Chapter 31: Song Wenxian

In the pitch-black ship cabin, snoring rolled like thunder. Chen Xin's eyes were wide open. Although his nerves were fairly steady, he still could not adjust quickly in such a dark, noisy, and foul-aired environment. Listening to the gentle lapping of waves outside the hold and the creaking of the ship's timbers, he lay awake for a long time, unable to sleep. Fortunately, he did not get seasick, or it would have been even more unbearable.

He rubbed the heavy Banjiu Foot Gun cradled in his arms, and a trace of a smile crept back onto the corner of his mouth. That shot in the afternoon had, unsurprisingly, missed the seabirds, but it had startled Proprietor Zhao and the others out from the lower hold. He had gotten a harsh scolding, and Wang Zugui and the others who had helped also got reprimanded along with him. What he had not expected was that Mr. Song had actually spoken in his favor. In the end, the firearm was not confiscated; they were merely ordered not to fire it recklessly again until they reached the open sea. Hei Pao and Ba Zi quietly gave him a thumbs-up, praising his nerve.

He reached out and touched a cloth bundle beside him. Inside were two powder flasks, a wooden tube, a pouch of lead shot, a length of match cord, and a set of flints. This was the firearm's accompanying equipment, now temporarily all for his use. Recalling the loading process that afternoon, Chen Xin still found it far too cumbersome. The difficulty of operation was great; on a battlefield, even one shot every two minutes would not be easy. Moreover, when firing, the match cord had been blown off the serpentine lever by the blast smoke, and the burning tip had also gone out. Reloading would require cleaning the priming pan and re-lighting the match cord, which was no less troublesome than the first shot. No wonder European armies also needed an equal number of light arquebusiers.

Amidst these wild thoughts, he finally sank into a deep sleep after who knows how long. Just before dawn, the men from the night watch came down from the deck, stirring up a commotion. Chen Xin could no longer sleep and got up along with Lu Lvzi. This cabin housed six people in total; Lao Wang also stayed here, perhaps to keep an eye on Chen Xin.

Upon reaching the deck, Chen Xin took two deep breaths of fresh air. The sea breeze swept across the deck, instantly dispelling the fatigue of the night. There were about twenty people on deck, and four or five of them were queuing up on the right side of the steering tower.

"Far too few toilets," Chen Xin cursed under his breath. The only toilet on this Fujian junk was right beside the steering tower. Part of this level of the steering tower extended beyond the hull, so excrement fell directly into the sea, eliminating the need for cleaning. The second level of the cabin also had a nightstool, but Chen Xin suspected it had never been cleaned and truly dared not sit on it to relieve himself.

He went to a corner and grabbed a few sheets of coarse toilet paper. Lu Lvzi also took some paper and followed behind Chen Xin. At this time, some other sailors began moving various items: long spears, grappling hooks, bows, arrows, swords, arquebuses, flying claws, flying hooks, and other weapons were clattered onto the deck. Wang Zugui placed a wooden box beside the red-barbarian cannon, containing four iron cannonballs. Zhu Guobin climbed the middle mast twice, placing two bows and a bundle of arrows into the lookout bucket, then stayed inside the bucket. Chen Xin watched enviously as he scrambled up and down like a monkey. Just then, Zhu Guobin looked over, and Chen Xin smiled and gave him a slight nod.

"Traveling by sea, is Mr. Chen finding it bearable?" A voice suddenly spoke beside him. Chen Xin looked and saw it was Mr. Song, standing nearby looking fresh and alert. Yesterday, thanks to his help in speaking up, the firearm might not have been kept otherwise. Chen Xin hurriedly returned the greeting politely: "I am grateful for Mr. Song's concern. I have already grown accustomed to it."

Mr. Song still wore a smiling expression. "My name is Song Wenxian, courtesy name Daoist Priest. On this trip, I am merely escorting the cargo."

Chen Xin naturally knew he was more than just a cargo escort, and quickly replied, "I am Chen Xin. I have yet to thank you, sir, for your help yesterday."

A hint of cunning flashed in Song Wenxian's eyes. He continued, "Brother Chen, there is no need for such courtesy. It was merely a trifle. I just did not expect that a scholar like Brother Chen would master that firearm after a single lesson. It is truly rare."

"Yes, my original home is in Liaodong. I bear a deep national and family vendetta, so I have paid much attention to these instruments of war. I must ask you to forgive my laughable efforts."

Song Wenxian shook his head slightly. "What is there to laugh at? The ancients spoke of the Six Arts of the gentleman, among which was archery. Nowadays, few gentlemen can even draw a bow. Being able to use a firearm can barely count as a substitute. But that firearm yesterday was indeed rather large..."

Chen Xin replied, "Mr. Song is right. However, though this firearm is large, its power is also great. If it hits its target, it is far more formidable than a bow and arrow."

Song Wenxian said, "That should be the case. And the bullet flies so fast you cannot even see it, truly more formidable than a bow and arrow." Having said this, he pointed at the lookout bucket where Zhu Guobin was. "Then why is it that only bows and arrows are carried up into the lookout bucket, but no firearms? Could Brother Chen resolve my confusion?"

The two men's exchange, question and answer, was quite loud, and the people around them once again paid attention, including Proprietor Zhao, Hei Pao, Ba Zi, and others who had just come up. Since everyone had nothing else to do, and this Accountant Chen was rather unusual, they all wanted to hear what reasoning he could offer.

Chen Xin lowered his head in thought. Everyone around waited quietly for him to speak. He kept them in suspense for a moment before saying, "I am untalented, but I believe there are three reasons. I beg your correction, sir. First, the mast is high and the wind strong, making it extremely easy to blow away the priming powder or extinguish the match cord. Second, the space in the lookout bucket is cramped, and the firearm is over five feet long, making loading very inconvenient. Third, when encountering an enemy ship and the two vessels close in, a firearm can fire once while a bow can loose five or six arrows. Therefore, it is still more suitable to use bows and arrows in the lookout bucket."

Before Song Wenxian could speak, Hei Pao chimed in. He laughed heartily and said, "You dog of a scholar, you really are different. That's exactly the logic of it. I understood it myself, but I just couldn't explain it as clearly as you."

Song Wenxian clapped his hands. "Assistant Accountant Chen's insight is extraordinary. Just from a single lookout bucket, you can deduce so many principles." He then turned to Proprietor Zhao and said, "Proprietor, you are truly remarkable. Under your command, you have both brave warriors and such an accountant. I wonder where you found him. When I return, I must go and look for one myself."

Song Wenxian's words were quite pleasing. The surrounding sailors burst into laughter, and a smile even appeared on Proprietor Zhao's face. Song Wenxian was, after all, an outsider. To have an outsider praise his own subordinate naturally brought him some reflected glory.

Still, he spoke modestly: "What do I know about finding people? I posted a notice on the door, and he came looking on his own."

Song Wenxian shook his head. "Then I can only envy Brother Zhao's truly excellent luck."

With this speech, he had praised Chen Xin, praised the other sailors, and even flattered Proprietor Zhao along the way. Seeing him smiling all day long, he had a style somewhat reminiscent of Chen Xin's own. At this moment, it was finally Chen Xin's turn to use the toilet. He excused himself and hurried up to the steering tower. Sitting on the toilet with the sea breeze blowing, watching the white foam of the waves below while defecating, it was truly a unique experience.

That entire day, Chen Xin began the proper duties of his assistant accountant role. Following the account books previously kept by Lao Cai, he checked the cargo cabin by cabin. Roughly thirty percent of the cargo belonged to Proprietor Zhao himself; the rest was goods escorted by Song Wenxian. During the inventory, Song Wenxian and Lao Wang accompanied Chen Xin, but it was unclear who the real owner was. Based on the official flag of the Dengzhou Coastal Circuit flying on the ship, Chen Xin guessed that this official must have a share.

Among these goods, raw silk and silk fabrics were the most abundant: sixty piculs of white raw silk, twenty piculs of yellow raw silk, seventeen thousand bolts of white silk, one thousand two hundred bolts of gauze damask, seven thousand bolts of silk twill, five thousand bolts of red silk, and a small quantity of velvet and similar items. In the bottom hold, there were some porcelain bowls and plates serving as ballast. The total cargo weight was over four hundred thousand jin. The goods encroached upon much of the sailors' quarters on the second level, and the third level was also piled high with cargo everywhere. The ship's cargo was similar to the trade goods Chen Xin had previously learned about, mostly silk and porcelain, though he saw no cotton cloth or sugar products.

The profit on these silk products when sold in Japan was said to be tenfold, but Chen Xin had always suspected this figure was an exaggeration by literati. Ancient Chinese scholars typically liked to use numbers like ten, hundred, thousand, and ten thousand in their descriptions, which made for good literary effect but was probably not very reliable as reference data. Therefore, he was determined to make the trip himself and investigate thoroughly. Conveniently, as the assistant accountant, he would eventually know all the selling prices; no one would be clearer on the matter than him.

Seventy percent of the cargo was escorted by Song Wenxian. Chen Xin's rough estimate placed its value at over thirty thousand taels of silver. Compared to himself, this was an absolute tycoon. Thinking about how he had scraped and swindled his way along just to gather a little over a hundred taels, while Lu Lvzi and the others, working as trackers, earned at most ten taels a year, it was clear that the gap between rich and poor was just as vast in ancient times as in the present. This seventy percent was further divided; the master cargo ledger listed amounts for Mr. A, Mr. B, and Mr. C—three in total. It was unclear whether Song Wenxian was the owner or merely a hired hand like himself.

The cabins were packed full of goods, making it impossible to check each item individually. Chen Xin only made a general inspection by cabin number, adding some of his own annotations to the master cargo ledger. He also used phonetic symbols to write the quantity of goods in each cabin on the partition board beside the cabin door. Song Wenxian looked at those crooked symbols as if reading a heavenly script and asked, puzzled, "What characters are these, Brother Chen? Why do I not recognize them?"

Chen Xin respectfully replied, "These are just some marks I invented myself. Naturally, you would not recognize them, sir. I use these symbols as annotations to prevent anyone from tampering with them." Song Wenxian gave a knowing smile. "Assistant Accountant Chen is too cautious. The person you are guarding against—whether he can even read is highly debatable, let alone tamper with anything."

Chen Xin knew he was referring to the Second Proprietor and could not help but smile. "Mr. Song is right. But since I am acting as the accountant, I cannot afford any discrepancies in money or goods. One cannot be too careful."

Stroking his beard, Song Wenxian nodded. "Assistant Accountant Chen is diligent, down-to-earth, and always full of ingenious ideas. He is nothing like those who have grand ambitions but meager abilities, who talk high-flown theories in daily life but prove utterly useless when needed. I am a few years older than you, so allow me to call you 'Worthy Brother.' You must also stop standing on ceremony and calling me 'Mister.'"

Chen Xin said politely, "How could I presume? Mr. Song is an honored guest of the Proprietor. I should naturally maintain the courtesy of a junior."

"Surely Assistant Accountant Chen does not need the Proprietor's orders to make friends."

Chen Xin laughed heartily and cupped his hands. "Since Mr. Song does not disdain me, I will boldly call you Elder Brother Song."

Song Wenxian said, "That's more like it. I hear Brother Chen even passed the Licentiate exam. You must know Confucius spoke of three types of beneficial friends: the upright, the sincere, and the knowledgeable—these are beneficial. I, your elder brother, can at most count as an upright friend. But Brother Chen is accomplished in both civil and martial arts. There will be many occasions in the future when I must rely on Brother Chen's wisdom. What do you think, Brother Chen?"

Chen Xin did not fully understand the classical allusion and replied vaguely, "If there is anything, Elder Brother Song, just give your orders. Your younger brother will certainly do his utmost."

Song Wenxian listened, nodding with a smile, that cunning look flickering once more in his eyes.