After the pirates left, they originally wanted to return to the first floor, but when the girl heard the messy and noisy environment on the first floor, she knew that the two of them were scholars, so she let them stay on the second floor. The two of them couldn't refuse and declined again and again. They were already grateful that the pirates had saved their lives before, and now they were allowed to stay in the room. They would always remember this kindness.

The people on the first floor were now huddled in the cabin, the candlelight flickering. Many people gathered around the brazier to dry their clothes and whispered about the battle that had just happened. Someone gently stroked the wound on his thigh and said in fear: "If it weren't for the nobleman on the second floor and that leopard..." Before he finished speaking, the door curtain was gently lifted, and the people from the escort agency came in with bedding. Everyone hurriedly stood up to thank them.

The escort agency representative said, "Everyone, rest assured. The deck is guarded by Shopkeeper Bai and his brothers. Even if ten more pirates come, they won't be able to get close to the ship!"

Everyone thanked him profusely, and many women in the crowd were sobbing quietly. Only at this moment did they dare to cry out loud. They had seen everything that had just happened, the head tumbling onto the deck, its eyes still open, but its neck dripping with blood, its eyes wide open in death!

The deceased was a young man who had lost his way in the north. He heard the south wasn't cold in winter, so he scraped together enough money to come. He didn't expect to die there. There were bodies in many rooms on the first floor. Shopkeeper Bai said that after arriving at the next station, they would stop for a day, and the bodies would be cremated. After that, the ashes would be taken back! The weather in the south was hot, and the bodies couldn't stand being stored for long, so they had to be cremated and the ashes taken back to their families.

It was not until the morning that they arrived at Suigang Station. There were many ships here. Shopkeeper Bai directed the boats to dock on the other side and then asked people to move the bodies to a designated place for burning. They had been here before, so Shopkeeper Bai was familiar with the people here, so he directly lifted the bodies to the designated place.

Manager Bai could have set off without waiting for the bodies to be cremated, and they could have come to get them when they returned. However, considering that they had just experienced a life-and-death scene last night, he was worried that the people on the boat could not bear it, so he stopped for a day to give them some time to relax.

Suigang was also the place with the most people getting off the ship. Zhou Xueyi took Fan Yang to say goodbye to Tong Wen Yao.

"Miss Tong, we have to say goodbye one day. Thank you again for saving our lives. If you need anything in the future, you can come to Beijing to find me." Zhou Xueyi always believed that he could pass the imperial examination and was quite confident about this exam. That's why he told Tong Wenyao to come to Beijing to find him if she needed anything.

Tong Wenyao nodded and said, "There should be an appointment to win the first prize in the imperial examination, and there should be a time to write a name on the Wild Goose Pagoda. I hope your literary inspiration will flow like a spring, and your pen will be as brilliant as a river, winning the first prize. In the future, you will be able to demonstrate your wisdom in the court and your name will be recorded in history forever."

Zhou Xueyi was shocked when he heard this, and even Fan Yang was touched. They saluted her with the highest etiquette of their scholars, and Tong Wenyao also gave them a normal salute in return.

Xing'er watched them walk away from behind and asked, "Miss, why did you let me put money in their packages?"

Hearing this, she pointed to the sapling next to her and said, "Xing'er, look at this sapling. If you knew now that it would be sold for 10,000 taels of silver in ten years, the prerequisite would be that you studied the sages' books in front of the tree every day."

After hearing this, Xing'er said, "Miss, can this sapling really be sold for ten thousand taels of silver in ten years?"

Tong Wenyao smiled and said, "Xing'er, you misunderstood. Ten years later, your value will have surpassed that tree." Seeing that Xing'er didn't understand, Tong Wenyao could only explain it in a simple way, "What you're doing is called investment. Maybe in the future, scholars like them can help her!"

When Xing'er heard the young lady talking about investment, she nodded and said, "Miss, I understand. It's just like you investing in the papermaking workshop and rubbing workshop in the village." Seeing that Xing'er understood, she had an expression that showed that the child was teachable.

Time passed quickly, and early the next morning, Dongzi brought the things he bought from the county onto the boat. These were all the things that the boss asked him to buy. As long as they were some rare plant seeds, he would buy them back for the boss.

After that, we didn’t encounter any pirates and soon arrived at Dongsuizhou.

As soon as Tong Wenyao got off the boat, she saw her uncle waiting for her at the dock. After seeing her coming down, he hurried over and said, "I've been counting the days, and finally you're here!"

Tong Wenyao said with a smile on her face, "Uncle Qi is really something. The sun is so strong. It would be better for you to wait for us in the teahouse than to bask in the sun at the pier!"

His uncle said in a clear voice, "You are almost here. Yesterday I heard that many dignitaries in Suilan Sea were burned, killed, and looted by pirates. This also made me very worried. Fortunately, Wen Yao is here today."

Although he said this, he could still smell blood as he got closer to the dock. It was obvious that they had experienced a fierce battle the night before.

Xiaoxue followed her, and the people from the escort agency also carried the goods down. Tong Wen Yao thought about staying here for a day or two, and after resting, she could take the boat to Luzhou again.

She calculated the journey from Cangzhou to Dongsuizhou and found it took six days. Looking at the map, it would also take two or three days by boat to get from Dongsuizhou to Luzhou.

There was a Xuanfeng Teahouse in the city now owned by her uncle. Tong Wenyao asked Dongzi to take Uncle Wang to find an inn to stay for two days, while she took Xing'er to stay in the backyard of the Xuanfeng Teahouse for two days to gather information about Luzhou.

Sitting in the carriage, there were many small stalls set up on the street. Xing'er asked curiously, "Miss, I've never seen houses here before. These houses are connected to each other like this. Aren't you worried about the noise?"

His uncle smiled and said, "It's not like in the north, where people have their own small courtyards. Except for the rich and powerful, the houses of ordinary people are all next to each other."

Xing Er saw the white walls and green tiles and said, "Miss, the houses here also have white walls."

Tong Wenyao took a look and said, "It is indeed a white wall. It looks like it was built by a wealthy family."

His uncle said, "They picked up shells at the beach, then polished them and painted them on. If you look closely, they're pink." He continued, "However, a while ago, a merchant showed up with lime. He painted the black wall with lime, and after it dried, the wall instantly became spotlessly white. This attracted a scramble from the city's wealthy people. However, the merchant only brought a small amount of goods, and only the highest bidder could get them. But many people have placed orders with him, and are waiting for the shipment to arrive in the next few days.

Xing'er asked, "Uncle Qi, there are pirates rife in the Suilan Sea. Hasn't the government ever considered suppressing them? If the lime is transported down and robbed by pirates, wouldn't we lose everything?"

His uncle smiled and said, "People have their own ways, and mice have their own ways. People in this line of work will always find a way."