The water flow in this section of the Jiangnan River is gentle and does not have the momentum of the Yangtze River. There are scattered villages, wharves and fields along the bank. Occasionally, pedestrians and carriages can be seen passing by on the bank. Some places are even covered with large tracts of reeds.
From time to time there are water birds rising and falling.
There were many boats on this section of the river, so we were not in a hurry and walked slowly and leisurely. It took us a day to cross Danyang and reach Changzhou.
The painted boats sailing among the waterways are in sharp contrast with the large and small ships on the road. Compared with the merchant ships and passenger ships traveling on this waterway, the passenger ships are obviously much more comfortable.
At this moment, Li Mu was half-lying on the deck chair on the third floor, taking in the warm wind and looking at the scenery around him.
Next to it, Su Tan'er was sitting on an exquisite chair, wearing a goose yellow and moon white dress and a white waistcoat. She held a small round fan in her hand, blowing the warm wind and looking at the flowing river.
The Jiangnan River is an artificial canal, and the river bed is not deep. Although it has been dug for many years, the water quality is still good. From the boat, it looks green, and you can see a few small fish jumping out of the water from time to time.
Such a quiet and quiet scene makes people feel like they have a touch of the tenderness of the Jiangnan water town.
The two of them were just like this quietly, silently feeling the atmosphere. The weather in the south changed at any time. Just now it was a gentle breeze and warm sunshine, but soon a strong wind blew, dark clouds piled up in the sky, and a storm was coming.
The boss of the ship who was in charge of the ship ran up to report: "Master, look at the weather, I'm afraid there will be a thunderstorm next, so it's better to go into the cabin and rest."
Seeing that there was no village in front and no store behind, Su Tan'er couldn't help but ask: "When the rain comes down, can the boat continue to go? If there is a strong wind, there won't be any waves in the river!"
The boss of the boat patted his chest and assured: "Don't worry, boss. If there is a strong wind on the Yangtze River, there will be some big waves. Our river is not big, so if there is a strong wind, it won't cause much waves! The boatmen on the boat are all veterans.
Wind and rain are nothing. If you like to enjoy the scenery, sailing in the rain is actually quite interesting."
Su Tan'er nodded: "You just need to worry more and see if you can make it to Changzhou to anchor at night."
Chuanlaodao: "Don't worry, boss, this nearly two hundred miles of canal is straight and straight, with almost no turns. It goes along the current, so it won't delay too much time."
The boss of the ship went down to direct the sailing, and several little girls were busy moving the things on the deck into the cabin.
Because I like peace and quiet, everyone else is on the lower two floors. Only Li Mu, Su Tan'er, Chan'er, a few little girls, and two cooks live on the third floor of Huafang. It is very spacious and has a better view.
Not long after the captain got off the boat, there was a loud thunder and heavy rain fell from the sky.
In the torrential rain and lightning and thunder, the boat only slowed down slightly and continued to move forward.
Changzhou is also a big city on the canal route. The prosperity of the route has made the business here quite prosperous. Although it is not as good as Jiangning, Suzhou and Hangzhou, the scale is not small.
The sudden heavy rain made Changzhou Pier lively, with many ships coming and going nearby to dock.
There are also many cargo ships hurriedly unloading goods in the heavy rain. They are merchants who had accidents in the heavy rain. They spend a lot of money to hire people to unload goods here in the rain.
Among them was a large cargo ship owned by Loujia in Hangzhou. It had just received cargo from the north and was heading south along the canal back to Hangzhou. At this time, something obviously went wrong. It was hiring people at a high price to unload the cargo and reduce the weight of the ship.
In the warehouse on one side of the pier, a woman in bright clothes stood there imposingly, watching the densely packed boatmen unloading goods.
Rain kept falling in outside the window, making her hair and clothes wet. The woman took the towel handed by the maid, wiped the water droplets on her face, turned around and asked: "So much cargo has been unloaded, how is the ship?"
It won’t sink again, will it?”
A middle-aged steward nearby replied: "Don't worry, madam, the ship should not sink. However, the weather is too bad and repairs are too difficult. We have to wait until the rain stops tomorrow, and some of the cargo on the ship will probably have to be unloaded to reduce the draft."
The woman nodded: "Then keep moving!"
Just as he was talking, on the other side of the pier, where the passenger ships were parked, a large three-story boat sailed towards the shore in the heavy rain.
Nowadays, the weather is bad, so it is not unusual for a passenger boat to be moored at the pier. However, such a large boat is rare in Changzhou and has attracted the attention of many people.
Everyone speculated whether there was any noble or important person. After all, ordinary wealthy families did not have such a pomp.
This speculation seemed to be answered when a passenger ship following the boat docked, and the guards who walked out of the cabin and onto the deck, showing their bravery, appeared.
After the boat docked, I looked at the heavy rain outside and the pier full of ships. I looked at several inns with bright lights a few hundred meters away. With so many passenger ships docked here, there were probably not many guest rooms in the inns.
Already.
There were fifty or sixty people on the boat this time, plus more than fifty guards behind it, a total of more than one hundred people. If they really wanted to go ashore, they really couldn't find a suitable inn at this time.
Simply speaking, this is a painting boat carefully selected by Li Mu. Resting on the painting boat is not much worse than in an inn, especially the third floor where they live has been carefully renovated and almost furnished into a small suite with complete functions. The upper room of an ordinary inn is also better than that of an inn.
No.
Arrangements were made for the steward to disembark from the ship to purchase ingredients and supplies. Seeing that the rain had finally subsided, Li Mu held an oil-paper umbrella and Su Tan'er and came to the deck. They looked at the huge dock and the docking area of the cargo ship on one side. There were many other things.
A few boatmen were unloading goods in the heavy rain.
Li Mu looked over and saw that the company's flag had the word "lou" on it. Could it be the Lou family's cargo ship? What a coincidence.
Su Tan'er's eyes were also attracted by the boatmen who were unloading the goods in the heavy rain. When she saw the word "LO" on the company's flag, she made a guess. She looked around for a moment and saw the bright figure instructing the boatmen to unload the goods at the door of the warehouse.
, he felt more and more familiar. When he saw his face clearly, he suddenly recognized that it was Lou Shuwan from the Lou family. The Lou family had some business dealings with the Su family. The two had met a few years ago and had a pleasant conversation.
When Su Tan'er looked over, Lou Shuwan seemed to be aware of something, and turned around to look over. She had no internal strength, and her eyesight was not as good as Su Tan'er's. In addition, the light on the deck was dim and she couldn't see clearly, so she gave up.
, didn’t pay much attention and continued to direct the boatmen to unload the cargo.
Li Mu said: "What are you looking at!"
Su Tan'er said: "I seem to have seen an old friend."
Li Mu followed her gaze and saw that she was a bright and charming woman.
Su Tan'er said: "It's Lou Shuwan from the Lou family. He is a well-known wealthy businessman in Hangzhou. He has a richer background than our Su family. I didn't expect to meet him here."
Li Mu said: "That's quite a coincidence. Would you like to go over and say hello?"
Su Tan'er nodded: "Well, wait until the rain stops."
Li Mu said: "With the current rain intensity, it's better to do it tomorrow. It's too late now."