Though Su Minguan hadn’t said it explicitly and was quite inconsistent in personal matters, most of Yixing’s employees had quietly reached a consensus that Miss Lin was no ordinary shareholder customer. Regardless of Su Minguan’s attitude toward her, sucking up to her couldn’t be wrong.

Even if he swore he wouldn’t marry now, who knew if he’d change his mind and go propose tomorrow?

Men understood men best. The brothers at Yixing all knew deeply that trusting themselves was like expecting pigs to climb trees.

Unfortunately, this consensus hadn’t spread to Jiang Gaosheng’s heart. He thought, so what if she’s a customer? This is the crew passage!

Su Minguan was both crying and laughing, not wanting to get angry at a model employee, so he said gently: “Give Miss Lin an extra serving.”

The ship had one large and one small kitchen. The large kitchen served set meals at fixed times, just for filling stomachs – the food quality wasn’t worth praising. The small kitchen accepted paid orders, but wasn’t great value either. There was also a water boiler that provided hot water for a fee.

Traveling in the Qing Dynasty, being able to eat a hot meal on the road wasn’t easy – this standard of food service was already quite conscientious.

However, after the crew worked hard all day, the small kitchen would specially prepare hearty dishes with ample portions to reward everyone’s daily toil.

Lin Yuchan politely declined: “I can go buy from the small kitchen…”

Su Minguan smiled and asked her warmly, “Eat with us?”

For ordinary crew members, this statement would be enough to block all questioning.

Unexpectedly, Jiang Gaosheng still lacked perception, saying dumbly: “This… this doesn’t follow regulations…”

Lin Yuchan secretly glanced at this honest brother, feeling an impulse rise in her heart. She hooked Su Minguan’s arm, leaned against him, and said sweetly: “I’ll eat with you all.”

Jiang Gaosheng’s eyes followed, moving from Miss Lin’s hand to Su Minguan’s shoulder, slowly opening his mouth wide: “Oh…”

He felt his worldview being refreshed, albeit belatedly.

Su Minguan completely hadn’t expected this sudden attack. Keeping a stern face, he felt too embarrassed to smile or acknowledge it, and could only smile and let her manipulate him.

This was his ship, his subordinate brothers. No matter how outrageous the young lady was, surely no one would clamor to drown her.

Who told her to board the pirate ship herself? A whole month – she could avoid the first day but not the fifteenth. Sooner or later, everyone would know.

Seeing Jiang Gaosheng about to say something more, he put on his domineering boss act and said seriously: “Go serve the food! If you still want to draw a salary from me, say less.”

Jiang Gaosheng opened his eyes wide and retreated. Halfway there, he suddenly remembered something, held back, and held back, but still turned around to add: “Then Miss Lin’s meal cost goes on your private account!”

He calculated that he’d only said one extra sentence, not reaching the “two sentences” dismissal standard, so he went off satisfied to relay the orders.

Two bowls of simple, plain noodles, garnished with dried scallions, were brought to the desk in Su Minguan’s cabin.

Hidden in the noodles was also a meatball and half a smoked duck leg – extra shareholder benefits.

The steamship swayed, keys hanging on the wall clinking against the walls, providing light accompaniment to this simple meal.

Su Minguan smiled openly and took out dragon’s beard candy and cloud cakes from his bundle as additional treats.

“If you’d told me earlier you were coming, I would have brought more good food.”

Having such food on a 19th-century steamship, Lin Yuchan was very satisfied and didn’t stand on ceremony with him, happily digging in.

While eating, she apologized without much sincerity: “I’m causing you trouble. I should have bought tickets earlier… or found a reliable scalper.”

Su Minguan picked up noodles with his chopsticks, looking at that small bright face through the rising steam, and chuckled softly.

“It’s fine… this is quite good.”

The day’s sailing went smoothly, hundreds of passengers were managed properly by his crew, and water conditions were also ideal. They passed through two checkpoint gates smoothly.

He finally relaxed somewhat and peacefully ate a mouthful of noodles.

Lin Yuchan suddenly asked with a smile: “What’s in that bundle of yours? Are you still giving it to me?”

It was the so-called “seeing-off benefit fee.” Su Minguan had carried it, waiting for half the morning, but unexpectedly, she had already quietly boarded the ship.

A large bundle lay quietly by his bedside. When Lin Yuchan rested here during the day, she had resisted curiosity and not touched it.

She wanted him to open it personally. Give it to her.

Su Minguan smiled slightly, reached for the bundle, took out a heavy round ball mounted on a wooden frame, set it up properly, looked at her proudly, and introduced:

“This is…”

“A globe?”

Lin Yuchan immediately recognized it and fell on the bed laughing with her face covered.

Su Minguan was slightly disappointed: “You’ve seen one before?”

She felt quite ashamed, thinking she must be honest…

Getting a globe in this era was not easy. At least she hadn’t seen one anywhere else.

She adjusted her expression and said seriously, “There are many world maps in the customs building.”

“Those are all distorted, not as accurate as this one.” Su Minguan quietly breathed a sigh of relief and proudly introduced, “This globe is also recent, a new map from the tenth year of Xianfeng, given by a foreign merchant to settle a debt. It can also rotate, and when lit with a lamp, can simulate day and night. You see, this is America, where Rong Hong lived. We’re now in the evening, while there the sun is just rising.”

Lin Yuchan propped her chin and watched with interest, reviewing first-year geography.

Su Minguan talked for a while, surprised she hadn’t asked any questions.

It must be too profound.

“A’Mei, you probably don’t understand. This lamp represents the sun.”

“This is the moon.”

Lin Yuchan picked up a meatball from her bowl and held it between the globe and the kerosene lamp.

“This is a total solar eclipse. This is a partial solar eclipse. Like this… mm, this is a total lunar eclipse…”

Su Minguan: “…”

Among three people walking together, one must be my teacher. He had learned much from others, rarely having moments he couldn’t understand at once…

This girl had become a spirit!

Secretly learning things behind his back!

He wasn’t convinced and had her demonstrate again, biting his lip as he pondered, finally understanding somewhat. He tested her again:

“Where is Guangzhou?”

“Where is Shanghai?”

“Where is Malaya?”

“Where is Gold Mountain?”

…

The young master had obviously done massive homework for this, probably planning to lecture her for ten days or half a month when he returned from his business trip.

At first, Lin Yuchan easily controlled the situation, but as she answered, it became somewhat difficult.

Su Minguan: “Where is this?”

Lin Yuchan: “America…”

“Wrong. Russia.”

He was referring to Alaska. It would be four more years before Russia sold it to America.

“Where is the Blue Flag Country?”

Lin Yuchan: “…”

What the hell was the Blue Flag Country?

Su Minguan smiled and pointed to somewhere in Northern Europe.

It turned out to be Sweden. At this time there were also very few Swedish merchants trading with China. Unlike the British who were cunning and difficult, and having no war grudges with China, Chinese people had a good impression of them, calling them the “Blue Flag Country.”

The 19th-century world was quite different from the standard map Lin Yuchan knew.

Half the land on the globe was uniformly colored yellow, all called the British Empire. Africa had no countries, but was divided by the powers into different colored blocks. Many ancient country names buried in history books, like Prussia, the Ottoman Empire, and Persia, were still alive at this time, grandly proceeding on the global stage.

Even the territorial shape of the Qing Dynasty at this time, Lin Yuchan found very strange, unable to locate borders by feel.

It seemed quite a bit more would be ceded later…

She spun the hardwood sphere with her fingertip, unconsciously becoming fascinated.

Su Minguan gently extended his finger, touching that slender white fingertip.

He said softly, “You received consecutive letters from Rong Hong, about Singapore and Ceylon. I was afraid you didn’t know the locations, so I found this object to give you an intuitive feeling. But…”

He smiled bitterly.

“But you’ve already seen them all at the customs house. This thing is superfluous.”

He thought he understood all of her, yet she could always counterattack, revealing talents he didn’t know about.

“Not superfluous, not superfluous.” Lin Yuchan’s heart warmed as she hugged the globe tightly, giving him a sweet smile, “I like it, it’s mine now. I like everything you give me.”

Su Minguan scoffed.

“Smooth talk – who did you learn that from?”

“I’m being sincere!”

Lin Yuchan thought How dare you not believe me? This is outrageous.

She lowered her head to rummage through the bundle, piling things on the table one by one.

Starting from the initial widow’s little white flower, all the way to the Derringer 1858 pistol, Pond’s cold cream… all were gifts from him.

She carried them all with her.

She finally raised her head and declared victory: “Which one don’t I like?”

Su Minguan couldn’t help laughing. As he was about to comment, his gaze suddenly fell on the bundle’s inner pocket, fishing out a small round object.

“…A lead bullet?”

Lin Yuchan blinked: “The first thing you gave me, I kept it too.”

Su Minguan was slightly stunned. He had almost forgotten.

Was it that time in Guangzhou at Aunt Hong’s courtyard, when he used a foreign gun to scare off British sailors?

He unloaded a lead bullet from the gun barrel and, seeing this little girl make a fuss over small things, casually tossed it to her to play with.

Su Minguan put away his joking expression, his gaze suddenly becoming gentle and calm.

“Why did you keep it?” he asked.

Lin Yuchan smiled: “Because even then, I knew Young Master Su had extraordinary bones and was unusual, destined for great achievements!”

He laughed and scolded: “Tell the truth.”

Lin Yuchan said quietly, “Back then, I thought about apprenticing under you to learn marksmanship for self-defense. I thought if I could meet you again later, this lead bullet might serve as some kind of token, like in novels…”

What she had thought was a novel plot fantasy back then had come true later.

Su Minguan gently bit his lip, countless past events connecting like spider web threads, subtly entwining around his heart. Pulled by her soft, delicate tone, they drew out a shuddering palpitation.

If all accidents could be traced back, if there hadn’t been so many upheavals, if they were still going their separate ways, occasionally meeting on Guangzhou’s streets…

Could he have escaped?

He caressed the globe in her arms, touching some unknown coastline, and said solemnly, “This can also be considered a token. In the future…”

Then he thought, forget it. He had no right to make such boasts.

He picked up his chopsticks and moved an egg from his bowl to her front.

…

The light outside the small window grew dimmer. Su Minguan struck a foreign match, and the kerosene lamp on the table stood alone.

The thin board walls couldn’t block the noise outside. With darkness falling, hundreds of passengers on the ship were eating their meals – some squatting in steerage, some crowding on deck, some spreading small tables in their luxury cabins.

That foreign merchant Smith seemed to be seasick and insisted on going down to the deck to eat, but complained the Chinese were noisy and dirty, insisting on sitting sideways on a long bench, occupying a six-foot radius. The Chinese passengers crowded nearby naturally weren’t happy. But Smith had a female black slave, like a diamond Barbie, who pushed over anyone who approached.

Passengers cursed and swore but didn’t dare do anything to this arrogant foreigner.

Until a tough guy stepped forward, walked to Smith’s bench, unbuttoned his pants, and took a piss.

The arrogant foreigner cursed and returned to first class.

Su Minguan listened to the whole commotion. Now picking at his noodles, he couldn’t quite eat.

He gritted his teeth: “My. Ship.”

Lin Yuchan laughed endlessly, lying on the table to comfort him: “Someone will clean it.”

Su Minguan struggled to finish his last bite of noodles, looking outside, not forgetting to dig at her: “That’s the third class you bought.”

Lin Yuchan angrily bit her chopstick ends. One small mistake, and he still wouldn’t let it go!

But being under someone’s roof, she had to bow her head. She actively cleared the bowls and chopsticks, obediently sidling up to him.

“Nowhere to sleep tonight.”

Su Minguan glared at her and laughed: “Go squeeze in steerage with them.”

She pitifully said “Oh” and pushed the door to leave.

She was pulled back.

“You’d go?”

She blinked: “I’ll be careful not to cause you legal trouble.”

Su Minguan was both angry and amused, reduced to a low-level domineering CEO who couldn’t handle a little vixen.

He hesitated momentarily and said, “Sleep here then.”

Lin Yuchan had been waiting for these words. Overjoyed, she pulled bedding from her bag and carefully spread it on the floor beside his bed.

The cabin was cramped. With the bedding spread out, there was barely room to step.

Su Minguan watched her coldly as she spread it halfway, then asked softly: “What are you doing?”

Lin Yuchan was puzzled: “Sleeping here. Young Master just graciously permitted it.”

After thinking, she added, “I sleep very quietly.”

Su Minguan stared fixedly at her narrow strip of bedding. On such a large ship, there was no place for her.

Should he knock on a first-class cabin door and ask the ladies inside to squeeze over for her?

This Yixing Shipping was unprofessional.

His expression changed for a moment as he pointed to his narrow bed.

“The floor is cold.”

This generosity exceeded Lin Yuchan’s imagination. She quickly said, “No need.”

That would make her like a dove occupying a magpie’s nest, especially boarding the ship to take his bed.

As she was about to clutch her small bedding, Su Minguan brushed away her hands and slowly rolled up her bedding.

“I’ll go squeeze with the crew in their bunks. There’s still space there.”

Lin Yuchan: “…”

She’d never seen him act so gentlemanly before.

She thought he would readily accept. It wasn’t like anyone would come to inspect the rooms. What was there to fear?

But seeing he didn’t seem to be joking, she finally felt bad and quickly blocked the doorway, saying earnestly: “No need…”

She compromised, pointing to the floor: “Then you’re here.”

Su Minguan laughed silently and endlessly, his eyes full of helplessness as he pulled several garments from the small chest by the bedside and took down the thick outer coat hanging on the wall.

“A’Mei, let me go.”

Lin Yuchan stepped aside helplessly. She knew how much the young master loved cleanliness. Though the crew brothers had good relations with him, the conditions in those shared bunks…

Only now did she truly begin to regret. If she’d known, she should have bought tickets on Qichang Steamship Company. Though first class wasn’t sold to ordinary Chinese, at least she could have grabbed second class…

She said quietly, making one last effort: “Don’t you want to chat tonight?”

Su Minguan’s steps toward the door paused.

He suddenly turned around and embraced her along with that thick outer robe. Her breathing tightened.

Su Minguan’s eyes showed slight bloodshot traces that, together with the kerosene lamp reflected in his pupils, formed intense fire. The surroundings were dim, blurring his facial contours, making his whole person seem half-hidden in an abyss.

“Yes.” He seemed intentionally and unintentionally to fiddle with her ear, his voice deep as it blew her hair strands swaying, “Want to chat. Chat until very late. Want to be very close while chatting. Want to tell you many secrets.”

Her whole body rose with burning, strange sensations, feeling his voice unsteady, his chest containing some unspeakable, dangerous emotion.

She stuttered: “Then… then stay, stay…”

An instinct for seeking benefit and avoiding harm that swept through her heart reined in the last few words on her tongue tip.

Su Minguan looked neither smiling nor not, his eyes carrying a clear warning.

“A’Mei, asking me to stay?”

Lin Yuchan shook her head slightly.

He chuckled softly, released her, hung his coat on his arm, and pushed open the door.

“Tomorrow afternoon, we reach Zhenjiang. I need to scout the military situation and confirm route permits. If you don’t see me, find Ship Officer Jiang Gaosheng. Have him escort you ashore.”

Zhenjiang Port had been opened recently, with the British concession still under construction. A simple foreign building on Jiao Mountain served as customs; a simple dock had been cleared on the riverbank for both passengers and cargo, which was quite busy.

Lin Yuchan was surprised to discover, as soon as she disembarked, that at least dozens of Chinese cargo boats were densely moored in the river water by the dock, all fully loaded with goods. Judging by the packing methods, they were nothing but cotton and tea.

Chinese people weren’t allowed in the concession. Merchants on the cargo boats stretched their voices, hawking their year’s hard-earned harvest to foreign merchant compradors on shore.

The order was much more chaotic than Shanghai Port. Several small compradors opened their voices wide, calling out today’s purchase prices to the nearest cargo boats. Then merchants spread word by mouth, and those willing to sell queued their boats, crowding the waterway, moving their goods to the large scales by the dock.

Lin Yuchan listened carefully for a long time before making out today’s cotton purchase price – converted by exchange rate, it was equivalent to three taels of silver per dan.

It seemed cotton prices along the Yangtze River had all risen. Though not matching Shanghai’s five taels, compared to the dismal depression of ten days ago, this was already quite ideal.

Indeed, merchants were also selling goods quite actively.

Especially since the compradors on shore were still hoarsely coaxing: “All of Jiangnan doesn’t have such high prices! Shanghai is only three and a half taels! Not even enough for your round-trip boat fare! Today, our Baoshun Trading House has a small quota, only collecting two thousand dan – first come, first served!”

In modern society, sought-after commodities were generally “buy quickly before they’re gone”; but at late Qing foreign trade ports, bulk commodities were generally “sell quickly before it’s too late” – completely a buyer’s market.

Even tea and silk, where China held an absolute advantage, were no exception.

Lin Yuchan heard the problem after just a few minutes of listening. Zhenjiang also had Baoshun Trading House – how could they not know their own company’s purchase price in Shanghai?

What “Shanghai is only three and a half taels” was nonsense.

But when three people claimed there was a tiger, several trading house compradors all insisted confidently on “three and a half taels.” If she suddenly stepped up to contradict them, who would the merchants believe? No need to ask.

Conversely, certain “conscientious compradors” in Shanghai’s Baoshun branch – wouldn’t they know prices at other ports?

She was still pondering when several dock workers came to move people along, diverting the disembarked Chinese passengers into a narrow passage, squeezing them like toothpaste for a long time before finally squeezing them out at Zhenjiang’s west gate.

They weren’t allowed into the concession at all.

While the trading house consulates and other offices were all inside the concession.

The concession and Chinese areas were separated by high iron railings. Indian police with red turbans guarded the gate entrance, smoking and talking loudly.

Lin Yuchan was bewildered for a while, then called back: “Brother Jiang?”

Jiang Gaosheng had been ordered to serve as Miss Lin’s temporary bodyguard for the day. Last night he’d already been educated by his crew brothers, and his emotional intelligence had finally improved from negative values to zero. Not daring to lose his job, he knew this task couldn’t be treated carelessly.

However, escorting a young lady was his first time doing such work. He figured it was probably just being her servant for a day.

He bowed and scraped over with a righteous expression: “What are Miss’s orders?”

After asking, he felt awkward himself. He was the Heaven and Earth Society after all.

Lin Yuchan quickly said: “No, no, don’t do that. Look, I’m wearing men’s clothes today, so let’s pretend to be brothers. When others are around, call me little brother, okay?”

Jiang Gaosheng: “Oh.”

He thought, Is she Boss Su’s lover?

Lin Yuchan: “I’m just a girl, I look easy to bully. If we encounter trouble I can’t handle, please help save me, okay?”

Jiang Gaosheng: “Oh.”

He thought, then, why haven’t we heard about Minguan proposing?

Lin Yuchan: “I need to find a way to sneak into the concession and see how the trading house branches here collect cotton. Do you have any suggestions?”

Jiang Gaosheng: “Oh.”

Everyone’s been spreading rumors that Boss Su seemed to sleep in the crew’s shared bunks last night…

Lin Yuchan saw that his big brother was somewhat absent-minded and secretly found it amusing.

However, according to Su Minguan, the Heaven and Earth Society was ranked by age, so she was last, having to respectfully call everyone big brother.

So she said, “Brother Jiang, shall we get something to eat first?”

Jiang Gaosheng: “Oh…”

The Chinese passenger exit was crowded, with groups of vendors carrying poles, brokers, cart and boat drivers, and idlers promoting hotels and restaurants wandering around the open space…

As soon as the words “get something to eat” came out, Lin Yuchan was instantly surrounded by five or six people.

“Miss, buy my family’s steamed buns!”

“Miss, need a place to rest? Come to my inn!”

“Miss, need a rickshaw?”

“Miss, want to worship at Jinshan Temple? I can take you…”

How enthusiastic the Zhenjiang people were!

Before Jiang Gaosheng finished his “Oh,” Lin Yuchan was already surrounded with no way out. Everyone was as enthusiastic as bandits, some deliberately crowding and pushing, scaring her back several steps.

Jiang Gaosheng suddenly roared: “What are you little scoundrels doing? Get lost!”

He instantly straightened up, roaring as he struck left and right, pushing away the various people pestering Lin Yuchan, grabbing a shifty-eyed man and snatching a small blade from his hand.

“Which gang of thieves? Go back and tell your boss not to touch people from Yixing passenger ships!”

Lin Yuchan gasped and looked down to check her shoulder bag – there was already a finger-length tear.

The thief was thrown eight feet away, clutching his knees and wailing.

The crowd around Lin Yuchan scattered in the chaos and ran far away.

Jiang Gaosheng smiled embarrassedly at her: “Miss, what did you say about eating?”

Lin Yuchan: “…Big brother, this way.”

This time, calling him big brother was heartfelt.

These were probably among China’s last truly great masters, right?

With a top expert providing protection, she led Jiang Gaosheng confidently and boldly toward the concession area.

The concession was small. Through the railings, she could see a cocktail party in progress at the British Consulate, with that foreign merchant Smith from their ship mingling inside and socializing.

Though Zhenjiang Port was opened according to the Sino-British Treaty, other countries demanded “equal benefits” and had all established offices there too. The cocktail party was colorful, gathering diplomatic members from multiple countries.

Not a single Chinese person.

There were Chinese servants, staff, cooks, and waste workers, queuing at the railing gate to have their work passes checked before being allowed in.

Various trading house signs stood on the concession streets, with people going in and out.

“Move! Move!”

When the two approached a bit closer, an Indian policeman aggressively pointed at Lin Yuchan’s nose and came to drive them away.

It was truly sealed like an iron barrel. Not even a Chinese dog could get in.

Concessions at various treaty ports were generally like this, implementing strict racial segregation. The “Chinese-foreign mixed residence” of Shanghai’s concession was just a peculiar accident brought by the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom war.

Lin Yuchan circled halfway around the concession and looked helplessly at Jiang Gaosheng.

Jiang Gaosheng smiled bitterly: “Miss, don’t believe the random tales from the martial world. No matter how high your kung fu, you can’t beat four red-turbaned Ah Sans.”

She had no choice and could only say: “Then let’s go into the city for a walk first.”

The Indian police couldn’t be on duty twenty-four hours. Perhaps she could wait for a moment when the concession’s defenses were weak.