Mo Sang – CH 274

Chapter 274. Planting Trees

Magistrate Shi of Jiangzhou Prefecture, accompanied by five or six constables and Meng Yanqing, hurriedly arrived at Yangjiaping Shipyard around the beginning of the next day.

Upon entering the shipyard, Magistrate Shi quickly set up his guards, placing his official seal and erecting a “Silence and Avoidance” sign. He then ordered his constables to escort out all the shipyard workers who were already under their supervision.

Two constables, about ten paces from the three main rooms, smelled the stench. Pushing open the two doors, a wave of foul odor rushed out, causing the two constables to stumble back several steps, nearly fainting from the stench.

From around the hour of Si¹ yesterday until now, a full twelve hours had passed, and the doors of these three small main rooms had remained locked without ever being opened.

Eating and drinking were manageable; a day and a night were enough to endure. But the cycle of urination and defecation was something no one could hold back for twelve hours.

The room was filled with blue brick floors and urine, unable to seep through, flowed everywhere, with piles of excrement in one corner.

Even though Magistrate Shi was sitting more than two zhang away from the three main rooms, the stench from the moment the door opened made him gag several times, almost vomiting.

While the constables and Magistrate Shi gagged, they all tried their best to act as if nothing was wrong, pretending not to notice the stench! The constables held their breath, but thankfully, the people inside did not need to be urged; as soon as the door opened, they rushed out as if fleeing for their lives.

Magistrate Shi calmly inhaled and exhaled deeply, expelling the stench.

Before he came, his superior had repeatedly instructed him:

This assignment was extremely easy; you only needed to do one thing well: understand the Boss’s instructions and handle the case accordingly.

This extremely easy assignment, however, absolutely could not be messed up.

Regarding the trial, only Meng Yanqing and a few others, acting as the plaintiff, were involved in the arrangements.

Since yesterday, Li Sangrou had been visiting the shipyard and the various shops, restaurants, and inns in Yangjiaping town that were involved in the shipyard business.

Yangjiaping was a large and bustling town. It seemed that anyone in the town with any connections already knew that Guangshun Shipyard had changed hands and that the new owner was a woman.

As Li Sangrou walked through the shops, the owners and employees looked at her with complex emotions.

Yangjiaping was a town built around the shipyard first. Later, seven or eight shipyards, large and small, were merged into Guangshun Shipyard, which became the bread and butter of half of Yangjiaping town.

The change of ownership of Guangshun Shipyard was a matter of great interest throughout Yangjiaping.

The new owner was a young woman, which caused widespread anxiety throughout Yangjiaping.

Li Sangrou glanced around the shipyard, then looked at several boats that had just docked and were rushing over for free repairs. Returning to her own boat, she sipped her tea, pondering who would write the characters for “Guangshun.”

Those she knew with good calligraphy were far away, and those whose calligraphy was not great but whose noble status compensated for it were also far away.

As Li Sangrou was pondering this, a long bamboo pole extended from the shore into the water beside her boat. At the other end of the pole, a little girl clung to the tip, and as the pole bounced up, it landed on a small boat a few meters from the shore.

When the pole stood upright, it was directly above the bow of Li Sangrou’s boat. The little girl, clinging to the tip, stared intently at Li Sangrou.

Li Sangrou looked up at her and waved.

A moment later, the bamboo pole plunged into the water again, and the little girl leaped from the small boat, landing on Li Sangrou’s boat.

Li Sangrou remained seated, scrutinizing the little girl from head to toe.

The girl appeared to be fourteen or fifteen years old, strong and agile, dressed in coarse cloth, barefoot, with a dark complexion and bright, dark eyes.

“You’ve been jumping around like that just to see me? Do you know who I am?” Li Sangrou beckoned to the little girl.

The little girl picked up the bamboo pole, placed it beside the boat, walked to Li Sangrou, and scrutinized her again carefully.

“They say you are Guangshun’s new Boss,” the little girl said in a slightly hoarse voice.

“Yes, my surname is Li, Li Sangrou. And you? What’s your surname and name? How old are you?” Li Sangrou bowed, brought over a small stool, gestured for the little girl to sit, and poured her a cup of tea.

“Thank you. My surname is Zhang, my name is Ah Ying, and I am fifteen.” Ah Ying took the tea and drank it in one gulp.

“What does your family do? And you? What do you usually do? You do not just jump around like this all day, do you?”

Datou brought over a small basket of dried fruit and a small basket of rice candy. Li Sangrou took them and placed them in front of Ah Ying.

“My family used to live on the water. The spring before last, there was a big storm, and our boat broke apart. We had nowhere to go, so my uncle let us come here. He let my Pa work at the shipyard, and my Ma and I fished. We saved up money to build a new boat.”

As Ah Ying spoke, she pointed to a dilapidated wooden hut next to a large pile of timber on the shore. “We live there. My uncle begged Yang Dongjia to let us stay there. We have to watch the timber at the shipyard at night.”

“Is that your mother on that boat?” Li Sangrou pointed to the small boat Ah Ying had jumped onto earlier. Now, the boat had rowed far away, and the person at the bow was casting a net.

“Yes.” Ah Ying looked at the dried fruit and rice candy, clenching one hand and then opening it again.

“These are dried peaches; these are dried hawthorns. Our dried hawthorns are only a little sour. These are raisins, these are dried apricots, and these are pear strips. Which one do you like?

Our rice candy is also delicious. It has sesame seeds, crushed peanuts, crushed walnuts, and diced orange peel. Would you like to try some?” Li Sangrou pointed to the two baskets, introducing them in detail.

“I’ve never had it before.” Ah Ying licked her lips.

“Then try it, try them all, and see which one is the best,” Li Sangrou said with a smile, brewing a stronger pot of tea and mixing it with the previous tea. She poured a cup and placed it in front of Ah Ying.

“It’s really delicious.” Ah Ying hesitated for a moment, then took a piece of rice candy, ate it in small bites, and then went to eat the dried fruit.

Li Sangrou watched as Ah Ying ate four or five pieces of dried fruit, drank some tea, and picked up a piece of rice candy. While refilling her tea, she smiled and asked, “Besides Father and Mother, who else is in your family?”

“There is a younger brother. He’s twelve. He works odd jobs with my father at the shipyard.

Originally, I had a younger sister and another younger brother. My brother was a year younger than I am. My mother gave birth to him right after I was born. She did not have enough milk, and he was very thin from hunger. Later, he caught a cold and never recovered. I also had a younger sister who drowned when the ship broke apart two years ago.”

Li Sangrou was silent for a moment before continuing with a smile. “How much money do you have saved? Enough to build a new ship?”

“Sigh!” Ah Ying sighed briefly and forcefully. “How could we? The shipyard has always been losing money. At first, my father worked at the shipyard and was paid, but Ah Zhuang was not.

Later, just last year, they said Ah Zuang ate too much. If he ate with my father at the shipyard, he would either have to pay for his meals, or my father would not be paid.

Ah Zhuang can really eat! He can eat seven big steamed buns in one meal!

Mother said, ‘Let Ah Zhuang eat his fill first; we will worry about the rest later.’ Sigh!” Ah Ying sighed again, her sigh still short and strong.

“With such a good appetite, Ah Zhuang must be strong too; he can definitely do a lot of work,” Li Sangrou said with a smile.

“Yes, yes, yes!” Ah Ying’s eyes lit up, and she quickly swallowed the rice candy in her mouth. “Ah Zhuang is very strong, and he’s a good swimmer. Several times, when the boat got stuck at the bottom of the dock, it was Ah Zhuang who went down to tie the rope and pull it out!

Do not underestimate Ah Zhuang just because he’s young; he’s as good as a man! He really is!”

“You are so smart,” Li Sangrou said, smiling at Ah Ying.

Ah Ying blushed immediately. “I am not lying to you; Ah Zuang is really strong. Why not call him over and take a look? He can lift that anchor all by himself. He’s smart too, and very obedient. Whatever the foreman tells him to do, he does it,” Ah Ying gestured to the anchor on the bank.

“And you? What do you usually do? Help your mother fish? Your mother does not seem to need you.” Li Sangrou glanced at the small fishing boat that was now further away and smiled.

“When it is hot, I go to the river to collect iron nails.

The shipyard is over there, dismantling and repairing ships. There are plenty of iron nails in the river; they are quite valuable.

When it is cold, I go to catch turtles and dig for eels.” Ah Ying picked up another piece of rice candy.

“Women are not allowed in the shipyard, are they not? Is that not a shipyard?” Li Sangrou looked at the riverbank Ah Ying was pointing to; there were seven or eight boats moored along the shore.

“Which boat-dwelling family that comes to repair their boats does not have women? It is a broken rule!” Ah Ying said the words “broken rule” lightly and quickly.

“So clever!” Li Sangrou praised again. “So, your family plans to let Ah Zhuang eat his fill and grow up first?”

“My mother does not want to work on boats anymore. It is not that she does not want to; it is that she cannot remember, and she cannot save any money, sigh!” Ah Ying sighed again in her characteristic style.

“My mother wants Ah Zhuang to learn nail-making from my eldest uncle, but my eldest uncle has four sons, and my second uncle has two more, all wanting to work in the shipyard. They cannot even take care of their own families, so my mother’s wish is futile.

My mother told Ah Zhuang to be quick-witted, sweet-talking, and hardworking, and to listen to the masters. Maybe one of the masters will take a liking to Ah Zhuang and accept him as an apprentice.

My mother only thinks about the good things. Which master does not have several sons? And if they do not have sons, they have a bunch of nephews and nieces, this relative and that relative.

Look, besides feeding Ah Zhuang and helping him grow up, there’s nothing else she can think about, right? It is not that she does not want to; it is that she has no choice!” Ah Ying sighed again.

“And you, what are your thoughts? Any plans?” Li Sangrou asked with a smile.

“What plans can I have? I just want to find more nails, catch more turtles, and catch more eels.” Ah Ying sighed again.

“When you are a few years older, you can marry into a decent family or find a wife for your brother. After you marry, you will have children and do housework, like your mother?” Li Sangrou spoke slowly.

Ah Ying was stunned for a moment, looking at Li Sangrou, and suddenly asked, “Are you short of people on your boat? Buy me! I am a good swimmer. You throw a copper coin into the water, and I can retrieve it for you in a minute!

I can sail! I can climb the tallest mast—really fast! I can even get to the very top and tie the sail ropes! I am not afraid at all!

I can also tell the wind direction! Look, the wind coming from the east is weakening now; in two hours at most, it will change direction! It will be heading north.

I am strong! I can cook, I can do laundry, and I can even learn to serve others! I can learn! I am very smart; you just praised me!”

Ah Ying finished speaking in one breath, holding her breath as she looked at Li Sangrou.

Li Sangrou reached out and stroked Ah Ying’s disheveled hair, speaking after a long while, “You are a lucky one. From now on, you will not need to learn to serve others; just wash your own clothes and cook your own meals.”

Ah Ying blinked repeatedly; Li Sangrou’s words were ambiguous, and she could not understand what she meant.

“From now on, you will stay by my side. I will give you fifty coins a day. You do not need to do anything, just stay by my side, listen carefully, and watch carefully.

Also, do not sell yourself easily in the future.” Li Sangrou looked at Ah Ying and smiled.

“Fifty! Fifty? Fifty!” Ah Ying’s eyes widened, and she stretched out one hand, almost slapping Li Sangrou in the face.

Li Sangrou leaned back and pointed to the dried peach meat in Ah Ying’s other hand. “Learn the first and most important rule: self-control. No matter how hungry you are, do not overeat. No matter how delicious it is, do not eat too much. Know when to stop.”

Ah Ying immediately threw the dried peach meat back into the basket.

“Go tell your mother, and then come back immediately.” Li Sangrou gestured to the tiny fishing boat, barely a dot in the distance.

“Alright!” Ah Ying responded enthusiastically, stood up, ran to the boat, and plunged into the water.

Li Sangrou’s eyelids drooped slightly as she counted her breaths.

Da Chang came out of the cabin and stood beside Li Sangrou, watching Ah Ying swim swiftly.

A short while later, Da Chang saw Ah Ying swimming towards them, walked to the boat, and threw down a rope. Ah Ying grabbed the rope, struggled to climb back up, and collapsed onto the deck, soaking wet, panting heavily.

In the distance, the fishing boat also sped towards them.

“Let her go wash up and find her some old clothes to wear.” Li Sangrou looked at Ah Ying, who was too exhausted to speak but whose eyes shone brightly, and smiled, gesturing to Da Chang.

Da Chang agreed. Seeing that Ah Ying could get up, he led her, who was wading through puddles with every step, into the cabin.

In the distance, the small fishing boat also approached the large ship.

Li Sangrou remained seated, sipping her tea, watching the elderly woman on the fishing boat.

The woman sat at the stern, her hands gripping the oars. She looked up at Li Sangrou, her gaze lingering on the smooth, shiny bamboo pole beside the boat. For a moment, she paused, then lowered her head, rowed vigorously, and returned to the lake, casting her net again.

“Boss, what can this girl do?” Da Chang squatted down beside Li Sangrou and asked softly.

“The war is almost over. From now on, it will all be about business.

This little girl is smart, courageous, and resourceful. Let’s keep her around and see if we can mentor her.

The more capable people we have, the less trouble we will have,” Li Sangrou said with a smile.

Da Chang glanced at Li Sangrou for a while, then hummed in agreement.

His Boss’s words were too serious and earnest, which was not quite right. And that line about “everything from now on being business”—his Boss’s business had never been about making money.

However, he could not ask any more questions. In his experience, continuing would only reveal his Boss’s true feelings.