BXBX NOVEL Chapter 149: Ch.148 Honolulu
Chapter 149: Ch.148 Honolulu
"I just swam to your island, thinking it was uninhabited. As an apology for being an uninvited guest, let me treat you to a meal in Honolulu."
Su Ming stood up and spoke to Baird, his gaze falling on the small cargo ship.
"Haha, although there\'s no need for an apology, I wouldn\'t mind going into town for a good meal. I have to say, you swam quite a distance. Praise be to God, your physical condition is impressive."
Baird readily agreed, though he did so with a hint of envy. Even though he was a navy man, he couldn\'t have managed to swim such a long distance in his younger days.
The nearest inhabited island from here is at least that far away.
But he didn\'t ask many questions. The world is vast, and there are all kinds of strange people. He had once seen a man in Africa who could eat stones and another in India who hadn\'t eaten for years.
Now, he had just met a swimming champion.
"Maybe it\'s because I train often? Haha."
"Wait a moment, then. Once we\'ve loaded the pineapples and fish onto the ship, we\'ll head to Honolulu. Normally, I\'d have my butler sell these goods on the closer Maui Island, but today we might as well try our luck on another island."
Baird nodded, starting to pack up his fishing gear. He didn\'t really care about the small profits from these agricultural products. He just planted some pineapples to pass the time since there wasn\'t much else to do on the island.
The climate here is nice, and there\'s enough rain, so the pineapple yield is decent. Though it doesn\'t cover all the expenses, at least it\'s something.
Su Ming hadn\'t seen his pineapple fields, but with so few people on the island, they couldn\'t be very large. The island was still largely wild, and he could occasionally hear the distant calls of monkeys.
After a brief conversation, Su Ming asked for a piece of canvas from Baird and returned to the jungle to retrieve his armor and weapons.
The Icon Armor looked like a shark-proof chainmail suit, which was easy to explain. He wrapped the Sword of Ares and the Promethium AK-47 together, intentionally making it look like a surfboard, something that wouldn\'t seem out of place on any island.
Su Ming brought all his belongings and then boarded the ship with Baird. Baird\'s butler handed him a brightly colored short-sleeved shirt, along with shorts and flip-flops, since it was more appropriate for going into town.
Although this wasn\'t London, it wasn\'t proper to walk around town shirtless. As an English gentleman, how could he allow the people around him to do that?
The shirt was red with a pattern of coconut trees, a popular style in Hawaii, and Su Ming adapted to the local custom.
The boat was just as he had seen before—a simple fishing boat, with no cargo hold. A few baskets of pineapples and other local produce were just piled up on the deck.
Accompanying them were the butler and two workers, making the boat feel quite crowded.
The butler was in charge of steering the boat, while the workers had to keep feeding coal into the stove, sweat pouring off their brown skin.
But for island natives, this was already a good job—working for an Englishman paid well.
As soon as Baird boarded the ship, he insisted on standing behind the butler, directing him as they sailed, occasionally giving orders.
"Full rudder to port."
"Double engines ahead, full speed."
"Steady as she goes."
Su Ming couldn\'t help but twitch at these words. It wasn\'t surprising that the butler understood these naval terms, but how to execute them was another matter.
The so-called "double engines ahead, full speed" meant running both propellers at full throttle.
But this was the simplest of boats, with just one propeller and a small boiler. There were no gears; the faster they shoveled coal, the faster it went.
A World War I destroyer\'s top speed in fourth gear was about 25 knots, which is roughly 46 kilometers per hour. But with this little boat, even if the workers exhausted themselves, they wouldn\'t reach such speeds.
Setting aside Baird\'s nostalgic actions and the butler\'s dutiful responses...
Su Ming turned his gaze to the sea. Many seabirds were flying above, following the boat in hopes of finding some easy food.
But this little boat disappointed them. Pineapples weren\'t their preferred diet—they wanted small fish and shrimp, which the workers had hidden beneath the pineapples.
Soon, the birds dispersed.
Su Ming smiled faintly, feeling a sense of peace, much like the calm sea. Marvel was just as real and vast as any other world.
When they arrive in Honolulu, the first thing would be to sell the gold, then take a few days to rest before handling business. He had been too tense for too long; it was time for a vacation.
It was only after about four hours that they arrived.
Su Ming found himself somewhat admiring Baird. Despite missing a leg, he had stood steadily on the thin, shifting deck for four hours, issuing commands with the same strong voice as when they set out.
This man was born for the life of a sailor.
The two strong workers seemed used to his behavior. They were busy securing the boat at the dock, preparing to unload the goods and hire a cart to sell them.
The sun was high in the sky, and it was lunchtime. Baird pulled out a small stack of pounds, giving the butler and workers some money to get their own food, then walked over to Su Ming.
"All right, Slade, there\'s nothing else I need to oversee. Let\'s go eat."
Su Ming didn\'t have any cash on hand, just some gold jewelry to sell, so the first thing he needed to do was find a place to sell these items.
Being new here with no information or connections, he knew that banks and other legitimate institutions wouldn\'t accept jewelry, only raw gold. But there was one place where he could likely get a slightly better price for jewelry without needing any identification.
A pawnshop.
There were many Chinese people in Hawaii, many of whom had come to these islands as early as the 18th century to make a living. The Qing Dynasty even had a consulate here.
Of course, the Qing Dynasty fell in 1912, and very few Chinese people here ever returned home.
But that had nothing to do with Su Ming; he just needed to find a pawnshop. Although pawnbroking wasn\'t exclusively a Chinese business, it was undeniable that they asked the fewest questions at this time.
They recognized the goods, not the person, and didn\'t care where the items came from or where the owner was going. This was the rule of the business, and Su Ming liked it.
The earliest Chinese settlers here were merchants because Hawaii was rich in sandalwood, which could fetch a high price back home. At that time, Hawaii didn\'t tax merchants, and profits could be over 40%, attracting many traders.
It was also these merchants who gave Honolulu its nickname, which is still used by the Chinese today—Sandalwood Mountain.
And around a bustling port, there would inevitably be pawnshops. Sailors often found themselves short on cash but eager for strong liquor and women to relieve the fatigue of the sea, and pawnshops could help them tide over.
When the captain or owner sold the goods and settled the wages, they could redeem their pawned items.
Honolulu\'s port was much busier than Baird\'s private dock. A glance around revealed at least dozens of large cargo ships flying flags from various nations, and thousands of dockworkers were busy loading and unloading goods, creating a lively scene.
Su Ming was already scanning the buildings along the shore. Some shops had Chinese banners with the word "酒" (wine) on them, and the architecture resembled old houses back in China. He quickly spotted one with the word "当" (pawn).
"Wait here for a moment; I need to visit the bank."
Su Ming said to Baird.
It must be said that foreigners are often straightforward. If this were back in China, the person would likely respond, "Oh, no need to go to the bank. I\'ll treat you to this meal; we can go to the bank later."
But Baird just smiled and nodded, gesturing for Su Ming to hurry back. He would wait for him at the dock.
This made Su Ming think of buying a few oranges for him on the way back.