Vol 3 Chapter 621: Boatman

Qi Ning held Chi Danmei to the river and walked to the side of the boat. Then he yelled at the boat and said: "Anyone?" No one agreed at first, and he called twice again, only to see the gray broken curtain open. , Protruding a head, shouted at Qi Ning: "Someone, want to cross the river?"
Qi Ning was also polite. He jumped on the bow of the boat. The man had come out of the cabin. He was a strong man of thirty-four and five. The boatman dressed up, saw Qi Ning holding the man, and raised a finger, said: "The two crossed the river , Thirty cents. "
Qi Ning nodded and was n’t talking nonsense. He walked into the cabin. The cabin was a little dim. There was an oil lamp hanging. The heavy rain was pouring. The boat was also dangling. The oil lamp was also shaking. Seeing that there was one more person in the cabin , Squatting in the corner, there was a small fire in the stove, there was a fire in the stove, some smoke, but it was not a choking person. The man fanned the fire with a small broken fan, heard the sound of Qi Ning coming in, looked back, Nodded with a smile.
Qi Ning looked at him in his early sixties, perhaps working all the year round, and his body was still quite strong. He nodded to him. The old man saw Qi Ning holding someone in his arms, frowned slightly, and asked, "I'm sick ? "
Qi Ning nodded, and the old man pointed to the side and said, "If you don't want to give up, rest there." It was a worn bedding on the floor, and there was a musty smell in the cabin. The bedding was worn out. At first glance, it took many years, and at this time, it was impossible to be picky. Qi Ning placed Chi Danmei carefully on it and lay down. At this time, after finding that Chi Danmei's face was wet with rain, the folds were unbearable, and some places were still waxy. But there are a few places that are as greasy as snow.
He knew in his heart that Chi Danmei mixed into the palace and changed his face beforehand, but this easy-to-dress face was wet after rain, and it lost its effect. Reaching on Chi Danmei's face was very easy this time. Wipe away, the finger is over, a large piece of snow-white skin is revealed, the old man is there to fan the fire, and did not pay attention.
Qi Ning took off a cloth towel from his body and helped Chi Danmei wipe her face. Things like crumbs fell off her face. In a moment, a beautiful face appeared, apricot face Qiong nose, The facial features are exquisite, but his face is pale, and Qi Ning sniffs, slightly weak.
He was distressed and the mission was still in Lucheng. According to Bai Yuhe, Chi Danmei was given twelve hours, but Chi Danmei's appearance, not to mention twelve hours, was seventy-two. There is nowhere to go. I can't stay with Chi Danmei for these twelve hours.
When a cold wind blew, the strong man had lifted in and said, "The wind and rain are too great, and the waves on the river are too big. At this time, it is not easy to pass, and guests wait."
Qi Ning asked: "Where is this place?"
"You don't know where this is?" The strong man laughed for a while, "I want to get lost in the heavy rain. This is the Qiaoshui River. It is just over a hundred miles to the northeast. It is the King Lu City. Go to King Lu City? That's the wrong direction. "
Qi Ning thought that he had also walked a hundred miles away in a daze. This one hundred miles away, Dong Qibing would not be too fast to chase it. He had a slightly wider heart and sat down on the side. Qi Ning turned his head and glanced, and saw a small iron pan placed on the stove, which was supposed to be used by two boatmen for diet.
The old man took a small bag from the side, took a small piece of salt from the inside, opened the lid and put it in, stirred it with a spoon for a while, then took a small bowl and filled half of the soup with it : "This is the fresh fish caught in the river. Your friend is sick. It may be better to drink some fish soup. If the guests don't want to give up, come and have some soup together."
Qi Ning thought that the small pot was not big, and there was not much soup. This was the meal of the two boatmen. It was naturally not good for them to use together, not to mention going out, always beware of it, with a smile: "Thank you, two Please use it yourself. "
The old man didn't insist. He served the bowl and sat with the strong man by the small iron pot. They were just fish soup and no other food.
Qi Ning couldn't help but ask, "Are you two having lunch?"
The old man nodded and said: "This is exactly the first meal today. There are different lakes in the river, and at this time there are few fish in the river, and you can't catch a few fish." A lot of dried fish, in addition to selling some, they can still have a lot left. "
"Why? Is it more and more difficult to catch river fish?" Qi Ning asked curiously.
The old man smiled and said: "This is also the reason, but ..." He shook his head and said, "Well, nothing, the guest's accent doesn't seem to be here?"
Qi Ning said: "I am a foreigner and travel around with my friends. My friends are sick and lost."
"It turns out so." The old man said: "After crossing the river, you go south, within twenty miles, there is a large bamboo forest, which is easy to identify. There is a small temple there, and there are only two monks. Come on, you take your friends over and take a look, you will be able to cure the disease. "
Qi Ning busy said: "Thank you for your advice."
The strong man drank the soup quickly, and in a blink of an eye a bowl of fish soup, but did not eat much. The old man said, "Eat another bowl."
The strong man shook his head and said: "I'm full." In the past, the curtain of the boat behind was lifted. The wind and rain were heavy outside, and the heavy rain was pouring on the deck, frowning. Some are sorry. "
Qi Ning knew that this was helpless, and shook his head: "It's impossible for Heavenly Father not to make beauty. It's too much, this old man, how many people cross the river on weekdays?"
The strong man shook his head and said: "It's not a lot, in fact, it's the official way to walk more than thirty miles to the north. The passers-by are all from the official road. There are not many people on this road. We are not here. When people cross the river, they spend some time in the river catching fish, and occasionally guests who cross the river take it. "
"Since fishing is not easy here, why not change a place?" Qi Ning asked: "Your father and son don't seem very generous here."
The strong man said: "It's generous to eat a good meal." Sit down and said, "We are not father and son, this is my uncle, I am his nephew."
"Oh?"
The old man sighed: "It's true that my nephew was born and productive. Five years ago, there were thieves in Taishan. The court recruited the young and strong men near Taishan to join the army. They were husbands and transported grain and grass to build camps. My nephew lived near Mount Tai and was also recruited. After fighting for half a year, the court killed the thief. When my nephew returned, my family and a few acres of real estate ceased to exist. "
Qi Ning was startled, wondering: "Why is this?"
The strong man sneered: "The Taishan bandits, the imperial court imposes taxes, and if they don't pay on time, they will have to get into the jail. There is not so much money at home, and they can only use the few acres of Botian mortgage to exchange some money first. In the eyes of the drought that year, the crops were not harvested, the fields were taken away, and a few people in the family could not eat, but they were starved to death. "At this point, fists in both hands, eyes full of sorrow, but It is abnormal resentment.
"My hometown looks like I can only come to me." The old man shook his head: "I had a son who was fishing alongside me to make a living, but after the first few years of conscription, there was no news after I went." , Sighed: "East Qi Elementary School, every land and every lake has a master. Where there are really many beautiful fish, it is not our turn. We can only eat in this unmanaged river channel." After drinking a little soup from the bowl, he sighed: "If ... the first emperor was still there, it would not be so."
"The first emperor?" Qi Ning was stunned. The old man obviously felt that he had said too much, and waved his hands and smiled: "Nothing, nothing, I'm talking nonsense, guests should not be serious."
The strong man couldn't help but say: "Uncle, the fact is the same. I still remember when we were young, we could eat and wear clothes, grow our own acres and three cents of land, so that we would not starve and freeze, but now ... ...! "With a wry smile, he said:" This day is not as good as one day. I can still drink soup today, but tomorrow I'm afraid I won't even be able to drink soup. "
Qi Ning glanced at Chi Danmei and saw that her face had recovered a little blood, and her heart was slightly wider, and asked, "Can it be that the current emperor is not the first emperor?"
"The current emperor?" The strong man snorted, opened his mouth, and seemed to want to say something. The old man made a wink at him, and the strong man stopped talking, closing his mouth, but he seemed to be depressed, still unable to bear it. Lost a sentence: "Mo said that Emperor Xian was the Crown Prince, and he was much better than him."
"Abandoned Prince?" Qi Ning was stunned again ~ EbookFREE.me ~ Seeing that the strong man didn't speak, knowing that the two of them were on guard, laughing: "The two don't have to worry, it's raining and raining outside. Gossiping here, I am a foreigner, but I also heard that the monarch of the Qi State is a bit inconsistent. If it is really a good emperor, there will not be frequent chaos in the country. "
The strong man smiled and said: "You're an understanding person, you're right, Taishan is the leader of the chaos. I heard that he was the person next to the crown prince. When he brought artificial rebellion, he said that he wanted to avenge the crown prince. It was the palace. The man in here killed the Crown Prince. "
Qi Ning was a little confused and asked: "Brother, who is the abandoned crown prince, who is it? Is it the prince of the Eastern Qi prince? I heard that the Eastern Qi prince has three sons and two daughters. Has a prince failed? "
The old man sat on the side of the cabin and shook his head: "The crown prince is not the prince of the monarch, but the brother of the monarch." Wei Yi pondered, and then said: "I have been sailing for many years, and I have met many people, and I heard them talk about it. The first emperor had two princes. The current monarch is the second prince. Before him, the first emperor had a prince, but more than 20 years ago, the prince suddenly rebelled. I heard from them that the abandoned prince The soldiers were about to rush into the palace, but the first emperor noticed in advance that the abandoned prince was arrested, and the prince's nickname was abolished. Within a few months, the first emperor died, and before the death, it was said that he was in the second prince The monarch, what happened to the Crown Prince, I do n’t know. "