Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 323 Tips
Guo Xiong listened to his second brother's words without saying a word for a long time. He had served in the army before, but had to return home because he injured one leg and lost two toes on his right foot.

Guo Xiong was originally full of enthusiasm and wanted to earn some merit through his own abilities, but he never expected to end up like this. Naturally, he was unwilling to accept this outcome. When his parents were alive, he could still honestly farm the land. But after his parents passed away and the Feng family encountered trouble, he took this opportunity to rent out his family's land to others and went to Bianjing with Guo Chuan to make a living.

Guo Xiong knew he couldn't just take any job; he had to use his strengths to get ahead. He was an expert swimmer, and his leg injury didn't hinder him from navigating long distances in the water. His leg injury prevented him from traveling long distances, but it didn't stop him from rowing. So he came to the Bian River.

He was strong and powerful, and had the mind he had honed in the army. He won over many men who made a living on the water, bought his own boats, and carved out a path for himself in this area.

Guo Xiong bought his own boat because he couldn't stand the people on the cargo ships who would beat and bully the boatmen at the drop of a hat, and who wouldn't pay them on time, leaving many people with nowhere to go. There were so many people like that that they had to come to him for a living.

He had heard that the imperial court had new policies and that the opening of markets would inevitably increase the flow of goods, so he set his sights on the business of transporting goods on the Bian River.

As a commoner, he not only needed to have people under his command, but also could not anger the government. So from the very beginning, when he was transporting goods, he followed the rules of the imperial court. Because of this, several people tried to frame him, but failed.

A while ago, my second brother found Feng Erniang in the entertainment district and decided to redeem her. The two brothers calculated that they didn't have enough money.

The second brother was busy raising money and found a spice merchant to secretly help him transport goods. Spices were expensive and had to be levied by the government before they could be sold. The levy was at least two or three cents. After paying the levy in full, the profit was naturally much less.

Merchants then set their sights on the grain transport ships, having the boatmen smuggle spices into the city for them.

Guo Chuan took the job to earn money, and sure enough, he earned more than two hundred coins in one trip. That was several times more than he usually earned transporting goods.

This is just a small amount of spices; if more are transported, one could earn a string of cash a day.

Having tasted the sweetness of success, Guo Chuan's ambitions grew considerably. Unfortunately, Guo Xiong found out about this and forbade Guo Chuan from doing such things again. Furthermore, upon discovering Guo Chuan's association with merchants selling spices, Guo Xiong forbade Guo Chuan from boarding the ship from then on.

Guo Chuan was still afraid of his elder brother, so he could only nod in agreement.

Last night, Guo Chuan saw Feng Erniang again. She was being forced onto a high platform, her life in imminent danger. The men guarding her were grabbing and pulling her around at will, and Guo Chuan feared they might harm her one day.

Given Erniang's temperament, she would never have survived after what she had endured. Whenever Guo Chuan thought of this, he was so frightened that he could hardly breathe, fearing that he would never see Feng Erniang again.

After thinking about it all night, Guo Chuan made up his mind that he had to rescue Er Niang no matter what, and he couldn't wait any longer.

He still refused to agree when he saw his older brother.

Guo Chuan said, "If you are unwilling, I will not force you. You said that no matter how the business on Bian River turns out, it belongs to us brothers. The money for buying the boat comes from the money we earn on the water, as well as the money from the land left by our parents. It is only right that I get a share."

"I know I won't be able to contribute as much as my elder brother, so I'll just take two boats. I think my elder brother would be willing to do that, right?"

"When the time comes, just say that we brothers have separated, and that whatever I do has nothing to do with my eldest brother."

Guo Xiong looked at Guo Chuan in surprise. His younger brother suddenly seemed unfamiliar to him. His second brother had always listened to him, but now he was so determined to separate from him.

He explained it so clearly, even including what he had said before and the land his family owned.

How long have you been thinking about this?

Guo Xiong frowned: "What will happen to Feng Erniang if something happens to you? If you want the boat, you also need to keep the boatmen. Won't they be implicated?"

"They also have families. What will happen to their families if something happens to them?" Guo Chuan was taken aback, and a hint of hesitation appeared on his face, but he quickly shook his head: "So many people do this kind of thing on the Bian River, and they are all fine. How come I would be arrested just for doing it once?"

"Unless someone informs us, it is certainly impossible."

Guo Xiong frowned even more deeply: "What do you mean? Do you think I'll leak this?"

Guo Chuan had spoken those sharp words on impulse, and now he regretted them. He didn't dare look his older brother in the eye, and only whispered, "Of course I wasn't talking about you, brother, I...I..."

He said fiercely, "In short, I have no choice but to do it. Brother, either help me or give me two boats and pretend you know nothing."

"Once I've earned enough money to rescue Second Sister, I'll return the boat to my elder brother."

Guo Xiong said coldly, "No."

Guo Chuan gritted his teeth, a hint of resentment on his face: "My elder brother isn't exactly a law-abiding citizen either. He's not afraid to fight with people on the Bian River, and he even encouraged those people to betray their master and come work as boatmen for us... Isn't it dangerous if people find out about this? Why is it that if I want to do something, they'll stop me?"

"I think my elder brother is reluctant to part with his boats, unwilling to give up the business on the Bian River, and even more unwilling for me to use all the money to save my second sister."

Guo Xiong was instantly enraged and instinctively raised his hand, but he couldn't land the slap. He turned and stormed out of the cabin, boarded another ship, ignored Guo Chuan, and ordered his men: "Today we're transporting blue bricks, so give them all their strength."

As the boat sailed further and further away, Guo Xiong couldn't resist turning to look at Guo Chuan's boat, where Guo Chuan remained inside.

He gave Guo Chuan two boats not because he was reluctant to part with them, but because he was afraid that Guo Chuan would get into trouble and be discovered by the court for smuggling spices. Not only would the spices be confiscated, but the person who smuggled the goods would also be punished, and in serious cases, they might be beheaded.

He couldn't bear to watch his second brother die.

Guo Xiong couldn't think of a solution for the time being, and he kept a sullen face all day. The boatmen all knew that he always acted in a threatening manner, so they didn't take him seriously.

After delivering several boatloads of bricks to Yang Xiaoshan and settling his wages for the day, Yang Xiaoshan asked Guo Xiong with concern, "Brother Guo, what's troubling you?"

Guo Xiong hadn't expected to be seen through and was about to make an excuse when Yang Xiaoshan said, "We still need to use Brother Guo's boat for many things. Why don't we find a place to have a meal and discuss the next steps?"

Guo Xiong thought about it before agreeing.

The two ordered two bowls of noodles, ate some with a cheerful laugh, and then started chatting.

It's nothing more than trivial matters of one's own family.

Guo Xiong spoke little, but Yang Xiaoshan didn't seem to mind, and recounted most of his family's affairs. Only then did Guo Xiong realize that Yang Xiaoshan was actually from a collateral branch, yet he was highly regarded by the matriarch of the clan.

Yang Xiaoshan said, "My wife said that business in Daliang will definitely be easier in the future, but in terms of connections, we can't compare with those wealthy gentry. They usually have powerful families to rely on. Only by doing business honestly can we last long."

"Doing business relies on integrity and foresight, not on underhanded tricks."

Guo Xiong suddenly felt as if someone had tapped him.