Chapter 130 [Moon Night Walk]
Without waiting for Fang Chang to speak, Zhou Changduo, the boatman, seemed to answer, and said with a sigh:
"This boat was bought by my grandfather when my father was young. The family has been sailing for generations. The last one was dilapidated and difficult to use. My grandfather had to take out his family's money and borrow some from the surroundings before changing it. A new ship."
"At that time, the old boat at home was a black-topped boat according to my father. It was much cheaper to buy a new black-topped boat than a sailboat, and it was easy to handle. But my grandfather overcame all arguments and made a decision. Get some money and get a sailboat."
"In the end, I sold the old boat and gritted my teeth to buy a new sailboat. My family was so poor that I couldn't even afford my father's wedding money. Fortunately, my father was smart and hardworking. He learned how to steer the sail and steer the boat. For two years, I carried passengers to fish, filled the hole to buy a boat, and saved enough money, and that’s how I came to be.”
Fang Chang raised his bowl to respect, and after the two parties had a drink together, he said: "It's not easy, sailing is very tiring."
"Just get used to it," Zhou Changduo said, "It's also an off-season recently. When you hired a boat, I was packing the net and getting ready to go fishing."
"Do you still fish in winter?" Fang Chang asked curiously.
Zhou Changduo nodded: "Yes, otherwise there would be nothing to eat. Besides, we have no other livelihood in this business, no fields, no shops, only this boat and two hands. If we don't have a boat, we don't have any other income, but Sit and eat the mountains and empty space."
"Fortunately, on the Xujiang River, although the weather is cold in winter, it is not frozen, but the water is too cold to go into the water, which does not affect the carrying of passengers and fishing. It is a pity that this trip is too urgent, and there is no preparation on board. Some strong wine, otherwise it would be nice to entertain you with some."
"Winter boats usually pack some. If you accidentally soak in water while fishing, you need to drink something to warm your body and prevent you from getting sick. It's just that there is nothing to sell in the city. You need to go three miles upstream. There is a small ferry there. A short trestle bridge, there is a restaurant set up a shed next to it, selling sorghum spirits, and you can only buy a bottle there for storage..."
The two had a few mouthfuls of food, and Fang Chang continued to ask: "How is the boatman's harvest recently?"
"It's not very good." Zhou Changduo said with a wry smile: "In our business, it's not just hard work, it's a trivial matter, just get used to it, and it's easy to endure. The wind and rain like today usually won't affect We work, and we work as usual in the wind and rain, which is okay."
"The most terrible thing is that the harvest is not qualitative."
"Carrying passengers is the best job, the route is clear and safe, the price is fair, and it is very profitable. However, there are not many passengers who need to take a boat. In order not to starve to death, we usually only focus on fishing," Zhou Changduo Pointing to the floor, "The inside is the bilge, which is usually used to store fish."
"It's just that the price of fish varies greatly depending on the type. If you are lucky one day, you can catch a few more bass that rich people like, and you can spend many days easily. Fishing, you still have to catch those species that rich people like, And if you can sell it, you can have enough food.”
"There are great risks here. I can't work without interruption. It will always make people hungry and tired. But when I get home and see my wife and children smiling, everything is worth it."
Fang Chang listened quietly, without saying a word, he just silently picked up the wine gourd and put the helm on the opposite Zhou Chang.
He thought of a poem in his previous life, "People come and go on the river, but they love the beauty of perch. Look at a boat with a leaf, haunting the storm." This short text vividly describes the reality described by the person in front of him.
After dinner, boatman Zhou Changduo drank too much wine and slept soundly.
It was still his son, the boy who ate a round belly, carried him back to the sleeping place, washed the tableware, and asked Fang Zhang to go to bed earlier.
But she is a sensible and good doll.
...
Fang Chang was not affected by the wine.
Not to mention that the alcohol content of this rice wine is too low, even the strongest sorghum wine, he can drink two barrels of it without frowning. Rejecting Zhou Fan's persuasion, Fang Chang sat casually on the bow of the boat, looking up at the moon.
The silver moonlight sprinkled lightly, shining on the mist on the water surface, making the surroundings hazy like a dream.
When the moonlight is bright, the night sky naturally appears to be sparsely starred. Only the reflection of the full moon in the water, together with the full moon in the sky, brings white light to the surroundings.
Everything is covered with white gauze, but it is the same color as Fang Chang's clothes.
He took a few deep breaths, and he wanted to lie here, under the moonlight, and listen to the sound of the river by the boat to rest for a night, it should be a wonderful experience.
It's just that Fang Chang looked around, and suddenly his heart moved.
He headed into the cabin and said softly: "Brother Zhou Fan, I'm going down for a while, and I'll be back in a while, you go to bed first."
Inside, the boatman's son was a little worried, and told Fang Chang: "Guests, be careful, don't go too far, don't get lost, don't fall into the water, and call for help if something happens."
Fang Chang nodded: "I can do it myself."
Then he jumped out of the boat, put his feet on the dirt, and marched up the bank.
The wilderness is quiet at night, only the occasional chirping of insects in the grass, and the splashing of the river next to it, which makes the land on the shore seem even quieter.
Walking slowly, Fang Chang savored the world, feeling very at ease.
This is completely different from the scenery on Xianqi Cliff, which gives people a novel experience and makes him feel that his soul has also been washed by the river water, making it more clear.
The night wind changes direction back and forth, sometimes bringing the smell of ice and snow, sometimes bringing the fishy smell of the water, and sometimes mixing in the smell of fresh soil.
Following the whistling cold wind, there was faint whimpering and crying, coming from the front.
Fang Chang smiled and walked a few steps quickly.
After a while, he approached the source of the crying, and leaned in without leaving a trace, without attracting attention.
I saw a huge turtle by the river, leaning on the boulder beside the water in a very humane manner, with its head facing the river, tears streaming down like a faucet, and wailing.
This scene made Fang Chang feel quite novel.
He waited for a while, and seeing that the big tortoise didn't turn his head, Fang Chang said, "I don't know what kind of trouble Brother Yao has encountered? He is crying so sadly."
This is in line with the nosy character of practitioners.
The sudden appearance of the sound frightened the crying large tortoise.
The tears that were continuously pouring out, most of them were swallowed back in shock, and the sobbing sound was blocked in the mouth, and there was a short and rapid "squeak", like the sound of a pot of water boiling.
Frightened, the tortoise moved quickly, not at all like carrying a heavy body,
The tortoise spirit that had refined the cross-bones quickly jumped a few feet away, opened the distance from Fang Chang, and then turned around and asked loudly: "Who?!"
"A group of people in Yunzhong Mountain wandered here unintentionally tonight, but I saw Brother Yao crying here," Fang Chang replied, "The meeting is fate, but what problem did you encounter?"
(end of this chapter)