The story reaches a point where some subsequent events need to be mentioned. We all know that Zhang Haiyan would later board the Nanan ship and undergo a series of adventures, and it would inevitably be a long time before he reunites with Zhang Haixia. The journey from Malacca to Xiamen and back would take at least a few months, during which he would receive no news from Zhang Haixia.

In fact, just as Zhang Haiyan was about to give up resisting and prepare to board the ship to fulfill the contract, Zhang Haixia was brought downstairs and onto the street, and two events happened almost simultaneously.

During that time, before meeting He Jianxi, there was a brief span of just over ten minutes during which we can infer that Zhang Haixia noticed something “unusual” and sensed a certain danger from it. It is important to note that Zhang Haixia graduated as the most outstanding confidential talent from the Nanyang Archives. If it weren’t for Zhang Haiyan, he would have long entered the Nanyang Maritime Office as a staff officer, and by now he might have already been in charge of the confidential department. However, during his time with Zhang Haiyan, he encountered few formidable opponents and had little opportunity to showcase his abilities. In fact, Zhang Haiyan had almost forgotten how clever this younger brother was—clever as if he were a monster.

For a series of reasons related to his position and the situation, he did not inform Zhang Ruipu of this danger, but he clearly believed it to be very serious. In those few minutes, he wrote down some information and concealed it within a stack of banknotes, which he handed over to He Jianxi. At that time, he had no better way to convey the information.

Later, when Zhang Haiyan learned that what Zhang Haixia had inferred in those few minutes was almost identical to what he had discovered, he truly realized the protective role Zhang Haixia had been playing in his life.

Ironically, after He Jianxi reconciled the accounts, he learned of the lifting of the ban on smuggled liquor, which meant that there would no longer be huge profits from smuggling alcohol. His tavern was disbanded, and among the severance pay he received was that stack of banknotes.

He Jianxi did not immediately notice the peculiarities of the banknotes; his mind was filled with thoughts of his own future. Ultimately, he decided to go to San Francisco to find his cousin who was panning for gold, as that was the only place where there might still be a need for Chinese accountants.

At that time, small barges traveling from Malacca to San Francisco were referred to as coffin ships. The conditions on board were extremely poor, and many passengers fell ill and died, or went missing due to fights, robberies, or pirates. The shipowners had a tendency to extort and smuggle people, restricting the freedom of passengers. In the event of a shipwreck, they would throw people overboard, leading to various tragic incidents.

The establishment of the Nanyang Archives was primarily aimed at addressing these maritime mysteries. Zhang Haiyan and his colleagues were resolute in executing the shipowners and sailors who privately killed Chinese people, as they were excellent swimmers who liked to board ships from the water, killing people before jumping into the sea to escape. They were thus referred to as the plague of the sea. To this day, many legends in Nanyang feature a water ghost with blades in its mouth, which originates from Zhang Haiyan.

The ticket He Jianxi eventually bought was for a barge called the Baohen, which was already quite old and had far more passengers than it could comfortably accommodate. Due to the plague in Malacca, such ships would selectively choose their passengers, and the ship even anchored at the outermost rocks of the port, where small boats were used to transfer passengers.

He Jianxi arrived at the dock to board the ship the day after meeting Zhang Haiyan, while Zhang Haiyan, who had been queuing all night to board, also officially began his boarding process at that time.

The dock was crowded with people, and besides them, there were various goods. A huge wave of heat enveloped the smell of sweat and body odor, filling the air, and the most terrifying part was the noise of the crowd, which made it almost impossible to hear anything else.

The sea breeze was sometimes wild and turbulent, sometimes still, and Zhang Haiyan’s military uniform was already soaked through as he used his military cap as a fan. Zhang Ruipu was very generous, bringing him a ticket with an invitation for the best cabin.

When the massive ship, the Nanan, came into Zhang Haiyan’s view, he was astonished by this colossal vessel. He looked up at the black hull and the four large smokestacks above, beginning to realize that this world was completely different from when they first arrived in Nanyang.

Xiamen, at that time, seemed like a distant shore that one had to risk their life to reach, but under this giant ship, it no longer felt so unreachable.

Zhang Ruipu’s attendant did not board the ship with him but silently watched him depart. Zhang Haiyan waved goodbye as if he were saying farewell to a family member, trying hard to act as if they were sending him off, but the two young men quickly disappeared into the crowd.

Feeling somewhat disappointed, Zhang Haiyan could only board the ship alone.

He took the VIP passage, and after the sailor repeatedly checked his ticket, he was allowed to board. The civilian passage below was very crowded. Looking down, he realized that he would not have a moment’s rest on the Nanan; the difficulty of investigating was far greater than he had anticipated.

He calmly surveyed his surroundings. In front of him was a group of white people, likely Americans, whose clothes were quite dirty. Among them was only one young white man in a well-fitting suit with glasses, seemingly responsible for paperwork. Many local porters were carrying luggage up, and the number of white people was already quite large, making the boarding path very congested due to the porters and their baggage.

The luggage was enormous, and he had no idea what was inside. The young white man was carefully checking, instructing them not to be too rough. These white people were very relaxed, chatting and laughing. Some were discussing how some of the luggage below was even larger than theirs.

Following their gaze, Zhang Haiyan saw that in the cargo hold’s loading area, there were many large wooden crates being hoisted onto the ship.

Habitually, Zhang Haiyan wanted to turn back to talk to Zhang Haixia, but he realized that Zhang Haixia was not behind him, which made him feel a bit lost. However, when he turned around, he saw the sailor who had checked his ticket earlier discussing something with a few policemen at the dock, while frequently glancing in his direction.

Zhang Haiyan squinted, internally cursing himself. His attire was clearly too conspicuous for someone in first class, and the sailor might think the ticket was stolen.

He adjusted his military cap, knowing that avoiding the situation would only make things worse, so he decided to walk down and explain himself to the sailor and the police. Just as he was about to leave, someone grabbed his shoulder.

He turned around and saw the blonde American with glasses shaking his head at him. He glanced at the sailor below, who was looking at him in surprise.

“Your country is still developing, so there may be some distrust towards people of Asian descent. Don’t take it personally,” said the blonde American youth in fluent Chinese. “If you go down to explain, it might be seen as a provocation, and could lead to more trouble.”

Zhang Haiyan looked at him as the American young man hooked his arm around Zhang’s shoulder and greeted the sailors below: “Please clear our way; my friend and I are in a hurry to get some tea. Can we board the ship first?”

It was clear that the young American held a high status, as the sailors recognized him and immediately came over to apologize: “Sorry, Mr. Steven.” The sailor looked at Zhang Haiyan with some suspicion. “Is this your friend? Are you two together—”

“Yes, we need to get on quickly,” Steven nodded. The sailor immediately signaled upward, stopping the line and allowing them to pass. Steven gave Zhang a knowing glance and then told the sailor, “No need to thank us.”

The two received special treatment and boarded the ship ahead of everyone else. Zhang Haiyan glanced back at the still-crowded scene below. Once on board, tea was immediately brought to Steven, who patted Zhang Haiyan on the back and took a sip. “If you have time, let’s chat, Chinese friend. We have plenty of time on the ship.” With that, he walked further inside.

The ship’s railing was particularly high, and Zhang Haiyan felt somewhat puzzled. Why did this foreigner suddenly help him? Was it the case that all first-class foreigners were particularly well-mannered? He thought for a moment and decided to be cautious and act quickly.

As he lit a cigarette, he caught sight of a lonely barge out at sea; that was the “Baon,” though he did not know it at the time.

Suddenly, the cigarette fell from his fingers, and he clutched his chest, collapsing to the ground. A nearby sailor rushed over to help him. Zhang Haiyan asked in fluent English, “I need to go to the medical room; my heart is not feeling well. Can you take me there?”