When everyone heard He Feng's cold instructions, they shrank their heads in fear and quickly called for their boys to get off the grain bags.
Just now, in order to listen to Huo Xi's talk about what crossing the gate is, everyone climbed onto the grain bag and listened carefully with their ears perked up.
Huo Erhuai also quickly winked at the two children, and Yang Fu hurriedly pulled Huo Xi up and down the grain mountain.
"We can't dock, and it's too boring to sit and wait. Uncle, let's go fishing."
After Huo Xi finished speaking, she hesitated again: "No, let's catch fish!"
After saying that, he got into the cabin to get the fishing bait, and asked Huo Erhuai to help him get the fishing net: "Dad, help me take out the fishing net!"
Huo Erhuai just took out his fishing net. When each family saw it, they also took out their own fishing nets. After arranging them, they all threw them into the river.
That scene was quite spectacular.
Huo Xi was stunned. Is there any fish that dares to pass by this section of the river? I'm afraid they will be wiped out.
The fishermen had no other skills, but how could they catch fish? How could they lag behind others? Starting from the front, back and left of the Huo family's boat, everyone was netting fish to relieve their boredom.
This action confused the ships behind. What happened?
The courier officer and the escort officer asked everyone to stop the boat and fish? The farmers collect grain taxes, but we fishermen want to collect fish?
Everyone is confused about the situation. Should they also bring out fishing nets? People follow the herd and don't care. The people in front are netting fish. Follow everyone and do it together. That's right.
Then, when the escort officers of each ship number patrolled along the river, they found that all the ships were netting fish, and they were also confused.
What's going on? I'm just waiting to cross the gate, why are all the fish caught?
He shook his head and sighed, it was so pitiful.
The farmers still had fields and food to eat, but the government confiscated the fishermen's boats, causing them to lose their business and make a living. They decided to be kind to them along the way.
"Wait patiently for the gate to be released, and be careful with the grain bags. Don't be careless." The escort officers gave their instructions in a much gentler voice.
Huo Erhuai, Huo Xi and Yang Fu had a great time fishing. It was like a competition with the people from Taoyedu. Whoever caught more fish would be happy.
Huo Erhuai served as the bow of the Bingzi and the stern of the twenty-seven Taoye Ferry boats. He also encouraged everyone to net more, and everyone had grilled fish and wine together in the evening.
It makes the atmosphere even more lively.
Another hour passed like this, and the boat finally moved forward slowly.
When there were about a dozen boats ahead, a lockman came over to measure the size and length of the Huo family's boats.
Huo Erhuai led the two children to watch curiously. Huo Xi also saw him for the first time and wanted to ask, but saw the seriousness on his face, so he didn't speak.
After another half an hour, the Huo family's boat finally reached the back gate.
Huo Xi curiously stared ahead and to the left and right.
You can see that the gate in front is a large wooden gate. The dark wooden strips are arranged from the bottom up and are tightly stacked and spliced. Both ends are stuck into the grooves on the two walls.
I don't know if it is ebony. Ebony is hard and resistant to decay. But it is heavy.
Looking at the dams on both sides of the pier, there is an iron winch on each side, which is gear-shaped, with an iron rod attached to it, which meshes with the saw teeth. Huo Xi thought to herself that the gate should be opened and closed by the iron rod.
Looking at the side of the winch, there are several strong gatekeepers standing. Just waiting for the gate officer's order, they use manpower to push the iron rod and use the iron rod to lift the gate.
Huo Xi was thinking in her mind, staring curiously, when she heard the gate official shout loudly: "Open the gate!"
Sure enough, I saw the gatemen on both sides of the winches immediately started to move and began to push the iron rods. The iron rods slowly drove the winches, and the gate slowly lifted upwards.
The water from the back river began to slowly flow into the box.
"Number C, enter the box!"
Huo Erhuai was also staring at it. When he was shouted at by the box official, he immediately started to move. He quickly started to paddle the oar board. Yang Fu was also afraid of being scolded for being slow, so he hurried forward to help.
.
The two of them worked together and quickly rocked the boat into the box.
When we arrived at the front door of the box, we heard another box official shouting: "No. 1 Bingzi, stop the ship!"
Huo Erhuai and Yang Fu immediately did not dare to move and took their hands off the oar board.
Huo Xi looked back and saw that the boats of Yu Jiang, Qian Xiaoxia and others had slowly sailed into the box. She couldn't see clearly from behind, so Huo Xi climbed onto the grain bag and counted backwards.
A box door can only pass one boat, but the box is quite long. Huo Xi counted and estimated that there must be twenty or thirty boats.
"Uncle, count back and see how many boats there are?"
Yang Fu stood on the grain mountain, raised his fingers and counted backwards, and he did not forget to say: "Qian Xiaoxia, count backwards and see how many boats there are!"
Qian Xiaoxia received the order and also said to the back: "Zou Sheng, count back how many boats there are!"
The sound spread backward and then forward.
"Xi'er, our Taoye Ferry, with three names, all thirty boats have come in." It's great that everyone has not been separated and is still together.
Huo Xi nodded, Taoyedu's boats were not big, and all the boxes were packed in. It seemed that one box could only hold twenty or thirty boats.
In this way, another hour passed by opening the lock to fill the water, closing the lock to release the water, and opening the lock to pass the ship.
"Bing Zi No. 1, come out of the box!"
Finally out of the box.
It's not easy.
Afraid that the boat behind him would have no place when it came out, Huo Erhuai kept rowing forward and rowed the boat all the way out.
He Feng took the boat and waited aside. Seeing that they finally came out, he breathed a sigh of relief: "Is there any problem?"
Huo Xi hurriedly smiled at him and shook her head, "Everything is fine, and the food is not damaged."
He Feng nodded to her and took a boat to check them one by one.
"I've gained so much experience this time! I didn't expect that when sailing on the river, you can open and close the gate in this way." Huo Erhuai sighed repeatedly.
He has been floating on the water for ten years, but has he ever seen such a scene? When sailing in the river, it turns out that there is still a water level difference, and it is necessary to build dams and gates, open and close gates, and fill and release water.
It's so novel. It's a pity that my mother didn't see it.
"Next time, I'll bring your mother and Nian'er to have a look. Today is an eye-opener."
Yang Fu also nodded, "This is the first time I've seen it. I didn't expect that rivers are different. I thought they were just like the Qinhuai River and the Yangtze River, coming and going freely."
Huo Xi smiled. It seemed that everyone's horizons had been opened this time, and the trip north was not in vain.
"Xi'er, how do you know this? Have you passed the ship box before?" Yang Fu asked her doubtfully.
Huo Xi shook his head: "No. I read it in the book."
"Is it also written in these books?"
"Of course. The person who wrote the book has been to many places, so he wrote his travel notes and experiences into a book and printed it for everyone to read. Those who have never traveled far will understand it after reading it in the book. That's it.
It’s just like personal experience.”
"Wow, then I will also read more in the future."
Huo Erhuai strongly supported Yang Fu in reading and reading with Huo Xi. He nodded and warned: "Then you have to learn how to read with Xi'er. When you know more words, you will be able to understand the knowledge in the books."
If you look at Xi'er, you will know that reading is different from not reading. He has more knowledge than others.
Yang Fu nodded after hearing this. He now also knows the benefits of literacy.
The ship passed through the lock and before it sailed very far, it heard various noises coming from the front. Looking closely, a tall archway appeared in front of the pier in front of the ship.