The Xie Family’s merchant ship was the largest among the merchant ships in the area.
Based on his limited memories, Shen Yuan understood that the Master’s House behind this merchant ship belonged to a great noble family with power and influence.
In the Wu Kingdom, the status of the great noble families was comparable to imperial authority.
Moreover, the social hierarchy here was inverted from that of scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants, with farmers at the very bottom and merchants in second place.
Scholars and merchants were mostly combined, and the great noble families were all top merchant magnates. That was why clerks from the Yamen came here to register the merchant ships.
The Xie Family stood at the head of the noble families, so its merchant ships received preferential treatment at the dock, with everything arranged for them first.
The goods on the ship were passed down in an orderly fashion, while Shen Yuan and Wang Sanhu trailed along at the very end of the line.
Laborers on the ship passed the goods down, and the laborers below only needed to shoulder them.
When it was Wang Sanhu’s turn, he carried three large sacks on his shoulder. He gritted his teeth, the veins on his forehead bulging, and transported the goods without making a sound.
In his memories, the original body had carried two sacks at a time. Thinking that this body had truly died once yesterday and had come out to do hard labor without any rest, Shen Yuan decided to carry only one sack in case he could not take it.
He would carry two after he had gotten used to it.
Since they were paid by the sack, no one forced them to carry more or less.
When it was Shen Yuan’s turn, he followed the procedure and reported, “Shen Yuan from Dashu Village, one sack.”
The clerk making tally marks looked up at Shen Yuan. This was the first time he had seen someone carrying sacks for the Xie Family’s merchant ship carry only one at a time.
The amount of cargo each day was limited, and work ended once it was all carried down. Everyone wanted to carry more so they could earn more.
When their eyes met, Shen Yuan instinctively raised a smile and greeted him, “Good morning, bro.”
Looking at the slender, deathly pale young man before him, the clerk heard the strange yet comprehensible words and drew a line on the bamboo slip with his brush.
“Don’t try to buddy up to me. Get to work.”
Shen Yuan froze for a moment. When had he tried to buddy up to him?
Before he could think any further, the burlap sack had already been passed down.
When the solid sack landed on his shoulder, Shen Yuan finally understood what it meant for something to weigh a thousand pounds.
He was almost crushed to his knees.
He gritted his teeth and used every last ounce of strength he had, barely managing not to be flattened against the ground.
Shen Yuan moved forward with difficulty, shuffling along one step at a time. Feeling the people coming and going around him, he thought bitterly: All right, he would not even be able to do jobs that relied on sheer strength anymore.
He admitted it. He could not endure this kind of hardship.
It was too miserable.
Moreover, hard labor caused tremendous damage to the body, especially one already full of hidden injuries, and it did not earn much money anyway.
If he wanted to change his life, he still had to find another way out.
Shen Yuan finally managed to set down the large sack. Before he could even catch his breath, Wang Sanhu passed by and reminded him, “Hurry up and carry another one. Once the cargo’s gone, you won’t be able to earn any copper coins.”
Shen Yuan could only return to carry another sack, his calves trembling as he went with the resolve of someone marching to his death.
Tired.
Very tired.
Sweat dripped down and struck the ground. His clothes were soaked through at the front and back, and the heavy load pressed down on his shoulders until even breathing became difficult. Shen Yuan’s mind went blank. He only knew to move forward mechanically, emptying his mind and letting his thoughts scatter instead of focusing on what he was feeling.
Only then could he ignore the pain in his lower back and waist and the aching heaviness in his legs, allowing himself to hold on a little longer.
When one’s stamina neared its limit, even the slightest disturbance could trigger a tremendous change.
The straw sandals on Shen Yuan’s feet had worn a hole, and his sole slipped forward.
As he was about to fall, Shen Yuan panicked. The load on his shoulder was heavy, and if it fell on him, he would be badly hurt.
But if he threw the load away, he could easily obstruct the other laborers.
There were many laborers carrying goods along this path. The Xie Family’s merchant ship was not the only one unloading cargo.
Just as Shen Yuan quickly considered what posture might let him take the least damage when the load fell on him, he felt something supporting his body.
Someone was bracing him and pushing him upright.
Shen Yuan narrowly escaped danger and came away unharmed. He turned to see who had helped him and found an old man whose hair had turned mostly white.
Though he was already elderly and his body could no longer bear such heavy labor, he was still trembling beneath two large sacks.
The old man’s back had been forced so low by the weight that he could not raise his head to look at Shen Yuan. He only reminded him in a trembling voice, “Be careful. If this thing hits you, you’ll suffer for it.”
The heavy load made the old man’s breathing unsteady, and his voice grew fainter and fainter. He still wanted to say something, but could not.
Shen Yuan felt as though a mountain were pressing down on the old man’s back, forcing him to bend over so far that his face was hidden.
He could not even reach out to straighten the old man’s back and ease the strain, because he himself was exhausted to the limit. He could only nod and say, “Thank you.”
The old man acknowledged him and continued forward, with no time to waste on conversation or pleasantries.
Shen Yuan withdrew his gaze and continued trudging forward with the large sack.
It was not until the clerk struck the gong twice and shouted that food was being served that Shen Yuan felt as though he had come back to life.
Some of the merchant ships at the dock provided meals and some did not. It all depended on the Master’s House.
The Xie Family’s merchant ships provided one meal a day, a large piece of coarse flour flatbread.
It was as large as a person’s face, of moderate thickness, and hard when squeezed.
It was hard to eat as well.
But it was a real flatbread made from grain, and chewing it brought out the fragrance of the grain. The coarse flatbread distributed by the Xie Family was harder than most, but it had not been adulterated with dirt, nor had spoiled flour been mixed into it. The laborers liked it very much.
Shen Yuan and Wang Sanhu each received one and found a somewhat shady spot to sit down.
At noon, the dock allowed two quarters of an hour for rest.
That gave the laborers time to eat and recover their strength so they could work in the afternoon.
Shen Yuan held the large flatbread and took a bite. His teeth nearly broke. He could only use his teeth to slowly grind off small pieces, then chew them.
It was hard, but it was quite filling.
His jaw ached after eating it, though.
He saw Wang Sanhu break off half of his flatbread and place it in the small sack he had brought with him, realizing that he intended to take it home for his family to eat.
Shen Yuan thought about it, but did not hold back. His eyes were fixed on the roasted flatbread stall not far away. Sesame seeds had been sprinkled over the flatbread, and it gave off a rich fragrance of sesame mixed with the scent of freshly baked bread.
The aroma burrowed straight into his nostrils, impossible to ignore.
As he chewed the dry, tasteless coarse flatbread while smelling the sesame flatbread, he decided that once he received his wages, he would buy two sesame flatbreads to take home and share with his younger brothers and sister.
He decided to finish all of the coarse flatbread.
Otherwise, he definitely would not be able to work in the afternoon.
While eating, Shen Yuan’s gaze fell on the old man not far away.
Old Xu took half a dry, hard corn bun from his tattered cloth bag. His teeth were no longer what they had been, and several had already fallen out, so he ate the corn bun very slowly.
The corn bun was made from mixed flour. The flour had been stored for too long and had turned black, so the bun tasted bitter as well.
Old Xu chewed the bun with difficulty. He could not taste the bitterness, thinking only that he had to finish quickly. Once the time passed, he would not be allowed to eat anything.
The younger and stronger a laborer was, the better. At his age, the only reason he could continue carrying sacks at the dock was that he had agreed to help the clerk in charge empty the night soil.
He emptied night soil at night and carried sacks during the day, so his wife could have money to buy medicine and keep herself alive.
When Old Xu thought that he could buy a dose of medicine after receiving today’s wages, the gloom in his heart lessened a little.
If only he were younger. Then he would not have to make one dose of medicine last several days until its effects disappeared. That was why his wife’s illness had never improved.
“Old man.”
A shadow fell over his head, and someone called out to him. Old Xu looked up and saw a young man.
For a moment, he stared at the young man in a daze. Then he heard the other person speak to him in a warm voice. “Thank you for helping me earlier and keeping me from being crushed by the cargo.”
Shen Yuan recognized the old man sitting nearby and eating a corn bun as the person who had helped him earlier. He said something to Wang Sanhu, rose, and came over to thank him sincerely once again.
If he had truly fallen that morning, given his current circumstances, he definitely would not have had the money to seek treatment at a medical clinic.
He would probably have ended up lame.
Shen Yuan had nothing else to give, so he broke half of the coarse flatbread in his hand and pressed it into the old man’s palm.
He had naturally noticed the blackened corn bun in the other man’s hand.
It was as hard as a stone. Even after biting it for a long time, he had only managed to break off a tiny piece.
“Take this coarse flatbread and eat it, old man. It’s just a small token of my gratitude. Please don’t think it’s too little.”
Old Xu looked at the golden coarse flatbread in his hand. The place Shen Yuan had touched had faintly turned black. How could he dare accept such good food?
“I can’t, I can’t. This old man only helped you in passing. How could that be worth something so precious? Take it back and eat it yourself. Just look at how thin you are, boy.”
Old Xu raised the coarse flatbread and tried to put it back in Shen Yuan’s hand, but Shen Yuan dodged it. “Oh, you said it yourself, I’m thin, didn’t you? So I don’t eat much either. You eat it. I still have some for myself.”
As he spoke, Shen Yuan showed Old Xu the half remaining in his hand.
“You can’t bite through that corn bun, and the rest period is almost over. Hurry and eat a few bites of the coarse flatbread to fill your stomach, or you won’t be able to work this afternoon.”
Shen Yuan’s words struck directly at Old Xu’s greatest concern. He had not eaten such good grain bread in a long time, and merely smelling the grain made him swallow repeatedly. After thanking Shen Yuan several times, he lowered his head and bit into the coarse flatbread.
It was truly delicious.
Shen Yuan watched Old Xu break off half of the coarse flatbread and put it away. He figured the old man was probably taking it home for his family as well.
Wang Sanhu called out to him from the other side. Shen Yuan said goodbye to Old Xu and returned to his original place.
On the way, he encountered the clerk responsible for the Xie Family’s merchant ship and habitually greeted him. “Hey, bro, good afternoon. Eating?”
The clerk glanced at him. “I told you, stop trying to buddy up to me.”
Shen Yuan did not take the clerk’s sour expression to heart. If he truly disliked him, he would not look like this. He would have lost his temper and cursed him long ago.
Wang Sanhu knew that Shen Yuan had given half of his flatbread to the old man to thank him for saving him.
Thinking of how Shen Yuan had nearly starved to death yesterday and how Shen Dong had knelt throughout the village begging to borrow grain, he rummaged through his sack.
“Eat this.” Wang Sanhu stuffed the coarse flatbread he had put away earlier into Shen Yuan’s hands. “You’ve been starving for too long these past few days. You need to eat your fill.”
Shen Yuan had originally planned to carry fewer sacks in the afternoon, but since Wang Sanhu had given him the coarse flatbread, he did not refuse.
“Thank you, Brother Sanhu. Once I buy grain from the grain shop today, I’ll give you a bowlful.”
Wang Sanhu was displeased when he heard this. Whether it was the grain he had given him before or the flatbread now, he treated Shen Yuan as a brother. He only wanted Shen Yuan to make it through life and had never expected him to repay him.
He said, “Shen, are you looking down on your Brother Sanhu? I give you half a flatbread and you want to give me a bowl of grain? If you really want to repay me, work hard and live your life properly. Once you have a good life, then we’ll talk about repaying the grain.”
Shen Yuan chewed the dry flatbread and nodded vigorously.
Just you wait, Brother Sanhu. Once I’ve finished eating, I’ll work really, really hard!
The rest period was very short. Even after finishing the flatbread, Shen Yuan did not manage to work really, really hard. He worked in a half-dead state instead.
The idea was good, but putting it into practice was deadly.
Only when the clerk struck the copper gong again and shouted that the Xie Family’s merchant ship had finished unloading did Shen Yuan finally collapse. He dropped onto the ground, too exhausted to even catch his breath.
Seeing this, Wang Sanhu came over and pulled him up. “Hurry up and line up to collect your wages.”
They could still collect their money if they went later, but when it came to receiving money, the sooner the better.
Shen Yuan had almost no strength left and practically leaned half his weight on Wang Sanhu as they walked.
His limp, half-dead, noodle-like appearance made Wang Sanhu laugh. “You used to hate other people touching you. Are you really that exhausted?”
Shen Yuan thought about it. It was true that the original body disliked being touched, but it was not because of cleanliness or anything like that. It was simply a matter of personality. He was not used to closer physical contact.
Shen Yuan once again congratulated himself inwardly for not pretending to have the original body’s personality. He could easily have given himself away with these little details.
“That must be because I wasn’t tired enough back then.” Shen Yuan seriously made up a ridiculous excuse.
Wang Sanhu laughed. “How did you get so tired? Should your Brother Sanhu carry you?”
Shen Yuan was tempted, but thinking of how Wang Sanhu had carried three sacks every trip and had given him half his coarse flatbread, he knew the man must be exhausted too. With what little conscience he had left, he shook his head. “No. Just pull me along, Brother Sanhu.”
Wang Sanhu was strong and had far more energy than Shen Yuan. He nodded in agreement, and for the rest of the way, he practically dragged Shen Yuan forward.
When they reached the place to line up for payment, they were still a little late, and a long line had already formed ahead of them.
Shen Yuan was draped over Wang Sanhu’s back, with Wang Sanhu moving him forward. He could barely stand properly. Wang Sanhu did not push him away. Instead, he was secretly happy, feeling that their relationship had become much closer.
The line moved fairly quickly, and Shen Yuan could hear the clerk’s abacus more and more clearly.
“Sir! Sir! You can’t deduct it, sir!”
“Keep shouting and I’ll throw you in the river!”
A furious roar and a laborer’s pleading came from behind them.
Hearing the commotion, Shen Yuan turned to look.
Not far away, wages were also being settled. A young, lean laborer was kneeling on the ground and bitterly pleading with the clerk seated in a chair.
“Sir, please, show some mercy. If you deduct any more, my family will have no grain left.”
The clerk snorted. The fat on his face trembled twice along with it. “What does it matter to me if your family has no grain? Who told you not to work seriously and to slack off while carrying things? If you want money, why didn’t you carry two more sacks? The unloading was delayed because of you, and the Master’s House ordered us to deduct wages. If you don’t pay, do you expect me to pay for you? Where did you get such a thick face?”
The laborer knelt on the ground and helplessly wiped the tears from his face. He had already worked as hard as he could. But he had truly been too exhausted to have any strength left, and the few coppers he had earned through all that backbreaking work would not even cover the deduction.
His children were crying from hunger, and his family was waiting for his wages to buy grain and cook a meal.
What could he do?
“Sir, please, you can’t deduct it. Please don’t deduct the money…” The laborer did not know what else he could say. He could only repeat the same words over and over, praying that the clerk would show mercy.
The clerk was irritated by his crying, and there were still many people waiting behind him. He kicked the table aside, then kicked the laborer and shouted, “Can’t you understand what I’m saying? Keep making trouble and you won’t get the rest of your money either!”
The laborer was terrified. He quickly fell silent, afraid that he would lose even that last bit of money.
Shen Yuan watched the entire scene, feeling awful. Making a living at the dock was not easy. Even when their wages were docked, the laborers could only swallow it themselves, with no other recourse.
At the same time, he felt terribly guilty.
Oh no, oh no. He had thought that since they were paid by the sack, it was up to the laborers whether they carried more or less. He had not realized that carrying too little and delaying the work would also result in a deduction.
No wonder the original body had been exhausted to that extent and still carried two sacks at a time.
He had only carried one sack each time today. He would definitely have his wages docked too…
“Shen Yuan from Dashu Village.”
It was Shen Yuan’s turn to collect his wages, and the call brought him back to himself.
“Twenty copper coins for the first day, twenty for the second, and seven for the third, forty-seven copper coins in total.” The clerk handed Shen Yuan four strings of copper coins tied together with hemp rope, along with seven loose coins. “Count them.”
Shen Yuan took the copper coins, somewhat surprised. “You didn’t deduct anything!”
Hearing his soft exclamation, the clerk could not help but let out a mocking laugh. “With how little you carried today, do you think there’d be anything left if I really deducted it?”
Shen Yuan felt as though he had survived a disaster and said happily, “Bro, you’re such a good person!”
The clerk’s brow furrowed, and his expression turned stern. “How many times do I have to tell you to stop trying to buddy up to me? Take your money and get out of here. Don’t block the line.”
“Sure thing, bro!” Shen Yuan tucked away the copper coins and ran off.