There was fog on the river, and a awning boat about ten meters long was sailing on the Yanbo River towards the dock.
"Shipman, this way." Yunjing, carrying a bookcase on his back, stood at the dock and waved from a distance.
After a while, the water surface rippled, and the awning boat came to the dock. The rower was an old man with gray hair in his sixties. He put down the oar, quickly came to the bow, took the rope and stepped onto the dock to tie the boat.
Are you planning to leave?
The old man's move shocked Yunjing.
After the old man tied up the boat, he looked at Yun Jing and said with a smile, "Young master, you want to take the boat?"
"Yes, but old man, are you planning to leave?" Yun Jing nodded.
The old man explained: "Young master has misunderstood. It is not that I am not leaving, but that I have to wait here. There may be other passengers. If I can't wait for half an hour, I will go to the next pier."
It turns out that this is what it is, just like a bus that stops at a stop.
Then the old man said again: "Since you want to take a boat, why don't you go to the boat to rest for a while? I will leave in half an hour. I hope you will forgive me."
Yunjing did not move and asked: "Old man, how much does it cost to ride on your boat?"
"It depends on where the young master is going," the old man said with a smile. As he spoke, he slowly took out his cigarette pot and prepared to take a sip.
"I want to go north. Uncle, this boat can go wherever it can. When it docks, I will find a way to continue going north. In this case, I don't know how to collect the boat fee?" Yun Jing asked.
After sorting out the smoke pot for a moment, the old man said: "Master, you want to go north. This boat of mine can't go very far. It only carries passengers at more than ten piers within a few dozen miles on the river. I can take you as far as possible."
The far place is the dock fifty miles away, how about I charge you fifty coppers?"
It's equivalent to one copper plate per mile. It's hard-earned money. It's completely reasonable. So Yunjing nodded and said: "Okay, then I'll bother you, old man."
The old man smiled and said: "No trouble, no trouble. It's my honor for you to be able to ride on my boat. Besides, I also charge money. Master, please go to the boat to rest for a while. You'll be gone in half an hour. It's slower to get on the boat."
, the boat is shaking a bit.”
Yun Jing nodded, stepped onto the boat, put down his book box and sat on the boat. He was bored, so he simply took out a book and read it slowly.
The old man looked at the way in front of the pier, took two puffs of dry cigarette, thought of something, slapped his forehead and looked at Yun Jing and said: "Look at my memory, what is that? Young Master, you said you want to go north, but I don't know how far north you have to go.
?”
"Stay as far north as possible. Why do you ask me that?" Yunjing looked away from the book and asked him.
The old man smiled and said: "Stay as far north as possible. It's far enough. The northernmost point of the Li River is thousands of miles away, and then it turns back and crosses thousands of miles deep into the wild forest. The reason why I ask this is because I have been making a living on the river all year round.
, I know that there is a place where a large cargo ship goes to the north every few days, and there happens to be one today. If you go to the north, you can take that large cargo ship and save the trouble of changing trains on the way."
"Seriously?" Yunjing's eyes lit up.
The old man laughed and said: "I don't dare to joke with you about this kind of thing."
"How far is the place where the large cargo ship sets sail from here? Is it too late to go there now?" Yunjing asked quickly.
The old man said calmly: "It's not far, there is a dock thirty miles away. Master, there is no need to worry. The big ship usually sets sail at noon, so there is enough time."
Setting sail at noon, are you afraid that something will happen sooner or later?
Yun Jing, who was murmuring in his heart and feeling relieved, said: "Then you can ask me to send me there later."
"It's not a bother, it's just a way. Since the young master has decided to change to a big ship, which is a thirty-mile waterway, I will only charge you thirty copper coins. I have been living on this river for decades, and I am very familiar with the people on those cargo ships.
At that time, I can tell them directly to let the young master board the boat, saving him the trouble of negotiating with them," the old man said enthusiastically.
Yun Jing said sincerely: "Thank you so much."
"You're welcome. I've met many guests like you over the years. I'm used to it, and to be honest, if you go to take a ride on their big ship, they also charge a fee, and after all, they are cargo ships. Dora is just one person.
For extra income, if I recommend people, they will give me some kickbacks, haha." The old man waved his hands a little embarrassed.
Well, this is equivalent to an intermediary.
Then Yunjing asked the question he was most concerned about, saying: "By the way, old man, since you are familiar with the people on those cargo ships, do you know how much they charge for taking a guest to the farthest north they can reach?"
He was afraid that if he didn't have enough money, he would be embarrassed.
"I know this, but again, they are a cargo ship after all. The conditions on the ship are not good. There are three different positions to choose from, which are divided into upper, middle and lower. The upper position has a better environment and a better view, and it is also a suite. The fee is five hundred
The price is 200 taels per person, the quantity is not much, the medium berth is a single room, the environment is not bad, the charge is 200 taels per person, the quantity is not much, and then there is the lower berth, the room is small, and one room has to accommodate several people at the same time, the fee is
Fifty taels per person, and these charges are just for the boat fare. If you want to eat and drink on the boat, you have to spend additional money. Don't think it's expensive, sir. After all, it's thousands of miles, and the trip takes more than two months, so the charges are already low.
, If you take those special passenger ships, it will be much faster, but the price will be more expensive," the old man introduced in detail.
It can be heard that he is really familiar with those cargo ships. After all, they are all making a living on the river.
After hearing what he said, Yunjing calculated his money. He could board the ship, but he could only sit down and wait for the warehouse. It was enough. As for the environment, it didn't matter. It was not like he had not lived a hard life and had experienced picking up excrement.
It's not that particular, and it's not that expensive either.
Well, the main reason is that I don’t have the money to sit in the middle and high-end positions...
Feeling a little at ease, Yun Jing nodded and said: "Then please ask me to help arrange a low-grade warehouse for me."
"Young Master is too polite, don't bother me. After all, I also got some benefits from it," the old man waved his hand again.
The matter was settled in this way, and while waiting for time, Yunjing chatted with him for a while.
The old man didn't ask what Yunjing was doing in the north. He mainly talked about what he knew about the situation on the river.
According to him, many places in the Li River are unsafe. In some places, the water flow is fast and dangerous, in some places there are reefs and powerful underwater creatures, and in some sections there are water bandits...
These are just what he heard, and he doesn't know whether they are true or not. After all, he makes a living on this section of the river, which is dozens of miles away. Relatively speaking, this section of the river is peaceful, and he does not dare to go to other places that are not peaceful.
In general, the Lijiang River stretches thousands of miles to the north, so it covers a wide area. Naturally, there are various situations. If you don't have some ability and means, it will be difficult to make a living on this river for a long distance.
Half an hour passed quickly. The Jinshui Ferry was so remote that the old man didn't wait for other guests, so he had no choice but to untie the rope and set sail along the river.
The red sun rises and disperses the mist on the river.
Yunjing stood on the bow of the boat, looking at the vast Li River in front of him that stretched to the end of his sight. He felt the urge to recite a poem, but thinking about his poetry writing skills, he decided not to do it after some thought.
There were several piers on the waterway for the next thirty miles. The old man stopped at each one. More than a dozen boat passengers came on one after another. They were all ordinary people. Maybe it was because Yunjing, a scholar, was on the boat, so he didn’t know each of them.
, they did not meet as many people as the old boatman, they were a little reserved and had almost no communication with each other.
This awning boat will dock at every pier, and when people get on, others get off. People come and go, meeting each other briefly, not knowing each other, and then separated...
By the time we reached the sixth pier, it would be less than ten miles before we reached the big cargo ship that the old man said was heading north. All the awning boats had left the pier and sailed toward the river. Someone on the pier shouted to the boatman, "Wait a minute."
The man seemed to be impatient, and before the awning boat could turn around to pick him up, the other party actually used Qing Kung Fu to jump out, tapped his toes on the river, and soon crossed dozens of meters of river and landed on the boat.
He is a martial arts practitioner, his skills are not weak, and he will cultivate his skills later in life.
Yun Jing glanced at it for a moment and stopped paying attention.
It was a man in his thirties, burly, wearing leather armor, carrying a long knife, and a small package slung across his back. He came to the boat. The awning boat shook violently, causing some panic among the passengers on the boat.
This person had a resolute look on his face, his eyes were cold and unsmiling, but he clasped his fists and apologized: "I'm sorry, everyone, I heard that there is only one boat carrying passengers on this section of the river every day. If you miss it, you have to wait until tomorrow. I don't want to miss it, and I apologize for the disturbance.
"
The civilian passengers on the ship saw that this man was carrying a machete and looked like he was not easy to get along with. They dared not offend him. They all whispered that it didn't matter, and they didn't dare to look at him, let alone show a dissatisfied expression.
The other party had already expressed his humility, but he didn't say anything more. Instead, he asked the boatman how to get to the far north. Then the boatman's old man repeated what he had said to Yun Jing.
Before that, Yunjing thought that the boatman's old man was just being warm-hearted. When this scene happened again, he realized that in fact, the old man also wanted to earn more money. After all, he would get a kickback for every person he recommended to join the ship.
There is no reason not to be enthusiastic.
After the man understood it, he entrusted the old man to help him arrange a position on the big ship. He would also take the big ship to the north.
The old boatman didn't have much to do and didn't tell the man that Yunjing was going to the north too...
The awning boat went upstream along the Li River. Soon, Yun Jing could see a slightly larger pier by the river in the distance.
There were people coming and going on the pier, and many coolies were busy carrying goods to a large ship.
It was a cargo ship nearly eighty meters long, with a very deep draft. Although he did not deliberately observe it with his mind, Yunjing guessed from the faint smell coming from the wind that the cargo ship mainly transported goods such as grain and oil.
If nothing else, that should be the ship he will take to the north next.
Sure enough, after the awning boat docked at the dock, the old boatman asked Yunjing and the charlatan who got on the boat to wait a moment while he went to discuss with the steward of the cargo ship. Soon after, someone came to take Yunjing and the others on board.
After paying thirty coppers to the boatman of the awning boat, Yunjing and the charlatan boarded the large cargo ship. Under the arrangement of the cargo ship, the two of them were taken to a cabin of only four or five square meters. This cabin is currently
Just the two of them.
The person who brought them here was obviously very busy, so he just asked them to settle down on their own first, and then someone would collect the boat fare, and then left in a hurry.
"Sir, are you going to the north too? It's not peaceful there. Why are you, a scholar, going to the north?"
When Yunjing looked at the small cabin, the Jianghu guest asked curiously.
Yun Jing smiled and said: "Study on a study tour to increase your knowledge."
The other party nodded and smiled: "I see, I'm afraid I'll have to live with you in this cabin for a while. I'm a rough guy. If there's anything wrong with me, please forgive me."
"Brother, what you said is serious. It's fate that we meet each other when we go out. We understand each other," Yun Jing said with a smile, and then couldn't help but curiously asked: "Why did eldest brother go to the north now?"
When it came to the purpose of his trip, the man didn't hide anything, he just said straight on his face: "Go north, kill the enemy and serve the country!"
