About twenty-odd li north of Jiuan Dock, there was a stretch of flat shore where a fair number of people stood or sat about.
Two boats moored at the bank were steadily unloading crate after crate of goods.
Mo Susu remarked, “So we’re going by water after all. There are so many people here.”
Su Zhenxue said curiously, “Those people look familiar to me. Aren’t they from Fengge Manor?”
Yan Ke said uncertainly, “Maybe. Glass is fragile, and water transport is certainly safer. It looks like the glass came from Fengzhou.”
Mo Susu said with excitement, “That shows how prosperous Fengzhou is. We’re bound to make something of ourselves once we get there.”
Li Tong introduced Qiu Wu to the steward: “This is General Hua’s steward. He’s come specially to say there’s something he needs to hand over to Lady Hua.”
The steward hurriedly handed a large bundle to Qiu Wu. “Much obliged.”
Then he offered a few gold beans. “Let the brothers buy some tea. A small token of thanks.”
Qiu Wu took the bundle but declined the gold beans. “You’re too kind. It was nothing, just convenient for us. We can’t accept this—rules are rules.”
“Platoon Leader Hua also has something to deliver to General Hua.”
With that, he gestured to Zhu Xiaoliu beside him to hand over the bundle.
The steward quickly gave his thanks. The general had asked him to come today specifically to see whether his wife had anything for him.
He took the bundle and asked tentatively, “Platoon Leader?”
Qiu Wu smiled. “Lady Hua should have a letter for General Hua.”
The steward understood—no more was to be said on the matter. He didn’t press further, gave his thanks again, and retreated to the flat shore to wait with the Fengge Manor party.
Only then did Li Tong have a chance to speak with Qiu Wu. “How is the master?”
Qiu Wu nodded. “Doing well. We brought you a good amount of goods this time. We won’t be coming again for a while.”
Li Tong understood at once—the master was just about ready to make his move.
He said with excitement, “That’s great. This time, aside from Lady Hua’s close friends, there are also several hundred common folk.”
These people were refugees who had fled to Jiuan. After entering the city, they’d been squeezed by all kinds of taxes until they had no way out, and by good fortune they’d been rescued by Fengge Manor.
Qiu Wu lowered his voice. “You can step up the efforts. Fengzhou is remote, and sparsely populated.”
Li Tong’s eyes lit up. They had been worried that sending too many people to Fengzhou would put the master in a difficult position—more people wasn’t necessarily a good thing, since those people all had to be fed.
Now it was fine. They could go ahead bold and unrestrained.
“Feels like it’s been a long time since I’ve been back. I’m looking forward to it,” he said with a sigh.
Qiu Wu patted him on the shoulder. “What’s so hard about that? We have water routes now, so it’s convenient. If you want to go back, ask Captain Mu to give you some leave.”
Li Tong shook his head. “We’ll see. We’re planning to open two more shops.”
Looking at the rows of crates, he sighed, “The master is preparing for us to open two more shops, right?”
Qiu Wu smiled. “Not exactly. All this was prepared by Lord Dong. He said we can spread the operation wider, but we still need to be cautious—times are unsettled.”
Li Tong nodded. “Right, we’ll be careful.”
It was some time before all the cargo from the two boats was fully unloaded.
Li Tong then directed his people to carry the crates back onto the boats—these held what Fengge Manor had gained over the past period, most of the money having been converted into medicinal herbs that Gofeng urgently needed.
This was also one of the important reasons Chen Xi and Qiu Tai had maintained such good relations. The herbs were vital to Jiang Jin, whose population was growing far too fast.
Watching the chests of money and goods being loaded onto the boat, Qiu Wu lowered his voice, curious: "Is money that easy to come by in Sizhou?"
Li Tong smiled slightly. "Not bad. Rare things are precious."
In plain terms, it meant Sizhou simply had too many wealthy people.
Qiu Wu nodded, glanced at the sky, and said, "It's getting late. You all should head back. The goods are fragile, and the road is rough."
Li Tong gave a quiet "Mm." "Until we meet again."
After the medicines and money were all on board, the common folk began to board as well.
Mo Susu and her two companions were last in line.
There weren't too many people, so it didn't take long for everyone to get on, and the boat slowly pulled away from the shore.
As the boat swayed with the movement, Mo Susu lost her footing and stumbled, nearly falling, but Yan Ke, who was ahead of her, reached out and steadied her.
However, the bundle she was clutching flew out of her arms and slammed onto the deck with a thud. A strange golden ornament tumbled out, gleaming blindingly in the sunlight.
Qiu Wu nearly had his eyes dazzled and thought he'd misseen things. He squinted and looked again—yes, no mistake.
The object looked like it had been hammered and battered, but it was still recognizable for what it was.
He stared at Mo Susu in shock.
Mo Susu had just regained her balance and hadn't quite figured out what was happening when she felt Yan Ke, who had been supporting her, quickly step away.
She looked up and saw that not only had Yan Ke distanced herself, but Su Zhenxue had also taken several steps back, saying in explanation,
"Don't misunderstand. I don't know her."
She even casually smoothed her wind-tousled hair, wearing an aloof expression.
Yan Ke also smiled sheepishly. "I don't know her either. I just helped her up out of the kindness of my heart."
Mo Susu's heart skipped a beat. She looked down and, sure enough, saw that 'thing' lying bare on the deck, flashing its gold without a care.
Her face went red, then pale. She looked up at Qiu Wu and the other two crew members who were staring at her in disbelief.
Her lips trembled for a good while before she managed to choke out: "Um... what if I told you this thing isn't mine? Would you believe me?"
She was truly at her wit's end. That thing was far too recognizable—she didn't dare take it to a gold shop to 'fence' it, and she couldn't melt it down herself. It was too big a rod to even smash properly. She'd planned to figure something out once they reached their destination.
Qiu Wu's expression was complicated. "Of course I believe you. If you're sure it's not yours, I'll just take it as confiscated property for the troops."
Ugly as it was, it was still a big chunk—all money. The Jinyang Army was desperately poor!
Mo Susu inhaled sharply and quickly backtracked. "No, no—it's mine, it is mine. But please, don't misunderstand. This is... I... I..."
For a moment, she didn't know what to say, inwardly cursing that degenerate Hong Qilang and her two flaky friends up one side and down the other.
Qiu Wu waved a hand. "Then put it away quickly, before someone snatches it."
Inwardly, he mused: rich folks sure have strange hobbies. A fine lady, and she likes that sort of thing—and honestly, it's crafted pretty convincingly.
While Mo Susu was dying of embarrassment on deck, back at her house, all hell had broken loose.
Mo Qi stared at the letter in his hand, his voice shaking with rage: "Ran off with her lover?! Unfilial daughter! Unfilial daughter!"
Mo Susu's parents knelt before him, heads bowed in shame. They had no idea how they'd given birth to such a rebellious child.
After all, the discipline had been the same for all of them—the other sons and daughters were obedient and proper. Only Susu, this girl—indeed, an unfilial daughter!
"Look, look! See what your fine daughter has written!" he fumed. "I'm furious! Furious!"
Mo Qi hurled the letter onto his son Mo Yi's head, so furious that he felt on the verge of collapse, gasping for breath in ragged heaves.
