Volume 1: Mission in Danger Chapter 49: Protecting an Orphan
Cai Qiaozhu nodded in agreement.
Wu Liu said, "Madam, don't worry! Wu Liu has nothing but a loyal heart! Although I am not capable enough, as long as I am alive, I will definitely serve Master Guang well."
"If the Wu family is ruined, what's the point of serving them?" Cai Qiaozhu said, "If Ah Liu is willing to take Guang'er as your godson, we, the entire Wu family, will be grateful. However, there is another difficulty in this matter."
Wu Liu said: "Madam, if you have any difficulties, please tell me all of them."
Cai Qiaozhu said: "This time, it's not as simple as fleeing to the countryside or other provinces. Maybe we have to flee to a foreign country. According to Uncle San's plan, we will most likely go to Southeast Asia."
Wu Liu said: "Nanyang is Nanyang, don't be afraid. It's just a few days of sailing."
Cai Qiaozhu was a little surprised to see that he agreed so easily. Wu Liu was a little embarrassed: "Actually... Madam, I have been out to sea."
Cai Qiaozhu was even more surprised: "You have been out to sea? When? This... How is this possible!"
Wu Liu was not recruited from outside, but was the son of Wu Erliang. He had been in the Wu family for ten years longer than Cai Qiaozhu. He was a born and raised servant in the family, and his background was very clear. How could he have ever been out to sea?
"I didn't go for long..." Wu Liu said hesitantly, "There was one time when the Third Young Master was going on a long sea voyage without telling anyone. I learned about it from Xiao Qi at that time. I was tempted at the time, so Xiao Qi begged the Third Young Master to make up an excuse to let me go out on business, but in fact, I followed the Third Young Master to go on a sea voyage."
Wu Chengjian actually went out to sea? This so-called going out to sea could not be referring to Baietan.
Cai Qiaozhu asked: "What's the flower number?"
"Yes." Wu Liu said, "The Third Young Master knows a lot about overseas affairs, such as sailing in the South China Sea, several countries in Southeast Asia, Manila, Siam, and many other things. Those country bumpkins think that going to Southeast Asia is like going through the gates of hell, but we don't think it's a big deal when we hear the Third Young Master say that. As long as we pay attention to the weather and don't have bad luck and encounter strong winds and waves, it will only take a few days or ten days, which is easier than going to Beijing."
Cai Qiaozhu stood there, speechless for a moment.
His family had heard many absurd things about Wu Chengjian, but he actually went out to sea without telling anyone, although he might not have gone far - if he really went to Siam and Luzon, he would definitely not be able to hide it from his family, but daring to sail a large ship overseas was also a violation of the law.
In the past, Cai Qiaozhu would have called her brother-in-law to have a good talk with him, telling him to be careful not to cause trouble for the family. But at this moment, she suddenly felt that her uncle had been to sea before, so he probably knew everything about the South China Sea and sailing, and his arrangements for Guang'er were much more appropriate than she had expected. All of a sudden, she felt more confident about Guang'er's prospect of going to Luzon, and felt much more at ease.
Then Wu Liu said, "So, Madam, if it is the Third Young Master's arrangement to take Young Master Guang to the sea for refuge, you don't have to worry too much. It's not a difficult task for me."
Cai Qiaozhu nodded and said, "If you agree, I will call Guang'er to come and ask him to be your godfather."
"This won't do. We can't do this. We can't do this!" Wu Liu waved his hands quickly.
Cai Qiaozhu asked: "Why, you don't want to?"
"It's not that I don't want to, it's that I don't dare. Besides..." Wu Liu said, "I think the most I can do is to escort Young Master Guang to Southeast Asia. I'll come back when the situation in Guangzhou is settled. By then, Young Master Guang will have me as his godfather, which will be too embarrassing for him."
Cai Qiaozhu smiled bitterly and said, "Here in Guangzhou... I'm afraid the situation won't be so easy to settle."
Who knew that Wu Liu said: "I think you are worrying too much, Madam. You will definitely pass this test."
Seeing him so confident, Cai Qiaozhu was a little surprised: "You... now everyone in Xiguan is pessimistic about our Wu family. Everyone thinks we are going to fail this time. Why are you so sure that we can pass this test?"
Wu Liu was a little hesitant.
Cai Qiaozhu asked: "Why, is there anything else you can't tell me?"
Wu Liu thought for a moment and said, " Forget it . Others can't say it, but the eldest young lady shouldn't mind. It's like this. Xiao Qi came to me the other day and said that the third young master was in a bad mood recently. I asked him why he was in a bad mood. Xiao Qi said that the third young master was depressed because he thought about the days he would have to live in the future trapped by the abacus and account books, and he might be trapped for the rest of his life."
Cai Qiaozhu was a little stunned after hearing this.
"Madam, think about it," Wu Liu said, "If the Third Young Master was in a bad mood because the current situation was so bad and the Wu family was about to be destroyed, then that would be understandable, but he was depressed about being trapped in the abacus and account books for the rest of his life. It's obvious that he has a clear plan for the current situation."
Cai Qiaozhu was stunned and asked, "He... is confident?"
"Well, most likely." Wu Liu said, "If he hadn't been confident about this hurdle, how could he have thought about the long-term things in the future? So Xiao Qi told me not to take this hurdle too seriously. The Third Young Master just treated it as a game and told me not to worry."
Cai Qiaozhu asked, "Did Xiaoqi tell you all this?"
"Um."
"He..." Cai Qiaozhu murmured in a low voice: "Isn't he deliberately spreading the word to reassure me?"
"It shouldn't be." Wu Liu said, "Xiao Qi is either playing tricks on me or telling the truth. I have been able to tell the difference since I was a child."
Cai Qiaozhu felt relieved after hearing Wu Liu's words. Maybe Uncle San really had some way to deal with it? She couldn't help but think of how her husband had told her more than once that her brother just didn't want to put in the effort. If he did, he would have more ideas than anyone else.
She almost wanted to call Wu Chengjian over to ask him about it, but after thinking about it carefully, she realized that her brother-in-law had always been very opinionated. If he had made up his mind not to tell her, she was afraid that she would not be able to get the truth out of him no matter how much she forced him or seduced him, so she gave up.
On the second day, Wu Erliang came over from the backyard and called Wu Liu over. Cai Qiaozhu knew that her father-in-law would also have something to say to Wu Liu.
Because he was thinking about how to send Guang'er away, he asked Lian Qiao to send a servant out to invite Manager Hou San to come over.
Yihehang's groceries have been sold smoothly this year, and the debt for the in-laws' tea has been settled. However, the money was sealed in the Pan family's warehouse first, and the batch of in-house tea has disappeared. Therefore, shopkeeper Hou San has been idle for the past two days. When the eldest young lady came to invite him one day, he knew that he probably had something to do, so he came quickly.
The two met in the small hall, and Cai Qiaozhu said, "There have been a lot of things going on at home recently, and a distant relative who didn't know the situation here came all the way to ask my family to do something. The master didn't show any mercy, and has already agreed and told me the task. I think I can only ask Uncle Hou for help."
Shopkeeper Hou San said quickly, "Madam, what polite words are you saying? If you have any instructions, just tell me directly."
Cai Qiaozhu said, "In my hometown in Fujian, there is a young man who has committed a crime. It's not a big crime, but if it's exposed, his family will be worried, so they have to flee to Luzon to avoid the limelight for a year or two. The relatives there have been arranged, but they still need someone who can communicate with the foreigners to follow them for a year or two, just in case. Chengjun is sick, and Uncle Hou has always been in charge of the family's foreign affairs. Uncle Hou has a wide network of contacts in foreign affairs, so I thought it would be better to ask Uncle Hou to do this instead of asking others to do it."
Shopkeeper Hou San said, "We just need an interpreter. It's normal for someone traveling overseas to be away for one or two years. It's no big deal." He then asked if there were any other requests.
Cai Qiaozhu said: "The most important thing is that the person must be reliable, not a cunning person. And he should not be too old, lest he cannot withstand the hardships of the storm."
Shopkeeper Hou San said, "Of course, but I don't know when it will be needed."
Cai Qiaozhu said, "The sooner the better. Don't wait three days. It would be best if we can set off within one or two days."
"So urgent..." Shopkeeper Hou San said, "Then there is not much room for choice, and the money..."
Cai Qiaozhu said, "As long as the person is reliable, we will give him preferential treatment in terms of money. Has our Wu family ever treated anyone unfairly?"
Shopkeeper Hou San said, "I have two or three candidates in mind. Let me go out and ask around. I will come back this afternoon to give the eldest young lady a reply."
Cai Qiaozhu said: "This is not a very upright thing. Before the candidate is decided, please cover up for the reasons, Uncle Hou."
"Don't worry, don't worry." Shopkeeper Hou San said, "I will know how to handle the situation properly."
Manager Hou San went out for a while and came back in the afternoon and said, "We have already decided on two people, both of whom are quite reliable. One is from Xiqiao, Foshan, named Hu Laoqi. He has secretly traveled to Southeast Asia twice. He is 42 or 43 years old this year, but he is strong and can be used. He can speak Luzon dialect, Fujian dialect and Portuguese, and a little English. With his hand gestures, he can handle daily life even on the English ship. The master also knows this person.
"The other one is a young man born in Macau, half foreign, who can speak Arabic, Portuguese and English. He cannot speak Fujianese, but he is fluent in Cantonese. He is about 25 or 26 years old, and has already sailed through the ocean twice. He knows everything about shipboard.
"These two people, Hu Laoqi had already set up a family business, but unexpectedly last year my mother suddenly fell seriously ill, and the family's remaining money was emptied out. I urgently need some money, so I want to go to sea to make money. If I choose him, I must advance him 80% of the silver. When we are on the ship, in Nanyang, we only need to provide food, no money is needed.
"That half-foreign young man is called Abel. He just happened to be changing his employer. It would be much cheaper if we chose him, and we can just pay him monthly."
Cai Qiaozhu pondered for a while and said, "Uncle Hou, wait a moment. I will go to the backyard to ask the master."
