Huo Xi looked at him blankly. When he saw the other person looking at him, he thought about it and nodded: "I don't have much at home."
She didn't lie to him. Her family didn't sell much salted fish. Inland river fishermen sold mainly fresh products because they were close to the market.
Fishing salt is actually used a lot by coastal fishermen.
In the era without cold chain transportation, fishermen along the coast and rivers wanted to sell their fish to thousands of households. In order to keep it fresh, most of them could only sell it as salted fish.
However, salt was expensive. In order to maintain the livelihood of the fishermen, the imperial court promoted a low-priced fishing salt among the fishermen.
It is coarser than official salt, but does not affect food consumption. It is sold at a lower price and is exclusively used by fishermen to make salted fish.
It’s called fishing salt.
But this policy gave private salt dealers an opportunity.
They use the sale of salted fish to sell private salt.
However, selling salted fish is not as profitable as selling fishery salt directly, so many people took advantage of the fishery salt trade.
Usually when fishing, fishermen will first go to the river and coastal customs to pay boat tax, and receive enough fishing salt according to the size of the boat.
Report the catch after catching the fish and return the unused salt.
However, when the opportunity arose, some fishermen lied about the data, took the opportunity to receive more fishing salt, and smuggled the salt for profit.
Although the court conducted strict inspections, it was banned repeatedly.
Huo Xi looked at him steadily.
"Huai'an is a good place." Huo Xi sighed with emotion.
The previous dynasty not only established the Water Transportation Department here, but also established the Salt Transportation Department to control the lifeline of salt transportation in the south of the Yangtze River. This grand canal not only transported grain, but also trafficked salt, which the people relied on for survival, to Jiangnan, Lianghuai and other places.
Huo Xi looked at the Grand Canal, which was crowded with various ships, with a long look.
Gong Ziyi shook his head and laughed. Talking with this boy gave him a feeling of being among his peers, which made him feel happy.
It's like finding someone who understands you.
"When you leave, I'll give you some salted fish."
"don't want!"
Huo Xi almost jumped up and stared at him. Did she think her life was too long or something? The good days had just begun. This man wanted to drag her into trouble?
"Hahaha..." Gong Ziyi laughed out loud when he saw her keeping secrets.
Just say that this kid is interesting and you actually understood what he said.
After laughing for a while, he stopped laughing when he saw how angry she was, and decided not to tease her anymore.
Farewell is imminent, but I feel a little reluctant to leave.
He tilted his head and looked at her and suggested: "How about we become brothers? As a pair of opposite-sex brothers? I think you are just like my brother, but my brother is not as cute and sensible as you, and he can still talk to me."
"No!" Huo Xi shook her head vigorously.
This person has a good background. What kind of brother does he have? Is she a brother?
"Come on, come on."
Gong Ziyi was just joking at first, but when he saw that the other party was refusing to accept her, he took it up with her.
He took her with one hand, quickly pressed Huo Xi on the board of the boat, lowered her head, and quickly bowed to her three times facing the Grand Canal.
"Okay, the ceremony is completed! The water of the Grand Canal and the river can testify for us." Gong Ziyi was happy in his heart.
Be your own person and bear witness.
Huo Xi rolled her eyes at him, broke away from his hand, glared at him, and said he wanted to buy and sell by force!
Chase him away: "Go back quickly, we are leaving." Seeing Huo Erhuai and others walking this way from a distance, they said to him.
"Why are you in such a hurry?"
"You're not in a hurry, we're in a hurry. What if that person comes looking for us?"
"Don't worry when I do things, my people will clean up the aftermath. You are my brother now, and I will protect you, don't worry."
Then he said: "You are in the capital, right? I will look for you in the future."
But don’t say goodbye. We still have a long way to go, and we will never see each other again. It’s better to forget each other.
But I heard the other party say: "Although the road to the rivers and lakes is far, the future is long. The mountains are high and the water is long. I will follow the water of the Grand Canal to find you."
Without waiting for Huo Xi's reaction, Gong Ziyi took something out of his arms and stuffed it into Huo Xi's hand: "This is the certificate."
He jumped off the boat, picked up the basket of food prepared for him, waved to Huo Xi coolly, and left without looking back.
"Master Gong, are you leaving now?" Huo Erhuai and others happened to meet him leaving.
"Let's go. I wish you a safe journey."
"Hey, okay, thank you, Master Gong..."
Huo Xi looked at the jade pendant in her hand. It was cold to the touch. She wanted to throw it away but felt it was quite valuable. She sighed and put it in her arms. When she looked up again, the man had gone away.
Huo Erhuai and Yang Fu got on the boat and showed Huo Xi the things they bought. Seeing Huo Xi frowning, they said, "Xi'er, should we row forward first?"
Huo Erhuai and Yang Fu were a little worried that the group was coming.
"It's okay. Master Gong said it was taken care of. It will be fine." Huo Xi subconsciously believed in his ability.
Huo Erhuai nodded, "That's good. This young master Gong is really a warm-hearted and good man."
Several people sighed with emotion. Yang Fu asked: "Xi'er, has the payment been recovered?"
Huo Xi nodded and did not tell him or Huo Erhuai the specific amount. He only said that he had taken it back.
"That's great. We've paid back Manager Huo's money this time, and then we'll get a lot of the share! It's enough to buy a field. When we buy the field, we'll have our own food next year."
Huo Erhuai was so happy that he seemed to have seen several acres of fertile land waving to him.
Yang Fu glanced at Huo Xi and breathed a sigh of relief. As long as he got the money back, he would listen to Xi'er from now on and no longer be so reckless.
Yang Fu made this decision, but he didn't know that he would listen to Huo Xi's words closely for the rest of his life, helping her and accompanying her until the last moment of his life.
Soon everyone from Taoye Ferry came back, bought their things, and were eager to return home, so they all set off one after another.
"Huo Xiaowa, wait a minute." Li Neng came over with his waiter to pick up a load of things.
"Fortunately, I caught up. My young master said it was a gift for his brother."
"What is it?" Huo Erhuai stopped the oar board and stepped forward to receive it.
"Hmm? A load of salted fish?"
Are their fishermen still short of salted fish? Huo Erhuai and Yang Fu were a little stunned. Does this young master have any misunderstandings about their fishermen?
Huo Xi gritted his teeth.
Seeing that the two bamboo baskets were covered with salted fish, and there seemed to be something else inside, Yang Fu didn't let Yang Fu turn them down, and clasped his fists towards Li Neng: "Thank you young master for me, I will remember this sentiment.
"
Biting the back molars.
"Okay, I will tell you. Master, please rest assured. Nothing will happen this time, and you will be able to return to the capital safely and smoothly."
"Then I really thank him." Huo Xi said goodbye to him with a smile.
He turned around and asked Yang Fu to carry the two baskets into the cabin, and then told Huo Erhuai: "Dad, hurry up and row the boat."
The Huo family's boat soon left Huai'an Pier.
"Young Master, they are leaving." At the pier, one big and one one watched silently as the ship sailed away.
"Um."
"Why did the young master give them those two baskets of things? Aren't you afraid of getting into trouble?"
"I want to see his reaction."
Huh? Young Master is so evil? What should you do?
Gong Ziyi smiled and did not answer.
"Why does the young master want to befriend them? Is he really only seven years old?"
"He's only seven years old on the first day of the first lunar month next year."
Li Neng clicked his tongue, what kind of monsters are these? There was one next to him, and now he met another one.
Gong Ziyi: Well, I came on stage to make the difference. With my little hands behind my back, I looked proud~