The boat was sailing in the middle of the night, and the poet couldn't bear it anymore. He lay fully clothed in the cabin and fell asleep.
Xu He also kept pecking at the rice and was extremely sleepy.
On the other hand, the waiter at the stern kept checking the river surface to see if he was tapping the bottom of the river with his pennies, and chatting with Xu Peng.
The entire cabin was just that big, and Xie Liang took up most of it, while Xu He could only huddle in a small area aside.
After sitting cross-legged for a long time, his blood was blocked, and he couldn't lie down, so he had to get up and go to the bow of the boat.
At this time of year, the night was as cold as water. He tightened his tight robe and kicked his legs.
Suddenly, waterbirds flew up on both sides of the river, and the sound of flapping wings startled Xu He.
In this dark environment, it seems as if there is a giant beast waiting for an opportunity to choose people and devour them.
Xu Peng and the waiter at the stern also heard the movement of water birds.
The two of them stopped talking for a moment and looked around cautiously.
Xu He became even more nervous when he saw this.
The air seemed to become thicker at this moment, as if the only sound in the whole world was the sound of the boat paddling and the poet's breathing.
The three of them listened to the noise for a while, but the surroundings were unusually quiet.
The waiter pointed to the oil lamp in the cabin and motioned for Xu He to enter the cabin and not stand at the bow.
When Xu He entered the cabin, Xu Peng blew out the oil lamp in one breath.
Suddenly, the feeling of loneliness and tension came to them again because the oil lamp went out.
The three of them didn't dare to take a breath, and even Guo Xiaoer's puncturing movements were deliberately slowed down.
Xu Peng tiptoed to Xu He's side, guarding him behind him, staring at the shore in the moonlight like a leopard in the dark night.
But after a stick of incense passed, there was only the "rustling" sound of the wind blowing through the reeds on the shore.
Finally, after another stick of incense, the two sides of the bank were no longer reeds, but open fields.
The three of them breathed a sigh of relief when they saw this.
Guo Xiaoer said: "There must have been someone in the reed swamp just now, but I don't know if it was someone who caught long fish at night!"
Xu Peng nodded: "Eating long fish has become popular in the city recently, so many children now go to Tiangeng River to look for holes all day long."
Xu He breathed a sigh of relief when he heard this. Well, Bai was nervous. It turned out that he was the culprit!
It's not that the three of them are cowardly, but that the wind has been too tight recently, and everyone seems to be in a state of panic.
It was better now. The original sleepiness was gone. Xu He simply stopped sleeping and just sat and chatted with Brother Peng and the waiter.
Before I knew it, the sky was getting slightly brighter.
In the distance, farmers could be seen getting up and working.
The waiter felt a little sleepy after spending the whole night on the boat. He yawned and pointed to the east in the mist and said: "We arrived at Dong'an Ji in the past two or three miles!"
These days, many towns are populated by people going to the market.
Therefore, some villagers call Dong'an a town, while others call it Dong'an Ji.
Dong'an is adjacent to Rugao, at the junction of Hailing and Rugao. Because the waterways are developed, many people from Hailing and Rugao use boats to sell goods at the market during large gatherings.
Hailing County has set up an inspection department at this strategic location on land and water, specializing in detecting thefts and suppressing bandits.
Xu He's uncle Xie Bin was inspecting here. He was a junior official of the ninth rank. This position has been held by the Xie family for three generations.
Although the inspector was also an official, and Xie Bin was in charge of more than twenty soldiers, in Xu He's impression, his uncle's family lived a slightly better life than ordinary people.
Because the two cousins need to study, the family's expenses are tight. Even so, when the Xu family has difficulties, my uncle and aunt are still able to help and never shirk the blame.
After a while, more and more small boats were moored on both sides of the shore. On the shore not far away, a small market town appeared in front of everyone's eyes.
"Ha...yawn!" The poet yawned and woke up at this moment.
Seeing that the other three people on the boat were all looking at him with resentful expressions, Xie Liangcai was a little confused: "Here we are? Why are you all looking at me? Do you have gum in your eyes?"
After speaking, he wiped the corners of his eyes with his hands.
This guy is really lucky. The three of them were nervous all night last night, and this guy... looked more comfortable sleeping on the boat than on the bed, which made the three of them really want to beat him up.
After everyone got ashore, Guo Xiaoer found a dock for his fishing boat and then followed the three of them into the town.
Xu He did not go directly to his uncle's house, but bought some fruit and vegetable snacks and two pieces of cloth to take with him, and then he walked towards his uncle's house following his memory.
Xie Bin's home is at the east end of the town, not far from the water village of the Inspection Department.
Just as the four of them were walking eastward in the market, Xu He suddenly spotted five or six small boats with a deep draft in the river not far away.
The word "Salt Farm" is written on each boat.
Xie Liangcai saw Xu He looking at the ships, so he smiled and said, "These are ships carrying salt."
"Salt ship?" Xu He was a little confused.
At this time, the waiter said: "These are the ships that transport salt from major salt fields to our Hailing."
Xu He understood clearly after hearing this.
It turns out that the Lianghuai salt industry began to flourish in the Northern Song Dynasty.
In this dynasty, the imperial court attached great importance to the salt industry. During the reign of Emperor Taizu, the Duyuan Salt Envoy Department ("Yunsi" for short) was established in the six major salt areas of Lianghuai, Liangzhejiang, Changlu, Shandong, Hedong, and Fujian. The Salt Envoy, referred to as "Yunshi"), has 7 salt class promotion departments and other yamen in other salt-producing areas to manage the salt production and sales of each salt farm. The Transportation Department and other salt industry departments are under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Household Affairs and are not subject to the control of local governments.
The coast of the Yellow Sea to the north of the Yangtze River is the important salt field gathering place in Lianghuai.
These salt-carrying ships were probably from nearby Dongtaichang, Anfengchang, and Fu'anchang transporting salt to Yangzhou.
Looking at the deep draft of the ships, Xie Liangcai said: "The salt in these ships will be turned into salt when it arrives in Yangzhou and sold to salt merchants. The salt merchants buy the salt and then transport it to various places. Among them, Baoba near Xujia Village is It is a famous salt tax customs. Merchants can only sell salt after paying the tax there! I just mentioned that the salt fields produced more than six million kilograms of salt a year. It is conceivable that the court just collects taxes. How much food will be collected?"
Xu He was speechless secretly when he heard this.
Baoba is on the river not far from Xujia Village. Unexpectedly, such a small salt tax customs turned out to be one of the important sources of salt tax in the Wei Dynasty.
Several people chatted and soon arrived at the residence of Xu He's uncle Xie Bin.
The courtyard of Xie Bin's house is very large. The old man at the gate was surprised to recognize Xu He for a long time after seeing him, and finally confirmed that he was his nephew. The old man quickly ushered everyone into the courtyard.
After a while, a man in his thirties walked out of the main room.
The visitor had a thick beard. When he saw Xu He, he was surprised and said: "Xiaohe, it's you who are here!"
Xu He quickly stepped forward to greet him: "Uncle, how is auntie?"
Hearing this, Xie Bin looked gloomy: "I caught the wind and cold in winter and kept coughing. I thought it would be better in the spring. Unexpectedly, I suddenly coughed up blood two days ago. The doctor said... the doctor said it might not be possible!"
