A cabin?

Jiang Feng had never travelled in a s.h.i.+p before, that was why he couldn't stand still as the s.h.i.+p rocked left to right. Jiang Feng kept falling here and there until he grabbed onto a pillar. Unless the s.h.i.+p stopped, Jiang Feng would have to hold onto the pillar the whole way.

The cabin was small and dark. It was crowded with people, and only a single window could be seen. There were more than 100 people of different sizes, genders, and ages. The only thing they had in common was that they were all skinny down to their bones. Most of them sat on the floor, staring blankly into nothingness.

Jiang Feng could not even tell which one Jiang Weiguo was.

As Jiang Feng continued to hug onto the pillar, he tried to cover his nose from the disgusting smell. It was way worse than the garbage dump that Li Mingyi used to live in.

There were smells from the sweat, body, p.i.s.s, and excrement. If Jiang Feng had never felt what it was to live like in a garbage dump before, he would've run outside the cabin the moment he landed in there.

It seemed to Jiang Feng that it had been ages since the people had bathed. Judging from the torn s.h.i.+rts and the terrible situation they were in, Jiang Feng could tell they didn't have the chance to shower nor did they have a spare change of clothes.

If the people in the cabin weren't Asians, Jiang Feng would've thought that he was on board a s.h.i.+p that was smuggling black slaves.

The door opened not long after.

A skinny but well-dressed man walked in with a disgusted expression. He stopped in the middle of the stairs, clearly not wanting to touch the people in the cabin.

"Our chef that's responsible for the First Cla.s.s guests is sick! Are there any chefs in here?" the skinny man asked. "The reward will be two steamed buns per meal!"

The reward was so good that it caused an uproar. The people didn't care if the original chef was thrown into the ocean or not, the buns were all they wanted.

People began to try to volunteer themselves, no matter their age.

"I'm a chef!"

"I can cook!"

"I don't need two buns! One is enough!"

If not for the fear the people had for the skinny man, they would've run up and grabbed his s.h.i.+rt begging for food.

"Shut up!" the skinny man roared. "I don't want women! Anymore chaos and I'm throwing all of you into the water! What I want is a real chef that has served before! I don't want people who only know how to make basic foods!"

The s.h.i.+p was a merchant s.h.i.+p that was sailing between China and Southeast Asia. When they weren't transporting goods, they would transport people. Some would even scam people of their money for a ticket and divide them into three grades. The pretty ladies were all sold to San Fransico, while grown men and women were sold as slaves. As for kids, they would be sold if there was a market for them. But if not, they were all thrown into the ocean.

The s.h.i.+p that Jiang Feng was in was at least better than most. At least the people were a.s.sured that they would reach their destination and were given clear congee every day.

But if the people couldn't live with that and die, it wasn't the company's problem anymore. The s.h.i.+p they were in was better than the others in the same line of business.

"Anyone?" the skinny man shouted again. "Three steamed buns per meal!"

No one raised their hand.

They were afraid that if they messed up, not only would they not get the buns, but all of their family would die with them.

Because of the war, plague, and drought in the north, people from various communities all escaped to the south. The tickets for a whole family could cost their life-savings. Some would even have to sell their daughter or wife just to secure a ticket for themselves. As for those that were in first cla.s.s, the people didn't even dare to imagine what kind of status they held.

"I used to work in Taifeng Restaurant's kitchen. Is that enough?" Jiang Weiguo raised his hand and said.

Jiang Weiguo was around 11 or 12 years old. Since he had been helping Jiang Chengde from an early age, he was well fed. Just from how he looked better than all other people in the cabin, the skinny man could tell that Jiang Weiguo came from a well off family.

"Taifeng Restaurant?" the skinny man repeated, unable to believe that someone from the restaurant would end up in the cabin. "How old are you? 13? 14?"

"11," Jiang Weiguo replied.

The skinny man looked at Jiang Weiguo for a while before nodding. "Alright. Come on up."

Jiang Weiguo left the cabin with the skinny man while everyone else stared at him enviously.

When Jiang Weiguo got out of the cabin and felt the fresh air and wind, he was pleased.

"I'm the manager of the staff here. You can call me Manager w.a.n.g from now on," the skinny man introduced. "Let me give you a warning first. The person in the first cla.s.s isn't someone we can offend. If you're lying about where you came from, you better go back now."

"I'm Jiang Weiguo," Jiang Weiguo shook his head and said as he extended his hand.

They were the hands of a chef.

They weren't rough, but scars from cuts could be seen all over them.

That was how Manager w.a.n.g was convinced that Jiang Weiguo was a chef.

Manager w.a.n.g then took Jiang Weiguo to a small room and threw him some clean clothes.

Manager w.a.n.g then ordered Jiang Weiguo. "There's no hot water. Just wash with the cold water, especially your hair. Don't you dare bring any fleas into the kitchen. I'll wait for you outside."

After that, Manager w.a.n.g closed the door and left Jiang Weiguo alone in the room.

Since Jiang Feng has no interest in his young grandfather taking a shower, he waited alongside Manager w.a.n.g outside the room.

Jiang Weiguo came out a few minutes later.

He has changed into a new set of clothes, his face and hands were washed. He even cleaned his nails too. Manager w.a.n.g took a look at Jiang Weiguo and nodded in satisfaction.

Jiang Weiguo was then taken to the kitchen. It was a small kitchen, but it was fully equipped. There were all sorts of greens and dried meats. Jiang Feng couldn't tell what type of meats they were just from looking at them.

"The guest in the first-cla.s.s cabin is Mr. Huang. He doesn't like fish or ginger," Manager w.a.n.g started to explain. "You'll have to finish his lunch by 11. Prepare at least three main dishes and one soup for him. Don't you dare steal anything from the kitchen, or I'll throw you into the ocean. If you do well, Mr. Huang might reward you."

Manager w.a.n.g then left but stopped just at the door.

"Oh, right!" Manager w.a.n.g then added. "The kitchen for the second and third-cla.s.s cabins is just next door. If you're hungry, you can go and get congee from there."

Jiang Feng guessed that it was a benefit for people working on the s.h.i.+p.

"Can I ask where Manager w.a.n.g is from?" Jiang Weiguo asked.

Unexpecting the question from Jiang Weiguo, Manager w.a.n.g stared at Jiang Weiguo before replying. "I'm from Huguang."

"Thank you for letting me know," Jiang Weiguo thanked him.

"If you need any help, just ask from the kitchen next door," Manager w.a.n.g said, possibly taking a liking to Jiang Weiguo.