After leaving Yongsui, the road was filled with autumn clouds, golden wind, colorful mountains and clear water.
Xu Jiang and his entourage traveled along the banks of the Hanfa River towards Qianmachang. After passing Qianmachang, they arrived in Fuzhou in another half day.
The terrain on both sides of the Han River was steep, and the official road was bordered by cliffs, so even carriages and horses moved very slowly. Xu Jiang leaned against Liu Mei to catch up on some sleep. Her parents' affairs had consumed her energy these days, and now that she relaxed, she felt like she'd been sleeping all day, and she went limp the moment she leaned against someone.
Amid the cries of monkeys and the chirping of birds, she suddenly heard the songs of fishermen. Liu Mei lifted the curtain and looked outside. It turned out that there were several fishing boats casting nets to catch fish in the bend of the river ahead.
Shan Bo in front also lifted the curtain to look, and saw a viewing pavilion not far away, so he asked the guards to go over and rest.
Liu Mei woke Xu Jiang up and asked her to get out of the car for some fresh air. Xu Jiang yawned, stretched her arms, and asked, "About what time is it?"
"It's past noon." Since we are not in the city, we can only estimate roughly.
After they disembarked, Xu Jiang spotted a familiar white pagoda in the distance, knowing they were nearing their destination. Seeing the pavilion and the ideal time, she and Liu Mei laid out the prepared rations, cakes, tea, and other provisions, enjoying a golden autumn meal accompanied by the gentle breeze and the singing of fishermen.
"The autumn wind blows into the water, causing the waves to swirl. The fishing boats stop by the water and fish with their nets and hooks." Someone is singing "Bamboo Branch" in the river. Xu Jiang leans over the railing while holding half a cake, but sees that the one singing is not a fisherman, but a passenger boat that has floated in from nowhere.
A fisherman replied with a smile, "Where are you from, sir? You're so frightened that your old hands are trembling."
The man bowed and said, "I am too foolish to answer your question, sir. I am a traveler from Fuzhou going down to Qihe."
It turned out that they were coming from Fuzhou and heading to Qihe. Xu Jiang and a few others ate cakes and watched with great interest.
The fisherman collected his nets and returned the favor, "The mountains are high and the waters are far away, no one can stay. I'll see you again in the rivers and lakes, drinking and singing."
The two passed each other, one went into the misty waves, and the other was weaving a fishing net. The other fishing boat was also pulling in the net. The fat fish in the net jumped around and almost capsized the boat.
The fisherman shouted: "Loading up the goods——"
The guard in the pavilion called out, "Old man, what kind of fish is that?"
"Grass carp." The fisherman picked up the fish and threw it into the tank.
Grass carp is fat at this time of year but becomes thin in winter, not to mention that it is a river fish. River fish has a short and wide body, thick and creamy meat, and is very delicious. It is best used to make fish sashimi or roast it.
Xu Jiang licked the crumbs from the corner of his mouth and asked, "Old man, are you selling your fish?"
"Sell." The fisherman pointed upstream and said, "There is a ferry further up. You guys go there and wait for me."
"Okay." Wherever there's a ferry, there are people living there. I can borrow a few tools and cook a river fish dinner with the river water. Wouldn't that be wonderful? Thinking of this, Xu Jiang suddenly felt that the cake in her hand tasted even less.
After everyone had rested enough, they packed up their things and headed towards the ferry ahead.
After walking for about two minutes, we saw a beach by the water and an islet in the middle of the river. There were many fishing boats parked on the beach, as well as a pier, a boat shop, and a few houses.
There was a small path down from the official road, suitable for people and horses, but not for carriages. Shan Bo left two guards to guard the carriages and luggage, then took the other two, along with Xu Jiang and Liu Mei, and walked to the water's edge to wait for the fishing boat to return.
An old woman on the boat stall called out, "Dear guests, would you like to come up and have some tea?"
Xu Jiang asked Shan Bo, "Would you like to go up and sit down?"
Shan Bo saw the old woman's hair was full of white hair and couldn't bear to refuse. Besides, he also wanted to see the customs of the people living on the river, so he nodded and said, "It's okay to sit down."
Xu Jiang then asked the woman, "Grandma, how do we get on the boat?"
"Please wait a moment," the old woman replied, then went to the stern and called over an old man. The old man fished a tow rope from the water and pulled the boat ashore. The boat was a canopied boat, but the cabin was deeper and wider than usual. Besides the arched canopy, the bow and stern also had flat roofs, with the front lower and the back higher. Inside, there were wooden tables and cushions for guests to relax and drink tea.
The boat had a heavy draft, but the old man was able to pull the boat ashore by himself, which showed that he had some real skills.
After the boat landed, the old man picked up two long boards from the deck and placed them on the ground for the passengers to board. A guard boarded the boat first and then came over to pull Shan Bo.
There are horizontal pins nailed to the board so you won't slip when you step on it.
After Shan Bo went up, Xu Jiang followed immediately. The old woman stretched out her hand to take it, and Xu Jiang took it, holding her hand full of cracks and calluses.
"Thank you, grandma." The old woman was about to pull Liu Mei's eyebrows, but Xu Jiang said first, "Let me do it."
After everyone was on board, the old woman invited a few people to sit in the cabin. Shan Bo asked Xu Jiang and Liu Mei to enter the cabin, and they went to the stern.
Seeing that this was in accordance with the rules, the old woman asked the old man to set up a foldable low table at the stern for a few people to sit on.
Xu Jiang saw that the old man hadn't said a word from beginning to end, and seeing the scar on his neck, she had a guess in her mind. A guard sat down and asked the old man, "Old man, what kind of tea do you have on board?"
The old woman in the cabin replied, "We have ginger tea, old yin tea, mountain chrysanthemum tea, square ping tea, and acacia tea. They are all fifteen cents a bowl. Which one would you like, sir?"
Shan Bo also noticed that the old man was a little strange. He patted the guard's hand under the table and said to the old man, "My child has no tact and has offended you."
The old man shook his head to indicate that he was fine.
The guard then realized that he had been rude and offensive, and hurriedly bowed to the old man to apologize. The old man smiled and bowed in return.
Shan Bo patted him and said, "Weren't you just asking what kind of tea we had? Now that the boatman has given us the tea order, why is there no sound again?"
The guard hurriedly said, "Then give me a bowl of chrysanthemum tea." It was just right to get rid of the restlessness.
Shan Bo and another guard had no objection to this.
The old woman then asked Xu Jiang and Liu Mei, "What would you two like to drink?"
Xu Jiang knew the first few flavors of tea the old woman had recommended, but she had never heard of the last one, so she asked, "What kind of tea is this Acacia Tea?"
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