It was said that the Sui Dynasty perished because of this river. If not for the matter of the Water Temple Dragon Boat, Gongyu would not have said much.
As the world's longest man-made canal, the Grand Canal ran from Zhuo County in the north to Hangzhou in the south, running through the Yangtze River and the Yellow River. To the south of the Yangtze River, starting from Zhenjiang, the section of the canal was called the Jiangnan River.
Jiangnan was prosperous. From Zhenjiang to the south, boats came and went along the waterway, making the Jiangnan River live up to its name and become one of the busiest waterways of the Grand Canal. The river flow was gentle, and the surrounding mountains were not as magnificent as the Yangtze River. Between the ups and downs, the green mountains and rivers did not appear deep. Occasionally, there were dilapidated docks, small villages, fields, or roads parallel to the river. Occasionally, pedestrians could be seen on the road, and occasionally, oxcarts could be seen passing by. Against the boats that came and went along the river, it did give people a sense of the peace of Jiangnan.
The Jiangnan River was about twenty meters wide, but the water was not very deep, usually only about two meters. Occasionally, there were low-lying areas on both sides of the river, forming layers of reeds. Nearby fishermen paddled their boats past, and there were also water birds like cormorants flying up and down, picking up fish in the water. Under the sunlight, the scene on the water was quiet and pleasant, like the mood of a landscape painting.
This long waterway carried the transportation of Taihu Lake and the Yangtze River, and also carried the lives of people living by the water for nearly a thousand miles. It was afternoon, and a pleasure boat was sailing along the waterway near Changzhou. It was called a pleasure boat, but its decoration was not as magnificent as the boats along the Qinhuai River. The boat was divided into two levels, and was much more comfortable than the merchant and passenger boats that usually traveled along this waterway. It was obvious that only well-off families could rent it. At this time, the boat was moving slowly on the river. In the summer sun, voices were ringing in the room on the second floor.
"… Dark clouds were dense, and the water was monstrous. Fahai flew up in the sky and shouted, 'Mighty Dragon of Heaven, Revered Ksitigarbha, Prajna Mata!' The kasaya on his body spread out and covered the sky, lifting the entire Jinshan Temple into the sky … Dang! If you want to know what happened next, please listen to the next breakdown. "
From the voice in the cabin, it seemed that someone was telling a story. The story was at its most intense point, and suddenly these words were heard. The group of people was probably stunned for a while, and then there were protests.
"Don't decompose it next time …"
"Young master, young master …"
"Brother-in-law, you can't do that."
"What happened to Fahai and Bai Suzhen …?"
"Jinshan Temple is so big. How did he fly into the sky? How did he fly …"
The voices were of both men and women. It was a mess. The storyteller probably took a sip of water. "Hey, you guys are too much. You've been talking for the whole afternoon … How did Jinshan Temple fly? You guys saw Jinshan Temple yesterday. You can fly however you want. You need to be imaginative …"
"But what kind of Buddhist name is' Mighty Heavenly Dragon, Revered Ksitigarbha, Prajnaparamita '? Son-in-law, Son-in-law, Buddhism doesn't say that …"
"It sounds very powerful, not to mention that you know about it …"
"Juan'er has read Buddhist scriptures before. Juan'er, you tell him …"
"Master Fa Hai is amazing."
"Tsk, it's over. Juan 'er is smitten. Who's going to hit her …"
"No, Young Master."
"Brother-in-law, does the Buddhist Sect really have such magical powers?"
"Do you believe it?"
In the noisy chatter, there was also a woman leaning on the aisle on the side of the deck, looking at the flowing river with a leisurely face. She was wearing a light yellow and white dress, a white waistcoat, and holding a small fan in her hand. She was still young, but her hair was tied up in a woman's bun. The innocence of youth and the leisure temperament of maturity were mixed together. At a glance, it could be seen that this was a married young lady.
The people on the boat were naturally Ning Yi and the others who had been traveling all the way south.
Half of the trip to Hangzhou this time was for tourism. In addition, Su Tan'er also intended to expand the focus of her business in the area of Hangzhou to slightly distinguish her influence from her father's in the first branch. Therefore, in addition to her, Ning Yi, Chan'er, and the three maids, there was also a trustworthy accountant in the family, two shopkeepers, their family members, maids, waiters, and guards. In addition, there were two cousins, Su Wending and Su Wenfang, who were previously close to the first branch. They also followed Su Tan'er's cousin to Hangzhou to gain experience.
In this way, there were about 30 people in total. Su Tan'er rented a relatively comfortable double-decker painted pleasure boat. They had previously stayed in Zhenjiang for a few days and naturally went to Jinshan Temple in Zhenjiang. In fact, at this time, Jinshan Temple in Zhenjiang had changed its name twice. First, it was changed to Longyou Temple, and now it was called Shenxiao Yuqing Wanshou Palace. However, the previous name was still remembered. When everyone talked about it, Ning Yi told the story of the Legend of the White Snake to scare people, but he used the version of Xu Ke's Green Snake. Before the story was finished, Chan'er and the others seemed to be fascinated by the handsome Fahai that Ning Yi made. As for Wen Ding, Wen Fang, and the others, they couldn't help but fantasize about the two charming snake demons.
After lunch, in addition to the three maids and two cousins who gathered upstairs to listen to the story, even the family members of several accountants and shopkeepers also gathered. In addition, there were accompanying waiters and guards, such as Dongzhu, Guard Geng, and the others, who also listened with great interest in the corridor on the second floor. In the past few days of sightseeing in Zhenjiang, everyone already knew that the master's son-in-law was funny and easy-going, so they didn't feel too restrained. Su Tan'er was originally also interested in these stories, but after everyone gathered, she went down and saw that it was crowded above, so she didn't go up again. The two floors of the pleasure boat were not high, so they could also hear clearly from the side of the boat. She stood there enjoying the wind and the scenery, and actually heard the story here.
In the past, although Su Tan'er was dressed as a married woman after getting married, she still had the maturity in the business world, but to really say that the temperament of a married man was a bit stiff, but now the stiffness was completely gone. At this time, at this time, she stood here and didn't go up, but she listened to the lively atmosphere. It was the feeling of her husband being liked by everyone, and she felt honored.
Before getting married, she definitely didn't think of such things. In the business world, she also had the aura of being the center of attention. If everyone sat together, she could also attract attention with a few words and not cause an awkward silence. However, in terms of friendliness and humor, that wasn't what she was good at. As a woman, she naturally had to be reserved and maintain a distance from others. Although she had always treated people with gentleness and grace, sometimes people would say that she was Wu Zetian's style, so this was naturally unavoidable.
If there was anything she had hoped for, it was that after getting married, her husband wouldn't really be too stiff, and would at least greet some people and not offend people too much. That would be enough. She had never thought that her husband would be able to control the situation no matter what it was. For example, she had asked about the showdown between Ning Yi and Wu Qilong. The reason why the Wu Family could accept their fate so quickly was probably because her husband had swept away Wu Qilong's confidence with a few words. At this time, he could make Wen Ding and Wen Fang as harmonious as an ordinary family. She could do the former, but she was afraid that she couldn't do it when it came to family.
She could feel the happiness in her heart. Her smile naturally contained a tinge of charm, just like Bai Suzhen from "Green Snake", who was gentle and sweet.
Although it was noisy above, since Ning Yi had said that he had stopped, the others naturally wouldn't really pester him to continue. To Chan 'er, Juan' er, and Xing 'er, even though Ning Yi was friendly, he was still the master. To Wen Ding, Wen Fang, and the others, even though Ning Yi was friendly, he always maintained a strong aura. To a certain extent, in the Su family, perhaps only Great Grandfather Su had a stronger sense of oppression, so it was even more impossible for the others to force Ning Yi to finish the story. Although there were some jokes, after that, everyone was more enthusiastic about the plot of the story and guessed what would happen next.
After a while, Ning Yi, Su Wen Ding, and Su Wen Fang came down to the deck, chatting and laughing. When they met Su Tan 'er, Wen Ding and Wen Fang said a few more words before leaving. Ning Yi took the teacup and looked at his wife, who was waving a round fan, and walked over with a smile. Su Tan 'er also narrowed her eyes. "That's too hateful. I want to hear more …"
"You didn't say it just now."
"In order to repay a debt of gratitude, the white snake fell in love with a man in the human world. Out of kindness, Fahai subdued the demon and did his duty. Husband, who do you think was wrong?"
"If I were Xu Xian, the one who was wrong was naturally Fahai. If I were Fahai, the one who was wrong was naturally Xu Xian."
"Huh? How could it be Xu Xian? "
"If I were Fahai, I actually got married. Of course, I didn't like Xu Xian, so I broke them up. As for why I broke them up, of course, it was because I liked Bai Suzhen …"
"Hehe …" Tan 'er couldn't help but laugh. Then, she slightly straightened her face. "Husband, don't make such a joke. There's a Buddhist principle in the story."
Ning Yi shrugged and didn't refute. At this time, the boat sailed to a place where the reeds were dense and made a slight turn. The sunlight followed the boat's turn, turning the shadows on the side of the boat slightly. In their eyes, there were low and undulating mountains on the riverbank. The forest was swept up by the warm wind. Thousands of leaves swayed, and a few birds flew into the sky along with the swirling dust. The husband and wife stood there and looked at the scenery. Ning Yi drank a mouthful of tea. Tan 'er was probably a little thirsty. She took the cup in Ning Yi's hand and drank a mouthful as well. Then, she held it in her hands. In the cabin at the back, there were probably two shopkeepers' children running along the walkway. They shouted, "The Almighty Dragon of Heaven, the Revered One of the World … En Zang … La la la la la …" Perhaps they couldn't remember the words, but they couldn't help but laugh when they heard it.
Although the Jiangnan River was a man-made canal, the riverbed wasn't deep. However, after being dug for so many years, the water quality was actually quite good. Looking from the boat, the river was flowing with blue waves. Su Wending and Su Wenfang were looking at the river below and laughing about something. When they looked over, Ning Yi smiled and said, "What's wrong? Have you thought it through? "
Su Wending curled his lips. "Brother-in-law, it's a disgrace." Ning Yi laughed.
Su Tan 'er didn't know what they were talking about, so she asked. After listening to Ning Yi's explanation, she found out that Su Wending and Su Wenfang were pestering Ning Yi to tell stories. So, Ning Yi said that they should swim in the river first. In fact, although he was good at swimming, he rarely had the opportunity to go into the water after coming here. Presumably, he wasn't that good at swimming. It was just that Su Wending and Su Wenfang prided themselves on being a scholar, so they wouldn't do such a disgraceful thing.
When Su Tan 'er heard this, she smiled and rolled her eyes at Ning Yi. Then, she said that he was a disgrace. She looked into the water. In fact, the average depth of the Jiangnan River was only two meters. It was the flood season now, so the water wouldn't rise much. As long as one could swim, they wouldn't drown. Ning Yi looked at the water with her and asked, "Do you know how to swim?"
Su Tan 'er smiled. "I know a little. I haven't swum for a long time."
"If there's a chance, I can go down and try …"
Ning Yi muttered to himself. Su Tan 'er slightly pursed her lips and pretended to be angry. She rolled her eyes at him. "Husband is always talking nonsense. If I go down and people see it, how glorious can Husband be …"
"Ahem, I'm just saying. In the future, I can build my own pool …"
The two talked and laughed for a while. The Jiangnan River from Danyang to Wuxi was nearly two hundred miles. The waterway was straight. Except for the muddy swamps, there was almost no need to turn at all. They just went along the river. But after a while, the wind blew in the opposite direction. Ning Yi and Su Tan 'er looked towards the southeast. They saw that on the other side of the river, thick cumulonimbus clouds had piled up. The edge of the clouds seemed to draw a black line in the sky. The sky on that side was pressed down by the clouds.
By this time, everyone on the ship had already noticed the rain cloud. Su Tan 'er raised her head and looked at it for a while. Chan' er also carried a basin and ran out from the cabin. She came to Su Tan 'er's side and said, "Son-in-law, could it be that the celestial soldiers and generals have captured Bai Niangniang?"
Su Tan 'er put her arm around the servant girl's shoulder and hugged her in front of her with a smile. "Maybe."
The old ship owner had also come to the deck at this time. He frowned and looked up at the clouds. This old ship owner's surname was Gu. Ning Yi said with a smile, "Uncle Gu, I've learned a little about knowing the weather by looking at the clouds. Looking at the clouds today, there might be a heavy rain." A few days ago, the ship owner had told everyone some tricks of knowing the weather by looking at the clouds. At this time, Ning Yi took it out and applied it.
The old ship owner also laughed. "Boss is right. Looking at the clouds, there should be a big thunderstorm. But it's fine here. Sailing in this kind of wind and rain is actually a different feeling."
Su Tan 'er said, "This Jiangnan River won't have big waves, right?"
"There are some waves, but not big ones. Our ship is big. If the weather on the Yangtze River is like this, even if there are big waves, it's fine. The sea is the real big waves. The mountains here are lower, so there can be strong winds. But the water is not deep, so there won't be big waves. Some people like to play on the ship when there's a strong wind. They say it's exciting. Oh, this side … What's the poem again? Seven hundred miles of the river, two or three fertile states. Sitting with lakes and mountains, traveling without worries of wind and waves. This is the Jiangnan River. "
This old man could even recite poems. Everyone was surprised for a moment. Ning Yi said with a smile, "Uncle Gu is a refined person. Wen Ding, Wen Fang, let me test you. Who wrote this poem? "
Su Wen Ding thought for a moment. Su Wen Fang immediately smiled and waved his hand. "Brother-in-law, you underestimate us. It's a poem by Bai Letian of the Tang Dynasty."
Bai Letian was Bai Juyi. Ning Yi nodded and smiled. "I'll be honest. Actually, I forgot." He was telling the truth. He had never seen this poem before. The others also laughed. No one believed him.
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
