102 Are You and I Friends?
◎Chen Jingshan? Why are you here?◎
Merchant ships mainly transport goods. This ship was chartered by an unknown merchant, and a lot of empty wooden boxes were moved onto the ship when it set sail.
Of course there is a place for people to live. The cabin is divided into two parts, one part is for storing cargo, and the other part is divided into three or four large compartments. Ordinary people have to live here. One room can accommodate at least a dozen adults, with men and women separated.
Originally, Ye Yunzhao had paid two taels of silver and could only live here, but before boarding the ship, Uncle Daniu specifically told her to stay on the deck for a while, and he personally whispered with the captain for a long time.
After a while, Uncle Daniu said with a smile, "A Zhao, let's go. I'll tell you where you live."
Ye Yunzhao nodded quickly and followed him obediently. The two of them went upstairs one after the other.
Uncle Daniu walked ahead, guiding her as he introduced her. "Our merchant ship isn't very big. It has two floors. The second floor is for private rooms, and the rooms on the east side of the first floor are for the captain and the experienced sailors. Apart from those, the rest of this floor is for passengers. By the way, I live in the fourth room on the east end. If you need anything, come and see me."
"What about the new boatman?" She thought of the young boatman she had just seen on the deck and asked curiously.
"New sailors need some training. They all live in cabins, and the environment can't compare to this up there."
As he spoke, he pushed open a door. It was very narrow, with two extremely narrow bamboo beds placed in it. There was only a narrow path in the middle, just enough for a person to pass through, and nothing else around it. However, there was a small window, so perhaps during the day, one could see the scenery outside.
"You can stay here," Uncle Da Niu warned. "I told the captain that you are my wife's cousin's niece, so don't make the mistake. The boat to the capital isn't full, so you can stay in this room. It's better than the one down there, but I don't know what will happen when you come back..."
Ye Yunzhao had not expected him to arrange it this way. He was very grateful and immediately took out a small cloth bag from his arms, took out two still warm eggs, handed them to him, and said with a smile: "Thank you, Uncle Daniu, for helping me change rooms!"
There wasn't much good food on the boat, and with the rocking ride, it was impossible to cook. Most boatmen brought their own rations, whether bread or steamed buns, anything that would last. Eggs were expensive and didn't keep well, so Uncle Da Niu didn't refuse. He smiled, explained a few things, and then left.
After bolting the door, Ye Yunzhao collapsed onto the bamboo bed. She was so tired today, so tired...
Fatigue washed over her, but she forced herself to get up and tie a sturdy cloth strip over the small window. She lifted the coarse cloth from the small bamboo basket, revealing the neatly stacked dried mushrooms underneath. Ye Yunzhao meticulously hung them on the cloth strip.
Only then could I lie down on the bamboo bed with peace of mind, and without even having time to pack my things, I fell into sleep swaying in the gentle evening breeze.
The next day, Ye Yunzhao was awakened by a knock on the door.
As soon as the door opened, it was naturally Uncle Daniu.
He smiled and handed over a bun: "A Zhao, after you're full, you can go to the deck to enjoy the scenery. This section of the waterway is beautiful!"
The buns that had been left overnight looked a little dry and hard, but they still emitted a faint fragrance.
"Gurgle-Gurgle--" Ye Yunzhao, who was still sleepy, subconsciously covered her stomach. She realized belatedly that she had not eaten anything since yesterday at noon.
Uncle Daniu laughed heartily and stuffed the bun into her hand without hesitation: "Eat it!"
"Thank you...thank you..."
By the time Ye Yunzhao reacted, he had already disappeared.
Maybe it was because she had been hungry for too long, but as soon as she closed the door, she wolfed down the buns and ate three eggs in a row before she felt somewhat satisfied.
There were only five eggs left in the bag. Ye Yunzhao paused as she reached for them, wondering when she would reach the capital. Although she was still a little hungry, she didn't dare eat any more. She tied the bag tightly and tucked it away tightly in her arms.
A lot of sea breeze blew in through the window, and the mushrooms swayed with it. Her heart moved, and she remembered what Uncle Daniu had just said. She bolted the door and walked towards the deck.
The scenery during the day was very different from what I saw last night.
The river is extremely wide, and the turquoise water reflects the distant green mountains. Although the boat is sailing against the current, it still creates layers of white waves.
What a beautiful view!
What a refreshing feeling!
Ye Yunzhao, who had been feeling depressed for many days, couldn't help but take a deep breath as she looked at the beautiful scenery in front of her. The matter of weaving mushrooms that had been weighing on her mind was temporarily put aside by her willfulness, and she finally felt a little happy.
Uncle Daniu was busy directing a few young and strong boatmen on the A shift. Seeing her emerge, he took a moment to step forward and confirm, "Is the door bolted? There aren't many people on board, but things get lost all the time. I forgot to tell you this just now... If you lose anything on board, I'm afraid my wife would be furious if she knew! Hahahahaha!"
Ye Yunzhao responded with a smile, but he didn't know that this scene changed again in Chen Jingshan's eyes.
It was already three o'clock last night when he boarded the ship, and Chen Yuechuan stopped him before he left. Therefore, Chen Jingshan did not see Ye Yunzhao when he boarded the ship. He knew that she was always frugal, so he wanted to go to the cabin to look for her at dawn today.
Who would have thought that when he was standing on the second floor and looking down, he would just see a familiar figure.
But before Chen Jingshan could go downstairs to call her, she saw a burly and wretched man approaching her. Judging from his clothes, she knew he was a boatman.
He had heard before that some boatmen behaved frivolously, taking advantage of their position on the boat to act lawless and harass young women.
Chen Jingshan watched the wretched boatman laughing loudly towards the sky, getting closer and closer to Ye Yunzhao.
He couldn't help but frown: Why didn't I realize she was so slow before!
*
For some reason, Ye Yunzhao suddenly felt as if someone was staring at her. She glanced around vigilantly, but didn't see anything unusual. She was about to join Uncle Daniu's chat.
In the blink of an eye, a dark figure suddenly appeared from nowhere and suddenly knocked over the tall and strong Uncle Niu!
Ye Yunzhao took two steps back, a look of horror on her face. After she realized what was happening, she immediately stepped forward and angrily asked, "What are you doing!!!"
The black shadow turned around upon hearing the sound and met her eyes.
"Chen Jingshan?" Ye Yunzhao was stunned. "Why are you pushing Uncle Daniu?"
Now it was his turn to be stunned. He asked with a confused look on his face, "What Uncle Niu?"
Ye Yunzhao suddenly pushed him aside, quickly stepped forward, helped up the fallen Uncle Niu, and asked with concern: "Uncle Niu, are you okay?!"
He was a little confused after falling to the ground suddenly. He looked at the situation in front of him, shook his hand, and then asked, "Do you know each other?"
"Exactly..." Ye Yunzhao's face showed a bit of shame, "He is Chen Jingshan."
"Do you know each other?" Chen Jingshan realized it belatedly and couldn't believe it.
Ye Yunzhao was very puzzled by his inexplicable behavior. He said in a bad mood, "Of course I know him! What did you do just now? Why are you so reckless?"
He knew he was in the wrong, his cheeks flushed, and his voice became lower and lower: "I... I thought he was bullying you..."
Hearing this, Ye Yunzhao secretly rolled his eyes, his tone accusing: "Have you ever seen a 'bully' with laughter and joy? Have you ever seen a 'bully' chatting happily? How can it be like this..."
As soon as he heard his name, Uncle Da Niu remembered who he was. Seeing Ye Yunzhao laughing despite his anger, he said with a smile, "Okay, okay, Ah Zhao, Shopkeeper Chen didn't mean it. I'm really fine."
Only then did Ye Yunzhao fall silent. He glared at Chen Jingshan angrily and turned his back: "Hmph!"
Chen Jingshan was somewhat bewildered. This was his first time saving a beautiful woman, but also his first time making a fool of himself in public...
He quickly apologized to Uncle Daniu: "I'm really sorry for being so rude. If you feel uncomfortable, just tell me, or come to Ruyi Tower to find me after you get off the boat..."
Before he finished speaking, Ye Yunzhao turned sideways and looked at Uncle Daniu: "Uncle Daniu, there's no need to shirk responsibility. Falling down may not seem like a big deal, but I don't know if your internal organs have been injured. Regardless of whether you feel uncomfortable or not, you must ask him to take you to the clinic for a thorough check-up!"
Chen Jingshan nodded like a chick pecking at rice, his eyes rolling as he called her, imitating his previous words: "That's right, Ah Zhao is right."
Uncle Daniu smiled and nodded in agreement. When the captain of the boat called for help, he hurried away.
"A Zhao, I just..."
As soon as Chen Jingshan opened his mouth, Ye Yunzhao choked back: "Shopkeeper Chen, if I remember correctly, you and I are not close enough to call each other by nicknames."
"Just now I heard him..." Chen Jingshan paused, his eyes fixed on her, "Uncle Daniu called you Ah Zhao, and I thought you and I should be closer than he is... And I didn't know you, a county magistrate, were so familiar with the boatman."
Upon hearing this, Ye Yunzhao was very dissatisfied. She was from the new era and had only seen the scholars, farmers, merchants and artisans described in books, but did not know the real situation. After traveling through time, she rarely acted like a county magistrate. She frowned and glared at him:
"What about the county magistrate? What about the boatman? Do I have to consider my status when making friends? If that's what you say, I'm the county magistrate and you're a merchant. Can we be considered friends?"
Chen Jingshan has always been a man of few words. He has been struggling since he was young. He has endured countless hardships and swallowed a lot of blood in his youth for more than ten years, and only then has he become so famous.
Therefore, he always spoke the truth to people and lied to ghosts, knowing full well that one's fate was predetermined. Just as he had worked hard to earn a fortune, he had never been a guest of honor. Ye Yunzhao was a scholar who had participated in the imperial examinations, but she didn't quibble with words. Her words were simple and easy to understand. He suddenly realized that he had said the wrong thing, and his face flushed like blood, filled with shame, but he didn't say anything to defend himself.
"I'm sorry, I'm narrow-minded..."
Ye Yunzhao had never seen him like this, nor had she ever seen anyone admit his mistakes so quickly and sincerely. She felt that she had been a little too serious just now. She put away the sullen look on her face and smiled at him lightly:
"So, are you and I friends?"
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