Zhang Zhao hurriedly walked out of the house, Liang Laosi and Lao Xianyu followed, and the three of them walked directly to the dock where the big black boat was parked. Zhang Zhao couldn't wait to jump up and get on the boat directly, and the old salted fish stood next to him and hesitated for a moment, and slowly walked along the pedal.

"I don't go to sea anyway. Liang Laosi followed behind with a horizontal heart. "Good fellow, this boat is big enough. As soon as the old salted fish stepped on the deck of the ship, he felt that it was open, and the hull of the ship was much wider than every three-masted ship he had ever been on before.

Liang Laosi also praised: "Yes, I don't think it's anything from below." This guy has stopped for so long, and none of us really have come up. He used his foot to remove the clumps of dried seabird droppings on the deck: "I haven't even applied tung oil for more than two years, and the wood hasn't rotten." ”

Zhang Zhao looked excited, ran from front to back, not disgusted with filth, touching this and that. He is a layman who sees everything freshly, but Liang Laosi and Lao Salty Fish patted the mast and pulled the sail rope to look around at the important parts. They found that every part of the ship was immediately brand new, not at all like a broken ship that had been left unattended for more than two years.

There is no damage to the rudder or the black canvas hanging low under the three tall masts, and it is easy to turn and pull it by hand, as easy as oil, the two glanced at each other, and Liang Laosi whispered: "Old salted fish, I don't think this boat is so bad?"

Zhang Zhao, who had already turned around a few times, ran over: "Uncle, when are we going to sea?" Seeing his happy appearance, the old salted fish also relaxed a little in his heart: "Little boss, going to sea is not a joke, sailing at sea for at least dozens of days." The boat had never been out to sea, and if we didn't have everything, we would have to drink urine and eat raw fish. ”

Looking at Zhang Zhao's appearance, the old salted fish also knew that he didn't understand this: "The little owner waits patiently for a day, my old salted fish will prepare these things for you, as long as the sky is beautiful, early in the morning after tomorrow, we can go to sea." He paused: "Little owner, I think this ship is really not small, and I have to let Seabeard find dozens of more people, otherwise I'm afraid there will be not enough manpower." ”

Zhang Zhao nodded happily when he heard that he could go to sea the day after tomorrow: "Then bother the old man, I don't understand these things at all." Liang Laosi smiled and said: "Don't worry, don't worry, these things on the boat, if the old salted fish admits the second, no one here dares to say the first." Although he had a few drinks and picked the owner, he never went on a business trip. ”

The old salted fish heard a wry smile: "Fourth, that's not what I want to pick, some owners don't understand the wind and waves on the sea and insist on going out of the boat, although my old life is cheaper, I can't lose it in vain just to ask for more than one hundred and ten taels of silver." ”

Liang Laosi turned his head to Zhang Zhao and said: "Little boss, what the old salted fish said is good, if the wind and waves will rise, you must not go to sea, we people have a saying that be careful to sail a boat for ten thousand years." The sea is not as light as this flat land, and the loss of goods and money is lighter, and the more powerful it is the loss of people and ships. ”

Zhang Zhao heard what he said solemnly and knew that both of them were kind-hearted, so he nodded heavily and said, "Uncle, don't worry, I will listen to his old man." The old salted fish was moved in his heart: "Don't always call the old man the old man, I'm not used to hearing it, my surname is Yu Mingxian, they all call me the old salted fish, you call me the same." ”

"That's it, I'll call you Uncle Yu, don't call me Xiaodong, just call me Zhang Zhao. The old salted fish shook his head again and again: "Then what's the matter, you are the owner, we can't mess with the etiquette." ”

Zhang Zhao laughed: "Just listen to me, Uncle Yu, look at how this boat is." The old salted fish groaned: "It looks really good from the outside, the mast rudder is fine, let's go down and see what the paddle cabin and cargo hold look like." ”

The three of them opened the door of the shipbuilding behind the mainmast and went down the steps, and after taking a few steps, the old salted fish felt that the interior of this ship was very different from that of ordinary three-masted ships, and he exclaimed in surprise after opening the partition between the cargo hold and the deck.

"It's so big that I don't think it's enough to pack a few times more. Lao Xianyu and Liang Laosi both found it incredible, obviously the capacity of the cargo hold of this ship was significantly higher than they expected.

Seeing the strange looks of the two, Zhang Zhao hurriedly asked, "Isn't it good to load more goods?" The old salted fish shook his head: "It's not bad, but if you load so many goods at one time, the risk of going back and forth is greater, and even more people have to be hired. ”

Liang Laosi smiled and said: "The little owner relaxes, the old salted fish has been mixed here for decades and has a good reputation, even if it is difficult, it will be no problem." It is a good thing to load more goods, and if you go on a smooth and steady trip, you will be transported three or four times by others, and the money you will make will naturally be several times more. ”

Zhang Zhao listened slightly: "Make money? How to make money?" Old Salted Fish and Liang Lao turned their heads in surprise at the same time: "Little owner, didn't you buy this boat to do long-term business?"

"I just came out to experience it this time, and by the way, I went to Xuanshui City to buy a dozen Xuanyu beds for Master and them. Zhang Zhao saw the faces of the two and understood what they meant: "But as soon as I saw this boat, I liked it very much, so I bought it." ”

He saw that Lao Xianyu and Liang Laosi both sighed deeply, and his heart moved: "It's okay, after transporting this cargo, I ask Yu Bo to help me take care of this boat, and you can teach me what kind of profitable business there is at that time." ”

"When I hired someone just now, I thought you were a good person, although I don't know about this sea, but the boats have been bought, if you can make some money, of course it would be better, Uncle Yu, you have been here for so long, it won't make me lose money." ”

As soon as he finished speaking, the old salted fish opened his mouth wide for a while before he stammered and asked: "Little boss, what you just said is serious? It's not a random joke to tease me, right?" Zhang Zhao smiled: "Naturally, let's take care of this boat after we come back from going to sea, and you can make the best money in business, even if you lose money, it doesn't matter." ”

The old salted fish raised his right hand to the sky, and his left hand was on his chest: "Lord Haiwang is on top, Yu Xian swears here, if I neglect the little owner's boat a little, I will die in the wind and waves at sea." Zhang Zhao hurriedly stepped forward to stop: "Uncle Yu, you don't have to do this, I can trust you." ”

The old salted fish maintained this posture and looked at Zhang Zhao: "Little owner, I swore to the king of the sea, and Liang Laosi also made a witness, we people who go to sea are looking forward to having a boat that can stay for a long time, and every time I come back to change the boat, I am as sad as separating from my relatives." I've been on all the boats in the port, but you, the little proprietor, have given me this opportunity. ”

"Since the little proprietor can trust me, even if I don't drink alcohol, I have to think of ways to earn this money for you. Liang Laosi couldn't help but sigh: "Let the old salted fish say that he doesn't drink, the little owner can be regarded as the first one in these decades." ”

Zhang Zhao didn't expect them to care so much about this kind of thing: "Okay, then from now on, I will ask you to worry more about this boat." The old salted fish was as young as a teenager, and bowed down and hugged his fists: "Dongjia, Yu Xian has given you a gift." ”

After the three of them came out of the cabin, Zhang Zhao asked casually: "Uncle Yu, what do we all need to prepare?" The old salted fish had a serious face: "Bring enough drinking water, check the oars and rudder anchors, and measure the waterline to press the cabin stone." Prepare some tung oil wood boards and mortar hammers. If you are optimistic about the wind and waves at sea, you will be able to go to sea. ”

Zhang Zhao had a headache after hearing this: "Why do you want so many things." The old salted fish smiled: "Going to sea is not a joke, not to mention that this boat is the first time to go to sea, and you must bring all the things to avoid going wrong." ”

Back in the sandy area surrounded by a wooden fence where the sailors were hired, Seabeard chose a dozen sailors to stand behind, and a dozen sailors waited in front of him. Seeing Lao Xianyu and Zhang Zhao coming over, he said loudly: "Little owner, these dozen or so are good, I have to pick and choose." ”

Zhang Zhao smiled: "Yu Bo also said that there are not enough people, so let's do it." A dozen sailors were overjoyed when they heard this. Seabeard frowned: "Little owner, if you hire a few more people, the money will cost a lot more." ”

The old salted fish smiled when he heard this: "You are really loyal, you just wanted to cheat the owner of the money, but you changed your temper after a while." Seabeard was a little embarrassed: "At that time, I was negotiating the price, of course I wanted more, but now that I have discussed it, I have to think about others when I do things for the owner." ”

The old salted fish walked up to him: "It's pretty much the same. But what the owner said is right, not only are a dozen or so hired, but we have to find another forty or fifty people. Seabeard's eyes widened suddenly: "Old salted fish, don't you know that all the three-masted ships in the harbor have gone to sea? The two-masted ships employ more than 30 people, and if you hire dozens more people, won't all the extra people become idle eaters." ”

The old salted fish had a smug smile on his face: "Beard, I have been floating on the sea for so many years, and I don't know much about these things than you? Seabeard said, "Are there any boats back?" No, those boats have just been out to sea for less than a month, and it is impossible to return. ”

Hehe, Yile, the old salted fish no longer concealed it: "I'll tell you, the little owner just bought a three-masted boat." Seabeard was taken aback: "Bought a three-masted ship?" He thought for a while and asked, "It can't be the big black guy with a deep draft?"

The old salted fish nodded: "You're really not stupid." Zhang Zhao continued to say on the side: "Uncle Hu, I liked that boat very much when I saw it, and I bought it and entrusted it to Uncle Yu to take care of it for me, and I hope Uncle Hu will help me a lot." ”

Seeing Seabeard's face change, the old salted fish arched his hand at him and the sailors behind him: "Brothers, thanks to the trust of the little owner, I have a boat that can be sheltered." Please do me a favor, I've seen the boat and there is absolutely no problem. If you can trust my old salted fish, dozens of more brothers will go to sea together. ”

The old salted fish is really not light here, and everyone usually avoids the black boat, but after he said it, dozens of people quickly got it together. The old salted fish asked these **ten people to come to help early tomorrow morning, he and Zhang Zhao returned to the boat to calculate the things to bring, although Zhang Zhao didn't understand at all, but he was relieved to take the silver ticket and let him prepare by himself.

Zhang Zhao himself did not go to the inn, he found a cabin on the ship to rest for a night, early the next morning, the old salted fish brought people over and moved and carried to start to work, more than 100 people ran back and forth dozens of times, the original empty boat board was full of all kinds of edible products.

When it was getting dark, he ran to Zhang Zhao, who was helping to work, "Boss, let's rest on this boat for one night, and we can go to sea early tomorrow morning." ”

Before dawn, there were bursts of voices on the shore, and the news that the main murderous ship was going to sea after changing owners had already spread throughout the port, and thousands of people flocked to the dock to watch, and Liang Laosi also brought a group of dock brothers to help.

Standing on the deck, Zhang Zhao looked at the blue sea in front of him, and his heart was full of strong anticipation. He listened to the loud voice of the old salted fish behind him and beckoned everyone to take their positions, and then walked behind him: "Boss, please take us to worship the king of the sea first, and then you can lift the anchor and go to sea." ”

Last night, Lao Xianyu had already explained these rules to Zhang Zhao in detail, and he took Lao Xianyu and a group of sailors to stand on the bow of the boat and bow to the sea three times, and then each of them lifted a jar of wine and smashed it under his feet. The old salted fish handed over another jar of wine and asked Zhang Zhao to throw it towards the sea.

This jar of wine is to honor the god of the sea for a safe voyage, and the farther away the better. Zhang Zhao lifted the wine jar and turned half a circle, focusing on the spiritual power of his whole body on his arms, and threw the wine jar far away with a "whew", and everyone saw a black dot flying out high, and they couldn't even see where it landed.

"Well, that's a good omen. The old salted fish and the sailors cheered. The onlookers also cheered in unison, when the new ship went to sea, the rest of the people could not board the ship, Liang Laosi and dozens of brothers raised their voices on the dock and shouted: "Jiaolong goes to sea, the wind and rain are safe." ”

"Boss, please lead us to anchor. Before the two dozen sailors could come up, Zhang Zhao had already lifted the anchor rope with the thickness of his arm, and "hehe" pulled each other repeatedly, and the iron anchor with thousands of catties was pulled up and hung on the side of the ship by him alone.

"The owner is really good. These sailors were amazed to see that Zhang Zhao was young but had such great strength, they originally ventured out to sea this time in the face of the old salted fish, and they all felt very settled in their hearts when they saw Zhang Zhao's extraordinary skills.

"Open the cable. Liang Laosi called for people to untie the dozens of cables tied to the dock, and after the sailors on the boat collected the cables, the old salted fish nodded at Zhang Zhao, and Zhang Zhao raised his arms and shouted: "Go to sea." ”

The old salted fish ordered the sailors to return to their positions, and he turned back with the rudder in his hand and shouted, "Push the oars." As he spoke, dozens of long oars poked out of the oar holes under the big boat. With the sound of the trumpet, the big black boat slowly headed towards the sea.

Zhang Zhao stood at the bow of the boat and felt his feet move, and the object in front of him moved, and the big ship left the dock and slowly moved forward. "Have a nice trip. He listened to the cries of Liang Laosi and the others on the shore, and just wanted to turn around and wave, but remembered the old salted fish's instructions and stubbornly kept his body still.

No one on board was allowed to look back when they left the port. On the boat, you can't ask when you will arrive in Xuanshui City, you can't say such unlucky words as turning to death, and you can't put your chopsticks horizontally on the bowl when you eat. Although Zhang Zhao felt that these things were irrelevant, he still honestly followed the rules and kept his eyes on the front.

(End of chapter)