The summer weather changed quickly. Before going to bed last night, they could still see the stars in the sky, but when they woke up in the morning, it was already covered with dark clouds. However, there was no wind, which made it hard for them to breathe.
Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan ate breakfast with the old man. They brought him a roasted chicken and a smoked chicken.
"Xiao Bao, Cuckoo, it seems that you are ready to go back. It may rain today. If you want to go back, you should leave early in case you encounter a storm on the river. I have already thought of the topic for today's competition, rain. They may still be thinking about today's topic last night."
The old man broke off a chicken wing and gnawed it as he spoke to Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan.
Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan did not comment on the old man. As a minister, he actually bullied the students. It seemed that the old man liked this feeling. They did not know how the children in the Academy would live in the future. Perhaps the old man would come up with an idea to torment them.
"Grandpa Bi, we really have to go. We don't need to look after things here. The others are already doing a good job. Grandpa Bi, if you think this chicken is delicious, you can have the people from Aqua Cloud Room serve it to you. Remember not to eat too much. Things that have been smoked or roasted are always not as good as usual."
Zhang Xiaobao looked at the gloomy sky outside and said to the old man.
Wang Juan also added, "Grandpa Bi, when you find it hard to breathe, open your mouth to the fan and breathe hard. You will feel much better."
"Okay, okay, I will remember. Don't forget to write a letter when you go back. Don't worry about the Academy. I can handle this. Eat quickly and leave early after eating."
The old man listened to their words and said with relief.
After a quarter of an hour, Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan left Between the Clouds and the Water by boat. They followed the river and quickly went downstream. At this time, the gloomy atmosphere changed. The whistling wind made the river ripple.
"Raise the sail, raise the sail." Seeing the wind, Zhang Xiaobao shouted excitedly.
Boats on this kind of small river usually did not need sails. Occasionally, a sail would be pulled out from a boat, especially when it was going against the current.
Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan's boat was specially made. There was a sail on it and a rudder at the back, which was much better than other boats.
When the boatman heard the young master say to raise the sail, he had no choice but to raise it. However, he did not raise it fully, only half of it. In such a strong wind, the boat could easily capsize. Once the sail was raised, the jib made use of the wind to push the boat faster. There were several times when the boat flew out of the water.
Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan stood at the bow of the boat. Each of them tied a rope around their waist and the other end of the rope was tied to the mast. This was not requested by the boatman, but by the two of them. They did not want to experience the feeling of being rescued.
"What a strong wind. I'm in such a good mood. It would be even better if the sky was a little darker and the wind was a little stronger." Wang Juan opened her arms and said excitedly as she felt the wind blowing.
Zhang Xiaobao felt the same. "Yes, this kind of time makes people a little scared. When facing such majestic weather, there is an underlying thought that does not admit defeat."
Zhang Xiaobao also opened his arms and closed his eyes, experiencing the feeling of flying.
After taking a few deep breaths, Wang Juan asked Xiaobao again, "The issue with Bu Xing hasn't been resolved yet. They've already collected quite a lot of food. You wouldn't ask them to change their profession to become grain merchants, right? The Chens have helped us this time. How should we repay them? "
"Yes, they are still collecting grain." Zhang Xiaobao seemed to have just remembered. He patted his forehead and said, "We have to think of a way. Those grains are useless in their hands. If they dare to sell them, they will definitely be attacked by the grain merchants. It is better to transfer them to the grain merchants at a fair price.
We will compensate them. Bu Xing, what can Bu Xing do? Now, it's like they've ordered the sails in advance. When our big ships come out, there's no need. Now, some big ships have been taken over by the Jing River. I want them to prepare more sails so that our big ships can sail around the coastal waters near the mouth of the Yellow River. "
Zhang Xiaobao had indeed forgotten about the matter of the Chens for a few days. The people of the grain merchants were too weak. They were defeated with just one trick. It turned out that they were planning to prolong the war.
I thought that the head of the Chen family would reject us, but he actually agreed so readily. It seems that ever since your father became the county magistrate, he hasn't had a single peaceful day, "Zhang Xiuying said." That's fine too. I thought that the head of the Chen family would reject us, but he actually agreed so quickly.
After hearing Zhang Xiaobao's idea, Wang Juan felt that it was a good idea. If they sold the grains to the grain merchants at the purchase price, the grain merchants would not suffer a loss. The weather was hot, and there were more people eating noodles. They could take the opportunity to grind the grains into noodles and sell them. They could also make more money than usual. In the past, all the grains here were collected by the grain merchants.
At worst, when the grain merchants transported grains to the northwest, the grain merchants would give them some benefits. Now that they had a grain merchant, they gave the majority of the profits to Li Xun. However, Li Xun would not kick them away. In the future, they would use the grain merchants as if they were his own family.
With the help of the wind and the water, the ship arrived at the dock in three hours. Seeing Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan get off the ship and stand at the dock, the boatmen on the ship had time to wipe the cold sweat on their foreheads. This journey was like flying. It was too fast.
Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan did not care whether the others were frightened or not. The two of them were looking at the road from the dock. There were many people working diligently. It seemed that the road was different every day. Even if it was going to rain, the road workers did not have the slightest intention to stop. They had already put on their bamboo hats and put their straw raincoats beside them. It seemed that these people were going to continue working in the rain.
Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan knew that it would be useless to try and persuade them, so they boarded the carriage and gave the driver some instructions. The driver drove the carriage towards Huayuan County's yamen at a leisurely pace.
On the way, it started to rain heavily. The lightning lit up the sky. Along with the rolling thunder, bean-sized raindrops fell to the ground. With the sound of splashing, a layer of mist appeared on the ground.
The dry heat and stuffiness of summer were all gone at this time. The wind carried the cool breeze everywhere.
"What a heavy rain. The speed of all the projects will be slowed down again. The coal mining will also have to stop. Hope it comes and goes quickly. Otherwise, if the water accumulates too much, it will easily become a flood."
Wang Juan said worriedly. She opened the wooden board that was just closed to block the window. A gust of wind came in with the rain. She hurriedly closed the window and let down the curtain.
"I remember that there is no flood at this time. It should continue to be dry for a while." Zhang Xiaobao leaned against the wall of the carriage and recalled.
"Maybe there is no record. Let's sleep. It is comfortable to sleep in this kind of weather. When we wake up, we will almost be home." Wang Juan did not care about this matter. She lay down and closed her eyes.
"Then let's sleep." Zhang Xiaobao yawned and fell asleep on the other side.
Zhang Zhong did not know that his son and daughter-in-law were on the way back. He was now urging people to fill the sacks with sand. He asked a few local elders, and they all said that the rain would last for at least three days.
Zhang Zhong was not worried about the river that was connected. When the river was connected, it had already been repaired. He was afraid that the river at Yaowang Mountain would burst. In that case, there would be no need to manually repair a lake. A large lake would directly form there.
But there were more than three thousand people living there. There were also temporary houses, tents, and other supplies. If there was a flood, they would all be gone. It would also make the road repair work unable to continue.
Therefore, before the rain started to fall, Zhang Zhong led a group of people to transport a lot of burlap sacks to that place. There were still some burlap sacks there. Zhang Zhong left behind the transport team behind and rode his horse all the way. Finally, they arrived at the place before Lightning and Thunder appeared.
He ordered people to stop the road repair work and rushed to the river. There, he began to fill the sacks, in case there was a flood and they were unprepared.
In addition to filling the sacks with sand and stones, some wood from the mountain was also transported down. Someone took a saw and began sawing out the trunk. When the time came, they would nail it into the river. Otherwise, the sacks would not be able to withstand the current. Once one was thrown into the river, another would be washed away. It could only be used under the condition of wooden stakes.
"Master, I think this river should be fine. The water is still shallow. Why don't we let them do it first? Master, you should take a rest. If something really happens, we'll have to rely on you to take charge here."
After the rain fell, the yamen runner in the inner courtyard tried to hold an umbrella over Zhang Zhong's head and advised in a low voice.
Zhang Zhong reached out and held the handle of the umbrella. He looked at the people working and nodded. "It's fine now, but I can't guarantee that it will be fine in the future. It's good to take a rest. I hope nothing will happen."
"Master, you are a literary star from heaven. If you say nothing will happen, then nothing will happen. Master, be careful." The yamen runner said. The place where he stood happened to block the blowing wind. In just a short while, his back was wet from the rain.
When Zhang Zhong walked to the door of a room, he suddenly remembered something. He ordered one of the guards, "Go back to the yamen immediately and tell them to load the coal in the warehouse onto the cart and bring it here. Remember to cover it with oilcloth and don't let it get wet.
Once it rains, we have to go into the house to cook. The firewood on the mountain can't be used. We can't eat it raw. It will be fine after a few days. Go quickly. "
The guard did not delay. He turned over and mounted the horse. Wearing only a bamboo hat, he whipped his whip and galloped away. His figure disappeared in the rain in the blink of an eye.
"Everyone else, don't be idle. The wind is strong. Be careful of the tents being blown away. See if any of the houses are leaking. Quickly plug it." Zhang Zhong still did not enter the house and shouted at the door. The yamen runners immediately ran to check the tents and houses.
Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan were also awakened by the continuous sound of thunder at this time. They lay there, unable to sleep, and stared at each other.
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.
