Chapter 54

"Brother Luo, how about it? Don't go see the lanterns tonight. Instead, come to our boat and let me give you another engagement gift, okay?" Hong Tao was not afraid of the Luo family's status. The Tanka people were already in such a sorry state; what was there left to lose? What was there left for others to scheme over? At worst, they could sail to another place. As long as there was the sea, they would be fine. A disgraced official from Qiongzhou couldn't chase them to Guangzhou or Quanzhou, right? If that didn't work, they could go to Southeast Asian island countries. As long as he was there, he would be a formidable presence wherever he went, at least he wouldn't starve.

"Of course, but I need to go back and change clothes. It wouldn't be proper to come like this. I'll take my leave first. Please send someone to the dock to welcome me when the time comes. Also, Brother Hong, could you lend me a boat so I can go back?" Luo Youde was very agreeable this time, without any hesitation, but he had just vomited so much that he couldn't manage a smile.

"Hahahaha... The bet was just for fun, Brother Luo, don't take it seriously. Even if we hadn't bet, I would have taken you for a ride on the new boat. I have no use for such a good boat. I can't fish with it, and no one helps me row. Why don't you keep it as a token of my gratitude for your family's care these past few days? Don't refuse!" Hong Tao remembered that the boat already belonged to him, and the boatmen had already gone ashore. But he really had no use for the boat, so he decided to give it back to Luo Youde, making everyone look good.

"Brother Hong, you are too generous, but I can't accept it. You don't fully understand the rules of the Song Dynasty. If you give me the boat, I, Luo Youde, won't be able to show my face in Zhenzhou. If you don't like the boat, that's fine. I'll buy it back and send it with the engagement gift. Please don't push me to the wall!" Luo Youde didn't take the easy way out. He said he was afraid of the reputation of not honoring a bet, and proposed another solution.

"Then I'll leave it to you, Brother Luo. I'll be waiting for you at the dock at dusk!" Hong Tao almost extended his hand for a handshake, but he quickly followed it with his left hand, mimicking the Song Dynasty gesture of clasping his hands.

"Wrong, the left hand should be on the outside, like this!" Luo Youde was quite amusing. He knew he was wrong, but he still pointed it out. After Hong Tao corrected his gesture, they helped each other onto the boat and left.

"Well, everyone's gone. Azhu, stop pretending to be shy. You'll be my wife tonight. Come, help me take down the sail. Our boat is broken and needs to be fixed before I can give it to you. Tell Uncle Wen that the bow is cracked and see if he has any good ideas!" In a few words, the crowd on the beach dispersed, leaving only Azhu and the Wen family. Hong Tao patted Azhu's head. For a young woman to be in this situation was quite pitiful. As soon as she heard someone was marrying her, her grandfather quickly got rid of her.

"Ah! It's broken! I'll go find them!" Azhu was immersed in the joy of her engagement to Hong Tao, but as soon as she heard the boat was broken, she forgot all about it. She put her hands on her hips and shouted at the Wen family. Hong Tao couldn't understand a word, the speed was too fast, but it definitely wasn't good. Wen Laoer was also upset and called his sons to run to the boat to see what was wrong with the bow. This was a blow to the Wen family's reputation!

It turned out that Karl wasn't lying, nor was Hong Tao. The bow of the boat was indeed cracked, and seawater was seeping in. The bottom of the boat was already flooded. Wen Laoer had nothing to say. He silently had his sons pull the boat back onto the beach with wooden tracks and a winch, propped it up with scaffolding, and stared at the two broken outer planks of the bow. He couldn't understand how the planks, which were neither damaged nor cracked, could suddenly break.

"Uncle Wen, it's not your fault. I drove the boat too fast, and this structure can't withstand the impact of the waves. It's fine, I'll drive slower in the future. But I need to trouble you to replace the two planks. Also, I suggest finding a copper plate, thin it out, and cover the bow, securing it with iron bolts through the ribs. This way, the seawater won't directly hit the seams, and it will be more effective." Hong Tao understood that the materials of this era couldn't withstand strong impacts. He didn't need to deceive the old man, whose craftsmanship was indeed excellent, and he would need him to build more boats in the future. As for how to handle it, Hong Tao had no better solution. Covering the bow with copper would help, at least the planks wouldn't be split by the waves. But if he still pushed the boat to its limits, it wouldn't work. One strong wave could break the planks or the ribs.

"Copper plate... The government doesn't allow private use of copper..." Hong Tao's simple solution became a problem in the Song Dynasty. Copper was a government-controlled material, used to make coins. If everyone had it, the Song economy would collapse, and everyone would mint their own coins.

"Is that so... Then let's just replace the planks, no copper plate. Uncle Wen, I want to talk to you about something serious. I've formed a cooperative with the Bo, Huang, Chen, Weng, and Bu families. We fish, sell fish, and build boats together, and we share profits according to our shares. The Tanka people can't win against the sea by working alone; we will always live in hardship. Only by uniting can we become strong. In the future, I will build more and larger, sturdier fast boats. If you join our cooperative, you can contribute your boat-building skills as shares. Whether or not your family builds boats, you will still receive dividends. Whenever the cooperative members catch fish and make money, you will get a share. I also want to organize the Tanka people to engage in maritime trade. With these boats and our expertise at sea, why can't we earn more money?"

"Can you teach my grandson to build your fast boat? My son and I promise not to learn!" After Azhu translated Hong Tao's words, Wen Laoer lowered his head and thought for a moment, then made a request that Hong Tao didn't expect. This simple idea was just to give his descendants a way to survive.

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