[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-late-ming":3,"chapter-late-ming-late-ming-chapter-29":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Late Ming",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},926389,1218,"Chapter 29: Setting Sail","late-ming-chapter-29",29,"\u003Cp>Beneath the grizzled head was an extremely brawny body; with several heavy thuds he leaped onto the deck, and the hull seemed to sway along with him. Behind him followed several fierce-faced underlings. Once he stood steady, Chen Xin took a careful look — the man’s face was ringed with a steel-needle-like full beard, making his whole head seem a size larger than other men’s. His beard and hair were all ash-gray, yet his face looked only thirty-some years old. Glaring at Lao Wang, he cursed, “Wouldn’t leave earlier, had to wait till the Tatars hit — now the whole damn sea is crawling with government ships. Where’s Big Brother?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lao Wang said coldly, “The Big Boss went to the Tianfei Temple to fetch Mr. Song. When to leave and when not to leave, the Big Boss has his own reasons. You’re the Second Boss, but you still answer to the Big Boss.” The Second Boss snorted. “Of course I listen to Big Brother. But Big Brother still has to listen to Lord He.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Turning his head, he looked at Chen Xin beside him. Though tall and big, Chen Xin’s skin was very fair. The Second Boss laughed strangely. “Don’t tell me Old Wang brought along an actor to pass the time.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lao Wang kept the same expression. “Second Boss, watch your words. This is the new Assistant Accountant, Accountant Chen.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Xin of course could not stay silent. Seafarers only respect the strong, and in this era “actor” was no good term. Showing weakness now would make the sea voyage hard to endure. Smiling faintly, he said, “Second Boss thinks I look like an actor? But looking like one doesn’t make me one — just as Second Boss looks gray at the temples but is in fact no old man.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hei Tan and the scar-faced man happened to board just then. Hearing this, they grinned at the Second Boss and said, “Accountant Chen’s not quite right there — Second Boss is just too clever, thinks too much, that’s what turned his hair white.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Second Boss heard this, put away his strange grin, ignored Hei Tan, and instead took several steps closer to Chen Xin, staring at him with fierce light blazing in both eyes. The several underlings behind him, equally hostile, closed in from both sides. But Chen Xin smiled and met the Second Boss’s gaze, his eyes resting on the negotiation point between the brows just below the glabella — a position that shields one from the other’s stare while still applying pressure. Lu Lvzi’s hands quietly gripped the hilt of his Japanese sword. Several sailors sprawled on the deck, sensing the tense atmosphere, also got to their feet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lao Wang stepped directly between the two men, blocking the Second Boss’s path, and said in a deep voice, “Big Brother and the Lady instructed me to look after Accountant Chen the whole way. I ask the Second Boss not to make things difficult for me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Second Boss’s line of sight was blocked. Tilting his head to look past at Chen Xin, he said, “Since when do ship matters fall to a woman? If not for the Big Boss’s sake, heh heh…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hei Tan was still fanning the flames from the side: “The Lady’s words, I, Hei Pao, do heed. Just for her having saved the Big Boss, I’m convinced. Accountant Chen here is a scholar — you, Second Boss, putting on this act, if you scare off the teacher, can you keep accounts or write?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Second Boss shot Hei Pao a venomous look. Knowing he could do nothing to Chen Xin for the moment, he turned and headed toward the lower hatch. Halfway down, he looked back at Chen Xin and said, “The sea wind and waves are strong. Accountant Chen had best be careful not to fall into the sea.” Several sailors nearby laughed nastily. Chen Xin cupped his hands and said, “Many thanks for Second Boss’s warning. Since we are on the same ship, I naturally have no reason to fall into the sea first.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once the Second Boss disappeared into the hatch, the scar-faced man laughed heartily and said to Chen Xin, “This Accountant is good — got guts, much better than that soft egg Old Cai. If anyone gives you trouble, just tell me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Xin cupped his hands to thank the two. Hei Pao waved a hand and went straight to the lower deck, calling out as he walked, “Second Boss, long time no see — why hide? We can just catch up.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After they had all left, Lao Wang led the two men to the stern under the mast and said to Chen Xin, “When you two move about the ship, stay together more, especially at night. At night sleep on the second deck, as far inside as you can. With the Big Boss here, you need not fear him.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Xin thanked him. “Many thanks for Brother Wang’s care. Though I am an accountant, I have rarely feared anyone.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lao Wang nodded. This Accountant Chen looked more agreeable than Old Cai. He then led the two down into the hold. This ship was sized between a No. 1 and No. 2 Fujian junk, with four decks in total. The bottom deck held ballast stones or heavier cargo to keep the hull steady and was generally uninhabited. The second deck was the sailors’ sleeping quarters. The third deck had the water tank in the middle and the galley at the rear, along with some compartments for cargo. The top deck was the main activity area — sail handling, steering, and combat all took place here, so both sides were fitted with protective bulwarks, and the steering tower rose one level above the main deck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The three reached the second deck. The hold was low, and the middle was divided by bulkheads into many small compartments. Many of the compartments were piled with heaps of raw silk, satin, and such goods. The hold was thick with the smell of raw silk, sweat, and urine. Borrowing the light filtering down from the third-deck hatch, the three walked bent over. Lao Wang chose a compartment near the stern, set down his small bundle — this compartment was also near a hatch, so the light was better.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The bottom hold is all porcelain. Don’t go down there if there’s no need.” After giving these instructions to the two, Lao Wang returned to the main deck. The two men rested in the compartment. Chen Xin took a packet of tea leaves from his luggage, broke off a small pinch for Lu Lvzi, and the two put it in their mouths and chewed. The greatest enemy of seafarers is scurvy. Although going to Japan was nothing like the great voyages of the Europeans, getting lost or storms could still extend the time, so Chen Xin had prepared a packet of tea leaves to supplement vitamins.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chewing, Lu Lvzi said to Chen Xin, “Brother Chen, why does that Second Boss find us so disagreeable?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As soon as Chen Xin heard the words “Second Boss,” he thought of Wu Mengda’s character from A Chinese Odyssey, and a smile unconsciously appeared on his face. Shaking his head, he said, “I don’t know either. Today was the first time I’ve ever seen him. And it’s not just us — look how he’s just as much at odds with Hei Pao and the scar-faced man. And though he’s the Second Boss, those two don’t respect him at all. Truly strange.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Lvzi cursed. “Whoever he is, trying to bully us just won’t do.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Xin recalled the matter between him and Tang Caokou and advised, “We need not fear him, but we also won’t provoke him. Just do our own things well. If we can avoid using force, then don’t.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Lvzi nodded, then added, “If Big Brother Dai were here, why would we fear this dog-fart Second Boss? He truly has heaven-born strength. That stone table in your courtyard — he can lift it over his head with ease.” Chen Xin secretly clicked his tongue. He had tried that stone table; it was at least over a hundred jin, round and not easy to grip like a barbell. He himself could not lift it at all. If this Dai Zhenggang were in a later era, he could probably compete in Olympic weightlifting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After waiting a moment, Lu Lvzi suddenly asked, “Brother Chen, what does killing a person feel like?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Feel like?” Chen Xin had actually never killed anyone, and his fights dated back to middle school. But when he had made up stories before, he had boasted about killing Tatars, which was why Lu Lvzi asked. He was just making things up anyway. Thinking of some movie scenes, he said, “After killing someone, you feel a bit nauseous, like you want to vomit.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I mean, when the blade actually stabs into a person’s body — what does that feel like?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Xin silently cursed Lu Lvzi’s excessive thirst for knowledge. He recalled his limited knowledge of human anatomy: the outer layer is muscle, inside is the abdominal cavity, which should be less dense. “At first there’s some resistance; after stabbing in a section, it gets easier. As for the rest, it was so urgent at the time, I can’t remember clearly.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Lvzi wore a contemplative look. “So that’s how it is.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Xin asked him back, “Your skills look good to me — you must fight often. Have you never stabbed anyone with a blade either?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Lvzi rubbed his head and laughed. “Really haven’t. At most I’ve hit people with a staff. Big Brother Dai said, at most use a blade to slash; if you stab straight in, it usually costs a life. Don’t know who he heard that from.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Xin agreed. “That’s true. Stab in and injure the organs, and most likely you won’t survive.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment a burst of noise came from the main deck — everyone was shouting “Big Boss” in a jumble. It must be Proprietor Zhao arriving. Come to think of it, Chen Xin had been here so long and still did not know Proprietor Zhao’s real name; perhaps even the surname Zhao was not certain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since the boss had arrived, the two also crawled out of the hold. At the third-deck hatch, they happened to run into the Second Boss. He was bringing several men to the ladder as well. Seeing Chen Xin was closer, he rushed over to block the ladder, not letting the two go up first. Chen Xin observed this shallow behavior. What had been a slight worry about making an enemy for no reason now eased; he magnanimously extended his left hand, smiling as he made a “please” gesture. The Second Boss thought he was backing down, felt smug, and led his men up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Lvzi protested, “Brother Chen, why did you let him go first?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Xin said calmly, “What harm is there in yielding to him this once? Look at that shallow manner — why stoop to the level of such a person? There will be a chance to deal with him.” With that, he grabbed the ladder and climbed onto the main deck. The deck was packed with people. Chen Xin roughly counted — about forty-some. A Fujian junk this large, if used as a warship, could hold over a hundred men, but now it was mainly carrying cargo. Every extra man meant an extra ration of fresh water and food, so the crew was not too large. Everyone stood near the proprietor, except the man who had been sitting at the windlass earlier — he still did not move, seeming to dislike crowds. Chen Xin secretly noted this with curiosity and kept an eye on him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The dumping-shop owner and Lao Wang stood right beside Proprietor Zhao. On Proprietor Zhao’s other side was a man dressed as a scholar, thirty-some years old, with a fine, handsome beard and a very shrewd look.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Second Boss had now put on a completely different face. With great deference, he said to Proprietor Zhao, “Big Brother, I trust you have been well? Not seeing you for months, I’ve missed you to death, little brother.” The seven or eight underlings behind him also saluted together.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Proprietor Zhao stood unmoved. “Oh?! Then I wouldn’t have guessed. Han Bin, these months your white hair has gotten worse — was it from missing all the brothers?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hei Pao and the others immediately burst into jeering laughter behind him. The Second Boss of course dared not refute the boss, so he could only laugh awkwardly along and turn to the scholar. “Greetings, Mr. Song. You’ve made an extra trip this time — you’ve worked hard.” Mr. Song, smiling, returned the courtesy. “Second Boss has also worked hard.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Proprietor Zhao spotted Chen Xin and beckoned him over. “Everyone knows Mr. Song. Here, let me introduce two new brothers to you all — the new Assistant Accountant Chen Xin and his cousin. Once on the ship, we are brothers. We who travel the sea must remember the words ‘cross the river in the same boat.’”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Proprietor Zhao cast a meaningful glance at Second Boss Han Bin. Han Bin hurriedly nodded. “Big Brother is right. I will certainly cross the river in the same boat with Accountant Chen.” Chen Xin heard this and said to Proprietor Zhao with polished courtesy, “The Second Boss has already shown me great care earlier, reminding me to be careful not to fall into the sea. I am deeply grateful.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Second Boss stammered, not daring to respond to this remark.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Proprietor Zhao did not let him speak further. With a great wave of his hand, he shouted, “Enough nonsense. Weigh anchor and set sail.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sailors on deck cheered loudly and pulled away the gangplank. The man at the windlass finally rose and, together with several others, began turning the windlass. This man was of medium build, broad-shouldered and narrow-waisted; his movements were steady, his manner calm. Though Chen Xin knew nothing of martial arts, his instinct told him this was someone who had trained in martial skills for a long time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the men worked, the windlass turned, and the iron chain slowly rose, producing a grating, hair-raising sound over the wooden roller at the bow. A huge four-clawed iron anchor was finally hauled out of the water by the men. The moment the anchor broke the surface, several other sailors took up long bamboo poles and strained to push against the shore, bodies crouched low, feet braced hard against the deck planks, shouting a work chantey as they did. Moments later, the ship slowly left the shore. The Fujian junk was a sharp-bottomed seagoing vessel; their ship had a draft of about twelve or thirteen chi, so it could not stop just anywhere like flat-bottomed sand junks. Under sail it relied entirely on its sails, with no oars. When getting underway, they could only temporarily use bamboo poles. Once the ship left the shore, the two helmsmen steadied the rudder. After slight adjustments with the bamboo poles, the Fujian junk faced the open sea and went with the current. Just then, gusts of sea wind blew in, and Second Boss Han Bin shouted, “Hoist the sails!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Another cheer went up on the ship. Chen Xin truly could not fathom why these people were so happy — it felt just like going on a publicly funded vacation. Aside from the two men at the helm, everyone else on deck pitched in together and began raising the mainsails. The stiff sails with bamboo battens were extremely heavy. With many men shouting a chantey, they finally hauled the three mainsails to the top of the masts. The broad sails blotted out the sunlight like dark clouds; the deck dimmed and suddenly turned cool and shady. The sails were supported mainly by the bamboo battens, each batten tied with a cable on both sides — dozens of cables in total. Several sailors adjusted the sail angles to the wind, then secured the cables to the wooden bitts on deck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With the wind’s force and the favorable current, the Fujian junk quickly picked up speed, faster than a galloping horse. This stretch of river was already the tail end of the Wei River, very broad. The junk split the river’s surface, kicking up bursts of spray. The wind hummed against the sails; the broad sails swayed gently, and the masts and hull creaked softly in response.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before long, the junk had sailed out of the Wei River mouth and entered the Liao Sea. Ahead, the sea and sky merged into a boundless expanse. In the distance, patches of sail shadows were heading north. Lu Lvzi, who had never been to sea, marveled at the sight. “Big Brother, in all my years I’ve never seen so much water.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Proprietor Zhao stood at the bow, full of spirit. Once back at sea, it seemed everything was under his control, and other matters no longer weighed on his mind. Mr. Song stayed by his side; the two were talking about something. Just then, Hei Pao came up beside him and said, “Big Brother, a wave-breaker is coming from over there — might be the naval fleet’s. Should we run up the flag?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Proprietor Zhao looked in the direction Hei Pao pointed. A small Fujian-junk-style wave-breaker was heading this way from afar. He turned to look at Mr. Song; Mr. Song nodded. Hei Pao scrambled up the center mast using both hands and feet, climbing like a monkey into the crow’s nest, and hung out a blue-backed flag. The flag unfurled in the wind, and moments later the wave-breaker turned and departed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Xin looked at the flag with some surprise. Lu Lvzi, who could not read, asked, “Brother Chen, what’s written on it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Dengzhou Maritime Circuit — Zhong.”\u003C\u002Fp>",2996,"2026-06-03T06:46:43.627Z",1,"Novelzhen Translator","15881a25ed1fafdf8b699268f235e91478aa44304a131df2b73e906215549485","late-ming-chapter-30","late-ming-chapter-28",580,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Flate-ming-cover.jpg"]