Minglan hurried to open the window and looked up, only to see a flame rising into the sky somewhere in the distance, as if one of the large ships was on fire. Figures flashed in the distance, and vaguely one could see people falling into the water. Following the sound of the wind and water, Minglan faintly heard bursts of shouting and fighting. Changdong was lying on the window with a pale face. At this time, a sharp whistle was also heard on the side of the ship, as if the boatman on guard was giving a warning.
Soon, everyone on the boat woke up. Minglan woke Danju and asked her to wake the other girls, while she dragged Changdong to look for Changwu. Along the way, the boatmen, maids, and old women were leaning on the side of the boat, looking out, everyone looked panicked. Minglan didn't look at them, but rushed all the way to Changwu's cabin, only to see Yun'er, pale with fear, sitting there holding her slightly swollen belly. When she saw Minglan, she hurriedly grabbed her hand and said, "Your brother went outside to check, and I just sent someone to look for you. God bless you, everyone is okay!"
Minglan didn't know what was going on outside, so she had to sit next to Yoona. Changdong stretched his head out to go out, but was slapped back by Minglan.
But after a cup of tea, Changwu came back panting and said, "It's pirates!" The women were shocked, and then Changwu explained the whole matter in a few words.
The waterway that everyone was traveling on was called Yongtong Canal, the Huaiyin section of the north-south canal. Tonight, the wind and sea were calm, and many ships were anchored to rest. In addition to the Sheng family's ship, there were two large ships belonging to officials' families and wealthy families, two guard ships, and several merchant ships of Baochanglong. Because they were all anchored in the river, they all moored in the sheltered place of Hulukou, with merchant ships in the front and back, and guard ships and passenger ships in the middle.
After everyone fell asleep, a group of pirates sneaked onto the ship at night and first robbed and killed several merchant ships in front and behind. Unexpectedly, one of Bao Changlong's ships was carrying tung oil. During the fight, several shop assistants set fire to the cargo hold. A whole hold of oil barrels exploded, and the entire ship was immediately engulfed in flames. Not only did the shop assistants take the opportunity to jump into the water to escape, but it also gave a warning to other ships.
Seeing Yun'er trembling with fear, Minglan patted her hand and comforted her, "Sister-in-law, don't worry too much. I don't think these pirates are very smart. Experienced people know to rob passenger ships first. Why would they go for a cargo ship first? That would only alarm... people."
At this remark, Chang Wu, who had been keeping a straight face, could not help but smile. He praised, "Sixth sister, you're right! That's exactly what you said! They're probably a bunch of scattered bandits, now entangled by the escort boat. We've got a sampan ready below. You guys pack up and get to the left bank!"
The female relatives immediately relaxed.
There were not many pirates, but they were good at "sneak attacks". The boats were small, so it was difficult for the victims to hide, which allowed them to commit such atrocities. The right bank of the Yongtong Canal was winding, which happened to be a shelter, so the boats stopped there. The left bank was a vast reed field, with dense reeds more than one person tall, leading directly to the nearest Huaiyin Guard Camp. If they reached the left bank, not only would the guard camp come to help, but the pirates who were chasing them would also be scattered and they would not be able to catch up.
There was no concept of lifeboats in this era. The boatmen on the shore had been captured by pirates at night. Changwu had finally managed to get two small sampans. Fortunately, he was a captain who had killed people before and knew some strategies to deal with the enemy. So he ordered people to pack up and get off the big ship, and at the same time, he ordered people to light up the lights in every room of the ship, and then ordered people to run back and forth, making it seem that the people on the ship were very panicked. No fire was allowed to be lit on the small sampans, so they could get ashore silently under the cover of night.
In their haste, the maids became increasingly flustered. Changwu kept urging them on. Yun'er was frighteningly pale, clutching her abdomen with a look of pain, perhaps a miscarriage. Minglan glanced at the fire a few dozen feet away, which seemed to be in full swing. She said, "Sister-in-law is unwell and may be unable to move soon. Why don't you escort her and Fourth Brother there first? I'll catch up as soon as I'm done."
Yuner and Changwu were reluctant at first, but seeing that the pirates were not yet arriving, Changwu gritted his teeth and left behind half of his guards and a small sampan. Before leaving, he earnestly warned them, "Some silver is gone, so hurry up and get up!"
Minglan nodded and left Yancao with Changwu.
In fact, she had estimated the distance to the other side. As a promising young person who aspired to go to the countryside, Minglan should be able to swim across even if she only had half of Yao Yiyi's swimming skills. As for the rest, Danju knew how to doggy paddle, Xiaotao could take her swimming, and the maids left behind by Luzhi and Yuner also knew some water skills.
Changwu had returned home to attend a funeral. He would observe a period of mourning for his eldest wife once she passed away, so he had brought with him nearly all the valuables he had accumulated in the capital over the years. It was quite a large sum, and it made no sense for those unskilled thieves to take it all away. Minglan was directing several maids to pack all the light jade, porcelain, antiques, and gold and silver jewelry into small oilcloth bags. As they were packing, she heard Lvzhi, who was watching from the side of the boat, shout, "Serves them right! Shoot them!"
Minglan rushed over to see what was happening. She saw guards on the sides of several large ships not far away, shooting arrows into the water with bows. Amidst the shouting and cursing, there were also screams and cries of terror. Minglan's heart tightened, and she immediately said, "Oh no! Their boats are blocked, so they've dispersed and are swimming over from the water!"
The girls were terrified. Minglan paused for a moment, then looked up to see that Changwu's boat had reached the center of the river. She reacted quickly, pointing at the girls in front of her and shouting, "You three, throw all the lights in the cabins on this level into the river. Don't leave any lighting behind. I'll take Lvzhi with me to the next level. Xiaotao and Danju, tie these thin-skinned iron boxes with ropes. Xiaotao is a good swimmer, so tie the ropes to the bottom of the boat and lower the boxes into the water! When you're done, meet up in the kitchen on the bottom deck! Hurry!"
"Miss, why don't we get on the boat and leave quickly?" One of Yoona's maids asked hesitantly.
Green Branch glared and cursed, "You bastard! Just do what the girl tells you to do, why are you talking so much nonsense! If it weren't for your master, our girl would have left long ago! How dare you nag!" Dan Ju was gentle and quickly explained, "There are thieves in the water now. How fast can we sail? If they catch up, they will overturn our sampan with one chisel!"
The girl immediately blushed and lowered her head.
Minglan was too lazy to get angry, after all, they were not her team; she immediately ran to the side of the ship and divided the guards into four groups, each of which protected four groups of girls. After a while, the whole ship became pitch black. God was very kind to her, and there was no moon tonight, and you couldn't see your hand in front of you.
Minglan ran all the way and quickly told all the maids and servants to hide. The strong ones went to the side of the ship to meet the enemy. She herself rushed straight to the kitchen and took out many kitchen knives, forks, spatulas and iron pestles. When the girls who were going to act separately came, she gave some "weapons" to them; Xiaotao got an iron pot, Luzhi got a kitchen knife, and the other girls also took some.
After completing the preparations, Minglan asked the guards to go outside to be on guard, and then hid in an inconspicuous cabin at the bottom of the ship.
In the darkness, the girls waited quietly. They could only vaguely hear the sound of people swallowing saliva. This feeling lasted very long. Minglan knew that the girls were very nervous, so she gently comforted everyone: First of all, not all pirates can swim over, and some will be shot to death by arrows; secondly, there are three passenger ships here, and they will probably not all rush onto their ship, so there will be fewer people; thirdly, this ship has two floors with a total of twelve rooms. If the pirates are not stupid, they should go to the wing rooms first, which will disperse some people; also, the pirates came over by swimming, and they must have no fire. The candles on the ship and the firewood in the kitchen were all thrown into the river. Unless they dismantle the planks or door frames to light torches, the wood on the ship has long been stained with moisture by the river and is not easy to ignite. They can't see clearly and they can't search clearly; finally, there is a hatch at the back of this cabin, which leads directly to the river surface. It was originally for the convenience of taking water and pouring water. If the situation is not good, they can just jump into the water immediately.
Besides, the pirates wouldn't stay on the ship for long. Seeing that they didn't get anything, they might switch to another ship to rob. We could just hide away... After hearing this, the girls felt much more at ease.
After an unknown amount of time, they heard shouts from above, and the sounds of weapons clashing. Minglan knew that the pirates were approaching, and secretly clenched a sharp long hairpin in her hand. The girls began to breathe rapidly again; they listened to the sounds of fighting and shouting for help coming from above, and then, amid a suffocating and chaotic sound of footsteps, the door was kicked open with a "bang".
Two black figures rushed in, cursing. Minglan had been waiting there. She and Danju opposite pulled the rope on the ground hard. With a thud, the one in front fell down first. In the bright light outside, Xiaotao used all her strength to hit the man on the head with an iron pot. The thief groaned and fainted.
The second thief stumbled a little, and seeing the room full of girls, she was about to call for help. A maid immediately raised the stool in her hand and smashed it over. The thief groaned and staggered, and then another maid jumped on him and bumped into him, knocking him to the ground. Minglan freed her hands, took a step forward, stepped on his chest, and stabbed the thief's chest with a hairpin. Blood spurted out, and the thief was about to scream when a handful of straw ash was stuffed into his mouth, and then he was hit on the head many times by something unknown. His eyes rolled back, and he fainted. The air was filled with the disgusting smell of blood.
Danju suppressed her nausea and gently closed the door. Minglan instructed the girls to take out the prepared ropes and tie up the two half-dead thieves tightly. They stuffed their mouths to prevent them from making any sound. After they were done, the seven girls in the room, including Minglan, looked at each other. After getting rid of the two thieves, they suddenly felt a surge of courage. The fear in each other's eyes was diluted a lot, and they felt a little excited instead.
After a burst of noise from above, there was a moment of silence. Through the air vents, they could faintly hear words like "Not here! Look somewhere else!" The girls' faces lit up with joy. Just as Minglan was breathing a sigh of relief, a savage cry suddenly rang out from above. The voice was particularly loud. The girls listened carefully and heard, "...these women are talking! Hurry up to the bottom cabin! They say the young lady is still on the boat. Come on, brothers! You'll make a fortune if you catch her! There are also a few tender little girls to entertain everyone!"
Minglan's face turned pale, and Luzhi was already cursing: "How dare they betray us!" Minglan didn't dare to wait any longer and shouted at the girls: "Take off your coats and jump into the water!"
It was early winter, and the girls were all wearing thick brocade cotton coats. They tore them off and jumped into the water. Outside, there was a loud shouting and heavy footsteps coming down. The girls panicked and jumped in at once.
As soon as Minglan entered the water, she felt the river's chilling cold. Fortunately, it wasn't midwinter. She heard shouts and curses, "Oh no! Someone's jumped in! Go catch them!" Minglan immediately paddled, enduring the chill that nearly seeped into her heart, and swam hard towards the other side. From behind her, she heard the sound of several people diving into the water, followed by a series of girls' screams. She wondered if someone had been caught. She took a deep breath and sank into the water, trying not to let her head float above the surface.
After swimming a few strokes, she suddenly felt a tightness on her waist, and an arm stretched out from behind to circle her. Minglan was frightened and immediately stretched out her legs to kick, but the person behind her was extremely agile. He turned over and came to Minglan's side, holding Minglan's arms with his hands somewhere. Minglan felt her arms become sore and weak, and then her body was circled by the person. As soon as they got close to each other, Minglan immediately felt that the person behind her was a woman!
The woman kicked her legs several times, and the two of them floated to the surface. Minglan faced the cold river breeze, took a deep breath, and then tightened her chin. The woman behind her held her face and turned to look. Minglan's skin felt pain, and she hissed softly with her teeth bared. Then the woman shouted loudly: "Found it! This is it!" Her voice was full of joy.
As soon as Minglan found an opening, she immediately thrust her elbows backwards. The woman cried out in pain and exerted even more force. After all, she was quite skilled in martial arts. She grasped Minglan's acupuncture points and held her tightly, saying with a smile, "Don't be afraid, young lady. We are here to save you! You are the Sixth Young Lady of the Sheng Family, the one with the dimples at the corners of her mouth! ... Hey! Come quickly, over here!"
After the woman said this, before Minglan could express her surprise, she heard the sound of the river splashing, and a small boat with several large lanterns lit came sailing over. The woman seemed to be an excellent swimmer, and she lifted Minglan to the side of the boat with her waist straightened, and then lifted Minglan up with her strong hands.
As soon as she left the water, wisps of biting river wind pierced Minglan's body like needles. But in a moment, a thick quilt covered her head and face, wrapping Minglan up from head to toe. Then the woman in the water also climbed onto the boat. Through her wet hair, Minglan vaguely saw a big bear-like man wrapping her with clothes.
Minglan was shivering all over and quickly looked up and around. She saw a small boat brightly lit by lanterns. There were several men standing on the boat. One of them was busy wrapping himself up like a big dumpling. He was tall and strong, wearing only a shabby black robe. His face was covered by a big beard that covered two-thirds of his face. He had no ornaments on his body. Only his pair of deep and handsome eyes seemed familiar.
Minglan blinked hard, her heart suddenly filled with joy, and she shouted, "Second Uncle!"
She finally understood how it felt to see a policeman when she ran into a group of malicious hooligans in a dark alley, even though this policeman had fined her for no reason.
Gu Tingye's eyes lit up, but his bearded face was expressionless. He only whispered, "Do you recognize me?"
Minglan felt very strange. The river was clearly noisy at that moment, with shouts, fighting sounds, wailing sounds, all mixed into a commotion. But from the moment he opened his mouth, she felt that every word was clear and audible. Minglan hurriedly said, "Of course, of course. Even if I can't recognize anyone, I can't fail to recognize the one who saved my life!"
Minglan was thinking about Danju, Xiaotao and the others, and hurried closer to Gu Tingye. Her delicate little face, as white as jade, smiled in a very flattering and obedient manner, and she pleaded, "Second Uncle, my girls are still in the water. Please help me pull them out quickly. It's so cold, don't let them get soaked!" Minglan always acts very cute when she needs help.
Gu Tingye's dark eyes suddenly darkened, and his long eyeliner raised a few traces of anger, just like the light and shadow flowing on the dim lake. He seemed to want to glare at Minglan, but held back.
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