"The Yangtze River is no better than the Yellow River. The winter weather in the north is so cold that more than a foot of ice freezes on the river surface. Cars and horses can travel smoothly without a ferry. But the Yangtze River cannot. This is already the boundary of the south. The river surface is not frozen. If you want to cross the river, you can only Find a boat.”
Xiao Rui and others, who had been wandering along the Yangtze River for several days, returned to the ferry and wanted to cross the river.
Li Junxian suggested: "Sir, it's the winter dry season now, and the New Year has just passed. People basically don't travel much, so the ferries are also resting. How about we find a nearby city and mobilize the Yangtze River Navy."
Xiao Rui sighed: "Oh, I originally wanted to go south in a low-key manner, but this transfer of the navy has become publicity."
Li Junxian chuckled and said, "It's impossible for you to keep a low profile. In the past few days, His Majesty has issued orders to the cities along the way to persuade you to return when he sees you. Haha, everyone knows that you want to go south. Unless we don't stop Go to the city, otherwise you won’t be able to keep a low profile.”
Fang Er's eyes lit up, "Okay, it would be great if we didn't go into the city. There are small towns along the way, which is too boring."
Xiao Rui laughed and scolded: "Are you dissatisfied with the small city? I've been giving you lectures these days, and cooking and picnicking. You're obsessed with my craftsmanship, you foodie! I don't know how much you know about the art of war. You have such an appetite. Go up.”
Fang Er stuck out his tongue and took out a sesame seed pancake from his arms, "Hey, isn't this the delicious food made by Brother Xiao, and I can't eat anything else anymore? Brother Xiao, if you find it troublesome, why don't you put it in your mouth?" Leave the cooking to me, I won’t be tired of the work.”
"In the past, I only knew that Brother Xiao was a god of cooking and could cook well. I didn't expect to find out after I went out that even if you bake a sesame cake yourself, it is a delicacy in the world. Fifth brother, will you share half of it if you want to eat it or not?"
Li Junxian waved his hand, "You can eat, I'm not hungry."
Xiao Rui was so angry that he laughed and said to Fang Er: "Boy, when did you learn to flatter me? I can't stop your mouth even if you eat sesame seed cakes."
"Forget it, I'm afraid it's more difficult for you to learn cooking than to teach you the art of war. The three of us go out, and everyone has his own division of labor. The fifth brother will drive, you will run errands and guard, and I will be the cook."
"What if I ask you to cook? Haha, in less than three days, all three of us will be carried back to Chang'an due to malnutrition."
ah? Why? Why was the good person carried back? I won't poison my food.
...Yes, the food you make is extremely poisonous. Xiao Rui covered his eyes.
"Ship, ship..."
Fang Er, who was muttering, glanced at the river with his eyes, and suddenly shouted in surprise.
Everyone looked at it from a distance, and saw that it was really a boat, not a small fishing boat, but a serious big boat.
Fang Er murmured: "Is such a big ship the Yangtze River Navy? Brother Xiao, have we been discovered?"
Li Junxian shook his head and said: "Probably not. If it is a navy, there should be a flag on the bow."
Xiao Rui smiled and said: "Whatever, if we have a boat, we can cross the river. No matter what kind of god he is, we are just hitchhiking."
"It's a casual boat!" Fang Er corrected.
Xiao Rui rolled his eyes, "This is a metaphor, a metaphor!"
While chatting, a few people moved the carriage close to the ferry, and soon the big boat came down the river in front of everyone.
"Are you brothers going to cross the river?"
Before Li Junxian could speak, the middle-aged man at the bow of the boat took the initiative to speak.
Li Junxian turned around and looked warily, and whispered to Xiao Rui: "Sir, that's not right. Why is there no one on the river bank today? Is it such a coincidence that we are the only family traveling?"
Xiao Rui smiled and waved his hand, stepped forward and said: "Exactly, I can't find a ferry across the river for a while. Can I take your big boat for a more convenient trip? Yi Ai, give this elder brother tea with ten taels of silver. .”
ah? oh oh……
Fang Er reached into his arms and took out a large silver ingot.
The middle-aged man on the bow of the boat laughed heartily and said, "Look, these are not ordinary people. We are destined to meet each other. There is no need for this. I am not a ferryman, and this boat of mine is not a ferry to make money. I am just here to have fun on the river. It’s nothing to take a few people along for a ride, it’s enough to be able to chat with everyone and make friends, so please come on board.”
Xiao Rui cupped his hands and said, "Brother, you are so generous. This is so annoying."
The planks were quickly put down, and the people and horses were put on board. Xiao Rui and the other two followed the man into the spacious cabin.
"Hey...Brother, your boat is big enough. I'm afraid it can be compared with the main warship of the Yangtze River Navy. Is such a big boat used as a cruise ship? It seems that its status is extraordinary." Xiao Rui admired.
The man waved his hand and said with a smile: "Where are you? They are just ordinary people. They rely on water to make a living, so of course they have to work hard. Please sit down, please come and serve tea."
Li Junxian reminded in a low voice again: "Master, listen to these words, this is a water pirate!"
Rice? What rice? I heard that people south of the Yangtze River grow rice, which is not surprising.
Fang Er heard it from the side and shouted loudly.
Ga...
This was embarrassing, and Li Junxian was also very speechless, thinking to himself, why does this kid have no experience in the world? No wonder everyone calls you stupid, big and thick!
Pfft... Xiao Rui burst into laughter.
The face of the middle-aged man opposite changed slightly, but he still said with a smile: "This little brother speaks quickly and has a pure mind, which is rare! What? If this is a water pirate ship, do you still dare to sit on it?"
Fang Er scratched his head and said, "Rice boat? Rice is not grown in the fields, so how can we make a boat?"
Li Junxian pushed and said angrily: "Water pirates are bandits who do robbery on the water. Their boats are called water pirate ships. What are you thinking about? You just know how to eat."
Fang Er exclaimed: "Ah? Robbers plundering on the water? Aren't they bad guys? But, but this big brother doesn't look like a bad guy!"
Li Junxian was speechless and looked away in anger, thinking to himself, can a bad person have it written on his face?
Xiao Rui smiled. He was not afraid of bad people, because he himself was not a good person, or even a bad person among bad people.
"My brother is right. He doesn't look like a bad guy. He has been following us for several days. Today he saw that we were having difficulty crossing the river, so he came here to see us off. If he is still a bad guy with such kindness, haha, there are no good people in the world. ”
Um? ?
Li Junxian suddenly stood up and kicked him. Fang Er quickly guarded Xiao Rui on the other side. No matter how aggressive he was, he knew that the atmosphere was not right.
The two of them were there to protect Xiao Rui on his trip. Xiao Rui had lost all his martial arts skills and had no bodyguards along the way. It would be okay if he encountered a bandit, but if he had a large number of soldiers and horses who came well prepared, That would be difficult.
Xiao Rui waved his hand and said: "Fifth brother, Yi Ai, what are you doing? We are guests, not fighting. Please stop it and sit down."
"Haha, brother, I'm laughing at you. May I ask your name?"
The other party has always been calm and composed. Even if Li Junxian and Fang Er are on guard, the middle-aged man is gentle and gentle.
He cupped his hands towards Xiao Rui and said, "Dongting Lake - Lai Heng."
Dongting Lake?
Li Junxian exclaimed: "Is it a Dongting water bandit? A Dongting water bandit that even the Yangtze River Navy can't do anything about. There are rumors that they are remnants of the former Sui Dynasty, sir, be careful."
Xiao Rui waved his hand: "Don't be impatient. Lai Heng? Your last name is Lai? Judging from your age... I wonder what your relationship is with the former Sui Dynasty general who protects children?"
The other party didn't hide it, "It turns out that there are still people who remember my father. The young master is talented and has extraordinary bearing. Dare you ask for his surname? Today I just want to get to know him and make friends. I have no other thoughts, so you don't need to worry."
Xiao Rui smiled and said, "Sure enough, after being a famous general, there is nothing tacky about being a bandit. Since Brother Lai has been following us for a few days, he must have already guessed my identity. Why not take a guess?"
