Moonlight and wind

"This village used to make a living by fishing. Although the wharf here is small, it is enough to feed several generations of the whole village," the village chief pointed to the dried fish on the plate, "This is the fish my son caught at the wharf south of Hailan City, and the seafood he brought back. We are used to eating these seafood, so we can only preserve them by drying them."

"So how do you make a living now?" Shan Zimo asked, looking at the shriveled fish meat.

"We fishermen have been fishing for generations, and we don't have any other skills," the village chief took a sip of wine and smacked his lips. "The young ones, like my son, follow others to the sea. But going out to sea costs money, so we don't make much money, and we can barely make a living."

"Do I have to pay to go out to sea? What money? And to whom?" Shan Zimo continued to ask curiously.

"Since it's night time, I'll have a few more words with you." The village chief drank the wine in his glass and wiped his mouth with his palm. "This money will naturally be given to the Yulan Chamber of Commerce in Hailan City!"

"Hehe, is this a characteristic of East China Sea? There are chambers of commerce everywhere?" Shan Zimo raised the corner of his mouth into a smile.

"Only by joining the Yulan Chamber of Commerce can you be qualified to go fishing. If you just pay the membership fee, it would be fine," the village chief sighed, "you need a boat to go out to sea, right? The dock charges berthing fees; and when you come back from fishing, you have to pay 20% of the seafood. In the end, you don't get much money."

"Are all these miscellaneous expenses paid to the Yulan Chamber of Commerce?" Shan Zimo continued to ask the village chief.

"That's right!" The village chief sighed again, "Relying solely on my sons is not a solution. The old people who stay in the village, including me, can dry the seafood brought back by the children and sell it to supplement the family income a little! Who knows!" At this point, the village chief suddenly became excited.

"Don't be anxious, speak slowly." A glance would reassure the village chief.

"Who would have thought that this damn Yulan Chamber of Commerce would force us to pay money even when we go to Hailan City to sell some dried seafood! They even took 40% of our money!" The village chief was so angry that he trembled, "Isn't this pushing us into a dead end?"

"This is really too much!" Yu Wenlin had been listening quietly on the side, but when he heard that people were not allowed to make money, he could no longer sit still.

"But what can we do? We are powerless. We have to pay every penny to make a living!"

After listening to this, Shan Zimo looked around the village chief's house. It couldn't be described as bare, it was extremely simple. It was completely different from the Fengcang Town he passed by on the way here!

"Is the Yulan Chamber of Commerce only targeting you fishermen? Are there other chambers of commerce in charge of other businesses?" Yuwen Lin began to inquire about information for his tea shop so that he could be mentally prepared.

"Let me put it this way. In Hailan City, even if you want to carry a basket to the city gate to buy vegetables, you still have to pay!" The village chief shook his head helplessly. "They don't care what your business is. As long as you can make money in Hailan City, you have to pay a share to the Yulan Chamber of Commerce!"

"It seems that your tea shop is not easy to run!" Shan Zimo looked at Yu Wenlin jokingly.

"Are you all going to Hailan City to do business?" The village chief suddenly leaned forward.

"That's right, we plan to open a tea shop in Hailan City." Shan Zimo replied with a faint smile.

The village chief waved his hands, "It's useless! I'm not talking nonsense, this tea shop can't be opened!"

"What? The wife of the prefect of Hailan City also runs a tea shop?" Yu Wenlin jumped up anxiously, and was pulled to sit down by Shan Zimo again.

"The governor's wife doesn't run a tea shop," the village chief shook his head.

"That's easy. The worst that can happen is that you just have to pay a little more membership fee!" Yu Wenlin nodded, as if the tea shop had already opened in Hailan City.

"I haven't finished what I said. The wife of the prefect did not run a tea shop, but the wife of the prefect's brother's wife did run a tea shop!" The village chief tried to recall.

"Could it be that the wife of the prefect's wife's younger brother is the wife of the governor of Fengcang Town?" Shan Zimo asked the village chief with his eyes wide open.

"You know?" The village chief nodded, "The tea shop owned by the wife of the governor of Fengcang Town has several branches in Hailan City. So, I say that your plan to open a tea shop in Hailan City will not work!"

Everyone sat at the low wooden table for a while. The village chief cleaned up the woodshed for Zi Zhong and the others so they could rest. The other wing was left for Xuan Yue and Zi Ling'er. Shan Zimo and Yu Wenlin, along with Shan Boyu and Jian Yun, sat in the hall all night long!

As the day dawned, the village chief was nowhere to be seen in his courtyard. Zizhong had already packed up the carriages and horses, and everyone was ready to set off for Hailan City. Before leaving, Shan Zimo asked Shan Boyu to leave a bag of silver, and then left Yujia Bay.

On the way to Hailan City, there were obviously more beggars begging on the roadside.

“Young Master, look!” Li, who was driving the carriage with Zi Zhong, stood up and pointed to the distance, “That’s Hailan City, right? It’s really magnificent!”

Shan Zimo also stood on his horse and looked in the direction of Li's finger. What a magnificent city! The towering city wall was even several feet higher than the city wall of Wudu! The city gate could accommodate ten carriages side by side. The gate was so big that everyone was amazed.

Just as they continued to move forward towards Hailan City, a group of people suddenly came out of Hailan City. Everyone was wearing a light lake blue robe. The leader was carrying a sword on his back and wearing a peacock blue robe. He was galloping towards them on horseback.

Finally, not far from Hailan City, the two teams of carriages met and stopped.

"Are you Shan Zimo, the eldest young master of the Snow Shadow Hall of the Northern Kingdom?" The leading man shouted at them in a loud voice while riding on horseback.

"That's right!" Shan Boyu rode forward two steps and came to the front of the team. "The one behind me is the young master of Xueying Hall. Who are you?"

After hearing this, the man quickly jumped off his horse, and the others followed suit, bowing and saying, "I am Yun Yi, the eldest disciple of the Yunyin Sword Sect. I am here on the orders of the Sect Master to welcome Young Master Shan into the city!"

Shan Boyu jumped off his horse and bowed in return. Shan Zimo remained on his horse without moving. He just nodded and continued to ride forward. The disciple in the light lake-colored robe also jumped on his horse immediately, turned his horse around, and cleared the way for Shan Zimo.

Soon, Shan Zimo and others arrived at the gate of Hailan City. When the captain guarding the city saw Yun Yi, he hurried over to greet him, "Master Yun Yi, you're back!"

"This is the eldest young master of the Snow Shadow Hall of the Northern Kingdom. Today, I am here on the orders of the Sect Leader to welcome the young master into the city." Yun Yi did not dismount, but just said a few words coldly while sitting on the horse.

"Yes, yes, since Master Yun has spoken, please come in!" The captain guarding the city waved his hand and asked the other guards to make way. Led by Yun Yi, Shan Zimo and his party walked into Hailan City in a swagger.

Once you enter Hailan City, you will find that it is as prosperous as Wudu, or even richer! However, compared with the starving people outside the city gate, it is very glaring.

"Excuse me, Senior Brother Yun Yi," Shan Boyu asked softly, "is there an inn in this city for my young master to rest?"

“Brother Shan, the sect master has already made preparations for you. Since we have come to the East China Sea, there is no way that Young Master Shan will live outside. You should naturally treat the Yunyin Sword Sect as your home. You can rest assured!” Yun Yi smiled faintly, looking at Shan Boyu, who was a little younger than him.

"Yes, Master Yun is still very thoughtful. We are sorry to bother you!"

Since entering Hailan City, Shan Zimo has been sitting on his horse without saying a word. He is observing and searching. He knows that there is someone he needs in this crowd!