Although Mr. Zhao could not go on the Pingjiang twice a year, Chen Huaixiu still reserved the best cabin for him. The furnishings inside were the same as before, and the flowers in the pots were so beautiful that it seemed as if he had never left.

With the sisters' meticulous care, Mr. Zhao's journey was naturally very pleasant. After having a sumptuous lunch with her, he went for a nice nap.

In the restaurant, Chen Huaixiu helped Qiaoqiao and Ma Xianglan clean up the dishes. In fact, there were servants serving on the Pingjiang, but Zhao Hao never asked outsiders to eat, and even the tableware was only allowed to be touched by Qiaoqiao and Ma Xianglan. So asking Chen Huaixiu to help clean up was to treat her as a real family member.

Suddenly, Zhao Hao asked for water in the inner room. Secretary Ma quickly put down the work in his hands, took out the teapot from the warming cage, and brought it in to serve him water.

Chen Huaixiu and Qiaoqiao cleaned the table and carried the bowl basket to the kitchen.

The two of them were washing the dishes while chatting happily.

Chen Huaixiu wiped the tall glass with a clean cotton cloth and asked Qiaoqiao casually, "Qiao, did you girls also form a company together?"

"Ah..." Qiaoqiao panicked when she heard that, her hand slipped and she almost broke the Chenghua enamel fish plate.

According to Lianli Company's regulations, shareholders must strictly keep company secrets, and even the company's name and existence cannot be disclosed.

The honest Qiaoqiao suddenly felt under great pressure. She didn't know who leaked the news, the young county lady, President Jiang, Miss Zhang, or Sister Ma?

But they are smarter than each other. Even the seemingly careless little county lady is privately evaluated by Sister Ma as "wise but foolish, ingenious but not elaborate", and is definitely not inferior to President Jiang. How could they make such a low-level mistake?

Could it be me?

Qiaoqiao's forehead was covered with sweat, and she was trying hard to recall the past. Did she say something she shouldn't have said because she spoke too quickly?

But she thought about it and couldn't remember when she exposed herself. She murmured in confusion, "I didn't tell my sister?"

"What is there to hide from me?" Chen Huaixiu looked at her with curiosity.

"No, of course not." Qiaoqiao quickly shook her head.

"So what does your company do?" Chen Huaixiu asked with a smile, "What kind of business do you run? Can I also invest in it?"

"I don't know what they do..." Qiaoqiao still shook her head, feeling guilty and short of breath, and didn't know anything: "I don't know anything. They just brought me in a stake, but I didn't ask about the specific business."

Swallowing hard, she immersed the washed dishes in the water again, wishing she could stick her head in as well. She said in a mosquito-like voice, "Can I let you invest? I don't have the final say..."

"So that's it." Chen Huaixiu didn't know how much information he had learned from her, so he stopped making things difficult for her and changed the subject.

Unfortunately, Qiaoqiao didn't listen to a word she said afterwards. She was in a state of despair, as if she had made a big mistake. She even accidentally broke two bowls...

When she came to her senses, she found that Ma Xianglan had returned, but Chen Huaixiu was gone.

"Where is Sister Huaixiu?" Qiaoqiao asked in a lost voice.

"I went back early." Ma Xianglan looked at her red face and asked curiously, "What's wrong? Are you so guilty?"

"Sister, I think there is a traitor among us." Qiaoqiao quickly leaned close to her ear and whispered what had just happened.

"Hey, don't talk nonsense, there is no traitor." Sister Ma smiled.

"If someone doesn't keep his promise, isn't he a traitor?" Qiaoqiao said with wide eyes, "No matter how Sister Huaixiu asks, I won't say a word."

"Don't worry. If there was a traitor, why would Sister Huaixiu ask you for information? Besides, if she knew what our company does..." Ma Xianglan smiled shyly and said, "No matter what she thinks, at least she will never say that she wants to invest in it."

"That's right." Qiaoqiao suddenly realized, "Our company is not a serious company. How could Sister Huaixiu, who is such a serious person, interfere?"

"What nonsense are you talking about?" Ma Xianglan poked her forehead with her finger. "You are not serious. There is nothing more serious than our company!"

As she spoke, she sighed and said, "If there was no Lianli Company, I don't know how many people would have joined the Lotus Platform Meeting that night, and how many would have succeeded."

"I see..." Qiaoqiao didn't expect that Lianli Company, which she thought was useless, has played a big role.

"Then who revealed it to Sister Huaixiu?" She still didn't understand.

"Who else could it be? Young Master." Ma Xianglan looked at this scheming and simple-minded girl and sighed helplessly, "Can't you see that there's something wrong between them?"

"Really? I didn't realize that." Qiaoqiao opened her eyes wide. She was so shocked today that she felt like her brain was about to shut down.

"Then Sir, do you also want Sister Huaixiu to join?" But she still knew what the most important issue was.

"Unlikely." Ma Xianglan shook her head and analyzed rationally: "Without the Sand Ship Gang, there would be no Jiangnan Shipping. Today, the backbone of the Royal Shipping is still the Sand Ship Gang, and this situation will not change in the next few years."

"Young Master can rest assured about the Sand Ship Gang because the leader is Sister Huai Xiu. Why can Sister Huai Xiu become the leader? Because she is the widow of the previous leader. If she remarries, she will definitely not be the leader, nor the general manager of Royal Shipping. So unless Young Master completely digests and absorbs the Sand Ship Gang in the future, or waits for Xiao Teng to come of age and take over from Sister Huai Xiu, she cannot change the status quo."

"That will take forever..." Qiaoqiao was kindhearted and felt sorry for Chen Huaixiu again. "Sister Huaixiu is so pitiful."

"Hey, you don't understand. This is actually an advantage." Ma Xianglan gently stroked Qiaoqiao's soft and tofu-like cheeks, and said with great confidence: "Silly girl, remember, what you can't get is always the most precious; what you can't get back will be remembered forever."

"What's the meaning of the young master telling her this?" Qiaoqiao dodged Sister Ma's hand. She was not a little white rabbit.

"Maybe he's complaining to her, or maybe he wants to take this opportunity to test our resolve." Sister Ma said seriously, "In any case, we can't take it lightly. When we get to Beijing, we'll have a meeting to discuss countermeasures."

"Yeah." Qiaoqiao was stunned. Now she finally understood the importance of the company.

~~

For the next two days, Qiaoqiao remained highly vigilant, but Chen Huaixiu never mentioned again that he wanted to buy shares, which made her wonder if she had just hallucinated that day?

The four of them got along very well, eating, chatting, watching the sea and playing cards together, and before they knew it they had arrived at Jeju Island.

On Gapo Island, the facilities of the Marine Police Station are already quite large, with harbors, bastions, and lighthouses all available.

The fleet hoisted salute signal flags, and a long horn sounded from the lighthouse to welcome the fleet.

Young Master Zhao also came to the deck and looked out at the golden Jeonra Island in late autumn. He couldn't help but sigh that time passed so quickly. It had been a whole year since the construction of the new port.

This year, Tang Youde built the new port at a very fast speed. The blueprint originally planned has now basically become a reality. Zhao Hao took the telescope and saw that a second pier had been built next to the original pier. The piers of the two piers were full of masts and oars, and were full of ships. Only the few piers reserved for Royal Shipping were empty.

Shifting our gaze from the busy dock to the center of Xingang City, the magnificent octagonal bastion has been completed. After the addition of flying eaves, brackets, and red and white paint, it has completely become a majestic building with a distinctive Chinese style.

Around the New Port Fort, there are four straight and interlaced main roads in the shape of a well. At the four corners of the well, there are four broad main roads extending to the southeast, southwest, northeast and northwest respectively. These eight main roads and several branch roads form the well-connected transportation network of this emerging seaport city.

Along these streets are rows of buildings with distinct Ming Dynasty northern style. Facing the main street are two-story shops with exquisite facades. In the alleys behind the shops, neatly laid out courtyards are neatly arranged. On the busy streets, there are archways and clock towers. Although the scale is still limited, it already looks like a vibrant Ming Dynasty city.

"Oh, I didn't expect this Xingang to be so prosperous?" Xuelang appeared beside Zhao Hao, looking at the scene in front of him in surprise. "I thought this was a wild place overseas, and it would take a lot of hard work to open up the mountains and forests."

"It was almost like what the mage said a year ago." Chen Huaixiu looked at Zhao Hao with admiration in her beautiful eyes and said, "It was the blueprint drawn by the master's great pen that changed the appearance of this place in just one year."

"Sister Huaixiu, you are too kind." Zhao Hao looked at Chen Huaixiu with a smile and shook his head, saying, "This is the thoroughfare between the Ming Dynasty, the Joseon Dynasty and Japan. As long as trade is unimpeded, it will surely prosper in no time. So Sister Huaixiu has made the greatest contribution."

"Aren't I your vanguard?" Chen Huaixiu also shook his head and smiled.

Xuelang patiently listened to the two people's disgusting conversation, and couldn't help but said with an occupational disease: "Donor Zhao, in this situation, you should compose a poem."

"Okay, then I'll give you another farewell song." Zhao Hao said without hesitation: "The sky connects the five ridges, and the silver hoe falls. The earth shakes the three rivers, and the iron arms shake..."

"What a bold idea!" Xuelang looked at the busy cranes on the dock and knew that this was describing the grand scene of the new port's construction. He was just about to praise Mr. Zhao for his vision far surpassing those literati.

But Master Zhao changed the subject and continued with a smile: "Excuse me, where is the Plague God going? The paper boat with a candle burning in the sky..."

"Puchi..." Sister Ma couldn't help laughing and quickly covered her mouth.

Xuelang said with a bitter face: "I was just pushing you a little too hard, but that was also for the sake of you producing more excellent works. Do you think I am a plague god?"

"No, this is to celebrate the victory over schistosomiasis." Young Master Zhao answered seriously.

"Alas, I believe you this time." Xuelang sighed and reminded him worriedly, "Donor Zhao, please insist on writing poetry. Don't let your talent go to waste. That would be a crime against yourself, me, and the Ming Dynasty."

"Oh oh." Young Master Zhao agreed casually. Damn, he didn't have much left last time he sang thirteen songs at once. He still had a long life ahead of him, so how could he dare to waste it?