gnovel Chapter 97 The Return Journey
Chapter 97 The Return Journey
Chapter 97 The Return Journey (Part 2)
"Order: Beat the drums!" Shao Shuyi gave the order after the fleet had passed the most dangerous section of the river.
"Dong dong dong————" The Wind-Drilling Sea Loach was the first to beat the drum, and the sound carried far across the river.
"Dong dong dong————" A rhythmic response came from the Taijia ship, followed by the Taiyi ship.
After the three boats responded to signal that it was safe, Shao Shuyi waved and said, "Return to your respective boats."
"Okay, brother." Yu Yuan picked up two fire spears and prepared to leave.
"The next reply will be..." Shao Shuyi instructed.
"Yes, brother," Yu Yuan replied loudly.
Shao Shuyi opened his mouth, then said helplessly, "Put the gun away."
As the two spoke, footsteps could be heard continuously from the inside of the ship's side.
The snipers who had been squatting there sheathed their swords and returned to their respective compartments.
In an instant, the tense atmosphere on the ship vanished, and laughter and chatter returned.
Kong Tielu glanced out the window, nodded to Shao Shuyi, and then began to survey the entire ship, urging the sailors standing around to return to their positions. Those who needed to steer the boat, those who needed to rest, rested, and those who needed to remain on guard continued to do so.
The sailors obeyed the order, but there was still some commotion.
A skinny, monkey-like man led two men back to the fifth compartment. After putting down his knife and axe, he sneered:
They almost thought that the grain shipment had encountered pirates.
The other two chuckled, but their expressions were rather unpleasant.
To be honest, encountering pirates was extremely dangerous; even if you won, the casualties would be enormous.
Inside the sixth compartment, the two hurriedly entered, sheathed their swords, and sat facing each other.
"Five years ago in Shandong, the salt commissioners were incredibly ignorant. Even when I went to their woods to collect some dry firewood for cooking, they wanted to fight me to the death. Fortunately, my fellow passengers arrived in time, and I was spared."
"The Shandong region has the most accidents," another person said. "Years ago, a villager went ashore to fetch water and was tied up by the locals. Several boat managers gathered more than a hundred people to rescue him, and a fierce fight ensued."
"Haha. I love seeing the officials looking so terrified after the brawl is over."
In the tenth compartment, a man put down his ring-handled sword, smiled at his concerned companion, and said, "It's nothing, I didn't encounter any river pirates. Actually, I'd like to see what the difference is between river pirates and sea pirates."
After all this, the boatmen talked for quite a while before they gradually calmed down.
Kong Tie walked at a leisurely pace, glancing inside each compartment as he passed, signaling everyone to remain silent.
Inside the ship's cabin, Zheng Fan pointed to the north bank and asked curiously, "Little Tiger, is this the most dangerous section of the river in your opinion?"
"Yes." Shao Shuyi replied almost without hesitation, "The Yuxi River connects directly to Chaohu Lake and is linked to Hefei via the Nanfei River. Banditry is rampant, so we have to be on high alert. If anyone had come close just now, I would have shot an arrow as a warning. If they still ignored the warning and continued to approach, I would have fired both muskets at once."
"Was the man you wounded last time the bandit leader from Chaohu Lake?"
"There probably aren't any particularly big bandits on Chaohu Lake," Shao Shuyi said. "The most famous one is Double-Knife Zhao..."
Li Batou was surrounded and forced to scatter and hide by the government troops, so who else would dare to show their face?
"Can seafarers defeat pirates?"
Shao Shuyi was silent for a moment, then said, "It's hard to say. The bandits who have committed crimes are unruly and extremely vicious, and ordinary seafarers probably can't handle them. So when recruiting people, we look for those seafarers who have encountered pirates or fought with salt farmers and local people on land."
"You've thought of everything," Zheng Fan said with satisfaction. "Once we get past this part, there shouldn't be any danger, right?"
"There should be no major problems," Shao Shuyi replied. "If you wish to stop the boat when we pass Caishiji, you may. After purchasing food and water, we will not stop again and will proceed directly to Liujiagang to dock."
Zheng Fan nodded and said, "Let's do it this way."
On the afternoon of the 14th, the fleet anchored at Caishiji.
The people from the Lianghuai Transport Office came over, and after realizing it wasn't a salt ship, they left cursing.
Zheng Fan led his men ashore for a stroll, returning only after nightfall. He also brought back several jugs of fine wine and a pig's head for Shao Shuyi and the others.
On the morning of the 15th, the fleet weighed anchor and set sail without stopping, arriving at the Old Locust Tree on the morning of the 21st.
The distance from Caishiji to Liujiagang, which is several hundred miles, was covered in six days. To be honest, it was faster than the advance of a cavalry unit.
In the Jiangnan region, ships sailing with the wind and current are formidable; their ability to move day and night far surpasses that of any other type of military force.
At the beginning of the Si hour (9-11 AM), when his feet touched solid ground, Shao Shuyi secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
The first trip between Liujiagang and Jiangzhou took more than two months.
There were some minor setbacks along the way, but overall it was a smooth journey.
After going through this ordeal, his self-confidence has improved considerably.
The next step is to wait for the wave of ship clearance sales after the grain transport is completed.
******
The 22nd and 23rd are the days for unloading.
The goods that Zheng Fan brought back from Jiangxi were temporarily stored in the vacant warehouse of Qingqi Shop.
More than two thousand pieces of Jingdezhen celadon porcelain were sorted, stored, and recorded. At this time, Shao Shuyi rarely returned to his job as an accountant.
In the evening, Manager Mo came to visit, bringing with him the remaining balance of 120 ingots of water money.
"Have you eaten?" Shao Shuyi pulled Lao Mo directly into his room and sat him down.
"I've already eaten," Mo Bei said with a smile.
Shao Shuyi gave Yu Yuan a wink.
Yu Yuan understood and quickly brought out two pieces of porcelain from the Ghost Kingdom.
Shao Shuyi pushed it in front of Mo Bei and said with a smile, "I heard that the shopkeeper's youngest daughter is getting married? This item would be perfect as part of her dowry."
Mo Bei repeatedly declined, saying, "Shao She, how can I take away what belongs to someone else?"
Shao Shuyi pushed the kiln piece closer and said, "It was a gift from Master Zheng, but I have no use for it. Master Mo is very understanding and experienced in his work; I will need to learn from him a lot in the future."
"Oh no, no, no!" Mo Bei waved his hands repeatedly.
"Please do not refuse, Mr. Mo," Shao Shuyi advised.
After a brief standoff, Mo Bei sighed and said with a wry smile, "Little Tiger, you really are—"
'
Shao Shuyi laughed and said, "You are my elder, and you've lived a longer life than I have. If I ever have any questions in the future, I might have to trouble you. It's only right, it's only right. If you don't accept my advice, I'll be too embarrassed to come and ask you for help."
Mo Bei shook his head and smiled wryly. He didn't stop Shao Shuyi from putting the kiln pieces into his purse, but said, "After returning home the day before yesterday, I personally reported my trip to Jiangxi to Madam. After learning that we might encounter bandits on the road, Madam instructed me to make sure the water transport fees were paid on time and not to delay. In the future, if there are any matters related to water transport, you can also ask Xiao Hu if you are available. She doesn't trust outsiders."
Upon hearing this, Shao Shuyi immediately stated, "Please ask Mr. Mo to convey to Madam that I dare not say anything else, but once the goods are in my hands, they will definitely be delivered on time without any problems."
He knew very well that the first half of the sentence was most likely said by Madam Shen, who was not short of money and did not want to renege on her debts and ruin her reputation.
As for the second half of the sentence, it's very likely that Lao Mo added it himself. But it doesn't matter; as the most senior and trusted manager under Madam Shen, Mo Bei has considerable power. If he says he can entrust some of the freight business to him, it's highly probable that it's true.
This gift was well worth it.
The two chatted for a while longer. Seeing that it was getting late, Mo Bei got up to take his leave. Shao Shuyi personally escorted him to the door and watched him get into the carriage before turning back.
"Yu She, settle the accounts!" After returning to his room, Shao Shuyi sat down in a chair, crossed his legs happily, and gave the order.
"Brother Shao, according to what you said before, this will be calculated as two and a half months' wages. In addition, there will be food, water, and medical expenses..."
"Expenses such as favors and gifts—" Yu Yuan went on and on, and finally gave a figure: "A surplus of 130 ingots and 550 cash."
"Not bad." Shao Shuyi closed his eyes, savoring the moment.
After a moment, he swung his leg and said, "Settle the wages with the boatmen as soon as possible. As for these hundred or so ingots..."
"Brother Shao, you still owe Master Zheng one hundred ingots," Yu Yuan said.
Shao Shuyi glanced at him helplessly and asked, "Just tell me how much money I have left?"
"148 ingots and 300 cash," Yu Yuan said. "That's how it's recorded in the account. I'll count it again later."
Shao Shuyi hummed in agreement and said, "Don't rush to pay back the money. We've already reached an agreement with Gou Nu. He sold me 153 mu and 200 steps of wasteland for a total of 800 ingots. Next, we'll need to hire people to prepare the land, which will cost quite a bit."
Shao Shuyi only received the letter that Wang Huadu had sent through someone after he returned to the old locust tree.
The letter mentioned that there is a large, undeveloped wasteland in Sanlinli, Pudong, but the conditions are acceptable. It is located in a small river bend and irrigation will not be a problem in the future.
The landowner was a retired official returning to the capital who was eager to sell the land for 950 ingots.
After a long tug-of-war, as the departure date of the Spring Festival fleet drew closer, the other party finally relented and offered 800 ingots, refusing to lower the price any further.
Jiang Bayue suggested buying it because the land was contiguous. Although it would be overgrown with weeds, a river flowed around it, and it could be used to grow rice after it was cleared.
Wang Huadu trusted his uncle's judgment in this matter and gave his approval.
In this way, eight hundred ingots were spent directly—actually, it was quite worthwhile. After hyperinflation arrived, even using paper money to wipe one's bottom was too risky, as it would easily make one's hands dirty.
"Brother Shao, Lord Zheng specifically asked you to keep an eye out for ships," Yu Yuan reminded him. "Once you get that piece of wasteland in Sanlin, that's enough. Spending over a hundred ingots probably won't amount to much. It's better to use that money to buy a ship first, and then figure out other things."
Shao Shuyi thought for a moment and said, "That makes sense. Please keep an eye out for me in the next few days."
"Yes," Yu Yuan replied.
"Hmm—" Shao Shuyi seemed to have thought of something and asked, "Where did Liu Huipeng go?"
"I heard you're going to Suzhou to visit an old friend," Yu Yuan replied.
"That's good." Shao Shuyi nodded.
He had already completed his task by bringing the person to Liujiagang; he couldn't keep supporting him indefinitely, even though he really wanted to get to know this person.
"Nothing much today," Shao Shuyi said with a smile. "A batch of white porcelain will be arriving soon, so you and Song You need to settle the accounts. My friend—the Third Dormitory invited me to a banquet at the old house in Yantietang, but I don't know why."
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