TIPS – Chapter 75

But now, he was extremely hesitant.

No matter what, though, he had to meet this Yuan Guanlin.

Shen Junxi heard his wife ask, “Do you know the way to the docks?”

He nodded and gestured, “I do. Is there something you need?” Since his wife was not in the best physical condition, he had taken it upon himself to handle everything.

“There’s something I need to take care of at the docks. Do you have time right now?” Song Jingwei paused for a moment, then realized the other person was unlikely to refuse and said, “Put on your cloak and come with me.”

Shen Junxi gestured, “Right now?” As he spoke, he walked to the wardrobe—not just to grab his own cloak, but to first take out Song Jingwei’s, choosing the thickest one.

“It’s not that cold right now,” Song Jingwei said with a mix of amusement and exasperation. If he went out wrapped in that rabbit fur cloak, he was bound to become a joke.

“The wind is strong at the docks,” Shen Junxi gestured. In truth, he didn’t want his wife going there at all—it was too far, and the weather didn’t look promising.

“Forget it, let’s go quickly. We don’t have much time,” Song Jingwei said, deciding not to argue over the cloak. They had less than a day, and walking to the docks would take at least an hour… maybe even longer.

“Alright.” Shen Junxi quickly calculated the time. Factoring in whatever business his wife had to take care of, the round trip alone would take over an hour—longer if they walked at a slower pace. That would make things even more difficult.

“Go tell your parents we’ll probably be back in the afternoon,” Song Jingwei said, fastening his cloak. The large cloak wrapped him up completely.

“Okay.” Shen Junxi immediately went to find Yang Shi.

When Yang Shi heard that her son and daughter-in-law were going to the docks, she grew worried. “That’s too far. How will you manage? And the weather isn’t great—can’t you go another day?”

In truth, she was thinking that if something needed to be done, one of the men in the family could take care of it. Why did her daughter-in-law need to get involved?

Shen Junxi gestured, “My wife says she wants to go. It’s fine—I’ll be with him.”

Yang Shi knew that Song Jingwei was firm in his decisions, so she could only sigh. “You two… You just let him have his way. And have you looked at his belly…” But she also knew there was no use saying more.

“Don’t worry, Mother. I’ll take good care of my wife,” Shen Junxi reassured her. Since he couldn’t stop Song Jingwei, he could only do his best to protect him.

“Alright, alright. You never listen to me anyway. Just be careful on the road, and don’t let anything go wrong.”

“Understood.” Shen Junxi said goodbye to his mother and quickly returned to the room to wait for Song Jingwei, his eyes shining as he looked at him.

“All set?” Song Jingwei smiled at him—the kind of reward the young man wanted.

“Yes.” Shen Junxi nodded eagerly.

“Then let’s go.”

The sky remained gloomy, but fortunately, it was only a cold, overcast day—it wasn’t raining. Braving the early winter wind, the two set off quickly.

To walk more steadily, Shen Junxi took Song Jingwei’s arm, keeping close by his side.

Song Jingwei didn’t refuse. After all, they were both dressed warmly, so staying close wasn’t awkward.

An hour later, around lunchtime, they arrived at the docks.

Today was the tenth day of the month, and the docks held a market every ten days. They saw merchants moving about, bargaining and negotiating, while ships of all sizes were moored along the shore. Dockworkers were busy loading and unloading cargo.

For both of them, this was one of their first visits, so the place still felt unfamiliar.

Following the shop sign from the invitation, Song Jingwei searched for Yuan Guanlin’s ship.

A burly man in short sleeves and long pants approached them, giving Song Jingwei a once-over before speaking. “Are you the one named Song?”

“I am,” Song Jingwei replied, raising an eyebrow as he examined the man in return. He was likely one of Yuan Guanlin’s men.

“Then come with me. Our Second Master is waiting for you.” The man’s voice was rough.

“Your Second Master—he’s Yuan Guanlin?” Song Jingwei asked instead of following immediately.

“Of course! Who else would invite a pretty boy like you?” The man scoffed, then added, “Today is our Second Master’s birthday, you know?”

Seeing that Song Jingwei was empty-handed, he sneered, “Didn’t even bring a gift? How stingy.”

“I didn’t know it was his birthday,” Song Jingwei replied indifferently. Even if he had known, he wouldn’t necessarily have brought a gift.

“Hmph. Well, now you know. Let’s go.” The man took a couple of steps forward, then turned back and said, “Only the one named Song can come aboard. If you don’t have an invitation, stay behind.”

He was obviously referring to Shen Junxi.

“Why not?” Song Jingwei frowned. Attending a wedding banquet allowed for a plus-one—why should a birthday celebration be any different?

“You only have one invitation, so only one person can board. Did you think our ship was open to just anyone?” The man glared at Song Jingwei. “Hurry up—you, and only you, follow me.”

Song Jingwei was silent for a moment before saying to Shen Junxi, “It looks like I’ll have to go up by myself. Do you want to wait here for me, or head back on your own?”

Shen Junxi immediately shook his head and gestured, “I’ll go up with you.” How could he let his wife board a stranger’s ship alone? These sailors were no better than bandits—not the kind of people to be trusted.

“They won’t allow it.” Song Jingwei didn’t actually mind Shen Junxi accompanying him, even if it meant getting mocked by Yuan Guanlin. He patiently suggested, “How about you wait for me here? I’ll try to be quick.”

“…” Shen Junxi shook his head again, his expression filled with worry. He was truly uneasy.

“What are you two dawdling for? If you’re coming, hurry up. If not, forget it,” the burly man urged impatiently.

“Listen to me. Wait for me here.” Song Jingwei patted Shen Junxi’s hand in a firm, no-nonsense manner before striding forward.

“…” Shen Junxi instinctively took two steps after him, but when he saw his wife turn back and warn him with his eyes, he stopped abruptly. Still, he felt deeply unsettled, wishing he could follow. No one could understand the worry and emptiness he felt—like his wife and baby were being taken away from him. It left him anxious and restless.

Following the burly man, Song Jingwei boarded the ship. Along the way, he saw workers loading cargo and others leaning against the railing, chatting. They all turned their attention to the newcomer, their gazes unabashedly curious and aggressive.

To these men, Song Jingwei—fair-skinned and well-dressed—fell into their category of potential partners.

Some even whistled at him, while others deliberately exposed their muscular chests. A few were cruder, flashing him lewd smiles.

Song Jingwei ignored them all. He was a highly goal-oriented person—anything irrelevant to his purpose didn’t concern him.

“Second Boss, he’s here,” the burly man said loudly as he pushed open the door to a spacious cabin.

Inside, the room was lively, filled with people celebrating Yuan Guanlin’s birthday. Yuan Guanlin was dressed as usual, but the rare smile on his face softened his otherwise sharp features.

“Who’s here?” he asked, but as he spoke, his dark brows lifted—he had already spotted Song Jingwei standing outside the cabin.

“Second Boss Yuan—that’s the right way to address you, isn’t it?” Song Jingwei stepped into the cabin and said, “I didn’t know today was your birthday. I apologize for not bringing a gift.”

Yuan Guanlin stood with one foot resting on a chair. Upon hearing this, he lowered his leg and pulled the chair closer, facing Song Jingwei. “You’re here. Come, sit, and have a drink.”

Seeing that Song Jingwei didn’t move, he grinned. “A gift isn’t necessary, but not drinking isn’t an option.”

The burly man who had led Song Jingwei in scoffed, “Second Boss, you’re giving this kid too much credit. Does he even look like he can handle alcohol?” His gaze toward Song Jingwei was full of disdain.

“You won’t know until he tries,” Yuan Guanlin said, pouring a full bowl of wine and holding it out. “Come on, if you’re serious about doing business with me, drink this. Consider it my birthday gift.”

Song Jingwei walked over and said, “I don’t drink. Can I replace it with tea?”

“Hahahaha!” The men burst into laughter.

“What did he say? Replace it with tea?”

“Do we even have tea on this ship?”

“No,” Yuan Guanlin answered, smirking as he joined in on the laughter.

The men roared with even greater amusement.

Song Jingwei, however, remained indifferent, letting them laugh as much as they wanted. He simply looked at Yuan Guanlin seriously and said, “I am sincere about doing business with you. Whether or not I drink has nothing to do with that. Business is about profit. And I believe that a long-term partner who can supply you with high-value goods is what you truly need.”

“High-value goods? Long-term supply?” Yuan Guanlin sneered. “From that barren land of yours? What could you possibly produce that’s worth anything?”

Their trade routes mainly dealt with medicinal herbs and porcelain—high-profit items. They rarely transported grain. However, tea was something they could consider; it was lightweight, durable, and had a long shelf life.

“If I fail to deliver, it’s my loss, not yours. You have nothing to worry about,” Song Jingwei said.

That made sense—after all, Yuan Guanlin was only responsible for taking the goods. But something about it still annoyed him. “So you want to do business but won’t drink this bowl of wine?”

“I can’t drink,” Song Jingwei replied.

Yuan Guanlin’s face darkened. He wasn’t going to let Song Jingwei brush this off so easily. “Even if you have a terrible tolerance, no one here will laugh at you. I poured this drink myself. If you’re serious about working with me, refusing to drink is unacceptable.”

And besides, today was his birthday.

Song Jingwei understood the reasoning. Under normal circumstances, he would have just drunk the wine. But right now, he truly couldn’t.

“I can’t drink alcohol. How about, as I mentioned earlier, I toast you with tea instead?” Song Jingwei asked again.

“No way. If you can’t drink, then there’s no need to do business.” Yuan Guanlin said coldly. There’s a saying—one should not ask more than three times. He had already tried to persuade Song Jingwei several times, yet the other party still refused to give him face. Yuan Guanlin was already feeling annoyed.

“Second Boss, why insist on this one bowl of wine? If you really want to punish me for not drinking, we can wait until next year when we start doing business together—”

“Shut up! If you won’t drink, then forget it. By next year, even if you want to drink, I might not bother pouring for you.” Yuan Guanlin sneered. In his eyes, Song Jingwei was being pretentious, putting on airs. He thought, Who does this countryside nobody think he is? If this deal didn’t go through, so be it—his ship would sail just the same.

“Second Boss—”

“Get lost.” Yuan Guanlin said, lifting the bowl he had poured himself and downing it in one gulp.

Seeing that Yuan Guanlin wouldn’t even spare him another glance, Song Jingwei knew this business deal was over. He had already anticipated this outcome before coming, yet he still felt unwilling to give up.

Just as he was about to make one last effort, the ship suddenly rocked. The men on board were used to such movements; they simply held onto their large bowls, waiting for the waves to pass.

The shaking wasn’t particularly severe, but Song Jingwei felt dizzy and unsteady on his feet.

The men burst into laughter at his distress.

“Look at that pretty boy—he can’t even stand properly! Hahaha!”

“And he wants to do business with our Second Boss? Just get lost already—go back where you came from!”

Hearing their jeers, Song Jingwei’s dizziness worsened. He quickly sat down, not caring how ungraceful he looked. He didn’t care about their mockery—his only thought was that he could not fall.

“Hey?” Yuan Guanlin didn’t join in the laughter. Instead, seeing Song Jingwei’s condition, he became serious and asked, “What’s wrong with you? Are you alright?” Even though he didn’t like Song Jingwei, it wouldn’t be good if something happened to him on his ship.

“…” Song Jingwei didn’t respond, waiting for the dizziness to pass.

“You get seasick?” Yuan Guanlin stepped closer and finally noticed how pale Song Jingwei looked. He scoffed, but then shouted toward the deck, “Hey! Someone go get Old Wu!”

A moment later, a middle-aged man with a thin mustache walked in. “Who got drunk this time?” he asked as he entered.

“No one’s drunk. But we’ve got a seasick one here.” Yuan Guanlin pointed at Song Jingwei. “Check him out and give him some medicine for it.”

“Let me see.” Old Wu squinted at Song Jingwei, a stranger to him. His complexion looked like he might be seasick, but also… not quite. “Where do you feel unwell, young man?” he asked, grabbing Song Jingwei’s wrist and checking his pulse. After a moment, his expression changed.

“Huh?”

“What?” Yuan Guanlin frowned. “Is he about to die or something? Why do you look so surprised?”

“This man is over seven months pregnant. He needs to get off the ship immediately.” Old Wu let go of Song Jingwei’s hand and stated the fact plainly.

“…What?” Yuan Guanlin’s eyes widened in shock. Behind him, the rest of the crew also stared, equally stunned.

A cabin full of rough sailors, all at a complete loss over a pregnant man.

“What do we do now?” they muttered among themselves.

Old Wu simply said, “Someone help him off the ship.”

Yuan Guanlin frowned. “You’re the doctor—you help him off the ship.” No one else dared to touch a pregnant man.

“He’s not my responsibility. I didn’t bring him on board. Why should I be the one to take him down?” Old Wu refused, folding his arms and standing aside.

“Yeah, yeah.” Yuan Guanlin turned to his men. “Who brought him up here? Get your ass out here!”

At his sharp gaze, the crew members all shrank back, none of them eager to admit anything. Just moments ago, they were laughing at Song Jingwei—now, they wanted nothing to do with him.

“You all planning to defy me?” Yuan Guanlin’s eyes flashed dangerously. “Who was it? Step forward!”

Finally, the man who had brought Song Jingwei hesitantly stepped out, his face scrunched up. “Second Boss, when he came aboard, there was another man with him—probably his husband. I’ll go look for him.” And with that, he bolted out the door like his life depended on it, as if afraid the pregnant man would somehow latch onto him.

Meanwhile, Shen Junxi had been waiting anxiously on the shore, keeping his eyes on the ship. His wife had been aboard for some time now, and the sky was getting darker. His stomach had started growling earlier—was his wife hungry too? Had he been given anything to eat? Had the business negotiations gone well?

His mind wandered with all sorts of thoughts, mainly to distract himself from his unease.

Suddenly, a burly man rushed up to him and barked, “You! You! You came with that guy named Song, right?”

Shen Junxi quickly nodded. “Mm-hmm!” His eyes filled with confusion—what was going on? The man seemed so urgent… did something happen to his wife?