Without saying a word, the scarred man led the group toward the dock.

There was indeed a small dock on this secluded riverbank, but the boats were very old, probably used for hauling goods.

Seeing that she had achieved her goal, Song He'er immediately released the two children and let them return to their father's side.

The scarred man hugged the two children tightly, kissing them repeatedly, as if they were precious treasures.

Song He'er couldn't help but sigh. Although he had become a bandit, he was a very loving father. If her father had loved his children as much as he did, perhaps she and her stepmother wouldn't have suffered so much...

Zhang Xiue nudged Song He'er, who was lost in thought, "He'er, what are you thinking about? Come on, we should get on the boat!"

Song He'er nodded, watching as the scarred man left with his child, concluding that they had escaped unscathed.

The group approached the boatman and patiently inquired about the price.

Wang San and his companions certainly didn't have any money, but if Song He'er paid for their boat fare, they would run out of money.

“We can row the boat ourselves, so we only need to pay for the rental fee. When we reach the next dock, we will bring the boat ashore. This pure silver hairpin is an old item of mine, so let's use it as payment for the boat rental!”

As Wang San spoke, he handed the hairpin to the boatman.

Song He'er never imagined that this man would actually wear jewelry!

Regardless of what he had, he had now solved the problem of using a boat.

Just as Song He'er was racking her brains for a bargaining strategy, Wang San suddenly asked, "Do you have any silver? If not, all I have left is my mother's earrings. How about..."

Zhang Xiue quickly interrupted him, "No, no, no, we still have some silver. You should keep the things your mother left you safe."

Wang San smiled and said, "Alright then, we'll head out first. Firstly, to scout ahead, and secondly, to draw those people's attention away from you. I'll keep the child with me and call him over to bed tonight!"

Zhang Xiue nodded, "Okay, you can go ahead!"

After saying that, the group boarded a dilapidated boat and slowly sailed away from the shore.

Zhang Xiu'e and Qin Xiaoniang approached the boatman to inquire about the price.

"We need a very stable boat. How much would that cost?"

The boatman looked them up and down and replied, "You're from Tuanjie Village?"

"yes!"

"Out-of-towner?"

Zhang Xiue nodded. "What's wrong?"

The boatman was incredulous, thinking they must have lied.

"It's rare for anyone to come out of Tuanjie Village unscathed. Are you all some kind of martial arts masters?"

Qin Xiaoniang coughed and replied seriously, "Of course, hurry up and tell us the price, we have a very important person waiting for us in the south!"

The boatman stroked his beard and said softly, "I'll provide you with lunch. It will take six hours to sail from here to the Dongjiang Wharf. It's not much, just two strings of cash!"

"Two strings?"

Qin Xiaoniang quietly pulled Zhang Xiue aside and questioned her carefully, "How much do we have left?"

After thinking for a while, Zhang Xiue replied, "Not eight strings of cash."

"I think there are no other boats here besides this place. Why don't we just give it to him? We've come this far, don't let money ruin everything."

Zhang Xiue nodded. "That's what I think too."

After saying this, Zhang Xiu'e walked to the boatman's side, took out two strings of cash from her bosom, and handed them to him.

"Let's be on the safe side. There are many children among us, and some of them are bound to get seasick."

The boatman weighed the money in his hand and said, "Don't worry, although this river has a rapid current, I've been sailing on this river for decades. I know what's important. Please get on the boat."

Just as she was about to leave, Song He'er suddenly thought of a thorny problem.

What will happen to their camels?

"Wait a moment!"

Qin Xiaoniang turned around and asked, "What's wrong, He'er? Are you feeling unwell?"

"No, Mother, what about our camels? They definitely can't be put on the boat that carries people. Are we just going to abandon them?"

Zhang Xiu'e and Qin Xiaoniang had completely forgotten about this matter. Only after Song He'er reminded them did they step forward to discuss it with the boatman.

"Do you have any cargo ships here? These two camels have been following us all this way, and we want to take them with us too."

The boatman looked at the tall camels and shook his head. "They're so heavy, the boat will capsize! Only that big cargo ship could take them away. I should have let those strong men take them!"

Qin Xiaoniang thought about it and realized that this made sense!

Wang San left in such a hurry that she completely forgot about it!

Song He'er stepped forward and asked, "Then, in your opinion, what should we do?"

The boatman looked at the camel, sighed, and replied, "I have a plan, but it depends on whether you agree to it."

"Say it first."

"Then I'll say it... These two camels definitely can't go on the ship together. Why don't we sell one and put the other on that small cargo ship to travel together? As for the price? We'll waive the fare for transporting the camels, and I'll give you an extra three strings of cash!"

Although Zhang Xiue didn't know the market price of a camel, she figured that by selling the camel, they had essentially taken a ride on someone else's boat for free.

"Could you raise the price a little more?"

The boatman immediately put on a sour face. "Ladies," he said, "I don't even know where these camels will be sold! Three strings of cash is quite a lot! Besides, there's a main road ahead, and it won't be easy for you to walk with these two camels. It would be more economical to exchange them for a horse-drawn carriage at the dock!"

Song He'er thought he made sense. The most important thing right now was to leave quickly. Who cared about the camel? It was originally obtained for free from Wang San, so it wasn't a loss.

Thinking this, Song He'er walked to Qin Xiaoniang's side and advised, "Mother, the most important thing now is to leave here as soon as possible. Don't hesitate, let's go!"

Qin Xiaoniang nodded and gestured for Zhang Xiue to take everything down, giving the smaller camel to the boatman.

The boatman took out two strings of cash from his pocket, added one string for himself, and handed it to Zhang Xiue. "Ladies, please take this and get on the boat!"

After that, people began to board the ship one after another.

After everyone was settled, Qin Xiaoniang first arranged for the children to rest in the cabin, while the adults discussed outside what to cook.

The boatman brought over two jin of cornmeal and some seasonal fruits and vegetables.

There was cabbage, potatoes, and green beans. Although they weren't very fresh, it was still a rare treat!