Linxia

Chapter 176, Remarriage

A few days later, the Nanyang merchant caravan went out to sea. Fang Chuanhui followed the ship, and Fang Lin came to the dock to see them off.

"Master Jiao, I'd like to ask you to take care of my cousin." Fang Lin said politely.

This is the person in charge of the Nanyang Fleet, named Jiao Huiqing. He used to be from the Gu family. Now the Yang family has taken over and led the Nanyang Fleet, but their own people are not as capable as him. For the sake of stability, they have not replaced this person for the time being.

"Don't worry, Governor Fang. If anything goes wrong, you will hold me responsible." Jiao Huiqing said these nice words while patting his chest.

Having lived two lives, Fang Lin has seen countless people. Naturally, he can see that Jiao Huiqing seems to have a good attitude and speaks nicely, but he is just superficial and does not really care. If something really happens, he will definitely blame others.

He looked at the man deeply, and the smile on his face suddenly disappeared: "If something really happened, would it be useful to hold you responsible?"

"This..." Jiao Huiqing was shocked. He couldn't understand why Fang Lin was like a smiling tiger and suddenly changed his expression.

"Haha, Chief Jiao, I was just joking, don't be afraid." Fang Lin said with a pleasant face, as if the knock just now was just an illusion. He asked in a friendly manner like an old friend, "I heard that Chief Jiao is experienced and there are very few casualties when he leads the fleet?"

Jiao Huiqing was unsure of Fang Lin's situation, so he put away his slick side and subconsciously bent his waist more tightly. He said humbly and cautiously, "It's all luck. If we really encounter a particularly big storm, there is no guarantee that there will be no casualties."

Fang Lin nodded, and suddenly changed the subject: "It's hard to work in the wind and rain, but Master Jiao, you have earned a lot, right?"

"It's OK, just barely making ends meet..."

"Just barely making ends meet!" Fang Lin muttered, and suddenly said, "But I heard that Chief Jiao recently moved into a new house that's better than mine; his son is studying in the best private school in the city; and last month, your wife's brother got married, and the gift money was quite generous!"

Jiao Huiqing listened, cold sweat seeping out of his back, but he still forced himself to remain calm and defended himself, "What Governor Fang doesn't know is that the fleet has rules, which allow us to bring some private goods and make some money when we go out to sea. The Gu family and the Yang family knew about these things before..."

As the leader of the fleet, it is a rule to get some benefits. After all, if he doesn't take it, how can his subordinates take it?
But the problem is that these two times, Jiao Huiqing took a few hundred million more than the rules allowed, because he also knew that the Gu family withdrew from the Nanyang Merchant Caravan and he would not be popular with the Yang family. If he didn't take more now, he would miss the opportunity in the future. He couldn't just starve to death, right?
If you ask, why didn't Jiao Huiqing follow the Gu family and withdraw from the Nanyang Merchants? He wanted to, but the Gu family was seriously injured in the Guitian case and had to shrink. They simply couldn't use so many people. There was no place for an outsider like him.

Fang Lin waved his hand and interrupted the other party directly: "I don't understand any rules, and I don't want to care about those bullshit things. I only know that my cousin can't get into trouble when he goes out to sea with you. Do you understand what I mean?"

"I understand, sir. I will do my best..." Compared to the beginning, Jiao Huiqing's guarantee this time was obviously much more sincere.

"It's not that I must try my best, but that nothing must happen." Fang Lin looked directly into Jiao Huiqing's eyes, his tone unquestionable: "If something really happens, I can't touch the Yang family, and I'm too lazy to touch the people below, so I'll only look for you...your family!"

Jiao Huiqing almost yelled at him: "When your cousin gets into trouble, why do you look for me instead of others? Is this something I can control?"

At the same time, he was really nervous because his wife and children were his lifeline!
"Are you cursing me in your heart?" Fang Lin seemed to see through Jiao Huiqing's thoughts, causing him to tremble subconsciously. Just when Jiao Huiqing was terrified, he suddenly laughed and even patted him on the shoulder in a friendly manner: "Don't deny it. If it were me, I would curse too. I am not an unreasonable person. If you take good care of my cousin, in the future, even if something really happens, I can protect you in the hands of the Yang family."

When the struggle was over, he hit her with a stick and gave her a sweet date.

"Don't worry, sir. I will ensure the safety of Young Master Fang." Jiao Huiqing was a smart man. After understanding Fang Lin's meaning, he immediately made a solemn promise.

Ensuring Fang Chuanhui's safety is not as difficult as imagined. He has extensive experience at sea and has encountered several major storms, but they have all passed. The dead are all those poor sailors. As long as Fang Chuanhui behaves himself and does not commit suicide, it is as safe as being on shore, and basically nothing will happen.

"Let Mr. Fang eat and drink well. If he wants to learn, I will teach him. If he doesn't want to learn, I will treat him as a young master. After all, he is just one person. How much effort can he spend? I will pay all this in exchange for a guarantee. If something happens in the future and the Yang family wants to deal with me, I may be able to save his life!"

Jiao Huiqing thought secretly and made up his mind to bring Fang Chuanhui with him personally and watch over him carefully throughout the whole process. He didn't believe that anything could go wrong.

Fang Chuanhui stood nearby, watching it all quietly from beginning to end. He was filled with admiration as he saw how Jiao Huiqing, the slippery old fox, was subdued and controlled step by step by Fang Lin in just a short moment.

"Okay, Chuanhui, you guys go!" Fang Lin turned around, saw what Fang Chuanhui was thinking, smiled and shook his head.

Jiao Huiqing is actually not a simple person. If they were of equal status and position, he might not be able to beat the other person. But now he is also considered a big shot in the eyes of ordinary people. He suppresses others and bullies the weak. Many things are just that simple.

"Yes! Yes! Lord Fang, I'll leave first!" Jiao Huiqing nodded and bowed, took Fang Chuanhui on board, and introduced him sincerely. With his attitude, Fang Chuanhui's status in the fleet was immediately established.

Fang Lin looked at Fang Chuanhui's back and thought to himself: "I'll let Chuanhui join the fleet to see which people are capable and which are just filling in the numbers, and understand the overseas channels and the entire operating model... These are already not easy. For the time being, I won't let him find a channel to buy Western Yi firearms. It's too much to ask."

The people who will migrate out in the future will naturally have to be armed. Purchasing firearms from the Western Barbarians is the first step, and then building their own military factories.

"It's too early to say this now. The Yang family is in control of the Nanyang merchant fleet, and there are many people and eyes. If Chuanhui really wants to do it now, it will easily reveal his tracks and cause trouble. It's better to wait until the future, when he has his own fleet under his full control, to do this."

Fang Lin thought so and waved goodbye to Fang Chuanhui.

The river flows slowly, white sails are hoisted, and the fleet sails away and disappears into the horizon.

……

Coming back from the dock, we returned to Xixiang Hutong.

Fang Lin saw that Mr. Qiu was exercising by walking with the help of a pair of crutches, while Mrs. Qiu followed behind him like a shadow, always paying attention to Mr. Qiu's behavior to prevent him from falling. If a child or something came running over, she would quickly hold him to the side for fear that he would be knocked down.

When Mr. Qiu saw Fang Lin, he said happily, "Recently, I have felt some sensation in my legs. With some practice, maybe I will be able to walk slowly on my own in the future. I can't always tire me and my children..."

"You sound nice, as if I don't need to follow you." Granny Qiu argued with him, "I am your unpaid servant, here to ensure your safety."

"You are so old, can you still be a servant? You can't even help me up if I fall down."

"If you can't help me up, you can always call for help. You won't fall to the ground without anyone to help you."

……

Fang Lin listened to the old couple bickering, and suddenly thought of Master Ou and Madam Ou. He thought to himself that the Qiu couple were much luckier than Master Ou and his wife, and said with a smile: "It seems that you two have a very good relationship. It must have been fifty or sixty years, right?"

"Yes, it's been fifty-one years." Mr. Qiu and Mrs. Qiu said in unison.

Fang Lin listened and laughed along with them.

Fang's mother, Tian Xuan, Su Xiaoqing, and Guihua's wife gathered together on the open space of Xiaowu Mountain. Recently, Fang's mother and Tian Xuan didn't like to sit with the aunts and grandmas in the alley, because since Fang Lin was appointed as the Jinyiwei, the neighbors have been flattering them and dared not even joke with them. It was okay once or twice, but it got boring after a while.

Only Su Xiaoqing and Guihua Sao, who came from the same village, still had the same attitude as before and could still chat with each other.

Fang Lin came over, teasing the little girl Geng Xue, and listened to Fang's mother and others talking about family matters.

Fang's mother gossiped, "Grandma Man stole the Guanyin Bodhisattva and came back. She worships devoutly every day and goes out to pray to the gods and Buddhas, but Man Gensheng still can't find a wife. No matter what he says, nothing works..."

"Why haven't we seen Xin's Xiaoyun come out these past two days? But her belly is getting bigger, so it's hard for her to come out?"

"No, Sister Xiaoyun is very hardworking. She is still making clothes for people even when she is pregnant. Sister Xiaoyun said she would come out and sit with us while we talk and do things, but she is too slow."

Sha Xiaoyun still steals cloth when she makes clothes for others, and many people in the alley talk about her behind her back. However, her clothes are well made, so many people still come to her because of her reputation.

Sister Guihua suddenly said, "On the third day of next month, Qian Wenshu and I will get married. We don't plan to have a big wedding. It would be too crowded. We can just set up one table for us."

Fang Lin listened and looked up in shock at the news. He didn't expect that Qian Wenyan actually caught up with Sister Guihua.

"Congratulations, this is a great event." Fang's mother and Tian Xuan said.

Su Xiaoqing joked: "Didn't my sister-in-law say earlier that she didn't want to find another one? Why did you change your mind?"

"It doesn't matter what happens if I'm alone. But Ye Zi is growing up, and I can't let others say that she is a fatherless child." Sister Guihua looked at Chen Ye who was playing and said softly with a complicated look in her eyes.

"Sister-in-law, do you plan to have another child in the future?" Su Xiaoqing asked a key question.

If they want another child, will Qian Wenyan be partial to Chen Ye and treat her badly since he has his own child? This is also the reason why many widows find someone else and refuse to have more children.

"Of course I do. I'm not a black-hearted widow who eats people's food, drinks people's drinks, and makes people's families extinct." Sister Guihua said without hesitation, and it was obvious that she had thought about this problem a long time ago.

As for having a biological child, why is Qian Wenyan biased towards Chen Ye?
She invited the Fang family to attend the wedding banquet as a form of deterrence and check and balance, to prevent any signs of certain things happening and to nip them in the bud.

It’s not that Sister Guihua thinks the worst, but her experience makes her really dare not overestimate human nature.

"If he treats me sincerely, then I will naturally treat him sincerely; if he plays tricks, saying one thing now and another in the future, and goes too far...it's nothing more than the death of another husband, even if by that time, I already have his child."

Sister Guihua had thought about these things a long time ago. She had considered the worst-case scenario of "getting rid of the father and keeping the son" before agreeing to Qian Wenyan's request. She did not give up because of her past dark experiences.

Fang Lin glanced at Sister Guihua inadvertently. Although he didn't guess Sister Guihua's whole plan, he knew that if Qian Wenyan was not honest, he would probably have a miserable end in the future.

He didn't stay here for long. After a while, he left.

Passing by the Ou family, I saw through the window that Master Ou was giving a lecture to the students. Guaiguai and Huahua were lying side by side in the corner in front, humming their lips. Two leaves were floating past the window. The scene was like a cutout painting.

In front of the house, the orange tree is bathed in the sun, its green leaves are bright, and the orange flowers on the tree are in full bloom. When the wind blows, the whole house and the whole road are filled with fragrance. The rich fragrance is like orchids and fine wine, and it goes straight into the nostrils.

Fang Lin entered the room, sat in front of the window, and began to write the manuscript of The Romance of the Three Kingdoms.

……

This day, Xuan Mo Zhai.

Dong Zugao came over and said, "Brother Fang, I came to your place to seek some peace and quiet."

It turned out that ever since he won the top spot in the imperial examination, he had been busy with social engagements, and now he really couldn't stand it anymore.

"Haha, Brother Dong, please stay for lunch. I'm going to buy some wine..."

"Hehe, no need for wine, I think tea is fine." These days, with all the banquets and treats, Dong Zugao was really tired of drinking.

After hearing this, after Fang Lin started laughing, Liu Hongwen, Geng Shi, Huang Di and Chai Yiwei in the store all laughed along, but they just smiled apologetically and didn't say anything.

Is Dong Zugao the top scholar? They didn't dare to joke and their attitude was respectful. In fact, after Fang Lin became the Jinyiwei pacification officer, their attitude was the same. They couldn't sit down and talk properly. This was a problem with the other party's mentality, and Fang Lin couldn't do anything about it. Naturally, the relationship became a little distant.

In other words, Manager Liu is old and has seen through a lot, but he is still the same as before.

"Brother Dong has a lot of social engagements, and he also gains a lot, because these are all connections."

"Yeah, picked up a lot of connections."

As mentioned before, the Dong family fell into poverty. After Dong Zugao and Fang Lin started a business together and became a little better off, they picked up some of their connections. Dong Zugao passed the imperial examination and picked up some of his connections again. Now that he has passed the imperial examination and become the top scorer in the imperial examination, he has restored the family's connections to their former heyday, and even surpassed them.

"With so many social events, there must be a lot of people who want to propose marriage to Brother Dong, right?"

"Yes, there are quite a few, but I don't like any of them. Let's take our time! I am not the kind of person who only looks at appearance. I value character more. If he is not a good person, I am afraid he will cause trouble. Brother Fang is the best. He knows me well..." Dong Zugao said enviously.

"This is really luck. With Brother Dong's status, after going to the capital to serve as an official, you will have a lot of choices and will always meet a good person."

"Oh, thank you for your kind words! By the way, speaking of the capital, I will be going to the Imperial Academy in the capital soon... I am afraid I will not be able to see my nephew's birth. The next time I see him will probably be during the Chinese New Year."

Fang Lin and Dong Zugao were chatting casually.

Outside Xuan Mo Zhai, the huge weeping willow was lush and green. Egrets flew up from the riverside not far away, crossed the white stone arch bridge and went straight into the sky. The sunlight shone in from under the eaves of the door, shining brightly in front of the window. March of the fourteenth year of Hongtai passed just like this.

……

(End of this chapter)