Chapter 8: Change of Circumstances

A month passed in a flash, and Quanzhou had entered summer; the weather turned sweltering.

On this day, Ling Qingyu did not go to the shipyard. She sat on a stone stool under a tree, studying the merchandise catalog Zheng Xi had brought back.

These past days, Ling Qingyu visited the shipyard every few days to check on Wu Da and the others' ship repairs, while discussing details with Wu Da. At the same time, she had Zheng Xi contact merchants in Quanzhou to find cargo for the ship.

Lu Yao’s body indeed recovered quickly. Ten days later, he had already started working on his own initiative. Ling Qingyu wouldn't let him and Ye Shiyi go out, but all the household chores—splitting wood, fetching water, cleaning, and later even cooking—were done by him, though the taste was truly mediocre.

"Hmm, Lu Yao, didn't Zheng Xi buy any salt back?" Ling Qingyu held the cargo list in one hand and picked up a piece of vegetable with her chopsticks with the other.

*Didn't you say yesterday that salt costs money too, and complained I put in too much?* Lu Yao glared at Ling Qingyu but didn't reply, simply turning to fetch water and wash the courtyard. The weather was already very hot; not long after the water was sprinkled, steam rose up again.

Ling Qingyu had just mentioned it in passing. In her past life, there were many things she had studied but not mastered, but there was one thing, unique from the start, that everyone who knew her despised: cooking. She could boil congee into scorched rice crust, stir-fry greens into paste, and cook fish charred black on the outside but raw inside. After her efforts were politely praised in front of her parents, classmates, boyfriend, and husband, she had completely given up on cooking.

So although she had the stomach of a gourmet and knew how delicious food should be made, when she had no choice, as long as someone cooked for her, she was still very grateful, because no matter what, they cooked better than her.

Compared to Lu Yao, Ye Shiyi had been living very comfortably these days. Although Ling Qingyu didn't let him go out, she didn't restrict what he did either. She bought him some books and the Four Treasures of the Study, and specially bought a wooden tub for him to practice holding his breath. After returning from the shipyard, she would help Lu Yao change his medicine, brew the medicine, and then tell him stories he had never heard before. Ling Qingyu never asked who he really was or who his enemies were, but when he had nightmares at night, she would hold him while he slept. If he couldn't sleep, she would discuss with him how to treat his enemies if he could get revenge—like digging a big pit for the enemy to fall into, or making him streak naked in the street, and other things ordinary girls wouldn't think of.

Of course, Ye Shiyi believed Ling Qingyu was definitely no ordinary girl. Otherwise, which girl would remain perfectly calm while Lu Yao’s face turned red as a boiled egg, and she casually undressed him to wipe his body and apply medicine? Ye Shiyi had also asked Zheng Xi under Lu Yao's meaningful gaze. Zheng Xi had said: "What can be done? I have things to do, I'm exhausted every day. Can you, a little brat, help him change? Besides, didn't you say the other day that you wanted this brat to become a live-in son-in-law for our Miss? If he's already a son-in-law, why care so much about these details?"

Actually, Ye Shiyi didn't quite understand the meaning of "live-in son-in-law" (zhui xu). He had only said that because he'd heard it mentioned in gossip. He thought: if undressing makes you a son-in-law, then Ling Qingyu bathes him and sleeps with him every day—he's been stripped naked long ago. So is he a son-in-law too? He was just smart enough not to voice these thoughts.

Ling Qingyu fundamentally didn't care, Zheng Xi couldn't be bothered to care, Ye Shiyi didn't understand to care, so the only one who cared—cared immensely—was Lu Yao, and he was the tragic one. For several days, as long as he heard Ling Qingyu's voice, he feared this audacious woman wouldn't be satisfied with just helping him undress, and would eventually eat him up completely. After days of anxiety, he finally realized: this woman truly didn't care, she truly didn't treat him as a woman.

"Sister, when can we board the ship?" Ye Shiyi put away the finished bowls and chopsticks and asked.

"Hmm, a few more days." Ling Qingyu turned a page of the catalog, casually noting down the goods and quantities to buy on a piece of paper. "Have you done the breath-holding practice I told you to do?"

"I have been practicing. I can hold it for a long time now." Ye Shiyi said happily. He was from the North and didn't know a thing about swimming. After learning they were both landlubbers, Ling Qingyu had considered giving up on taking them to sea. But one sentence from Zheng Xi changed her mind. Zheng Xi said: "On a sea ship, what does swimming matter? If you fall into the sea, you're dead either way."

Ling Qingyu smiled and patted Ye Shiyi's head as a reward. Then she organized the lists. Deducting three thousand taels for ship repairs, two thousand for the sea permit, plus miscellaneous supplies and sailors' wages, only about four thousand taels were left for cargo. Even buying the cheapest porcelain, that wouldn't fill a ship. It looked like they would have to rent out some cargo space, as Zheng Xi had suggested.

Seeing Ling Qingyu writing and drawing in characters he couldn't understand again, Lu Yao waved Ye Shiyi over, pulled him into the room, and started teaching him cultivation techniques.

Ling Qingyu glanced at Lu Yao quietly closing the door. Since Lu Yao got better, he had been secretly teaching Ye Shiyi things—Ling Qingyu guessed it was martial arts. Saying she wasn't curious would be a lie, but seeing how secretive Lu Yao was, she chose to tacitly permit and ignore it. They were all drifters at the end of the world; there was no need to pry too deeply.

Withdrawing her gaze, she happened to see Zheng Xi quietly push the door open and enter, peek back outside, then gently close the door. She looked at him curiously.

"Miss," Zheng Xi's face was very grim. He didn't even wipe the sweat off his head, rushing up to Ling Qingyu. He glanced at Lu Yao's room, leaned in, and whispered: "Trouble."

Ling Qingyu stood up and walked with Zheng Xi to the main room, closing the door before asking: "What happened?"

"Ding Da was ambushed last night and injured." Zheng Xi wiped his sweat.

"Ah!?" Ling Qingyu cried out softly, then covered her mouth, asking anxiously in a low voice: "How bad is it? I have to go see him."

"No, Ding Da said since he's been targeted, Miss cannot go find him. If the Big Boss's enemies on this side find out it's Miss, there will be disaster," Zheng Xi said. "Ding Da's life isn't in danger, but his legs are broken. He'll likely be bedridden for a while. Ding Da had found a batch of sailors, and some small merchants, hearing Ding Da was sailing, were willing to rent cabin space. But with this incident, the sailors and merchants might change their minds."

Quanzhou's Mianhua Lane was full of mansions. The estate occupying half the street was the Quanzhou branch of the Xie family from Guangzhou. The Guangzhou Xie family rose from maritime trade and had been a local tyrant for decades, with assets in the tens of millions.

At this moment, in the study, Xie Mao, the Xie family head's second son, Xie Tingxuan, was listening to a subordinate's report.

"That Ding Buxing has both legs broken; he won't be able to sail for half a year. Most of his sailors have already agreed to switch to our ships; the few remaining are no threat. Those small merchants, hearing it was Second Master Xie's intention, no one dares rent their cabin space."

"Hmm," Xie Tingxuan nodded in satisfaction, tossing a piece of incense into the burner. The elegant fragrance curled up. He waved his hand, dismissing the subordinate, and leaned back comfortably against the soft cushion on the couch.

He hadn't expected that the wreck *Fengshen* could be repaired by Ding Buxing. Ding Buxing still had considerable influence in Quanzhou. He had heard Ding Buxing had gone ashore and retired from the sea, so when dealing with Lin Jiashen, he had spared him. He never expected him to be so restless, still wanting to go to sea. Since Xie Tingxuan had come to Quanzhou, he wouldn't allow anyone else to rise up here. His elder brother managed Guangzhou so well; if he didn't establish his own power base in Quanzhou while their father was still alive, the position of Xie family head would eventually all go to his brother.

Ling Qingyu felt the days drag on like years. She finally waited until deep night, then sneaked out the back door with Zheng Xi to Ding Buxing's house.

"Didn't I say not to let Miss come?" Ding Buxing looked reproachfully at Zheng Xi.

"It's not Zheng Xi's fault. I insisted on coming. Uncle Ding, it's all my fault for implicating you." Ling Qingyu said apologetically.

"It's not Miss's fault. It was Second Master Xie. He's been making big moves in Quanzhou lately, wanting to swallow up the maritime trade. I guess I got in his way." Ding Buxing said. If it were related to Lin Jiashen, they wouldn't just break his legs; they'd take his life. It seemed Second Master Xie just didn't want him sailing.

"However, Miss, Ding Buxing has let you down. The sailors I'd lined up—most were poached by Second Master Xie's men. Few remain. Why don't we wait until my legs heal, then sail?" Ding Buxing said.

Ling Qingyu looked at the strange, bent curve of Ding Buxing's legs faintly visible under the quilt. It didn't look like a simple fracture as Zheng Xi and Ding Buxing himself claimed. She steadied herself and said: "Uncle Ding, please recover first. Don't rush."

After speaking a few more words and seeing he looked exhausted, Ling Qingyu took her leave.

Outside the door, Zheng Xi asked: "Miss, then we're not sailing for now?"

Ling Qingyu shook her head, looking back at the lamplight in Ding Buxing's room. "We can't trouble Uncle Ding anymore. That Second Master Xie has already targeted Ding Da. If Uncle Ding makes another move, next time it won't be just broken legs. We *must* go to sea this time. I remember Shi Fang saying that in Borneo overseas, there are several medicinal herbs that can make top-grade bone-knitting and tendon-mending medicine. If we can find them, Uncle Ding's legs can heal."

"If Miss Ling can find that medicine for my adoptive father, then I will be your helmsman." A few figures walked out from the shadows of the doorway. The young man in front spoke.

Ling Qingyu was startled at first—she hadn't expected so many people standing silently at the door—but hearing no malice in his words, she relaxed a little.

"This is Ding Da's adopted son, Ding Dong." Zheng Xi recognized them and said.

Ding Dong looked at the girl before him and couldn't help frowning. He hadn't expected the helmsman his adoptive father valued so highly to be such a little girl. Could she really be relied upon to go to sea? But thinking of his adoptive father's twisted legs, and what Shi Fang said—that without the medicine, his adoptive father might never stand again—he asked: "Miss, can you really go to sea?"

"Yes!" Ling Qingyu looked steadily at Ding Dong.

"Good. I'm the helmsman. Zhang San and the others handle the sails. But we have not a single oarsman." Ding Dong pointed to the few young men standing beside him. They were all brought up by Ding Buxing. This time Ding Buxing was hurt; although they knew their strength couldn't match Second Master Xie's, they all wanted revenge to some degree.

"Oarsmen just need strength, right?" Ling Qingyu asked. She remembered Zheng Xi explaining the crew configuration of current sea ships: helmsmen and sail handlers were technical roles; only the oarsmen, who were needed in the largest numbers, just needed strength and obedience.

"That's true. But our destination is medicine. Miss Ling, do you know the way to Borneo?" Ding Dong asked. The farthest he'd gone with Lin Jiashen was Sanfoqi. Borneo was a place even his adoptive father had never reached. But this time, his adoptive father had excitedly said he could follow Miss Ling to Borneo and even further. His adoptive father had looked forward to this voyage so much. Just wait, Second Master Xie. One day, I'll come for you.

Ling Qingyu couldn't help laughing. She guessed these young men waiting here were planning to coerce her into sailing. "Naturally we're going. If not for me, Uncle Ding wouldn't have suffered this calamity. Big Brother Ding, you all prepare in secret recently. Don't attract that traitor Xie's attention. Leave the rest to us."