Chapter 74: Chapter 74 River Patrol (Please Subscribe)
In the room of the Big Ship Leader, he tossed the gift from Chen Jie carelessly onto the ground.
His face was full of gloom.
The Big Ship Leader settled into a chair, his eyebrows tightly furrowed.
Soon, there was a knock at the door. A man in his near thirties walked in and saw the Big Ship Leader, “Big Ship Leader, you…”
“Close the door first!”
The man stopped mid-sentence, turned to close the door, and addressed the Big Ship Leader, “Big Ship Leader, weren’t you going to agree to give me the vacant River Patrol position?”
The Big Ship Leader squinted his eyes, “What can I do about the Manager’s arrangements?”
The man felt aggrieved but couldn’t voice his trouble.
The Big Ship Leader looked at him, “But what? Are you suggesting that I took the money but didn’t do the job for you?”
“It’s not that, Big Ship Leader, I just… I can’t explain it to my family. We sold three acres of our paddy fields for this River Patrol position. If they find out I didn’t get the job…”
A bag of Silver landed on the table.
The man looked at the bag of money on the table.
Big Ship Leader: “Take it and get lost!”
The man was stunned. The Big Ship Leader said sharply, “Scram!”
“Big Ship Leader, I didn’t mean that, I…”
“Do I need to throw you out myself?”
Upon hearing this, the man reached for the Silver, but after a second thought, withdrew his hand and said, “Big Ship Leader, please be more concerned about my matter…”
After speaking, he turned and left.
Watching this scene, the Big Ship Leader remained silent, but the gloom on his face lingered.
In fact, he didn’t care about a River Patrol position. He was concerned about Chen Jie’s tactics.
Having just arrived at the Fishing Guild, he had started to win people over; his ambition was no small thing. That’s why he referred to Chen Jie as an Over River Dragon.
Considering Chen Jie’s potential, his backers, his schemes, the Big Ship Leader felt threatened.
Chen Jie might be weak now, but Wu Zhong wouldn’t retire so soon.
Chen Jie might not threaten his position now, but what about in three years? Five years? Ten years?
He dreamed of replacing Wu Zhong as the Fishery Manager, but with Chen Jie there, his position was unstable.
This was the reason for his sour mood.
“Hm, Brother Jiu Si, this boat will be your River Patrol vessel. You can row, right?”
Fifth Captain was introducing Chen Jie to his work.
At this moment, Fifth Captain led Chen Jie to a small sampan. River Patrol boats required speed; a sampan was more nimble than a covered boat, better suited for patrolling.
Fifth Captain explained to Chen Jie the so-called River Patrol work was straightforward; just row the boat around the river, mainly to prevent fish theft. Regular fishermen who paid taxes would have a yellow flag with the word “Fish” on their boats. Any fishing boat without such a flag daring to fish was considered stealing. If caught, they would be severely dealt with!
As for how they were dealt with?
Never mistake the guild for a reputable organization; what they actually did was Fish Boss business. Dare to steal fish, and they would beat you first, then fine you. They wouldn’t necessarily bring about your family’s ruin, but they’d surely skin you one way or another!
Listening to the introduction, Chen Jie understood the job of River Patrol.
Basically, water security.
The most important thing was that there were no work quotas, meaning as long as they went down to the river, they could paddle leisurely and do their own thing. This was truly fantastic.
If they had assigned him the task of tax collection, how could he fish and practice martial arts?
Now nothing was being neglected.
Moreover, while on River Patrol, they could bring their own fishing gear, catch a few fish from time to time to satisfy their cravings, and no one would interfere.
Little work, more money, fewer troubles, and a high potential for advancement—who wouldn’t find this position desirable?
After getting the lowdown, Chen Jie followed Xiao Hu for a river inspection.
Both of them grew up by the Mianshui River and were excellent swimmers. Additionally, the small sampan was easy to steer, so the two of them got the hang of it pretty quickly.
After notifying the Fifth Captain, they set sail.
During the journey, Xiao Hu took the helm while Chen Jie started fishing with his rod.
It must be said that after the Mianshui River had raised the threshold for fishing, there were plenty of fish. In no time, Chen Jie had caught several small crucian carp, perfect for a stew back home.
And in this process, Chen Jie also encountered fishermen fishing in the river.
The fishermen were startled by Chen Jie’s patrol boat, and as Chen Jie approached, quite a few threw copper coins they had strung together onto his boat.
Not much, just ten cents.
Some fishermen turned dark when they saw him. As Chen Jie got closer, they pleaded, “River Patrol big brother, I’ve just started fishing, and yesterday’s catch wasn’t good either. Can you, please, turn a blind eye this time?”
Only then did Chen Jie fully understand what the River Patrol job entailed.
Due to the deterrent force of the Fishing Guild and an iron-fisted approach, there was basically no one daring to fish stealthily in the river.
Therefore, it was possible for the River Patrol to not encounter a single fish poacher in an entire year.
But there was another aspect to the River Patrol’s duties: collecting “gratuity money.”
Once the River Patrol ventured out, any fisherman they encountered would be considered unlucky. Voluntarily hand over ten cents for gratuity, and there would be no trouble.
Not running into them meant your stars were aligned, and they’d want nothing from you.
This was the main source of income for the River Patrol; simply being on the river meant skimming off the top.
Having understood the nature of the job, Chen Jie returned the money to the fishermen, telling them he couldn’t control what other patrols did, but if they encountered him, they needn’t bother paying. They should just focus on fishing properly.
After hearing Chen Jie’s words, everyone was profoundly grateful. They had never met someone so kind in their entire lives!
A River Patrol Officer not taking gratuity—how inconceivable was that?
Once the boat had drifted farther, Chen Jie asked Xiao Hu, “Hu Zi, do you know why I didn’t take their gratuity?”
Hu Zi pondered for a moment before replying, “Brother Jiu Si, are you feeling sorry for them?”
Chen Jie gazed into the distance reflectively, “There’s a bit of that, but what I’m more concerned about is the human heart.”
Hu Zi didn’t fully understand, and Chen Jie didn’t explain, as all that seemed too far-fetched at the moment.
However, Chen Jie did teach him a new term: “Reputation. What I seek is a good name!”
Why was Song Jiang able to succeed?
Why was he a guest of honor everywhere he went, with heroes of Jianghu bowing their heads upon greeting?
Martial Power? Intellect?
No, it was his reputation.
Jianghu isn’t just about fighting and killing; it’s all about interpersonal connections!
And so, aboard a little sampan, Chen Jie roamed the entire Mianshui River and discovered a great place—an island within the Reed Marsh, rarely visited by people. Due to the surrounding reeds, it was impossible to cast nets for fishing there.
Hence, fishermen avoided the area, and the River Patrol Officers too, since their job was to extort gratuity from the fishermen, also didn’t go there.
But Chen Jie liked it quite a bit. The place could serve as his secret base, where he’d practice martial arts in the future. As for patrolling the river, he could dismiss that as meaningless.
He didn’t lack the petty profits from extortion and blackmail. For Chen Jie, time was the most precious commodity now! ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ novel{f}ire.net
“Hu Zi, let’s head back!”
Chen Jie said, then, looking at the several fish that had been caught and lay on the boat, he thought that dividing them between himself and Hu Zi would provide a fine meal for both their families!