5 Chapter 005 Adulterated Rice
Chapter 005 Adulterated Rice
Wang Sumo certainly wasn't going to buy food for the crucian carp!
These crucian carp were originally meant to be eaten, but He Lin had been staring at the basket of crucian carp for a long time, so she teased him for fun.
The merchant ship journey takes two or three days, so we shouldn't expect too much from the food; just something convenient will do.
But we can't let the basket of fresh crucian carp that Lao Qu painstakingly caught for her go to waste!
I definitely have to cook a delicious meal to live up to Lao Qu's good intentions; at other times, I'll just have a simple meal.
She had just asked the manager at the dock, and there was a place to buy vegetables not far away. Although this was a dock, many merchant ships would temporarily add or remove crew, so there were often times when there wasn't enough vegetables, but it was too far to buy them elsewhere. Therefore, vegetable farmers would spontaneously set up stalls near the dock, and the dock manager wouldn't interfere; it was mainly to provide convenience for nearby merchant ships.
There's still some time before the merchant ship departs, and since we're waiting anyway, we might as well go and take a look.
Crucian carp is tender, but has many bones.
There are many ways to cook crucian carp. It can be prepared in a home-style way, braised, or stewed in soup, all of which are delicious. However, what you can cook with it depends on what vegetables are available near the dock at this time of year.
She rarely comes to places like this, even though she usually brings Bazhenlou with her.
Even at dusk, the place was still bustling with noise.
The martial arts world has its own rules, and so do business guilds; every kind of world has its own rules for survival.
"Get out of the way!" the foreman shouted impatiently.
Wang Sumo was looking around when she heard the sound from the side and instinctively moved aside.
Soon, the porters carrying grain sacks passed by the spot where she had just been standing.
Although it was already late July and the weather was gradually turning cooler, the porters at the dock were carrying heavy bundles, all of them drenched in sweat, and many of them were bent over by the weight of the loads.
This road is full of potholes and can't be driven on; you have to carry it by hand.
Wang Sumo saw strong, middle-aged men in the crowd carrying two bags of grain at once, their steps firm; there were also elderly people swaying in the line, their backs bent like bows under the weight of the heavy load, barely able to move forward; and even a boy of eleven or twelve, not yet fully grown, gritting his teeth with every step.
"Many ships are delayed today, and the dock is urging us to hurry!"
The porter urged impatiently.
But the person is already bent over like this, I don't know how to speed things up.
Seeing that an old man carrying a heavy load in the group could no longer hold on, he stumbled and was about to fall heavily to the ground when a young, chivalrous-looking man who was eating a pancake nearby nibbled on it and nibbled on it.
Although the young swordsman was dressed as a江湖人士 (jianghu person, someone who travels the martial arts world), he didn't seem to be very strong.
I don't know which school of martial arts or skill they used, but they just casually reached out and actually helped the person up.
The old man managed to catch him, preventing him from falling, but he wasn't quite able to hold him steady. The heavy sack of grain on the old man's back crashed down with a "thud," and by sheer coincidence, a hole appeared in it, and the white grain spilled out with a clatter.
This drew gasps of surprise from those around, who stopped to watch.
The old man, having just escaped death, was filled with relief. But before he could even express his gratitude, he saw the grain scattered all over the ground and looked around in terror.
Sure enough, the supervisor, who had realized what was happening, stepped forward and began to hurl insults.
At first, they called him an idiot and told him not to expect his wages for the day, and that if the merchant ship was delayed, he'd be in for a pay cut!
Seeing that the old man was frightened, he cursed him more and more rudely, even calling him a jinx. Still not satisfied, he lashed out with a whip.
The whip was aimed at the old man. In the sweltering summer, porters were already so hot that they would peel off a layer of skin every day. They all came out to work shirtless. How could an old man withstand such a lash?
Wang Sumo's heart tightened.
But the whip was still blocked by the somewhat thin young swordsman who had just struck.
He managed to block it, but it seemed he hadn't used enough force. He lost his grip on the cake and it was taken away by the whip. Big Yellow from next door smelled the whistle and rushed over, seizing the opportunity to snatch it away in his mouth.
Young swordsman: (⊙o⊙)…
Young swordsman: "Hey, hey!"
Of those two "ai ai" sounds, the first one was clearly resentful, while the second one was already filled with anger!
But Big Yellow Brother had already excitedly wagged his tail and disappeared in no time!
Wang Sumo was at a loss for words. ╮(╯_╰)╭
But she must have seen correctly; for a fleeting moment, the young swordsman must have had the thought of chasing the dog away!
The foreman was about to continue cursing when he suddenly saw the young swordsman turn to look at him.
Supervisor: ???
The young swordsman stepped forward, clapping his hands as he whispered, "Give me back my cake."
"What did you say? I didn't hear you." The foreman smirked.
The foreman was somewhat flustered by the clever way the young swordsman helped the old man up.
But when that whip came, it was clear the other person couldn't catch it; he even dropped the pancake, and the foreman didn't seem to care much. He had only half-baked, rudimentary skills, yet he was trying to act like a江湖 (jianghu, a term referring to the world of martial arts and outlaws) figure.
These dock foremen, who frequent the docks year-round, are not to be trifled with; they can be ruthless and opportunistic.
The young swordsman laughed, "I said, you have to pay me back for the cakes."
The foreman scoffed, "Are you fucking crazy?! Mind your own business, and you really think you're so great?"
This looks like a fight is about to break out!
In fact, Wang Sumo didn't understand either whether this young swordsman was pretending to be weak to deceive others, or whether his performance was inconsistent. If Lao Qu were here, he would definitely be able to see it clearly.
But once he saw the excitement, Wang Sumo couldn't move and forgot all about his business.
The crowd of onlookers was packed three or four layers deep, and Wang Sumo managed to squeeze into the innermost layer...
The young swordsman was about to say something, but suddenly frowned and stopped looking at the overseer opposite him, instead focusing on his feet.
Those squeezed in the back probably couldn't see this detail, but Wang Sumo was in the front row and could see it clearly. The person originally wanted to go forward, but didn't pay attention to their footing and stepped right on the white rice that had slipped out because the grain bag had broken.
He stopped because he stepped on the rice, and his eyes were immediately drawn to what was under his feet, ignoring the busy supervisor across from him.
Wang Sumo also noticed the ground beneath his feet.
Unfortunately, it happened to be right in her line of sight. The scene was too chaotic, and no one actually paid much attention, including her.
But right now, Wang Sumo clearly saw the young swordsman frown, stop, look at the rice he had accidentally stepped on, as if he had discovered something amiss.
He hesitated for a moment, then looked at the torn grain sack.
Wang Sumo also looked in the direction the young swordsman hesitated. The grain bag, which had previously lost everyone's attention, was now slowly leaking its contents out.
And in that pile of grain bags that should have been full of white rice, black impurities gradually appeared. It was hard to tell if they looked like stones or something else, but they were definitely not rice.
Moreover, the more black impurities flowed out, the more it went on.
No, to be precise, only the top layer was pure white rice. When the grain sack fell, it tore open the top layer, so what fell out at first was all rice, and no one noticed it.
But the further down you go, the more impurities accumulate in the mixture of rice and impurities that flows out, until eventually it's all impurities!
The sudden turn of events not only caught the attention of the young swordsman, but also made the foreman realize that something was wrong!
This batch of rice bags contained at least half, if not more than half, impurities.
These impurities even include gravel, so they can't possibly be the price of rice.
Everyone knows that this year has not been a good one. A prolonged drought in the summer has caused disaster in many places, and many areas may end up with no harvest at all.
In areas severely affected by drought, even drinking water became a problem, and the number of displaced people in the west suddenly surged.
Food, without a doubt, is the most sensitive issue at such a sensitive time, and it is precious no matter where it is placed. But just now, a farce tore away its fig leaf.
"Get out of the way! Get out of the way! Stop looking! What are you looking at!" Outside the crowd, dock workers and government officials pushed through the crowd and came over.
Judging from their appearance, they came after hearing the news.
The first thing he saw was the grain sacks that had been smashed open on the ground, and then he looked sharply at the overseer.
The foreman, who had been so arrogant before, suddenly seemed deflated, looking at the people from the dock and the government office with fear.
"Disperse! Or we'll all take them to the government office!" the yamen official shouted, and the surrounding people gradually dispersed.
Wang Sumo looked at the young swordsman, who hesitated only for a moment before grabbing a handful of impurities mixed with rice amidst the chaos and getting up as if nothing had happened.
The foreman was completely flustered and didn't know what to say.
The foreman in charge of supervising the work at the dock stepped forward, seemingly looking at the old man, and asked, "Did you fall?"
In reality, his gaze was fixed on the bag of things scattered on the ground.
The young swordsman and Wang Sumo also looked in this direction.
"No, no..." The old man was so frightened that he couldn't even speak clearly.
The dock manager and the officials didn't really care what he said. Seeing how terrified he was, they knew he hadn't seen anything and were relieved.
It was already dusk, so visibility wasn't great, and there weren't many people around us that we could see clearly.
The foreman whispered a few words to the dock manager, who then told the officials. All eyes turned to the young swordsman from earlier.
The young swordsmen also looked at the dozen or so people in turn.
Wang Sumo was very familiar with this kind of gaze. People who travel the martial arts world would first sized up their opponents like this before deciding whether to stay or leave, when they were about to fight or make a run for it.
Sure enough, the young swordsman turned around and ran towards the dock the next moment.
Those who stayed behind to collect the bag of grain and clean up the mess all chased after the young swordsman.
This place is actually quite close to the dock. The man may not be very skilled, but he is very good at light footwork. He can kick off rooftops, walls, fences, and even other people's carriages with a single step.
Finally, in full view of everyone, he plunged headfirst into the river.
This caught everyone off guard; they plunged into the water—and not just the water, but all the merchant ships currently at the dock could potentially be involved.
Merchant ships were already experiencing delays, and if all the merchant ships at the docks were to stop to search for people at this point, not only would it create a huge commotion, but the chances of finding the people would be very slim.
The dock manager and the officials all spat angrily.
This matter can only be investigated later; for now, we can only leave it at that...
Wang Sumo watched the commotion from beginning to end. By the time she came to her senses, the rice mixed with impurities on the ground had been cleaned up completely, as if nothing had happened...
"Miss Wang."
It was He Ping's voice.
Wang Sumo turned around. "Master He? How did you know I was here?"
He must be here to find her. He was busy watching the commotion earlier, and the ship must be about to depart, so He Ping brought people to look for her.
He Ping smiled and said, "Before leaving, I asked the old master to tell me that if I got separated from the young lady on the way, I should go to the place with the most people in the crowd. Because Miss Wang loves to watch the excitement, just go to the place with the most people to find Miss Wang."
Wang Sumo: "..."
However, what Lao Qu said doesn't seem to be wrong.
"Did you buy Miss Wang's things?" He Ping asked with a smile.
Wang Sumo shook her head, "Oh, no need."
We can just check what food is available in the merchant ship's kitchen; that won't waste any more time.
"Let's go then, the merchant ship is already boarding passengers." After He Ping finished speaking, Wang Sumo agreed.
But before leaving, He Ping glanced to the side again. Those who had come to look over earlier lowered their straw raincoats to avoid He Ping's gaze.
After walking a little further away, He Ping asked softly, "Miss Wang, did anything happen here just now?"
Wang Sumo was surprised that he would ask such a question, but he answered truthfully, "An elderly porter lost his grip on the grain sack, and it fell to the ground and broke. The dock supervisor wanted to teach him a lesson, but was stopped by a江湖人士 (jianghu figure), which led to some friction."
"That's all?" He Ping asked.
Wang Sumo looked at him.
He Ping also truthfully stated, "Someone was watching Miss Wang just now."
Hearing this, Wang Sumo was about to turn around to look when He Ping said, "No need to look, they're gone."
Wang Sumo also realized that He Ping's attire and the Qingyun Manor mark on his sword should have dispelled any other thoughts from others.
Therefore, He Ping didn't ask her that question for no reason.
Wang Sumo then lowered his voice and said in a tone that only the two of them could hear, "I don't think it's necessary to involve Qingyun Manor in this matter. In that broken bag of grain just now, less than half of it was rice; the rest was all inferior impurities."
When Wang Sumo said this, He Ping was slightly taken aback, but quickly realized what was going on.
Wang Sumo continued, "They must have been cautious about this, otherwise they wouldn't have pursued it so relentlessly. The person jumped into the river just now, and they couldn't catch up, so they probably turned their attention to the people around them. But I guess they saw that there were people from Qingyun Manor there, so they didn't want this to escalate."
After all, Qingyun Manor is a force to be reckoned with in the entire martial arts world.
No one would risk offending Qingyun Manor for a reason like "maybe".
At this point, Wang Sumo added, "The people from the yamen are also here."
Such things are usually handled by government officials, so dockworkers and merchants don't dare to do it.
I've heard that the imperial court has recently been transporting relief grain to the disaster-stricken areas, and grain donated from various places is also heading to the disaster-stricken areas. Whether it's the official roads or the trade routes, there are always people thinking about this place.
It's no wonder what just happened.
He Ping understood. "Miss Wang, please don't mention this to anyone else for now. Once we return to the manor, I will report this to the manor owner and we will discuss it further."
Wang Sumo knew that He Ping acted with discretion, so she nodded in agreement.
...
When they arrived at the dock, the others had already boarded the ship, leaving He Lin alone waiting on the deck.
He Lin hadn't seen the two of them for a long time, and the people from the merchant ship had come to urge them several times. Even he knew that there were large-scale delays in merchant ships at the dock, and they couldn't wait any longer.
He Lin was anxious when he suddenly saw He Ping and Wang Sumo.
He Lin breathed a sigh of relief and went straight to greet them, "Boss, they've all gone up first."
"good."
Once He Ping and his group boarded the ship, the gangplank connecting the merchant ship and the dock was quickly retracted.
People on the dock waved flags at the merchant ships. The flags were different colors, each representing a different instruction.
The merchant ships that received the instructions began to make preparations for departure in turn.
This was the first time Wang Sumo had stood on the deck of such a large merchant ship. Facing the evening river breeze, he quietly watched the merchant ship slowly leave the brightly lit dock and head towards the wide expanse of the river. There was still a sense of grandeur in it.
"The wind is picking up, let's go down to the cabin." He Ping and the others only mentioned this when the dock was gradually becoming obscured after the ship had set sail.
“Okay.” It wasn’t Wang Sumo’s first time on a ship, and she didn’t get seasick, but she had never been on such a large merchant ship before, and everything was new and exciting to her.
When He Ping led her down to the cabin, including when they were on the deck just now, they didn't actually see many passengers. Now, many of the cabins they passed were piled high with cargo at first glance.
Wang Sumo realized, "Is this a cargo ship?"
He Ping nodded, "Yes, there aren't as many merchants and travelers coming and going on cargo ships, and the people aren't as diverse. This cargo ship is almost fully loaded. I've inquired, and the cargo being transported is all normal. There are also a few rooms left over."
"I see," Wang Sumo nodded.
He Ping continued, "For safety's sake, Miss Wang, your room is in the middle. We will take turns guarding it during the day and night, so you can rest assured. Your things have been put in your room; just call us if you need anything."
"Okay, thank you for your trouble," Wang Sumo said.
Back in the room, the first thing that caught her eye was the basket of crucian carp on the table, and then in the cabinet, all her belongings were still there.
Wang Sumo was relieved.
It was my first time riding on such a large merchant ship, and I was still a little excited.
The cabin is well-located, well-ventilated, and spacious.
Opening the window, the damp air that greeted us was completely different from that of Bazhenlou, but the river was already almost pitch black, and nothing could be seen except for the fishing lights on the boats along the way.
When the sun rises tomorrow, it should be a completely different scene.
Wang Sumo leaned against the window for a while, then closed it and locked it.
Having spent the whole day in the carriage, the excitement and novelty of boarding the ship had worn off, and fatigue set in, causing him to yawn several times in a row.
Let the old crucian carp live for another night. I'll check the kitchen tomorrow morning. If there's nothing else, I'll make live fish soup—it's good for the brain…
[Author's Note]
Crucian carp: !!! !!! !!!
——
[Purple Heart] Maybe I can get a short update tonight; I have to write about shrimp, spinach, and salted egg yolk soup!!
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