In the middle of the year, Huo Xi was awakened by the sound of a gong again.
When he woke up in a daze, he walked out of the cabin and saw Huo Erhuai warming breakfast.
Huo Erhuai stayed up for the rest of the night and was still awake. He first woke up the two children and helped them heat breakfast.
Seeing Huo Xi wake up, he asked her to go to sleep: "Xi'er, go back and sleep a little longer. These breakfast dishes are warmed up. Just ask your uncle to hand them over to the escort officer."
"It's okay dad, I'm awake."
When Huo Xi saw that Huo Erhuai had prepared breakfast, she went to fetch water to wash her face and stood on the bow of the boat to wake up.
On the dark river, there was only the faint light coming from the masthead lights of various boats. At this time, there were vague figures on the bows of each boat. It seemed that everyone was up.
When Huo Xi took a closer look, he saw that everyone was holding something in their hands, leaning on the bow of the boat to wash themselves in the water. Huo Xi felt embarrassed.
I quickly closed my eyes and thought to myself: It's okay, it's normal. Can you still drive the boat ashore to solve the problem?
No, no, it's not that pretentious.
Huo Erhuai had a hot breakfast and ate a big glutinous rice ball. He was so sleepy that he sat on the bow of the boat and watched over his two children with a smile.
Huo Xi couldn't eat the glutinous rice ball in his hand after seeing the scene just now.
"Xi'er, why don't you eat?" Yang Fu ate deliciously and stuffed it into his mouth, asking her.
It's so delicious, I'll let Xi'er make it and eat it tomorrow.
"I haven't woken up yet. I'll eat later when I'm hungry." He lowered his head and wrapped up the withered lotus leaves in his hand again.
Huo Erhuai looked at her with some worry. The child was still young, and he didn't get enough sleep because of all the traveling and worrying. He said warmly: "Xi'er, why don't you go into the cabin and sleep a little longer?"
Huo Xi smiled at him and shook his head.
Not long after, He Feng came over to get breakfast and handed her a purse with money for lunch. Huo Xi took it and handed him about twenty large glutinous rice balls.
He gave two more to Yu Jiang, and there were still a few left on the boat, enough for the three of them to eat.
At Mao hour, set off on time.
Huo Erhuai helped Yang Fu row the boat out. Seeing that he was taking advantage of it, he got into the cabin and fell asleep.
Afraid that Yang Fu would have a hard time rowing alone, Huo Xi talked to him while clearing the pots and stoves at the bow of the boat.
"Uncle, what do you think Mom and Nian'er are doing now? Do you miss us?"
"Why don't you want to! My sister must be feeling sad because she can't accompany us to the north. She hasn't left my brother-in-law and me in ten years. She will be left alone in the courtyard now, and I'm afraid she will feel lonely."
Huo Xi was silent, "Then when we go back, we will spend time with our bridesmaid."
"Yeah." Yang Fu also missed his sister. His sister had not been away from him for so many days.
Mrs. Yang from Qionghua Lane was woken up by Nian'er's cry early in the morning. She fed Nian'er breast milk, played with him for a while, and then went shopping with him in her arms to check out the market.
She also wanted to do something for her family. She would see if there were cheap chicken, duck, and meat, and buy some to make some meat at home, and then bring it to the ship to sell in the winter.
I have no idea what happened outside the courtyard wall last night.
On the other side, after Huo Erhuai woke up from his sleep, he went to the bow of the ship to replace Yang Fu.
Yang Fu and Huo Xi prepared lunch together.
"Xi'er, we've been walking for almost a day and a half. Didn't we say we can reach Huai'an in two days? Where are we?"
Looking up and forward, everything is a boat. Looking back, it is still a boat. There is no head in front and no tail in behind, winding for dozens of miles.
Huo Xi also looked on the river. There were boats everywhere on the river. Looking towards the river bank, it looked like the same thing. It was green and green, and it was hard to tell the direction. She didn't know which was which.
Shaking her head: "I don't know either. A light boat cannot compete with a ship loaded with food. The journey will naturally be slower." It was also her first time traveling far away, and she didn't know where she was.
At the beginning of noon, He Feng came by boat again, notifying the boat Bingzi he was in charge of to stop and rest on the spot.
While rowing to Huo's boat to get lunch, Huo Xi couldn't help but ask him: "Brother He, where are we? How long will it take to get to Huai'an?"
He Feng took the lunch and replied to her: "After noon, we should be able to merge into the canal. The first canal ferry we saw is Guazhou. From Guazhou, we will go north along the canal. If everything goes well, at this time tomorrow,
We can reach Huai'an."
"Really? Are we almost arriving in Guazhou?" Huo Xi's eyes lit up.
This kid still knows about Guazhou?
Seeing the excitement on his face, He Feng smiled. Thinking that he was tired of being a child on the boat, he said warmly: "Come on, you can go ashore tomorrow afternoon."
"Thank you, Brother He! I'll prepare something delicious for you for dinner!"
He Feng smiled, nodded and left by boat.
After the others left, Yang Fu also looked excited: "Xi'er, can we arrive in Huai'an at noon tomorrow?"
Then he looked at her with a puzzled look on his face: "Xi'er, where is Guazhou? You seem to know this place?"
Huo Xi nodded excitedly, Guazhou, how could she not know Guazhou.
Wang Anshi has a poem that goes: "Between Jingkou and Guazhou, there are only a few mountains between Zhongshan. The spring breeze is green on the south bank of the river. When will the bright moon shine on me again?"
Wang Anshi came to Beijing from his home at the foot of Zhongshan Mountain in Jiangning to take up his post. He said that there was only one Yangtze River between Jingkou (now Zhenjiang) and Guazhou (now Yangzhou), while Zhongshan was only hidden behind several mountains.
A ferry has been set up in Naguazhou since the canal was dug. It is located at the intersection of the lower reaches of the canal and the Yangtze River. It is the mouth of the canal and a choke point between the north and the south. It has been a famous Yangtze River ferry since the Jin Dynasty.
Guazhou is located in Yangzhou. If the fireworks are going to go down to Yangzhou in March, they have to stop at Guazhou Ancient Ferry, and then take a carriage or boat from Guazhou Ferry into the inner city.
Guazhou, Huo Xi's eyes were bright and he was eager to try. They were going to Guazhou. It turned out that it would take a day and a half to go up the Yangtze River from the capital to Yangzhou.
It would be a shame not to go and see it.
But I'm afraid I won't be able to go this time.
The officers and soldiers escorting the hundreds of ships of grain were all keeping an eye on it. They were afraid that there would be too many people at Guazhou Ferry to make any mistakes, and they would not be given the time to stop the ship.
what a pity.
"Xi'er?" Why is Xi'er's eyes shining when he talks about Guazhou? What's going on?
Huo Xi was very excited: "Uncle, do you know Guazhou? Do you know Yangzhou?"
Yang Fu shook his head blankly.
Huo Erhuai, on the other hand, took out the food for the three of them and said, "Father in Yangzhou has heard that there are so many wealthy people here that even ordinary people wear gold and jade."
Huo Xi laughed. It was a bit exaggerated for ordinary people to wear gold and jade.
However, Yangzhou was born and prospered because of the canal. It is connected to the river and the sea. It has been the headquarters of salt merchants in various dynasties since ancient times. "With a hundred thousand gold in his pocket, he rode a crane down to Yangzhou." Yangzhou's prosperity is not something to be said casually.
It is inevitable that merchants will gather here.
Then he popularized Guazhou and Yangzhou with them, which attracted Huo Erhuai and Yang Fu to be fascinated.
"Guazhou, is this what Yangzhou is like?" Yu Jiang, who wanted to come and get food, was stunned when he heard this.
I wonder if I will ever have the opportunity to go to Yangzhou to see it.