vstars Chapter 201 Boarding the Ship
Chapter 201 Boarding the Ship
When the group arrived at the dock, they happened to see a large ship preparing to set sail.
“Your Highness, this is the ship,” Xuanfeng pointed out.
As they got closer, they realized that the merchant ship was much larger than they had imagined.
Even the cargo hold located underneath looked much larger than that of a typical merchant ship.
Standing on the shore, the crowd could barely make out the stern of the large ship at the farthest point.
Yu Bai couldn't help but exclaim, "What a magnificent ship!"
"Yes, such a big ship must be carrying a lot of cargo. I wonder what kind of goods it's transporting?"
"We transport all kinds of goods, but the most common item is salt."
Amidst the murmurs of the crowd, a slightly hoarse voice rang out from the dock, reaching their ears.
Everyone turned their heads and saw a middle-aged man sitting on a box of goods, looking them over, not far away.
The man was dressed in an ordinary linen shirt, with one hand propped on a box and the other holding a pipe.
He looked to be in his fifties, with a dark and lean build, prominent cheekbones, and yellowed and broken teeth from smoking. But his eyes were sharp as a hawk's, making him look much more shrewd than the average person.
After scanning everyone, the light stopped at Xie Yan and Chu Ling, who were at the very back of the group.
It must be said that, perhaps due to his extensive experience traveling around the country, he had a keen eye and could tell at a glance who was the real person in charge among the group.
But his gaze carried a scrutinizing quality, as if he were appraising merchandise, making the person looking at him extremely uncomfortable.
Xuanfeng frowned, stepped forward to slightly block the view, and introduced to the crowd, "This is the boat captain."
"Salt? Is it government-controlled salt or..."
Upon hearing this, the boat captain casually took a puff of his cigarette, and the grayish-white smoke billowed from his lips and drifted toward the crowd.
He then grinned, gave Yu Bai a look as if he were looking at an idiot, and said, "Of course it's official salt, salt permits from the Salt Transport Office, and salt that's properly transported from the saltworks."
After hearing the boat captain's reply, Xie Yan glanced at the boat again.
His gaze slowly settled on the hull of the ship.
If this is transporting salt, then it's carrying far too much, resulting in the ship having a very deep draft.
"Now that everyone is here, let's get on the ship!"
Before anyone could say anything more, the captain pointed with his chin at the merchant ship not far away, then casually waved his hand and called over a crew member.
"Little monkey, take them up there."
"Yes, boss!"
The shop assistant, nicknamed "Little Monkey," immediately put down the goods he was carrying and jogged over to the group.
As his name suggests, he had a pointed mouth and monkey-like face, and was as thin as a rake.
He ran over with a fawning smile on his face, "Gentlemen, this way please."
Because the merchant ship was so large, even the plank connecting the ship's edge to the shore appeared to be large and long.
Fortunately, the connection between the plank and the hull was quite tight, and with thick ropes securing it on both sides, the group did not feel any swaying when they stepped on it.
As everyone boarded the boat, they looked around. Only Xie Yan showed no curiosity and even turned to look at the boat captain before boarding.
The captain stood up, took a lazy puff of his cigarette, and kicked the cargo at his feet, presumably instructing his crew to carry it onto the boat.
Chu Ling walked beside him and glanced in the same direction as him, saying in a deep voice, "This boat captain seems to have some connections."
Seeing that the boat captain seemed to have noticed something, Xie Yan immediately withdrew her gaze and simply hummed in agreement with Chu Ling's opinion.
The drizzle had just stopped, but a few dark clouds still lingered in the sky, and a breeze occasionally blew by, bringing gusts of salty sea air.
Following the planks, the group quickly made their way onto the deck.
On the deck of the merchant ship, besides several busy shipwrights, there were also a few idle people standing around.
The people were of different ages and did not appear to know each other.
Without exception, they were all dressed in extraordinary and luxurious clothes, and each of them was accompanied by several servants who attended to them closely, indicating that they were of unusual status.
As if noticing their probing gazes, the little monkey immediately put on a smiling face and explained to everyone, "These are all wealthy merchants who have entrusted their goods to our ship for transport. Because the goods are valuable, they have all come to personally supervise the transport."
As he spoke, he didn't forget to bow and scrape to the wealthy businessmen.
But the wealthy businessmen seemed not to hear his greeting at all, not even lifting their eyelids, completely ignoring his presence.
Each of them wore an arrogant expression, not even glancing at them.
However, the little monkey seemed to have taken it all in stride and didn't seem to care.
He then turned around and eagerly led everyone into the cabin.
The moon hid behind the sea of clouds, and merchant ships sailed quietly on the sea, the daytime hustle and bustle now subsided.
The lanterns hanging on the ship swayed with the rocking of the waves, casting the shadowy figure walking on the deck.
The figure was thin and short; it was the little monkey who had guided everyone during the day.
The little monkey's real name is Zhou, but he has no recollection of whether his given name was A-Mao, A-Gou, or something like that.
After all, he lost his parents at a young age and had been a beggar on the streets since he could remember.
Fortunately, he was lucky enough to be spotted by the boat captain not long ago, which allowed him to board the boat and find a place to stay.
But perhaps because of his previous experiences, even though he was well-fed and clothed after boarding the ship, the little monkey still couldn't shake his habit of petty theft.
He had only been behaving himself for a few days when he could no longer suppress his wicked desires.
Taking advantage of its size, the little monkey crouched down quietly, bypassed several resting boatmen, and crept along the deck.
As they passed a cabin, they heard faint rustling sounds coming from inside, as if someone was whispering.
The little monkey immediately became interested, quietly stopped, and leaned against the window, pricking up its ears.
The faint sound coming from inside could be the voices of two men.
Unfortunately, their voices were too soft; apart from their heavy breathing, nothing could be heard.
But the more this happened, the more it itch the little monkey became, and it couldn't help but get even closer.
Until a clear voice seemed to ring out from above—
"Guests outside, is there anything I can help you with?"
This unexpected remark immediately startled the little monkey, who broke out in a cold sweat and retreated hastily.
He was so frightened that he turned and ran, but even though he was terrified, he didn't dare to make a sound.
In this chaotic and hurried manner, they made their way to the stern of the ship.
Just as he stopped and was catching his breath, clutching his chest, his eyes suddenly widened as if he had seen something unbelievable.
This is destined to be an uneasy night.