Chapter 913: Island Residents

Since the island wasn't large, he opted to be a guide and lead He Lingchuan on a tour.

After walking around for a while, He Lingchuan had to admit, "The scenery here is truly magnificent." Few people can resist the charm of the ocean.

On their way there and back, they saw a long bamboo pipe. They even followed it for over a hundred zhang.

"The supply station connects thick bamboo sections, stretching for hundreds of zhang, to draw spring water down from the mountains," he explained. "Otherwise, passing ships would have to go into the mountains to fetch fresh water."

"That's very convenient."

Clerk Yang also presented the compensation agreement signed with the tenants, bearing the signatures and thumbprints of both parties.

Faced with a substantial sum of money, the Lu family wouldn't quibble over a small amount of silver.

Afterward, the group proceeded to Suoding Island.

Among the six outer islands of the Yangshan Archipelago, only the two closest to the shipping lane had supply stations.

Suoding Island was surprisingly three times larger than Heiye Island, with very flat terrain, also primarily composed of shale. To He Lingchuan's surprise, the supply station here was very well-built. The pier was wide and flat, and the buildings on shore had their exterior walls smoothed with grayish-white mud plaster, speckled with white shell fragments sourced locally. The roofs were uniformly thatched with thick seaweed.

From a distance, the rows of houses were neatly arranged, resembling plump, sturdy round mushrooms nestled within a shiny palm grove.

Upon closer inspection, the buildings were logically zoned: a storage area for unloading ships, a food area for provisions, tobacco, and alcohol, as well as a kitchen and a lounge hall.

Of course, all food and water had already been removed.

The rows of houses behind were guest rooms; the single-person VIP rooms by the sea offered prime ocean views and tranquility.

Closest to the storage area were dormitories for seven or eight people and standard guest rooms for four or five.

All sorts of items and tools were neatly arranged, as if the owners had only temporarily left.

Perhaps due to the stark contrast with the supply station on Heiye Island, He Lingchuan found this place very pleasing. The original station owner must have put in a lot of effort.

"This place is well-built," he remarked. "It's not huge, but clean and orderly. There's no need to demolish it later; only expansion would be necessary."

Clerk Yang chuckled, "Yes, most ships prefer to dock here. Oh, and there's a sulfur hot spring behind, where people can directly bathe. A soak is very refreshing."

He led He Lingchuan to see the hot spring, which was actually a small lake in a nearby cove. Steam rose from the water, and a sulfurous smell was noticeable upon approaching.

It was a saltwater hot spring, with seemingly a large outflow. He touched the water; it was forty-five or forty-six degrees Celsius.

He Lingchuan was satisfied. A natural hot spring was a bonus, certainly worth developing.

"This supply station is really well-built. The lease hasn't expired, so why are the original owners willing to leave?"

"They were given compensation, so they had nothing to say."

In He Lingchuan's original world, this would be called a breach of contract penalty.

After exploring about half of the island, He Lingchuan saw two small villages, both situated by a stream, but with few inhabitants.

Elderly villagers sat expressionlessly on benches outside their homes, watching them.

"Who are these people?"

"They are the island's residents. They've lived here for decades and hold land deeds, which even the ancestors of the Lu clan lord recognized," he explained. "In other words, it's a historical issue. Other islands also have such small villages, some with as few as twenty residents, others with no more than forty or fifty."

So, this was the protected private property mentioned in the Yangshan Archipelago transfer agreement? According to the agreement, He Lingchuan could not forcibly evict them.

"How many villages are there across the entire archipelago?"

"Uh, six. Heiye Island has three; this island is larger, so it has a few more villages."

"Is this village the most populous?" He Lingchuan pointed forward. "What's it called?"

Clerk Yang didn't know either and had to send someone to inquire. "Luding Village," came the reply. "It's named after the Luding Stream nearby."

"With so few people, do they just rely on farming for a living?"

"Presumably."

Clerk Yang's answer effectively meant "I don't know." He Lingchuan glanced at him. "Do they not pay rent or taxes? Otherwise, the authorities would at least have some basic information."

Clerk Yang cleared his throat. "There are just too few people."

Meaning, they didn't pay.

Collecting meager amounts from several islands wasn't even worth the labor cost of tax collection. It was a loss-making endeavor, so Bailie simply stopped collecting.

He Lingchuan nodded and continued walking.

Palm trees were abundant across the entire island. There was even a farm within the woods, equipped with various tools. Behind the house, numerous fruits and husks were piled up, resembling chestnuts but larger.

He Lingchuan picked up a husk and examined it. "What is this?"

Clerk Yang replied, "These are palm fruits. They're harvesting them and extracting oil here privately, without reporting it or paying taxes!"

The archipelago previously belonged to Bailie, and naturally, the crops on the islands also belonged to Bailie. The supply station had organized villagers to build a workshop here to extract oil, but they hadn't paid any extra money to Bailie, which naturally displeased Clerk Yang.

Of course, these islands would soon belong to He Lingchuan, making it irrelevant to Bailie.

"There are many palm trees on this island. Are they high-yielding?"

"They're everywhere," Clerk Yang replied casually. "I've heard there are even more in the deeper parts of the archipelago."

"Oh? Heard?" He Lingchuan eyed him. "Clerk Yang, haven't you been to the deeper parts of the archipelago?"

Recalling this, the palm trees on Dragonspine Island were indeed countless, and he had seen numerous fruits on and beneath the trees, completely unmanaged.

Oops, he almost let slip! Clerk Yang quickly covered his tracks. "I'm afraid of sea storms, so I rarely travel by boat. My colleagues handle other matters concerning the Yangshan Archipelago."

He Lingchuan simply hummed in acknowledgement and didn't press further, returning to the shore with Clerk Yang to board the boat.

However, just as they reached the beach, arguing voices erupted from the pier ahead.

He Lingchuan looked up and saw that the dozen or so guards Clerk Yang had brought were blocking the pier, seemingly surrounding someone.

He Lingchuan couldn't see the other party in the argument, but he could hear a loud, angry voice—

"These are all things my family built ourselves! By what right do you just give them away without our consent? The lease still has seven years left; why are you driving us out? Don't you know that a sale does not break a lease?"

It was a woman, her voice young and rapid-fire, like beans spilling out.

The dozen or so big men opposite her couldn't out-argue her, nor could they even raise their voices above hers.

One guard, enraged, reached out to push her, but before his fingers even touched her, the woman grabbed his arm, yanked it hard, and simultaneously delivered a flying kick to his stomach.

Splash! The man, weighing over one hundred and fifty pounds, was actually kicked into the water by her.

The other guards saw this and thought, "Oh, so you want to fight?" They immediately moved to seize her.

The woman quickly leaped back into her small boat, grabbed a wooden oar, and struck one of the pursuing guards with a swift blow.

Another one fell into the water.

Her movements were exceptionally agile. The other guards, unwilling to be struck down, grabbed the mooring ropes and collectively dragged the boat towards the pier. This way, her only options were to fall into the water or be captured; there was no third path.