Chapter 327: Boat Ride
The most convenient way to travel from Zhaoping County to Xiangyang County is by water. When Zhu Lan and the other two arrived at the ferry, they saw the water sparkling, the stone walls mottled, and the willow trees swaying gently.
There were only a few ferries on the water, and just as Zhu Hongming had said, there were some soldiers patrolling on the shore.
"Excuse me, are you the boatman heading to Xiangyang County?" Zhu Lan came to a small boat that looked very old and asked.
Hearing the sound, the boatman inside didn't even turn around and waved his hand to indicate that he would not leave.
Zhu Lan had no choice but to continue asking, and after asking three or four ships, no one was willing to go to Xiangyang County.
"That's strange." Zhu Qingyan said, "Although Xiangyang County is farther away, the journey is long and the ferry pays more money. How come no one is willing to go there?"
"Hey, girls over there!" A middle-aged man who was squatting on the bow of the boat drying fish suddenly waved at them.
Zhu Lan and his companions walked over, thinking that he was willing to go to Xiangyang County.
The middle-aged man waved his hand and said, "I'm not going!"
Then, the middle-aged man said that there had been heavy rains in Jiangzhou a few days ago, and a large amount of mud, sand and rocks were washed into the river in some places, causing one section of the waterway leading to Xiangyang County to be abnormally turbulent.
There are many reefs in the vicinity, and there is a risk of capsizing if you are not careful, so only the most experienced boatmen dare to carry passengers there.
"Only our fourth uncle has the ability to make it across that stretch of the river safely. But he hasn't come back yet, so we probably have to wait for a while!"
Zhu Lan thanked the middle-aged man, and Zhu Qingyan beside him asked:
"There are many soldiers at the ferry. What happened?"
"Oh!" the middle-aged man explained, "There are some pirates on the other river. But you are going to Xiangyang County, it's not the same road, so don't worry!"
Since Fourth Uncle had not returned yet, Zhu Lan and the other two found a pavilion near the ferry to rest for a while.
It was not until the sun was high in the sky that I finally heard someone shouting on the water, "Fourth Uncle is back!"
Zhu Lan quickly stood up and looked, only to see a small boat floating in the distance. Standing on the bow was a man, about fifty years old, wearing an old straw hat, a faded blue shirt, straw sandals, holding a long bamboo pole in his hand, and his movements were very experienced.
When Zhu Lan and the other two waited for the boat to dock, they approached and asked. When they heard that they were going to Xiangyang County, the old man at the bow did not say anything, but just nodded and motioned for them to get on board.
Zhu Lan thanked the boatman and stepped lightly onto the deck. The three of them found a seat by the side and sat down.
The boat was simply furnished, with only a few wooden seats, some worn fishing nets and some old clothes piled in the corners. A few strings of dried fish were hung on the awning, swaying gently in the wind, giving off a light salty aroma.
At this time, another young man of about eighteen or nineteen bent over and crawled into the cabin from the stern. He was wearing a gray coat with his arms exposed. He had a dark complexion and a short braid on the back of his head, and looked a little sloppy.
When the girl with short braids saw Zhu Lan and the other two, she couldn't help but glance at them sideways for a few more times, then she bent down and walked through the cabin and came to the bow to talk to her fourth uncle.
The two men spoke with heavy accents, and Zhu Lan could only roughly tell from their tone that the young man was his fourth uncle's son. It seemed that both father and son had lived on this boat for many years.
As the two chatted, Fourth Uncle asked the girl with short braids to untie the hemp rope tied to the stake, when they suddenly heard someone shouting.
Zhu Lan and others in the cabin looked in the direction of the sound and saw a young girl holding a bundle, running towards them.
She stepped onto the boat, which swayed slightly. She then began to breathe heavily, and it was obvious that she was also rushing to take a boat to Xiangyang County.
The fourth uncle looked towards the shore and saw that no one else was on the boat. He pushed hard on the shore with one foot in straw sandals and pushed with the bamboo pole in his hand. In a blink of an eye, the boat was several feet away from the shore.
Last night, Du Lanfang specially prepared a lot of snacks for them on the journey. Zhu Lan and the other two had nothing to do on the boat, so they simply took out the snacks and ate them while chatting.
The girl who got on the boat later was a little shy. She sat far away from the three people, holding her bag, not saying a word, just staring at the water in a daze.
Zhu Lan handed her a piece of butter cake, but she just smiled and shook her head, so Zhu Lan didn't force her.
Zhu Lan turned around and asked his fourth uncle who was rowing the boat how long it would take to get to Xiangyang County from here. His fourth uncle said something, but Zhu Lan did not understand because of his heavy accent.
"If we leave now, we won't arrive until tomorrow morning at the latest." The shy girl suddenly spoke in a low voice.
Chu Xin was a little surprised and asked her if she could understand what her fourth uncle said.
The girl shook her head and said that her home was in Xiangyang County. She had been there several times before and had traveled there and back by water, so she knew how long it would take to get there.
"Are you from Xiangyang County?"
Zhu Lan thought about it and decided to ask. Xiangyang County is not big, and "Jin" is not a very common surname. What if?
But the girl shook her head and said she had never known anyone with the surname Jin.
Chu Xin blinked his eyes, "What's this sister's name?"
The girl pursed her lips and said her name was Chen Li.
Chen Li was not a talkative person, so Zhu Lan and the other two chatted about things at the academy and at home, and before they knew it, it was dark.
The fourth uncle asked the little short braid to hang a lantern on the bow, and he continued to row the boat. The fourth uncle's rowing skills were very good. The small boat was stable all the way. The people sitting in the cabin sometimes even forgot that they were on a boat.
A few people had some snacks for dinner.
Thinking about the hard work of the boatman, Zhu Qingyan wanted to share some of the snacks with his fourth uncle and his son. The fourth uncle waved his hand to indicate that he didn't want to eat, so Zhu Qingyan went to the stern to find the girl with short braids.
The girl with short braids was not polite at all. When she took the snacks from Zhu Qingyan, she touched her hand intentionally or unintentionally. The rough touch made Zhu Qingyan feel a little uncomfortable.
The girl with short braids took off a piece of butter cake and chewed it, but her eyes were fixed on Zhu Qingyan's face without any hesitation, with a playful smile in her eyes.
Zhu Qingyan felt uncomfortable and sat back in the cabin.
Towards the second half of the night, I gradually began to feel sleepy.
After all, this was a boat, and the passengers were all women, so no one could sleep well. Zhu Qingyan asked Zhu Lan and Chu Xin to rest first, and he would stay awake for a while, and then take over after Zhu Lan woke up.
The river is very quiet at night. The only sounds you can hear are the splashing of water caused by bamboo poles and the rustling of trees on both sides.
Zhu Qingyan's eyelids finally began to twitch, and her consciousness gradually became blurred. Slowly, she suddenly fell forward, and then suddenly woke up.
She opened her eyes wide with a start, secretly cursing herself for being so sleepy. At this moment, she raised her eyes, and the hairs on her body almost stood up -
In the dim light, a dark shadow was squatting at the stern, its eyes reflecting the faint light, staring straight at him.
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