xymnovel Chapter 41 Ritual
Chapter 41 Ritual
On the Double Ninth Festival, Zheng Fan returned from Quzhou and gave holiday gifts to a total of eight people in the shop, including himself.
There wasn't much. Shao Shuyi received ten strings of cash, two dou of rice, one liang of refined salt, and a few salted fish, which he moved to his newly rented riverside courtyard.
Yes, this house is right by the river. To the west, there's a small hill that someone built up; if you climb it, you can see the Loujiang River and the Yangtze River.
It's really peaceful living in this courtyard.
Shao Shuyi sometimes felt fortunate to be a time traveler, and sometimes he hated it, simply because he knew too much.
After shaking his head, he returned to his bedroom in the backyard and put away all the various items one by one.
This house has more than one bedroom, but it only has a bed and a dilapidated coffee table pieced together.
Shao Shuyi placed the coffee table beside the bed, with the brass hand cannon on it, leaning against the wall. Jars and canisters containing gunpowder were placed in the corner under the coffee table for easy access.
When no one was looking, he even bowed to his prized weapon. No other reason than for psychological reassurance, lest it explode at a crucial moment.
The bedding on the bed was a gift from Zheng Fan, neither new nor old. Along with some utensils for eating, Wang Hua carried them over for two miles.
"This house is better than the old one," Shao Shuyi remarked.
Yu Yuan sat on a chair with a missing leg, silently counting his money. After a moment, he looked up and said, "Brother Shao, the rent is paid until the end of January next year. We've also bought some new supplies. We currently have thirty-five strings of cash and eight hundred and twenty cash left. We also have eight dou of rice and three liang—"
"Alright," Shao Shuyi waved his hand and said, "It's just a few dozen strings of cash; even if you count them out, it won't amount to a single coin more."
He seemed to have forgotten his embarrassing state six months ago when he said this, putting on a slightly affected act.
"Paper money is becoming less and less valuable every day, so we still need to spend it as soon as possible." Shao Shu lay down on the bed and said lazily, "Go cook."
"Brother Shao, aren't you going back to the inn for dinner?" Yu Yuan asked.
"What a question..." Shao Shuyi said, "I'm tired of eating meat and fish every day. Today I just want some pickled vegetables and rice porridge. Hurry up, I'm hungry."
"Okay, I'll go right away." Yu Yuan deftly stuffed the money into the wooden box.
Just then, Wang Huadu walked into the courtyard carrying a large bundle and shouted, "Little Tiger, which room did you save for me?"
"Choose any spot in the front yard," Shao Shuyi replied loudly, then got up and left the house.
Behind Wang Huadu were a young woman and a little girl who looked only four or five years old.
When the woman saw Shao Shuyi, she bowed and greeted him, while the little girl blinked at him.
"This is..." Shao Shuyi asked hesitantly.
Wang Huadu first winked and then mumbled, "Stay here for now. The old house was about to collapse. Su Niang is hardworking; she works as a maid in a wealthy household during the day and sews and mends at night. She's having a tough time..."
After saying that, he pointed at the little girl and said, "She—"
"Daddy," the little girl called out in a clear, sweet voice.
Wang Huadu's eyes widened, and he said angrily, "Who told you to call me 'father'?"
The little girl was startled and hid behind her mother.
The woman glared at Wang Huadu.
Wang Huadu's arrogance immediately dissipated, and he said sullenly, "I've been muddle-headed since I was a child, and I'm still like this now that I'm grown up. I even had a daughter in a muddle-headed way."
"Haha." Surprisingly, it was Yu Yuan who laughed first.
Seeing this, Wang Huadu immediately put the bundle in his arms and said, "Laugh, laugh at your head! Go and pick a room for me, make a bed and fold the quilts."
"Understood," Yu Yuan replied honestly.
The woman hurriedly stepped forward, blushing as she snatched the bundle, then took her daughter's hand and went to choose a house.
"You actually managed to escape." Wang Huadu patted Yu Yuan on the shoulder and said, "What are you standing there for? Go cook, I'm hungry."
After being asked to cook by two people in a row, Yu Yuan finally gave up. But given his meek nature, he just kept quiet and went to the river to wash the rice.
"I just saw someone building a large house to the west. Who is it?" Wang Huadu asked after turning his gaze away from Yu Yuan.
"I don't know either," Shao Shuyi said. "I heard that they are from out of town and plan to stay here for a long time. They have already bought the house, but perhaps they think it is too small and want to expand it."
"They're really rich," Wang Huadu said, pursing his lips.
"I'll take you to meet even more wealthy people in a few days," Shao Shuyi said with a smile.
"Who goes there? Do you need any equipment?" Wang Huadu asked, his spirits lifting.
"Don't mess around with the ceremony for worshipping the Heavenly Princess. Lord Zheng will also be there," Shao Shuyi said helplessly.
"Never mind then." Wang Huadu suddenly lost interest, but then he remembered something, looked around, and lowered his voice, saying, "Xiao Hu, get a boat as soon as possible, so we can do business."
Shao Shuyi knew what he meant by "business," but he was too lazy to explain further, and simply asked, "In a hurry to support your family?"
Wang Huadu was taken aback at first, then bristled like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, saying, "Little Tiger, what are you thinking? I'm all alone, I don't have a family. Don't listen to people's nonsense, I'm not married yet."
"Fine, fine, whatever you say." Shao Shuyi was too lazy to argue with him and said, "The boat isn't urgent, and we don't have the money right now. Let's talk about it next spring, and then we can discuss it with Baijianu."
Wang Huadu nodded and instructed, "You must buy it."
"Okay, I got it." Shao Shuyi agreed, but also sounded somewhat helpless.
Why does he keep trying to buy secondhand bows and boats, being so stingy with every little thing? It's really pathetic. Why didn't God just let me transmigrate into the body of an emperor? At the very least, I could be the son of Zheng Yonghe, Hao Tianlin, or Shen Wansan.
The evening glow painted the western sky, and wisps of smoke rose from the chimneys. The riverside courtyard welcomed a tranquil night, as if in a time of peace and prosperity.
******
On September 10th, Cheng Ji arrived as scheduled, supervised Shao Shuyi's archery practice for half a day, and corrected some minor mistakes.
In the afternoon, I watched Shao Shuyi perform with a ring-shaped sword.
This was Liang Tai's instruction. Shao Shuyi was a beginner and wasn't practicing very well. Cheng Ji couldn't stand it anymore and personally stepped in to teach him step by step.
Regarding the purchase of the bow and arrows, Cheng Ji stated that someone was willing to sell an old bow, along with thirty arrows, and he could guarantee it. However, if the payment was to be made within three months, it would cost ninety strings of cash.
Shao Shuyi had no objection and immediately counted out thirty-five strings of cash for Cheng Ji. Thirty strings were for the down payment on the bow, while the other five strings left Cheng Ji completely confused. What was it called, "guarantee fee"?
Over the next few days, Shao Shuyi and the others went to work during the day and stayed in a small courtyard by the river at night, chatting, practicing their skills, or writing. They lived a comfortable life.
Yu Yuan had worried that someone might come to retaliate, but when he looked at the construction site not far to the west, which was filled with torches even at night and housed hundreds of people, he kept quiet.
On the fifteenth of September, Shao Shuyi, together with Wang Huadu, walked to the Tianfei Palace in Liujiagang, several miles away, to participate in the ceremony of worshipping the Heavenly Princess.
Zheng Fan waved to them from afar.
Shao Shuyi quickly stepped forward and bowed, saying, "My lord."
Wang Huadu also bowed.
Zheng Fan didn't look at him, but said to Shao Shuyi, "Good lad, hiding outside, aren't you afraid the bandits of Taihu Lake will come and kill you?"
Liang Tai stroked the hilt of his knife, following closely behind Zheng Fan as he reached out and nodded to Shao Shuyi.
"Didn't you say that after the incident, the Changqiao Navy began to suppress the bandits?" Shao Shuyi asked.
Zheng Fan laughed and said, "The Changqiao navy is a complete waste; they can't possibly wipe out any bandits. But it's true—the Taihu Lake bandits are useless too. They've lost over a hundred men and are now in a panic, scattered and hiding."
At this point, he changed the subject, pointing to a spot not far ahead, and said, "Aren't you afraid Sun Chuan will harm you?"
Shao Shuyi looked in the direction he was pointing and saw that the short, stout Sun Chuan was smiling and arm in arm with a woman, greeting people from time to time. He seemed to have a wide network of connections and a lot of influence.
Behind them was a boy who looked to be about thirteen or fourteen years old, walking with his head down, looking extremely shy.
The woman would occasionally glance back at him, and the boy would raise his head, force a smile, and greet her, but he would quickly lower his head again, secretly looking around.
Whether it was a misperception or not, Shao Shuyi felt genuinely "hungry," and he actually found the woman in her early thirties quite attractive, possessing a certain elegance. He was currently as poor as a ghost; if that woman were willing to give him the goods from three boats—
No! We can't let ourselves fall into such a depraved state.
Shao Shuyi, secretly alarmed, silently withdrew his gaze and said to Zheng Fan, "Sir, Master Sun's family is powerful and wealthy; dealing with me is naturally no problem for him. But why does he need to do this?"
"What do you mean by that?" Zheng Fan asked in surprise.
"For him, Zheng's ceramics shop was just a business deal. Losing it would hurt, but it wouldn't cripple him," Shao Shuyi said. "Besides, I'm just a worthless life, is it worth dealing with? If he can't kill me in one go, given his habit of going to the docks every other day, he could take me down with a single shot from a few steps away. Who would he complain to then?"
"You're no saint," Zheng Fan laughed. "Two or three lives on your hands at fifteen, that's rare indeed. If you weren't still somewhat useful, Thirteenth Brother would want to get rid of you even more than Sun Chuan."
Zheng Song didn't like him? Shao Shuyi could only give an awkward, silly laugh.
If he had no other choice, would he be willing to bare his teeth at people? Even the owner of a fierce, biting dog is worried.
After chuckling to himself, he remembered something and tentatively asked, "Sir, I have a seagoing vessel on the weekend. Could it be requisitioned to transport grain?"
"Wow, quite ambitious indeed," Zheng Fan said in surprise. "You're a seafarer, it's normal for you to own a boat, and it's also normal for you to be requisitioned."
At this point, Zheng Fan seemed to realize something and laughed, "Good lad, you're quite shrewd. But you should know why some people are willing to fraudulently register their ships under someone else's name—it's simply a losing proposition. These days, owning a ship is like a crime, a crime that can lead to bankruptcy and even death. Are you really sure about this?"
Shao Shuyi chuckled dryly and said, "The Zheng family is a prominent family in the Caofu region; could they possibly offer some protection?"
As the saying goes, a local official is more powerful than a distant one. Even if officials in Kunshan Prefecture or the Maritime Trade Office tried to help someone escape grain transport duties, it wasn't always effective; it depended on the connections. But the Grain Transport Commissioner was different. They were the ones who finalized the list of grain transport boat owners, wielding immense power.
"Why should I help you?" Zheng Fan glared at Shao Shuyi, annoyed, and said, "The old master won't concern himself with such trivial matters. If you ask him to step in, why should he? He's not someone you can easily persuade."
"That's true." Shao Shuyi nodded, suppressing his thoughts for the time being.
"Rongfu's here, come up and say hello with me," Zheng Fan said softly, pulling Shao Shuyi along.
"Yes." Shao Shuyi lagged half a step behind, looking around as he walked.
The two stone pillars facing us each bear a couplet: "The pillars stand tall and majestic, the well of maternal virtue symbolizes the vastness of the land; the waves of the whales cease forever, divine mercy extends across the distant sea and sky."
Behind the stone pillar is the statue of the Heavenly Princess, flanked by guardian deities on either side, though it is unclear which deity they are.
An offering table had been set up in front of the statue, but the ceremony had not yet officially begun because the auspicious time had not yet arrived.
The chief stewards, ship managers, merchants, and officials gathered together, numbering in the dozens, chatting and laughing.
Without a doubt, this is a grand celebration of the ocean, something rarely seen in inland areas.
"Rongfu." Zheng Fan walked through the crowd and greeted Shen Rong with a smile.
"Yi Fang." Shen Rong cupped his hands in greeting.
Behind him were three people: his son Shen Sen, Lu Zhonghe, and the Shen couple.
Shao Shuyi noticed that he glanced at the seemingly dignified and virtuous Shen Shi without leaving a trace, but he didn't dare to look at her for long and quickly focused his gaze on Lu Zhonghe.
Lu Zhonghe was actually looking at him!
Shao Shuyi guiltily withdrew his gaze, keeping his eyes down and his face solemn.
However, Lu Zhonghe clearly had no intention of letting him off the hook. He took two steps closer, sized up Shao Shuyi, and said in a sarcastic tone, "I've heard that Accountant Shao comes from a seafaring background, but is this your first time participating in the ceremony to worship the Heavenly Princess?"
Hmm? Shao Shuyi raised his head and looked at Lu Zhonghe.
Is this implying that I am of low status and was not qualified to participate in such festivals before?
"Lord Lu's observation is indeed insightful. This is truly the first time I have stood alongside such distinguished guests before the Heavenly Princess Palace," Shao Shuyi said. "In the past, we usually offered sacrifices by the Zhangjing River, facing the bow of our old family boat. There were no stone pillars or couplets, no bells or drums, and even the offerings were often incomplete due to the year's famine. However, my late father often said that the Heavenly Princess is benevolent and protects those who sail the seas, regardless of their social status. Therefore, as long as one is sincere, one can offer sacrifices anytime and anywhere."
He paused for a moment, then said, "Although Lord Lu has never traveled far and wide, he has studied poetry and books since childhood, so he should understand my intentions."
Lu Zhonghe was speechless upon hearing this.
Shao Shuyi spoke loudly, and two boat managers not far away, sensing his presence, turned their gazes toward him.
Madam Shen coughed lightly and pulled Lu Zhonghe away.
Shao Shuyi chuckled inwardly. How dare this fledgling challenge me? Has it gone mad from reading too much classical literature?
Just then, elegant music began, signaling the start of the ceremony.