"You brought two or three people with you?"

In response to Pizi's question, Yunling hurriedly added:

"Uncle Pi, don't worry, I will pay you the boat fare. We will bring enough food. If we accidentally eat any of yours, we will pay you back the full price. We won't take advantage of you, so you can rest assured."

Seeing that Yunling was a little anxious, Uncle Feng also spoke up for her.

"Old rascal, I'm being very sincere, so just agree. He's experienced in sailing and won't cause you any trouble."

Pizi tossed the handkerchief onto the shelf, stood with one hand on his hip and his buttocks sticking out.

“It’s not that I don’t want to agree, but my boat has a reputation in the industry. It’s a passing boat, so it naturally stops along the way. If it sees anything good or someone wants to board, it’ll naturally be loaded onto the boat. Most people can’t handle that.”

Yunling felt a little uncomfortable with this passing boat. After all, she didn't travel by water often, and this was her first time traveling to Bianjing by water. She didn't know the way, and if the boat was taking a roundabout route to carry more goods or passengers,

Wouldn't that mean she wouldn't be able to reach Bianjing for a very long time? That won't do!

However, Yunling was very grateful to this person for telling her the truth earlier, which would have reduced the misunderstanding.

"Thank you for informing me, Uncle Pi. Do you two have any other caravans you could recommend?"

Seeing that it wasn't his business, Pizi squatted down, took some mint leaves from his belt, and put them in his mouth to chew.

Uncle Feng frowned again, and this time he thought for a while before looking up at Yun Ling and saying:

"There is another option, namely the fruit-selling caravans, but..."

"But what?"

"As you know, this fruit must be eaten fresh, so it has to be protected with ice all the way. If it were a hot day, it would be fine, as it would keep you cool. But now it is autumn, and with ice all over the ship, we can't light a fire or set up a charcoal stove for warmth. At night, it's truly cold to sleep on ice. It feels like needles are pricking your hands and feet, making it impossible to fall asleep."

Yunling had certainly learned a lot, but she still had some questions, so she asked:

"I understand. However, Bianjing is far away from here. Even if the fruit is the most durable and has the best preservation method, it will not be able to be eaten fresh in Bianjing."

Pi Zi was amused by Yun Ling's words. He leaned against the door frame, chewing on a mint leaf, and looked up at Yun Ling with his chin, saying:

"Not all of these fruits are being transported to Bianjing."

"Uncle Pi means that the fruit might be transported to the counties that pass through Bianjing, and then fresh fruit could be transported from those counties. Although it might not be the same type of fruit, this way everyone can eat fresh fruit?"

Pizi nodded.

“You smart kid, have some business sense. If you really want to eat this kind of fruit, you can eat dried fruit, or you can have it transported by fast horse after the ship docks. It’s all about money.”

Yunling had truly benefited greatly from this conversation, and looking at Uncle Feng, she said:

"Uncle, could you arrange for me to join a fruit-selling caravan?"

As she spoke, she pulled a small string of copper coins from her pocket, about two hundred coins in total. Yunling hadn't counted them precisely, but she figured it would be enough to arrange this matter.

"I was in a bit of a rush when I left today, and I only have this small string of copper coins on me. Please accept it for your tea, uncles. I hope you won't find it too much."

Uncle Feng wasn't in a hurry to settle this score. Although he dealt with merchant ships at the docks every day, if he arranged for someone to go with the caravan, others would naturally do him a favor.

But now that Yunling has given him copper coins, he might as well accept them. At worst, he can arrange a more reliable large ship for her.

"You're too kind, sir," Uncle Feng covered the small string of copper coins with the ledger, stood up, and dusted off the wrinkles from sitting on his bottom. "Please come with me, sir."

Seeing that he accepted the money, Yunling felt at ease and followed him outside.

The docks are still bustling with people and vehicles, and merchant ships and cargo ships come and go frequently. Groups of dockworkers come and go. Here, there is no scent of rouge and powder, only the smell of sweat from hard work.

As Yunling watched the busy dockworkers, her thoughts drifted away.

Previously, Yun Dazhuang and his family from the eldest branch of the Yun family were unloading goods at the dock. I wonder how they are doing now. As for Yun Xiaowu and Yun Xiaoliu, they've left, and the dock has gone with them.

When she was little, there were places in the city to dock cargo ships. Because there were many ships coming and going, it was called a dock. Because of this, the dock recruited people to unload cargo, which gave Yun Dazhuang and his friends the opportunity to move cargo and earn copper coins.

However, the disadvantages of the location gradually became apparent. Because the river was not wide, it could not accommodate many boats. They were all crowded together and could neither get in nor out, which was very time-consuming.

The other was the unloading area, which consisted of only a narrow passageway, allowing only two people to pass at a time, making it extremely inconvenient.

Gradually, the cargo ships found it very convenient to dock at the two lower towns. The river was wide, there was a large area for unloading cargo, and there were various warehouses and brokerage shops around the dock. So they simply docked their ships at the two lower towns. Over time, the dock in the city was abandoned.

"Young master, this is Uncle Cheng, the owner of a fruit shop. Uncle Cheng, this is... this is... young master, he wants to travel to Bianjing with your caravan. Do you think it's possible to do so?"

Yunling's thoughts were instantly pulled back. Her first impression of Chengbo was excellent, simply because he reminded her of her grandfather, Yun Laodi. If he could accompany her on the road, things would definitely go well.

Therefore, in order to make a good impression, Yunling greeted them especially warmly:

"Hello, Uncle Cheng!"

Chengbo sized up Yunling, nodded, and then looked at the merchant ship.

"There's no such thing as convenient or not feasible. If you come, we'll pay for the boat fare for each group of you. Bring your own bowls, chopsticks, and water bottle. We'll leave our fate to fate."

Yunling hadn't expected things to go so smoothly. She had a whole host of things to say, ready to launch into a long speech, but things fell apart halfway through. She could only nod and tuck her tail between her legs.

"By the way, Uncle Cheng, I wonder when this merchant ship will set sail?"

"The goods were just unloaded yesterday. It will take two or three days for the fruit farmers to deliver all the goods. Just estimate the date and come over. We won't wait for you if you miss it."

This little old man still had a bit of a temper, just like her grandfather. It reminded her of when she was little and her grandfather would scold her for trying to use his powers on the seeds. Because of this, Yunling felt even closer to him.

"Alright, thank you, Uncle Cheng. See you the day after tomorrow."

"Okay, okay."

Yunling bid farewell to Uncle Cheng, ran a few steps to catch up with Uncle Feng, and asked softly:

"Uncle, is Uncle Cheng's family the only one selling fruit in this caravan?"