Chapter 41: The Stalwart Man of Shandong

Lin Qian's gaze swept over the remaining boatmen.

Their faces showed fear, lingering dread, or discontent.

"Everyone's been sailing for a long time, and now that we've finally made shore, you want to find some fun — I understand."

Lin Qian said in a clear voice.

This was the first time Lin Qian, who had been silent all morning, spoke to the boatmen, and every one of them turned to look at him.

Lin Qian pulled a hard biscuit from his clothes and held it up in his hand.

"You've all been gnawing on this plaster-like crap for half a month — you want wine, you want meat, I know!"

Then Lin Qian pointed north.

"Over there is the Great Ming. We've all been at sea for half a year, and we all want to go home, to see our mothers, to see our wives and children — I'm the same as you!"

After that whole morning, the boatmen had assumed that when Lin Qian finally spoke, it would be to berate them. They never expected these three sentences, which struck straight at the heart of every man there, and they couldn't help nodding in silent agreement.

"But we can't scatter now, because the silver for this cargo — none of you have been paid yet. I've calculated it: every man gets at least three hundred taels!"

The boatmen's hearts all skipped a beat. They knew the Franks' ship was valuable, but they'd never imagined each man could get three hundred taels.

The vast majority of common folk in the Great Ming would never earn three hundred taels in their entire lives, even added together.

Lin Qian continued: "I know things are hard for you — they're hard for me too! But who told us we're men! A man has to hold up his family; no matter how bitter or exhausting it gets, you can only swallow it down!"

"With empty hands, how do we go home? How do we pay for our parents' medicine? How do we buy clothes for our children? How do we fill our families' bellies?"

The boatmen all lowered their heads. Even those who weren't married were born of fathers and raised by mothers — who doesn't want to properly honor their parents?

Thinking of their parents' and families' eager gazes, the boatmen felt that no matter how much hardship they endured, as long as their families could live well, it was worth it.

And besides, that was three hundred taels — in a whole lifetime, how many chances does a man get to earn three hundred taels?

"Don't forget, gentlemen — ours is a trade where we lick blood off the blade!"

One sentence from Lin Qian pulled everyone back to reality.

"If even one person lets word slip, none of us can escape the authorities' pursuit! That's why the roll-call rule was established. Besides roll call, there will be other rules in the future — without these rules, our safety is hard to come by!"

"So from now on, anyone who breaks the rules will be severely punished. I'm saying this plainly today — if anyone is punished later, don't blame me for showing no mercy!"

When he finished speaking, all the boatmen wore ashamed expressions, heads lowered. For a moment, the only sound on the deck was the crashing of waves.

Lin Qian took in everyone's expressions, understood that the moment was about right, and softened his tone: "Alright, you've been standing all morning — go back to your cabins and rest, get ready for lunch."

After these words, the atmosphere on deck relaxed considerably. The boatmen walked with heavy steps, drifting back to their cabins in twos and threes.

Seeing the boatmen disperse, Lin Qian turned to Scholar Zhou and said: "Second Brother, now that we're near the coast, buy plenty of fresh ingredients from the fishermen — wine, meat, vegetables, fruit, buy them all. Don't worry about the expense. Have a word with Uncle Chen about it — whatever needs buying, you two decide."

"Alright." Scholar Zhou nodded in agreement and went down from the stern deck.

"Third Brother…" Lin Qian wanted to find Lei Sanxiang, but after looking around, couldn't spot him.

Chen Jiao said: "He went back to his cabin… Don't hold it against him — he's always had that firecracker temper."

Lin Qian smiled: "Elder Brother, what are you saying? I know Third Brother's temper well. And today I have to thank all you brothers for backing me up."

Chen Jiao quickly clasped his hands and said half-jokingly: "I wouldn't dare! The helmsman's methods today have truly opened this elder brother's eyes."

Lin Qian laughed heartily, draping his arms over Chen Jiao's and Bailangzai's shoulders: "Elder Brother, you flatter me too much. Come on, let's go to my cabin and smoke a cigar."

Chen Jiao laughed: "No, no — I can't stand that strange-smelling tobacco of yours. Spare me…"

Even so, Chen Jiao went into the captain's cabin together with Lin Qian and Bailangzai.

Lin Qian lit a cigar for each of the three, and then they started chatting idly.

As it happened, Lin Qian and Bailangzai hadn't gone to the flower boat yesterday, so Chen Jiao recounted what he'd seen and heard there.

The moment the talk turned to women, the air filled with a merry atmosphere.

"…You two should've seen it — these southern women look all shy, but in bed they've got real fire. The screaming yesterday nearly shook the flower boat apart…"

In his previous life, Lin Qian had also known his share of women and could be counted a veteran of the pleasure quarters, so he played along and asked a few more questions.

Bailangzai, meanwhile, connected it with that girl who'd been beaten and figured out why there was wound-healing medicine on the flower boat.

And then he thought further — that today's boatmen showing up late for roll call was something Lin Qian had predicted long ago, and he'd even bought the medicine for whip wounds in advance.

This meticulousness of thought truly shocked Bailangzai.

After the three finished their cigars, Scholar Zhou returned from Uncle Chen's side.

As it happened, lunch was ready, and the four ate together in the officers' mess below the captain's cabin.

Lin Qian had someone fetch Lei Sanxiang as well.

Scholar Zhou said: "He said he still has business this afternoon, so he'll eat in his own room."

"Very well." Lin Qian understood in his heart that Lei Sanxiang felt his face had been slapped in public and was sulking a bit, but he didn't take it to heart.

Chen Jiao and Scholar Zhou stole glances at Lin Qian's expression, and only when they saw no change in his face did they relax.

The officers' cabins were located at the rear end of the gun deck, below the mess.

After lunch, Lei Sanxiang was tidying up his bowls and chopsticks in his own cabin.

Just then, Lin Qian lifted the door curtain and walked in.

Seeing him, Lei Sanxiang greeted him in a muffled voice: "Helmsman."

Lin Qian didn't respond. He walked straight to the table, sat down, and set what he was carrying on the table.

Lei Sanxiang looked over — on the table were two jars of wine and a whip. That whip was the very one he'd used that morning.

"Helmsman, what's the meaning of this?"

"This morning I undercut Third Brother's dignity in front of the boatmen, so I've come specially to make amends. If Third Brother is angry, by all means, take a few lashes at your brother — as long as Third Brother doesn't hold a grudge and wound our brotherhood." With that, Lin Qian took off his upper garment and turned his back to Lei Sanxiang.

"Helmsman, you worry too much. I'm not the sort of petty man who nitpicks over every little thing."

Lin Qian said: "If you weren't angry, why are you still calling me helmsman? Come on, get on with it — don't be so womanish!"

Lei Sanxiang was a typical straight-shooter, proud of being a stalwart man of Shandong, and nothing riled him more than being provoked with the word "womanish." Hearing this, he said angrily: "I said I'm not angry, so I'm not angry! You are the helmsman — what's wrong with me calling you helmsman?"

"In your heart, you must be thinking: the helmsman is what I made you call me in public, making you lose face before your friends, using you to establish authority among the boatmen — isn't that right?"

"Hmph." Lei Sanxiang, caught out, didn't dare talk back—just gave a cold snort.

"You're definitely thinking again that by making you punish the erring boatmen, I'm setting you up to play the villain, aren't you?"

"I ain't!" Lei Sanxiang's voice had weakened considerably.

"And right now you're definitely thinking that everything I do and say is just a hypocritical show—that brotherly loyalty means nothing to me compared to power and wealth, isn't that right?"

"Bullshit! If I thought that, I wouldn't be a real man! Damn you! Don't you forget back in Luzon, when Old Four and Old Five turned their coats—I was the one standing by your side!"

That last line was Lin Qian deliberately provoking him, and sure enough, Lei Sanxiang refuted it at the top of his lungs.

Lin Qian turned around with a grin: "Of course. Since Third Brother doesn't want to fight, then let's drink. I've heard Shandong men have enormous capacity for liquor—wonder if it's true or not?"

With that, he opened two jars of wine, and the aroma flooded out—inside was the yellow wine just bought off the flower boat.

Lei Sanxiang took the jar, gulped down three big mouthfuls, then wiped his mouth: "Course it's true!"

Lin Qian drank a few mouthfuls to keep him company, but with things left unsaid, the drinking was heavy and dull.

Seizing the moment of tipsy warmth, Lin Qian pulled two porcelain bottles from his bosom and set them on the table—the wound-healing salve Bailangzai had bought off the flower boat.

"What's this supposed to mean?"

"Wound salve." Lin Qian said flatly.

Lei Sanxiang sneered: "Brother Lin, you've got me all wrong here. Between brothers, even if I hold a grudge against you, you think I'd really throw a punch?"

Lin Qian shook his head: "This isn't for my own use. Once the smell of drink fades from you, take these two bottles and apply the salve to the boatmen who got beaten."

Lei Sanxiang's drinking motion froze stiff.

Yahei

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