Chapter Twenty-Nine: The Return of Lin San

Traveling with the fish made it hard to set off, so Qin Zhen instructed Liu Quan to take the catch back to the village first. He himself called Li Han and Shan Hai, then followed Li Erniu to scout the way ahead.

Led by Li Erniu, the group twisted and turned through the hills until they emerged from a secluded slope, finding themselves facing a pitch-black stretch of shoreline. The beach was small, barely five hundred square meters, its banks piled with chaotic rocks extending into the water. On both sides, steep cliffs soared dozens of meters high, with waves crashing against the sheer walls, producing a thunderous roar.

“This place is only seven or eight li from my village. If you follow the cliff over there, you’ll reach our Little Rock Village,” Li Erniu explained. “There’s plenty of fish here—the dark mass out there is all fish—but the water is fierce. Anyone who goes down never comes back up.”

After listening to Li Erniu’s account, Qin Zhen climbed to a higher vantage point to survey the bay. He noticed that while the beach itself was small, the bay stretched wide, forming a massive oval as the cliffs on either side curved inward. Waves struck the cliffs first, rebounding and intertwining into turbulent, unpredictable undercurrents.

The surface was riddled with visible whirlpools, signaling a complicated underwater environment. In such a place, it wasn’t just people—ordinary boats would be overwhelmed as well.

“How deep is the water?” Qin Zhen asked.

“No idea,” Li Erniu replied, scratching his head. “Over the years, many have died trying to fish here, but it’s never been filled. The village elders call this place Deepwater Bay.”

“Cut some bamboo!” Qin Zhen decided immediately. He needed to know just how deep it was.

If too shallow, the nets would snag on rocks and debris, making fishing nearly impossible. But if deep enough, not only could they fish here—they could raise fish as well!

He had just observed that after the waves hit the shore, there was little backwash. This meant the currents drove fish into the bay and kept them from escaping. If the depth was sufficient, the yields could be unimaginable—certainly rivaling or surpassing the Golden Sands Beach that Scar Brother controlled.

They cut bamboo stalk after stalk, tying ropes to them and lowering them dozens of meters into the water, still never touching bottom. That measure alone satisfied Qin Zhen.

“How is it?” Li Erniu asked anxiously. He dreaded returning to Scar Brother’s territory and being bullied again. If Qin Zhen could fish at Deepwater Bay—even if the catch wasn’t as much as at Golden Sands Beach—Li Erniu would gladly follow him.

“We can give it a try,” Qin Zhen said thoughtfully. He hadn’t used a net here yet, so he didn’t want to promise too much.

But before that, he needed to visit Little Rock Village. If Deepwater Bay yielded fish and the harvest was plentiful, it would inevitably attract covetous eyes.

Qin Zhen didn’t want future disputes.

“I’m thirsty. Let’s go to your village for some water,” Qin Zhen said with a smile.

Li Erniu, unaware of Qin Zhen’s intentions, readily agreed. They climbed over half a mountain and finally, halfway up, came upon a dilapidated village.

“Years ago, sea bandits raided the village. Those bastards came ashore at Deepwater Bay, slipped into the village, and killed many,” Li Erniu explained.

A few children sat near the village entrance, playing with mud. When they saw strangers arrive, they quickly ran back inside. The village itself was filled with broken homes and dusty-faced villagers huddled in the shadows, uneasy and afraid.

“Our village is remote, so we haven’t suffered from mountain bandits. But there’s no work on these barren hills,” Li Erniu said, bringing out a chipped bowl filled with clear water for Qin Zhen.

“How many people remain?” Qin Zhen asked.

“About sixty,” Li Erniu replied. “Mostly widows, orphans, and old folk. Only seven or eight of us can handle real work.”

Just then, a small head peeked timidly from behind a wall. Qin Zhen beckoned, and the little girl hesitated before gathering her courage and running over.

“What’s your name?” Qin Zhen smiled gently.

The girl said nothing but glanced shyly at Li Erniu.

Li Erniu sighed and explained, “Her name is Hua’er. Her father was killed by sea bandits a few years ago, and her mother died last month—she fainted from hunger while gathering wild greens and fell in the woods.”

Qin Zhen’s smile faded.

Shan Hai muttered a curse. “What a damned world!”

“The whole village relies on us few to fish for survival. Qin, can you give me your word? Can Deepwater Bay really yield fish?” Li Erniu’s eyes brimmed with hope. He wasn’t afraid to die, only afraid the villagers would starve. If Deepwater Bay couldn’t provide, he’d have to return to Golden Sands Beach and serve Scar Brother.

“It can,” Qin Zhen said, placing a firm hand on Li Erniu’s shoulder.

“It definitely can.”

Leaving Little Rock Village, Qin Zhen returned to the small fishing village. He found the two places were barely ten li apart. From afar, he saw the village entrance bustling with carts and people. Recognizing the familiar donkey carts, Qin Zhen ran excitedly to the gate, and indeed—it was Lin San.

“Brother Qin!” Lin San greeted him with a broad smile.

He embraced Qin Zhen, laughing heartily. “You’re my lucky star now!”

“Did you sell the cloth?” Qin Zhen asked.

“Sell it? It was a sensation!” Lin San could barely contain his excitement as he recounted his journey.

He’d hauled the cartload of cloth straight to Wujiang City, the main city of Jiangnan Road, and immediately sought out several trusted fabric shops to inspect the goods. At first, those merchants scoffed at the idea of rural woven cloth, unwilling even to look. But when they saw the material, they were amazed by the exquisite workmanship and weaving skill!

One after another, they offered prices that Lin San could hardly believe.

Ordinary sellers might have been tempted to accept the high offers immediately, but Lin San had his own approach.

Knowing the cloth was valuable and finely made, he didn’t rush to sell it. Instead, he chose to gift it. Who has more money than commoners? The wealthy and powerful! Selling to commoners might fetch a hundred coins at best, but to the elite—at least two hundred coins!

“Your cloth is a sensation in Wujiang City! Demand far exceeds supply, and it’s priceless!” Just recalling the scene of nobles chasing him to buy cloth made Lin San shiver with delight.

He grew serious. “Brother Qin, we must keep this business going! Fifteen coins per bolt is far too little—we have to raise the price! You treat me as a friend, and I, Lin San, would never let you suffer a loss!”

“I won’t hide anything from you. A bolt of our cloth can fetch nearly two hundred coins in Wujiang City. From now on, you produce, I transport, and we split the profits evenly! No—sixty percent for you, forty for me. How does that sound?”

Qin Zhen was stunned.

He had never imagined a bolt of cloth could sell for two hundred coins!

At the current pace of producing twenty bolts a day, after expenses, that meant two silver taels per day!

With this business, who would be foolish enough to keep fishing?

No, he had to build a spinning machine, recruit more workers, and set up a factory!

The path to wealth began today!