The beauty of April in the world is gone, and the peach blossoms in the mountain temple are beginning to bloom.
Everlasting regret has no place to return to in spring, and I don’t know where to turn.
Although they were dissatisfied with Xiao Lizi's unabashed urging, after resting in this quiet mountain village for more than ten days, Xiao Han and his party embarked on their journey south.
Without notifying the officials, on a breezy early morning, Xiao Han and Xue Pan and others quietly came to the riverside where the ship was parked. Only Lao Suntou and his family came to see him off.
On the river bank, the fat cook laughed and asked people to quickly carry the fresh vegetables that Lao Suntou had picked overnight onto the boat.
As for the return gifts, there were all kinds of gifts that almost filled a room.
These gifts were originally given to Xiao Han by the surrounding officials. Xiao Han didn't like them and didn't bother to bring them. He simply took advantage of them all. I think with that room of gifts as a base, although he can't be called rich, he can at least be rich. Keep Sun Tou worry-free in his later years.
No matter when, parting is always sad, not to mention that everyone who is saying goodbye knows that this time, they may never see each other again.
Lao Suntou wiped away his tears and waved to the anchoring ship. Behind him, his daughter-in-law was already crying. Even his son, the eldest son of the Sun family, was biting his lip with tears in his eyes.
It's not that Sun Da didn't want to use tears to express the sadness of parting, but he felt that there should always be someone strong in the family who would not cry.
The boat was half-sailed, and the river water carried the big boat downstream. Xiao Han accompanied Xue Pan and looked back for a long time, until he couldn't see the family on the shore clearly, and then returned to the cabin to rest.
The day in April was the season of peach blossoms. The water coming from the inland slapped the bottom of the boat and sent it far away.
Xiao Han often looks out from the deck these days.
Beneath me, this long canal still hasn't played its original role. Except for occasionally seeing a few passenger ships, most of the time, they are the only ones wandering on the water.
The time has quickly come to late April.
One day at noon, a large ship in the channel pushed through the waves and sailed quietly into the Jiangnan water town.
"This is Jiangdu? It's so beautiful!"
Holding on to the railing on the deck, Xue Pan, whose belly had become slightly swollen these days, closed his eyes slightly and took a deep breath forward, as if he wanted to take in all the beautiful scenery in front of him.
Xiao Han changed out of the luxurious brocade and wore only an ordinary scholar's long shirt. He held a blue oil-paper umbrella over Xue Pan's head and let the drizzle of smoke wet half of his shoulders.
Gently hugging Xue Pan, Xiao Han replied with a smile: "It is indeed beautiful! Only now do I know why Yang Guang would rather stir up chaos in the world than waste so much energy to build the canal."
Feeling the warmth from her husband's body, Xue Pan opened her eyes, leaned her head gently against Xiao Han, and said with a sweet smile: "Haha, it's a pity that the predecessors planted the trees, and the descendants enjoy the shade. Yang Guang may not have thought of it, The canal he opened did not prosper his Sui Dynasty, but instead allowed us, the Tang Dynasty, to take advantage."
Xiao Han lowered his head and glanced at Xue Pan, scratched his head and asked: "Huh? How did you know that Datang would take advantage of it? I remember that many people in the court still say that this canal is of no use, and not only is it useless, It’s troublesome and costly to maintain every year? It’s better to just leave it alone and let it stagnate.”
"Hey, it's because my husband-in-law likes it very much..." Xue Pan replied slyly.
Xiao Han was stunned for a moment, and then he stopped laughing. This little fool believed in himself too much. He was not a god, and he had no magic to follow his words.
A young man and woman on the boat were murmuring in the drizzle. If we look at it in later generations, onlookers would naturally classify it as romantic.
But in the Tang Dynasty, especially in the eyes of the river workers at the bottom, no matter how you look at it, there is a sense of stupidity.
"Hey! Look at how pretty the young lady on that boat is. I don't know what blessings the silly boy next to me got to marry such a good woman!"
"Shh, keep your voice down! Look at other people's ships, we can't afford to offend them! If we are heard, be careful to tear your stinking mouth apart..."
"Bah! You have a bad mouth! Besides, how can I be heard from so far away!"
The boatmen taking shelter from the rain on the dock whispered to each other. From time to time, some good-hearted people stuck their heads out and took a look at the big ship. When they saw the ship approaching, they honestly retracted their heads.
In the drizzle, the big ship slowly docked.
The crew on the ship shouted slogans and threw the thick cable to the dock, where the boatmen were already waiting.
Several dark-skinned men quickly stepped forward to pick up the cable, and pulled it on the thick wooden pile on the dock. Then a dozen strong men pulled the rope and worked hard together, actually pulling the ship a few minutes closer to the shore. , completely leaning against the shore and unable to move at will.
The boat soon stopped.
Just when Xiao Han looked at Xue Pan, wondering how to get off the boat.
Suddenly, the boatman on the pier rolled out a tall trolley from nowhere, the kind with handrails!
Xiao Han's eyes almost dropped when he saw the wooden staircase carriage that was somewhat similar to the siege carriage! As expected, there is a method for each line, and even this kind of thing can be borrowed.
It was only at this time that Xiao Han figured out that it was not that Yang Kailue did not prepare the wooden ladder at the beginning, but that he had never thought at all: Luoyang's wharf did not have such equipment!
Xiaodong, who had been going crazy on the boat these days, rushed down first. Behind him, Xiao Han held an umbrella in one hand and supported Xue Pan with the other as he walked down slowly.
At this time, a black shed carriage that had been waiting for a long time on the pier also opened its curtain, and a capable old man walked out of it, without holding an umbrella, and came towards Xiao Han.
It was Guanshi Xue who came to greet Xiao Han.
You can tell from his name that he is a distant relative of Xue Pan's family.
When Xiao Han assembled the caravan, he suffered from lack of manpower. After Xue Ting heard about it, he recommended it to Xiao Han.
Xiao Han has always trusted Xue Shou. After taking Manager Xue into his account, he has always put him in charge of the business in Jiangnan.
Because Jiangnan is located in a prosperous area, Lao Xue's performance has always been the best among the several managers in the family. Every Chinese New Year, he will make a splash at the year-end inventory in Sanyuan County.
This time, when he heard that the head of the family and his wife were coming, he started preparing long in advance.
"I've seen the Marquis! I've seen the Madam!" Seeing Xiao Han and Xue Pan step ashore, Manager Xue quickly took a few steps to greet them.
"Haha, we are all from our own family, why are you so polite!" Xiao Han smiled and waved his hand, and winked at Xiaodong by the way, asking him to hold an umbrella for Lao Xue.
Although it was a rain of apricot blossoms that did not wet his clothes, if it really wet Lao Xue's head and body, he might even get sick.
"Haha! Mr. Marquis is tired from the journey, and this is not the place to talk. Let's follow him to the house to rest for a while... Madam, what are you..."
Lao Xue is indeed a businessman with sharp eyes. After surrendering to Xiao Han and Xiaodong, he was about to invite them to rest in the house he bought in the city. Unexpectedly, when he glanced away, he saw Xue Pan's slightly bulging belly under his loose clothes. .
