Chapter 143: Celebrating the New Year

Su Kang stepped forward and asked the farmers where the Huanghua Mountain Academy was located.

The farmers all spoke with Liaodong accents and were extremely enthusiastic—the moment Su Kang asked, seven or eight of them pointed him the way at once.

"It's right over there, see it? Just follow the stone steps and you'll get there."

Su Kang followed the direction of their pointing fingers and saw several ethereal buildings nestled among the mountains, half-hidden in the lush greenery covering the slopes.

The buildings followed the contours of the mountain, harmonizing perfectly with the surrounding scenery—seamless and unforced, as if they had always been part of the landscape.

A small path of stone steps wound down from the buildings, reaching all the way to the foot of the mountain.

After thanking the farmers who had pointed the way, Su Kang climbed the steps, noticing stacks of stone slabs piled along the roadside—clearly the path was still under construction.

After walking for about a quarter-hour, Su Kang arrived at the academy's main gate.

The mountain was tranquil and the sky hazy; standing there, one truly felt a sense of calm and quiet reflection.

It was still early—Lin Qian had not yet arrived—so Su Kang entered the academy and sat down on a set of steps.

The academy commanded an extremely broad view, overlooking the city of Nan'ao. Straight roads crisscrossed below, houses stood in neat rows, and wisps of cooking smoke rose from chimneys.

As the morning sun climbed higher, more pedestrians appeared on the roads, and the city awakened from slumber, revealing a bustling scene.

In the distance at Houjiang Bay wharf, a thousand ships lay at anchor, masts standing thick as a forest, stretching for miles along the coastline. Vessels continued to enter and leave the harbor ceaselessly, while vendors, clerks, laborers, and sailors moved back and forth along the docks. Above, hundreds of seagulls wheeled in the sky.

Further out, the ink-blue sea met the indigo sky, and as the rising sun climbed, the colors of sea and sky gradually shifted, beautiful in a hazy, dreamlike way.

Witnessing such a magnificent sight, Su Kang felt his heart soar, and a thought arose—he should bring his daughter here to see this someday.

But then he reconsidered: he had taken nine lives, his sins were grave—how could the Helmsman ever forgive him? What chance did he have in this lifetime of ever seeing his daughter again?

Grief welled up in Su Kang. For most of his life he had been cynical, looking down on every noble, official, prince, and general. In Guangzhou he had been consumed by the feeling that his talents went unrecognized, and after coming to Nan'ao, he had only felt like a pearl cast into the dust.

Now, with death looming, he realized how ridiculous his former pursuit of fame and reputation had been.

A man lives one life, scrambling for fame and profit—only at the end does he understand that happiness alone is what truly matters.

Su Kang stared blankly into the distance, recalling the time since coming to the island when he and his daughter had run their medical clinic. Though his grand ambition of spreading the Orthodox School's medical arts could never be fulfilled, those had been the happiest days of his life.

Lost in thought, Su Kang unconsciously let a smile spread across his face.

"Thinking of something pleasant?" Lin Qian's voice came from behind him, its tone unreadable.

Startled, Su Kang's thoughts were yanked back to reality. He hurriedly rose, and upon seeing Lin Qian's face clearly, clasped his hands in salute: "Helmsman."

Several personal guards followed behind Lin Qian, their cold stares making Su Kang deeply uncomfortable.

Lin Qian's expression was stern as he said in a frigid voice: "Su Kang, do you know your crime?"

Su Kang said dejectedly: "I acted willfully, ignored the Helmsman's counsel, and my misdiagnosis cost lives. I deserve—death to atone. I have no complaints whatsoever. But before I die, there is one matter I wish to entrust to the Helmsman."

"Speak." Lin Qian's voice was cold and severe.

"I beg the Helmsman to take care of my daughter. She has received the true transmission of my Orthodox School, and in the future she can also serve the Helmsman."

Su Kang paused, then took a porcelain bottle from his robes, smiling bitterly.

"Inside is datura powder. In small doses it can be used medicinally as an anesthetic, but swallow an entire bottle and a person will never wake again.

Helmsman, if I die by my own hand, then my daughter will bear no grudge against you."

Having said this, Su Kang pulled out the stopper and tilted his head back, ready to drink.

Lin Qian said coldly: "Hold on! If you die like this, what becomes of your medical skill?"

Su Kang was puzzled: "My daughter will carry on the tradition."

Lin Qian: "Nine lives lost. Your death pays for one—eight remain. A father's debt falls to the child. You die easily enough, but can Su Qingmei alone ever repay the rest?"

Su Kang lowered the medicine bottle. Though he was rigid in his ways, he was also an intelligent man. He heard the implication in Lin Qian's words that his life might be spared, and hope of survival immediately flared within him. He clasped his hands and said: "I beg the Helmsman to enlighten me."

Lin Qian pointed behind himself: "What place is this?"

"The Academy?"

"From now on, you will serve as the Academy's instructor. Teach your medical arts to the students without reservation, and use that to repay your debt of lives."

Su Kang's voice trembled: "The Orthodox School's medical arts were created by my master—how could I casually—"

Lin Qian sighed with heavy emphasis: "Nine lives!"

In truth, though nine lives were no small matter, Lin Qian did not take them too much to heart. Opening up the Eastern Barbarian Island was an endeavor fraught with countless perils—far more than nine people had died from other causes.

Moreover, the artemisinin content in wormwood was low; even with juicing or wine extraction, a 100% cure rate could not be guaranteed. Some people would inevitably die of malaria regardless.

Lin Qian kept invoking those nine lives precisely as leverage over Su Kang.

Su Kang was a man who yielded to neither soft words nor hard pressure. He possessed excellent medical skill, yet Su Qingmei was his only true disciple.

This meant Lin Qian could not even manage to assign one surgical physician to each ship.

Back when Lin Qian had told Su Kang about using wormwood to treat malaria, his purpose had been to plant the idea of writing a medical treatise in Su Kang's mind, and then use that as leverage over him.

Who would have thought Su Kang would prove so stubborn—he ignored Lin Qian's method entirely, cost nine people their lives, and took on a heavy psychological burden.

Now it was even easier for Lin Qian to control him.

Sure enough, hearing Lin Qian say this, Su Kang's shoulders seemed to bear a burden of a thousand jin—he could no longer stand straight. After struggling for a long while, he sighed in defeat: "Very well—"

Lin Qian smiled: "Good. The Academy's first enrollment will begin after the New Year. The medicine program's first cohort will recruit at least thirty students."

"Thirty people?" Su Kang exclaimed.

Lin Qian said: "Correct. Full-time study—three years of medical theory from books, three years of clinical internship. Those who meet the requirements will be certified to practice medicine officially."

"Only three years of studying medical texts?" Su Kang was stunned.

Lin Qian said: "No need for comprehensive training in every specialty—just have each person master one field. At this stage, the island's greatest need is for shipboard physicians. They only need to handle simple external injuries. Train them quickly, and it won't even take a full year."

"This—" Su Kang was at a loss for words.

Lin Qian said earnestly: "Physician Su, when you teach, do not forget those nine who died unjustly. The sooner the students you train can treat patients and save lives, won't your sin be correspondingly lighter by a measure?"

Su Kang found this eminently reasonable.

Lin Qian guided him further: "And your 'Orthodox Medical School'—can't it also spread its name across the world through this?"

Su Kang thought about it, and his heart immediately began to pound. It really was so—in this way, he could not only atone for his sins but also let the Orthodox School branch out and flourish. Wasn't this killing two birds with one stone?

After finishing his business, Lin Qian took Su Kang on a tour of the academy.

In the spirit of "never let poverty stand in the way of education," Lin Qian placed great importance on the Huanghua Mountain Academy, having personally designed the entire institution.

The architectural style was modeled on antiquity, yet modern.

The design philosophy emphasized harmony with nature.

It preserved the sense of order of a great academy while incorporating the winding paths and hidden retreats of Jiangnan gardens.

Having experienced great sorrow and great joy today, Su Kang could not appreciate the academy's design ingenuity no matter how much he heard about it.

Lin Qian simply let him go, but before he left, reminded him: "Regarding the academy's student recruitment, Physician Su, do put in extra effort—those nine men are all watching you from above."

Su Kang's body trembled. He clasped his hands in salute and acknowledged the order, then hurried down the mountain three steps at a time.

Following the path to the foot of the mountain, he saw the farmland and farmers he had passed on the way up, saw the streets and common folk of the town—everything felt fresh, everything felt alive.

Su Kang hurried home all the way, and happened upon his daughter sitting dazedly at the table, her face streaked with tears. He called out in a trembling voice, "Mei'er."

"Father?" Su Qingmei looked up in surprise, her face full of disbelief.

Suppressing his tears, Su Kang choked out: "New Year is almost here. Come, your father will take you to buy New Year goods!"

As New Year's Eve drew ever closer, Nan'ao Island began large-scale procurement of supplies and preparation of New Year goods.

From rice, flour, grain, and oil to pork and mutton; from colored cloth and lanterns to firecrackers and fireworks.

All manner of goods from Fujian and Guangdong converged on Nan'ao by sea.

Amid everyone's anticipation, New Year's Eve finally arrived.

Lin Qian held a grand banquet at the Nan'ao government hall, inviting his sworn brothers and the sixty original crew members of the Qingping to attend.

These men were all single, and even those who had married had no family on the island, so Lin Qian gathered everyone together to celebrate the New Year as one.

As night fell, the sound of red firecrackers rang out unceasingly across Nan'ao Island, and skyrockets burst open in the pitch-black night sky.

Everyone pitched in to help Uncle Chen carry the various dishes to the tables. Every table was piled full—countless delicacies, a dazzling array.

All the brothers' eyes fell on Lin Qian at the head of the table.

Lin Qian raised his cup: "Dig in!"

Only then did everyone noisily raise their chopsticks.

Lin Qian sat down and swept his gaze across the table. He saw that meat dishes alone filled ten large platters, vegetable dishes five small plates, and in the center sat a steaming hotpot, surrounded by sliced venison, beef, lamb, mushrooms, and other raw ingredients.

The brothers helped themselves, adding ingredients to the pot.

Chen Jiao said: "Let me say this in advance—once the venison goes into the pot, I won't be able to eat anything else. I beg you brothers to be kind and put the venison in last."

Lei Sanxiang mocked him: "Big Brother, is it really that bad? Eating venison is a wonderful thing."

Chen Jiao's expression changed at his words, as if he were suppressing nausea: "Go live on Dongfan Island for a few months and you'll understand."

Scholar Zhou picked up a piece of oven-roasted venison jerky, placed it in his mouth, and squinted in enjoyment as he recited: "'Chopping cassia, burning gold, awaiting the dawn feast; white deer's clear cream, boiled at midnight.' Such delicacies must not go untasted."

Chen Jiao got goosebumps all over watching him: "Taste it, taste it—by all means, let all the brothers taste it."

Lin Qian asked: "Are there really that many deer on Dongfan Island?"

Chen Jiao: "More than ants on the ground. When I came back this time, I brought over eight thousand deer hides—"

"Ahem—ahem—" The brothers coughed dryly without stopping.

Chen Jiao smiled apologetically: "The helmsman said no business talk today. My fault, my fault—I'll fine myself a cup!"

With that, Chen Jiao picked up the sweet rice wine and drained it in one gulp.

"Hm?" Zheng Zhilong made a puzzled sound. "This hotpot is rather strange."

All the brothers looked at the hotpot. The pot was made entirely of copper, with charcoal burning in the center forming a chimney shape. On either side of the chimney were the soup bases—one white, one red, clearly separated. Quite unusual indeed.

Zheng Zhilong observed for a moment, then saw that the pot was divided by a copper partition. Surprised, he said: "So this way, one pot can hold two soup bases. Ingenious. But I wonder, what is this red soup base?"

Lin Qian grinned mischievously: "Why don't all the brothers have a taste?"

Following his words, everyone picked up meat and swished it in the pot. As the red oil boiled, the meat slices cooked through, and everyone put them in their mouths—then all froze mid-motion.

They chewed with difficulty for a moment, swallowed, then fanned their mouths continuously.

"This stuff is so spicy!" Only after downing a bowl of rice wine could Bailangzai speak.

Lin Qian scooped up some of the red oil with his spoon: "This oil is made from chili peppers."

Like sweet potatoes, potatoes, and corn, chili peppers had long since been introduced to the Ming through the great voyages—but most people treated them as ornamental plants, and few used them in cooking.

Lin Qian wasn't someone who couldn't live without spice either. The red oil used very few chilies, greatly adjusted for Ming tastes—just a bit of novelty for the New Year's Eve feast.

Upon learning that chili peppers could actually be eaten, the brothers all marveled in amazement. Once they recovered, they found it rather addictive and continued adding meat to the spicy pot.

Zheng Zhilong said: "Chili is also a kind of spice. Thinking of it this way, it makes sense why the barbarians are so obsessed with spices."

Hearing this, Chen Jiao said with some regret: "What a pity I wasn't there for the Battle of Macao. I didn't get to see you all give those red-haired barbarians a sound beating."

Bai Qing said: "No matter. Even those of us ship captains who did take part in the Battle of Macao couldn't see much—it was too dark."

As they spoke, a crewman brought over a plate of steaming food and set it beside the hotpot. Everyone looked at it curiously—it was a plate of white, ingot-shaped food.

Lin Qian explained with a smile: "These are jiaozi. The people of Liaodong often eat them for New Year. Everyone, have a taste."

With that, Lin Qian picked up a jiaozi first, blew on it to cool the steam, carefully tore open a small opening, blew air into the filling, then popped the whole thing into his mouth—and was scalded by the piping-hot filling, unable to close his mouth.

He sucked in air noisily for a good while before the burning subsided. Then he took a bite and felt a burst of soup melt in his mouth, rich fragrance spreading everywhere.

This plate of jiaozi was filled with a mixture of venison and pork, with diced bamboo shoots and mushrooms added.

Venison is lean, pork is fatty—the two complemented and merged with each other perfectly, and combined with the bamboo shoots and mushrooms, it was truly exceptionally fresh and delicious.

The brothers snatched and grabbed, and soon the entire plate of piping-hot jiaozi was gone. Then the second plate, the third plate, the fourth and fifth plates all met the same fate.

Only Chen Jiao sat off to the side with a wry smile, eating alone from his own little pot.

After the grand feast, the messy dishes were cleared away and replaced with clear tea and sweet cakes.

Compared to jiaozi, the brothers were quite familiar with sweet cakes—this was a food commonly eaten during New Year in Guangdong.

The method was to steam glutinous rice flour batter, then slice it, coat it in egg wash, and pan-fry until golden brown.

Lin Qian tasted a piece and found the sweet cake soft and sticky, fragrant and mellow, with a crispy, slightly burnt exterior and a soft, chewy interior—a striking contrast, absolutely delicious.

Chen Jiao ate a piece of sweet cake and said proudly, "Do you all know where the brown sugar in this came from?"

Lei Sanxiang played along as the straight man: "Could it be from the Eastern Barbarian Isle?"

"Exactly." Chen Jiao clapped his hands and laughed, "This came from the experimental sugarcane fields on Tayouan Isle. It's only been planted for eight months—not even a full year—yet the sugar content already rivals what's grown on the mainland."

Lin Qian asked with concern, "Speaking of sugarcane, how much land has been reclaimed at Chikan now? Are there enough craftsmen to make white sugar?"

Chen Jiao: "We've already got over a thousand mu of land, and white sugar—"

"Ahem, ahem, ahem—" The brothers coughed in unison. They didn't dare stop Lin Qian from discussing business, so they could only stop Chen Jiao.

"I said no business talk—look at my memory." Chen Jiao raised his teacup, "I'll use tea in place of wine and fine myself a cup!"

As the brothers chatted and laughed, the moon outside rose higher and higher, crossing the zenith.

The Great Ming welcomed the second year of Tianqi.

On Nan'ao Isle, fireworks burst endlessly into the sky, dazzling the eyes.

In the rear courtyard of Green Plum Workshop, Su Qingmei hopped and skipped, pointing at the sky and urging her father to look quickly.

Su Kang struggled to suppress his smile, putting on a stern face and saying, "You're a grown young lady now—you should be more composed."

In a large manor house on the southern part of the isle, Ma Chenglie berated his servant: "Stop watching the fireworks. Go through the gifts against the gift list. Tomorrow at dawn, they must be delivered to the helmsman for New Year's greetings."

In the shipyard at Yun'ao Bay, the prisoner-of-war Juan gazed at the waning moon in the sky, listening to the commotion from Nan'ao town, feeling that all this festivity only registered in his ears as noise.

His mood gloomy, he took a gulp of yellow wine, then cursed at the Dutch prisoners working the night shift: "Heathens, hurry up! If you're slow, someone will still whip you even during New Year."

In Chaozhou Prefecture, Hu Zhaoyuan slept peacefully, attended by his newly wedded eighth concubine. Before getting into bed, he didn't forget to instruct his steward: "Don't forget to have the boatmen go to Ma'er Ao tomorrow to deliver goods to the isle."

The steward looked troubled: "Master, delivering goods on the first day of the New Year?"

Hu Zhaoyuan: "That's exactly why it must be the first day of the New Year. I can't set foot on the isle to pay New Year's respects to the helmsman, but the gifts must at least arrive."

In the audience chamber at the Gate of Imperial Supremacy in the Forbidden City, Ye Xianggao, Liu Yibao, Han, and seven other Grand Secretaries gathered, preparing to attend the New Year's Day grand audience.

Han said in a low voice: "Have you all prepared your memorials?"

Since the Tianqi Emperor ascended the throne, he had stayed deep within the palace and rarely emerged, and the court was gradually falling under the control of the eunuch faction. This time, the Donglin Faction members intended to use the New Year's Day grand audience to meet the Emperor face to face and directly state the ills of the times.

Ye Xianggao had a bit of a headache and advised, "Yuchen, isn't it somewhat inappropriate to submit a memorial at the New Year's Day grand audience?"

To put it plainly, the New Year's Day grand audience was still a largely ceremonial event, not an occasion for debating government affairs.

Liu Yibao spoke with impassioned fervor: "In the third month of the first year of Tianqi, Liaodong fell; in the fifth month, Wuzhou in Guangxi suffered great floods; in the ninth month, She Chongming rose in rebellion in Sichuan; in the same month, the Yellow River broke its banks; throughout the year, a great plague ravaged the southwest—does the Chief Grand Secretary still not understand? When the nation faces such peril, we can no longer afford to worry about such niceties."

Ye Xianggao tried hard to calm the Donglin Faction's anger: "Isn't there still the great victory at Zhenjiang? Yes, and there's also the urgent dispatch that just arrived at the Ministry of War a few days ago—the Nan'ao naval force repelled an attack by red barbarians on the second day of the twelfth month. Another great victory!"

Han waved his sleeve: "The Chief Grand Secretary need not dissuade us further. At the New Year's Day grand audience, before His Majesty and all the officials, the pure stream and

the eunuch faction—who is right and who is wrong—must be settled once and for all. The governance of our Great Ming can no longer continue muddling along in this murky state."

Amid the debate, an official from the Court of State Ceremonial walked into the audience chamber, brushed the snowflakes from his shoulders, and said with clasped hands: "Honored Grand Secretaries, the auspicious hour has arrived. Let us proceed to court."

Early in the morning of the third day of the first month, Lin Qian arrived early at the Nan'ao government affairs hall.

Most of the clerks on Nan'ao Isle had already gone home for the New Year, and the main courtyard of the government affairs hall had become Lin Qian's temporary reception area for guests.

Following Lin Qian's instructions, Bailangzai called the sixty brothers from the Green Duckweed to assemble in the government affairs hall.

Lin Qian looked at these men, his heart full of emotion.

Not counting Lin Qian and his sworn brothers, the Green Duckweed carried fifty-nine men in total, sixteen of whom had been recruited by Chen Jiao in Manila.

When they first seized the ship, there had only been forty-three.

These men had followed Lin Qian the longest, faced the most danger, and received the most generous rewards.

Who would have thought that when they seized the ship, they were still sea bandits licking blood off their blades, risking their lives for a mere hundred taels of silver?

In less than two years, every one of them now held the status of camp soldiers, with several hundred taels of silver in their grasp, living the lives of men above other men.

A year and a half ago, when Lin Qian had just seized the Manila galleon and sailed to the waters off Macao, he had made them a promise: once the silver from the Manila job was divided, he would let everyone go home to visit their parents, wives, and children.

Now the silver had long been divided, the isle was strong in troops and horses, and there was no shortage of hands.

The time had come to fulfill that promise.

Lin Qian had Bailangzai bring out the liquor and pour it for each man—the strongest burning knife liquor, a full bowl for everyone.

Then Lin Qian recounted all the trials they had shared since seizing the ship—from capturing the Katherine, braving the typhoon, the golden jellyfish lake on Palau Isle, to seizing the galleon, settling on Nan'ao Isle, destroying Li Kuiqi, raiding the Lin estate, and so on.

Every single matter, Lin Qian remembered clearly, and as he spoke now, everyone felt it as if they had lived through it themselves.

When he spoke of the typhoon and seizing ships, everyone's expressions grew tense; when he spoke of visiting the flower boats and drinking together, they all burst into loud laughter.

Finally, Lin Qian raised his cup and declared in a clear voice: "Now the time has come for me to fulfill my promise. If you wish to return to your hometowns, you may board a ship and leave the isle tomorrow. But don't forget—no matter where you go, to the ends of the earth, you are all my brothers of Lin Qian. Cheers!"

With that, Lin Qian drained the entire bowl of burning knife liquor, the drink spilling from the corners of his mouth and staining his collar—a display of tremendous boldness.

Seeing this, everyone raised their cups and drank deeply.

After that cup of wine, the atmosphere grew somewhat heavy.

Lin Qian gave Scholar Zhou a look, and Scholar Zhou took out an account ledger and called out a name: "Qian Wu."

The man whose name was called stepped out from the ranks, clasped his hands, and said, "The cargo master calls for me."

"Cargo master" was still the title used aboard the ship, and hearing it now filled everyone with a sense of warmth and familiarity.

Scholar Zhou said, "You're from South Zhili, from Suzhou Prefecture, and you live close to Yu Xiao Wu and Zhang Niu. The two of them fell overboard during the typhoon. This is the compensation for their families."

With that, Scholar Zhou took out two brocade pouches, placed them on the table, and opened each—inside each were five gold ingots.

"Yes, I'll make sure to deliver them!" Qian Wu's hands trembled as he took the two pouches of gold ingots.

Scholar Zhou continued according to the ledger: "Qi San, this pouch is Lu Wei's compensation. He was killed by the Franks when we seized the galleon. Please take it to his family.

Qi Chang, this pouch is—"

Scholar Zhou called out names one by one, distributing the compensation.

The sixty-odd men of the Green Duckweed—ever since they had followed Lin Qian, each person's name, native place, and address had been recorded with complete clarity.

Every man who had died in the line of duty was clearly noted in Scholar Zhou's ledger.

The crew members who received the compensation all hung their heads in silence, their expressions deeply moved.

Even Lei Sanxiang, standing at attention nearby, felt his eyes burn with heat. He looked up at the sky, his heart full of emotion—when his father and elder brother had died in battle at Sarhu back then, had his old mother ever received so much as half a copper of compensation?

If even half of the court's high officials and nobles had been like the Helmsman, his mother wouldn't have lost all means of survival and thrown herself into a well.

Scholar Zhou's list of the fallen was not long—only seven names in total. The compensation was quickly distributed, and closing the ledger, he said, "Let me say this plainly: anyone who dares to embezzle a brother's compensation will face the Helmsman's severe punishment!"

Lin Qian also cupped his hands and said, "I earnestly beg that the compensation be delivered—please see to it!"

The Helmsman's words were truly sincere, and someone spoke up on the spot: "Damn it! I can't bear to leave this island. If you want to go, go—I'm staying!"

Someone said in a low voice, "Don't be impulsive. If you don't go back, what will your old mother at home do?"

Seeing that the moment was ripe, Scholar Zhou immediately said, "The Helmsman has said that if anyone wishes to live on the island, they may also send word through a messenger to bring their families here—the Helmsman will dispatch a ship to fetch them."

"Really?" At these words, the crowd erupted in excitement.

Yahei

Pink Round

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