The bright moon is like a wheel, its clear light is like water. The waves of the Yangtze River are like silver scales surging forward. Hu Zhiyong, the owner of the sugar workshop in Dongshe Village, Chongzhou, was a middle-aged man with a thick beard. For more than half a year, the Hu family had been plagued by disasters and difficulties. Hu Zhiyong was worried and tired, his cheeks were sunken, but his eyes were distant and contemplative, as if he was staring at the round moon in the far sky.

  It's already past midnight, which should be the second time, and the full moon is floating at the horizon of the river and sky, exceptionally orange-red and exceptionally large. The distant clusters of silver-white waves on the river seem to be surging out from within the full moon itself.

  "Dad, we're here, just in front of Jiangwanzi..."

  Hu Zhiyong's eldest son, Hu Qiaoyi, was a sturdy young man wearing a short-sleeved shirt. He squatted at the bow of the boat, trying to make out the terrain of the northern beach of Xisha Island under the moonlight. Pointing to a gap in front of him, he said to his father, Hu Zhiyong.

  This bay is not large, Hu Zhiyong still remembers that when he was a child, the two banks of this bay were independent sandy islands. The larger sandy island on the west side is now the main body of Xi Sha Island. The smaller island on the east side is also known as Guanyin Island. After decades of tidal erosion and sedimentation, Guanyin Island merged with Xi Sha Island, leaving behind this bay. In Chongzhou, it's customary to refer to the northeastern beach of Xi Sha Island as Guanyin Beach, and this bay is called Guanyin Bay.

  The bow was about to enter the bay, and two patrol boats came over to intercept. Hu Zhiyong made a bow and introduced himself; one person carried a lantern onto the boat and said very politely to Hu Zhiyong: "Mr. Hu has arrived at night? I'll come to guide you."

  Hu Zhiyong didn't blindly listen, and let the sailors who were steering the boat follow his instructions. He followed the guide with his eldest son Hu Qiao Yi into the bay, where they disembarked.

  A few days ago, a torrential rain caused a section of the inner bank of the river to collapse, with steep cliffs and dense forests. The people pulled the Dongyang No. onto the sandy beach formed by the accumulation of fine sand and soft mud, making the ship's side directly lean against the collapsed riverbank. A plank road was built, and the rear cabin of the Dongyang No. was used as a disaster relief camp.

  Hu Zhiyong followed the crowd and took a detour to the riverbank, heading towards the disaster relief camp. He said that when they left Xi Sha Island, they had just concentrated the victims on this side of Guanyin Beach, but unexpectedly, after three or four hours, the disaster relief camp had taken shape, with wind lamps, torches and bonfires illuminating the entire campsite.

  Along the coastline, sections prone to landslides have been cordoned off with ropes and warning lines. Ropes and wooden stakes have also been used to demarcate the boundaries of the disaster relief camp. With the stern cabin of the Dongyang as its center, more than a dozen tents have been set up on the open space near the riverbank at the front of the ship. In front of each tent, flagpoles have been erected with clear and simple classification flags such as "Medical", "Accounting", "Security", "Service", "Morgue", and "Warehouse". Two porridge stations are located on either side, while outside the camp, thousands of people are working through the night to build shelters.

  It's hard to imagine that a storm surge in Shanghai would cause nearly half of the refugees on Xiasha Island to drown.

  As a businessman, it's all about being neat and efficient, with quick hands and feet. It's really hard to imagine how Hu Zhiyong managed to set up such a large camp in just three or four hours. Being able to manage an army and set up camp with such high standards is probably very rare.

  "That's the head of our household..."

  Hu Zhiyong looked over, Lin Xuan was wearing a short jacket and standing in front of a bonfire, instructing others with his sleeves rolled up to his elbows. His brow was furrowed, seemingly dissatisfied with the work of others. He squatted down, picked up a branch, and instructed while drawing and gesturing, only letting people go after confirming they understood his intentions.

  Lin Xie is much younger than imagined; Lin Xie has just passed his coming-of-age ceremony, but his actions and prestige give people a false impression. Despite being so young, he still wears linen clothes and grass shoes, but the way he orders things makes others listen seriously, making him look very authoritative, and seven or eight armored warriors guarding him on both sides also make him look majestic.

  Hu Zhiyong noticed someone beside him mention Lin's name and look over, so he hastily bowed and introduced himself, saying: "Chongzhou's Hu Zhiyong pays his respects to your excellency..."

  "Oh, I thought you'd only arrive at dawn. Is the night journey on the river still calm?" Lin Fu walked over and grasped Hu Zhiyong's arm, telling him not to be so polite.

  "The river is calm for the time being, but who knows if there will be another storm before autumn passes. Thinking that this side lacks supplies, how dare I delay the important rescue mission?" Hu Zhiyong said with his mouth, his eyes scanning around, eagerly hoping to catch a glimpse of Qiao Zhong's figure.

  "We'll go in and talk...” Lin Tie invited Hu Zhiyong and his son Hu Qiao to enter the tent. He hadn't expected to let the young hostage meet with his family so soon, but it couldn't be helped since they were already on the river. However, he still had to be careful not to let any news leak out. Only after entering the tent did he order someone to go and find Hu Zhong.

  "It's very simple here, and Mr. Hu is not even offered tea. If you're thirsty, there's boiled water here," Lin Mou said, scooping a bowl of boiled water with a wooden spoon and pouring it down his throat, saying to Hu Zhiyong, "Disaster relief is urgent here, I won't be polite with you either. Whatever materials you bring on the boat, I'll have someone account for them immediately, and the disaster relief materials will be used right away..."

  Hu Zhiyong also felt ashamed, he knew that Qiao Zhong and Qiao Guan were still alive in the world, relying on Lin Xie, a famous and powerful figure in Jiangning, who had recently been imprisoned. He hurried over to see Qiao Zhong, but it was Zhi Cheng who reminded him to bring some relief supplies, including rice, firewood, salt, sugar, oil, and two live pigs that were slaughtered temporarily.

  "It's just in time, we're all still hungry," Lin said to Zhou Pu, "and there are no other hands available. Master Zhou, you personally take a trip and bring people to move the disaster relief supplies ashore. Give rice and meat to those who do heavy physical labor and the injured, and give porridge to everyone else. Let the kitchen follow this and get through tonight first; once things are done well, bring me a bowl of porridge too... All the sugar is handed over to Zhou Langzhong for allocation..."

  Zhou Pu quickly walked out to make arrangements.

  Refugees gathered on Xi Sha Island for the convenience of opening up wasteland, all living near water. This time, almost no family was unaffected by the disaster, and many people have been waiting for relief, having gone hungry since the typhoon passed through the previous day.

  Lin Mou set up a relief camp in Guanyin Bay while sending people to notify the victims on the island to gather at Guanyin Bay. Lin Mou had no intention of going out to sea this time, and it was a hot summer day, so the food prepared on the ship was very limited, only enough for about 300 people for three to five days, and it was impossible to take care of everyone. The victims gathered in a scale of about 5,000 to 6,000 people, and the stored grain was used up, waiting for Ge Cunxin and Hu Jiaji to rescue them urgently.

  At this time, the disaster relief camp has gathered more than 10,000 refugees. The 3,000 kilograms of rice can barely get them through tonight; by tomorrow, even more refugees will arrive, and about 40,000 kilograms of grain will be needed to sustain them for a day. Chongzhou is an average county with less than 1,000 households, and the county's granary having 300,000-400,000 kilograms of stored rice would already be considered good; let alone this time, when the disaster affected not only Xisha Island but also other places, and a large amount of relief grain still needs to be transported from elsewhere...

  Lin Xian was thinking about the rescue plan in his heart, and when he looked up, he saw Hu Zhiyong still sitting there. He said: "Sit down quickly and talk, I didn't expect you to rush over at night. Qiao Zhong took people to the west island. There is a river across that side, and we need to use a boat to ferry people. We have sent someone to replace them, and Qiao Zhong will be back soon. You don't have to worry."

  "Don't worry, don't worry, Qiao Zhong is following the adults to learn how to do things, what's there to worry about..." Hu Zhiyong muttered to himself, but didn't sit down.

  "What's wrong?" Lin Xuan saw Hu Zhiyong's strange expression and asked in surprise.

  "Sir, you have helped our family twice with great kindness. I, Hu Zhiyong, offer my gratitude to you...". Hu Zhiyong pulled his eldest son, Hu Qiaoyi, and they both knelt down on the ground, ready to kowtow to Lin Xie.

  "What are you doing?" Lin Xian tied up Hu Zhiyong's arm and wouldn't let him kowtow, "Whatever it is, sit down and say it."

  Hu Zhiyong refused to get up, insisting on kneeling on the ground, and cried out: "The Hu family is just a humble small clan. Since Qiao Zhong and Qiao Guan were taken away, it has been fragmented and broken. The workshop business has also been declining day by day, barely maintaining itself with debt. In recent days, there have been heavy rains, and I knew that an old ship sailing on the Yangzi River during this season would be risky. But I was greedy for the high sugar prices in Danyang Prefecture during the rainy season, which is two percent higher than usual, so I let Zhi Cheng and Qiao Cheng transport sugar to Danyang. Fortunately, we met with your great kindness and were saved from disaster. And knowing that Qiao Zhong and Qiao Guan are safe and sound is also a great joy. However, the world is unpredictable, and thinking carefully, the Hu family in this world is like a broken ship sailing through storms and waves. Today's joy may suddenly turn into disaster, breaking up the family. The Hu family does not have the qualifications to ask for your favor, but except for you, we cannot find another way out. I, Zhiyong, implore you to protect the Hu family, letting us serve as your vassals for generations..."

  Hu Zhiyong broke free from Lin's supporting arm and insisted on kowtowing to him.

  The Hu family had no choice, and Hu Zhicheng went back to analyze the situation for his brother. The Hu family's sugar workshop, which only had a dozen or so employees, was already on the verge of bankruptcy and didn't have the qualifications to contend with the Ninghai Town Water Garrison Commander. If the news were to leak out, Xiao Yuantao could easily send a few dozen trusted followers disguised as bandits to wipe out the entire Hu family of over 20 people.

  The Hu family was so insignificant that even if they wanted to rely on the powerful for protection, there were no powerful families that would take notice of them. Moreover, those high-ranking officials and nobles were all in cahoots with Xiao Shouyuan, and weren't trustworthy at all. Lin Xie may not have had a good reputation among the upright, but considering he twice helped the Hu family without seeking reward, and now didn't shy away from the disaster on Xi Sha Island, he was more trustworthy than those high-ranking officials and nobles. The Hu family could rely on him without worrying that one day they would be sold out by him.