Chapter 230: Changzhou Wharf

The rain poured down. Lightning occasionally streaked through the downpour, and thunder boomed repeatedly, shaking the city cloaked in darkness.

Changzhou was a large city on the river shipping routes of Jiangnan. During the Tang Dynasty, it was once renowned as one of the "Ten Most Prominent Prefectures under Heaven." However, despite its prosperity due to the waterways, it could not compare to major cities like Bianjing, Jiangning, Suzhou, or Hangzhou. In such a heavy storm, only a few scattered streetlights faintly flickered in the city. Only when lightning occasionally flashed did the towering, sprawling city buildings emerge in outline against the visible landscape.

The sudden heavy rain had caught everyone off guard that afternoon. By this time, figures could still be seen bustling about near Changzhou's docks in the downpour. The real chaos had subsided with the evening rain, when numerous boats had moored, rushing to load and unload goods and secure their vessels. Those still busy in the heavy rain were mostly merchants who had suffered unexpected mishaps and couldn't afford the losses. They had hired desperate boatmen at great expense to brave the rain and transport their cargo.

Across the docks, the wind howled and the rain raged. When lightning occasionally flashed, it revealed activity in perhaps two or three spots. The largest group was clearly on the east side of the docks. They watched as waves pushed the densely packed boats on the river to bob and surge. Near one cargo ship, many people were still moving goods on and off, like ants in the storm, swaying unsteadily in the wind and shouting loudly. Torches glowed within the cargo ship, and a nearby dock building also showed lights. At that moment, they were trying to move some items from the cargo ship into the building.

This cargo ship belonged to a large merchant guild from the Jiangnan and Zhejiang region, whose proprietor's surname was Lou. This time, the cargo ship was carrying a full load south when it encountered problems with its hull near Changzhou. Caught in the heavy rain, it had to dock in a hurry. They had initially thought of simply waiting out the storm at the dock, but as night fell, they discovered the ship's problems were more serious. With a large quantity of goods on board, to prevent greater damage, they had no choice but to hire desperate laborers to quickly unload some cargo and reduce the ship's weight.

Of course, in such fierce wind and heavy rain, with insufficient light, the laborers could easily be blown over or fall into the water at any moment. However, the river was not deep, and most of these boatmen were good swimmers. As it was summer, falling in might not necessarily lead to harm. Otherwise, even at a high price, no one would likely have come.

At this time, the howling wind of the heavy rain filled the air everywhere. Closer to the docks, one could faintly hear the chaotic creaking of hundreds of boats swaying on the water. The boatmen, swaying unsteadily, carried goods through the rain towards the brightly lit room on the dock. That room appeared rather crude and empty at the moment. Soaked boatmen brought in the cargo, stacking it in the center, while the merchant's clerks busily counted and recorded it.

By a window on one side of the room, several people gazed out into the darkness, watching the ship's hull faintly bobbing in the rain. Leading them was a woman in bright attire, her hair already wet. A maid behind her handed her a towel, which she used to casually wipe the raindrops from her face. Rain had actually been drifting in through the window, but a man dressed as a scholar stood beside her, shielding her from some of it.

“How’s the ship? Can it be repaired? It’s not going to sink, is it?”

It was the brightly dressed woman who asked. After she asked, a man who had just run in from outside replied, wiping the raindrops from his face: “To answer you, miss, it’s already in the dock, so it shouldn’t sink. But the weather is truly terrible, and repairs will be difficult. We still need to unload some of the cargo.”

“Then keep moving them.”

“Understood.”

The man nodded in agreement. After he spoke, the woman looked out the window again, her expression somewhat gloomy. A considerable amount of the cargo consisted of fragile items like porcelain. Given the current situation, there would undoubtedly be significant losses, which displeased her. The man, who was shielding her from the rain, turned and said, “Shuwan, everyone is already moving the goods. There's no need for you to keep standing here watching; it's not good to get drenched. Why don't you move further inside?”

The man and woman seemed to be a couple. The woman glanced at him, her gaze still somewhat somber, then suddenly smiled, turned, and walked away. The scholar-dressed man smiled and walked over to her, and the two spoke by the wall. The man was clearly trying to say something amusing to make the woman laugh. The others—including the maids—discreetly moved away. After a few words with the man, the woman glanced out the window again, clearly still worried about the cargo ship.

After another while, on one side of the dock, another vessel approached the shore through the downpour. It was a two-story pleasure boat, seemingly used by people of means who had encountered the storm and diverted towards Changzhou. It navigated relatively smoothly through the storm. Torches flickered within the cabin, illuminating figures in the darkness.

It wasn't particularly strange for a boat to arrive at the dock at this time; isolated vessels sometimes did. The pleasure boat moored not far from their location, drawing some attention. Docking a boat in such weather was difficult. The crew on board used bamboo poles to brace against the shore, adjusting with all their might for a long time before managing to stabilize the boat. Disembarking was also extremely arduous. Because of the fierce wind and rain, the gangplank was unstable, and people mostly had to jump down precariously. The group wore straw cloaks; among them were women and children, who were helped or caught by the men who disembarked first. It took a while for dozens of people to finally get off, after which they took shelter under a nearby eave and lit torches.

Despite the strong wind and rain, some of the children seemed quite happy. They darted about under the eave, shouting strange phrases like "Dawei Tianlong." Some peeked in their direction but were then called back by their parents. They likely counted their group and then discussed leaving the docks.

In such weather, no one had time to care about others. Those in the room merely glanced over; ultimately, their concern remained their own cargo ship. Lou Shuwan, the woman, chatted with the scholar for a while, then began to frown and ask about the ship and its cargo. However, at one point, as she looked towards the eave outside the door, lightning happened to flash, and she paused, slightly stunned.

Under that eave, three torches glowed in the hands of the group, swaying wildly in the wind, providing little light. Some people were laughing and talking, loosening their straw cloaks, then tightening them again. When lightning flashed, their smiles were faintly visible on their faces. To be able to laugh and chat in such weather indicated good spirits. However, one particular face seemed to subtly trigger a memory for the woman.

“Hmm? Shuwan, what are you looking at?”

Lou Shuwan opened her mouth. Then, her gaze shifted to the man beside her, becoming indifferent and impatient: “Nothing.”

In such weather, it was impossible to see clearly after all. It wasn't a significant memory anyway. She shook her head and brought her thoughts back to her own business. This delay was truly frustrating, a damned rainy day. Then she found the man beside her to be quite verbose and started to feel a slight dislike.

Although her mood was foul, there was no point in rushing things now. Soon after, satisfied that most of the cargo had been moved and the ship's condition had stabilized somewhat, they left the docks and returned to their inn through the rain. The Lou family's business was primarily based in Hangzhou; Changzhou was merely a stopover. They were staying at one of the best inns in the area. Due to the sudden change in weather, there weren't many guests. Having gone out in the evening and returning at this hour, the inn seemed deserted.

After instructing a maid to bring hot water for a quick bath, Lou Shuwan summoned an accompanying steward to discuss the cargo ship's issues. Summer storms arrive and depart quickly, not typically lasting for days. However, the damaged ship was immobile, and while most of the cargo was fine, a small portion, which had been promised to others, could not endure delays. Thus, they had to consider renting another boat. After a brief discussion on this matter and the steward's departure, the scholar, who had also freshened up in another room, came over. He likely knew she was dealing with business affairs and had been waiting outside for a while.

Something was on her mind. The scholar closed the door, exchanged a few pleasantries, and then embraced her, ready for intimacy. She felt displeased and subtly frowned, but did not resist. However, just as her outer garment was removed, they heard someone knocking at the main hall downstairs, followed by the sound of many people entering. Curiosity piqued, she pushed the scholar away, donned her outer garment, and opened the window to look out. Approximately twenty people were in the hall, shedding their straw cloaks, with two children running around—they were the same people seen at the dock.

“What’s wrong?”

The scholar came closer and also looked out the window. The woman slightly frowned, her gaze scanning the people in the hall. After a long moment, she pushed the scholar away: “You should go to sleep. Tonight, I don’t feel like... There's someone in there I know.”

“Hmm?” The scholar grew interested and leaned forward to look down. “It looks like a trip taken by a gentry family.”

In such weather, umbrellas were useless. Although this group wore straw cloaks, by the time they arrived here, they were completely soaked. Several of the women, unable to change their clothes immediately, found light cloaks to put on. Judging by the clothing of a few of the women, this group seemed to be quite well-off.

At that moment, the hall was chaotic: the innkeeper and waiters were busy arranging rooms, and the newly arrived group hurried to order hot water and have their luggage brought in, making the place exceptionally lively. Naturally, it was clear who were the maids and who were the masters among them. One woman, gathering her wet hair, spoke to those around her with her head tilted, seemingly giving instructions. She bore a striking resemblance to Lou Shuwan's usual demeanor; she was tall and exceptionally beautiful. After the scholar took a few glances, Lou Shuwan pointed to her.

“This woman’s surname is Su. I’ve met her before; I know her. Her family is in Jiangning. It’s been several years; I never expected to run into her here.”

“Do you want to go out and meet her?”

“No hurry…” Lou Shuwan said, then thought for a moment. “However... she has a boat, and it seems she's also heading south. If that’s the case...” Thinking this, she looked down again, seeing that the waiter seemed to have arranged rooms and was leading the group upstairs. She closed the window, tidied her clothes slightly, and then pushed open the door and stepped out.