Chapter 3, Gratitude and Repayment (Part 1)

"Young master, why do you ask this?" The shipowner, also struck by a moment of inspiration, instinctively quoted a price for extortion despite his confusion, "If this ship were new, it would be worth at least twenty... twenty-nine taels of silver, yes, twenty-nine taels of silver!"

With a snap, our young master Zhang, exuding charm, closed his folding fan, clapped it against his palm, and then asked the boatman with a mischievous smile, "Old man, how much silver would it cost to buy a boat like yours? I'm referring to the price of a new boat, not this old wreck of yours. Feel free to quote your price."

... ...

When our Young Master Zhang and Zhang Shitou came out of the room, Wu Ershao, Ma Jun, Wang Shaodong, and a group of young rascals were instantly taken aback—unsure of why our Young Master Zhang had changed into a pure white mourning outfit, wearing straw sandals, and topped with a tall mourning hat. Zhang Shitou was carrying a ceremonial tray, which, besides the five-colored offerings and a stack of paper money, also held ten gleaming small silver ingots. From the outside, it was clear that this morally questionable master and servant were headed to pay respects and offer gifts to the relatives of the deceased.

"Of course, go and prepare," Young Master Zhang said with a regal wave of his hand, dismissing the boatman. He then called Zhang Shitou to him, whispering a series of instructions in his ear. After that, he pointed to a teahouse by the dock and said, "Hurry and take care of it, I will be waiting for you in that teahouse"

"Damn it, it can't be that dark even if it's black, right? You think a broken boat is worth twenty-nine taels of silver?" Zhang Shitou was furious upon hearing this and almost cursed out loud. Our Young Master Zhang, however, waved his hand more flamboyantly and shouted, "Zhang Shitou, you have no say here, take out thirty taels of silver!"

As the saying goes, "A cunning person harbors ill intentions, while the wealthy maintain a good conscience." Naturally, this young master would not ask you to commit acts that violate the law or go against morality. Young Master Zhang, as if afraid that others would discover his clever scheme, cautiously leaned in to whisper in the boat owner's ear. At first, the boat owner listened with a beaming smile, even patting his chest to assure that there would be no problem. However, as the conversation progressed, the boat owner's expression turned serious, and he furrowed his brows, asking with difficulty, "Young Master, what exactly are you planning to do? What if something goes wrong?"

The shipowner hesitated for a moment, but after our young master Zhang threw out a couple of silver coins, he spoke the truth, "I dare not deceive you, young master. The reason is that this ship is too old; it is even older than my son, who is hastily looking for a wife. The bottom of the ship is leaking. When we set off, we could plug the leaks with corks, but when we arrived at the Lingqing dock, we accidentally bumped into the dock, and the leaks worsened. If the bottom of the ship is not repaired, we will not be able to head north, so we had no choice but to stop here"

Zhang Shitou is not very literate, yet he is quite astute and reliable in his work. Not long after our Young Master Zhang gave the instructions, he brought the owner of the boat that the girl in white was on. Our Young Master Zhang first made the boat owner squat down, then asked: "Are you the owner of that boat? Do you know where that girl on your boat is from? What is her name? Where is she going? Is there anyone else traveling with her on the boat? Do you know where that girl on your boat is from? What is her name? Where is she going? Is there anyone else traveling with her on the boat? Who is the person in the coffin related to her?"

"Young master, why are you asking these questions? What is your relationship with the female guest?" The ship owner scrutinized our Young Master Zhang, naturally growing more displeased and increasingly worried, fearing that our Young Master Zhang might harbor ill intentions. Our Young Master Zhang did not waste words; he directly threw out a couple of silver coins, grabbed the ship owner's collar, and fiercely demanded, "Can you tell me now?"

"Is your boat repaired yet?" Our young master Zhang asked a pointless question. The boatman replied with a bitter smile: "Young master, if the boat were repaired, wouldn't we have to set off immediately? My son has gone to buy materials and hasn't returned yet. Even if he comes back, I estimate we won't be able to leave until evening"

"What are you rambling about?" Young Master Zhang, in a bad mood, snatched two banknotes and handed them to the shipowner, whose mouth was already smiling widely. He said nonchalantly, "I am buying your ship, no need for change."

"Then do you still want to sell the boat?" Young Master Zhang lazily asked as he waved two banknotes in front of the boatman. The boatman hesitated for a long time, and finally reached out to take the banknotes, cautiously saying, "Then after the deal is done, I will leave Linqing immediately, and anything that happens here will have nothing to do with me."

"Young Master, is this really appropriate?" Zhang Shitou felt somewhat troubled, but unable to resist the repeated urging of our Young Master Zhang, he ultimately complied and went to carry out the order. Not far away, Ma Jun and Wu Ershao, along with a group of young rascals, looked on in confusion and hurried over to inquire about what exactly Young Master Zhang intended to do. Our Young Master Zhang, however, was not in a hurry to reveal his plans; he simply flicked open his fan and, with an air of flamboyance, said grandly, "What’s the rush? Let’s go to the teahouse, have a cup of tea, and wait to enjoy the show. To tell you the truth, today your money is as good as mine; and that beautiful tigress, I have her in my sights as well."

"Hurry up!" Young Master Zhang and his companions were quite curious, so they quickly followed behind Young Master Zhang and Zhang Shitou. As they exited the teahouse, our Young Master Zhang immediately began to wail, "Old Madam! Please take care!" Crying and shouting, ... our Young Master Zhang, leading the way with Zhang Shitou who was carrying the offerings, was a mess of snot and tears, sobbing and stumbling, rushing directly towards the dock ...

Thank you, young master, thank you, young master. After confirming multiple times that our Young Master Zhang was not joking, the overjoyed shipowner quickly reached out to receive the banknotes. Unexpectedly, our Young Master Zhang suddenly retracted the banknotes and said to the shipowner with a mischievous smile: "Don't be in a hurry, if you want me to buy your ship, you must do something for me first"

As he spoke, our Young Master Zhang picked up a piece of old ginger from the sacrificial plate, broke it in half with ease, and then rubbed the exposed ginger flesh against his eyes. In the blink of an eye, our Young Master Zhang's eyes became red and swollen, and two streams of scalding tears filled with emotion flowed down his cheeks. He casually tossed the ginger aside and said, "If you want to see a good show, just follow me, but don't get too close."

It is unclear whether it was due to the glaring silver or because our young master’s imposing demeanor frightened him, but in any case, the boatman spoke the truth: "This young master, I am the owner of the cargo ship that transports coffins. The young lady on board is from the Zhenjiang Canal dock. I do not know her esteemed name, nor did I dare to ask casually; I only know that her surname is Xiong—like the bear. She brought along a maid, paid a deposit of two taels of silver, and said she wanted to transport the coffin to the canal dock in the capital. Upon arrival, she would pay another tael. The person inside the coffin is certainly her elder—yes, it seems to be her second mother."

"What does the young master want me to do? Please feel free to give your orders." The shipowner stared at the banknotes, swallowing hard, and added with a broad smile, "As long as it does not violate the royal laws or go against morality, I am willing to do anything."

"Young Master Zhang, which of your relatives has passed away? We haven't heard anything about this," Ma Jun asked impulsively. Young Master Zhang casually tapped him on the head with the handle of his fan and scolded, "Nonsense! It is your relatives who have kicked the bucket!"

Zhenjiang boarding? Five taels of silver transported to the canal dock in the capital? Inside the coffin is the second wife of a light beauty? The keywords quickly flashed through the mind of our young master Zhang, and when combined, a wicked idea gradually emerged in his heart. However, our young master Zhang is rarely impulsive when he should be calm, so he cautiously asked the ship owner, "Why did your ship stop at the Linqing dock? Why not go directly to the capital?"

Due to the fact that it is only the first month of the lunar calendar, there is no freshly picked pre-rain tea available at the teahouse this year. This has caused considerable dissatisfaction for our Young Master Zhang. Fortunately, our Young Master Zhang has changed masters, which is why this teahouse has been spared from having a dozen teacups smashed by him. After sipping tea and waiting for a little over half an hour, Zhang Shitou returned, carrying two bundles. Upon seeing him, our Young Master Zhang was overjoyed, quickly abandoning his group of friends and slipping into a vacant private room.

Young Master... Zhang Shitou felt somewhat wronged, believing that no matter how wealthy the Zhang Haogu family was, they should not spend money so recklessly. However, once our Young Master Zhang made up his mind, it was something that no one could change. In the end, Zhang Shitou had no choice but to hesitantly take out a few banknotes and some small silver coins from the pouch he kept for Young Master Zhang. There were a total of five banknotes, each with a denomination of twenty taels, and the small silver coins amounted to only seven or eight taels. Zhang Shitou couldn't help but feel troubled and said, "Young Master, this change is not enough"