Looking north towards the rivers and mountains

Chapter 57 In Full Swing

Steaming hot food was served.

Shao Shuyi led Yu, Wang, Kong, and Li to sit together and enjoy their meal.

Su Niang led her three children in the kitchen, serving food to the men while taking a bite herself.

Li Fu's son, Sihai, stood at the kitchen doorway, quietly watching his father and a group of people talking in hushed tones.

He is only seven years old this year, but he has experienced great changes and is no longer as carefree as before.

He vaguely understood what the adults said and did, but he secretly remembered it all. He even had a little desire to help, but the adults wouldn't allow it.

He'll grow up someday, and then he might be able to help even more.

While drinking their porridge, Daohua and Rongniang glanced at the freshly cooked fish on the stove.

Su Niang sighed and said, "This is for Shao Ge'er and the others. Men need to be well-fed to have the strength to do great things, you know?"

The two nodded, but their eyes remained fixed on the fish.

Just as Su Niang was about to say something, she saw Si Hai turn around, look at the two girls, and say, "Without them, we would all die. Stop craving and bear with it."

Su Niang stared at Si Hai in astonishment, speechless.

Sihai sat down, picked up his bowl, and ate his meal silently with the pickles.

Under his piercing gaze, the two little girls became obedient and dared not look at the fish again.

Su Niang walked over, gently patted Si Hai's little head, and said, "You're like a little adult now."

Sihai turned his head away.

Su Niang smiled slightly, wiped her hands on her work skirt, picked up the freshly cooked carp, and walked straight to the main hall.

There were already three dishes on the table, along with a pot of yellow wine.

The five people hadn't even started eating yet, and now, fueled by alcohol, they were talking animatedly.

"Oh, four dishes already? Is this enough for me to eat? Are you trying to kill time?" Wang Huadu exclaimed with a smirk when he saw the large carp.

Su Niang rolled her eyes at him and said, "Even food can't shut you up. This was bought by Brother Shao, eat it while it's hot."

Wang Huadu picked up his bowl, took a sip of wine, then smacked his lips in a rather "malicious" manner, and said, "After this meal, I can finally relax. If I were to die unexpectedly before I've spent all my money, wouldn't that be a waste?"

Su Niang paused for a moment, then left even faster. Before entering the kitchen, she looked up at the sky and only went inside after a long while.

Wang Huadu continued his "outrageous remarks," this time targeting Li Fu. He said, "Brother Shao needs money urgently, so forget about those twenty ingots. Take them to repair the ship first, and we'll talk about it later."

"You dog, what nonsense are you spouting?" Shao Shuyi said unhappily.

Wang Huadu said sullenly, "Fine, I won't say anymore, I won't say anymore."

Upon hearing this, Li Fu raised his head, looked at Shao Shuyi, and said, "Brother Shao, actually Brother Wang is right. We spent quite a bit of money on wine and food today. If you give me twenty ingots, the remaining money won't be enough to repair the boat. I'm not in a hurry, anyway—"

He took a deep breath and said earnestly, "If I unfortunately die somewhere, please ask Su Niang to take the two children to the Xiao family's pharmacy on Qingyuan Road. Leave them just one ingot of cash for their journey; anything more will only attract unwanted attention. The dead... cannot be brought back to life. Money is useless to me, completely useless..."

At this point, his enthusiasm clearly waned, and his eyes even reddened.

Shao Shuyi sighed softly, unsure how to offer any words of comfort. Li Fu would probably never be able to move on from this.

"Dog Slave, tomorrow take five ingots of paper money to the Qian family's boat shop. Be careful not to let anyone see you." Shao Shuyi composed himself and said, "Ask Qian Baishi how long it will take to repair the wind-drilling boat and how much it will cost. If possible, start the repairs immediately, the sooner the better. If things go wrong, we can still take a boat to escape."

"Alright." Wang Huadu took another sip of wine and said, "I'll go tonight. Master Li's apprentice is easy to talk to."

"Yu She, you should go back to the shop tomorrow. That bag of sugar was bought by Master Zheng. Take five catties with you and share it with everyone in the shop." Shao Shuyi added, "If the Zheng family needs to contact me, you can relay the message between them."

"Yes." Yu Yuan nodded vigorously, and then said, "I will find some time to go home and find my brother, and ask him to inquire about information in the canal administration office or the state government office."

"Not bad." Shao Shuyi gave him an approving look, then looked at Kong Tie, pondered for a moment, and asked, "Baijianu, do you know any daring and courageous people? Not many, three or five will suffice."

"Brother Shao, I know him," Kong Tie said, still pondering. But Wang Huadu called out, "Actually, killing Sun Chuan doesn't require that many people; a few of us are enough. But if we want to hijack Zhou Ziliang's ship, we really need to call more people. Bai Jianu can call three or five, and I'll call three or five too. With us, that should be enough."

Shao Shuyi remained silent after pondering for a moment.

He really didn't want any more trouble. However, he liked to consider the worst-case scenario: if the Zheng family didn't protect him and the government wanted to arrest him, then he would have to run away.

Having a boat would not only make travel easier, but also make making a living much easier in the future. Therefore, the boat needs to be repaired whether or not it needs to be repaired.

"Brother Shao, I do know a few people, but they're all mixed up and difficult to manage," Kong Tie said while Shao Shuyi remained silent. "Besides, do you think Sun Chuan will be wandering around outside lately? Even if he does go out, he'll probably be surrounded by a large entourage. It'll be hard to find an opportunity; we can't exactly go to his door, can we?"

Shao Shuyi remained silent.

"You decide what to do." Kong Tie picked up his wine bowl, drank it all in one gulp, and said, "If you need men, I can find four or five. They're all seafarers, skilled at sailing and fighting, but we have to be careful of their backlash. They're probably more interested in hijacking the Zhou family's ship than killing Sun Chuan."

"Zhou Ziliang and Sun Chuan must have some shady relationship," Wang Huadu suddenly said. "Brother Shao, didn't you say that Zhou Ziliang was there when Sun Chuan paid for the tea? He's not only close to Wang Sheng, but he should also be very close to Sun Chuan. Why don't we go to the shop and ask? Maybe someone knows."

Shao Shuyi glanced at Wang Huadu in surprise.

This guy is sometimes unreliable, but at other times he always comes up with unexpected ideas.

"Yu She, ask the cook tomorrow. He's been in the shop the longest, he might know something," Shao Shuyi instructed. "Ask Shi Tou and Brother Liu too, they're both old hands."

"Yes." Yu Yuan nodded emphatically.

"Find one more—" Shao Shuyi's gaze swept around, finally settling on Wang Huadu, and said, "Find one or two more clever and unfamiliar people to keep an eye on Sun Chuan's neighborhood and see when he goes out."

Wang Huadu responded and then said, "Brother Shao, are we just going to ignore Zhou Ziliang's smuggling of salt? Even if you don't rob him, you can still sue the authorities, right? According to the law, you can still get a share."

"If what you say is true, Zhou Ziliang frequently goes to Shanghai to smuggle salt, so he must have already bribed the naval forces in Liujiagang. Making a hasty accusation will only alert him," Shao Shuyi said.

Upon hearing this, Wang Huadu showed no sign of discouragement. Instead, he exclaimed with delight, "Brother Shao, it seems you really intend to hijack the ships? That's wonderful! Just rob them directly, and you won't have to share the profits with the government. How great is that? Even if we're forced into a corner by the government in the future, with Zhou Ziliang's ships and salt, we won't be without a way to survive."

Kong Tie coughed lightly and said, "I don't think the Zheng family would be that ruthless. Shao-ge'er, you're right to think the worst. If the Zheng family is indeed heartless, we won't be caught off guard. But the Maritime Trade Office openly searched the blueware shop and made such a scene. Given the temperament of the Zheng family, they probably won't let it go easily. They're most likely thinking of getting revenge, and this is their chance."

Shao Shuyi nodded and said, "Indeed."

After saying that, he stood up, glanced around, and concluded, "The most important task now is to eliminate Sun Chuan. Since this man dared to harm me, there is no need to hold back; he should be killed."

When plotting to eliminate Sun Chuan, we also needed to repair the ships. I personally went to Master Craftsman Li to ask him to intercede on my behalf. Once the ships are repaired, they can be used for both offense and defense. If things don't go smoothly, we can immediately board the ships and leave, hoping to make a comeback.

As for the ship that Zhou Ziliang is repairing, we'll keep an eye on it. Just as Gou Nu said, he might be connected with Sun Chuan, and perhaps we can find leverage over this matter to bring down Sun Chuan in one fell swoop.

Finally, Zheng Sanshe is the key. If he is willing to use his connections and pull strings to protect me, what is there to fear from the Maritime Trade Office? If he is not willing, then I have nothing to say, and I will definitely teach these people a lesson.

Let's proceed accordingly! We can start looking for lackeys and slaves; quality over quantity is key, seven or eight brave and willing fighters will suffice.

"Should we lure Cheng Ji out?" Wang Huadu suddenly asked.

Shao Shuyi hesitated for a moment, then nodded slightly.

"Okay, let's do it this way." Wang Huadu chuckled and said.

He left that very night.

In the middle of the night, wrapped in a tattered cotton coat, he arrived outside the Qian family's boat shop.

At that time, the sky was covered with frost. Wang Huadu breathed out white steam, stamped his feet, and waited until dawn amidst the sparse morning stars.

When Qian Baishi's apprentice opened the gate, Wang Huadu jumped out and said, "Wake up Qian Baishi and tell him that Li Zhuang has arrived."