From Hoarding to Time-Travel: My Supplies Saved Him

Chapter 528: Chapter 530: Jail Cell

Zhou Shixiong was indeed serious about the two children. Ancient Wen Heng had only just mentioned it, and the very next day, someone came over specifically to begin their daily training.

Meanwhile, the first sea vessel meticulously built by the artisans for Jin Qianqian was also completed during the autumn harvest.

Although Ancient Wen Heng had been monitoring the progress of the vessel’s construction, he had also become preoccupied with the autumn harvest during this time.

Thus, the auspicious time for the vessel’s launch had to be postponed.

The personnel dispatched by Hu Dong also finally arrived on this day, just in time.

When Jin Qianqian saw the Cao brothers standing before her, she felt her scalp tingle with unease.

"What are you all doing here?"

"Mrs. Gu, we brothers have come to answer your recruitment," Cao Lijia said, having already prepared his words.

"Isn’t it fine staying in Shangjing? Or perhaps the Shopkeeper there has slighted you?" Jin Qianqian didn’t believe her reputation was so great as to have the scions of the esteemed Minister of War Mansion come and work for her.

Back in Shangjing, no matter what trouble they got into, it was all under Mr. Cao’s watchful eye. For them to run to such a distant place now was quite surprising to her.

Cao Liye nervously nudged his eldest brother. "Brother..."

"Madam, you misunderstand," Cao Lijia said, signaling for his brothers behind him to remain calm. "It’s because we heard that you were in need of manpower here, so we insisted that Housekeeper Hu guide us over.

We brothers are all interested in your sea trade, and we hope to ride on your coattails to make a name for ourselves.

This is a letter from my grandfather, written in his own hand for Mrs. Gu."

Lichun, who was by Jin Qianqian’s side, quickly accepted the letter. Jin Qianqian opened it right in front of the Cao brothers.

’I can’t believe Mr. Cao is a man of so few words.’ With just a handful of characters, he had entrusted these scions of the Cao Family into her hands.

What she found even stranger was that there were several silver notes tucked inside the letter.

She counted them—it was a total of ten thousand taels.

’Do people have to pay to get a job these days?’

She read the letter again from the beginning. There was not a single word about the silver notes.

"What is Mr. Cao’s meaning in this?"

Cao Lijia replied, "We brothers are to be under your careful guidance, Madam. Knowing that you are currently in need of silver, our grandfather specifically instructed us to do our part."

The words were pleasant enough, but Jin Qianqian could not simply accept the silver. "Mr. Cao is far too generous. I absolutely cannot take his silver. I must ask you, Young Master Cao, to take it back."

Cao Lijia and his brothers took half a step back. "Regarding this... we brothers cannot be the ones to make that decision.

Before we left, our grandfather instructed us that once it is in your hands, Madam, you are to dispose of it as you see fit."

Three words filled Jin Qianqian’s mind at that moment: ’sly old fox.’

"I see there are five of you brothers. In that case, I will register one share in my sea trade business for each of you, under your names."

Cao Lijia protested, "We cannot accept that. It would be difficult for us to explain it to our grandfather."

Jin Qianqian said, "That settles it. However, if you want to sail with the fleet, the first requirement is that you must be proficient swimmers. I’m afraid you will have to train for some time."

The Cao brothers’ faces lit up with joy. This meant she had agreed to take them on.

Jin Qianqian was speechless. ’You’ve already come all this way. Could I possibly refuse?’

Cao Liye’s face was full of delight. "To be honest, Madam, although we brothers didn’t live by the coast, we practically grew up in the water.

We’ve been training our swimming skills since we were children."

This was a pleasant surprise, but Jin Qianqian’s expression remained neutral. "That will certainly save a lot of trouble. However, ordinary swimming is useless on the open sea. If you are all serious, I can arrange for you to train under some people who are truly familiar with the water for a while."

Although Cao Liye and his brothers were a little indignant, Cao Xiangqian had repeatedly warned them before they left to follow all instructions here and not act on their own. Thus, they gritted their teeth and agreed.

Jin Qianqian pretended not to notice their subtle reactions. She had Ming Zhong throw them into the military barracks the next day. There, someone would be assigned to let them experience the fury of the open sea and instill in them a bit of awe.

Of course, besides the members of the Cao Family, Hu Dong had also sent a full forty-some people this time. Each of them had their own particular skills, which finally eased her urgent need for manpower.

＆

「In the main prison.」

Prince Zuo Tengshang silently counted the scratches in the corner of the wall, his palm slowly tightening into a fist.

"Time to eat!" The same monotonous call echoed through the damp, cold prison.

The surrounding cells, which had been deathly silent, immediately stirred with activity. The prisoners all gripped the bars, their eyes locked on the approaching prison chief who was delivering their meals.

The prison chief didn’t spare them a second glance, simply placing the allotted food in front of each cell. By the time he moved on, the wooden trough where the food had been placed was already empty.

"These hard, black buns again? Can’t we get some rice porridge for a change?"

"Take it or leave it. Still being picky, are we? Believe it or not, next time you won’t even get these black buns," the prison chief retorted without even looking back, continuing on to the next cell.

"This is outrageous! We never even used force against you, so why are you locking us up in this place?"

"Tell your Magistrate to release us immediately! Otherwise, when our grand army arrives, it’ll be too late for regrets."

Such clamors were a daily performance in the prison, and the prison chief had long since become completely immune to them.

He now arrived at the door to Prince Zuo Tengshang’s cell, raised the ladle in his hand, and tapped on the bars. "Come and eat. Our Great General is in a good mood today. You get extra food."

After speaking, the prison chief didn’t wait for a reaction and placed a roasted chicken and a small jug of wine in the basin in front of the cell.

This time, the prisoners in the other cells erupted. It had been ages since they had eaten meat, let alone fine wine. None of them could hold back their outrage.

Unfortunately, all that stood before them were solid iron bars, which they could only beat against relentlessly.

"Why him?! The food is the same every day, so why is today different?"

The prison chief straightened up and looked back at them. "How is it the same? He made a contribution. And what about you? All you do is waste our food.

You should be grateful we give you anything to eat at all. Don’t push your luck."

The prison cells instantly fell silent. Every gaze turned in unison toward Prince Zuo Tengshang’s cell.

But the Prince was still sitting calmly in the corner, and no one had any idea what kind of contribution he could have possibly made.

Seeing the prison chief about to leave, some of them couldn’t hold back any longer. One asked in broken Mandarin, "Don’t you lie to us, old man! We’ve all been able to see each other since we got here. How could the Prince have possibly done anything to earn merit?

We heard you have a custom that whenever there’s a big celebration, the prisoners get special treatment. Don’t tell me you’ve kept our share for yourself, old man?"

The prison chief turned his head to look at the speaker. "A brain is a useful thing, but not if you refuse to use it."