Chapter 9: Everyone Finds Work to Do

At night, a sturdy servant came to the Su family’s cabin, handing five silver notes to Mrs. Su.

Su Lao’er frowned and said, “Brother, this doesn’t add up, right? The boat fare is five silver coins per person. There are fourteen people in our family, so the total fare should be seventy silver coins. When we boarded, we gave the steward a hundred silver coins, so you should be giving us thirty silver coins in change.”

The servant, looking well-fed and in a good mood, didn’t get upset upon hearing Su Lao’er’s words. Instead, there was a hint of disdain and arrogance in his voice as he said, “Seventy silver coins is for your family’s boat fare. The twenty-five silver coins are for your family’s food and supplies. Do you think everything, including food, drink, and sanitation, is free once you’re on board? Our master is no fool!”

Hearing this, Mrs. Su coughed even harder and kept patting Li Sumei, seemingly hoping she would say something.

Among the family members, the eldest daughter-in-law was lazy and had already run off with the family’s money. The second daughter-in-law, although capable, had a fiery temper, easily provoked. The third daughter-in-law was too honest and not skilled at dealing with people, while the fourth daughter-in-law, though clever, had a weak temper and lacked assertiveness.

Only the quiet and seemingly unremarkable fifth daughter-in-law could step in at critical moments to take charge.

Seeing this, Su Lao’er tugged at Su Lao’er, and when Li Sumei came over, he immediately lowered his voice.

Li Sumei, though delicate in appearance, was tall and graceful, with a gentle and warm expression. She walked over, holding the child in her arms, and said to the sturdy servant, “What this elder brother says is correct. However, we are new here and don’t yet know the rules of the ship. Would you kindly explain them to us? The master is kind enough to take us poor refugees on board, and we don’t want to trouble him.”

Suhuan, in Li Sumei’s arms, coughed at the right moment.

The little bundle of joy, white and soft, had a red face from the coughing. Li Sumei instinctively lowered her head and comforted her, her face full of worry.

Seeing their family in this state, and noticing that they had already tidied their room and luggage, unlike other families whose cabins were a mess upon boarding, the servant’s tone softened. “There are no strict rules on board. Just stay in your cabin at night. Don’t wander around unless necessary. In addition, your room is equipped with a commode, a wash basin, and some flour. Be careful with these items. If you break them, we don’t have spares. If you need to buy food, when the inspector comes, just give the money to him. The kitchen, water, and firewood are on the third floor. There’s a limited supply per room, so once you’ve used up your daily portion, there won’t be any more. It’s best to use things sparingly. If you need more food or water, you’ll need to pay extra.”

Everyone furrowed their brows upon hearing this. They hadn’t expected that getting on the boat was just the beginning of spending money. Their family didn’t have food or money right now.

Li Sumei didn’t hesitate. She handed the five silver notes to the sturdy servant and smiled. “Thank you for the information, Brother. Could you please exchange these for some food for us? We don’t need much, just enough to feed the elderly and children so they can survive.”

Seeing that she spoke clearly and logically, and noticing their family wasn’t like others who would argue over the rules, the servant developed a good impression of them and readily agreed. “Since you’re on board, I’ll make it easier for you. My name is Wang Shan; just call me Brother Wang. To be honest, the food on the boat is expensive. It’s three times more expensive than the market price. With five silver coins, I can only exchange it for ten pounds of millet or twenty pounds of sorghum flour, or fifty pounds of wheat bran. There are other fine grains, but those are out of your budget with just five silver coins.”

Li Sumei didn’t make a decision right away but looked toward Mrs. Su. “Mother?”

Mrs. Su, still coughing, looked at the thin and frail family members, then asked, “What does everyone want to exchange for?”

Among the three types of food, millet was the most nutritious and tastiest, but the quantity was small—ten pounds probably wouldn’t last the family for three days. Sorghum flour was better in quantity and still tasted fine. The wheat bran, though, was too hard to swallow. While it could feed livestock, it would be difficult for people to digest.

The Su family lived in the bottom cabin of the ship, and their financial situation wasn’t good.

While they deliberated, Su Huan started to cough again, waving her small hand at Wang Shan and acting cute.

Wang Shan’s heart softened. After thinking for a moment, he said to the Su family, “I see your grandmother and child are both coughing, and your brother-in-law seems seasick. If you exchange the five silver coins for wheat bran, it’s not worth it. Sorghum flour would be better. It’s finer, and it’ll help your health improve faster. Our master is kind-hearted, and the food on this boat is all fresh. You don’t have to worry about it being spoiled or bad. If you’re short on money and worried about future food and clothing expenses, you can find work on the ship.”

Su Lao’er’s brow furrowed slightly, and he quickly asked, “What kind of work is there?”

Wu Chunhua also hastily asked, “Are there any jobs for women? Or just for men? I know how to swim and have strength!”

Zhang Xiaolan quickly added, “I know how to cook!”

Liu Yingying, who looked pale from seasickness, also chimed in, “I can do sewing.”

Li Sumei wanted to speak too, but Mrs. Su stopped her, shaking her head despite her cough.

Seeing this, Li Sumei fell silent again.

Wang Shan said, “The ship is short on boatmen, then boatworkers, and lastly sailors. These require men. For women, we only need helpers for cleaning. Men get 100 wen a day, and women get 80 wen a day.”

Yan Jia and Yan He exchanged glances, then spoke up, “We’ve been educated and can read, and we also have strength. Brother Wang, can we work as boatmen or boatworkers?”

Wang Shan glanced at the two young men, then laughed. “You’re not quite old enough yet. You can work as sailors.”

The two young men eagerly nodded. “As long as there’s work, we’re happy to do it!”

Having work to do meant they could earn money, which would allow their family to pay for food and clothing, and survive until they reached the capital!

However, there were limited work slots, and there were two hundred refugees boarding the ship. The competition for jobs would be fierce. Fortunately, they had just boarded and were still adapting, so not many people knew the details or had spoken directly with the servants. The competition for work hadn’t become intense yet.

After a quick discussion, the Su family decided to leave behind the sickly Mrs. Su, Li Sumei, Su Huan, and Liu Yingying, as well as Su Lao’er’s fourth daughter-in-law, to take care of them and the goats.

Su Lao’er took the younger Yan Qi and Yan Xing to look after them, while Wu Chunhua and Zhang Xiaolan signed up for cleaning and odd jobs. Su Lao San and Su Lao Wu signed up to be boatmen, and Yan Jia and Yan He, who couldn’t secure positions, temporarily became sailors, helping to carry things.

Wang Shan had a good impression of the Su family. After they told him their decision, he wrote down their names and, when he returned to the upper cabin, informed Zhang Guanshi, the steward who had been in charge of collecting the boat fees.

Zhang Guanshi, after hearing Wang Shan’s positive assessment of the Su family and their behavior, concluded that they were smart and diligent, and could be hired. He took a few worker contracts and asked Wang Shan to bring them down so they could sign, with work starting tomorrow.