Chapter 668
The Little Old Man
The large boat named Anlan sailed steadily on the river, with more than twenty boatmen on the riverbank chanting the Sichuan River boatmen's song and pulling the Anlan forward by dragging the reins.
Chen Jigang had just finished cleaning the deck with the boatmen and was taking a short rest on the deck.
In his dream, he vaguely heard a grand sound coming from the sky, like the sound of countless children reading in a classroom, drifting down from the sky, grand and clear.
The voice seemed to pull him back to his first-year junior high classroom, where he and his classmates were loudly reciting the textbook: "I contemplate the vastness of heaven and earth, and alone I am overwhelmed with sorrow and tears."
Chen Ji suddenly opened his eyes and turned to look around.
But the boatmen around him were all dozing off, and it seemed that only he could hear the sound.
Chen Ji looked down and asked the person in his arms, "Did you hear any sounds coming from the sky just now?"
The dark cloud, hidden under his collar, meowed softly: "No."
Chen Ji's eyes flickered.
Was it just a dream?
It felt like a dream, or perhaps someone had connected with the mysterious will of the forty-ninth heaven... no, it was the fiftieth heaven, his home planet Earth.
Chen Ji suddenly had a thought: Could this poem be related to the path of cultivation for the Gelaohui (a secret society)?
He stood up at the bow of the ship, holding onto the railing, silently watching the sunset disappear little by little. When he turned around, the capital city behind him was already out of sight.
Dark clouds peeked half their heads out from his arms and joined him in his daze.
After a long while, Chen Ji let out a long sigh: "It's just the two of us again."
The dark cloud let out a soft meow.
Just then, someone nearby said, "Have we met somewhere before?"
Chen Ji felt a chill run down his spine and glanced to the side. He saw the last old man with gray hair who had boarded the boat leaning against the railing, staring straight at him.
The old man's white hair was simply tied on top of his head with a peach wood branch. He wore a gray Taoist robe and black cotton shoes, looking like an old Taoist priest.
Chen Ji didn't want to get entangled with him, so he turned back to look at the river and said, "You've mistaken me for someone else. We shouldn't have met before."
But the old man persisted, walking up to him and peering at Chen Ji's profile: "No, no, I must have seen him somewhere before."
Chen Ji didn't expect this old man to stick to him like a leech. He didn't want to talk to him much. Now that he had faked his death and escaped, he couldn't let the outside world know that he was still alive.
Just as he was pondering how to escape, shouts came from the sterncastle behind him: "Jiujin, don't just stand there, untie the tow rope. Gousheng, the wind is picking up, hoist the sails!"
Chen Ji turned around and saw Chief Li shouting orders from the stern tower.
He walked to the general's pillar at the bow of the ship and untied the tow ropes from the pillar one by one.
As they untied the tow rope, the old man came closer again: "Where are you from? Is it in Nanxunfang in the inner city?"
Chen Ji casually replied, "No, I live in Chongnan Ward."
The old man smiled slightly: "What a coincidence! I also live in Chongnanfang... Which alley do you live in?"
Chen Ji bent down and untied a rope, then asked, "Which alley are you from?"
The old man chuckled and said, "I live in Mishikou. What about you?"
Chen Ji stood up and dusted off his hands: "Maweimao Alley".
The old man exclaimed with delight, "I often go there; the wonton stall outside Maweimao Hutong is the best in all of Beijing!"
Chen Ji glanced at him: "There are no wonton stalls outside the alley, only one that sells tofu pudding all year round."
The old man feigned surprise: "Really? That's because I misremembered."
Chen Ji's heart skipped a beat, and he probed in return, "The Li Ji Noodle Shop in the southwest corner of Mi Shi Kou is quite delicious. Have you ever eaten there, old man?" The old man smiled and said, "There is no Li Ji Noodle Shop in Mi Shi Kou. That's Li Ji Fried Liver."
Chen Ji said, "Oh, then I remembered it wrong."
The two men wore forced smiles, each lost in their own thoughts.
At this moment, the oarsmen in the cabin all went up to the deck, preferring to enjoy the river breeze on the deck rather than stay in the cramped and damp cabin any longer.
Just as Chen Ji was pondering how to get rid of the old man, Old Li shouted from the stern tower again: "Jiu Jin, go to the oarsroom and mop the floor!"
Chen Ji responded loudly, "I'll go right away!"
Old Li then directed the others: "Gousheng, take some men and hang up the dragon lantern, so that those water ghosts will keep their eyes open and won't bother us."
A middle-aged man named Gousheng waved and led several boatmen to light eight lanterns and hang them around the deck.
Chen Ji carried a wooden bucket and a rag, crouching down as he crawled into the cabin.
The cabins of the Ning Dynasty's large ship were exceptionally narrow and low; anyone slightly taller had to duck to pass. As they passed the cargo hold, they saw two men with swords guarding the front of it.
The two men saw Chen Ji come down and gave him a cold look: "New here? Stay away from the warehouse and water tank. Don't say we didn't warn you."
Chen Ji agreed and continued down the escalator with the wooden bucket. He was a little puzzled. In the past day, he had seen seven or eight guards on duty, some on the deck, some in the cabin, and there seemed to be an officer among them.
Ordinary cargo ships wouldn't have so many guards. What kind of goods are they carrying in their hold?
Moreover, a day passed, and he only saw Chief Captain Li shouting orders, while the ship owner remained on the top deck of the stern without showing his face.
As Chen Ji was wiping the floor, he heard footsteps coming from the stairs. He looked over without making a sound and saw that the old man had chased him into the oar room again.
Neither of them spoke immediately. Chen Ji focused on wiping the floor, while the old man squatted on the stairs, scrutinizing him.
The river wind howled through the oar holes, swirling and whistling in the oar chamber, and through the oar holes, the moon's reflection could be seen on the river's surface.
The next moment, the old man asked with a smile, "You are Chen Ji, right?"
Chen Ji suddenly gripped the rag tightly and looked up: "You've mistaken me for someone else."
The old man still smiled and said, "I wouldn't mistake him. When Viscount Chen Ji of Wuxiang was jilted and humiliated in front of the Qi residence, I was right there in the crowd. How could I mistake him?"
Chen Ji frowned. According to what his aunt had said before, this large ship came from the south, and the boatmen were all recruited in Jinling. No one would recognize him.
Only this old man, who looked like a leech, seemed to be from the capital, and they actually recognized him.
What to do? Kill him to cover it up? Kill him in this deserted oarsman's room, dismember him under the cover of night, and throw him into the canal through the oar holes. No one should notice.
Chen Ji smiled and shook his head, wondering what he was thinking.
He threw the rag on the ground, looked up at the old man, and asked, "What do you want?"
The old man rested his chin on his hand and thought for a moment: "What was I thinking just now? To kill him and cover my tracks? I could kill this old man under the cover of night and throw him into the river through the oar hole. No one should notice."
Chen Ji sighed and asked again, "What do you want?"
The old man smiled and said, "One thousand taels of silver. Lord Chen can use hundreds of thousands of taels to redeem people, so surely one thousand taels of silver is no problem for him."
Chen Ji was helpless; he really couldn't come up with a thousand taels of silver right now, let alone a thousand taels, he couldn't even come up with a single tael.
He originally wore the pocket money given to him by Zhang Xia on his wrist. That string of Buddhist coins could be exchanged for six hundred taels of silver. However, a fire in the Qi family's mourning hall burned the string holding the Buddhist beads, and all the beads were scattered in the mourning hall and burned to ashes.
If it weren't for the fact that this ship provided food and lodging, he would have had to take Wuyun to perform in a variety show.
Chen Ji pondered for a moment: "I don't have any money on me right now. Tell me your address, and I'll send it to you when I have the money."
The old man shook his head: "Who would believe such nonsense these days? I only want cash, or you can give me the cat in your arms as collateral. I'll return it to you whenever I see the money." (End of Chapter)