Rebirth: Not Being a Waste - Chapter 77

Grandpa Zhang drives a bullock cart to take Zhang Shu and his companions to the county town. On the way, they stop by the town and, as expected, find Zhou’s father just as he is about to leave the clinic.

Zhou Nan steps forward and shares his plan. The trip will take more than ten to twenty days, during which he’ll be paid for escorting the goods, and he’ll also get a chance to visit Zhangzhou Port.

It’s said that his father is originally from Zhangzhou Port. For reasons unknown, he later drifts to this town and marries his father. The couple lives harmoniously, but his father eventually succumbs to a severe illness. Before passing away, he longs to reconnect with his family in Zhangzhou Port, hoping that one day, their whereabouts can be discovered.

The Zhou family has never been well-off. After the funeral, they barely have enough to eat, let alone spare the money to travel to Zhangzhou Port in search of relatives.

Yesterday, when Li Yan brings up this idea, Zhou Nan can’t stop thinking about it. He knows he won’t be able to stay there for long, but at least on the way back, he can extend his stay for a few days to investigate.

Father Zhou feels a twinge of guilt. He hasn’t been able to fulfill his late husband’s final wish and is now passing that responsibility onto his child. Yet this child, who has endured so much hardship without complaint and remains so filial, is finally asking for something he wants to do. How can his father refuse?

Seeing that his father agrees, Zhou Nan is overjoyed. However, Father Zhou pulls him aside and whispers, “Anan, are you sure it’s appropriate for you to travel with three men? You must be very careful at night. Lock your door when you sleep. If anyone tries to bully you, protect yourself first.”

“Father, what are you thinking?” Zhou Nan is caught between amusement and exasperation. “They’re all decent people. How could they possibly do such a thing? Besides, I have Xiaohu. I’ll sleep with him at night—does that put your mind at ease?”

“Alright, alright. Just make sure you keep Xiaohu with you at night,” Father Zhou insists, patting Zhou Nan on the shoulder. “Go on, don’t waste any more time.”

Then, he takes out the money he earns from selling herbs and shoves it into Zhou Nan’s hands. “They say you should always have money when traveling. Take this and buy whatever you need.”

Zhou Nan feels the weight of the copper coins in his hands, his throat tightening with emotion. “Father, keep it. Food and lodging are covered during the trip—I don’t need this.” Without giving his father a chance to argue, he stuffs the money back into his father’s bag and quickly runs to the ox cart, urging Grandpa Zhang to set off.

Xiaohu trots obediently alongside Zhou Nan the entire way. Midway through the journey, Zhou Nan lifts Xiaohu onto the cart. At first, the dog is stiff and uneasy on the swaying ride, but under Zhou Nan’s soothing touch, he eventually relaxes.

After dropping them off at the river, Grandpa Zhang gives a few last instructions before heading back. Before parting, Zhang Shu buys a variety of food from the roadside stalls and hands them to Grandpa Zhang to bring home for the family.

Once Grandpa Zhang is gone, Zhang Shu leads everyone onto the boat. He arranges Zhou Nan’s room between his and Li Yan’s, with Yu Xiaoliu’s room on his left. The guards on board are still unfamiliar, and Zhou Nan is a ger after all—if anything were to happen, it would be too late for regrets.

At Shopkeeper Yan’s command, the merchant ship gradually pulls away from the shore.

This time, they’re traveling with more than ten merchant ships, making the journey significantly safer than before.

The three who accompany Zhang Shu this time are in good condition—none of them suffer from seasickness. However, two of the guards brought by Shopkeeper Yan have already vomited profusely.

A doctor aboard the ship examines them and prescribes herbal medicine, but they throw it up as soon as they take it.

Seeing them grow weaker by the day, Shopkeeper Yan grows anxious. These two are connected to him in some way, and if something happens to them, he’ll be held responsible. Even if they aren’t, no one can just stand by and watch them waste away.

Zhang Shu believes that as long as they can eat, they’ll recover. The problem is, they can’t keep anything down.

Zhou Nan quietly goes to the kitchen, retrieves a small jar, and hands it to Li Yan, asking him to bring it to Zhang Shu.

Li Yan opens the lid and is immediately hit with a strong, spicy aroma. He sneezes loudly, but after that, he feels strangely refreshed.

Peering inside, he sees a mixture of red and yellow pieces. He recognizes the red as chili peppers but isn’t sure what the yellow strips are.

“This is chili mixed with ginger strips,” Zhou Nan explains. “It stimulates the appetite and helps with nausea. Actually, I felt a bit unwell when I first boarded, but I happened to find these in the kitchen. I asked the cook to cut some up and marinate them.”

“Why didn’t you tell me you weren’t feeling well?” Li Yan frowns. He’s the one who brought Zhou Nan onto the ship, but he hasn’t even noticed.

Zhou Nan chuckles. “It wasn’t a big deal. Besides, I knew a folk remedy. It’s just a pity I didn’t think of it earlier—otherwise, I would’ve brought it out sooner.”

The guards’ quarters are separate from theirs, and since there are men staying there, Zhou Nan rarely goes over. Moreover, Zhang Shu and the others haven’t made a fuss about the seasickness, so Zhou Nan only finds out about it when he overhears Shopkeeper Yan discussing it near Zhang Shu’s room earlier today.

Li Yan takes the jar to find Zhang Shu. Fortunately, Shopkeeper Yan is still there, so Li Yan hands him the jar and asks him to give it to the two suffering men.

When Shopkeeper Yan opens the lid, he also chokes on the strong aroma. But after hearing that it’s effective, he quickly takes the jar back and orders someone to bring two bowls of porridge from the kitchen.

The two young men lie weakly in their room, their faces pale. This is their first time on a boat, and they never expect to get seasick.

It isn’t too bad when they’re still on the river, but after passing Zhangzhou Port and entering the open sea, they start vomiting every day, even bringing up bile.

Seeing Shopkeeper Yan enter, one of the young men struggles to sit up. “Uncle, if you see my mother when you go back, please tell her that I’ll be her son again in my next life.”

Shopkeeper Yan pats his head. “What nonsense are you talking about? You’re not dying. Get up—I brought something that’ll help.”

He scoops out some ginger shreds from the jar and hands them each a bowl of porridge. “Eat some ginger first to settle your stomach, then try the porridge.”

The two men are skeptical but reluctantly pick up some ginger shreds with their chopsticks and put them in their mouths. The spicy taste hits them immediately.

After chewing and swallowing, they’re surprised to find that their nausea has eased. At the very least, they’re not throwing up the moment something enters their stomachs.

They finish their bowls of plain porridge with the spicy ginger. Their stomachs warm, and the unbearable discomfort fades significantly.

“Get some rest, and keep eating this in the evening,” Shopkeeper Yan says, relieved. He has always believed in folk remedies—seasickness might not be a serious illness, but it’s certainly miserable. Zhang Shu is truly surrounded by capable people!

That Li Yan, said to be Zhang Shu’s brother-in-law, is skilled in martial arts and practices regularly with Wang Hu. His archery is excellent too. As for Zhou Nan, he apparently knows a bit about medicine and can even act as a doctor.

But the most impressive is Xiaohu. At night, even the slightest movement alerts him. The last time they docked at Zhangzhou Port, a thief tries to sneak onto the ship, but Xiaohu discovers him immediately. They catch the man and hand him over to the local garrison, only to learn that he’s actually a ship repairman. Good at swimming, he plans to damage the ship just to create business for his family.

That incident leads to all the ships in Nanhai County checking themselves, and they do indeed find signs of sabotage. Many have to stop for repairs.

Thanks to the sharp-eyed Xiaohu, Zhang Shu’s fleet avoids disaster and is able to set sail on schedule. In a past life, a major shipwreck causes an entire fleet from the Fan Kingdom to vanish—simply because of an ignorant craftsman’s actions. More than two thousand lives are lost.

…

The fleet sails steadily, reaching Nanhai County before the tenth day of May. Zhang Shu leaves the others on the boat and goes alone to the Yingbin Building “Ren” suite, where he plans to meet Huang Tianhang and his group.

At first, he worries they might not have arrived yet, but as soon as he steps inside, he spots them drinking downstairs.

“Brother Huang, could it be that you were waiting for me?” Zhang Shu clasps his fists in greeting.

Huang Tianhang studies him for a moment before recognizing him as the merchant he traded with months ago. Laughing, he says, “Brother Zhang, you truly keep your word. Come, sit.” He pushes Zhang Shu into a seat and signals for more bowls and chopsticks.

Zhang Shu doesn’t stand on ceremony and joins them for the meal. Afterward, they move to Huang Tianhang’s private room to talk business.

“The goods you requested are now at the dock,” Zhang Shu says. “Will you be transporting them by ship or by carriage?”

“By carriage,” Huang Tianhang replies. “We calculated the timing and made a special trip to Nanhai County. We’ve brought three or four carriages—don’t worry.”

“I see,” Zhang Shu nods. “By the way, have the dried vermicelli from a few months ago held up well? If they haven’t lasted, I’m willing to refund double the deposit as per our contract.”

The initial agreement is for 1,000 kilograms of dried vermicelli, with a deposit of about 30%—ten taels of silver in total. If he refunds double, he’ll return twenty taels. Zhang Shu is confident in his goods, which is why he brings it up.

Unexpectedly, Huang Tianhang and the others look a bit sheepish. The truth is, they haven’t had a chance to test how long the vermicelli would last—they finish eating all of it the very next day.

Huang Tianhang chuckles. “The goods were excellent. We’ll submit the contract to the authorities tomorrow and then load them onto the carriages. By the way, Brother Zhang, how many kilograms did you bring this time?”

He figures Zhang Shu must have brought more than just the 1,000 kilograms from their contract—otherwise, it wouldn’t be worth a mere thirty to forty taels after a twenty-day journey.

Zhang Shu’s eyes flicker, but he remains calm. “In addition to the 1,000 kilograms for you, I have more stored in the cabin. We’ve also found new markets, so I expect more buyers soon.”

His words hint that the dried vermicelli is in high demand. If they want more, they had better act fast.

Huang Tianhang and his men exchange glances but don’t press the matter. Instead, they change the topic, discussing other business.

Zhang Shu isn’t in a rush. He has a feeling that once they see the goods, they’ll definitely come back for more.