There is a god in the sky

Chapter 134 The Mystery of the Dock 1

The sky darkened, and the only glimmer of light was covered by dark clouds.

"It's going to snow." An old boatman walked past them, smoking a hookah.

Xiao Ji asked Suiying to go and see if there was a place nearby where people could stay, as they would definitely have to spend the night on the shore.

In snowy weather, it's best for them not to stay on the boat. Whether they can continue their journey tomorrow depends on whether the river freezes over.

"Where is this place?" Shen Lan asked softly.

She noticed that most of the people around her were peddlers and laborers, as well as some wandering swordsmen carrying knives and swords.

These people were far away from them, and both sides were wary of each other.

Only Fu Qingyan, who can mingle with all sorts of people, was able to successfully gather information just now.

Xiao Ji said, "This place is called Jiyan Wharf. It is an abandoned wharf with no owner. Merchants often unload their goods here to evade taxes."

"No one cares?"

"Outside here lies a desolate wasteland, and the nearest county town is about a hundred miles away. The government has no jurisdiction over it."

Xiao Ji instructed the women, "Don't wander around alone; there are all sorts of people here."

They waited at the dock for about half an hour before Suiying brought over a middle-aged man who looked like a manager.

"I'm so sorry for the delay! How could I keep you waiting at the dock? I'm truly terrified!"

The man knelt down as soon as he arrived.

Xiao Ji glanced at Sui Ying, who then helped the man up.

He explained, "This is the manager of the dock, surnamed Jiang. He said the inn is overcrowded and can't accommodate too many people, but there is an empty warehouse that we can borrow for the night."

Manager Jiang bowed and kept apologizing: "We really didn't know beforehand that you would be landing here, sir. The inn is already full, and it's not convenient to ask the guests to vacate their rooms."

Xiao Ji was not the kind of official who oppressed the people. He said frankly, "It doesn't matter. We just need a house to keep warm."

"Don't worry about that. Although the warehouse is simple, our inn has prepared plenty of blankets and hay to keep warm, so it will definitely not be cold at night."

"Lead the way."

Xiao Ji led everyone over.

Shen Lan noticed that the people gathered at the dock all seemed to be subtly nervous.

Who knows how many criminals wanted by the imperial court are hiding here.

After walking for about fifteen minutes, Steward Jiang opened the door of a warehouse. "We've arrived. This is it. I apologize for the inconvenience, gentlemen."

Suiying led Chen Shi and the others inside to check first, and only welcomed Xiao Ji in after confirming there was no danger.

Shen Lan could tell from the outside that the warehouse was very large, but once inside, she discovered that it was actually a two-story warehouse.

The first floor was piled with boxes of goods, while the second floor was empty, easily accommodating dozens of people.

"The quilts are in the boxes piled up on the east side, and the hay is piled up on the second floor. Please feel free to take what you need. When you leave tomorrow, I will call someone to pack it up."

Suiying paid a rental fee, so these things must not have been cheap.

Chen Shi led the soldiers to lay out dry grass as beds, and Xuan'er and Miao Niang also went to help.

Xiao Ji pointed to the boxes on the west side and asked, "What's in those boxes? Are there any valuables?"

"Oh, they're all porcelain and such, meant to be shipped south for sale. They're not particularly valuable, as long as they don't break."

"Alright, thank you for your help, Steward Jiang."

"No, no, I'll take my leave then."

Manager Jiang left the warehouse, and Suiying pushed the heavy door shut, keeping the cold wind out.

Shen Lan looked up at the busy figures on the second floor and asked Sui Ying, "Is there only one inn at this dock?"

"Yes, there's only one, and it's not very big. In this kind of weather, many travelers have already gone ashore. We arrived rather late."

"So how did you persuade the manager to give up this warehouse? It doesn't look like a place where outsiders can come and go as they please."

Shen Lan just noticed that there was more than one lock on the door, which means that the things in this warehouse are quite important.

“We came by official boat. As long as we reveal our identities, the manager will not dare not make arrangements.”

The common people fear officials, and businessmen fear them even more.

Moreover, Suiying paid a considerable amount of rent.

"We'll only stay one night, so please try not to touch the goods in the warehouse."

Xiao Ji lifted the hem of his robe and went upstairs.

The wooden staircase creaked and groaned.

Shen Lan followed and immediately saw Xuan'er and Miao Niang, who were working together to hang curtains to separate their sleeping area from the men's.

“It’s just in time for you, sister. You can pick a seat first.” Xuan’er waved to her.

Shen Lan walked over and saw that they had laid out a thick layer of dry grass, with two straw mats on top of it, and three thick cotton quilts on top of that.

"You guys sleep inside," Shen Lan said, choosing the outermost spot.

Miao Niang was about to object when she heard Xuan'er say, "Alright, then I'll lie down first."

Shen Lan drew the curtains and lay down. The quilt was thick and warm, and the fabric felt like fine cotton.

She overheard Chen Shi from next door say, "This Manager Jiang is quite capable. He has prepared dozens of boxes of cotton quilts, as well as a lot of grain and charcoal. I guess he's storing them up for the winter."

“He runs an inn, and there are always guests coming and going. These things can sell for a good price in winter.”

"It's only early winter now. His business will be even better in another month or two."

Shen Lan heard Miao Niang turn over and hear her voice in her ear.

"Sister Shen, what do you think of this place?"

"not good."

"why?"

"Everyone who comes and goes is a traveler, and no one knows anyone else. Apart from people who do business here, who would like this place?"

To put it bluntly, this place is just a temporary stop; no one would consider a temporary stop their home.

Miao Niang fell silent, lost in thought.

Shen Lan was really sleepy, and drifted off to sleep listening to the wind outside.

In the middle of the night, someone must have needed to urinate, so they got up and went downstairs to relieve themselves, and the stairs creaked under their feet.

Shen Lan kept her eyes closed and didn't move, in a state of half-sleep and half-awake.

She thought she would hear the person coming upstairs soon, but after a long time, so long that her consciousness was almost fading, she still didn't see the person return.

Then, she felt someone get up beside her, step over her, put on their shoes, and leave.

This time, she didn't hear anyone coming downstairs.

Shen Lan opened her eyes, turned her head to look at the spot next to her, and sure enough, the person was not there.

Did they get up in the middle of the night or did they run away?

If it's the latter, why would she run away?

She was penniless, and in this cold weather, where could she go?

Shen Lan waited with her eyes open for a long time, and only after confirming that the person would not return did she lift the covers and get up.

She jumped directly from the second floor to the first floor to avoid the sound of her descending the stairs waking up others.

After landing, she wondered: Could it be that Miao Niang also jumped from the second floor?

The warehouse was pitch black, but fortunately my eyes had adjusted to the darkness and I could barely make out the location of the door.

She walked step by step toward the door, when suddenly she remembered something: the door was heavy and made a loud noise when it was pushed open, but she hadn't heard it open just now.

She stopped, feeling a chill run through her body, a bone-chilling cold.