gnovel Chapter 149 Yingqiu Garden
Chapter 149 Yingqiu Garden
In Yingqiu Garden, the high pavilion has already been built.
The pavilion, named "Zhaixing" (meaning "Picking Stars"), is built on the southeast corner. The terrain is already high, and with the addition of three layers of flying eaves, it appears even more soaring into the sky.
Shen Shi, holding onto the vermilion railing, climbed the steps one by one. The hem of her skirt brushed against the wooden steps, making a very faint rustling sound. The maid who had followed her offered to help her, but she simply shook her head.
When you reach the highest point, the wind picks up.
The wind of October 24th, coming from the northwest, was already a bit biting, causing a stray strand of hair to stick to her face. She raised her hand to brush it away and looked towards the east.
The once bustling courtyard has recently been filled with a lot of people, making a ruckus with laughter, shouting, and cursing. Some have even set up stoves in the courtyard, cooking all sorts of food day and night.
Three days later, it seemed the time had come for the party to end.
One by one, people left the courtyard, gathered on the dirt road outside the gate, and then surrounded the young man in the blue robe in the middle, walking away into the distance.
That's the great river.
The morning sun was weak, and when it shone on the river, it created a white expanse, making it impossible to distinguish between the shimmering waves and the mist.
There were boats on the river. Four typical cargo boats, their bellies bulging, were swallowing and spitting out boxes and barrels of goods and even weapons.
They no longer bothered to hide it from others, openly displaying everything to her.
Shen suddenly became somewhat unhappy.
Some people disobeyed and continued to steal. Of course, this wasn't the main reason, because she had foreseen it long ago.
The bigger reason is that after someone came back and showed up, he was going to go and "do big things" with his bunch of cronies again.
This is a road of no return; there's no turning back. Perhaps one day, he'll never return to that little courtyard, vanishing without a trace. All that time she gave him so many opportunities to do business, all that effort she put into nurturing him, and in the end, he didn't even say goodbye.
Footsteps sounded on the stairs.
Shen did not turn around.
A moment later, the shopkeeper, Mo Bei, appeared on the third floor, panting heavily.
"Madam," Manager Mo said, catching his breath as he stepped forward and bowed.
"What is it?" Madam Shen asked.
"The goods for the winter month are almost ready, but I don't know when they will be shipped," Manager Mo asked.
What do you think?
"Shao She has been to Jiangxi twice already. He knows many people there, is daring and resilient, and has a good reputation. With his men transporting goods, there should be few fools trying to rob us along the way, but he charges high rates for water transport." Mo Yong said in a fair tone, "If it were someone else, the water transport rate could be lower, but there might be danger when passing through places like Wuhu, Yuxikou, and Leichi. Nowadays, more and more people from Huai are fleeing south, and I am really worried."
Shen remained noncommittal, then inquired about another matter: "Two months ago, didn't Shao Shuyi come to buy a batch of red cloth?"
"It seems so, but not much," Mo Bei said.
"What does he need the red cloth for?"
"But they didn't know."
Madam Shen hummed in agreement, turned around, looked at the small bundle Mo Bei was carrying, and asked, "What's that?"
Mo Bei forced a smile, untied the bundle, took out a box from it, and handed it over, saying, "Yesterday, Shao She came to me and said that he had a string of amber beads, which were very exquisite, and he wished to present them to thank Madam for her kindness."
Shen gestured.
The maid stepped forward, took the box, and opened it.
Madam Shen glanced at it and asked, "Why didn't he come to deliver it himself?"
Mo Bei stood there, feeling somewhat embarrassed and even finding it difficult to speak. Even with his good temper, he couldn't help but curse inwardly, "What are you two up to? Can't you just say things to each other's faces? Why do you have to make me relay these things? It's so hard for me to say them."
However, Madam Shen continued to look at him, and Mo Bei had no choice but to reply, "Shao She said he dared not see Madam."
"Oh? Isn't he supposed to be a very capable fighter?" Madam Shen said. "Neither the river bandits nor the government troops can do anything about him. And he's done such big things, so why doesn't he dare to see me? If we're really going to talk about it, it should be me who doesn't dare to see him."
Mo Bei was silent for a moment, then said, "Shao She said he was afraid that the lady would be disappointed."
Shen turned around again and looked at the place where the water and sky met in the distance.
After a long silence, her voice rang out again: "Let him transport that batch of goods in the winter month, both the return and return trips."
"Okay." Mo Bei breathed a sigh of relief.
These twenty-four gold and silver coins are really hard to come by; who knows what tricks they're up to?
"How's the dried seafood I bought last time?" Madam Shen asked again.
"Reporting to Madam, a total of twelve thousand catties were distributed, and more than three thousand have already been sold. With the winter and twelfth months approaching, they should be able to sell them all soon," Mo Bei said.
"Don't send Shao Shuyi to Tongzhou next time," Madam Shen instructed. "Find someone else."
"Yes," Mo Bei replied.
The people in the small courtyard by the river had all left, leaving only a few women and children sweeping the yard.
Madam Shen withdrew her gaze and said, "If the Nie father and son have time, let them take a stroll around that courtyard. No need to make a fuss, just let them go along the way." After saying that, she slowly descended from the Zhaixing Pavilion and returned to her study in the Chunling Garden, where she began to look at the account books that seemed to never end.
The two large ships are still moored near the old locust tree.
The Taijia and Taiyi canal boats, as well as the Kunjia and Kunyi Yellow River cargo boats, successively anchored, fully loaded with personnel, equipment, and one hundred shi of newly purchased grain, and slowly headed west, upstream.
After sailing for a day, a southeast wind suddenly rose, which greatly boosted the morale of the crew. They all said it was a good omen, so they immediately raised the sails, followed the wind direction, and arrived at Matuosha on the evening of the 25th, where they anchored.
On the night of the 26th, after a day of rest, more than 20 people boarded two boats and, under the cover of darkness, rowed to the opposite bank of the river.
The waves on the river were a bit large, causing the boats to rock and sway.
However, everyone was already used to it; this little bit of wind and waves was nothing compared to the sea.
Bian Yuanheng sat at the bow of the Taiyi boat, silently wiping a ring-shaped knife.
His feelings were somewhat complicated.
In the past, he preferred to work alone and handle everything by himself. But this time, surrounded by more than twenty passionate men, he felt a different, indescribable feeling: doing great things with everyone seemed more exhilarating.
I don't know how much time passed, but the Taijia ship that was at the front had already docked.
In the darkness, a bonfire was lit on the opposite bank of the river, flickering in the wind.
As if signaling a signal, the rowing sounds on the Taiyi boat suddenly intensified, and the stern cut through the waves, rapidly approaching the riverbank. A moment later, the boat trembled slightly.
"Splash!" Two sailors jumped into waist-deep water and struggled to propel the boat.
With a "whoosh," the boat pushed aside the withered reeds and moved forward for a while before coming to a stop.
"Disembark!" Shao Shuyi stepped out of the cabin and solemnly ordered.
The group responded softly, and without hesitation, they took their equipment and leaped into the water. They waded through the muddy water, one step at a time, making their way to the shore. Bian Yuanheng pursed his lips, enduring the icy chill of the autumn night river. He didn't know how long it took before he finally stepped onto solid ground. At that moment, he couldn't help but look back at the great river.
The river was silent, save for the sound of waves crashing against the banks.
Looking around, it was desolate and there wasn't a soul in sight.
Clearly, this wasn't a ferry crossing, but rather a wild riverbank. Shao She's organization of men landing here was obviously an attempt to conceal their activities from everyone.
Another bonfire was lit.
People had already gathered around, taking off their soaked shoes, boots, and trousers, and started drying them over the fire.
"Go over and warm yourself by the fire." Shao Shuyi walked over and said in a low voice, "Don't take your youth and good health for granted. You'll realize the harm when you get older."
Bian Yuanheng nodded subconsciously, then couldn't help but look at Shao Shuyi's back.
Shao She was only sixteen years old, yet he spoke with such an air of maturity, which was quite surprising.
However, the thought only flashed through his mind for a moment, and Bian Yuanheng quickly approached the fire and began to warm himself by it.
The wine jug was passed around among the people, and everyone who got it took a big sip to ward off the chill.
There were already lookouts in the distance. Although it seemed unnecessary, the order was still strictly enforced, indicating that this team was not a rabble but a highly disciplined group.
No wonder, the people from the Yuxi Patrol Inspectorate died without cause.
The group rested in a sheltered spot for a full hour, and as the moon began to move westward, they all got up.
First, they extinguished the campfire, then tidied up their clothes and equipment, and then formed a long line, carrying torches, and quickly moved forward along the country road.
Half an hour later, they stopped in front of a thatched hut.
The owner of the thatched hut came out with an oil lamp to take a look, and then led everyone to the riverbank, where they boarded three small black-awning boats one by one.
Bamboo poles were used to push the boats into the riverbed, and the awning boats swayed slowly as they sailed through the pitch-black waterway.
Bian Yuanheng was dizzy and disoriented, having no idea where he was. He stared wide-eyed at the darkness all around him. Occasionally, a few lights would flash by, but they would quickly disappear into the even deeper darkness.
The only thing known was that the boat had been sailing on the waterway, making several turns and passing under two stone arch bridges. This must be the characteristic of the water towns of Jiangnan, crisscrossed by canals, Bian Yuanheng thought to himself. It was somewhat similar to Huaidong, but to a greater extent. "Cock-a-doodle-doo..." A long, thin rooster crowed faintly in the wind.
Bian Yuanheng came to his senses.
The small boat with its black awning turned the last bend and sailed along a not-so-wide river.
Although he couldn't see clearly, Bian Yuanheng could sense that the number of houses on both sides of the river had increased significantly, and one or two pavilions had appeared.
It was obvious that they had entered the city.
Half an hour later, the small boat with its black awning came to rest beside a set of stone steps.
The wind was strong, making the flags flutter loudly.
By the dim light of the nearby lamp, Bian Yuanheng carefully examined the characters on the flag, which appeared to be the character for "grain".
They had arrived at a grain shop.