Dazhuo Ferry is just as its name suggests. The sound of wind and water is so loud and powerful all year round. During the flood season, people standing at the ferry have to shout to hear each other clearly.
At the Dafeng Ferry crossing, the Hun River is in the middle and upper reaches, with fast currents, making it a poor choice for a ferry crossing. However, the Hun River then flows into Guantian Gorge, a gorge hundreds of miles long with steep banks. There's no better place to cross the river. Over time, the intrepid people of Huozhou have become accustomed to the thrill of navigating the waves, a fact occasionally met with sighs and, inevitably, jokes and ridicule from outsiders.
So Xiao Nanhui's guess was correct. It had been half a month since the boat had been out, and the rain had stopped. Although the river was still turbulent, there must be a brave boatman ready to set sail.
If someone dares to drive, someone will dare to sit.
When she and Shrike arrived at the ferry, a large ferry had just left the shore and disappeared in the fog. There was only one small boat left at the pier, which looked like it was almost full. The boatman didn't seem to plan to wait until the boat was full and seemed to be in a hurry.
Seeing this, the two men hurriedly led their horses forward.
"Boatman, why are you in such a hurry? I think the weather will be better by noon, but it's too foggy now. Is it dangerous?"
The boatman kept busy as he replied, "Young master, you don't know, but last night someone robbed the ferry and reportedly killed someone. The authorities haven't arrived yet. If they did, the boat wouldn't be able to leave. They'd have to interrogate everyone. So if you want to leave, you'd better hurry. If you delay, you might not be able to leave today."
Robbery?
Somehow, what flashed before Xiao Nanhui's eyes were the family of six who had enjoyed delicious food and wine in the inn last night, and the fierce man with the forehead band.
The shrike had already paid the silver to the boatman. The boatman was easy to talk to. After weighing the carrying capacity of the boat, he agreed. Fortunately, the two of them did not have much luggage, and with two horses, it was just enough for them to get on the boat.
The cabin was incredibly crowded. She boarded the boat and discovered that the merchant family she'd been worried about were actually sitting there, surrounded by a pile of luggage. Her heart was immediately reassured, and she was about to talk to Shrike about her plans for Huozhou when she spotted two people sitting at the bow. Who else could it be but the duo from yesterday's "Sword-wielding House" incident? Her joy immediately faded.
She turned her back, trying not to look at the two men. The boatman untied the rope on the wooden pile of the dock and was about to start the boat, but suddenly a loud shout came from the shore.
"Wait!"
Xiao Nanhui frowned and looked back, only to see a white shadow rushing out of the mist. When it got closer, he could see that it was the young man in white who had been at the next table yesterday.
He seemed to have just climbed out of bed. He was still wearing the same clothes as yesterday. There was a hairpin hastily inserted in his hair, with a strand of hair hanging down at the back of his head. In his hand, he was holding something that looked like a chamber pot. He took a few breaths and then buried his head in it and vomited twice.
"Wait a minute, boatman! I, I want to get on board too."
The boatman was a real man, not one to cheat his conscience just to make a few more coins. He sincerely advised, "My dear, our boat is full. If you take more people on board, I'm afraid it will sink."
"No, no," the young man in white threw away the jar in his hand, quickly stepped forward, grabbed the rope, and raised his foot to squeeze onto the boat, "I even offended the beauty in order to catch this boat, I have to get on no matter what."
The middle-aged merchant who was closest to him immediately expressed displeasure: "You're not the only one on the ship. If the ship sinks because of you, will everyone on board be buried with you?"
His wife, holding their four daughters, nodded in unison, and the rest of the people on the boat agreed. The young man in white, however, didn't get angry. Instead, he looked at the large and small pieces of luggage and said, "This is a ferry, not a cargo ship. Aren't all these bags taking up other people's space?"
The merchant was hit on the spot and felt a little embarrassed: "These are just some tea and other things, they don't take up much weight." After saying that, he glanced at Jixiang and Huaqiu who were standing on the stern deck, and the subtext was self-evident.
Xiao Nanhui was afraid that Jixiang and the others would be kicked off the boat, so he was about to speak when the young man in white pulled out a cloth bag from his body and shook it open. Inside was a row of shining needles. "I'm a doctor, and I'm going to Huozhou to treat someone. That person is terminally ill and needs my needles to save him. How about this, brother? I'll buy you two loads of tea for you, and you can give me some space beside you."
The merchant was still reluctant, but the people on the boat began to side with the "doctor": "He's a doctor, he'll have to sell the tea sooner or later, right? It's so humid, I guess you can't keep it. Why not do a good deed while you're at it? Maybe you'll save someone's life."
In the end, the young man in white successfully boarded the ship and left two loads of tea cakes for the merchant at the dock.
The last ferry left the shore, and in the thick fog, there was no other sound at Daxu Ferry except the sound of wind and water.
On the gravel beach, the bloodstains had not yet been washed away by the river tide. The river water hit the river bank, and washed a bloody forehead band onto the river beach.
******************
The boat swayed towards the center of the river. The ferry rope, as thick as a wrist, connected the bow and stern, extending into the lingering fog as if there was no end.
All that could be heard around was the noisy sound of water, and occasionally the sound of broken ice hitting the hull. Everyone felt like an ant fallen into a stream, tossing and turning on this small boat.
Although the rain had stopped, the temperature above the Hun River was much lower than on the shore. The walls of the ferry were shaking and drafty. Ding Weixiang put a thick fur coat on Zhongli Jing and sat in the wind with a knife in his arms to block some of the cold wind for him.
Xiao Nanhui looked at it with some envy, then turned back to look at the shrike huddled behind him. He took out a piece of cake and took a big bite, but before he could chew it a few times, the shrike snatched it away. It was obvious that he was picky about food and didn't eat well last night.
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