A small boat like this, which is made entirely of wood, has a light hull, so when the wind and waves are strong, it will feel like it is swaying as it moves forward on the surface of the Xiaoshun River.
The most swaying places are the bow and the stern, but Ji Yuan really enjoys this feeling at the bow. Occasionally, he would put down his book and look at the scenery on the river and the river bank, and at other passing ships.
After sailing for a while out of the dock, the sails were hoisted. With a favorable wind, the old boatman no longer rowed the boat and only needed to steer the boat to control the direction. The fisherman's song stopped.
The two boatmen, Lao Qing, on the boat were indeed a father and son, and their home was in the village next to Laohua Mountain. Most people in this village made a living from the ferry terminal, and they also went fishing when business was slow, so there was no shortage of fishing gear on the boat. Ji Yuan also wanted to borrow some to go fishing if he had the chance.
About quarter of an hour after the boat started, Ji Yuan decided to leave the bow and sit inside.
The boat is quite spacious under the arched black awning, and there is another wooden-frame cabin at the rear end for the boatman's sundries. The two rows of benches nailed to the hull are actually enough to seat more than a dozen people, but considering the space for lying down at night, it is said to be full for ten people.
The other six passengers were sitting there separately. The two scholars who were traveling together occasionally chatted with each other in a low voice, and the little boy was leaning against his grandfather, drowsy.
Ji Yuan actually felt that there was something wrong with the atmosphere when he was outside just now. This feeling became more obvious when he approached the canopy. The reason for this should all be due to the bearded man.
Although Ji Yuan's vision was always as if covered by thick frosting, he could still see the basic outline and some not very detailed features. When the man got on the boat earlier, he found that he was very burly, almost as strong as Wei Wuwei.
But the first impression Wei Wuwei gave people was that he was fat, while this man was just strong, and there was a hint of alcohol on his body. Ji Yuan couldn't tell whether his face was fierce or not, but everyone else tried to keep their voices as low as possible.
If this man had not been the last one to board the ship, Ji Yuan really doubted whether anyone else would dare to board.
We have to spend three days together anyway, this atmosphere is not good.
When Ji Yuan came in, several people subconsciously looked at him, and some even thought that the man who had been reading at the bow was a relative of the boatman.
Seeing that there was a large space on the bench on both sides of the burly man, Ji Yuan casually sat down nearby.
"Did this brother just drink?"
The sturdy man looked at Ji Yuan in surprise, as if he wanted to confirm whether he was talking to him. Seeing that Ji Yuan's face was indeed facing him, he spoke in a rough voice.
"Before I left, my elders treated me to a banquet at the pier wine shop. I brought some homemade wine and drank a few bowls."
"Oh, brother, are you from Jiudaokou County? You seem quite strong and muscular. Have you ever practiced martial arts?"
When Ji Yuan asked this, it seemed to arouse the man's interest, and there was a hint of excitement in his tone.
"I, Li Daniu, am from Dongwai Village. I have been strong since I was young. People in the village say that I can do farm work as well as a working ox. Since I was young, I have longed for a hero who can fly over eaves and walls to take me in as a disciple and teach me martial arts to fight evil and protect the good. Unfortunately, I have never met one... and then..."
Speaking of this, the man became depressed.
"When I entered the county a few years ago, the old instructor of the county martial arts group saw me and said it was a pity for me. I was past the age of practicing martial arts and laying the foundation, and it would be difficult for me to achieve martial arts in this life..."
The dream is shattered.
"Oh, brother, don't be discouraged. There is always a way out. As far as I know, there are still some martial arts in the martial arts world that do not require a high age. With your innate conditions, you will not have to worry about not achieving anything in the future."
"Hehe, sir, there's no need to comfort me. I've given up on this for a long time. This time I went to Chunhui Mansion to visit my relatives. My uncle has a small business there and is in need of a strong man. I'll save up some money and marry a wife to live a peaceful life!"
This man looks quite fierce, and although he speaks loudly, he is honest and reserved. He is by no means a bad guy, but a real and simple countryman who has a longing and uneasiness for a big city.
"Okay, be content!"
Ji Yuan smiled, bowed slightly and turned around towards everyone under the canopy.
"I am planning to go to Chunhui Mansion for a visit. I will be with you all for the next three days!"
Seeing Ji Yuan's simple and calm demeanor, and the slight fear he had just had of the burly man gone, the others also introduced themselves, and the atmosphere on the boat became much warmer, with everyone starting to chat with each other.
The two scholars were traveling for studies, the old and the young were there to attend the funeral of a relative who passed away in Chunhui Mansion, and the thin middle-aged man only said that he went to Chunhui Mansion for something.
The old boatman's son would sometimes come over to chat and listen to new things.
As we sailed towards evening, the river estuary was just around the corner and we could see the wider Chunmu River in the distance.
"Zhuangzi, prepare to lower the net!"
"Okay~~!"
The people sitting in the cabin could hear the boatmen shouting to each other. Several of them came out to see with great interest, and saw that the young boatman had already taken a casting net to the side near the bow.
"It's easiest to catch big fish at the river mouth. Wait a minute, I'll give you a delicious feast tonight!"
The old boatman steadied the boat at the stern and shouted to the passengers with a smile, while the sails had been furled.
The young boatman grabbed a large net in his hand, twisted his body at an angle, and then exerted force suddenly, throwing the net forward with a clever move. The net flew out and turned directly into a large circle, covering the surface of the river.
"Crash..."
The sound of the net entering the water was very pleasant. After a moment of waiting for the net to sink, the boatman began to pull the net upwards along the rope with all his strength.
“Pah-la-la…Pah-la-la…”
The net was only half pulled in when the fish in it had already splashed around in the water.
"~~I'm really lucky today, I caught a lot of big fish! Who can give me a hand?"
The young boatman shouted happily to the passengers. Ji Yuan, who was already very interested, walked straight up. The strong man Li Daniu also hurried forward to help.
“Swish…” “Patta…Patta…Patta…”
After the net was pulled in, the fish on the front deck of the boat were jumping around noisily.
"Hahahaha, what a great harvest!" "Everyone, wait for my dad's specialty fish head soup and steamed fish with dried vegetables!"
"Oh, that's great, that's great, there are fish to eat, big fish to eat!"
Exclamations and children's cheers mixed together.
A big black carp weighing more than 20 kilograms, a grass carp weighing more than 10 kilograms, two bighead carps and some jumping river shrimps made everyone on the boat excited. If they were on a big boat, I'm afraid there would not be such a scene.
A clay stove was lit at the stern of the boat to steam rice, fish and soup. In the night shortly after entering the Chunmu River, while the river was calm, the small passenger boat dropped anchor and started having dinner.
At this time, there was also another large ship anchored at the edge of the river. Compared with the small boat, it was brightly lit, with constant noise and laughter. There was also the faint sound of zithers and musical instruments, as if there was a party on the boat with singing and dancing.
Although the boat that Ji Yuan was on was simple, it had a rear cabin. The black sail was not transparent from front to back, and the front curtain could block the wind. The light of the lanterns in the cabin also swayed on the river. The group of people who were clearly separated during the day were now eating at the same table in great harmony.
The old boatman's craftsmanship perfectly presents the deliciousness of the river seafood, accompanied by homemade rice wine, especially a dish of steamed fish with black mustard greens, which does not require ginger or green onions, just a little salt. It is delicious and not fishy, and a group of people enjoyed it very enthusiastically.
“Plop~”
A not-so-obvious sound of water splashing was heard. The others were still eating, but Ji Yuan had already turned his head to the outside.
"Someone fell into the water~~~Someone fell into the water~~~~!"
There were screams outside, and the others under the black sail also heard it, and they all went out of the cabin to see what was going on.
"It seems like someone fell into the water on that ship?"
"Yeah, it seems like it." "Oh, has that person been rescued?"
The building ship was about a hundred feet away from here. It was hard to see clearly from a distance. All we knew was that it was a mess over there. Not to mention Ji Yuan, his eyesight was really bad at such a distance. All he could hear were shouts and screams.
However, because of his excellent hearing, he knew clearly that the person who fell into the water had not been rescued yet. It seemed that he was a drunk young man from a certain family, and he couldn't swim.
“Plop~” “Plop~” “Plop~”…
In the distance, someone took off his clothes and jumped into the river beside a building ship to save people in the water. However, the river surface a little further away from the ship was pitch black and it was impossible to see clearly. The lighting range of the lanterns held by the people on top was really limited.
"Oh my, a few more people jumped in, it seems they haven't been rescued yet!"
"Yeah..."
He fell into the water drunk and was not a landlubber. Ji Yuan shook his head. He was out of luck and was afraid that it would be difficult to save him. Unfortunately, he was not an immortal with omnipotent magical powers. Even if he used a small water-avoiding technique and jumped into the water to look for him, he would not be more useful than a few boatmen who were good at swimming.
"Um!?"
Suddenly, Ji Yuan opened his eyes slightly and stared at the river surface in the distance.
"The young master is there! The young master is there! He is floating there, go and save him! Can't you see, idiot? He is right there!"
Someone on the boat screamed excitedly, and the boatmen in the water had to turn around and swim in the direction they had just passed. They actually saw the young man in white floating face up on the water, so they hurriedly kicked the water and swam over to bring him to the side of the boat.
Hearing the faint cheers coming from the big ship, the group of people on the small boat also breathed a sigh of relief.
"Luckily, fortunately, the person was rescued!" "He should not have drowned in such a short time."
"That's good, that's good!" "Well, let's continue eating."
"Yes, yes, keep eating!"
Ji Yuan also returned to the cabin, but he came out again under the pretext of going to the bathroom.
Inside the cabin, the old boatman just picked up the small rice wine bottle to add more wine to himself, but found that no wine came out after pouring it twice.
"Strange, did you drink it all?" "Huh? It's gone already, how much did you drink?"
"Don't worry, I still have some. Just go get some from the jar!"
…
The evening breeze was blowing gently. Ji Yuan came to the bow alone with a ball of rice wine hidden in his sleeve. He waved his right hand forward, and the wine fell silently into the center of the river like a winding, tiny water dragon.
"Please accept half a pot of fisherman's rice wine!"
After saying that, Ji Yuan went straight back to the cabin, picked up the wine jug and poured the rice wine that the old boatman had just brought as if nothing had happened, while a big blue carp was swimming happily under the river where the wine had been dropped.