Fortunately, the riverbank was not far away, and Qingyin and her group soon saw the boats and small boats moored on the riverbank. The soldiers who were blocking the way breathed a slight sigh of relief.
Perhaps because it was the off-season for tourism, there weren't many people at the riverbank. There were only two fishermen preparing to go down the river to fish, and nearby were clearly cargo ship workers and merchants unloading goods, as well as a few rather exquisite and elegant boats.
A young man, whose face was tanned dark from years of exposure to the sun, smiled and revealed two rows of bright white teeth as he walked towards Qingyin.
Those who have worked on ships for a long time can tell who their customers are at a glance. The young boatman, who had developed a keen eye, was curious about the fact that the person in that line of work was clearly a big shot and was followed by a crowd. However, the recent business slump made him dispel his curiosity. He took the initiative to greet Qingyin loudly with bright eyes.
"Sir, would you like to take a ride on my boat? My boats are big and clean, and I guarantee you'll be taken comfortably to wherever you want to go."
The man's enthusiastic greeting surprised Qingyin. She looked up and saw that the boat near him could indeed accommodate all of them. She nodded and walked towards the smiling man.
No one objected to the adult's wishes, and they all followed Qingyin.
As they got closer, the enthusiastic young boatman could finally see the old man's face clearly. He was about twenty years old, a young man in the prime of his life, and his ears were red as if he were experiencing his first love. He dared not look at Qingyin.
The strength from his earlier shouts had completely dissipated. Mu Qiang wished he could throw himself back into the river to wash himself clean and get rid of the scalding heat and embarrassment. Compared to the "master" he had just mentioned, the person in front of him, who was clearly the master, was more suitable to be called "young master."
The waters of Hangzhou could not contain such an indescribable beauty. Mu Qiang had no words to describe the handsome young man before him, who was clearly beautiful but not effeminate. He simply felt that there was no one more handsome than this young man in the world.
The noble young man in the black robe was strikingly fair-skinned, with delicate eyebrows and pale eyes. His complexion was like that of spring flowers, a perfect blend of vibrancy and aloofness, exuding a contradictory aura that made him even more eye-catching. He seemed to be shrouded in mist, radiating an aura of nobility.
"Is this your ship?" Qingyin pointed to the antique-looking ship in front of her.
At that moment, the stunningly handsome young nobleman approached him and greeted him kindly. Mu Qiang seemed to come to his senses and stammered, "Yes, yes, sir, that's my boat."
Her gaze darted away, but when she inadvertently caught sight of that delicate, slender finger, she felt even more embarrassed.
Qingyin was used to people being shy or avoiding him when they saw him. He smiled gently and said, "Young man, how much is the full fare for our group to Jinling?"
"It's okay if you don't have to pay." Faced with the approachable young nobleman, Mu Qiang was clearly captivated by the gentle man and blurted out that it was free.
Qingyin raised an eyebrow and gave Chun'er, who was always very sociable, a wink.
Chun'er greeted the young man with a knowing smile and walked over. "Oh, young man, how can you not accept the money? We adults are going to Jinling, and this is a little reward. You mustn't refuse it. We all work hard to earn money, and you can't give it to us for free."
Chun'er gently placed one tael of silver into Mu Qiang's hand, her face full of an irresistible smile.
The weight of one tael of silver was particularly noticeable in the man's dark palm. Mu Qiang wanted to say that this silver was too much, but looking at the maid's eyes, he knew that he could not refuse.
Qingyin boarded the medium-sized ship. There were some cheap snacks prepared by Mu Qiang, but Chun'er and An Sheng clearly did not intend for him to eat them, and instead gave him some expensive pastries bought in Hangzhou.
Once on the ship, Qingyin realized that her body was seasick. Because of the discomfort, her already pale lips became even paler, and the heat from her clothes made her face lose all color, making her look even more delicate and sickly.
Chun'er felt sorry for the adult and wished she could suffer the pain for him, but unfortunately there was no such medicine. She could only persuade the adult to eat some snacks so that he wouldn't ruin his health before even reaching Jinling.
Seeing the worry in everyone's eyes, Qingyin barely suppressed the urge to vomit and swallowed a piece of jujube cake to slightly fill her hungry stomach.
Seeing the adults' unpleasant reaction to eating, Chun'er and the others didn't dare to persuade Qingyin any further.
As they waited and thought, at dusk, they finally arrived at the bustling city of Jinling. Chun'er was overjoyed, and the ship docked in Jinling.
The docks in Nanjing were not as shabby as those in the small city of Hangzhou. They were filled with many boats of all sizes, and there were also many more people.
As a famous city in the south, the docks were filled with people in fine clothes, so it was not surprising that Qingyin and her group were among them.
This time when Qingyin came to the Jia family, she didn't plan to inform them in advance. She thought that if she went there suddenly, she might be able to catch them red-handed doing something bad to Daiyu, so that she could vent her anger for her daughter.
Although Chun'er and the others didn't understand why Qingyin didn't inform the Jia family about the situation, they unconditionally supported their master's actions.
When Qingyin was helped off the boat by Ansheng, he stepped onto solid ground and almost instantly sighed. He had never experienced seasickness before, and he really didn't know how bad it was. Now that he was on solid ground, it gave him a sense of security.
Qingyin leaned weakly against the tall Ansheng, inhaling the scent of grass and trees through her nose. She took a few steps with his help and felt much better, no longer needing to lean on Ansheng to walk.
Standing on the boat, Mu Qiang watched the young master's departing figure for a long time before letting out a long sigh, preparing to discard those chaotic thoughts and move on to the next business deal.
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