Chapter 150 Chapter 150 The Fleet Returns
After the port of Mingzhou was built, merchant ships heading for the Maritime Silk Road set sail from this port.
On the day of departure, not only was the prefect of Guangming Prefecture present, but many common people also came to watch.
The magistrate of Mingzhou knew that this was a big event, so he showed off his literary talent and spent a lot of time writing a farewell article with parallel four- and six-character sentences.
He read it to the fleet very solemnly and in a friendly manner.
The common people did not understand what the New World or the New Country was. They only knew that Bai Zhi and the prefect said that as long as the fleet could return safely and successfully, the Nandong Road would become prosperous.
Wu Mei also came to join in the fun.
She watched several ships spread their sails and sail away into the distance with an unstoppable momentum until they disappeared over the horizon.
Wu Mei prayed quietly in her heart that the fleet must return safely and that Nandong Road must become prosperous.
*
This was Zhang Ying’s first time to see the sea, his first time to ride a boat, and his first time to travel so far.
At this moment, Zhang Ying was counting the days on his fingers facing the endless sea.
They had been sailing for nearly six months, and now it had been a while since they returned. With the experience they had gained on the way here, they would surely be able to return much faster.
There are three people in charge of this fleet, all of whom were carefully selected by Mo Jinglian.
A fleet trip requires an experienced captain and an obedient and experienced crew. Fortunately, they had nautical charts that showed the general route, possible islands, and known danger zones.
This greatly increases the safety factor of this unknown journey.
The fleet successfully arrived at Washi, and this was also the first time Zhang Ying saw people from the so-called New World.
These people had high eyebrows and deep eyes, and their appearance was somewhat similar to that of the Hu people, but upon closer inspection, they were very different. This was the first time Zhang Ying had seen someone with eyes and hair of various colors.
Although there were a series of communication difficulties in the early stages, they finally successfully completed the trade with Wa Shi and sent out the glass crown prepared for the king in exchange for a personal audience with the king.
Zhang Ying still doesn't want to recall the few short days he lived in Waishi. It was like a nightmare.
Perhaps it was because he had stayed in the civilized Da'an for too long, Zhang Ying simply could not understand how there could be feces everywhere on the roads in his country. Every person he came into contact with had an unconcealable odor on them.
Now Zhang Ying finally understood why perfume was so popular in Waishi.
In addition to the unsanitary conditions, the food was also inedible.
Zhang Ying simply couldn't get used to the food. The staple food was rough, sour bread that it would make his teeth break with one bite. There was also a large amount of salty and bitter bacon, fishy barbecue, and a bowl of vegetable soup that was not very appetizing.
Zhang Ying suddenly missed the food on the boat. Although the food was simple, at least it was not bad!
After completing the transaction of goods with Wa Shi, the fleet members quickly evacuated Wa Shi's territory. They will lead a Wa Shi caravan back to Da'an.
Guo Zi and Xiang Feifei were in charge of the surveillance work of this trip, and the two were picking sour oranges at the moment.
This is His Majesty's requirement. Everyone must eat sour oranges every day, otherwise they will get scurvy.
After distributing the sour oranges to the crew, the two sat on the deck and chatted.
"It will take about ten days to get back to Da'an." Xiang Feifei stretched.
Guo Zi's expression was gloomy. "I shouldn't have pitied Qi Liang and come to replace him. When I was a kid, I made a living by rummaging through filth, and I never even walked on shit."
Guo Zi's words instantly brought back memories for Xiang Feifei. She hurriedly said, "Don't say anymore. If you continue, I'll start to recall it again."
The two thought they were the type who could endure hardships, but they were still defeated by the streets full of feces.
Following behind Da'an's fleet was the merchant ship of Washi. This group of people were extremely excited from the moment they set out and had no fear at all about going to an unknown country.
At first, the people on the Waishi merchant ship wanted to get closer to the Da'an ship, so that they could send a small boat over to deliver some food at mealtime.
In their view, white bread and bacon were very good foods in the country, and ordinary people could not afford them.
Of course, this move was strongly rejected by the Da'an Caravan.
The Washi merchant ship was puzzled. Why didn't the people of the Da'an fleet even eat white bread? This was white bread! No Washi person would refuse it.
After three or four days of continuous delivery, the Da'an crew finally couldn't hold back any longer.
It's time to give them some shock of normal food.
The food the crew ate on board was rather simple, consisting of just some smoked fish with wheat bread and potatoes.
But the smoked fish at Da'an is just the right amount of salty and has a strong flavor. The wheat cakes are no longer as harsh as they used to be; they are now made with an improved stone mill, with the shell removed, and are softer.
The beans sprouted on the boat and were cooked in a pot with chopped potatoes to make soup.
The crew of Daan simply delivered some food to Wa Shi.
The people in the Wa Shi fleet looked puzzled.
These things look ordinary, can they really be better than white bread?
With a tentative attitude, they picked up the wheat cake and took a bite.
Then several people kept eating and finished a whole wheat cake in no time.
"What on earth is this? It's even softer than white bread, and it doesn't have a sour taste at all. Instead, it has a unique fragrance."
"Oh my god, Stephen, is this fish? Why is it so delicious and has no fishy smell at all?"
"They...they eat so well on the boat."
After this meal delivery, the Wa Shi caravan never sent out small boats to deliver food again. Instead, at every mealtime, they would watch the people of the Da'an fleet eat from across the boat.
They suddenly felt that the white bread in their hands no longer tasted good.
The fleet sailed all the way and was finally about to arrive at the port of Mingzhou.
When the common people and Bai Zhi who were strolling in the harbor saw the fleet coming from the sea level, they were so excited that they were speechless.
"The fleet is back!"
"really?"
"Look, look, isn't that it?"
Bai Zhi and his men hurried back to the provincial government office, not only to inform the prefect, but also to inform the doctors in Mingzhou to use the isolation facilities prepared in advance.
This was Lin Si's request. Although this was an imaginary world, Lin Si still expressed great concern about the sanitary conditions in Western countries.
If an infectious disease breaks out, the result will be more harm than good.
The port staff directed the slowly approaching merchant ship to dock.
The excitement in Zhang Ying's eyes was beyond words. He could finally eat normal meals!
Guo Zi said expressionlessly, "I must let Qi Liang cover my living expenses for three months."
Xiang Feifei looked at the familiar black-haired, black-eyed Da'an people and sighed sincerely, "My own country is still the best."
The first people to greet everyone in the fleet were not the prefect or Bai Zhi, but doctors wearing masks.
The people on the Wa Shi merchant ship were terrified and thought that these people with their mouths covered were going to capture them as demons.
It was only when the people from the Da'an fleet communicated with them through body language that they felt at ease.
It was the first time that the people saw foreigners with colorful eyes and hair. Some of them were so scared that they took three steps back on the spot, and some children were so scared that they burst into tears.
"Oh, this is the person from that Western country?"
"Oh my god, he looks scarier than the Hu people."
"I've never seen hair this color before."
"I don't know what he's mumbling, it's like he's chanting a spell."
Just like that, under the watchful eyes of the people, everyone was taken away and quarantined.
Even though he was in quarantine, Zhang Ying was very happy. After all, he almost cried when he ate his first quarantine meal yesterday.
The quarantine meal was light, but had the familiar Da'an flavor.
Although the wheat cakes and smoked fish were not bad, he felt like vomiting after eating them for six months.
Not only the crew of Da'an but also the people of Wa Shi had the same idea as Zhang Ying.
They didn't know what quarantine meals were, they only knew that someone would deliver meals to them three times a day.
This meal was even better than the bread and fish we had that day, and it was different every day.
Therefore, during the quarantine and physical examination period, these people from the Weishu people waited at the door very consciously, with hope in their eyes.
Bai Zhi, who was in charge of delivering meals, became confused.
This quarantine meal isn't some kind of delicacy, so why are we looking forward to it so much?
After the ten-day quarantine, those on the fleet should go home, and those who should go to Anjing to report should report.
The people of Wa Shi were naturally released to trade freely. Although it was called free trade, they were actually accompanied by the person in charge of the fleet.
They came here specifically for Daan's products, but what shocked them first was not Daan's products but Daan's roads.
There is no feces or urine here, not even a bit of filth, and the road is very clean and tidy.
The people in Wa Shi were shocked.
Then came the price negotiation. They had ventured here to make a profit from the trade difference, so they first went to the free market and bought some small items.
Then he used body language to negotiate the price of the order with the person in charge of the fleet.
As for how the negotiation went, Wa Shiren took out a gold coin from his bag and then pointed out the number of samples.
If the person responsible for negotiating the price with him was not satisfied, he would reduce the quantity of samples, and so on until the deal was finally reached.
Now that the deal was done, the fleet leader naturally had to treat this group of people to a meal.
As soon as the Wa Shi people walked into the restaurant, people came to look at these bearded foreigners.
"It really is colorful hair. My brother didn't lie."
"Don't look at it, sister. It will give you nightmares."
The restaurant arranged a private room for them and served barbecue.
The Wa people don't know how to use chopsticks, so they eat with their hands without paying attention to their eating manners.
The meat was roasted with sizzling oil, and it looked very fragrant.
They didn't expect that Da'an's food was so delicious. Although it was also roasted meat, Da'an's meat had no peculiar smell at all and was full of meaty aroma.
They followed suit and put the roasted pork belly into lettuce to eat. After eating it, they discovered the most delicious thing in the world and were completely intoxicated by the aroma.
This is food, God!
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