20demayo Chapter 674 Oolong
Chapter 674 Oolong
"Okay, I understand. Tomorrow we'll prepare a seafood and spicy hot pot and wait for Xiao Ming to join us."
"Um, young master, how about we change the seafood hot pot base to a tomato base or a mushroom broth?"
"Oh? Oh, right, I forgot you just came back from the sea, you're probably tired of seafood by now."
"Alright, then let's have mushroom soup. Tomatoes are long out of season now, and even if you wanted some, I wouldn't be able to find any."
"Alright, alright, mushroom soup is fine. Young master, you don't know, although we have professional chefs who cook at sea, the variety of seafood is limited, so it always feels rather bland."
These days at the dock, Lord Qiu has really been fed up with our crew members. We've eaten even more than the hardworking craftsmen.
"That's why we were sent back first. We'll go back in a few days and recruit more strong men to be reserve crew members."
Jiang Xiaoqi nodded. It was time to put the crew assignment on the agenda. It was already late autumn, and the time for His Majesty to announce who would be crown prince was getting closer and closer.
In the spring, ten ships need to complete construction, sea trials, and preparations for departure; every step is crucial.
"Yes, it's time to start preparing. The current crew members are all experienced, just like the shipbuilding craftsmen. They will be divided into small teams and team leaders will be selected."
You will still be the captain of the fleet, but you will also select eleven outstanding individuals to serve as first mates for each ship.
There's a shortage of manpower, so the staffing can only be simplified. In reality, each ship should have one captain and two first mates.
There's simply no way to gather enough manpower right now, so this is the only option for the time being.
"Aren't our people good enough? They've all served in the military and fought in wars. Even if they've been away from the battlefield for a few years, their fighting spirit is still there."
Jiang Xiaoqi shook her head. One reason was that they were too old, and the other was that those people had other uses.
He still wanted to hire crew members in their twenties for his ships, so that they could be trained to serve at sea for a few more years and not have to end their careers after just one or two voyages.
Many of the people Lin Feng mentioned were already grandfathers or maternal grandfathers, with families to support and many worries.
A single voyage can easily take one or two months, or even two or three months, and for more distant places, it can take up to six months to a year to return.
Needless to say, he was worried about whether the person could handle the physical exertion; he was genuinely afraid of breaking them apart.
“Our people have other uses, and besides, I don’t want too many of our people to join the fleet, lest the Second Prince have any concerns.”
This is the Second Prince's fleet, not the Jiang family's fleet. This distinction must be clearly defined.
Jiang Xiaoqi's words awakened Lin Feng. He had misunderstood. The officialdom and the martial world were never the same. He had been in the wilderness for too long and had forgotten the rules of survival in the imperial court.
Sigh~ It's good that he left officialdom early; this rough and tumble world outside suits him better.
"Luckily, the young master reminded me, otherwise I really wouldn't have been able to figure it out for a while."
"Captain Lin isn't that he can't figure it out, he's just too lazy to think about it. But there's no use thinking about these brain-taxing things too much. Let's just do our own jobs."
"Yes, young master. The pearls that I brought back for you last time were carefully selected by Xiao Ming and me. They were different from those given to other adults. Please don't let it slip."
Jiang Xiaoqi raised an eyebrow. No wonder~
No wonder his father, Jiang Wenqing, had never mentioned anything about pearls. At first, he thought his father was just reluctant to take the things out.
Oh, so it turns out only I have it.
"Oh? What should we do then? I've already taken the pearl box out in front of my father and brother-in-law, and given some to my father's aunt to have made into jewelry."
"Oh? Oh dear, my family is fine. Lord Dong and Magistrate Jiang are family. Even if they knew, they wouldn't do anything."
Hehe, but we also symbolically left a few dozen pearls with Lord Qiu, so it doesn't matter if we let it slip to him.
Lord Qiu will only assume that the two of you possess this qualification, given your highest official ranks; this is perfectly reasonable.
Jiang Xiaoqi was speechless after being talked to. This was something Lin Feng was capable of doing. However, it was the other person who went to sea and risked their life, so it was okay to give them some autonomy in the distribution of spoils.
"Alright, just don't make it too obvious. Lord Qiu and the others have it tough too. My father doesn't care, since even if he helped, it wasn't much of a help."
Lin Feng felt nauseous just thinking about the buckets of fish being transported to the dock. Magistrate Jiang hadn't just been of little help; he'd actually made things worse.
Aside from the craftsmen from the south who were very enthusiastic about eating steamed or stewed fish, it's no exaggeration to say that the craftsmen and sailors from the north were terrified of fish.
Ouyang Yan originally intended to go to a teahouse for tea, but unexpectedly ran into Ouyang Jue's parents as soon as she stepped out.
Out of courtesy, Ouyang Yan personally led the guests to the main courtyard's flower hall. Since Lord Ouyang was on duty at the Dali Temple, he was naturally not at home.
Madam Ouyang and the old lady then came out to receive the two, but to their surprise, the two immediately started crying and complaining, making everyone's head ache.
"Alright, alright, tell me slowly, how come Jue'er is missing?"
The two recounted the story of the treasure, the fifth prince, the treasure-hunting team, the treasure hunt in the south, and the princess of the previous dynasty in fits and starts. Madam Ouyang and the old lady were both stunned.
What? How come she's still entangled with the Fifth Prince? Didn't I tell that child not to get too close to the royal family?
They didn't listen at all!
Madam Ouyang turned her head and glanced at her daughter, gesturing for Ouyang Yan to step back and go about her business.
Ouyang Yan understood, gave a slight bow, and left the reception room without caring whether the tearful and snotty couple saw her.
"Miss, shall we still go to the teahouse?"
"Go ahead, why not? Drinking tea is secondary. There's a new storybook today. The storyteller's delivery is so vivid and engaging; it's much more interesting than reading the book yourself."
I get it. Miss Ouyang has become obsessed with ancient-style "audiobooks with real people." She feels she can't get enough of reading them and can immerse herself in the stories, so she's discovered the pleasant way to listen to books while drinking tea.
“But aren’t we going out too often? Wouldn’t it be the same to invite a storyteller to our mansion? It’s not like we can’t afford to pay for it.”
"What do you know, little girl? What's the point of listening to a story alone? It's only perfect when you hear other listeners applauding and cheering."
The little girl still didn't understand, but that didn't stop her from going to the teahouse with her mistress.
"Oh, it's Miss Ouyang! You've come at the perfect time. Your favorite private room just happened to be available. A handsome and wealthy young man spent more than an hour in that room this morning!"
"Oh? Who is it?"
If it weren't for Ouyang Jue's parents interrupting, I would have arrived early and there wouldn't have been a seat.
"He was a young gentleman dressed in a moon-white brocade robe. Oh my, he was quite handsome and very dignified. He held a folding fan in his hand, truly dashing and debonair."
"A handsome young man in a moon-white brocade robe? Could it be him?"
"Who is it, miss? Do you know them?"
"Ahem, nobody."
Oh dear! It's all that couple's fault. Why did they have to show up today of all days? I should have just ignored them. I wasted a chance to meet them!