Chapter 1100: Will You Really Pay Us?
Zhu Yujian also furrowed his brow. "This is truly awful. Our experience is still lacking. We were ill-prepared for the Yangtze Three Gorges. If these vessels can't be pulled upstream, won't our transport fleet be stranded here?"
Zhuge Wangchan mused, "Could it be that we'll have to go all the way to Anqing again and ask Shi Kefa to lend us some divine river boats? But a round trip like that would waste far too much time."
The two of them worried themselves sick.
But on the other side, Zhu Cunji was admiring the beautiful scenery of the Three Gorges.
The Yangtze Three Gorges truly brought the phrase "picturesque rivers and mountains" to life, filling him with great excitement.
Standing beside him was a Puppet Heavenly Lord, also excitedly gazing at the Three Gorges scenery.
Li Daoxuan had seen seven-day, six-night Yangtze Three Gorges cruises online before, which cost over five thousand yuan. Now, exploring the pristine Three Gorges scenery through the box, he immediately saved over five thousand yuan. This was a massive win.
As he was enjoying himself immensely, he suddenly felt something was amiss. Amidst this expanse of pure natural beauty, there seemed to be a discordant element...
Zhu Cunji spoke up, "Look, everyone, there's someone waving at us from the riverbank."
He was frantically waving his hand at the large fleet of boats on the river, shouting, "Come closer, come closer, quickly!"
Zhuge Wangchan ordered, "Pull closer and hear what he has to say."
The boats slowly moved towards the riverbank. The raggedly dressed man was clearly ecstatic to see so many boats on the river, shouting, "Sirs, do you need porters? We can help pull your boats upstream!"
Upon hearing this, everyone suddenly realized with a jolt: "Porters!"
The Yangtze Three Gorges have had porters since the Sui Dynasty.
What a classic profession!
Zhuge Wangchan was overjoyed. "Timely help, indeed! This is great news," he promptly asked, "Yes, please! How do you charge?"
The man grinned. "To pull a small boat upstream, it's only thirty-three copper coins. A medium boat is sixty-six copper coins, and a large boat is ninety-nine copper coins. Your fleet is mostly small boats, so most will be thirty-three copper coins."
As soon as he heard the price, Zhu Cunji jumped in surprise. "What? Thirty-three copper coins?"
His strong reaction frightened the man. "What's wrong? Is it too expensive?" he stammered. "My charge isn't expensive. We need ten people to pull one small boat, and ten people share thirty-three copper coins. Each person only gets three coins. Sir, this price really isn't expensive."
Zhu Cunji, with a bewildered expression, retorted, "Did I say it was expensive? I was trying to say it's incredibly cheap."
The man was speechless.
Zhuge Wangchan's face showed a peculiar expression. "Ten people sharing thirty-three copper coins... That price is a bit odd. What's the deal with the extra three coins?"
The man chuckled awkwardly. "Well, those extra three coins are for me."
Right, now everyone understood. The fellow before them was just a middleman, and he took a cut.
Zhuge Wangchan was about to get angry and scold him, accusing the man of earning illicit middleman fees, when Li Daoxuan stepped in front of him, shaking his head with a smile, and said in a low voice, "The existence of middlemen is necessary."
Zhuge Wangchan asked, "Huh? Isn't he just leeching off the porters?"
Li Daoxuan shook his head. "Most porters are uneducated, simple-minded, and not good at communicating with others. If they were to find work themselves, they couldn't. The middleman makes up for their shortcomings; he's the one who connects them to opportunities and brings them a livelihood. With a middleman, they get more work. To dismiss all middlemen as 'bloodsuckers' would be overly simplistic. If a middleman takes too high a cut, then they deserve to be scolded. But this middleman's fee isn't much; it's equivalent to one porter's share. He's essentially one of them, merely handling the 'clerical' work while the porters handle the 'physical' work."
Only then did the realization dawn on Zhuge Wangchan.
He waved at the man. "Alright then, the job is yours. Call your people to come and pull the boats."
The man was ecstatic. He quickly let out two loud shouts towards a crevice in the nearby rocks, and soon, a large group of men emerged from within.
It was already winter, yet these men wore only a single, thin layer of clothing.
Upon reaching the riverside, the group unanimously stripped. They took off their meager clothes and wrapped them around their waists. Their skin, tanned dark by the sun, gleamed with a bronze sheen.
Someone shouted in Sichuanese, "Ropes ready!"
Long ropes were then tossed over. Zhuge Wangchan quickly ordered the sailors to tie the ropes to the bows of the boats, and the group of men hoisted the other end of the ropes onto their shoulders...
Ten men formed a team to handle one small boat.
The porters' chant rose up. Their straw sandals dug deep into the muddy riverbank with every step. The middleman didn't lend a hand, but stood to the side, shouting loudly, "Sirs on the boats, steer well, keep the vessel close to the bank and move carefully..."
On shore and on board, people from both sides worked together. The cargo boats finally fought against the surging current, moving upstream. Slowly, ever so slowly, they passed through the section of the swiftest water.
Watching the porters' heavy steps, the strained expressions on their faces as they exerted themselves, and the red marks carved into their shoulders by the thick ropes, those on the boats couldn't help but be inwardly shocked: "This work is truly inhuman."
After such arduous effort to pull a boat upstream, they only earned three copper coins.
This...
What the hell...
Everyone on the boats was stunned, but the porters were delighted. Having pulled one boat, they'd earned three copper coins, enough to buy six large steamed buns. Their whole family would have dinner tonight. And this fleet was huge, dozens, even hundreds of boats! Today they could earn at least a hundred copper coins. They wouldn't have to starve for several days.
The porters swiftly ran back along the riverbank to their original spot and shouted towards the river again, "Another boat, another one!"
Zhu Yujian couldn't help but ask, "Aren't you tired? You just pulled one, and I saw you all gasping for breath. How are you back so soon?"
The porters grinned, but couldn't quite find the words.
The middleman, however, said, "A fleet this large is a rare sight. Of course, they want to seize this opportunity to earn more money. Being a bit tired today is fine; it's better than starving."
Everyone fell silent...
Zhu Cunji suddenly spoke up, "Raise the price!"
The middleman was greatly surprised, "Huh?"
Zhu Cunji said, "I've decided to raise their pay."
The middleman was utterly bewildered.
Zhu Cunji bellowed, shouting at the porters, "I'm paying out of my own pocket to raise your wages! You'll get a hundred and ten copper coins for pulling one small boat, and each person will get ten coins!"
When the porters heard this, they were instantly overjoyed.
However, their joy lasted only a moment. Their expressions immediately turned to a frantic panic, and a few even turned pale with fear.
Zhu Cunji was utterly bewildered. "What's wrong? Aren't you happy?" he asked.
The porters timidly asked, "Sir, will you really pay us?"
Zhu Cunji nearly spluttered.
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