Chapter 9: Sailor

"Miss, have you found a sailor yet?" After walking silently for a stretch, Zheng Xi finally couldn't help but ask.

"No." Ling Qingyu answered decisively, turning her head to smile at Zheng Xi. "So tomorrow we'll go into the city to find people."

"Go into the city to find them?" Zheng Xi was a bit stunned. Although there were sailors walking about on the streets of Quanzhou, surely the Young Miss wasn't planning to grab people? Just snatch one wherever she found one?

"A few days ago when I went to the shipyard, I saw quite a few people looking for work near Yongding Bridge."

"Yongding Bridge? That's where day laborers gather, isn't it? Not sailors."

"Didn't you say rowers just need strength and obedience? We pay wages; isn't it the same as hiring day laborers?"

Early the next morning, Ling Qingyu and Zheng Xi arrived at Yongding Bridge.

Quanzhou's summer was scorching hot. The crowd gathered at the bridgehead mostly wore their clothes draped casually over their shoulders; some simply went bare-chested. Among these people were some local landless households who survived on odd jobs, but the majority were refugees from the north. The Henan Circuit in the north had suffered three consecutive years of drought, with some areas yielding no harvest at all. Masses of people had fled the famine. However, Fujian Circuit was mountainous with little arable land, unable to accommodate so many people, so most of them became vagrants.

When Ling Qingyu had visited the shipyard, she saw Wu Dayou hiring many carpenters from the north. They were cheap and hardworking, and she had long had ideas about this cheap labor force.

"Boss, does your family need day laborers? Pick me, I've got great strength! Just twenty wen a day."

"Boss, pick me! Look, I'm much stronger than him. Picking me is a sure bet."

"Boss, I have a trade. Does your family need a mason?"

Seeing someone approach, the people who had been lying or leaning about idly swarmed forward, frantically recommending themselves to the newcomer, hoping to secure a job to feed their families for a day.

"Easy, easy!" Zheng Xi batted away the hands climbing all over him. He wasn't a woman; being crowded, grabbed, and pulled by so many men was really not to his liking. Seeing he couldn't fend them off, he bellowed, "Everyone stop! Our boss needs a lot of people this time—twenty strong laborers, one hundred wen a day, to work as sailors on a seagoing ship!"

The clamor died instantly, then various murmurs rose again.

"It's going to sea? That's nine deaths and one life. You might not come back."

"I have a family to feed. If I die, it's over."

"But it's one hundred wen a day! Where else would you find such a good deal?"

"We don't know a thing about water. Getting on a ship is just asking to die."

Ling Qingyu listened to the fragmented voices in the crowd, but not a single person stepped forward to volunteer. She beckoned Zheng Xi over and whispered a few words in his ear.

Zheng Xi nodded, dusted off his clothes, and walked to a large stone in the center. "The boss said this voyage will last three months or more. For those willing to sign on, an advance of ten taels of silver will be paid upfront. If you perform well, wages can be doubled upon return. This chance won't come again. Only twenty spots, requiring healthy bodies and great strength."

The murmuring in the crowd grew louder. Ling Qingyu wasn't in a rush; she simply found a big tree nearby and sat down on a stone beneath it.

Past the bridgehead of Yongding Bridge, there was a culvert. It couldn't be seen into from the outside, but from inside, one could watch the commotion outside.

Inside the culvert, several big men sat in twos and threes. The leader, bare-chested, leaned against the rock wall with a blade of cogon grass in his mouth. His gaze swept over Zheng Xi standing on the stone, then shifted to the woman sitting under the tree, looking perfectly at ease, watching the scenery and the show, lacking only a teacup. She was a woman disguised as a man, wearing a cyan scholar's robe, her hair tied in a topknot secured with a wooden hairpin. She had a broad, flat face covered in freckles and acne. Her figure wasn't the delicate sort typical of young ladies but tall and sturdy. If not for the two faint mounds barely visible beneath her summer robe, it would have been hard to tell she was a woman.

"Boss, the ship Lao Dan and them have been repairing lately—the owner seems to be a female head of household?" Gu Sui spat out the grass root and asked Zhang Dahu beside him.

"Yes, I heard it's the sole daughter of a sea merchant surnamed Lin who died at sea some time ago. She established a female-headed household and changed her surname to Ling. Lao Dan and them came back last night saying the original captain, Old Ding, was ambushed and had his leg broken. Most of the sailors got scared and backed out. Who knows if the ship can even sail? Luckily the boss is generous; wages are settled daily and quite good. Lao Dan and them have saved up a bit." Zhang Dahu replied.

"I heard Lao Dan say the ship is really good?"

"Of course. Lao Dan keeps bragging about it. Says although he's never built a ship, the materials and workmanship are top-notch. It's a top-tier ship, big and unafraid of waves—no wave can capsize it. Even if you can't swim, it's fine. If Old Ding and them didn't have their own crew, Lao Dan would have wanted to sign on for the voyage. Hey, Boss, what are you thinking?"

Gu Sui stood up, ducked his head to exit the culvert, dusted off the dirt, thought for a moment, and put on his nearly rotted shirt. He walked toward Ling Qingyu.

"Master Ling?"

Ling Qingyu was startled at first, then realized he was addressing her. She turned around and saw only a pair of muddy legs, trouser legs rolled to the knees, feet caked in mud wearing old straw sandals. She looked up, and up, feeling her neck strain, before finally seeing a face. Because Gu Sui had his head lowered, sunlight slanted from above his head, casting his face in shadow. Even so, that face—angular, hard-featured, very masculine—had a quality that dazzled Ling Qingyu's eyes.

Ling Qingyu involuntarily stood up, but found she still had to crane her neck painfully. This man had to be at least 1.9 meters tall!

Seeing Ling Qingyu crane her neck like a gamecock ready for the pit, Gu Sui couldn't help but laugh. "Master Ling, what's wrong?"

Ling Qingyu coughed, thinking, *Ling Qingyu, you're not a little girl. You're an auntie pushing forty. What man haven't you seen? Naked, they're all the same!* Thinking of nakedness, her gaze flicked over the man's barely clothed body. He was tall, well-built, with not an ounce of excess flesh on the exposed skin. Beneath the bronze skin, muscles rippled in beautiful lines. Ling Qingyu couldn't help but think of the famous Roman statue, the *Discobolus*.

"Sit," Ling Qingyu steadied her mind, sat back down on the stone, and patted the spot beside her, gesturing for him to sit.

Gu Sui didn't sit on the stone but sat directly on the ground.

*Hmm,* Ling Qingyu mentally praised. She was satisfied that their eye levels now matched. She smiled. "I wonder how many men this big brother can bring aboard?"

"Nine of us brothers in total. Three are at the shipyard working on your ship. However, for us to sign on, we hope for a monthly wage of six taels of silver, and a signing bonus of twenty taels upfront." Gu Sui spoke, casually plucking a blade of grass to hold in his mouth. *This Miss Ling looks young, but she seems sharp. Dealing with smart people is always easier.* Seeing Ling Qingyu size him up, then scan his scattered brothers without missing a one, a deeper smile touched his eyes.

Ling Qingyu stroked her chin. This big man and those around him were all tall and sturdy; their strength looked good. Their complexions weren't great, likely malnutrition. Though dressed in rags, they still carried an air of presence. These weren't ordinary people. Whether they'd cause trouble on the voyage later, she had no confidence in controlling them. But given the current situation, they were the best oarsmen available—strong, and seemingly trained.

"Deal. Big brother, if you're willing, I'd like to hire you as squad leader. Besides wages, there'll be a profit share upon return. Hmm," Ling Qingyu fished three hundred-tael banknotes from her purse and handed them to Gu Sui. "Besides the signing bonus, this hundred taels is a loan from me. You can use it to purchase goods to trade overseas."

Gu Sui froze, holding the banknotes. He smiled faintly. "Master Ling isn't afraid I'll run off with the banknotes?"

"You're not that kind of person," Ling Qingyu looked him straight in the eye, then shrugged. "If you run, it just means I misjudged you, lacked discernment. I'll have to accept it."

"Hahaha!" Gu Sui laughed heartily. "Good, little miss. Good. I, Gu Sui, will write the contract for you right now."

Zheng Xi had brought standard contract forms. But hearing Gu Sui's wage demand, he couldn't help shooting a resentful look at Ling Qingyu. However, seeing no one else stepping forward besides Gu Sui's group, and seeing these men were all tall and strong—each worth two—he reluctantly altered the wage figures on the contract and had Gu Sui and the others press their fingerprints. The hiring was done.

"Master Ling," Gu Sui wiped the ink paste from his hand and handed the hundred-tael banknote back to Ling Qingyu. "Gu Sui is a rough man. I don't know what goods turn a profit. Why don't you help us purchase them?"

Ling Qingyu was speechless. A hundred taels of goods, traded overseas and brought back, would yield a thousand taels. For sailors, this was a massive windfall. And since the money was technically a loan from her, she hadn't expected to have to do the shopping too? Wasn't that being the ultimate sucker? But as her gaze swept over Gu Sui and the others, she fell silent. In this world, people judged by appearance. With their status and looks, even if they held the silver, merchants would likely suspect the money's source.

"Alright," Ling Qingyu took the banknote back. "Shall I have Zheng Xi change it into small denomination notes or hard silver for you?"

"That would trouble you, Master Ling." Gu Sui gave a formal bow.

Ling Qingyu saw his bow was proper and his bearing upright. She smiled faintly and left with Zheng Xi.

"Brother Gu," a young woman ran over anxiously. Seeing the contract in Gu Sui's hand, she cried urgently, "Brother Gu, give it back! How can you go to sea? Nine out of ten don't return! How can you do something so dangerous? If something happens to you, what will Mother and I do?"

"Miss Mei," Gu Sui stopped her words, raising a hand to block her, incidentally blocking her lunging body. He said coolly, "This time, after our brothers pay the remaining rent on the courtyard with the signing bonus, it'll be enough for you and the Old Madam to live on. I reckon Brother Mei should be able to find his way here in a few days. Then your family will naturally be reunited."

Gu Sui finished and walked away on his own.

Mei Hong still wanted to chase after him to persuade him further, but Zhang Dahu blocked her.

Zhang Dahu grinned. "Miss Mei, you'd best go back. It's filthy here; don't dirty your eyes."

Mei Hong stomped her foot. "I'll go tell Mother!"

After Mei Hong's figure ran far off, Zhang Dahu spat. "What kind of person is she!"

"Three hundred taels!" Zheng Xi's heart ached. He couldn't help muttering, "Miss, you're too generous. Even if they are strong, one man doesn't truly equal two. You improved the rowing mechanism, so now you only need thirty positions, but you still need thirty people total! This budget just got cut in half. What about the other twenty-one?"

Ling Qingyu suddenly stopped, causing Zheng Xi to crash into her. He hurriedly asked, "Miss, are you alright?"

Ling Qingyu glared at him. *I'm wearing men's clothes, and you keep calling me 'Miss'—what's with that?* But she had no time to argue. She pointed ahead. "Who are those people?"

Not far past Yongding Bridge was the sea dike. At the foot of the dike lay groups of people in shackles, covered in mud. Every one was sallow and emaciated. If Gu Sui's group looked malnourished, these people looked like mere skeletons. And they were covered in wounds. At a glance, they looked like a pile of corpses.

Zheng Xi frowned, murmuring, "They must be convicts. I heard Quanzhou received a batch of exiled heavy criminals. Because the sea dike construction was short on hands, they were transferred here."

Ling Qingyu lowered her head after hearing this and walked quickly past with Zheng Xi, though her eyes couldn't help darting over. She saw two youths among them. *So young. What heavy crime could they have committed?*

Two yamen runners approached. One hand on their knives, the other picking their teeth. "Finally got the dike repaired. Now we can hand in our work."

"What about those convicts? Only twenty-odd left alive."

"Drive them into the sea. Keeping them means feeding and housing them. Who knows which high official they offended? The order from above: not a single one left alive."

Zheng Xi heard this and knew things were bad. Sure enough, he saw his Miss stop in front of the two runners, piling on a harmless, innocent smile. "Good day, my lords."

The runners paused. Seeing the silver ingot Ling Qingyu slipped them, their faces brightened instantly. "Young master, what can we do for you?"

"I'm new to Quanzhou. Heard sea trade makes money, so I partnered with someone to rent a small ship. But we're short on hands. I want to buy some able-bodied men, just need them to row. My lords, do you know of any?" Ling Qingyu bowed slightly, adopting a humble, ingratiating posture.

"Oh? You want to run sea trade too?" The runner looked Ling Qingyu up and down, weighed the heavy silver ingot, and laughed. "Sea trade isn't easy, young master. Nine deaths, one life. Does your ship have good sailors?"

"This is my first time. I found some who'd sailed before, but don't know why, they later said the Xie Family Fleet hired them away. So I'm stuck. My whole fortune is sunk into this. I'm gambling on one voyage for a thick profit." Ling Qingyu bowed even lower.

The two runners exchanged a glance. They understood perfectly. *A greenhorn fool. Heard Xie Er'ye wants to monopolize Quanzhou sea trade. Yesterday he took out Ding Budong's crew. Now this young master probably can't find a single experienced sailor. A ship without a reliable crew is doomed—either lost at sea or smashed by waves. But this fool is greedy. Still wants to sail with no crew. In all Quanzhou, no one would board his ship. No wonder he's desperate enough to eye these dying convicts. They're all dead men walking anyway. Might as well let us make some silver.*

"Here are twenty men. Young master, if you want them, one hundred taels takes them all." The runner waved a hand grandly.

"These convicts... I can buy them?" Ling Qingyu slowly pulled out a banknote while asking doubtfully.

"Heh. These are exiled convicts. They can be bought on death contracts. But you have to do the paperwork at the yamen. However..." The runner paused, giving Ling Qingyu a *you-know* look.

Ling Qingyu nodded repeatedly, handed over the banknote, and told Zheng Xi, "You go with the lord to handle the paperwork. Don't short the yamen fees by a single copper."

Zheng Xi made a bitter face, shooting Ling Qingyu a *I-knew-you'd-do-this* look of resentment, and followed one runner toward the yamen.

The other runner said to Ling Qingyu, "Young master, if you make it back alive this trip, you'll be rich. Congratulations in advance."

Ling Qingyu bowed again. "Thank you for your auspicious words, my lord. How about this: from this voyage's cargo, I'll count one hundred taels as yours. When I return, we'll settle up together."

The runner laughed loudly. *This kid looks young but knows the ways. Too bad this ship is really never coming back.* He didn't say that, just replied, "Much obliged, young master. I'm Zhou Zhou, serving under the Quanzhou Prefect. Find 'Zhou the Second' at the yamen and that's me. How do you plan to house these men? I suggest you don't remove the shackles, and don't let them eat their fill. Just keep them from starving. These are vicious civilians. If you want them obedient, you can't be soft. Here, this is a gift from me." He pulled a long whip from his belt. Dark, dried bloodstains clung to the barbed hooks on it.

Ling Qingyu shuddered at the sight of the whip. It looked terrifying.

Zhou Zhou saw her reaction and laughed. He flicked the whip—*crack!*—striking a man nearby, leaving a shocking bloody welt.

At the sound, the men on the ground all flinched. Some struggled to their feet.

Ling Qingyu forced her trembling hands steady, taking the whip Zhou Zhou kept pressing on her. It was heavy. Her hand sank, nearly dropping it, drawing another round of laughter from Zhou Zhou.

Seeing her pale face, Zhou Zhou waved a hand. "Young master, head back. Have your servant come fetch them." He gave the whip but didn't mention the key to the shackles.

Ling Qingyu kept saying "Good, good," dragging the whip toward her courtyard.