In the second month, Chun Niang went to the dock early to check. Until noon, she still didn't see Xiao Chengjun's ship.
By this time, she had already realized that the young master of the Xiao family had really left his mother and daughter here.
Chun Niang was angry, but for the sake of enlightenment, she had to find a way to get home.
Ying Bao was not in a hurry and went to the market leisurely with Chen Zhao, eating, drinking and shopping along the way.
Not only did she buy a small charcoal stove and a basket of charcoal, she also bought a lot of local vegetables. At a market, she met a man carrying a load selling mandarin oranges, so she picked out the ripe ones with yellow skin and bought a large bamboo basket.
Satsuma mandarin is worthy of being called a satsuma mandarin, it is sweet and sour and has a fragrant fragrance.
She collected all the tangerine peels she had peeled from the east, secretly put them in the cave to dry, and prepared to go back to steam the tangerine peels.
Chun Niang was anxious and wanted to go to the county town to hire a carriage to return to her hometown, but Ying Bao stopped her.
"Don't worry, Mom. Is there a boat dock here? There are many merchant ships coming and going. We just need to take a boat to Qinchuan County. At the worst, we can pay them for the ship." Ying Baoru said.
Chun Niang sighed and nodded in agreement, but she would go to the dock every month to beg the large merchant ships to come closer and ask if they would pass by Qinchuan County.
I stayed there for several days without encountering a single merchant ship passing through Qinchuan County, but I saw an acquaintance.
The thin scholar Li Xu came to the pier carrying a bookshelf on his back. When he saw Chun Niang walking to the east of a big tree, he couldn't help being stunned and even came over to greet her.
"Xiaosheng has met Aunt Jiang, why are you here alone?"
Chun Niang returned the gift and said with a wry smile: "To be honest, the ship that originally carried them has sailed away. He is here to find a merchant ship going to Qinchuan County to take us back."
Li Xu frowned: "Aunt Jiang, there are very few long-distance large merchant ships berthed at the wharf here. You might as well go with Xiao Sheng and take the boat from his house."
Chun Niang was shocked: "There are very few large merchant ships anchored here?"
Li Xu nodded: "This is a small wharf. It's good if there are two or three long-distance merchant ships docking a month away. Most of the ships with short distances carry passengers here. Xiaosheng's hometown is close to Mingjiang River, so is there any
Many large merchant ships passing by may encounter those heading directly to Qinchuan County."
Chun Niang frowned and thought for a while, then said, "He went back to discuss something with his daughter."
For the first time in her life, she was alone outside. She was blinded by the things around her and had no idea what to do. Now she could seek advice from her daughter.
Li Xu nodded: "Xiaosheng is waiting for Aunt Jiang here."
Chun Niang responded and hurried to the inn to find her daughter.
Ying Bao and Chen Zhao also just came back from the market. Seeing Chun Niang's anxious face, they went to ask: "Aniang, what's wrong?"
Chun Niang told the story of her encounter with Li Xu.
"Li Xiucai said that there are very few long-distance large ships docking here. He asked us to follow him to his house, and then we can transfer to another ship."
Yingbao thought for a moment and nodded in agreement: "Then let's go with him."
Is it definitely safest for a group of us to follow Li Xiucai, a man with a great reputation?
Chen Zhao quickly packed his things when he heard this: "Then let's leave quickly."
She was tired of staying there and wanted to change places.
So, Chun Niang and Chen Zhao each carried a backpack filled with groceries they purchased one after another.
When he arrived at the pier, he saw that Li Xiucai had already found a fishing boat and was negotiating the price with the fishermen.
"To go to Chashu Township in Anyang County, there are too many boats. The boat Xiaosheng hired last time was just a boat."
"We are more than a hundred miles away from the tea tree town, and the waterway is more than a hundred miles away. How can there be more?" The boatman said unconvinced: "Go and ask elsewhere. Is there any price that is more fair than mine?"
Li Xu thought for a moment and turned around to ask other fishing boats.
When the boatman saw that the business was about to run away, he became anxious and jumped to the shore. He grabbed Li Xu's back and said, "Hey, hey, don't go. I haven't finished what I said. Let's do that. At least Li Xu can't leave."
, can’t be less.”
Li Xu was troubled and nodded: "That's good, but Xiaosheng has three companions, so I have to wait a moment."
"What? There are many people?" The boatman felt that he was at a disadvantage, but he was afraid that the scholar would go to other boats to inquire, so he agreed: "Okay, okay, I'll make it clear first, just wait for an hour."
As soon as he finished speaking, a girl's voice was heard: "Li Langjun, we are here!"
Li Xu was very happy to see Ying Bao and bowed to her respectfully: "Little doctor."
Yingbao also returned the greeting: "Thank you, Mr. Li."
"Wherever, let's go on the boat."
Li Xu got on the boat first, put the frame on his back to the east, and went to help Ying Bao and the others.
After everyone was on board, the fishing boat poled away from the dock and headed eastward along the river.
Yingbao walked on the fishing boat and kept observing Li Xu. Seeing that he was not very weak and coughing from time to time, she asked: "Li Langjun, am I feeling better?"
Li Xu said softly: "It's much better, thanks to the doctor's medicine."
"Since it's much better, why don't I go and take the exam?"
If the provincial examination is held every three years next year, I ask Li Xu to rush to the state capital. He should be able to make it in time for the examination in August.
Li Xu shook his head: "The young doctor doesn't know something. He has been ill for several months. Not only has his body been exhausted, but he has also been unable to do anything at all, so he thought about doing it again in a few years."
In fact, there was a very good reason for asking again. His travel expenses to the state capital were gone.
The reason why Ming'er had the money to hire a boat to go home was because he sold two pills given by the young man and got four coins.
When he did that, he was quite ashamed. After all, the pills were given to him by a young man, but he doubled them and sold them to outsiders to earn money.
But if I don’t sell it, I won’t have the money to return to my hometown, so...
Li Xu glanced at Ying Bao guiltily, covered his mouth and coughed a few times.
"Oh." Ying Bao nodded, seeming to blush.
The fishing boat went with the wind, hung its sail again, and traveled very fast.
More than a hundred miles of waterway can be covered in just one day.
Li Xu took Ying Bao and others to the shore, and it was getting late.
So they went to find a nearby inn to stay.
A night of silence.
He checked out of the house before dawn in the early morning, and Li Xu hired an ox cart to take the three of them back to his hometown.
He asked to go home and see his old mother first, and then personally take them to the big dock on the other side of Mingjiang River.
When he was ill in Anping County, he also sent a letter back to his hometown, but no one came to pick him up, and I don't know if it was because something happened at home.
After a few hours, the ox cart finally arrived at a small village in Tea Tree Township.
As soon as he entered the village, someone recognized Li Xu and shouted loudly: "Hey! Isn't that the scholar of our village? Have you gone to Fucheng to take the exam? Have you won the imperial examination?"
Li Xu arched his legs towards the man: "Fourth uncle, he didn't go to Fucheng."
"Didn't I go to Fucheng? Where have I been for such a long time?"
The middle-aged man who was called Fourth Uncle glanced at the bullock cart and said in a fuss: "Oh my god, how can I bring a wife back? Are you getting married outside?"
Yingbao said coldly to the man: "Have they passed by the doctor here? Please don't talk nonsense."
Chun Niang's face turned dark, and she even picked up the bamboo hat and put it on.
