"Flap, flap."
The water bird tucked in its wings and hovered over the mast, then spread them again and combed its feathers with its sharp beak.
A large number of laborers gathered at the docks, earning copper coins through hard labor. Elderly women also arrived carrying wooden buckets with rags laid beneath them, ready to sweep and clean. Vast amounts of trash were cleared out from the cabins of warships and living vessels alike—spoiled food, toilet buckets filled to the brim.
The River Conservancy Office officials covered their noses and mouths, backing away in disgust.
This was one indispensable part of a large fleet coming ashore for supplies.
The stench wafting from the gaps between toilet buckets and their lids made the gentlemen flee for their lives, yet some people could only dream of getting their hands on it.
Dry manure had the price of dry manure; wet manure had the price of wet manure. The rich man's excrement was nutritious and fetched a high price, while the poor man's lacked nutrition and sold cheaply. All of it was premium "fertilizer"!
What was dumped in the distant sea was sold near shore.
Dung haulers had never been paid to do the job. They paid out of their own pockets just for the chance to snatch up such fine work, and the competition was exceedingly fierce.
Especially now that Pingyang's population was growing, all manner of amusing affairs had emerged.
For instance, to avoid unnecessary conflicts, dung haulers would draw up written agreements, sign and seal them, and mark out their respective "territories" of operation. This was called a "dung route."
Some people accumulated many "dung routes" and, over time, became "dung merchants." To seize profits, some dung merchants occupied dung routes by force, raised thugs, monopolized and manipulated manure prices,