A day in the mountains means a thousand years in the world.
In the eighteenth year of the Yuan Dynasty of the Great Xia Kingdom, Shen Yuanqiong boarded a sea ship from Fuzhou and set sail for an unknown journey.
Shen Yuanqiong's father was Shen Wujiang, also named Zhongxi, and he was a disgraced jeweler in Jiannan. The ancestor of the Shen family, whose surname was Zhao, had a history worth boasting about. He was a family of poets and writers, and had a reputation for being clean and honest. He had let several local officials go. Unfortunately, my great-grandfather was implicated in clique disputes and was demoted to his hometown. He fell ill and the family business fell into decline. By Shen Wujiang's generation, his ancestors' savings had long been exhausted. Not only had their studies been wasted, but their livelihood was also a problem. The uncles all adhered to the court motto and could not put down their pens, so they had to work as staff or doorkeepers. Not only were they poor, but they also suffered from the feeling of being useless. Shen Wujiang was quick-witted, but forced by poverty, he simply changed his surname, severed ties with his family, and became a businessman who was obsessed with spending every penny and reeked of copper.
Shen Yuanqiong is the eldest son of Shen Wujiang. He was born in a merchant family. Although his life is not rich, he has no worries about food and clothing. Shen Wujiang had a son in his old age. Shen Wujiang had high hopes for his son. He once wanted Shen Yuanqiong to go to school and return to his official career. However, his son was stubborn and rebellious. He became addicted to street books after knowing a few words and did not work hard on classics and epic poems at all. Shen Wujiang recognized the reality and was finally disappointed, so he had to take him with him to learn business, preparing to leave the jewelry store to him in a hundred years.
Shen Yuanqiong grew up day by day, and he was born with a good appearance. He was 70% businessman's philistine and 30% scholar's nobility, wonderfully blended into one, without being abrupt, impressive, and proactive in getting close to him. He interacted with a group of officials' children and made several small businesses by going through needlework. Shen Wujiang gradually changed his view and felt that it might not be a shortcut for his son to abandon literature and engage in business.
But deep down in his heart, he was still unwilling.
On this day, Shen Wujiang met a large merchant named Zhang by chance at Guanhe Tower. They struck up a conversation, drank together, and talked about entering Hong Kong. Zhang Haishang said that his ship was anchored in Fuzhou Port and could carry six to seven hundred people and tens of thousands of kilograms of goods. It was fully loaded with silk, brocade, pottery and porcelain, and was sold to overseas countries. He then purchased rhinoceros horns, ivory, etc. locally. Corals, agates, pearls, crystals, sandalwood, agarwood, spices, camphor, cloves, cardamom and other valuables were shipped back to Daxia for distribution. Every time they came back, they made more than ten times the profit.
When Shen Wujiang heard this, his heart skipped a beat, and he invited the sea merchant to his home as a guest. During the dinner, he inquired carefully and was quite envious. In his words, he intended to let his son go on a sea voyage with him and earn some hard money. Zhang Haishang fell in love with him at first sight and readily agreed, saying that he was old and had not gone to sea for several years. At present, the person in charge on the ship was his son Zhang Chengyun. Shen Yuanqiong bought some light and soft goods and went to Fuzhou, and took his ship to travel overseas. Even if he could not make a huge profit, it would be good for the young people to broaden their horizons.
Shen Wujiang listened to what he wanted, as the saying goes, "Read thousands of books and travel thousands of miles." Although his life was better off than his uncle's, he still didn't want his son to live a busy life like him, looking down and smiling in front of others. Taking sea transportation can be regarded as a shortcut to make a fortune. In the future, you may be able to donate money to an official position and honor your ancestors. So he decided on Shen Yuanqiong's future without asking for his son's consent.
Unable to disobey his father's arrangements, Shen Yuanqiong had no choice but to follow Zhang Haishang's instructions, buy silk brocades, silk flower headdresses and other light and soft goods, and rush to Fuzhou day and night accompanied by two loyal servants. They asked questions all the way, non-stop, and went to the port to see Zhang Chengyun and presented his father's letter. Zhang Chengyun was indeed a cheerful man and agreed on the spot, freeing up a cabin in the ship for Shen Yuanqiong to settle down, saying He arrived just in time. In a day or two, they would be setting off on their voyage.
The scale of this seagoing ship can be described as unparalleled in the world. The bow is high and carved into the shape of a monster. The stern is square, with ten pairs of oars, two anchors, and a huge sail made of canvas. Looking up, Not to the top. When the weather is calm, each oar is rowed by four people. At full speed, 240 people are needed, with 80 people working in one class, and three classes taking over. There are dozens of cabins in the front of the ship for the crew to take turns to rest, and there are several large water-proof cabins in the back, which are full of all kinds of cargo, including countless grains, firewood and fresh water, enough to last for several months.
On an auspicious day and at an auspicious time, the ship sets sail and sails into the vast ocean. Seeing the vast sea and the sky wider than the sea, Shen Yuanqiong felt relaxed and happy. He had a premonition that everything was destined by God and his destiny would change. While excited, he was full of unrealistic expectations.
Life at sea is extremely hard. There are no fresh vegetables and fruits, fresh water is in limited supply, and bathing is an unreachable luxury. The crew members were vulgar, foul-mouthed, spitting, and reeked of sweat. They liked to listen to Shen Yuanqiong's miscellaneous stories about the market, especially those vulgar and absurd jokes. They listened and listened happily, laughed and laughed, and never tired of it.
If my great-grandfather knew something secretly, he would definitely jump out of the coffin, blow his beard, glare, and scold this unscrupulous gray grandson bloody. In fact, Shen Yuanqiong also had a lot of jokes in his stomach that were suitable for both refined and popular tastes. Even at the banquets of scholar-bureaucrats, they would be a good addition to the entertainment. However, these were not welcomed by the crew and were often ignored. Shen Yuanqiong thought that this was not only because they were illiterate, but also because they needed a little stimulation. This was a way to vent their harsh life at sea, and vulgar and absurd jokes just catered to their needs.
After another ten days, the ship encountered strong waves, like a leaf rolling in the waves. The crew members have become accustomed to it. Their expressions remain unchanged and their hearts do not beat. Walking on the sloping and slippery deck is safer than on flat ground. But Shen Yuanqiong couldn't bear it anymore. He felt nauseous, his whole body was cold, his hands and feet were numb, and he vomited violently, even jaundice. Zhang Chengyun came to visit him several times and comforted him by saying that it was seasickness. People who had just boarded the ship were like this, and they would be fine after getting through this.
After vomiting the contents of his stomach, Shen Yuanqiong was completely exhausted, his forehead was hot, his whole body was groggy, and he was really seriously ill. In his sleep, he vaguely heard someone reciting poetry in his ear: "The flowers have fallen in Luohua Island... The flowers have fallen in Luohua Island..." He had always been too lazy to memorize those obscure poems, but these seven words came loudly. I only listened to it a few times and it was engraved in my mind. It was like a nursery rhyme that I had known since I was a child. When someone mentioned it, it flowed out like water.
In the evening, Shen Yuanqiong woke up a little and kept chanting this poem, wondering whether Luohua Island really existed. It happened that Zhang Chengyun and Mr. Liu, the accountant, came to visit the cabin. They were familiar with the sea and had extensive knowledge. Shen Yuanqiong took the opportunity to ask if there was a place in the sea called Luohua Island. Zhang Chengyun thought for a while, shook his head, and joked: "If there is one, it should be a place where gods live!"
Mr. Liu was a scholar and had quite a bit of literary talent. He lowered his head and pondered for a moment, and then said casually: "The flowers are falling in Luohua Island. It is better to use 'the willows are drooping beside the willow embankment'. Although the last sentence is perfect, it is still correct. Up." Shen Yuanqiong was stunned for a moment, and then he suddenly realized that it turned out that "dao" and "dao" have the same pronunciation, and "di" and "low" have the same pronunciation. Sure enough, they matched very neatly. If Mr. Liu hadn't said it right, he would have really I can't understand the mystery.
