steps, he slipped and fell. In a hurry, he used his hand to brace himself against the tombstone to regain his balance. Then he muttered something, as if begging for the forgiveness of the deceased.
After these two men came ashore, several more people followed, each carrying weapons and looking wary.
Su Shuisheng, a boatman from Banjinghai, was walking at the very back when he tripped and fell flat on his face, getting his clothes all dirty.
Wang Huadu, who was at the front, saw this and angrily cursed, "Didn't you eat enough?"
Su Shuisheng's face turned pale, and he said anxiously, "Steward, I practiced too hard the day before yesterday, and my hands and feet are still a little sore."
After saying that, he quickly dusted off the mud and water from his clothes, then gripped his spear and stood at attention.
"Enough talk, keep up," Wang Hua snapped, waving his hand and saying, "Forward!"
The group continued to incline forward, soon approaching the village.
An old man picking vegetables in the fields saw this and thought he was seeing things. He wiped his face vigorously and looked closely. He saw a group of seven or eight people marching in a single file towards the village.
Everyone was wearing a straw raincoat, with a red cloth strip tied around their forehead, and holding knives, spears, and clubs, remaining silent.
"This..." The old man instinctively wanted to run away, but his legs were a little weak.
"Seventh Uncle, don't you recognize me?" Wang Huadu took off his straw hat and asked with a smile.
"You...you are Cuiying's child?" Uncle Qi said.
"Haha, it's me. I heard my uncle was sick, so I came to see him. Sanbao is here too." With that, Wang Huadu beckoned, signaling Jiang Sanbao, who was holding a long spear, to step forward.
"It really is Sanbao." Uncle Qi's face regained its color, his back and legs no longer ached, and he said, "He's at home in August. He's recovered from his illness, and this morning he was even arguing with someone with great energy."
Wang Huadu and Jiang Sanbao laughed together.
That's how it is in the countryside; it's a close-knit community. Even if you've gone out to do business with no capital, when you flee back to your hometown to lay low, as long as they're not your enemies, generally no one will report you, and they might even help you cover it up.
Wang Huadu and Jiang Sanbao don't look like they're out doing anything legitimate, but who cares? As long as they don't harm the villagers, they won't say anything no matter who comes; they'll just pretend they didn't see them today.
The seven people slowly entered the village and soon stopped in front of the Jiang family compound.
After Jiang Sanbao went inside, he quickly came out again and took the remaining six people into his home.
The gate to the courtyard was then closed.
After nightfall, the two left the courtyard and returned to where the boat was moored. Together with the person who stayed behind to watch the boat, they sailed towards the sea.
"Brother Wang, should we arrange for someone to keep watch tonight?" Su Shuisheng asked softly after dinner.
Although he was somewhat pleased with the title "Brother Wang," Wang Huadu still glared at him and said, "Have you forgotten the rules? Either call me Steward, or call me..." "Yes." Su Shuisheng lowered his head and asked again, "Steward, should we arrange for someone to stand guard?"
Upon hearing this, Wang Huadu scratched his cheek.
To be honest, although he was appointed as the chief steward of the "Pingyi" ship and commanded twenty people including himself, Wang Huadu was still somewhat unaccustomed to it. When asked by his subordinates, he became a little anxious.
According to the rules, one or two people should be sent. But they only have five left now, and he was unsure whether to send someone to keep watch. "What's there to hesitate about?" Jiang Bayue, wearing a cotton robe, came out and said, "Wuxing will stay by the river tonight to watch the ducks. I told him to be alert at night and not sleep too soundly, and to help keep an eye on them. There's a woodshed behind the yard, just across the road. You can send someone to stay there." Wang Huadu thought to himself that his uncle was decisive, so he chose Su Shuisheng to keep watch for the first half of the night, and Guo Xian, the resident of Liujiagang Station, to keep watch for the second half.
After everything was arranged, he pulled his uncle back into the house and whispered, "Uncle, Brother Shao is here. He's on the boat right now. He sent Sanbao and me to scout ahead. If there's nothing going on in the village, we'll stay here for two days and then go to the sand quarry to collect salt."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Bayue sighed, "You've all ended up on this path after all."
Wang Huadu didn't mention that they had already done this once in Tongzhou, and even killed the patrol officers and soldiers. He just nodded and said, "Transporting goods isn't that easy. Who would give you business to do without a reason? Brother Shao had no choice. He couldn't bear to see his brothers struggling to make a living, so he led everyone to smuggle salt. After making a few deals and having some money, they can do other businesses."
"Once you start smuggling salt, will you have the mind to do anything else?" Jiang Bayue didn't believe it at all and asked, "Has Shao Shuyi gone ashore?"
"I can't answer that."
"Then why did he send you here?"
"First, let Sanbao go home to check on things so you won't worry. Second, I'd like to find a place in the village where someone can stay and recuperate if they get sick or injured, and then rejoin the team after they've recovered. Third, we need to buy some alcohol, grains, meat, fruits, and vegetables. It's not comfortable to eat dry food all day long; hot soup and hot meals are much better."
"This is really the behavior of pirates," Jiang Bayue glared at her nephew and said, "They're entangled with the local people, constantly sending people ashore to recover from their injuries. After a while, will they even help dispose of stolen goods?"
"Uncle," Wang Huadu said with a grin, "Sanbao has already joined the group, why are you still talking about this? You are now a seafarer in Songjiang, and the 'good days' are yet to come. Why are you worrying about this damned court? After the big thing is done, Sanbao will also get a share of the reward money."
Jiang Bayue remained silent.
After a long silence, he cursed, "This damned imperial court is truly outrageous. It's only because I'm old now that I could have done this. If I were twenty years older, I would have stormed into the government office and slaughtered them all."
"Uncle, stop talking big." Wang Huadu walked up behind him, massaging his shoulders as he said, "Brother Shao is the real ruthless one. When they encountered the patrol officers, while others hesitated, he directly ordered them to take action. Besides, although I was partly instigating this salt smuggling, Brother Shao's daring and decisiveness are undeniable."
Jiang Bayue sighed, "Shao Shuyi is indeed extraordinary. Sometimes I even feel like he's my peer. But then again, in this world, being respectful and hardworking isn't necessarily right, and murder and arson aren't necessarily wrong. Everyone has their own destiny, and it's hard to say who's right and who's wrong. You just mentioned nicknames, what do you mean by that?"
Wang Huadu recounted the matters discussed during the previous meeting on the ship.
"What's your nickname?" Jiang Bayue asked.
Wang Huadu blushed and said, "Divine Traveler."
"There are people in Wusongjiang who are singing the story of 'The Remnants of the Xuanhe Era of the Great Song Dynasty,' which features a character called 'The Divine Traveler,'" Jiang Bayue said. "What's Shao Shuyi's nickname?"
A strange look appeared on Wang Huadu's face. He said, "Brother Shao calls himself 'Mengde,' with the courtesy name 'Gongming,' and he wants us all to call him that. He even gave the bandit official Cheng of the capital a nickname: 'Shoot the Sky'..."
Even though she had lived half her life and seen countless strange things, Jiang Bayue still wanted to laugh.
This is a real bandit's nickname, a nickname used to evade government investigation.
"Last time there was a pale-faced scholar who used a musket; what was his bandit name?"
"Yu She, his nickname is 'Little Scholar'."
"And there's a skilled helmsman..."
"Li Fu? His nickname is 'Boat Fire,' he didn't come this time."
Jiang Bayue didn't want to ask anymore; it was impolite and too difficult to keep up the tension.
"Fine, it's come to this, what else can I not understand?" Jiang Bayue slammed her hand on the table and said in a slightly annoyed tone, "So what if I'm smuggling salt? Let's teach this damned court a lesson and let them know that not everyone is as easy to bully as me. There are still empty rooms at home, so bring any injured or sick people over. I can't guarantee anything else, but I can certainly take good care of them. I also know a doctor who'll do anything for money. If the care isn't good enough, I can even ask him to come and treat them and get some medicine. In short, I won't let any hero suffer any injustice."
"That's right," Wang Huadu said with a smile.
Jiang Bayue stood up, shook her head, and said listlessly, "I'm half-buried up to my neck, so I don't want to think about anything else now. I just wish you all safety. Be careful tonight, and don't let anyone sneak up on you without you noticing."
"Okay," Wang Huadu replied.
On September 23, they purchased some grain, rice wine, meat, fish, fruits and vegetables in the village, transported them to the seaside by donkey cart, and loaded them onto the ship one by one. Then they unloaded the building materials.
That night, the two ships set sail south and appeared on the coast near Xiashachang at dawn, where they began to land.