Zhao Ziheng stood at the ship's railing, a long rope tied around his waist, trembling slightly. On one side were the canal workers waiting to see him make a fool of himself, on the other was the deep, slow-moving canal water. His good friend Bai Shiqi kept urging, "Ziheng, if you're scared, just don't jump. Come down quickly!"
He thought to himself: I won't give you the satisfaction of laughing at me! With a twist of his waist, he closed his eyes and jumped from the ship...
"Hey, hey, you actually jumped?!" Bai Shiqi leaned over the railing to look. Seeing his falling posture, she knew it was bad. As the other seven or eight competing canal workers jumped into the canal like dumplings, she yelled at the top of her lungs, "Keep an eye on Zhao Ziheng!"
Zhao Ziheng plunged into the water headfirst, choking on a mouthful of murky canal water. Once in the water, panic set in. He flailed his limbs wildly, his body sinking uncontrollably. With nothing solid for his feet to find, his panic grew. Clutching the rope around his waist with deathly grip, he closed his eyes and tried to cry for help, only to gulp down another mouthful of canal water as he opened his mouth. He could only clamp his mouth shut and hold the rope tighter, deeply regretting his impulsive decision to join the competition for the sake of pride.
From the deck, most of his body was submerged, adopting a posture like someone diving to catch fish, though his version was rather odd, with his feet kicking at an excessively frantic rate.
Bai Shiqi, having grown up in the water, could tell at a glance that Zhao Ziheng was behaving like someone who didn't know how to swim upon entering the water. Meanwhile, the canal workers who had jumped in with him had already scattered, diving deep and disappearing from sight.
"Hurry! Hurry! Pull him up quickly!"
Those diving into the canal to catch fish were all skilled canal workers, as agile in the water as fish. They all refused to tie ropes around their waists. Only two new workers on the ship this year, lured by the substantial prize money, had accepted the safety measure like Zhao Ziheng, tying ropes around their waists before plunging in.
The two workers joked cheerfully, "Young Gang Leader, Young Master Zhao is just catching fish. The time isn't up yet. Won't he be angry if we pull him up now?"
On the platform, an incense burner held a stick of incense marking the time limit. Less than a third had burned; it was indeed too early to pull him up.
Seeing Zhao Ziheng's wretched state bobbing in the water, Bai Shiqi flew into a rage and cursed, "You idiots, just pull when I say pull!"
The two workers holding the rope hurriedly pulled. But just as they lifted him above the surface, the rope snapped without warning. Both men tumbled backwards, while Zhao Ziheng, who had just broken the surface and taken two grateful breaths of fresh air, his eyes brimming with tears of relief, hadn't even fully spread his smile before he tumbled back into the water.
Bai Shiqi's face changed dramatically. She ripped off her belt, took off her outer coat in front of everyone—revealing a tight, black diving suit worn underneath—kicked off her boots, stepped onto the railing, and like a fish returning home, traced a beautiful arc in the air with barely a splash, diving into the canal.
Four other canal workers waiting by the railing also shed their coats and jumped in one after another. Zhao Wujiu's wheelchair was right by the railing, and he witnessed this scene. He saw the rippling waves; after Bai Shiqi entered the water, not even a shadow remained. Zhao Ziheng was also nowhere to be seen. He couldn't help but worry, "Will they be alright?"
The two fallen workers, rubbing their bottoms, also leaned over the railing to look and tried to comfort him, "Don't worry, sir. As long as the Young Gang Leader goes into the water, there's no one he can't save. On this whole ship, the Young Gang Leader is the best swimmer. It's not just a person; he could even catch a fish for you."
Another worker chimed in, "Yeah, climbing masts, diving into the canal to catch fish—these are all games our Young Gang Leader has long grown tired of. He got bored playing alone, so he spends money to have everyone play with him. Our Gang Leader says, as long as the Young Gang Leader doesn't indulge in women, he can play however he wants on the ship."
These men spoke of Bai Zhenting with obvious respect, but when mentioning Bai Shiqi, their expressions were full of mirth, and they couldn't resist teasing a bit: "The Young Gang Leader is naturally handsome and popular with the young ladies. If the Gang Leader didn't hold him back, his rear courtyard probably wouldn't be able to hold all the women."
Zhao Wujiu's guards gathered at the railing, looking down anxiously. However, none of them were good swimmers and could only watch helplessly.
After half a quarter of an hour, the canal workers who had jumped in with Bai Shiqi surfaced one by one for air, but neither Bai Shiqi nor Zhao Ziheng were in sight. Zhao Wujiu, accustomed to being in control for years, had rarely encountered a situation where he was utterly powerless to help, apart from the matter of his legs. His knuckles turned white gripping the wheelchair arms, and unwelcome thoughts flooded his mind—first considering how to explain things to Zhao Ziheng's parents.
Zhao Ziheng's father and the current Emperor were first cousins, sharing the same grandfather. He had also been the Emperor's childhood study companion, and their bond was unusual. Furthermore, Zhao Ziheng's maternal grandparents lived in Suzhou. Hence, despite their personalities being poles apart, the Emperor and Empress had still chosen him to accompany the Prince of Zhou south.
Nearly a full quarter of an hour passed. At first, the canal workers on deck still laughed and talked loudly, treating it as nothing serious. But when the other divers submerged again and still hadn't found anyone, their expressions grew grave. Suddenly, someone at the bow shouted, "Found them, found them..." It turned out that after sinking, Zhao Ziheng had been carried downstream by the current.
Shu Changfeng pushed the wheelchair to the bow. There, they saw Bai Shiqi, with the unconscious Zhao Ziheng tucked under her arm, emerge from the water, most of her body visible. She was incredibly agile in the water; even dragging a grown man, she seemed utterly unburdened.
A crowd rushed over. Someone lowered a rope ladder. The canal workers who had jumped in to help swam over and took Zhao Ziheng from her to bring him onto the ship. Bai Shiqi, however, twisted around and dove back into the water. The surface ripples calmed. Zhao Wujiu, not understanding, leaned forward to look. Moments later, she surfaced again, this time holding a huge fish weighing over ten pounds in her arms, flashing a grin of white teeth...
Zhao Wujiu couldn't help but smile slightly—what a playful kid, never changing!
Zhao Ziheng was revived by experienced canal workers on deck who pressed his abdomen to expel the river water he'd swallowed. Feeling utterly humiliated, he decided to throw caution to the wind and latched onto Bai Shiqi: "I've had a fright. I don't dare stay in a cabin with poor light anymore. I'm moving into your room to stay with you. Will you agree or not?"
Bai Shiqi patted his shoulder. "Sir, right now, if you wanted the stars in the sky, I'd build a ladder to fetch them for you. Just please don't push yourself like that again. The first time I learned to swim, even my dad wasn't this nervous." She instructed a canal worker, "Go move all of Ziheng's luggage to my room." Then she plopped down on the deck to rest.
Zhao Ziheng glared. "Are you taking advantage of me?"
Bai Shiqi gave an embarrassed laugh. "You're overthinking it."
Uncle Guan looked quite troubled. "Young Gang Leader, if Young Master Zhao stays in your room, where will you sleep?"
Zhao Ziheng stated as if it were obvious, "Shiqi will stay with me, of course."
Bai Shiqi: "Who knows if you grind your teeth, snore, or fart in your sleep? I'll just sleep somewhere else."
Zhao Wujiu's brows and eyes relaxed, a faint smile playing on his lips. Ignoring the nonsense of those two rascals, he pushed his wheelchair back. His ears caught the incessant chatter of Zhao Ziheng, who had just been rescued from the water: "...Are you still my brother or not? You actually dislike me?"
At dinner time, Zhao Ziheng, wrapped in a quilt, sat on Bai Shiqi's bed drinking fish soup. Beside him on a lacquer tray were braised and steamed fish pieces, along with a small dish of stir-fried seasonal vegetables. Having choked on a bellyful of canal water, he was running a slight fever. He had already downed two large bowls of strong ginger broth sent from the kitchen and was now clutching his bowl while shoveling rice.
Zhao Wujiu sat by the bedside, utterly impressed by the extent of his fragility. "Starting tomorrow, the training intensity will be increased again. With your physical condition, unable to withstand the slightest hardship, what will you be able to accomplish in the future?"
Zhao Ziheng felt not a shred of shame for his lack of ambition. "Eat, drink, and be merry."
"Brother, even eating, drinking, and being merry requires a good constitution," said Bai Shiqi, who had changed into a red robe. All her hair was gathered atop her head with a small golden crown, accentuating her jade-like complexion, powdered-smooth skin, and red lips and white teeth. She had procured a fan from somewhere as an accessory and appeared leaning against the doorframe, winking and making faces—the very picture of a flirtatious, dashing rake. "Ziheng, do you know why every time we go out, I'm always more popular with the young ladies than you are?"
Zhao Ziheng asked foolishly, "Why?"
Bai Shiqi: "Because I have a good constitution."
Zhao Wujiu really wanted to slap this scoundrel out of the room. Clearly possessing some real skill, yet deliberately not learning proper conduct, speaking with a rogue air, always leading conversations astray.
His initial impression of Bai Shiqi had been extremely poor. However, this afternoon when she emerged from the water, as he felt a great wave of relief, he found he could actually tolerate quite a few of this youngster's bad habits. Considering the canal boatmen were a rough, boorish bunch, and she had grown up mingling among them, spoiled by the canal gang members, it was inevitable she'd pick up some bad habits.
He was a man who distinguished clearly between gratitude and grievance. Since she had saved Zhao Ziheng's life, he owed Bai Shiqi a debt of gratitude. Helping her correct her bad habits, straightening her out a bit—that was something he could manage. He immediately said, "Tomorrow, you'll train together with Ziheng."
She clutched her chest, feigning weakness. "Cousin, you may not know, but I've had a heart palpitation condition since childhood. If I overexert myself, it flares up. Lately, I've been worrying too much; it's really not suitable for me to get up early for exercise."
Seeing her evasive expression, Zhao Wujiu knew exactly what was going on. This slippery character was undoubtedly suffering from a bout of laziness. Otherwise, judging by her skills today, the discussions among the boatmen, and combined with what Shu Changfeng mentioned about her steady horse stance, she must have put in considerable hard work before. All this talk about physical discomfort was utter nonsense!
He couldn't be bothered to argue with this brat. Pushing his wheelchair out, he merely tossed back a sentence: "Get up early tomorrow for exercise. Don't let it delay your daytime competitions."
The cabin was left with Zhao Ziheng and Bai Shiqi staring at each other. After a long while, Bai Shiqi let out a strange cry: "Ziheng, where did your cousin pick up this habit? Grabbing people and forcing them to exercise! He doesn't seem like he works at the Dali Temple or the Censorate; he seems more like a drill instructor!"
Zhao Ziheng looked at her with a horrified expression, almost nodding in agreement.
Bai Shiqi, slow on the uptake, said, "Wait—is he really from a drill instructor background?"
Zhao Ziheng stammered, "Al...almost."
“That's a big difference, okay?” Bai Shiqi ground her teeth in frustration. “Looks like I'll have to change sleeping quarters again tonight. I'm not accompanying you in horse stance practice tomorrow.”
In the neighboring cabin, Zhao Wujiu heard everything clearly. The corner of his mouth curved up in a silent laugh.
