Zhang Yuan walked out of the cabin holding an iron lantern and looked at it from a distance. It was dark everywhere, the water was heavy, and the boats on the riverbank at the port were as quiet as sleeping. Only the restaurants on the shore still had sparse lights. Zhang Yuan was worried and was about to call out.
Mu Jingyan ran to the creek over there to check it out, and heard Mu Zhenzhen's voice not far away happily saying: "Master, my servant is back."
Zhang Yuan breathed a sigh of relief and walked to the bow of the boat near the shore with a tin lantern. He saw a graceful figure walking briskly and said, "It's just two clothes. Why did it take so long to wash them? I thought you fell into the water."
"
"There are also two pieces of clothes of my own...
"Mu Zhenzhen felt the young master's concern, and felt happy in his heart. He held the bamboo basket, walked lightly across the steps, and jumped onto the bow. The wind brought by it extinguished the tin lamp. Zhang Yuan was used to this kind of light. As soon as the lamp was extinguished,
When his vision went dark, he subconsciously stretched his free right hand forward, like a blind man exploring the way. This is the posture. Zhang Yuan has been blind for several months, so he is very skilled in this movement. Mu Zhenzhen has quick eyes and quick hands. When he saw the young master's eyes blank, he moved his hand
It came straight to her chest. If she tried to dodge, she was afraid that the young master would stumble, so he hurriedly retracted one hand and raised his palm to protect her chest. The young master's palm was supported with hers, like a master's palm strength.
The rough palms of this fallen girl became softer after being soaked in water for a long time. Zhang Yuan retracted his hand and said with a smile: "It's really like walking with wind~
Can you see the laundry in such a dark day?"
Mu Zhenzhen used the night color to cover up his shame and replied: "There is still starlight. Anyway, washing clothes is not literacy. There is no need to see so clearly. Master, give the lamp to the maid, and the maid will catch the fire." Put down the bamboo basket and
He took the tin lamp from the young master and walked to the small awning at the stern, where there was a dark fire in the stove.
Mu Zhenzhen lit the lamp and walked to the front cabin while protecting the flame with one hand. Seeing that the young master had returned to the cabin, he put the tin lamp back on the bulkhead, spread out the bedding for the young master, smiled calmly, and went back to dry the clothes.
, when she came back, she saw that the young master had fallen asleep, so she went to blow out the lamp and sat on the back berth. Momo's long draped hair was still a little wet, so she gently wiped it with a handkerchief, and listened to the young master on the side asking.
Said: "Really, you went to the creek to take a bath?"
Mu Zhenzhen blushed and let out a low "hmm".
Zhang Yuan said: "From now on, I'll just wash in the cabin. Xiao Wu and I can just go out for a while. It's not hot yet, so you go to the stream to take a bath in the middle of the night. If you catch a cold and get sick, what should you do?"
Mu Zhenzhen said softly: "I know this, but I won't dare to do it next time."
The weather is a bit abnormal. It was so cold last winter, but now it is the first half of March in late spring. The night is as hot and muggy as early summer.
On the morning of the second day of March, Zhang Yuan went to Qin Liangyu's red-headed camphor boat to say goodbye to Qin's sisters and brother. Qin Liangyu,
Surprised: "Master Zhang, are you leaving now?"
Zhang Yuan said: "Leave immediately. If you don't leave, you won't be able to make it to my brother-in-law's birthday party."
Qin Liangyu said: "I don't dare to bother you too much. I also prepared a birthday gift for Mr. Zhang's brother-in-law. Mr. Zhang must not refuse it."
Zhang Yuan knew that he could not refuse, so he said: "Thank you very much, but I have something to say first. Madam's gift cannot exceed the gift I gave to my brother-in-law, otherwise I will lose face."
Qin Liangyu knew that Zhang Yuan was unwilling to accept generous gifts, so he had to ask: "What gift did Master Zhang prepare for your brother-in-law?"
Zhang Yuandao: "It's just six taels of silver and several bolts of silk."
Qin Liangyu said: "The little fu also prepared a small gift like this, as well as some earthen rituals, nothing more than fruits, bamboo shoots, and honey bees.
"He said again: "We say goodbye today, I don't know when I will see Mr. Zhang again!"
Zhang Yuan smiled and said: "Serving the country, we will reach the same destination through different paths. There will always be a day to meet again. Madam, take care."
Zhang Yuan returned to the white-covered boat. Several soldiers carried the gifts onto the boat. The boatman untied the olives and paddled...
楥, the white-topped boat slowly left the shore, and dozens of native soldiers on the shore, starting from Qin Liangyu and below, knelt down. Qin Liangyu said in a clear voice: "Farewell to Mr. Zhang, I wish Mr. Zhang a safe journey. I will be named on the gold list."
Zhang Yuan knelt down to return the salute, and when he stood up, the white-topped boat had turned northbound, and Qin Liangyu and others could no longer be seen on the shore. He could only see boats going back and forth, making endless noise. A busy day on the canal had begun again. Zhang Yuan stood with his hands behind his back.
On the bow of the ship, the morning sun was rising and the spring breeze was blowing. After working hard for several days, the body and mind finally relaxed. The ten days of staying in Hangzhou were not small. It was like a game of Go. One's own layout was exquisite, there were hidden tricks, and the chess position was great.
It's open, but now he still has to take it step by step. The imperial examination is the only way for him to take it. Well, Eunuch Zhong also gave him a thousand taels of silver, which is a huge sum of money. How should he use the money to make more money?
"Master Jiezi"
Lu Dayou walked to the bow of the ship and stood next to Zhang Yuan, also looking relaxed and happy, and said: "According to this itinerary, if there is no delay, we can reach Qingpu before dark on the fifth day of the new year. The young lady told me when I left home
The villain must take care of Master Jiezi's safe arrival. Master Jiezi will be taken care of by noble people everywhere along the way. There is no need for a villain to take care of him. He can only lead the way."
Zhang Yuan smiled and said: "Guanshi Lu is my brother-in-law's most helpful family member. Thank you for the hard work this time."
Lu Dayou said: "What's so hard about it? Master Jiezi worked hard and kept studying on the boat. I wonder how happy the young lady will be when she sees Master Jiezi this time. The young master is a mountain yin tool trial case."
Zhang Yuandao: "I will soon see my sister, brother-in-law and two little nephews. I am also very happy. By the way, Manager Lu, is my brother-in-law's cotton and silk shop still prospering?"
Lu Dayou said: "To be fair to Master Jiezi, although Master Lu Tao is the eldest son of the master, he has never been favored. The master only loves his youngest son Lu Yangfang. The shops are also run by the second young master. I follow the eldest son."
Yes, so I don’t know much about the business of Lu’s Cotton Silk Shop.
Zhang Yuan's heart sank slightly. He didn't think so before. Now that he heard what Lu Da said, it seemed that his sister's life was not going well after marrying into the Lu family. Her brother-in-law, Lu Tao, was not favored by his father, and her sister Ruoxi naturally followed suit.
After receiving the cold shoulder, I went to see what was going on this time. Nothing happened. Zhang Yuan, besides reading and practicing calligraphy by himself, also taught Mu Zhenzhen how to read. This fallen girl was very serious. In ten days, "Before and After"
She can memorize the figurines and recognize the words on them. She can also recognize the words that appear in "The List of Masters Before and After" written by Zhang Yuan alone on paper. Zhang Yuan praised: "I am really willing to learn, follow me."
If I study for a few more months, I will be better than Xiao Wu. Xiao Wu is lazy and unwilling to pay attention."
Wu Ling thought to himself: "Young Master was also lazy before. I didn't learn from Young Master and didn't pay attention to my studies. It's just that Young Master suddenly became diligent after last summer and seemed to be a different person." He said, "Young Master never taught me so carefully."
Ah, Master Zhenzhen is very patient.
"After that, he laughed and got out of the hatch to help the boatman row. Wu Ling was not stupid. He could see how kind the young master was to Mu Zhen.
Mu Zhenzhen blushed, but Zhang Yuan didn't change his expression and said: "This person is lazy but he will find excuses. Zhenzhen has learned it before and after he became a teacher. Then I will start teaching you "Former Chibi Fu"."
Zhang originally had no intention of teaching this fallen girl how to read. He just taught her to recite the "Shi Shi Biao" on a whim that day. Unexpectedly, Mu Zhenzhen was willing to learn and was quite smart, so he continued teaching.
For the Three Character Classic, teach her to memorize ancient figurines. As long as she memorizes dozens of figurines, she will know almost all the characters she needs to know, and she will also have a certain reading ability. As long as she is willing to learn, reading and writing is so simple.
At the station, Lu Da showed everyone the Kanhe card and immediately let them go. There were four or five tax cards along the two-mile waterway from Hangzhou to Jiaxing, more than the post houses, and there was only one bank gate guarded by eunuchs in Hangzhou.
The rest are tax stations set up by local governments. Each county has set up card cash registers on the water and land routes that business travelers must pass through. Zhang Yuan found that those large merchant ships with trade names often pass unimpeded, while those who are stopped to collect taxes are small businesses.
Merchant and hawker, the poor get poorer and the rich get richer. Although the original card has a Kanhe card, it is only used as a pass. It does not go to the Shuiyi to eat or drink. It left Hangzhou early in the morning on the second day of the Lunar New Year. The boat arrived in Jiaxing in the afternoon of the third day of the Lunar New Year.
The Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal turns due north from here to Suzhou. To get to the west of Qingpu, Songjiang Prefecture, you have to leave the boat and travel by land.
Zhang Yuan gave the boatman Fu five coins and asked them to wait for him in Jiaxing for ten days. He must rush back to Jiaxing within ten days, and he would not wait for anyone to hold the Shaoxing Prefectural Examination on the ninth day of next month.
Of course, the suitcase containing one thousand taels of silver had to be taken with him on the road. Zhang Yuan and his party rested for one night in Jiaxing. Early the next morning, they asked for a carriage from the Jiaxing Posthouse. Zhang Yuan took the carriage and received a bunch of gifts.
They were all in the car, and the others walked. They rushed to Cixi on the afternoon of the fifth day of the lunar month and asked the horseman of the inn to drive back. The five of them hired a boat from Cixi and sailed from Cixi to Xuedian Lake, and then to Daxi via Xuedian Lake.
Huangpu, going down the river, the boat sailed very fast, and as expected, it entered Qingpu County before dark. Zhang Yuan’s sister Zhang Ruoxi had been restless these past two days. It was supposed that her brother Zhang Yuan should have arrived in Qingpu in the first few days of the first month, but today it was early.
It was five and Zhang Yuan hadn't arrived yet. Zhang Ruoxi was a little worried that her brother, who had never traveled far away, might fall ill or have some other accident on the way, so she begged her husband, Lu Tao, to send a few more family members to greet him on the way. Lu Tao went
When he told his father, Lu Zhaokun, Lu Zhaokun was worried that his rich servant had defected to Songjiang and the Dong family could not recover him, so he scolded Lu Tao.
The two maids took the two children to the Dahuangpu waterway port in the south of the city in a sedan chair to see if they could pick up their brother Zhang Yuan. If not, they could also ask for some news from the passenger ships from Hangzhou and Jiaxing~
The setting sun was shining and the city wall was mottled. Zhang Ruoxi's two children, one six years old and one four years old, were holding their mother's hands on each side. They stood on the high bank of the port, watching the boats passing by in the river. The two children asked together: "Mother
Dear, which boat is Uncle Jiezi on?"
Zhang Ruoxi was about to coax another baby when she suddenly heard a maid beside her say in surprise: "Isn't that Uncle Lu? Uncle Lu is back."
Zhang Ruoxi took a closer look and saw that it was indeed Lu Dayou, but why was he alone!
From the last major plot to the next, it is so difficult to write. It’s such a hard road to write until now!@.