ly. Many things won't develop as you imagine." 。If you go your own way and ultimately get yourself in trouble, that wouldn't be good. 。"The old lady's heart tightened. She could hear the implication i...Shi Lifen opened the door, and the boatman squeezed in, placing a dish of melon seeds on the table. "Sent by the boat owner, they're fragrant!"Another voice came from outside, that of Feng Zhaolian: "You guys are so stingy! You didn't even fill the dish with melon seeds. Look at this shallow dish; you can count how many there are! This is just on a boat, little master will bear it. But if I were to meet you in another place, little master would beat you up until your parents wouldn't recognize you!"The boatman who delivered the melon seeds smiled awkwardly and then said to Shi Lifen and Ye Wenyan: "I'm sorry, I only work on the boat. The boat isn't mine, so what I say doesn't count..." 。However, you did spend a lot of money. If there are any leftover snacks later, I'll definitely remember to bring over a few more plates. 。"Oh, by the way, and this," he said, pulling a bundle from his clothes and carefully shutting the door before handing it forward. "Didn't they search you when you boarded You had quite a bit of food left on the ship. I secretly brought some up here. It's not much, but it's better than nothing. Take it! Eat in your room, don't go out to eat. If anyone sees you, it would be bad. I might lose my job too." 。“Ye Wenyan took the package and opened it. As expected, it was their belongings that had been thrown off the ship.” 。Mostly snacks, candy, and sweets. 。There are also a few steamed buns inside, but they've already gotten cold. 。Ye Wenyan nodded slightly, casually saying, "Thank you" 。“I originally wanted to send the sailor away, but after he said thank you, I started to ask, “You don’t look very old, are you fifteen” The sailor replied, “Exactly fifteen, just three days before sailing passed my birthday.” 。" Then how long have you been working on the ship Do you still live in that city where you boarded"The dockworker nodded. "I've lived there my whole life, I'm practically a local." 。I started working on ships when I was eleven years old, so I know this waterway very well. 。"Aren't you afraid, sister The waves have been really big these days. Our captain originally planned to rest for a few days and not sail, but seeing the money, he opened his eyes wide and recklessly went back to work." 。But you needn't be afraid, though the old captain is greedy, he's a very skilled sailor. He's been navigating these waters for over twenty years and has never made a mistake. He can weather any storm. 。This trip guarantees to get you there safely and sound. Rest assured... 。"Aren't you afraid either" Ye Wenyan pulled him over, shoved a silver coin into his hand, "Thank you for bringing our food up, keep it well and don't let your ship captain see..." 。The boatman was overjoyed, “Sister, you’re truly wealthy! Not only did you pay three thousand taels of silver for a boat ride, but you also gave such a generous tip!” 。"This piece of silver is enough for our whole family to live on for half a year. I, I'll kowtow to my elder sister!"

He was about to kneel down when Ye Wenyan stopped him, "No need, you said we have money, so this amount of silver isn't anything..." 。Hey buddy, I'm asking you, isn't it freezing out there right now Aren't you afraid It's never this cold even in summer! 。“I’m not afraid,” the boatman said, “but I am worried, definitely.” 。This kind of weather has lasted for two days. My mother said that when something is unusual, there must be a demon. The weather is so cold; who knows if the government officials have broken another innocent case and lost their conscience 。" Huh" Ye Wenyan was taken aback, then reacted. There was indeed such a saying in ancient times, June flying snow...There are grievances. Although this dynasty is not recorded in history and no one has heard of Dou E's story, there must be similar ones... 。She wanted to laugh because she realized she was overthinking things. The people had their own ideas and weren't as frightened as she had imagined, so there was no widespread panic. 。But this is just the extent of this cold wind and rain. If you go further, the situation will be even worse. Will people still be so optimistic then Seeing Ye Wen stand still, the boatman urged her back: “Sister, you really don’t need to worry, the captain's piloting skills are really good, I'm not lying to you” 。Actually, the weather and the condition of the boat are secondary. What truly matters is avoiding encounters with pirates, for that is the most dangerous thing of all. 。As long as there are no water thieves around, even if the weather is bad, there's nothing to be afraid of. 。"Are there water bandits on this river" Ye Wenyan asked him again, "Have you ever encountered them" The boatman said: "Of course there are water bandits. Wherever there is water that can be sailed, there are water bandits lurking." 。They know the river better, they handle their boats better than we do, and they've been lurking along the banks for years, waiting for the right moment to strike. 。I heard the old sailors say that our ship was also hijacked at first, and some people even lost their lives for it. 。But later, the captain learned to be smart. He proactively gave the pirates silver to ensure the safety of his crew. 。The pirates won't bother us anymore. They don't need to risk their lives raiding ships since they already have money from other sources. It's less than what they'd make from hijacking, but it's effortless, so they just let our ships pass every time. 。" He understood. So it was protection money. " 。"Have you paid with silver this time" she asked again. 。The boatman said, "This time we don't have to pay. The captain said that in this kind of weather, even water bandits can't come out to work, so we'll save it." 。 。> When I deliver dinner later, I will remember to give you all more. Thank you sister for the silver, call me if you need anything. 。The boatman left as soon as he said so. Ye Wen looked at Shi Liyuan and pondered, “Could I be overthinking things Maybe the boatman just wants more silver taels.” Shi Liyuan said, "It doesn't matter what the reason is, anyway we're already on board. As long as the ship keeps heading south, that's all that matters." 。" Tonight's dinner was particularly simple, with a bowl of rice per person, a small bowl of vegetables, and a serving of salted vegetables. Each room was also given a pot of water. This all cost about one or two silver coins. " 。The boatman also said that rice and fresh water were brought from the shore, so they were precious. On board, they were not as plentiful as on land. Everything had to be carefully considered, and if one found a meal too expensive, they could simply skip it. 。People complained, but they dared not go hungry. Because if they didn't eat the ship owner's food, they would starve. All their own provisions were confiscated before boarding the ship, and nothing was allowed on board. 。It's those who sit on the deck of the boat that are suffering. They pooled their money together to buy a share of food, but this is all they got How can anyone possibly eat this The people grumbled and complained, some even started fighting over the unequal distribution of food. 。The ship's captain wasn't a pushover either. As soon as he saw someone fighting, he immediately shouted, "This is on the boat, not on land! You can't just start brawling here and ruin the ship! If you fight again, I'll throw all of you into the river, then it's up to heaven to decide if you live or die!" 。"

After a scare like that, no one dared to fight anymore" 。Thus, three more days passed. The ship stopped for a while, and the boatmen went ashore to buy provisions. They were back in less than half an hour. 。This time, after the sale, the food on board became more expensive. A meal cost two taels of silver per person. 。The reason is that the weather is getting colder and snowflakes have begun to flutter gently. The crops, which had been growing well, are dying off in batches due to the frost. As a result, even the things on shore are selling at exorbitant prices. They charge two ounces of silver for a meal per person, which is actually a loss-making business. 。The boatman also said, “If anyone can’t stand it, get off the boat here! I won't cheat you. I'll charge you according to the agreed price. If we don't complete the water route, I'll return some of your money.” 。Don't try to hold on too hard, you'll starve to death if you don't have money for food, and we can't afford to lose anyone on board. 。Some people retreated, choosing to land here. 。Some people count their silver and think they can still make it for a while. If things really get tough, they'll just disembark at the next pier. 。Of course, there are also those who are wealthy and generous, unconcerned about the cost, they just want to get to their destination quickly. 。When the ship set sail again, there were 30% fewer people on board, and the atmosphere was not as good as before. 。As people feared, the unusual weather was starting to cause apprehension. 。Even some people have started chanting Buddhist scriptures, asking Buddha to bless him with safety along the way, and praying that he won't be lost in the water. 。The boatman couldn't stand to hear such words. As soon as someone said that, he would immediately start scolding them day or night. 。Gradually, people also got used to it. Out of fear, they would simply gather together in groups and chat about all sorts of things, no matter where they came from. 。As more people joined the conversation, the topics became more diverse, and the cabin gradually livened up. 。Ye Wen and his companions also came out of the room, leaning or resting against things as they searched for places to listen to their conversation. 。 There might be someone who was originally a storyteller. , as they talked and talked, they became the protagonist themselves. Everyone gathered around him to listen to his stories, and some even asked him, “Tell us, why did it suddenly snow in June It’s so cold, it's like winter! Could there really be a great injustice But we haven’t heard of anyone being wrongly killed.” The storyteller slapped his thigh and said, "It doesn't necessarily have to be a case of injustice for it to snow in June. Perhaps the old gods just felt like it and decided to make it snow! These things are all up to the old gods; we shouldn't concern ourselves with them." 。” You said what should we take care of What shouldn't we worry about! We are just ordinary people, if one person eats enough, the whole family won't starve. What's the point of meddling in so many things However, it's okay to chat and gossip a bit. 。But let's be clear beforehand, chatting is chatting, but we can't take it seriously. 。"Whoever takes idle gossip as truth is a bastard!"

People burst into laughter, and after a while, the man continued, “There's something I don't know if you've heard about. It's about our Northern Qi. Over the past few hundred years, whenever there's been any change, like an earthquake or a flood, it's all related to that vast, nameless sea in the south..." 。If the boundless sea moved, then Bei Qi would also move; if the boundless sea churned, then Bei Qi would also churn. 。Everyone knows about the earth-shaking events on New Year's Day in the capital city It is said that Wu’an Hai suddenly produced a huge wave, three or four people tall, which scared the red cloud magistrate half to death. 。At that time, I thought it was the Red Cloud City that was going to have a disaster, but it turned out to be in the capital. 。" Ye Wen listened, dumbfounded. She asked Shi Li Yuan in a low voice, "Really The East Sea was crashing on the shore on New Year's Day" Shi Li Yuan coldly snorted, “Don’t listen to his nonsense” 。This deity only returned to the capital from the boundless sea last month. If there were changes so soon, wouldn't this deity have gone for nothing Ah-Yan, you are questioning this deity's abilities with that question!is There were purple-clothed palace maids watching from afar. If she spoke too openly to the Second Young Master, they might suspect something. 。Then her eyes rolled, she suddenly jumped directly onto...