Late Ming sea owl

Chapter 71 The Gambler (please read more)

In the afternoon of that day, Lin Hai conducted an interview in the Songhe Hall of the Chenghuang Temple, conducting a second screening of the newcomers selected by Shi Bi and Zheng Tingqiu.

Since Lin Hai offered a high salary of five taels of silver and did not require any overseas experience, people signed up very enthusiastically. Shi Bi and Zheng Tingqiu accepted more than 200 people in total, while Lin Hai only needed 50 people.

After all, a hard sailboat requires very few manpower, which is its biggest advantage as a merchant ship.It is extremely rare for a ship like Li Guozhu to carry hundreds of people. This is mainly because the Western route he ran is very long, and the money he brought out from the Japanese country is also a lot, so he must bring more people to prevent being robbed.

Shen Tingyang is different from him. He mainly travels on the Northern Route. The ships mainly carry cloth and grain. If there is no silk, the goods are often worth thousands of silver.Therefore, he usually shipped silk separately, and there were usually dozens of people on other ships, thereby reducing labor expenses. This is why his merchant ships were repeatedly robbed.

Lin Hai sat in the Songhe Hall and dismissed a few slick people with a few words. He had studied micro-expression psychology and received professional training in speaking skills.

Two more people walked in at the door. Lin Hai raised his eyes and said directly without asking: "Get out, next one."

Jiuzhi didn't expect to be eliminated as soon as he entered the door. He shouted unconvinced: "The villain is strong and can endure hardships. Why doesn't the shopkeeper want him?"

Shibi also said at the side: "This man has good bones. In the Taoist saying, he is called ape-armed, wasp-waisted and mantis-legged. If you are brave, you will need it on the ship in the future."

Lin Hai still shook his head, Jiuzhi saw that there was no chance, and simply said: "I have killed people before, are you brave enough?"

Shi Bi was furious when he heard this, and pulled out his knife with a swipe: "Who are you pretending to be my father? Who on your grandfather's ship has never killed anyone?"

Jiu Zhi smiled disdainfully and said: "I have not only killed people, but also killed officials."

"You're so fucking tired of living." Seeing that Jiu Zhi still dared to call himself me, Shi Bi immediately wanted to rush over and chop him, but Lin Hai held him back.

"You have killed an official, what kind of official is he?" Lin Hai somewhat admired this man's courage. Shi Bi drew his sword and still dared to be tough.

When Jiuzhi heard that things were turning around, he immediately changed his name again: "If I go back to the shopkeeper, the villain is killing Yi Cheng, a low-ranking official."

Lin Hai asked again: "Why do you want to kill officials?"

A twinge of pain flashed in Jiuzhi's eyes, and the figure of the adulterer and adulterous couple reappeared in his mind. He gritted his teeth and said, "I am doing justice for heaven, and I can't bear to see that dog official acting arrogantly."

Lin Hai observed his expression and knew that he was not telling the truth, but the murder should be true, after all, fire was almost spitting out of his angry pupils.He added: "Besides killing, what else do you do? Do you have any special skills that you are good at?"

Jiuzhi thought for a moment and said, "I can ride a fast horse."

Shi Bi laughed loudly when he heard this: "This guy also wants to go horse racing on the boat."

Lin Hai pondered: "Could it be that you are a postman who killed Yi Cheng and then fled to Chongming Sand?"

Jiuzhi glanced at Xiao Zhou beside him, hesitated and said, "Yes."

Lin Hai nodded. According to the postman, his riding skills should be good. He then asked: "Last question, why do you want to get on the boat?"

Jiuzhi thought for a long time and finally said: "Why do you want to get on the boat? Maybe I am really tired of living."

Lin Hai said to Shibi: "Let this man stay, and let Feng Yidao take charge of him together with the ruthless bandit Ruan Jin."

Jiu Zhi was overjoyed and said: "As a little brother, I would like to ask the shopkeeper to accept it."

As he spoke, he said to Xiao Zhou beside him: "Quick, say a few nice words."

Xiao Zhou's face turned red when he heard this, and he couldn't hold it in for a long time.

Lin Haidao: "Little brother, what are you good at?" Xiao Zhou hesitated: "I can climb trees... and dig out bird eggs."

Lin Hai was speechless for a while and said to Shibi: "How did you fall in love with this boy?"

Shibi smiled and said: "His body is about the same as that of a thin monkey. He can climb the mast with some practice. He will be a good squad player."

Lin Hai suddenly understood and nodded in agreement to accept Xiao Zhou.

After Jiuzhi and Xiao Zhou left, Shi Bi asked curiously: "Why did you just abandon these two people without asking?"

Lin Haidao: "Remember, you don't want any beggars in the back, and there are also people with sallow faces. These people are probably sick. If they bring plague to the ship, it will be troublesome."

Shi Bi nodded repeatedly: "That's true, you have thought carefully."

Lin Hai added: "This can't be done carelessly. In the end, we have to strip off all of them to check their bodies. We don't want anyone with sores and pus on their bodies. Especially the two just now, whose hair and beards can't be distinguished, they were all shaved. check carefully."

After Xiao Zhou followed Jiuzhi out, he said slightly disappointedly: "Brother Jiuzhi, it turns out that you are really not a general?"

Jiuzhi glanced at him and said, "Who said that? I was born as a general, but I just never fought in a war."

Xiao Zhou shook his head and said, "I don't believe it. You just said clearly that you were just a postman."

Jiu Zhi snorted and didn't answer. He was supposed to be a hereditary fourth-grade guard commander, and his parents died when he was a teenager.Of course he didn't want to talk about how he ruined his family fortune and racked up so much debt that he had no money to go to Beijing to take up a job. In the end, he had no choice but to hide his name and flee to a foreign land, becoming a lowly postman.

Xiao Zhou said again: "You haven't fought in a war, how come you don't have your little finger?"

Jiuzhi said happily: "I chopped it myself."

Xiao Zhou was startled: "Why...why?"

Jiuzhi refused to say any more and strode forward. Those images flashed through his mind again.

It was a heavy rainy evening, and he returned from the gambling house empty-handed again. When he saw his newlywed wife working in the kitchen, he suddenly picked up a kitchen knife and chopped off the little finger of his right hand, swearing to God that he would never gamble again.

After that, he really never gambled, and his family could barely get by.Unfortunately, the good times didn't last long. It was another night of lightning and thunder. He finished his official duties and returned home early. As a result, he broke up the adulterous relationship between the couple.

So Nine Fingers took out the kitchen knife again, killed two people with one knife, and was on the run from now on...

"Brother Jiuzhi, thank you for helping me just now." Xiao Zhou caught up with Jiuzhi and said.

"You're lucky. I didn't expect that climbing trees is a skill. Otherwise, if you leave me, you'll be bullied to death. If you can survive this winter, you're lucky." Jiuzhi cursed in his mouth. , but there was a hint of smile in his eyes.

Five days later, Lin Hai held an all-staff meeting on the open deck of the Bowang and announced a stock incentive policy for veteran employees.He also designed a policy for newcomers who join in Chongming. Those who are willing to give up [-] taels of wages can be given one ten thousandth of the shares.

"There are currently two hundred tons of seven-mile silk on the ship. Just selling these silk goods to the Japanese country can earn tens of thousands of taels. There are also other goods. I am confident that I can earn at least 10 taels. Is there anyone willing? of?"

After Lin Hai explained the policy for newcomers, no one on the Bowang answered.After a long while, Jiuzhi, who had been shaved bald, suddenly stood up and said loudly: "Master, count me in."

Xiao Zhou tugged at the corner of his clothes and grinned at him with nine fingers: "Isn't it just five taels of silver? I made a bet!"

(End of this chapter)