xymnovel Chapter 103 Peace Talk
Chapter 103 Peace Talk
An afternoon shower gave the locust and willow trees on both sides of the street an unusual freshness.
Two oxcarts, one in front and one behind, stopped outside Chen's Wine Shop, diagonally opposite Zheng's Greenware Shop.
A moment later, two people got off the first oxcart, one of whom was Li Liu, who had previously appeared outside Honghu Tower.
Another person was an "acquaintance" to Shao Shuyi: "Dafeng," the manager of Liuji Grain Shop in Longwan City.
"Let's go. Stop dawdling. Are you afraid of dying?" Da Feng glanced at Li Liu and said.
Li Liu was initially somewhat indignant and was about to lash out when he saw the scar on Da Feng's face, which dampened his momentum somewhat. He said, "Let's go then, what's there to be afraid of?"
Da Feng chuckled, took the first step, and sneered, "Shao Shuyi 'repelled four boats with four arrows,' calling himself 'Taicang's number one archer,' his reputation is so exaggerated, isn't he afraid?"
"That's just ignorant seafarers spreading rumors." Li Liu snorted coldly and followed.
Da Feng chuckled lightly, said no more, and soon arrived in front of the blueware shop.
Upon seeing him, a man at the door immediately greeted him warmly, "Are you here to buy celadon ware?"
Da Feng didn't answer, but simply went inside and casually looked around.
Li Liu followed in with a sullen expression, and asked gruffly, "Is Shao Shuyi here?"
As soon as he finished speaking, all the shop assistants who were arranging porcelain, sweeping the floor, and keeping records stopped what they were doing and looked over with burning eyes.
Li Liu's expression froze.
Is this supposed to be a legitimate jewelry store? It looks like a den of thieves! Is there even a single decent person here?
"What do you want with him?" After a moment, a lean man asked.
"Who are you? I'm looking for your accountant." Li Liu suppressed his unease and said stiffly.
"My surname is Kong." The lean man sized Li Liu up and down a few times, then asked, "Do you need to see the accountant?"
"He owes me money," Li Liu said with a sneer.
The store fell silent again.
Soon, one of the men ran towards the backyard, while another went forward, seemingly trying to close the gate.
The other two men put down their brooms and rags, and slowly walked behind the counter, standing beside Kong Tieshen, their hands seemingly groping for something. Li Liu subconsciously swallowed.
Da Feng coughed lightly, a faint smile on his face, and asked, "Brother Kong, you don't recognize me?"
Kong Tie glanced at Da Feng and shook his head slightly.
He really didn't know him.
"When Accountant Shao went to Jiangxi last time, he passed through Longwan City and I met him briefly," Da Feng said. "My name is Xu Da Feng, and I'm from Yueqing, Wenzhou."
Kong Tie remained expressionless as he looked at him.
"Bang!" The shop door was slammed shut, intensifying the tense atmosphere inside.
Li Liu's eyes widened, and he took two steps back to stand side by side with Xu Dafeng.
"We have people outside," Xu Dafeng reminded him.
"There really are acquaintances outside!" Just then, a series of footsteps came, and Shao Shuyi's face appeared at the back door, accompanied by a big, clumsy man with a steel knife hanging from his waist.
A big-headed child followed behind with a tree branch, but was quickly dragged back.
After two loud slaps, he covered his bottom and started crying.
"Accountant Shao, how have you been? Greetings from Xu Dafeng of Wenzhou." Xu Dafeng smiled and bowed.
"Brother Xu, you're too kind." Shao Shuyi returned the greeting and then looked at Li Liu.
Xu Dafeng pointed at the man and said, "Li Liu, from Huangyan, Taizhou, is a seafarer."
"Oh?" Shao Shuyi's expression remained unchanged. After quickly looking him over, he smiled and said, "Come to my study."
After saying that, he turned and left.
Xu Dafeng and Li Liu exchanged a glance and followed.
As they crossed the courtyard, the two saw a lively scene of people moving and counting the greenware.
A pale-faced scholar held an account book in his hand, giving instructions incessantly. When he caught sight of Xu Dafeng out of the corner of his eye, he seemed somewhat surprised.
"So it really was about settling accounts," Xu Dafeng said with a smile from afar.
Standing next to the pale-faced scholar was an older scholar with many keys hanging from his waist and an account book in his hand. Hearing the voice, he looked at Xu Dafeng and asked in surprise, "You've been to Jiangning?"
Xu Dafeng nodded slightly, but his attention shifted elsewhere.
The people carrying the blueware were thin and dark-skinned, and many of them were even barefoot, their arches unconsciously gripping the ground as they walked.
This looks familiar...
Xu Dafeng smiled and looked away, turning to Shao Shuyi.
He had arrived at the door of the study, where a man with messy hair, a dark complexion, and rough hands and feet was waiting.
"Brother Shao, here's two catties of spring leeks and ten eggs that I picked from my own vegetable patch this morning. It's just a small token of my appreciation." The man's face was full of flattery. "Yu She," Shao Shuyi called out.
"Here I am, brother." Yu Yuan handed the account book to someone and ran over.
"Take Brother Chen to the kitchen for a meal before you leave. Ask Huang how much she wants for the chives and chicken, and buy it as part of the kitchen expenses," Shao Shuyi instructed.
"Okay." Yu Yuan nodded.
"Brother Shao, you mustn't, you mustn't!" the man hurriedly said. "It's so hard to find work these days. But at the Qingqi shop, we get a good meal, are paid well, and they don't delay payment. We're all very grateful. The chives and chicken are all homemade; it's just a small token of our appreciation. We absolutely cannot accept money." Shao Shuyi said earnestly, "Brother Chen, that's precisely why I can't accept it. The shop needs help moving goods, and you came to help without hesitation. I'm grateful for that. Go on, treat the brothers to a meal before you leave. The kitchen steamed some buns this morning, and they're still steaming. How can you let someone who works for me suffer a loss?"
Chen Si remained silent for a moment, then sighed, "Brother Shao, just let me know if you need anything in the future."
"Okay." Shao Shuyi laughed and readily agreed.
After Yu Yuan and Chen Si left, Xu Dafeng walked over, looked at Shao Shuyi quietly for a moment, and asked doubtfully, "Are you really only sixteen years old?" Several people came over from the corridor and laughed when they heard this.
They felt the same way.
A person's age isn't written on their face, but rather revealed little by little through their words, actions, interactions with others, and thoughts. Standing next to Brother Shao, it's truly hard to believe he's only sixteen; you'd instinctively think he's over thirty.
"Come in." Shao Shuyi beckoned him inside and sat down.
Tie Niu followed and stood behind him.
Wang Huadu stood with his arms crossed to the lower left of Shao Shuyi.
Liang Taize stood opposite Wang Huadu.
The newly joined Wei Erdi stood outside the door, while Jiang Sanbao closed the door, put his hand on his waist, and looked at Xu and Li from behind.
"Brother Xu has come all the way from Jiangning, there must be something important going on," Shao Shuyi said bluntly.
Xu Dafeng pondered for a moment, pointed at Li Liu, then looked at Shao Shuyi, and said, "I've been entrusted by someone to act as a mediator."
"Oh?" Shao Shuyi raised an eyebrow and said, "Who entrusted you with this? And for whom are you acting as a middleman?"
"My wife," Xu Dafeng said.
"Madam Liu?"
"Exactly."
"Madam Liu and I have no past grudges or recent resentments, so what's this talk of reconciliation?" Shao Shuyi laughed.
Xu Dafeng didn't beat around the bush and said directly, "Last December, Li Daweng from Huangyan lost a shipload of goods. He's got his eye on you and wants you to come up with three thousand ingots to settle the matter."
Upon hearing this, Li Liu couldn't help but look at Xu Dafeng.
Didn't I tell you to ask for 5,000 ingots? 3,000 ingots is just the bottom line.
"I didn't do it, I didn't." Shao Shuyi shook his head: "If that's all, please leave."
Li Liu's face immediately darkened.
Xu Dafeng nodded and said, "I'm only responsible for relaying messages. But one..."
"Speak freely," Shao Shuyi said, extending his hand.
"Men of the sea are never ruthless," Xu Dafeng said, carefully choosing his words. "The fact that Elder Li is willing to send someone to negotiate peace is already a great show of sincerity. If we anger him, will we still be able to travel at sea in the future?"
Before Shao Shuyi could speak, Wang Huadu sneered, "Let him come to Taicang, and I'll teach him a lesson. He's just a pirate who's come ashore. He thinks he can get three thousand ingots of silver just by talking nonsense? What a joke. If he angers my elder brother, I'll go directly to the government and raid his den." Upon hearing this, Xu Dafeng's expression remained unchanged, but Li Liu's face was so gloomy it seemed like it could drip water.
It was both anger and annoyance at having one's sore spot hit.
While pirates may seem powerful, they have a fatal weakness: they have families and even property on land, and they are unwilling to offend the government unless absolutely necessary.
Li Da Weng was considered quite resilient back then, but he only held out for a little over a year before accepting the offer of amnesty immediately. The reason was simple: his followers all wanted to go ashore to visit their families.
Furthermore, islands are not desirable places. They have nothing, are desolate, and even the largest prefecture, Changguo (in the Zhoushan Islands), cannot be self-sufficient in food and still needs to import it via the Qingyuan Railway.
As for cloth, ironware, tea, wine, and other such items, once the blockade is in effect, you'll lose everything unless you go ashore to loot them, but that's too risky. "Brother Shao, we're all men who make a living at sea, why be so heartless?" Xu Dafeng advised. "Old Man Li has had a tough time too; he spent a lot of money trying to come ashore back then, and all his savings over the years have been wiped out. And now..."
Xu Dafeng sighed and asked, "How much can you take? Name your price. We'll go back and ask around; maybe we can talk about it some more." "I didn't do it, and I don't have any money," Shao Shuyi replied curtly. "If all else fails, go to the Kunshan Prefecture government office and file a complaint. Let Judge Xue from the prefecture hear the case and see what really happened."
Xu Dafeng looked at Shao Shuyi quietly, lost in thought.
Just as Li Daweng had some connections in Taizhou, Shao Shuyi should also know some people in Kunshan Prefecture, or perhaps he himself was one of those people who did dirty work.
Then there's nothing to discuss.
What a waste of time.
That bitch Liu, not only was she unfaithful to Brother Lin, but she also got married, and of course she married Sun Chuan, getting herself into all this trouble for no reason. I hope it doesn't drag Xiao She into this mess.
Thinking of this, Xu Dafeng cupped his hands and said, "I've delivered the message. What you do is your own business and has nothing to do with me. I'll take my leave now." With that, he pulled Li Liu away.
Jiang Sanbao asked with his eyes.
Shao Shuyi waved his hand, signaling him to open the door, then quickly stood up and said, "Brother Xu, please wait."
Xu Dafeng froze.
"Don't be nervous, there's something else," Shao Shuyi said with a smile.
Xu Dafeng relaxed a little.
"Brother Xu, please move over here," Shao Shuyi said, pointing to the tea table not far away.
Wang Huadu arrived at the door, shoved Li Liu, and said, "I didn't invite you to stay, get out."
Li Liu was furious, but upon seeing the courtyard full of seafarers, his anger subsided, and he left with a cold snort.
Shao Shuyi pulled Xu Dafeng to sit down and asked in a low voice, "Brother Xu, what do the inns on Jiqing Road sell? Not just rice and noodles, right?" Xu Dafeng pondered Shao Shuyi's meaning and replied thoughtfully, "They sell all seven necessities of life: firewood, rice, oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and tea."
Shao Shuyi felt relieved and asked, "I would like to see Madam Liu; I have important matters to discuss. Is that alright?"