"Whimper, whimper..."
Huang sensed his old dad’s low spirits and tried to nudge his wet snout into the palm of his hand.
Yang Ge smiled faintly, stroked his chubby head, and said softly, "I’m fine, go play."
But Huang didn’t leave; he leaned against him, his quiet head resting in his embrace.
His little head couldn’t understand why his old dad was distressed.
But he knew his old dad needed his company.
Yang Ge hugged his dog, patting it gently.
In his other hand, he held a small teapot, sipping the scalding tea bit by bit while he gazed at the evening’s waning moon, with the calls of Chaimen Street’s neighbors summoning their children to dinner ringing in his ears...
This moment of tranquility, like the gossamer moonlight, was gentle and peaceful.
It was also akin to a lover’s warm and soft palm, softly caressing a cold, stiff face.
Tugging at the heart of a man who wished for adventure, who wanted to lie down and forever immerse in this comfortable moment.
A truly brave heart is never afraid of setbacks, only of the mundane.
Yang Ge quietly observed the tumultuous thoughts within him, remaining silent for a long time.
Only when the warm teapot began to cool did he suddenly laugh, speaking to himself in a teasing tone.
"To give up life for comfort!"
"Not afraid of death but afraid of discomfort!"
"Yang Ge, oh Yang Ge, you are just another ordinary person..."
At last, he sobered his smile and seriously told himself, "I know you never thought of being a hero, but someone has to do these things. Since Li Ge, Zhao Ge, Zhu Ge can, why not you, Yang Ge?"
"If this world could be slightly different because of you, Yang Ge..."
"It would mean your journey here wasn’t in vain, right?"
He lifted his head to look at the increasingly bright crescent moon, his lips slowly curling up: "Then let’s decide happily, we shall reluctantly teach those self-righteous scoundrels a lesson!"
He slapped his furry son’s big backside and strode into the back room.
The back room soon lit up with a hint of brightness.
...
The next day, early in the morning, Yang Ge took Huang to the inn to tell Shopkeeper Liu he’d take a day off, then pushed his wheelbarrow familiarly to the grain market and bought sixty pounds of rice.
Passing by the stall of Deng, the butcher and father-in-law of Liu Mang, where there was beef from a fallen cow for sale today, he also bought five pounds of top-quality beef shank meat for the cart, and Deng even insisted on giving him an oxtail...
He pushed his wheelbarrow, leisurely leaving the city and heading eastward along the main road, soon arriving at Bianhe Wharf.
The wharf was as bustling as ever with people pulling barges, hauling goods, crossing the river... it was crowded with heads.
Yang Ge advanced with his wheelbarrow, found the foreman in charge of the barge pullers and respectfully offered him two flatbreads bought casually on the street: "Excuse me, sir, can you tell me where the manager of the dock is? My master has entrusted me with a message for him."
The barge foreman, an elderly man who could no longer endure heavy labor and survived at the docks purely by his familiar face, did not look down upon the youthful face of Yang Ge and asked kindly, "May I know the surname of your noble master?"
Yang Ge: "It’s Yang, and he will certainly recognize it upon hearing it."
Seeing his confidence, the old man pushed the flatbreads back: "Young sir, just wait a moment, I will go and ask Master Wu about it."
Yang Ge insisted on stuffing the two flatbreads into the old man’s hands, smiling: "They’re nothing precious, just don’t take me for too mundane."
"You are much too polite!"
The old man cheerfully accepted the two flatbreads: "My name is Lu, if you ever need help here at the docks, just come to me."
The two flatbreads were indeed trivial, but Yang Ge’s warm and respectful demeanor greatly touched the old man, who had labored all his life.
With his manner of dealing with people, it was clear he came from a prominent family...
Yang Ge smiled, bowed and assured him, watching as Old Man Lu turned and walked into the crowd.
After a little while, a burly man dressed in a gray short garment with a black belt around his waist, looking proud and strong, came forward in three strides, moving through the crowd with Old Man Lu in tow, reaching Yang Ge.
Seeing this, Yang Ge stepped forward and freed Old Man Lu from the burly man’s grip, laughing: "You should be gentle with someone his age."
The burly man, about to speak, swallowed his words immediately, turning to Old Man Lu: "Old Lu, from now on, you will handle the goods from Suzhou ships. Can your men handle it?"
Old Man Lu was stunned for several seconds before nodding madly in delight and bowing repeatedly: "They can handle it, they can handle it. Thanks to Master Wu and the young sir!"
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Yang Ge steadied Old Man Lu while the burly man stepped aside and didn’t dare receive his bow: "This young sir’s master has sworn brotherly ties with our master, so from now on, the young sir is at home when he’s here at the dock. You, being wise and old, should look after him. Don’t let any reckless fool offend him. If there’s anything..."
"Alright!"
Yang Ge laughed, interrupting his instructions: "I’m not made of clay to shatter at a touch, what trouble could there be to bother the old gentleman... Sir, carry on with your work, I’ll have a word with Wu."
"Alright, alright."
Old Man Lu nodded as if pounding garlic and quickly left, sneaking a glance back after a distance, only to see the handsome youth walking with Huang, pushing the cart towards the outside of the wharf, while Master Wu, usually commanding and conclusive at the dock, was following by his side almost like an attendant.