Leaving aside the lively atmosphere in the Li family's greenhouse, let's talk about the Jiaren brothers who were being thought of. On this day, they arrived at a port three hundred miles away from Quanzhou.
Because of its bustling atmosphere, all ships are willing to dock here to replenish their water and fuel, and the dock is always crowded and lively.
The Jiaren brothers came out to study abroad, hoping to see more of the world and gain more experience, for better or for worse.
So, when the fleet docked and the stewards were busy, Jiaren took Lige'er and Maoge'er to find his uncle, intending to disembark and take a look.
Li Zhensheng naturally wouldn't disagree.
Along the way, he also encouraged his nephews and sons to take the lead in negotiations.
In the earlier stages, the children completed the task of stamping documents.
You have to bribe the officials at the checkpoints, using both soft and hard tactics, so you can't suffer losses yourself, but you also can't let those petty officials go without getting something for themselves. It's hard to strike the right balance.
Fortunately, Jiaren handled it well. Lige and Maoge were there to help, but they didn't hold us back either, and they did a really good job!
So this time, he directly gave his nephew some silver and instructed him, "Take good care of your men, have a good day, stay at an inn tonight, and be back with your younger brothers before dawn tomorrow. If you find anything good, remember to buy some for Fu Niu'er!"
"Okay, Uncle," Jiaren replied.
Cat Brother and Li Brother were overjoyed to hear that they could stay out overnight.
Soon, they changed their clothes and, with their respective servants, disembarked from the boat.
Jiayi and Liu Yang were already experienced sailors, so they didn't come down with them this time, since the fleet still needed to be looked after.
As a result, the three brothers had just disembarked when they encountered Lu Zong and Jia Xu, who were also accompanied by servants and were planning to take a stroll.
The moment they met, Jia Xu and Lu Zong smiled.
The three Jiaren brothers were originally fair-skinned and refined, but after working as boatmen all the way, they not only suffered hardship, but also became much darker and thinner from the wind and sun, and it was almost impossible to tell that they were scholars anymore.
Moreover, they weren't wearing brocade robes at the moment; they were all wearing cotton clothes with narrow sleeves and tight fits, tied with wide belts, which gave them a rather nimble and decisive look, like someone who travels the martial arts world.
Similarly, the three Li brothers frowned when they saw Jia Xu and Lu Zong's clothes and appearance.
The two men were dressed in brand-new brocade robes, with jade hairpins in their hair and jade belts around their waists, and their pouches and jade pendants were all in place.
One of them also had a gilded fan in his hand, which he waved as he walked.
They're practically two walking suckers, long-legged gold purses.
It was as if they were announcing to all the petty thieves and hooligans on the dock, "We're rich, very rich, come and rob us if you dare!"
Jiaren is alright; he's a bit too calculating and doesn't want to say anything.
But Cat Brother was young and tried to speak, but Li Brother pulled him hard.
Lu Zong, who was exchanging pleasantries with Jia Ren, caught a glimpse of this and changed his mind, asking, "Brother Li, where are you going? Would you allow us to travel together?"
Jiaren didn't want to cause trouble, but he had gotten along well with them at the academy, so he couldn't refuse directly. He said, "Aren't the teachers and classmates drinking tea and reciting poetry at Wanghai Tower? Don't you want to go and take a look?"
Lu Zong shook his head and said, "It's been the same everywhere we've been on this journey, it's really boring. But if we walk around the city with you guys, maybe we'll run into something interesting."
Jia Xu nodded and said, "Indeed, this is the last pier before arriving in Quanzhou. If we don't explore it more now, we'll never have the chance again!"
This is something I can't refuse...
Jiaren thought about it and agreed, but he also made a request: "Safety comes first when you're traveling. Since you're traveling with us, it's best if you follow our arrangements."
“Okay, we have no objection.” Lu Zong readily agreed, and Jia Xu nodded in agreement.
Jiaren pointed to their purses, "You should put your purses in your sleeve pockets. If there are any expenses, we will pay for them first and then split the cost equally later."
Lu Zong and Jia Xu hesitated for a moment, but Cat Brother finally couldn't hold back and shouted, "Second rule of the Jianghu Manual: Don't flaunt your wealth, or you'll get ripped off!"
Lu Zong and Jia Xu were taken aback for a moment, then burst into laughter.
Lu Zong patted Cat Brother on the shoulder and asked, "Where did you hear that? It's quite interesting."
Fortunately, he was a man of his word and actually hid the purse.
However, the heart-shaped pendant made of mutton-fat white jade was still hanging brightly at her waist.
The same applies to Jia Xu.
The three Li brothers exchanged glances but said nothing more.
The group walked together toward the bustling dock.
Vendors selling their catch, stewards in charge of purchasing, porters doing manual labor, horse-drawn carts for renting out cloth, tavern waiters calling out from the doorway...
The warmth and vibrancy of everyday life are palpable.
This is a scene you can't experience even while overlooking the dock from a teahouse, drinking tea and composing poetry.
Lu Zong and Jia Xu both found it novel, looking around and wandering around, always staying ahead.
Jiaren protected his two younger brothers, followed by Gousheng, Zheng Liu, and Zheng Qi, with passersby or fishermen vaguely separated from them.
Whether they approached intentionally or passed by unintentionally.
As we walked, we were about to pass the noisiest part of the road when three or four fishermen's children came running over, playing and frolicking with each other.
There was a little child, only five or six years old, dressed fairly cleanly, who tripped over something and fell over the even younger child in front of him.
Seeing that the two were about to fall flat on their faces, Lu Zong and Jia Xu, who were only a step away, instinctively reached out to help them up.
The two little children almost bumped into them. After struggling to stand up, they scratched the back of their heads, feeling embarrassed, and thanked them before running away in a swarm.
As we passed by the three Jiaren brothers, a few little children even turned their heads to glance at them...
Lu Zong and Jia Xu felt they had done a good deed and were happy. However, when they saw the three Jia Ren brothers and their servant leaning against the roadside, looking as if they didn't want to get involved at all, they became somewhat displeased.
As we continued walking, we reached an open area where it became much quieter.
Jia Xu couldn't help but say, "Brother Li, we study to understand principles. Respecting the elderly as we would our own parents, and caring for the young as we would our own children, are fundamental virtues."
"You not only refused to help earlier, but why did you treat those children like snakes and scorpions, avoiding them at all costs? Isn't that going too far?"
Jiaren didn't speak, but Lige spoke up, "Brother Lu, Brother Jia, feel your own belts?"
Jia Xu and Lu Zong frowned, looked down, and were immediately stunned.
They quickly patted their waists several times, only to find that there was only a red string left on their belts; the jade pendant was nowhere to be found.
Thinking back to the few little babies who had bumped into them earlier, what else could they not understand?
They even accused the Li brothers of neglecting the children, when it turned out the children had already figured out they were just a few petty thieves…
Jiaren then spoke up and asked, "Brother Lu, Brother Jia, do you want to report this to the authorities to retrieve the jade pendant? If you do, it would be best to go to the teahouse and find a waiter to take you there."
"The docks are a mixed bag. If we take the wrong people, we might have to take you to some remote place to rob you. In that case, forget about the jade pendant, you might not even keep your clothes and shoes."
Lu Zong and Jia Xu blushed even more, exchanged a glance, and suddenly made up their minds...
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