Chen Ye led Su Guang and San Gouzi into the cabin.
The cabin was narrow, barely wide enough for one person to lie down.
Yet the surroundings were still relatively neat, with tung oil freshly brushed onto the bulkheads and a faint, lingering scent of oil in the air.
Clearly, the Cui Family had hurriedly tidied this up for the journey.
Chen Ye settled his carried parcel, then said to Su Guang and San Gouzi, "You two go ask around nearby, see if there are any other empty spots in the other cabins, and pick a room to settle into together."
Su Guang nodded, took San Gouzi, and turned out the cabin door.
Yet in merely the time it took to brew a cup of tea, Chen Ye heard a flurry of footsteps hurrying back.
The cabin door was pushed open, and Su Guang stood at the entrance with a bitter expression, his demeanor carrying a trace of embarrassment.
"What's wrong?" Chen Ye couldn't help asking when he saw him like this.
"Brother Chen..." Su Guang said with a somewhat helpless tone, "I took San Gouzi and walked the boat from end to end, asking quite a few people. They all said the cabins were already full and there were no spare places."
Chen Ye frowned slightly and stepped outside. "Wait here, I'll go find the steward and ask."
He followed the gunwale to the middle of the vessel and found a steward who was tallying supplies.
That steward was a middle-aged man in his forties who looked rather kind-faced.
Chen Ye stepped forward, cupping his fists. "Steward, I am Chen Ye, and I'd like to ask you about something. I brought two people on board with me, but when we went to find a cabin just now, we were