Zhang's words were indeed surprising. She had never mentioned writing letters before when she went out, so this time she brought it up, which caught Yunling off guard.
"I forgot to mention you before. You went to such a faraway place without a care in the world, always having fun by yourself and completely forgetting about everyone at home. You didn't even bother to write a letter to let us know you were safe. If you don't write one this time, I won't allow it if you go on another long trip next time."
These words struck Yunling squarely at her weak point, and she dared not disobey.
"Mother, I will write letters, and I will write down everything I see and hear along the way, okay?"
"You'd better keep your word and not just try to fool me."
A short while later, Gangzi came out of the cabin and stood at the bow to wait. Zhang Shi couldn't keep Yunling any longer, so she let go of her hand, took one last look, and then reluctantly saw her off.
"You must remember what you said, you must let us know you are safe."
"I know."
After Yunling and Tangling boarded the ship, it officially set sail.
Zhang was reluctant to leave, and stood on the dock waving goodbye to Yunling as she sailed away. After the boat had gone far away, she went back to the shore, fearing that she might fall into the river if she wasn't careful. She carefully took a step back, and when she looked up again, the boat had gone far away. Her heart felt empty and adrift.
Uncle Cheng, who was rowing the boat, was indeed skilled. The boat sailed steadily on the river, and Yunling didn't even need the seasickness-relieving snacks she had specially bought.
The boat kept moving forward without any warning of nighttime bandits or anything like that, continuing its journey on the river. But the autumn night wind blowing from the river was bitingly cold, and the boat's cargo holds were piled high with ice, making it cold both inside and outside, but my heart remained warm.
When Yunling came out of the outhouse, she felt unusually cold, perhaps because she had relieved herself. She shivered all over and quickly ran back to the cabin. Tang Ling, seeing this, immediately took out a coat from her bundle and draped it over Yunling's shoulders.
"Young man, don't catch a cold."
Unlike other merchant ships where the cabins are divided into compartments, this cabin is just one large compartment, as if it wasn't originally intended for rest but was temporarily vacated because someone came to stay.
Since the weather was cold, Yunling didn't have Gangzi guard the passageway as before, but instead came directly into the cabin and separated them with a cloth.
"Second brother, if you're not warm enough, I'll give you this blanket too. I'm strong, I can handle it."
"No need, you can cover it up yourself."
Unlike girls who pack everything they need before leaving home, Gangzi simply packs all the clothes he can carry. If it's cold, he puts on all his clothes, or lays his pants on the ground and covers his stomach with thick clothes to keep warm.
But he never expected the fruit boat to be so cold. When he first boarded the boat, there was a quilt in the cabin. The quilt was dry and the cover was dirty. Yunling thought he didn't want it, but he didn't mind. He casually dusted it off and gently brushed his face with his hand as if to cleanse the quilt from the dust. He then comfortably covered himself with it.
However, if his great-aunt felt cold, he wouldn't mind giving her up.
Yunling took off her shoes and crawled into the quilt. Although it was supposed to be a double layer of bedding, she still couldn't help but shiver when she was actually in bed. The cotton was warm, but the quilt cover was cold. It was supposed to be warm with two layers, but now it felt like being sandwiched between two layers.
What's worse, her ability doesn't provide any help in terms of warmth at all. She even felt a little disgusted, wondering why she couldn't have a fire-type ability and had to be a wood-type one. However, this thought only flashed through her mind and was quickly replaced by Tang Ling closing the door and crawling into bed.
Yunling had hoped to warm herself by taking some warmth from Tang Ling, but to her surprise, Tang Ling was also cold-blooded. Not only did she not get any warmth from Tang Ling, but she also had a faint feeling of being warmed by Tang Ling.
Yunling tossed and turned, unable to warm up the bedding no matter what she did. She simply sat up, rummaged through her bundle, took out a pair of socks and put them on top of the original socks, then put on glove socks to cover her hands and feet. This finally warmed her up a bit.
"Young man, if you're really cold, put on your coat and sleep."
"No need. If I wear a padded jacket and then get into bed, it will be so uncomfortable."
In Yunling's opinion, the warmest way to stay cozy in autumn and winter is to take a hot bath, soak your feet until they turn slightly red, wipe them dry with a handkerchief, put on socks and blankets, and then snuggle into bed. Your feet will still be warm the next day.
It's a pity that the boat can't heat water; otherwise, even if I don't take a bath, I could soak my feet before sleeping and not shiver like a sieve.
"Then I'll go ask Uncle Cheng to boil some hot water. If the boy drinks some, he'll feel warmer and won't be so cold."
Gangzi listened to Tang Ling's words and rushed to leave.
"I'll go call them."
"No, this boat is for transporting fruit. It has ice to keep it fresh. If we start a fire, the ice will melt and all our efforts will be wasted. Go to sleep, everyone go to sleep. You'll get used to it."
Gangzi originally intended to use firewood to prop up the deck, so that it wouldn't damage the ice in the ship's cargo box. However, this had a drawback: it would easily attract the attention of river pirates.
He thought it best to be careful, rather than suffer in the cold, but when he mustered up his courage, Yunling was silent. He wondered if she had fallen asleep. If he made any rash moves and woke them up, it would be unpleasant.
Gangzi stopped thinking, his eyelids were about to close, so he closed his eyes and fell asleep.
When Yunling heard that Gangzi was not moving, she carefully turned to the side. She knew that Gangzi was impatient and had his mind on her. If she didn't fall asleep soon, he would probably rack his brains to get some hot water.
Gangzi is a good person, but there are rules on this ship. Once you're on board, you have to abide by the rules so that everyone can live in peace.
As the night deepened, only the sound of oars and bamboo poles propelling the boat across the water remained, a gentle, rhythmic lapping that sounded like an unknown lullaby, captivating Yunling.
**
The next day, Yunling woke up from the cold. She didn't know why the bed had lost all its warmth that morning, as if it had turned into an ice cellar. She was like a fish that had just been pushed into the ice cellar, struggling with its head and tail, but unable to move its body.
Yunling curled up into a ball, thinking that this would warm her up, but she always felt a chill, and she didn't know where it came from. It went up her spine and straight to the back of her head, and Yunling couldn't fall asleep at all.
She hurriedly reached out from under the covers to grab her coat, but couldn't find it no matter how hard she tried. Puzzled, she leaned out a little to look for her coat, and accidentally found Tang Ling's coat and cotton pants in the spot where Tang Ling was sleeping.
Because they were all hidden under the covers, they didn't feel cold to the touch, and they were comfortable to wear.
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