The sun has already set halfway, and many of the crowds by the river have dispersed, but there are still fifty or sixty people. These people have all had their fortunes told or fortune-tellers read, and are suitable for walking by water.
However, the boatman still insisted on twenty taels per person and refused to let go. Many people present did not have that much money, so they could only look to Shi An and Hong Tao for help.
The two of them pointed to Qingyu's side in tacit understanding, and Qingyu looked at everyone in confusion with her round, innocent eyes.
Then the two of them turned their fingers and pointed at Wen Ya, Hongtao said: "Ask my grandma, we also go by water, and we don't have money to take a boat, but my grandma must have a way."
So a group of people surrounded Wen Ya as if they were grasping at straws.
As the elder of the mountain pavilion, Wen Ya likes to arrange for his disciples to do hard work, so with a wave of his hand, the sixty-seven people were divided into groups of ten. Each group gathered five machetes, and then led everyone into the forest.
, before leaving, he did not forget to tell Zhufeng: "Hurry up and cook, it will be delicious when we come back."
Looking at the sympathetic or pitiful looks from passers-by, Zhufeng explained dryly: "I am a medical practitioner, so menial work is naturally not my turn." Then he went to collect firewood by himself.
Zhao Qian also went with him, and only Tong and his three children were left in the camp, as well as the three Qingyu brothers and sisters.
Mrs. Tong shook out a piece of children's clothing she had just finished sewing. The clothing was simple in style, and it was for children to wear, so it was easy to sew, so she sewed it in just one afternoon.
She compared the clothes on Qingyu's body and said with a smile: "The length should be suitable. Come on, try it on and see if it doesn't fit. I will change it."
Qingyu thanked her sweetly and put the new clothes on her body. They were not too long, not too short, not too big, not too small. They were just right, and the clothes were brand new. Although they were still made of coarse linen, they were dirty and worn out compared to her own clothes.
Yes, this is already very good. She couldn't put it down and crossed her arms, "Very good, it fits very well."
There was still the smell of new cloth on the clothes. Qingyu took a deep breath and felt particularly comfortable.
Tong smiled and nodded, then looked at Hongtao and Shi'an. She wanted to finish sewing the clothes of the three children of the Bai family and then make them for her own children.
Shi'an and Hongtao came over carrying a large bag of copper coins. Both of them had smiles on their faces. The copper coins were very heavy and Hongtao could hardly lift them. It was Shi'an who stepped forward to lend a hand and they worked together to lift the two coins.
Bring the money over.
Hongtao opened two cloth bags, her face flushed with excitement, "I have been here in this world for so long and I have never seen so much money. How much does it cost?" She happily lay down on the copper coins, which were cool and brought with them.
It smells like copper, like money.
Shi'an smiled and shook his head: "We have counted one hundred and fifteen people in total. Excluding the first ten who have not been paid, there are three more who are paid thirty copper coins, and the others are twenty copper coins each. There are a total of two thousand and one here."
One hundred and thirty copper coins, totaling twenty taels and one penny and thirty copper coins."
Hongtao glared at him with a sullen mouth and a dark face, "Can't you just let me count by myself? It's so fun to count. You're simply depriving me of the happiness of counting money."
After a pause, he said angrily: "No, I still have to count it, just in case there is something missing." Then he sat down and counted the money by himself.
Mrs. Tong looked at Qingyu and the others with envy, "You are really capable."
Qingyu pursed her lips and smiled. Although her face did not move, her ears were listening carefully to the counting of hearts. The more she listened, the bigger the smile on her face became.
Counting money is really fun.
Mrs. Tong called Shi'an over, measured the length of his clothes, and then started making clothes again.
Zhufeng came back with a pile of firewood, and Shi'an helped them make a fire and cook together. Qingyu saw that it was getting late, so he sneaked into the forest, found a place where no one was around, and changed into new clothes outside.
Wear, change old clothes and wear them outside.
...
Wen Ya took the people out for more than half an hour, and finally came back carrying thick pieces of wood. There were more than 60 people, carrying more than 30 pieces of wood. Everyone was so tired, but Wen Ya was like a general.
They didn't dare to say anything even when given an order.
At that time, Zhufeng and Tongshi had already cooked a meal, which was still made from tree bark powder. Although it was not very tasty, it was enough to satisfy the hunger, and the elm bark also contained nutrients, so everyone gained strength after eating.
recover.
After eating, other people not far away gathered around and didn't know what to discuss. Finally, a group of men pushed out a tall, strong man. The strong man hesitated for a while, but finally came to Wen Ya's family with everyone's confusion.
"Sister, can I ask, if we cut so much wood, do we need to build a boat ourselves?"
Wen Ya glanced at him lightly: "Can you make it?"
The strong man waved his hands in embarrassment: "How can I do that? I'm just a blacksmith, not a shipbuilder."
"Then why are you asking?" Wen Ya was not angry, but she still stood up on her knees, shouted "Work", and then walked towards the wood with a kitchen knife.
The others were a little stunned and looked at the strong man. The strong man also spread his hands and shrugged and shook his head to express that he didn't know. But the "general" had already spoken. Everyone still remembered the power of the arrow during the day, so they all picked up the sword honestly.
Followed Wen Ya.
Thirty pieces of wood were cut into short pieces about ten feet long, and finally more than seventy short pieces of wood were obtained. It was already the middle of the moon, so Wen Ya asked everyone to rest first, saying that they would continue tomorrow morning.
Early the next morning, before dawn, Wen Ya called everyone up and ordered three groups to continue chopping wood. The remaining three groups followed her to find vines. Only then did everyone realize that they were not building a boat, but a raft.
.
This river is not fast, and the river is only five or six feet wide. This kind of river can be used on rafts, but this river is connected to Chengyang County. Although it is not wide, it is long. Even if it is a boat, it will take seven or eight feet.
So everyone didn’t think about the raft at first because they really didn’t expect that a few pieces of wood and a few vines could carry them to the next county?
But in fact, when Wen Ya tied nine short logs horizontally, vertically and horizontally, and wrapped the gaps with vines to form a mat, and finally pushed the raft into the river, and saw that the raft was lying firmly on the water, everyone finally
Believed.
"The raft is very simple. As long as there is wood and it is tied securely, it can carry people. You can do it according to your own abilities. If you have the energy, you can cut more wood to make it stronger. This way, you don't have to rebuild it because it falls apart midway.
Do it." Wen Ya kindly reminded everyone.
Fall apart... As soon as everyone heard this, their expressions suddenly turned bad, and they all rushed into the forest with their knives raised.
Mrs. Tong saw that Zhao Qian was laboriously tying the wood and carried a bowl of water over, "Drink some water and rest for a while." Then she said worriedly: "Can this raft really carry us to Chengyang County?
"
What was she worried about? Zhao Qian knew in his heart that no one was accustomed to water, and the raft looked very weak. If it accidentally fell, especially the children, it would really be a dead end.
However, Zhao Qian looked at Qingyu and the others, then nodded affirmatively and said: "Didn't those children count? These people left behind are all of the water type. They can be born by water, and so can we. Don't worry, they can definitely be born."
arrived safely."
Mrs. Tong believed in her husband. After her husband drank the water, she sat back down with the bowl and continued to sew clothes. In another hour, Shi'an would be finished.
In the afternoon, people started setting off on rafts one after another. For a while, rafts were everywhere on the river. Once there were more people, everyone became less afraid. People who were familiar with each other even walked side by side, chatting and laughing.
Went away on the raft.
Of course, there are many people who don't know how to hold it, but after trying it a few times, they gradually understand some of the essentials, so they row away with a lot of stumbling.
Qingyu's family and Zhao Qian's family were also preparing to set off after completing three rafts. The two families were traveling together, so they simply tied the three rafts together, which not only increased buoyancy, but also allowed each other to use each other's strength for paddling. In the end, the two families were a family of ten.
, carried their respective luggage, got on the raft and set off.
There are many rafts floating on the long river. Everyone is not far apart, and each other has become a spiritual sustenance.