Chapter 25: Song Wen Xian

  The cabin was pitch black, with snores sounding like thunder. Chen Xin's eyes were wide open, and although he had a relatively strong nervous system, he couldn't adapt quickly to this dark, noisy, and polluted environment. Listening to the gentle lapping of waves against the hull and the creaking of the ship's body outside, he couldn't fall asleep for a long time. Fortunately, he wasn't seasick; otherwise, it would have been even more unbearable.

  With a heavy shotgun in his arms, a smile floated on the corner of his mouth. The shot he fired in the afternoon didn't hit the seagull as expected, but instead startled Zhao Dongjia and others out of the cabin, who were severely scolded. Wang Zugui and several others who helped were also reprimanded. What he didn't expect was that Mr. Song spoke up for him, and in the end, his shotgun wasn't confiscated, only a warning not to fire randomly at sea again. Hei Pao and Ba Zi secretly gave him a thumbs-up, praising him as awesome.

  He reached out and touched a cloth package beside him, which contained two medicine bottles, a wooden tube, a packet of lead bullets, a piece of fuse, and a set of flintstones. This was the matching equipment for the fire spear, all temporarily at his disposal. Thinking back to the loading process in the afternoon, Chen Xin still felt it was too cumbersome, with great difficulty in operation, and it was not easy to shoot once every two minutes on the battlefield. Moreover, when shooting, the fuse would be blown away by the explosive smoke from the snake tube, and the fire head would also go out. When reloading, he had to clean up the medicine pot and re-ignite the fuse, which was no easier than firing for the first time. No wonder European armies still equipped an equal number of light fire spear gunners.

  Time passed in a daze, and before he knew it, Chen Xin fell into a deep sleep. As the sky began to brighten, the night watch on deck came down, bringing with them a burst of noise, and Chen Xin couldn't sleep anymore. He got up together with Lu Touzi, as this cabin was shared by six people, including Old Wang, who may have been there to keep an eye on Chen Xin.

  Going up to the deck, Chen Xin took two deep breaths of fresh air. The sea breeze blew across the deck and the fatigue of the night instantly dissipated. There were about twenty people on the deck, with four or five people queuing on the right side of the wheelhouse.

  "The toilets are too few." Chen Xin cursed, the only toilet on this lucky ship was just next to the helm house, and since part of the helm house was outside the hull, it meant that when you went to the bathroom, everything would fall directly into the sea, so there was no need to clean up. The second floor of the cabin also had a toilet, but Chen Xin estimated that nobody ever cleaned it, and he really didn't dare sit down on it to do his business.

  He went to the corner and grabbed a few sheets of grass paper, Lu Lu Zi also took the paper and followed Chen Xin's back. At this time, some other sailors began to move things, including long spears, hooks, bows, arrows, knives, bird guns, flying claws, and flying hooks, which were thrown onto the deck with a loud noise. Wang Fu Gui placed a wooden box next to the red barbarian cannon, inside which were four iron balls. Zhu Guo Bin climbed up and down the middle mast twice, putting two bows and one quiver of arrows into the crow's nest, then stayed there. Chen Xin looked at him enviously as he climbed up and down like a monkey, just as Zhu Guo Bin looked over, Chen Xin smiled and nodded slightly to him.

  "Is Mr. Chen used to traveling by sea?", a sudden voice came from beside him, Chen Xin looked up and saw that it was Mr. Song, standing there with a clear and refreshing expression, fortunately he had helped mediate the conversation yesterday, otherwise the rifle might not have been kept, hastily and politely replied: "Thanks for Mr. Song's concern, I'm already used to it."

  "Mr. Song still had a smiling face: 'I am Song Wenxian, also known as Daoshi. This trip is just to escort the goods.'"

  Chen Xinzhi naturally knew that it wasn't just about delivering goods, and he quickly said: "Late-born Chen Xin, hasn't thanked you yet for your help yesterday."

  Song Wenxian's eyes flashed with a hint of cunning, and he replied, "Brother Chen doesn't have to be polite, it's just a small effort. But I didn't expect that Brother Chen, a scholar, would learn how to use the fire lance so quickly, it's really rare."

  "Yes, I was born in Liaodong and have a deep-seated hatred for the country and my family's enemies. That's why I've been paying close attention to these brutal instruments, which must seem laughable to you, sir."

  Song Wenxian slightly shook his head: "What's so funny, originally the six arts of a gentleman include archery, but now there are hardly any gentlemen who can draw a bow, and those who can use firearms are barely considered, but yesterday that fire lance was indeed a bit too big."

  Chen Xin replied: "What Mr. Song said is true, but this fire lance is powerful and its power is great. If it hits the target, it's more deadly than a bow and arrow."

  Song Wenxian said, "It should be so, and the bullet is fast, can't see it. It's really more powerful than bows and arrows." After that, he pointed to Zhu Guobin in the watchtower and said, "But why do I only see people carrying bows and arrows in the watchtower, but not fire guns? Can Brother Chen solve my puzzle?"

  The two men asked and answered loudly, and the people around them took notice again, including Zhao Dongjia, Hei Pao, Ba Zi and others who had just come up. Everyone was idle anyway, and this Chen Accountant was a bit different, so everyone wanted to hear what he could say.

  Chen Xin bowed his head and thought for a moment, the people around him quietly waiting for him to speak. After a pause, he said: "I am not talented, I think there are three reasons, I hope Mr. will correct me. Firstly, the mast is high and the wind is strong, it is easy to blow away the medicine or extinguish the fire rope; Secondly, the space in the watchtower is narrow, the length of the fire gun is more than five feet, and loading is often inconvenient; Thirdly, if we encounter an enemy ship, when the two ships are connected, the fire gun can only be fired once, but the bow and arrow have already been shot five or six times. Therefore, it is still better to use a bow and arrow in the watchtower."

  Song Wenxian hadn't spoken yet, but the black cannon had already opened his mouth. He laughed and said: "Damn it, you're a scholar who's really different from others. You've actually got a point there, I understand it too, it's just that I couldn't express it as clearly as you."

  Song Wenxian clapped his hands and said, "Chen Cai's vision is extraordinary. With just a glance at the Dipper, he can come up with so many principles." After speaking, he turned to Zhao Dongjia and said, "The master of the house is indeed impressive. Not only does he have brave warriors under him, but also such an accountant. I wonder where he found him. When I return, I'll have to take a look too."

  Song Wenxian's words were also quite pleasant, and the surrounding sailors burst out laughing. Zhao Dongjia's face also showed a hint of a smile. Song Wenxian was actually an outsider, but being praised by outsiders made his subordinates look good too.

  "Still be humble and say: 'I don't know where to find people, just post a notice at the door and let them come on their own.'"

  Song Wenxian shook his head and said, "Then we can only envy Brother Zhao's good luck."

  His words of praise for Chen Xin also extended to the other sailors, and he even managed to flatter Zhao in passing. Looking at him with a smile all day long, he seemed to have a bit of Chen Xin's style. At this point, it was finally Chen Xin's turn to use the toilet, so he excused himself and hurried up to the poop deck. In the toilet, he felt the sea breeze blowing as he gazed out at the white waves below, all while doing his business - truly a unique experience.

  All day, Chen Xin started doing his own financial affairs. According to the account book of Old Cai's memory, he checked the goods in each cabin one by one. About 30% of the goods were Zhao Dongjia's own, and the rest were pressed by Song Wenxian. When clearing the goods, Song Wenxian and Old Wang accompanied Chen Xin together, but they didn't know who the real boss was. Chen Xin estimated that there should be this official based on the official flag of Dengzhou Maritime Route hanging on the ship.

  Among these goods, raw silk and silk fabrics are the most abundant, with 60 bundles of white raw silk, 20 bundles of yellow raw silk, 17,000 pieces of white silk, 1,200 pieces of silk gauze, 7,000 pieces of silk yarn, 5,000 pieces of red silk, as well as a small amount of velvet and other goods. In the bottom cabin, there are some porcelain bowls used as ballast, with a total weight of over 400,000 catties. The cargo occupies a considerable part of the second deck sailor's cabin, and the third deck is also filled with goods everywhere. The goods carried on the ship are roughly the same as those understood by Chen Xin before, mainly silk and porcelain, but without cotton cloth and sugar products.

  It is said that the profit of these silk products in Japan can be as high as ten times, but Chen Xin has always been skeptical about this data being an exaggeration by literary men. In ancient China, literary men often described quantities using tens, hundreds, thousands, and tens of thousands, which sounds good for literary effect, but is not reliable as reference data. So he had to go on a trip himself to investigate clearly. As the financial deputy, he would know all the selling prices at that time, and no one knew better than him.

  Among them, 70% of the goods were escorted by Song Wenxian, and Chen Xin roughly estimated that the value had already exceeded 30,000 taels. Compared to himself, he was absolutely a big boss. Thinking about how he had been cheated and deceived all along, he had only managed to get around 100 taels. Lu Zi and his men could earn at most 10 taels as porters in a year, which showed that the gap between the rich and the poor was huge throughout history. Among these 70%, there were also divisions, with the cargo ledger listing Mr. A having so much, Mr. B having so much, all the way to Mr. C, totaling three people. It was unknown whether Song Wenxian was the boss or just a helper like himself.

  The cabin was packed with goods, and it was impossible to squeeze in. Chen Xin only roughly checked the cargo according to the cabin number, made some notes on the cargo book, and wrote down the quantity of goods in each cabin on the partition board next to the door using pinyin. Song Wenxian looked at those crooked symbols as if he were reading a heavenly book, and asked in confusion: "Brother Chen, what characters are you writing? Why can't I recognize them?"

  Chen Xinkong respectfully replied, "This is something I scribbled myself, sir, you naturally wouldn't recognize it. I used this symbol to mark it, so no one would randomly alter it." Song Wenxian smiled knowingly: "Deputy Chen is too cautious, the person you're trying to guard against may not even be literate, let alone make random changes."

  Chen Xin knew he was referring to the second master, and couldn't help but smile: "Mr. Song is right, however, as I am in charge of the account room, all silver and goods must be accounted for without error, being meticulous is crucial."

  Song Wenxian stroked his beard and nodded, "Vice Chen is diligent in his work, down-to-earth, and always has clever ideas. He's not like those who are all talk and no action, boasting about their abilities but useless when needed. I'm a few years older than you, so from now on, call me 'older brother', and stop addressing me as 'Mr.'"

  Chen Xin politely said: "How can this be, Mr. Song is a noble guest of the master, I should naturally offer him the courtesy due to an elder."

  "Chen Caifu will never make friends and still listen to the orders of the head of the household."

  Chen Xin laughed and said: "Since Mr. Song doesn't mind, I'll presumptuously call you Big Brother Song."

  Song Wenxian said, "That's right! I heard that Brother Chen was also a Xiucai. As Confucius said, 'Three friends are beneficial: a friend who is straightforward, a friend who is sympathetic, and a friend who has multiple talents.' You, brother, can be considered a straightforward friend. Brother Chen, however, is well-versed in both literature and martial arts. In the future, I will have to rely on Brother Chen's multiple talents. What do you think, Brother Chen?"

  Chen Xin didn't quite understand, and vaguely replied: "Whatever it is, Brother Song, just give the order, and I'll do my best."

  Song Wenxian listened and smiled with a nod, his eyes flashing with that cunning look again.