There was only one steerage cabin on the small passenger ship they were on, and it had left Port Batu in the early morning. Along the way, the farmers, fishermen, and vegetable farmers of the towns and villages carried a load, some carried a basket, and some pushed a single-wheeled cart onto the boat to send their agricultural and sideline products to the county town for money.
Then, he would buy the oil, soap, and other daily necessities that he needed and take the boat back home. When they boarded the ship, the cabin was already filled with people, and the smell of smoke was everywhere.
They passed through the gaps filled with all kinds of burdens, wicker baskets, baskets, dung buckets, and wheelbarrows, and found three empty seats on the starboard side of the ship. A few farmers around them saw a group of well-dressed city people and humbly offered their seats.
The arrival of their group attracted countless gazes. Especially Tian Meixiu's attire and the two girls 'goddess-like appearance caused many people to whisper to each other.
As soon as they sat down, an acquaintance took the initiative to nod and bow to Mr. Chen."Congratulations, Boss Chen. Are you going home for the New Year today?”
"Long time no see, Master Liu. When did you arrive in the county?" Mr. Chen asked hurriedly.”
"I took this boat here early in the morning." This Master Liu had a small figure, a hooked nose, shifty eyes, and a few mustaches. He was over fifty years old. As he answered, his eyes kept sizing up these young people and asked,"Are these young masters and young ladies your relatives?”
Mr. Chen smiled." I don't have such a good life. I don't have so many rich relatives. This is my boss 'younger brother."”He pointed at Li Shaohua and said,""These four are his classmates. They specially came from Shanghai to this island to watch the sunrise and the migrating birds. I introduced them to Chaoyang, so they followed me.”
Mr. Chen used to run a Southern goods store in Chaoyang Town a few years ago, but it closed down later, so people familiar with him were used to calling him Boss Chen.
"Going to your place to watch the sunrise and the migrating birds isn't the best place to go.”
He turned to the young men and said,"If you want to see the sunrise, you'd better take a five-masted boat to the coast and watch the sea open up to the sky. A little light slowly brightens up, shooting to the left and right and in front of the boat. The light gradually spreads into the sky. The white light slowly turns orange and then orange."
Suddenly, half a red sun appeared on the surface of the sea. It rose into the sky with golden light and red clouds. The red sun rose and fell in the turbulent waves, burning the sea red. The red sun was finally thrown up by the big waves. It jumped out of the sea after three jumps, and a string of water droplets dripped from its body.”
Shi Guangyao listened to him and said,""Of course it would be best if we could go out to sea by boat, but where would we get a five-masted boat now?”
"As long as you're willing to pay, I can find a boat for you."”
Yao Shunru saw Mr. Chen's gaze and quickly said,"Thank you, we won't trouble you. We're just looking around. It's not in season to watch the sunrise on such a cold day. It'll be even colder if we go out to sea.”
While they were talking, the ship had already set sail. The turbid waves on the magnificent water surged, and sand boats with three masts and five masts floated to the back of the ship. It felt that the speed of the ship was still very fast.
Occasionally, huge ships and passenger ships would pass by the sea, causing huge waves to shake the small ship. The waves created by the small wheel also hit the passing sand boats. After all, it was midwinter and the end of the year was approaching. There were very few fishing boats out to sea, so there was no sight of Seven Rivers Returning Sails along the way.
The first stop of the ship was the pier of Xinhe Town. The ship honked its horn from afar to inform the passengers to get ready in advance. As Xinhe Town was close to the county town, there were not many guests getting on and off the boat. The guests got on and off the boat within a few minutes.
The ship braved the wind and waves and continued downstream. A blurry black shadow appeared on the right front. Old Chen told everyone that it was Changxing Island. The ship was getting closer and closer to Changxing Island. The houses, ponds, rows of trees, and reeds on the island could be seen. The ship let out another long cry. They were almost at the fort town.
Baozhen was the second largest town on Chongming Island. It was also the commercial center in the southeast, second only to the county town. There were many people who went ashore in Baozhen, and even more people boarded the ship. Basically, they were all in a hurry. They were country bumpkins who had gone home from the market. Soon, the ship's hold was filled.
The ship sped up and continued to sail southeast along Chongming Island. When they arrived at the fifth, sixth, and seventh docks, there were basically only those who went ashore. The cabins were empty. When they arrived at Bajiao, there were only nine people left in the cabin, including Master Liu. However, the ship still made an extra trip and sent them to Xijia Port.
Chaoyang Town was located on the river dock of Xijiagang. It was only 200 years old and was the youngest town in the southeast of Chongming Island. There was a small street in the town that could be seen at a glance. In the cold winter, it seemed even more desolate. Several inns were also half-closed.
They stopped in front of an inn with the sign " Xu Hongfa Inn " and said goodbye to Elder Chen. Even though Mr. Chen said that his house was just ahead and insisted on inviting them to stay at his house, he said,"If you don't stay in my house, how can I face my boss next year?”
"We thank you for your invitation. We appreciate your sincerity and enthusiasm. Li Shaohua can testify for you. There are so many of us, we really don't dare to disturb you. We're living in an inn so we have freedom. You should go home quickly.”Yao Shunru said.
Everyone talked at once to convince Old Chen. Seeing that everyone was stubborn, he said helplessly,"Since that's the case, it might be more comfortable for you to stay in the inn than in my house. I'll treat everyone to a drink tonight.”
"I won't trouble you with that. I'll naturally do my best to be the host.”Li Shaohua smiled.
"Then I'll come and watch the sunrise with you before dawn tomorrow.”Boss Chen said as he led everyone into the inn. A short middle-aged man came out of the house to welcome him. He hurriedly shouted,"Boss Chen, long time no see. Where did you get so much money?”
"Boss Xu, congratulations on making a fortune. This is my master. He brought his classmates here to watch the sunrise. My house is too small, so I'll rest in peace with you tonight.”Mr. Chen walked up the steps and shouted.
"What are you talking about? You've brought so many distinguished guests for me. I'm really grateful.”He let the guest into the fireplace and continued,"You guys have found the right place to watch the sunrise. I'm in the east guest room on the second floor. You can watch the sunrise just by opening the window.”
Everyone was pleasantly surprised. After Mr. Chen settled everyone down, he prepared to carry his luggage home. Seeing that he had a lot of luggage, Boss Xu quickly instructed a shop assistant to send Boss Chen home. Before leaving the door, Mr. Chen said goodbye to everyone and hurriedly said to Boss Xu,"I'll leave these guests to you. Don't be slow.”
They rented two guest rooms on the east side of the second floor. After settling down, they went downstairs and sat around the fire pit to warm themselves. A pregnant woman came out to make tea for the guests. Zhang Ruilian quickly got up and said,"We'll do it ourselves." The tea leaves were very thick and he couldn't name them, but the soup in the cup was very thick and fragrant.
Soon, the waiter who sent Mr. Chen back came back. The boss ordered the door to be closed, and the room seemed to be warm. The boss asked everyone what they wanted to eat. Everyone looked at each other and felt full. Yao Shunru said,"We just ate a lot of food and wine and haven't digested them yet. Do you have noodles? Everyone, just make a bowl of noodles."
After they finished eating the noodles, they roasted them for a while before returning to their rooms to rest.
After a night of silence, Mr. Chen came knocking on the door before dawn the next day. Yao Shunru looked at her pocket watch and sighed at how enthusiastic Mr. Chen was.
When the waiter opened the door, he complained,"Why don't you know whether it's night or day? You're here so early. You've woken me up from my nap."”
"I'm sorry," Mr. Chen apologized profusely,"I brought some food."”He quickly walked up the stairs.
Yao Shunru quickly opened the door and said,"Good morning, Mr. Chen."”He was carrying a large wooden box. Inside the wooden box was a large porcelain jar with blue flowers and a few bowls. There was a big lotus leaf bun at one end and a small bag at the bottom. He was very puzzled.
Shi Guangyao and Li Shaohua also got up. They blinked and said,"You're here so early."
" No," Mr. Chen said with a smile." It's going to be dawn soon. I brought you breakfast."”
Tian Meixiu and Zhang Ruilian, who were in the next room, also got up when they heard the noise. After everyone washed up, they walked into the room and saw that there were already five bowls of steaming sweet wine on the table. Mr. Chen opened the lotus leaf bag and found that it was a bag of freshly fried rice cakes. The other bags were filled with fried fruits, fried potato chips, peanuts, and melon seeds.
Everyone was very grateful to Mr. Chen for his kindness and loyalty. In order to prepare the food, he must have gotten up at two o'clock. Everyone stopped being polite and surrounded the table to enjoy.
Everyone was eating, drinking, and chatting merrily. In the blink of an eye, a line of white appeared in the east. They all stood up and gathered in front of the window to look into the distance. They saw that the land was still immersed in a hazy fog. Slowly, they could see the gray reeds swaying in the north wind.
The sky was starting to brighten, but unfortunately, he couldn't see the sea or the Yangtze River. He could only see the northern wind stirring up the waves of the reeds, and he could see the bunches of flowers on the reeds swaying in the sky. The sun had yet to rise, but the color of the sky was changing subtly, gradually covered in multicolored clouds.
The bright red sun suddenly revealed half of its face above the reeds. The sky was instantly filled with golden light, and the reeds were also dyed red, shaking with golden light waves. A bright red sun finally rose like a fireball. The earth was painted with beautiful makeup. A flock of migrating birds soared into the sky and soared among the golden clouds.
Everyone stared at the rising sun, intoxicated by this charming scenery. Their hearts were filled with indescribable joy and excitement.
As the sun rose higher and higher, the rosy clouds silently retreated, and the earth turned pale yellow. They were still not satisfied. After paying the bill with Boss Xu, they decided to take a walk beside the reed marsh and admire the migrating birds up close.
Mr. Chen sent them out and accompanied them for a while. After everyone repeatedly declined, he stopped and said goodbye.
Before he left, he reminded everyone not to go deep into the reeds. He walked along the main road in front of them, passed through a forest of Metasequoia trees, turned west onto the Xijiagang levee, and walked six miles north into the Chen family town. From Chen family town, they could take a bus to Bao town.
They bid farewell to Mr. Chen and walked along the road. When they passed a wet land on the right, they were unwilling to see a single migrating bird. Shi Guangyao bent down to pick up a stone and threw it into the depths of the reeds, startling a group of migrating birds resting in the reeds.
With a loud boom, hundreds of migrating birds flew into the sky and flew into the distance.
They continued to walk forward. Just as they reached the edge of the Metasequoia forest, they saw four masked men appear in the forest. They held fish forks and podaos in their hands and blocked the way out. They shouted,"The reeds are planted by the heavens. This road is opened by me. If you want to cross this road, leave the money behind!”Everyone was so frightened that they were trembling in fear.
Please give me your comments.
This book comes from：m.funovel.com。