Chapter 109 Big Ship Big Ship

Compared with the passenger ship that originally sailed from Hushan County to Qingzhou, the passenger ship prepared by the Meng family was obviously huge and extremely luxurious.

There are more than a dozen guest rooms on the ship, not including the crew's rooms. Each room is extremely spacious and can accommodate a whole family without feeling crowded.

Not only Su Fengzhang would take this boat, but Meng Ting's three or five good friends were also on the boat, and even Xu Zifeng abandoned his own boat and boarded the Meng family's boat directly.

However, Li Sanlang refused to take the Meng family's boat, preferring to drive another boat and follow behind. Yes, the two boats sailed one after the other, and on board were the owners and the guests they had invited.

After bidding farewell to Mr. Wen and entrusting the letter he had written to them to take back to Hushan, Su Fengzhang embarked on his journey to Beijing.

Su Arong carried the gifts into the room one by one. He looked at the guest room, which not only had a bed but also a desk and a small table. He couldn't help but sigh in amazement: "The Meng family is truly wealthy. This is just the guest room."

Su Fengzhang smiled and said, "In Qingzhou, if the Meng family is only second, no family dares to claim to be first."

Su Arong said, "Erlang, it would be much easier to follow them. This Mr. Meng is a really good man."

Su Fengzhang also thought that Meng Ting was very good. As a kid from a wealthy family, he had a free and easy personality and was a bit unruly, but he was not the kind of person who looked down on others unscrupulously.

If others knew Su Fengzhang's evaluation, they would probably laugh three times. But if you look closely at Meng Ting's friends, you will know that he is extremely picky in making friends. He will naturally be considerate of the people he likes, but those he doesn't like will not even be allowed to step into the Meng family's threshold. This guy is a willful guy who has a clear hatred for others.

Although Meng Ting is willful, he has the capital to be willful. Not to mention his family background, his literary talent alone is among the best in Qingzhou.

Speak of the devil, and he will appear. Meng Ting's clear voice came from outside the door: "Brother Su, are you ready?"

Su Fengzhang looked outside and saw not only Meng Ting but also Xu Zifeng following behind. He smiled and asked, "We've only just set out. What are you guys trying to do by mobilizing so many troops?"

Xu Zifeng said helplessly, "Brother Meng just had a sudden idea and wanted to use the river water to make tea."

Su Fengzhang raised his eyebrows and jokingly said, "Brother Meng, you are in a good mood."

Meng Ting grabbed him and pulled him out: "Come on, let's go together. You and your followers will take care of these things."

"Brother Meng, Arong is not my follower, but my distant cousin." Su Fengzhang explained.

However, in Meng Ting's view, there was little difference between these two identities. In fact, if Su Fengzhang had not been so talented and interesting, and very much to his liking, Meng Ting would definitely not have been so close to him.

Xu Zifeng was also a refined person, and he asked curiously, "Is this river water better than the best spring water?"

"When it comes to making tea, river water is best, followed by water from the riverbank, and then mountain spring water." Meng Ting said with a smile, "Doesn't the Qi Min Yao Shu also mention the so-called water collection method? River water is the best."

Su Fengzhang was also very puzzled and asked, "What's so special about this? To ordinary people, mountain spring water is clear and sweet, while the river is inevitably polluted due to the constant flow of ships. Why do people say that river water is the best?"

Seeing that they were all confused, Meng Ting suddenly felt a little proud and laughed, "Now you don't know what's going on, right? Let me explain it to you."

"Don't think of river water as dirty. The water at the dock is undrinkable, but once you're in the middle of the river, it's crystal clear. How can it be dirty?"

"Furthermore, the water in this river is formed from the snow-capped mountains in the sky. It has passed through mountains and rivers along the way. It has the purity of the snow-capped mountains and the charm of various places. How can such a deep foundation be compared with mountain spring water?"

"Come on, even if the source is the Snow Mountain Ice and Snow Institute, it's not here anymore." Xu Zifeng didn't have that romantic sentiment.

Su Fengzhang felt that this made some sense. The river water in ancient times was not as polluted as it is today, and the water quality must be better.

But he thought about it for a moment and asked, "It shouldn't be easy to get water from the river. You can't just go down and get it back with a bucket."

Meng Ting put his arm around his shoulders and laughed, "Brother Su, you are really talented. You know the key point right away."

"Getting water from the river is not just a simple task. It's fraught with difficulty. It's something only experienced craftsmen can do. Look, this set of water-getting tools was specially made by someone I hired. Even an ordinary person wouldn't be able to use it."

It was only then that Su Fengzhang and the others realized that this man had made preparations in advance to obtain water from the center of the river. He not only made tools and invited a master craftsman, but he even planned to stay in a suitable location for a day.

This process is complicated, with intricate details and huge costs. Unless one is born into a wealthy family like Meng Ting, ordinary scholars would probably be unable to try the river water even if they wanted to.

Meng Ting said he would take them to see how people fetched water from the river, but in fact it was not something that could be fetched in a short time. Even if it was fetched, it would have to remain there for a night before it could be used.

A few people watched the excitement on the deck for a while, and Xu Zifeng was the first to speak up: "I won't keep you company. I didn't get enough rest last night and I'm very sleepy now. I'll go back and get some sleep before coming back."

The others also said, "Yes, yes, let's go pack our luggage first. Call us when you have got it and you need to make tea."

Meng Ting shouted unhappily, "You bunch of people, what's the point of not watching over and fetching the water yourself? Don't expect me to share a cup with you when the time comes."

Su Fengzhang was about to speak when this person pulled him and said, "Brother Su, you are not allowed to leave. I will ask the maid to help you pack your luggage. You just stay here with me."

Su Fengzhang shook his head helplessly and suggested, "It's no use waiting like this. Why don't we put a table nearby and play chess while we wait? Otherwise, our eyes will get sore from watching."

"That's a good idea." Meng Ting gave an order, and soon the tables, chairs and benches were ready. On top of them was a white jade and obsidian Go board, and there was no shortage of tea or snacks.

Meng Ting sat down cheerfully and said with a smile, "I've never played chess with Brother Su before, so why don't we each try our best to decide the winner."

Su Fengzhang also sat down and said, "I'm afraid I'll disappoint you. My chess skills are average."

After arriving in the Great Zhou Dynasty, he focused most of his time on the imperial examinations. It was good enough that he could balance calligraphy and painting. He had indeed never studied chess, and it was still at the level of computer gaming in his previous life.

Meng Ting didn't believe it and said, "Brother Su, don't be so modest. Come and kill me without worry."

As a result, Meng Ting knew that Su Fengzhang was indeed not good at chess. Although he was slightly better than a beginner, there was still a huge gap between him and what he had imagined.

Meng Ting was surprised, but when he thought about Su Fengzhang's birth, he felt that it was understandable. He said, "Next time we want to compete, let's play chess. This way, I can win without any effort."

In less than half an hour, Su Fengzhang was completely defeated. He picked up his chess piece and asked with a smile, "Do you want to continue playing to kill time, or are you going to humiliate me again? Aren't you afraid that I'll get angry and walk away?"

"I'm really not afraid of that." Meng Ting laughed and looked at him and said, "Brother Su is not that narrow-minded."

When the second game started, Su Fengzhang's chess skills were still average, but Meng Ting, who was playing against him, found that he had improved very quickly. He could almost immediately learn the techniques he had used in the previous game.

Meng Ting, who had been feeling uninterested after playing a game, became spirited again. He looked at Su Fengzhang as if he had seen something rare. Soon, the game was over within half an hour.

While picking up the flag, Meng Ting said excitedly, "Brother Su, although you are not good at this now, you have considerable talent. Why don't I be your teacher and teach you?"

Su Fengzhang thought that he still had a long time to spend on the boat and couldn't spend the whole day just studying, so he smiled and said, "If Brother Meng is willing, I would be more than happy to help you. As long as you don't look down on my students for being stupid."

Meng Ting laughed heartily: "If you are still considered stupid, then Li Sanlang must be a fool."

It's amazing that this guy would say something to Li Sanlang from time to time.

Meng Ting said he wanted to teach him, but in fact he himself was not a person who liked to teach. He was an excellent chess player, but his teaching was imaginative and his thinking was jumping around, as if the previous sentence was English and the next sentence was advanced mathematics.

If it were an ordinary person, being taught like this would probably make him even more confused. Not to mention making progress, it would be good if he didn't get tortured to madness.

But Su Fengzhang is not an ordinary person. He thinks very quickly and can keep up with Meng Ting's pace. What's more rare is that he has an extraordinary memory and can remember every word Meng Ting said.

Su Fengzhang himself was not completely without any basic knowledge. While playing chess, listening and learning, and verifying and practicing, his chess skills were improving at a speed visible to the naked eye.

By the time the sun was setting and they were finally able to take out the water from the center of the river, the game between the two of them had actually lasted for an hour, with Su Fengzhang's moves occasionally being quite good.

Meng Ting had originally said that he wanted to teach him was just a joke and he wasn't serious about it, but now he couldn't help but feel happy.

There is no teacher who doesn't like such smart and clever students, even Meng Ting is no exception. When he sees his students making rapid progress, the satisfaction and pride he gets is indescribable.

After placing the last piece, Meng Ting said happily, "I didn't expect I have the talent to be a teacher. Brother Su, you should learn from me along the way. I guarantee that you will be a master by the time you reach the capital."

Su Fengzhang couldn't help but smile, nodded and said, "Then do you want me to offer you a cup of tea as a token of my respect for you?"

"If you insist, I have no choice but to drink it." Meng Ting said with a smile.

Su Fengzhang smiled and picked up the teapot, and poured him a cup of tea. Meng Ting pretended to drink it. The two looked at each other and laughed, and they both found each other very amusing.

After laughing for a while, Su Fengzhang thought of someone and suddenly said, "When I was in the county school, Changqing also taught me how to write poetry in this way. If it weren't for him, I'm afraid my poetry wouldn't be up to par."

Meng Ting obviously knew Lin Changqing's name. He couldn't think of any words of comfort for a moment, so he could only stand up and pat him on the shoulder. Finally, he said, "He must be as happy as I am to have such a smart student like you."

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