Without dictionaries or study guides, two poor children struggled through dozens of pages of the English original tome through their efforts, finally succumbing to hypnosis one after another.

When Lin Yuchan woke up, she found herself lying stretched out on the narrow bed. Half her face bore the imprint of the pillow. A thick quilt was neatly wrapped around her, its corners carefully tucked under her feet.

Her clothes had dried and been sorted by category, folded on the chair.

“The Wealth of Nations” lay discarded on the desk, with a pigeon feather bookmark at page 31.

But when Lin Yuchan read this page carefully, she found she had no recollection of it at all…

Flipping back, she reached page 27 and vaguely remembered the content.

It seemed Su Minguan had only persisted four pages longer than her.

He had gone to work early in the morning, supervising Luna as she sailed past Jiangning City surrounded by layers of Xiang Army forces.

Without a Yangtze River Bridge or cross-river tunnels, the entire river surface was exceptionally wide, with military ferry crossings spread along the banks, and boats densely packed everywhere.

Xiang Army camps stood in forests, flags fluttering. Artillery stretched endlessly, trenches and walls built into iron formations of spectacular grandeur.

The might of our Great Qing nation was particularly high-spirited only when suppressing rebellions and bandits.

Passengers all crowded onto the deck to watch the excitement. First class, second class, third class – at this moment, they transcended class barriers, squeezing together as one.

Some made a big fuss: “Those surrounded in the city are all Taiping rebels! My goodness, no wonder there’s a black cloud hanging over that city!”

Some were far-sighted: “Hmph, rebelling against authority, having eaten their fill with nothing to do! Hard times – just endure and they’ll pass. If everyone goes to the mountains to become bandits, who’ll farm the land? Where will food come from?”

Some were prudently self-preserving: “Shush, keep it down. The Taipings cast spells in the city daily! Though this is a Western steamship, it wouldn’t be good if we got caught in crossfire!”

And various armchair strategists: “The imperial army is useless! In my opinion, do this and that, such and such – no matter how solid the fortress, it would have been taken long ago! Why the need for such a waste of people and money?”

Information is spread inconveniently in this era. The “Taiping” name resounded throughout the Great Qing nation, but those who had truly seen a “Taiping city” were rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns – they could boast about it for twenty years afterward.

Of course, no one knew that in the lower deck crew quarters, dozens of “Taipings” were quietly hiding right there, having stealthily smuggled aboard during the night while passengers slept. Perhaps someone had heard sounds last night, but all assumed it was Xiang Army movements and exercises – no one would confirm anything in their drowsy state.

Lin Yuchan stayed in the cabin as agreed, feeling melancholy.

A few months later, this place would be littered with corpses.

Yet the passengers on board watched excitedly, imagining those “Taipings” trapped in the isolated city like a piece of tripe about to be cooked in a hotpot.

From this perspective, Zeng Guofan was truly a war criminal.

But simultaneously, he was open-minded, generously supporting Western learning talents, single-handedly advancing the Self-Strengthening Movement’s progress bar by leaps and bounds. The subsequent century-plus of Chinese historical development could be said to have benefited deeply from his influence.

The steamship slowly left Nanjing City behind. On the distant horizon, military flags waved – that was Zeng Guofan’s headquarters stationed at Xiaoling Guard.

Lin Yuchan gazed at those military flags for a long time.

That figure of distinct merits and faults, mixed praise and blame, an extraordinary personage rarely seen in history, passed by her for the first time.

Next, the ship stopped at Wuhu and Datong. Since these were not treaty ports, foreign ships were prohibited from docking.

Luna lowered the Union Jack and raised the copper coin flag, successfully berthing.

They only stopped for two or three hours, loading and unloading dozens of passengers without staying overnight.

Being able to dock at non-treaty ports was one of the few remaining advantages of Chinese shipping.

But these ports were inevitably commercially declining with outdated facilities. Local ferry boats were dilapidated, locals had little need for long-distance travel, but many people crowded to the docks to watch the excitement.

Moreover, since they weren’t treaty ports, no cargo could be unloaded for trade – only Chinese passengers were allowed to board and disembark. Foreigners wanting to go ashore for sightseeing were uniformly kept on the ship.

Smith was predictably unhappy.

Having been in China for several months, he enjoyed privileges everywhere. Now, there was a place that opened to Chinese people while excluding him – this was simply outrageous, a supreme humiliation for Smith.

“I want to go ashore! My biscuits are finished, I want to go buy some!”

The ship’s tea boy tried to persuade him good-naturedly: “Whatever you want to buy, sir, let me do it for you. Look at all those vendors waiting to sell things outside! I’m on the ship to do this kind of thing – just give whatever tip you like…”

Smith kept a cold face, relying on his black female slave’s strength to have her clear a path through the crowd. This caused quite a commotion.

Yixing’s big brothers could handle both legitimate and underworld dealings and usually weren’t afraid of foreigners, but now they were helpless. After all, Smith was also a customer. Having conflicts with him would not only damage their reputation but also invite unnecessary trouble.

Finally, the captain intervened, asking an English lady from first class to mediate, before Smith stayed on the ship.

Smith cursed and complained.

“Shouldn’t have bought tickets on a Chinese ship! Hmph, this journey isn’t pleasant at all! Next time, I’d rather pay extra to buy from a Western shipping company!”

Yixing’s crew couldn’t stand it either, muttering quietly: “Next time? If you don’t want to buy, we won’t sell you tickets either!”

Smith grew angrier: “You’re too rude! I’ll… I’ll demand compensation when I get back! Just you wait!”

The crew, displaying excellent professionalism, said in unison: “Sorry, there’s no ‘rudeness compensation’ clause in the insurance terms!”

Smith stormed off. The Chinese passengers laughed heartily, applauding in satisfaction.

The girl in men’s clothing on the long bench looked up from her book, glanced at this farce, snorted coldly, and continued gnawing at her book.

Su Minguan quietly approached, glanced at the page number of “The Wealth of Nations” in her hands, and complained softly: “Both named Smith, how can there be such a big difference?”

Another day passed. At sunset, the steamship sailed toward Anqing against the evening glow.

Anqing controlled the Yangtze River artery and was the gateway to the Jiangnan Plain. Two years ago, it was recaptured from the Taiping Army by Zeng Guofan in an extremely brutal battle, so much so that rumors said when the Xiang Army broke the city, not a single vegetable or rat could be found within. The market hadn’t closed, though – stalls sold human flesh at half a tael of silver per catty.

Now, after two years of recovery, Anqing City had human habitation again. The tenacious vitality of Chinese people was perfectly demonstrated here. Like wild grass, burned batch after batch, growing batch after batch, taking root in their compatriots’ bones, struggling upward, endless and inextinguishable.

Hede had spent enormous effort lobbying to make Anqing a treaty port as well. But due to Zeng Guofan’s strong opposition, this matter hadn’t succeeded. After all, such a vital strategic location couldn’t have all its benefits handed over to foreigners.

So as usual, Chinese passengers nervously packed their luggage, stretching their necks on deck early to wait; foreign passengers were leisurely and carefree, enjoying the sunset from first class, preparing to spend another cradle-like night on the ship.

Black smoke poured from the smokestack, and the whistle blew long. Workers and tax officials were already waiting at the dock. Street vendors carrying poles gathered on the ground, and touts from various restaurants and inns were also in battle formation, ready to welcome this behemoth.

Suddenly, amid the rumbling sound of the steam engine operation, an unnaturally sharp noise mixed in. The ship’s hull shook slightly.

Then the black smoke gradually faded, and strange noises came from within the ship’s hull. The waves parted by the bow gradually closed and returned to calm.

The steamship had broken down.

The deck erupted in an uproar, with public grievances boiling over.

“Hey, why aren’t we moving?”

Many people pointed at the distant Anqing dock, anxiously urging.

“Start the ship! Hey, engineer, start the ship!”

The crew was even more anxious than the passengers. Jiang Gaosheng was so worried that steam came from his head. Abandoning his position, he rushed down to the engine room, loudly asking: “Old Rail, what’s wrong?”

No one answered. The engine room had a pungent smell. The chief engineer, “Old Rail,” had collapsed unconscious on the ground.

Surrounded by several people, Su Minguan rushed into the engine room, his face immediately darkening.

“Save Old Rail first, send a boat to take him to Anqing City for medical treatment! Then calm the passengers, tell them to wait!”

Incomplete combustion of coal fuel had produced toxic gas. The ship operation manual also had methods for handling this type of accident. Someone had already brought cold water, dousing the unconscious mechanic head to toe, removing his shirt and moving him to a ventilated area.

After a while, Old Rail awoke, mentally weak and unable to speak clearly.

Looking at the steam machinery, it appeared intact, unclear where the problem was. They had to first shut down the boiler and move the fuel away to prevent accidents.

They dared not delay. Luna carried a small transport sampan. They sent people to take Old Rail to the Anqing dock and carry him to a medical clinic for treatment.

The sun half-set, the solitary steamship on the river surface bathed in evening glow, casting a long, serene shadow.

By the steamship’s side, cables made soft creaking sounds. A small sampan was lowered to the water surface, speeding away.

Sharp-eyed passengers saw this scene.

Someone jumped to announce: “The ship is sinking!”

Instantly, third-class passengers rushed onto the deck in competition.

“Look! The ship is broken!”

“The crew ran away! Abandoned us and ran!”

“I knew foreign things don’t last!”

“What Western learning and technology – magic tricks, just scamming money!”

“Why didn’t they take us with them?!”

Panic was contagious – it happened in an instant. The various passengers who yesterday were still talking enthusiastically about “steamships are really comfortable” suddenly all became startled birds. In less than three minutes, the crew’s futile “please remain calm” was drowned out by boiling clamor.

“Fellow villagers, the ship is sinking! Run quickly!”