Chapter 53

"Hehehe... Gentlemen, I still underplayed it earlier. Now it's at least 15 knots, which is 110 li per hour. How about that? With my boat, we can leave Zhenzhou in the morning and arrive in Guangzhou by night, right?" As Ximei Island drew closer, Hong Tao proudly continued to boast to the Luo brothers behind him. In fact, this speed could only be achieved in relatively calm coastal waters. Once in the open sea with stronger winds and waves, it was uncertain whether the bow's structure could withstand the impact of the waves, and it might crack during the journey.

"Miracle! It's simply a miracle!..." Luo Youde didn't dare to open his mouth to speak, fearing that a wave might splash in and fill his mouth with seawater.

"HAHAHAHA..." Hong Tao enjoyed seeing others in discomfort. To make himself look even more impressive, he risked capsizing the boat and made a 180-degree turn with the wind while still in front of Ximei Island, without lowering the sails, and without warning the two men behind him. As a result, Luo Youde and Luo Dacai, who were just struggling to keep their balance to the left, were thrown off balance again by the sudden tilt of the boat and ended up sitting on the deck.

When the black-sailed boat shot back to the small harbor of the Wen family, the paddle wheel boat was still half a li away from the dock. It was once again overtaken by the sailboat. The eight men on the paddle wheel boat were so embarrassed that they all kept their heads down, not daring to approach the dock. Luo Youde and Luo Dacai, the two owners, were also thoroughly humiliated. They had seasickness, and as soon as the ballast sail and the triangular sail were lowered and the boat stabilized, they leaned over the railing and vomited, spewing out green bile.

"Captain, our ship is leaking... There's a crack as wide as a finger at the bow..." Karl was still very responsible. After securing the sails, he went down to the cabin to check and brought back bad news for Hong Tao. It seemed he had pushed it too far. The bow's structure was too thin to withstand the impact of the waves at high speed. Fortunately, Karl spoke German, and Luo Youde and Luo Dacai didn't understand, so Hong Tao acted as if nothing had happened. He supported one of the men with each arm, walked off the boat with his chest out, and began to receive the cheers of Bozhu and the other young people. It was incredibly satisfying!

"Kid, you are an eagle of the sea. The Tanka people can't hold you. Will you take Ahzhu with you when you fly away? She has a hard fate, and no one dares to marry her. You are an eagle, and you are not afraid!" Old Bo Fu was a bit excited. He was as straightforward as ever, saying whatever came to his mind. Although he often seemed out of place, he could sense that someone with such skills wouldn't stay with the Tanka people forever. The Tanka people couldn't study or become officials, so they couldn't provide Hong Tao with a future. Once his wings were strong enough, he would eventually fly away.

"Uncle Fu, the first thing I saw when I came into this world was you and Second Brother. Without the Tanka people, I might have starved to death. I am not an eagle. An eagle can dominate the sky over the land, but it cannot soar over the sea. We, the Tanka people, should be swordfish in the sea. Wherever there is the ocean, that is our home. Wherever there are fish, that is our hunting ground. Who says people must rely on the mainland to live? Watch me, I will lead everyone to conquer the entire sea. When the sea becomes our home, even the officials of the Song Dynasty will need our permission to go to sea!" Hong Tao hugged Old Bo Fu, who was a head shorter than him. He actually liked this old man the most. Chen Ming'en was educated but timid, and Huang Hai was well-informed but cunning. Only Bo Fu was straightforward and never pretended with his own people. Such a person was almost transparent; you didn't have to worry about being stabbed in the back when standing in front of him.

"Tao, don't talk nonsense..." Chen Ming'en was initially pleased with Hong Tao's words, but the last sentence made him panic. He glanced at Luo Youde and Luo Dacai, who were still clutching their stomachs in discomfort, and tugged at Hong Tao.

"Hehehe... Alright, no more talk. In my hometown, there is a betrothal ceremony before marriage. Since I am getting married, let's follow the customs of my hometown. We Tanka people can't celebrate in a restaurant on land, so let's have the betrothal banquet on our row of boats. It's the Mid-Autumn Festival today, so I will get engaged to Ahzhu tonight. This boat will be my betrothal gift to Ahzhu. Uncle Fu, do you agree?" Deceiving a straightforward person would be too unethical. In his previous life, he had experienced many women from all over the world. Marrying Ahzhu, who wasn't unattractive, wasn't too difficult for him. He needed the Tanka people more than they needed him. Without him, the Tanka people could still survive, but without the Tanka people, he would lose his strength. Luo Youde was a merchant, and merchants could only exchange interests; they couldn't stand behind him. Only Tanka people like Bo Fu could stand behind him.

"Little Second, take your brother and row the boat with me to buy wine! Tell all the Tanka boats in the harbor to come for the drinking tonight. I, Bo Fu, am going to marry off my daughter!" This time, Old Bo Fu didn't calculate the cost. He patted his chest proudly, shouted loudly, and went up to the small wooden boat with his two sons, pulling up the black sail and heading for Zhenzhou Harbor. As for Ahzhu, he left her to Hong Tao.

"Grandpa, I am going to marry Ahzhu. Do you agree?" As his godfather, Chen Ming'en also deserved to be asked for his approval.

"Agree... Agree... I and Uncle Huang will help you arrange it! The other guests, you can invite them yourself." Chen Ming'en didn't expect Hong Tao to be so straightforward. Since his mysterious godson had connected with the Luo family, he thought Hong Tao would soon leave the Tanka people. With the Luo family's protection, changing his status would be easy. But Hong Tao turned out to be very traditional, unswayed by wealth and honor. This made him very happy. Who wouldn't want a successful son, even if he was a godson? With his son getting engaged, the father naturally had to work hard to arrange everything, but he didn't dare to invite the Luo family, as they were too influential.

Hong Tao understood Chen Ming'en's concerns. The Luo family was a powerful clan in Qiongzhou, a semi-official, semi-merchant family. It was said that their clan leader, implicated in a rebellion, was demoted from Lin'an and became a judge in Qiongzhou. As for what role Luo Youde played in the Luo family, Hong Tao wasn't quite sure. He had heard this from Huang Hai over the past few days. Huang Hai probably feared that Hong Tao would get too close to Luo Youde and was reminding him of the other party's status, so he wouldn't rashly approach them.

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