Chapter 336 [Still on the way]
Because the speed of the ship was fast enough, Chaoyun Port had already been left behind and disappeared above the sea.
Holding the railing on the edge of the deck, looking out, you can only see the water and the sky. More than a dozen white waterfowl spread their wings in the air and sang briefly and loudly, chasing and chasing small fish in the water continuously on the sea surface, and occasionally wandering around the sails.
For sailors, water birds are a symbol of auspiciousness, because these beautiful creatures can only be found near land.
This ship is a typical sea-going ship in Chaoyun Port. The cabins are at the bow and stern. On the open deck in the middle, there are several tall and thick masts. Under the thick deck are cargo holds separated by watertight walls.
Among the passengers on the boat, there are quite a lot of wealthy people. They travel around and have never made a lot of money, so they are also very generous in spending money. For this reason, the ship specially prepared a lot of things for them to earn a little more income from these passengers.
There are sailors on the boat who recommend you to rent fishing rods, baits and cheat nets. The price is enough to buy more new ones on the pier, but everyone is still flocking to them. Soon, many fishing rods and fishing lines were thrown out from the side of the boat, and as the boat moved, long ripples were drawn on the water surface.
There are also some who seem to know each other. After negotiating with the sailors on the ship, they paid some money, and then in the back cabin, they jointly carried out a small open charcoal stove, and bought some charcoal and ingredients. Light the fire in the stove and start grilling.
The scent immediately hits the nostrils, and people around immediately gather around. Everyone is a person who has been in the rivers and lakes for a long time, and the communication is very harmonious and generous, and the deck is full of joy. Some people brought the seafood they caught, roasted them together and shared them, but everyone tasted some.
Some people went to the ship to buy, or simply opened the goods they carried, and took some condiments such as storable vegetables, salt soy sauce, and spice powder, which greatly enriched the baking methods. There are also high-ranking customers who asked the sailors to bring the sheep up from the bilge, processed the pieces on the spot, and distributed them to everyone after roasting.
Although Fang Chang had a lot of money in the package, he didn't participate in it.
Blowing the comfortable sea breeze, he was just wandering around, chatting with different passengers, getting some news from the East China Sea, and learning about the customs and customs of the East China Sea Islands. After everyone went out to sea, because they didn't go to the store, they often felt that their troubles disappeared, and they all relaxed, and they were happy to chat with people to pass the time.
There was a person who knew the situation in the East China Sea very well, and while gently stroking the fishing rod in his hand, he said:
"...the islands in the East China Sea, no one can count how many there are, and no one knows and landed on each island, let alone who knows what is on it. In short, most of the islands are populated because there are Fresh water, without exception. On islands with plenty of fresh water and arable land, agriculture will prosper and a large number of ships will dock.”
"The rumors over the years even say that there are many thieves who have no heirs, and hide their accumulated income over the years in secret places. Then some people find out and get rich immediately, which makes everyone salivate. As a result, some people take the opportunity to sell high-priced hidden treasures. Treasure maps are said to be rare items, and several dozen can be taken out in a blink of an eye. And those who are deceived often have no way to ask for help, and the deceiver will quickly run away with the money."
"Each island often has an island owner. According to the situation of each island, some are elected, some are hereditary, and some are only controlled by force. The rules implemented on each island are also very different, and there is no uniformity. There is no unified court in the law, so you must be careful in your actions. If you come and go and commit a crime, you must explain it clearly in advance..."
It wasn't until there was nothing more from the other party that Fang Chang bid farewell and moved on to the next one.
Seeing that the people eating barbecue over there were in good spirits, they even moved out two or three small stoves from the warehouse in the ship, lined up on the deck, eating, drinking and having fun, so Fang Chang walked over and took off the gourds around his waist, and presented them with A few cups of high-grade sorghum wine.
There is wine on board, but there are only softer ordinary wines, all of which are stored in large wooden barrels and stored in the boat. A sailor told Fang Chang that such a short voyage is fine, but if it takes a long time, everyone can only use wine instead of drinking water, otherwise they will get sick from drinking, and these wooden barrels are just for that time.
The sailors climbed onto the mast, worked together on the deck, and adjusted the direction of the sail to match the heading, so as to obtain the maximum efficiency of borrowing the wind.
Suddenly, the sailors on board began to sing.
One, two, three, more and more sailors joined, and soon became a chorus. There were even a few passengers who had heard the corresponding music, beating the beat and joining in the chorus. At the same time, it brought more people to participate, and the sound resounded across the sea.
Therefore, some Chaoyun port characteristics, some passionate and rough tunes echoed on the deck and spread to the open surroundings.
"...Little boat, you get caught in the wind and waves—"
"I don't see my relatives, and I don't see the smoke from cooking on the shore—"
"There is no solid ground under your feet, only blue sky above your head—"
"The wind and waves are not afraid of going to sea and do not regret it. The vast water is my homeland..."
The tone is not complicated, it is very popular, almost everyone can sing it, and it is a bit catchy. Fang Chang listened to these sea accents, smiled and shook his head. Whether the song is widely spread or not depends on the song itself in many cases. Although it is not elegant, these folk songs have unique and powerful vitality.
Then he continued to lean on the railing, admiring the waves and foam around him, and looking at the vast sea under the winter sun.
The ship is traveling fast, but the islands in the East China Sea are two or three days away from Chaoyun Port, and the distance is not close. Even at night, the boat does not stop. The owner of the boat holds the star board in his hand, observes the stars and walks along the needle path without losing his way. This is his skill in eating.
But the sea at night is more charming.
The light of the stars sprinkled from the night sky like black satin, reflected on the water surface, and was smashed by the constantly shaking waves, or swayed. It's not yet the middle of the month, the moon in the sky is curved like a hook, very cold and not dazzling, it can't take the place of starlight.
It was meaningless to stay in the cabin, so Fang Chang simply lay on the high roof at the stern of the building alone, drinking the wine in the gourd with his feet up. There were a few salted fish to accompany the wine, which he took from the dinner table, and the boat did not interfere with it.
The sky is still chaotic, which symbolizes the current chaos in the world, but Fang Chang doesn't want to observe it carefully, because it doesn't make much sense.
A fish in the distance was startled by the big boat, jumped out of the sea, glides for a long distance, and fell into the water again, causing splashes.
Fang Chang stood up, looked around, but saw only the vast sea.
(end of this chapter)