Chapter 218 Going to Yangzhou

In March, spring comes and everything looks new.

The grass is growing, the warblers are flying, and the birds are singing.

Compared to the quiet winter, the late spring at this time is already a bit warmer and obviously more lively.

Go all the way and remove the mud from yesterday's rain.

Travelers coming and going were either carrying loads on their shoulders, or riding oxen or horses, pushing carts, and hurrying on their way.

From south to north, from west to east, everyone is busy with their own affairs.

Days like these are the best time to go to the market and do some work. No matter whether it is a good job or a bad one, for people these days, as long as they can earn enough money to feed themselves, this job is the best thing to do.

So the farmer would tie his braid around his neck, wear a thin jacket and drive his pigs and sheep on the road. The porter would push a wheelbarrow with the woman sitting on it. The old woman would lead the naughty children with grass roots stuck on their heads, wearing a patched jacket and pull them to the distant market.

The wheels rolled over the road, leaving black marks. The feet stepped into the mud and merged with countless footprints.

When a carriage passed by, several women on foot stood on a grass stool nearby to avoid it.

Looking at the neat carriage, everyone showed a bit of envy in their eyes.

The wheels made a creaking sound as they moved along the muddy road.

Li Daoxuan sat in the bumpy carriage, listening to the sounds outside.

This official road to Yangzhou is quite busy, with merchants coming and going. After all, in this Yangtze River area, it would be a lie to say that it is not busy.

There are big towns in the south and north. Not to mention Jinling, which is on the river bank, Zhenjiang Prefecture is a bustling place. Further ahead, there are Yangzhou, Jiangdu, and Yizheng near the river. To the east, there is Danyang, and along the river, there are Wujin and Jiangyin. Not to mention Suzhou Prefecture, which is further away.

People from all over the world come here to visit, and it truly deserves to be called a first-class place in the Qing Dynasty.

Shanghai in particular is now connected with the domestic and overseas markets and has business dealings with people from both the East and the West. Its prosperous development and flourishing commerce are poised to surpass the three major ports along the Yangtze River and become the Qing Dynasty's first-class trading port.

It was because of this blessing that Li Daoxuan saw Western ships while sailing along the river.

There were several chimneys on the white hull, from which billowing white steam constantly emerged as the ship went upstream along the Yangtze River.

On the boat, white-skinned foreigners in leather clothes were laughing and having fun. Women wearing gauze hats and men in suits stood by the boat pointing everywhere. Their laughter was a bit harsh.

He looked towards the riverside again and saw a line of dark and thin trackers pulling a large sailing ship upstream along the river, shouting incessantly. The movement was orderly indeed, but under the sound of the Western steamboat, it seemed a bit humorous.

"Young master, let's get ready to cross the river." The old man driving the carriage said, and Li Daoxuan responded casually. He pulled down the curtain and stopped looking at the scenery outside. After all, although the scenery was bright in the spring breeze, it seemed a bit lonely in his eyes.

When the car arrived at the dock, we saw masts standing like a forest.

The sounds of the boatman shouting, the travelers talking, and the children crying blend together into the secular world.

There were soldiers guarding the pier. As soon as the old driver stopped the car, two Qing soldiers came over. The old man smiled and bowed to the Qing soldiers and said flatteringly: "My two lords, our young master is sitting in the car. He is rushing to Yangzhou, so he wants to cross the river. My two lords, please look..."

"What young master? Everyone crossing the river must be checked!" The Qing soldiers naturally didn't buy my tricks and shouted to come over to search.

The old driver had been driving back and forth all year round. In this era where it was easy to find excuses to accuse someone of a crime, he knew what the officers and soldiers meant, and he quickly took something out of his sleeve and stuffed it into the Qing soldier's hand.

Li Daoxuan was traveling in a carriage, unlike the barefoot pedestrians who looked like they had no money to be exploited at first glance. Rather than going through a lot of trouble and eventually having to spend money to avoid disaster, it would be better for him to be sensible and ask for a courtesy early in the morning.

The rough-faced Qing soldier touched the thing in his hand, and his originally fierce face softened a lot. His originally serious face was replaced with a smile. He looked at the old man and said, "I see that you are an honest man, and you also know the rules. Recently, bandits are rampant, and the higher-ups have ordered us to guard the mouths of the two rivers and not let the bandits escape."

"Yes, yes. We know that the soldier works hard." The old driver smiled, shook his sleeves and handed over something.

The Qing soldier laughed even more happily, and his tone was quite cordial. He just lifted the curtain and took a look, and saw a young man sitting inside, and didn't look at him any more.

He moved the fence to let the old driver pass, and said, "Be careful when you are on the boat, don't let the young master fall into the water."

"Hahaha."

The Qing soldiers laughed. The old driver wiped the sweat from his forehead, took a long breath, and then smiled at Li Daoxuan in the car: "Master, should we take a big boat or a small boat?"

"A big ship." Li Daoxuan answered without thinking.

He was not surprised at all about the Qing soldiers checking the inside of the car. He had just been sitting in the car and listening, and he also knew some of the rules of this world.

When I went to Dingjiao Town, I was checked by the police. Crossing the river is even more difficult than passing through the road, so it is naturally no exception.

At that time, there were no cross-river bridges, and travel between the two banks depended entirely on ferry boats. Therefore, transportation in the two rivers was well developed, and there were many boatmen who made a living by sailing.

A large ship was chosen and the old driver bought a ticket for Li Daoxuan. He was supposed to go with Li Daoxuan, but was refused. He had no choice but to send him to the riverside.

"Uncle Niu, please go back soon. I can take care of myself." Li Daoxuan, carrying a book basket, waved to the old man standing on the shore.

The old coachman wiped his tears and could only say, "Young master, have a safe journey," then turned around and left, driving the carriage back.

The boat rowed towards the opposite bank amid the shouts of the boatman. Several boatmen walked on both sides of the boat, holding the poles so that they could better control the direction of the boat.

This large ferry across the river is not like a small boat. The seats are divided into different grades. The best seats are several small rooms divided by partitions, and there is a wooden board on each side of the small room for people to sit or lie down.

Li Daoxuan found his own little room, put his things down, and sat down by the window. He didn't know if he could adapt to the bumps and sways of the boat crossing the river, but if he tilted his head to let the river breeze brush his face, it shouldn't be too uncomfortable.

The ship was going to sail all the way to Yangzhou, crossing the Yangtze River upstream, and it all relied on manpower, so the time spent on the ship would be longer.

This is especially true in late spring, when the river water rises sharply and the current is turbulent. If you set out late, you may have to spend the entire night on the boat.

Li Daoxuan took Gong Youwei out of the book basket. She was still drowsy at the moment. Stroking the little rabbit's fur, he looked at the river view outside the window.

Far away from the shore, the river was surging on both sides.

There are fishing boats on the river casting nets to catch fish, and there are birds flying around.

The boatmen sang songs, melodiously and loudly.

This was the scene of an era, and it was also a world that Li Daoxuan had never seen before.

The future is like a dream, the past is like smoke.

Whenever he recalls things from his past life, he always feels dazed.

Perhaps the longer he stays in this era, the harder it will be for him to find the old taste.

Just as I was daydreaming, there was a knock on the door.

Li Daoxuan opened the door puzzledly, and saw a woman dressed rather brightly looking at him with a smile.

She was dressed neatly and had some powder on her face, but her teeth were reddish and yellow, and she had a strong scent of incense.

Although it is not very good-looking, it is not ugly either.

Just as I was curious about what she was going to do, the woman bowed, put her fingers together and smiled, "Sir, do you need my service?"

"Serve?" Li Daoxuan was puzzled at first, then he widened his eyes as if he had thought of something. He swallowed and looked at the woman, and said quickly, "I don't need it, thank you."

Then he closed the door, his heart pounding.

Of course he knew what the woman was talking about, it was nothing more than prostitution. But he didn't understand it at first, and when he came to his senses, he remembered that there would be these boat girls on such a big ship.

They had nothing and could only make peace with the boatmen, earn some money by selling their bodies, and then share some of it with the boatmen. The boatmen would let them stay on the boat until the day when they could no longer be sold, and then they would be driven off the boat and find another way out.

Li Daoxuan didn't expect that he would encounter such a thing on his first boat ride. It seemed that the boat girl had been eyeing him for a long time, otherwise she wouldn't have come to him so quickly.

(End of this chapter)