Chapter 142: Su Kang Entrusts His Orphan

On the tenth day of the twelfth lunar month, Lin Qian's fleet docked at Yandun Bay.

The warships remained there for repairs, while Lin Qian took a small boat back to Nan'ao city.

Along the way, Lin Qian looked at the rugged mountain paths from Yundao Bay to Qianjiang Bay and said to Zheng Zhilong, "After the New Year, we should build a road between the two places."

Zheng Zhilong acknowledged with a yes.

Lin Qian continued, "Also, the matter of building the academy must be expedited—classes will start after the New Year."

The academy Lin Qian spoke of did not yet have a single teacher.

Even so, the Nan'ao Administrative Office carried out Lin Qian's orders without the slightest hesitation.

Lin Qian went on, "There's also Uncle Huang and the others' work on fumigating timber with the fire-roasting and smoke-curing method, the construction on Dongfan Island, the timeline for the Type-II Eagle ships, and the year-end inventory—well, since the year's end is approaching and affairs are numerous, the Administrative Office should bear more of the burden."

Zheng Zhilong clasped his hands and said, "Rest assured, Helmsman. Your subordinate understands. I will send a detailed report in a few days."

Lin Qian nodded.

The vessel sailed on and docked at Qianjiang Bay, south of Nan'ao city.

By this time, Nan'ao city had been opened up from north to south, and both bays could accommodate docking.

Lin Qian went ashore and walked toward Bailangzai's home.

Seeing this, Zheng Zhilong said, "Helmsman, it's about time you had a grand mansion built for yourself."

Lin Qian: "Do the island's craftsmen have any idle hands?"

Zheng Zhilong: "Not at the moment, but since it's a matter for the Helmsman, some men can always be freed up."

Lin Qian shook his head: "The island's construction takes priority above all."

Three days later, at dawn.

The chief and deputy chiefs of the Nan'ao Administrative Office, along with the directors of the four departments, came to Lin Qian's quarters to report.

The director of the Military Guard Department spoke first: "Helmsman, according to the Military Guard Department's tally, as of the day before yesterday, the island has a total of forty-four warships of various types.

Among them: three Bird ships, ten Eagle ships, six Cangshan ships, ten Sea Wolf frigates, five Haicang ships, four Dutch ar—

med merchantmen, and two Dutch Yahat warships.

In addition, there is one each of the Tianyuan, the Changfeng, the Yunfan, and the Xingge."

Lin Qian held the official document list in his hand and checked it item by item against what the Military Guard Department director had said.

Before the Battle of Macao, Nan'ao Island should have had over eighty warships of various sizes, but forty of them had been used by Lin Qian as fireships.

This sort of extravagance was indeed lavish.

But the effect was also genuinely good—not to mention how many Dutch warships were burned, at the very least it illuminated the battlefield, creating the effect of the enemy in the open and ourselves in the dark.

Lin Qian was thus able to win the battle with minimal casualties, so nothing was wasted.

Moreover, in Lin Qian's view, the Cangshan ships and Bird ships were too small in hull to be refitted as gunboats—even if they hadn't been used as fireships, they would sooner or later have been converted into fishing vessels anyway.

The Military Guard Department director continued: "The Military Guard Department currently has a total of one thousand five hundred registered soldiers, of whom two hundred are stationed at Zhelin Bay, one hundred at Macao, one hundred fifty at Dongfan, and over one thousand at Nan'ao."

Before the naval battle on the twenty-eighth day of the twelfth lunar month last year, Lin Qian had only eight hundred men under his command. As the fleet continued to expand, the number of troops nearly doubled a year later.

As the Nan'ao navy transformed from sea bandits into a professional army, the previous method of distributing military pay was also changed.

The proportion of plunder distribution was reduced, while a fixed monthly salary was established.

Ordinary soldiers were provisionally set at one tael and five mace of silver per man per month, which would increase with years of service.

This amount was not much different from the Ming dynasty's camp soldiers; the difference was that Nan'ao Island's military pay was paid in full, without a single coin being deducted.

Next came the report from the director of the Civil Household Department, a man who had recently taken office and looked thoroughly bookish.

Lin Qian took a look—it was Wang Hao, the island's former bookseller.

Lin Qian exchanged a few pleasantries with him, and Wang Hao said he had moved his entire family to the island, ready to put down roots there.

According to Wang Hao's introduction, Nan'ao Island currently had two thousand thirty-five households, with a population of nearly six thousand.

Of these, three thousand were the Tanka boat people Lin Qian had first brought over, one thousand five hundred were refugees from Liaodong, one thousand were camp soldiers from Shen'ao Harbor, and over five hundred were migrants from Chaozhou Prefecture.

In addition, Dongfan Island still had over one thousand five hundred refugees from Liaodong.

Affected by war and cruel officials, the island's population had an unusually young age structure—there were almost no elderly people, middle-aged people were even rare, children and youths were also few, but newborn infants were relatively numerous.

In terms of gender composition, there were more males than females, at a ratio of approximately 1.5:1, which was not yet too imbalanced.

Supporting an army of one thousand five hundred with a population of six to seven thousand was clearly unrealistic.

Fortunately, Lin Qian's military pay and grain did not come from the common people.

They had been sustained all along by the proceeds from plundering Manila galleons, the proceeds from plundering the Lin estate, and the proceeds from plundering Dutch merchant caravans.

When the matter of the public accounts came up, Scholar Zhou seemed to want to speak but held back—clearly it was inconvenient to discuss in front of the four department directors.

Even without him speaking, Lin Qian could probably guess what Scholar Zhou wanted to say—nothing more than increasing revenue and reducing expenditure.

Lin Qian had always paid close attention to the account books. At the current rate of consumption for military pay, grain, weapons, and construction, the silver in the public accounts would last at most another half year.

And the returns from Dongfan Island would be visible in a few months, not even half a year.

The capital chain could be fully sustained—Lin Qian knew this in his heart. Even if it couldn't, he could simply find someone to raise financing. "Financing" was something Lin Qian was skilled at.

Wang Hao finished speaking.

It was then the turn of Fang Ju, director of the Engineering and Construction Department, to report.

Before this man spoke, he first pulled several charts from his bosom, on which were written the timelines, budgets, investments, and start and completion dates of the various projects Lin Qian had ordered.

The items were listed in exhaustive detail yet clearly organized, and with the accompanying charts, everything was plain at a glance.

This method of drawing charts and tables was taught by Lin Qian—his design drawings often liked to include such information.

Fang Ju had been subtly influenced and had learned this skill as well.

The other three department directors craned their necks, and upon seeing Fang Ju's charts, their faces showed admiring expressions while their hearts cursed furiously.

You little rascal—we all agreed to give simple reports, so how did you prepare so thoroughly? Trying to be the model worker, are you? No way—next report, I'm preparing charts too!

Fang Ju then displayed the progress of several projects on Nan'ao Island one by one.

Current construction projects on Nan'ao Island include:

The Huanghua Mountain Academy, expected to be completed before the end of the year.

The Type-II Eagle Ship, to be completed in early February next year.

The Huanghua Mountain Reservoir construction project, to be completed in March next year.

The Qianjiang Bay Pier Phase II project, to be completed in April next year.

The Houjiang Bay Pier Phase III project, to be completed in June next year.

The Houshen Road Phase I project, namely the road connecting Houjiang Bay and Shen'ao Bay, to be completed before August next year.

There is also the road connecting Qianjiang Bay and Yundang Bay that Lin Qian proposed when he returned to the island, tentatively named the "Qianyun Road Phase I Project," currently in the project approval stage.

While these constructions are underway,

the island is also simultaneously building residential housing, specifically including one hundred "four-point gold" houses and fifty large courtyard houses.

Beyond these, there are countless miscellaneous small projects scattered across the island—it's a wonder Fang Ju can keep track of every single one.

The other three department heads all showed expressions of admiration.

By the time Fang Ju finished speaking, it was already noon, and Bai Qing and her younger brother brought out lunch for everyone.

Lunch was venison stewed with radish soup, accompanied by a cup of chrysanthemum tea, a bowl of white rice, and a serving of boiled cabbage.

Lin Qian took a whiff—the meaty aroma was intoxicating, making one's mouth water.

Bai Qing said, "The venison was sent from Dongfan Island by Eagle Ship, still fresh. Young Doctor Su said eating too much venison causes internal heat, so we paired it with cooling ingredients like radish and chrysanthemum tea to balance it out."

Lin Qian said, "Much obliged."

Bai Qing smiled and said, "The soup and rice were both made by Uncle Chen—I only brought them up. If anyone deserves thanks, it's Uncle Chen. Everyone, please dig in."

Lin Qian scooped up a spoonful of soup with his ladle, seeing the broth was clear, pale yellow in color, with flecks of oil glistening on the surface.

As the hot soup entered his mouth, the first thing he tasted was the rich, savory flavor of venison—similar to beef, but coarser and wilder, carrying that distinctive taste of game meat.

Then the clean sweetness of the white radish spread across his palate, perfectly balancing the richness of the venison, leaving the broth sweet with a lingering aftertaste—extremely refreshing.

The venison in the soup was light brown in color, looking not much different from stewed pork ribs.

One bite and the texture was firm and chewy, with finer grain than beef and even more flavor.

As he chewed, he could almost see forests and open wilderness before his eyes, feeling the mountain winds of Dongfan Island.

Lin Qian then tried a piece of white radish—it had been stewed until translucent, saturated with broth, melting instantly on the tongue. It was exquisitely delicious, even better than the meat.

The only shortcoming was that the venison was too lean, lacking in fat and not fragrant enough.

The others weren't as picky as Lin Qian—having meat at all was good enough; who cared whether it was fragrant or not.

Moreover, venison in the Great Ming wasn't just imperial delicacy—it was exclusively enjoyed by the gentry class, carrying its own status prestige, which made everyone eat with even more gusto.

Within ten minutes, everyone had polished off their lunch completely.

Some who could still eat even asked for a second bowl after finishing their first.

Deer were rare commodities in both the Great Ming and Japan, yet on Dongfan Island they had become a plague of overpopulation.

Venison had even become a byproduct of the antler and hide trade, so abundant that the jerky they dried would spoil before it could be eaten.

On Dongfan Island, Chen Jiao and the others ate venison day in and day out, getting nosebleeds at the slightest thing and wearing only single-layer clothes even in the bitter cold. If not for Su Kang helping to regulate their constitution, they'd have caught fire from internal heat.

Thus Chen Jiao's behavior of using Eagle Ships as couriers to send venison to Nan'ao Island wasn't just to let everyone taste game—it was also to help Nan'ao Island share the "burden."

After the meal, Lin Qian sipped his chrysanthemum tea while signaling the Justice Department to report.

Zheng Zhilong had previously been the head of the Justice Department, and with the foundation he had laid, that department's work was actually the easiest among the four.

Add to that Nan'ao Island's simple and honest folk—few crimes were committed, major cases were nonexistent, and the most common offenses were nothing more than brawls and fights.

The heaviest case the Justice Department had ever handled was merely a fight where both parties ended up seriously injured.

The four department heads finished their reports.

Lin Qian laid out the work focus for next year—the taxation issue.

Currently, Nan'ao Island had no tax system in place, and frankly, with the island's meager GDP, whatever taxes could be collected might not even amount to a fraction of the maritime trade profits.

But rules had to be established eventually, and while Nan'ao Island was still small in scale, establishing the tax system early would face less resistance.

Considering ease of collection and administration as well as economic promotion, Lin Qian decided to levy only land tax and commercial tax for now, with a tentative rate of 5%—what the Great Ming would call "one in twenty."

Both the statutory rate and the effective rate were lower than the Great Ming's.

Moreover, preferential tax policies would apply to infrastructure, grain, and livelihood-related sectors.

The specific implementation rules would be deliberated and decided by the Nan'ao Government Affairs Hall next year—this was a major matter touching the interests of thousands of people, not to be rushed, and stability was paramount.

After the reports concluded, Lin Qian kept Scholar Zhou and Zheng Zhilong behind and instructed, "Send word to Dongfan Island—have Big Brother and Su Kang return to Nan'ao for the New Year.

Also, with ample time during the holidays and no external military conflicts, stock up generously on New Year goods and make things lively."

The two acknowledged in unison.

On the twenty-first day of the twelfth lunar month, Chen Jiao led one Sea Wolf warship and six Cangshan ships back from Dongfan Island, docking at Qianjiang Bay.

Lin Qian led the island's brothers and Su Qingmei to the harbor to welcome them.

Moments later, Chen Jiao descended the gangplank.

"Big Brother!" Lei Sanxiang waved and called out.

Chen Jiao, beaming with smiles, strode over and greeted each in turn with clasped fists: "Helmsman, Second Brother, Third Brother, Seventh Brother!"

Lin Qian looked him over and said, "Big Brother's gotten darker, and more robust too—you look in excellent spirits."

Lei Sanxiang added, "Excellent spirits doesn't even cover it—in the dead of winter, Big Brother's just wearing a single layer. That's some serious firepower."

Chen Jiao smiled wryly and said, "Stop teasing me—it's all from eating too much venison——"

Lei Sanxiang joked, "Big Brother's gotten a bargain and still acts coy—everyone knows venison is a good thing."

"Fine then!" Chen Jiao laughed heartily. "There are two thousand catties of fresh venison and five thousand catties of venison jerky on the ship. Third Brother, I'll personally make sure you eat every bit of it, meal after meal!"

Lei Sanxiang patted his belly and said, "Well then, this one's in for a real treat."

"Just wait for the Samadhi Fire!" Chen Jiao said with a laugh, delivering his verdict.

While Lin Qian and his sworn brothers were joking loudly, Su Kang also came down from the ship.

Su Qingmei saw him and shouted, "Father!" Then she quickly rushed toward her father.

Su Kang steadied his daughter, struggling to put his smiling face back into a stern expression, and scolded, "Mei'er, you're turning sixteen after the New Year, why are you still so rash and reckless?"

"Hehe." Su Qingmei chuckled foolishly. "Father, you've gotten thinner and darker. Let's go home—the Helmsman gave us a lot of venison, let's eat it soon to nourish you."

Even though Su Kang tried hard to control his expression, his face couldn't help but darken. He deflected, "Father would rather eat something light."

Su Qingmei walked ahead, saying, "Father, while you were away on Dongfan Island, I stayed at Sister Bai Qing's house—

I also made a trip to Macao and saw quite a few patients, but don't worry, they were all minor illnesses—

The Helmsman's method for treating malaria truly works wonders—many malaria patients in Macao were cured with artemisia juice—

Su Kang listened to his daughter's account with a face full of affection, though he felt a faint pang of guilt.

As he passed by Lin Qian, Su Kang stopped in his tracks, cupped his hands in salute, and said, "Helmsman."

Before going to Dongfan Island, Su Kang had never been this respectful—many times when he saw Lin Qian, he would pretend not to notice him.

Lin Qian merely cast him a cold glance, his eyes carrying an indescribable chill that made Su Kang's body involuntarily tremble.

"See me at Huanghua Mountain Academy tomorrow at dawn."

"Yes." Su Kang saluted respectfully.

That evening, Su Kang returned home with an uneasy heart. When he had first gone to Dongfan Island, he had disobeyed the Helmsman's orders, administered the wrong medicine, and cost nine people their lives.

Though the matter had long since passed and no aggrieved family had pursued it, Su Kang could not forgive himself.

The look Lin Qian had given him when he first set foot on Nan'ao Island told Su Kang that the Helmsman had not forgotten the matter either.

Lin Qian had always been clear in rewarding and punishing—he wondered what punishment awaited him this time—

Those were nine lives after all. Su Kang believed that short of death, there was no way to make amends.

While on Dongfan Island, Su Kang had actually already harbored thoughts of death, but upon returning to Nan'ao Island and seeing his daughter, he felt the preciousness of living again.

Su Qingmei, meanwhile, recounted in detail everything she had experienced during this period, especially what she had witnessed in the naval battle at Macao.

"—On the night of the second day of the twelfth month, I was aboard the Tianyuan. The sea was pitching violently, the cannon fire was thunderous, and there were deafening crashes as shells struck the Tianyuan. Even talking face to face on deck, we had to shout to be heard.

At first I was terrified—my hands were shaking so badly I couldn't treat anyone's wounds at all.

The Helmsman comforted me, saying the hold was safe, and told me to treat it like practicing medicine on the road—he asked me to think about what Father would do.

After hearing that, I wasn't afraid anymore. Once I went down to the hold, the wounded sailors were sent down one by one from the upper deck.

The lightly wounded had wood splinters embedded in their bodies in several places; the severely wounded had lost arms and legs.

The hold was covered in blood. The sailors spread sand and earth underfoot just to keep their footing.

In one night, I saved twelve wounded men—all of them survived. Even the Helmsman praised my composure, and praised my medical skill, saying I had truly inherited my father's teachings. Later, he even brought me along when he went to Macao.

So, how about it? Isn't your daughter impressive?"

After chattering on and on, Su Qingmei's eyes curved into crescent moons as she waited to hear Su Kang's praise.

But Su Kang only gazed at his daughter with affection, his expression distant and distracted.

"Father?" Su Qingmei called out tentatively.

Su Kang snapped back to his senses and said softly, "It seems the Helmsman has treated you well—"

Su Qingmei's face lit up with joy: "Of course! The Helmsman treats everyone well. When we went to Macao, the Helmsman even let me help treat the common folk of Macao!

Father, you should have seen the day the Helmsman entered Macao—the entire city's populace lined the streets to catch a glimpse, packed so tight you couldn't squeeze through. Everyone regards the Helmsman as a great hero!"

Su Kang looked at Su Qingmei's exuberant manner and asked out of nowhere, "Mei'er, do you like him?"

Su Qingmei was taken aback. "What?" Then her face flushed crimson in an instant, and she shook her head like a rattle-drum: "No, no! Father, what nonsense are you talking!"

Su Kang forced a smile: "If not, then never mind. Father was just talking nonsense."

Counting the years, after the New Year, Su Qingmei would turn sixteen—already the most suitable age for marriage.

Though the gap in status between Su Qingmei and Lin Qian was vast, they were similar in age, and the Helmsman valued loyalty and righteousness. Su Kang figured that even if Su Qingmei became a concubine, she would not be mistreated.

Su Kang did not know whether he would still have his life to return after meeting Lin Qian tomorrow, which was why he was so eager to find Su Qingmei a good home.

But he was not the type to recklessly play matchmaker. If Su Qingmei was unwilling, he would not force her—as long as she could stay by the Helmsman's side and work, she would never live poorly.

Su Kang said with deep earnestness, "Since the Helmsman thinks highly of you, you should stay close to his side from now on."

Su Qingmei found this quite surprising. Previously, her father had been the most averse to the Helmsman, and had often constrained her with propriety—forbidding her from practicing medicine on men, forbidding her from being alone with men. Why was he acting so out of character today?

Su Qingmei probed cautiously, "Father, why bring this up all of a sudden?"

Su Kang shook his head with a smile: "These past few months, Father has been on Dongfan Island. It's been a long time since I tested your medical skills—I don't know if you've grown lazy."

Su Qingmei's face immediately fell, and she gazed at the pitch-black night outside the window: "Huh? Test me now?"

Su Kang put on a stern face and said, "Of course. Listen carefully—"

The entire night, Su Kang tested her on medical skills.

Though it was called a test, in truth Su Kang did more teaching than testing. The content he taught mainly covered acupuncture, pulse diagnosis, and surgery, targeting ailments such as external wounds, male disorders, malaria, health preservation, and poison detection.

Especially poison detection—Su Kang spoke on it at great length, in great detail, and with great depth.

Su Kang had always taught Su Qingmei in a manner that combined instruction with practice, only teaching a little at a time with long gaps in between, for fear that Su Qingmei would bite off more than she could chew.

But tonight, he was like pouring beans from a bamboo tube—eager to spill everything he knew, cramming it all into his daughter's head in one go.

After finishing poison detection, Su Kang continued, "Next, Father will teach you about yin deficiency with fire hyperactivity. Yin deficiency with fire hyperactivity often arises from insomnia. When a person sleeps, blood returns to the liver; when one cannot sleep, liver blood becomes deficient. At the same time, it depletes kidney essence, causes heart fire to flare, and spleen qi to float weak—"

Poison detection and treating yin deficiency with fire hyperactivity—both went far beyond what the orthodox school specialized in.

That Su Kang would teach his daughter these things was clearly highly targeted.

Su Qingmei had listened all night, and now the sound of birds came from outside the window. By this point she felt an overwhelming sense of strangeness, and said with a tearful voice, "Father, why are you suddenly teaching me all this? What exactly has happened? Don't scare me."

Su Kang glanced out the window. The sky was faintly brightening with dawn. This place was still far from Huanghua Mountain, so he needed to set out early.

He stood up from the bed, straightened his clothes, and said to Su Qingmei with affectionate instructions, "Be good. Father is going out to take care of some matters. You've been listening all night—you must be tired. Get some rest now."

Su Kang had always played the role of the traditional stern father, never allowing Su Qingmei to sleep in or lie around in bed — when had he ever spoken so gently and let her sleep in the morning before?

Su Qingmei grabbed her father's sleeve, weeping: "Father, what on earth is going on? Tell me, and your daughter will think of a way together with you."

Su Kang hardened his heart, pried his daughter's hands away, and said: "You were right about one thing — the helmsman is a good man, and Mistress Bai is also genuinely sincere toward you. If you ever run into difficulties in the future, you can go to them for help."

With that said, Su Kang stepped out the door and into the dim light of early dawn.

Walking westward along Nan'ao city, the further Su Kang went, the more alarmed he became.

It had only been a few months since he was last here, yet Nan'ao city had undergone tremendous changes again.

The thatched three-bay dwellings that once lined the streets had all been replaced with houses in the four-point-gold style.

Walking westward all the way, green tiles and white walls lined both sides — the prosperity made it feel less like being on Nan'ao Island and more like being in Guangzhou.

At the bustling crossroads, tall lanterns had even been erected for illumination.

Early-rising vendors were already preparing food, and the sweet fragrance of sweet potato porridge could be smelled from far away.

Whether pedestrians or vendors, everyone's face was ruddy and glowing, their spirits far better than when Su Kang had left the island.

Because of his profession, Su Kang paid close attention to medical halls — along the way, he actually spotted five or six newly opened ones.

Other shops such as taverns, inns, tailor shops, and general stores had also opened in countless numbers; even the western part of the island, where it didn't adjoin the two docks, was brimming with commercial vitality.

When he reached the foot of Huanghua Mountain, Su Kang's eyes went wide at once, stunned by the sight before him.

The former wild mountain wilderness had been completely transformed — the flat ground and gentle slopes nearby had been reclaimed into vast stretches of farmland.

Looking into the distance, green wheat seedlings covered the mountains and fields, a vast expanse of lush greenery that made one's heart feel at ease and confident just looking at it.

Farmers who had risen early were already in the fields weeding, banking soil, and applying fertilizer; when they rested, they casually dug up a few sweet potatoes from the slopes at the field's edge and roasted them over fires they started on the spot.

The sweet potatoes were roasted until their skins were charred black while the insides turned red, practically oozing honeyed syrup — when broken open, they released billowing steam.

The smell of charcoal fire and the sweet fragrance of the sweet potatoes drifted far on the wind, straight into people's nostrils.

Farming families sat together by the ridges of the fields, eating sweet potatoes for breakfast; the potatoes were so hot that they had to toss them back and forth between their hands, and when they finally managed to take a bite, they didn't dare chew — instead they opened their mouths wide and blew out long streams of steam, drawing peals of laughter from the other farmers.

"How wonderful." Su Kang sighed with emotion.

Yahei

Pink Round

Pen