Oh? Qian Jiujiu understood. Today, she would look at the finished product first, and then look at the manufacturing process tomorrow. This seemed to be a good idea. She had never seen the ceremony of launching a new ship in her previous life, so it was a good opportunity to join in the fun today.
"Is that so? Well, let's see what the boat you built looks like first."
The new ship had not yet been launched, but was parked in a hall, which seemed to be specially used for docking new ships, because there was nothing covering it on all sides, and only the roof could keep out the rain. There was also an inclined wave below, which directly connected to the sea, and it was from here that the rope was lowered, allowing the ship to slide down into the sea.
I have to say that these people are very smart. After Qian Jiujiu took a walk around the shipyard, he saw Wan Houyu coming forward: "Prince, Princess, the ceremony is ready."
Qian Jiujiu was quite curious. What kind of ceremony was it? The two followed Wan Houyu and walked towards the seaside. Qian Jiujiu then saw that there was a huge statue of a woman on the seaside behind the shipyard.
Now in front of the woman there were three live cows, some sacrificial items, and an old man wearing sacrificial clothes, who was leading a group of people singing and dancing there.
Qian Jiujiu asked curiously: "What are you doing?"
Wan Houyu smiled and replied, "Princess, we are praying to the Queen Mother of Heaven. After the new ship is launched, everything will go smoothly. These three cows are offerings to the Queen Mother of Heaven. They will be put on the ship later. From the ship, they will be released into the sea as a tribute to the Queen Mother of Heaven."
At this point, Wan Houyu paused and said, "When the big ship is launched, if the princess wants to get some blessings, she can get closer to the ship. The splashes made by the big ship represent the blessings bestowed by the Queen Mother of Heaven."
Qian Jiujiu's mouth twitched. She knew that there would be a ceremony when a new ship was launched, but this really had nothing to do with good fortune or anything.
Of course, she would not say it out loud, after all, these were their traditions, and no one else could question them. Instead, she quietly pulled Mu Yexiao aside and said, "Let's step back a little, and keep an eye on the two children, don't let anything get into trouble."
Mu Yexiao looked at the location where the big ship was launched and instantly understood what it was. As for blessing, he felt that he had enough blessing.
However, Nannanbeibei had been paying attention to the sacrificial dance below, which seemed very interesting. After the sacrificial dance was over, everyone drove the three cows towards the big ship.
It's called a big ship, but in fact it only has one layer, except for the cabin deck, it's just canvas. Going out to sea on such a ship is really a life-or-death experience.
Qian Jiujiu watched the crew drive the three cows onto the big ship, and then began to shout, asking the people standing on both sides of the aisle to make way. The people on both sides of the aisle had already evacuated consciously and headed towards the seaside.
"one two three!"
They shouted in unison, and when the number three was shouted, they all let go of the ropes that were holding the big ship. Then the big ship slid into the sea all at once, splashing water and rushing towards both sides of the sea. A little sea water fell on the people on the beach.
This was different from what Qian Jiujiu had thought. She had thought that the water would knock someone down! It turned out that it only made him a little wet, and there was nothing else wrong.
The moment the big ship rushed down, it still looked very spectacular. Nanbeibei and Nanbeibei were all stunned: "The water splashed so high, sister, did you see it?"
Beibei nodded: "Yes, but what are those people doing?"
The common people and shipyard workers below were collecting the water and then pouring it on people, who were splashed with smiles on their faces.
Qian Jiujiu understood that this might be a part of the ritual. The four of them just stood by and did not participate. Soon the basic rituals were completed.
Wan Houyu appeared in front of Qian Jiujiu again: "My Lord, Princess, you can board the ship now."
Qian Jiujiu and Mu Yexiao looked at the large ship that was parked in the sea and still swaying a little. The rope was picked up again and tied to a pile on the beach. It seemed to have stopped steadily.
After following Wan Houyu onto the boat, he watched the crew throw three buffaloes into the sea as a token of respect to the Queen Mother of Heaven, and the ceremony was officially completed.
"Your Majesty, Princess, I will show you around the ship."
The deck was very wide, and after entering the cabin, Qian Jiujiu found that the cabins were divided into small rooms. It looked very crowded, but Wan Houyu was very proud.
"These small rooms can ensure that everyone has their own room. There is a special dining area in the back, and there is a large cabin, which is used to stack the items we exchanged."
Qian Jiujiu looked around and realized that these people's lives on the sea were not very good. If they went out to sea, they could not take such a boat. It seemed that the upgraded version of the shipbuilding technology must be taken out.
Today's new ship was launched very smoothly, and the welfare of Wanjia Shipyard is also good. On the day after the new ship was launched, everyone was given a day off to rest.
After that, they continued to build the ship. Qian Jiujiu, Mu Yexiao and their children spent a day playing in Yongfeng Town. The next day, after the workers started working, Qian Jiujiu, Mu Yexiao and others brought their children to visit again.
Wan Houyu found that the princess was very silent today, and when she walked to a work station, she would stare at the worker who was working. This made Wan Houyu feel very strange. Could it be that the princess wanted to remember all the processes and then go back to build the ship herself
But shipbuilding requires more than just knowing all the processes. It also requires wood and other things, and Your Majesty, there is no need to go through so much trouble.
Nannanbeibei had no interest in these things. He turned to look at Wan Xinxin and said, "Xinxin, let's go to the beach. There's nothing interesting here."
Wan Xinxin also wanted to go to the beach, so she naturally nodded in agreement: "Then let's go and tell my uncle."
The three children ran in front of Qian Jiujiu and the others, and Bei Bei spoke first: "Father, Mother, we want to go to the beach to play, is that okay?"
Qian Jiujiu thought that she would be very busy today, and it would not be safe for these children to walk around in here, so she nodded: "Okay, you guys go play by yourselves. Qingyue, keep an eye on the princess."
Qingyue nodded and saluted, then followed the three children to the beach. Nanbeibei seldom went to the beach, so when they saw the sea, they were extremely excited.
When they first arrived at the beach, Nanbei and Beibei were stunned, looking at the vast sea. They wondered if they couldn't go up there. What fun was there? So the two of them looked at Wan Xinxin. After all, Wan Xinxin was a child who grew up in Fucheng, so she should be better at playing than them.
Wan Xinxin lowered her head in embarrassment: "Although I grew up in the capital, I didn't go out often, so I don't know what the children at the beach do."
Nannanbeibei were also dumbfounded, but fortunately the three of them were lucky enough to see the children who should be the boatmen. At this time, they were holding something in their hands that the three children could not understand, and were preparing to play on the beach.
Nanbeibei looked at each other. Aren't these ready-made playmates? Beibei looked at the two of them and said, "One of you two can go up and ask if we can play with them."
There were about ten kids in this group, all of them looked to be around ten years old, neither too old nor too young. Some of them were holding shovels and some were holding buckets, which seemed to have something in them.
As soon as the children arrived at the beach, they started digging holes on the beach, which aroused the strong interest of the three children. Beibei couldn't help but look at Nannan: "Brother, you go, you are all boys, it's easier to talk to you."
This seems to make sense, and it is not good to let your sister chat up with others. Nan Nan decided that it would be more appropriate to do this difficult task by herself.
After taking a deep breath, Nan Nan turned around and ran towards the children: "Hello, what are you doing?"
The children had never expected that this boy, who looked well-off from his clothes, would come and talk to them. After a moment of silence, an older child replied, "We are roasting sweet potatoes."
Baked sweet potatoes? Nan Nan had no idea what sweet potatoes were, but she still spoke with great interest: "Can my sisters and I join in? We finally got to the beach, and we want to play with you guys."
Hearing this, several children looked towards Beibei and Xinxin. Seeing such pretty girls, several boys actually blushed, which made Nannan's mouth twitch.
I was thinking about asking my sister to come and play, but it didn't seem like a good idea. Then I heard the boy who spoke first say, "Okay, you can come and play, but you have to follow my instructions."
Nan Nan had already spoken, and her sister also wanted to play, so she nodded: "Okay, by the way, my name is Nan Nan, the girl in red is Bei Bei, she is my sister. The other one is Xin Xin, she is our friend."
While talking, he waved at Beibei and Xinxin, calling everyone over. Beibei and Xinxin looked at each other, then ran towards Nannan together.
I happened to meet a few children introducing themselves. The first child said: "My name is Damao, this is my brother Ermao, this is Gouzi, this is Shitou, this is Xiaoyu..."
Xiaoyu is a girl, so this name is acceptable, but there is actually someone named Gouzi. Beibei and Xinxin looked at each other. Beibei is quite knowledgeable and has seen many nicknames like this, so he was not surprised.
"Brother Da Mao, what are you doing?"
Da Mao looked at Bei Bei's blinking eyes and instantly felt a sense of pride and courage: "We are roasting sweet potatoes. You will know later. They are very fragrant. I guess you haven't tasted them yet!"
After hearing this, Beibei and the other two became curious. The species in the Great Zhou Dynasty were actually not very abundant, and it was only after Qian Jiujiu came that they were able to get some.