Angry Banana
Chapter 198 The Journey
It is said that the Sui Dynasty was destroyed because of this river, and to this day, thousands of miles still depend on its smooth flow. Search: \(、finished、book、god、station、) Free to read high-quality literature. If there were no water palace dragon boat affairs, it wouldn't be too much to discuss the merits together with Yu the Great.
As the longest artificial canal in the world, the Grand Canal stretches from Zhuojun in the north to Hangzhou in the south, running through the Yangtze River and the Yellow River. South of the Yangtze River, the section of the canal originating in Zhenjiang is called the Jiangnan River.
The Jiangnan region is prosperous. From Zhenjiang southward, boats come and go along the waterway, making the Jiangnan River worthy of its name as one of the busiest sections of the Grand Canal. The water flow in this waterway is gentle, and the surrounding mountains are not as magnificent as those along the Yangtze River. Between the undulations, the green of the mountains and waters does not appear deep. Occasionally, there are dilapidated docks, small villages, fields, or roads parallel to the river. On the roads, one can occasionally see pedestrians and passing ox carts, setting off the boats going back and forth on the river, truly giving a sense of tranquility in Jiangnan.
The Jiangnan River is about twenty meters wide, but the water is not very deep, usually only about two meters. On both sides of the river, there are occasional low-lying areas, forming layers of reed beds. Nearby, fishermen row their boats, and cormorants and other water birds rise and fall, gobbling up the fish in the water. In the sunlight, the scenes on the water are quiet yet pleasant, embodying the artistic conception of landscape paintings.
This long waterway carries the water transportation of the Taihu Lake and Yangtze River area, and also carries the lives of families living by the water for nearly a thousand miles. It was afternoon, and a painted boat was traveling on the waterway near Changzhou. Although it was called a painted boat, its decoration was not as magnificent as the boats in the Qinhuai River area. The boat had two floors, making it much more comfortable than the average merchant ships and passenger ships that traveled this waterway. It was clear that only wealthy families could afford to rent it. At this time, the boat was moving slowly on the river, and the sound of talking was ringing in a room on the second floor in the summer sun.
"...Dark clouds cover the sky, and the flood is滔滔.只见that Fahai flies in the sky, shouting: 'Great Mighty Heavenly Dragon, World Honored Ksitigarbha, Prajna叭嘛吽!' The kasaya on his body unfolds, covering the sky and the sun, lifting the entire Jinshan Temple into the sky... Dang! To know what happens next, please listen to the next chapter."
From the sound in the cabin, it seemed that someone was telling a story. The story was at a fierce and tense point when this sentence suddenly rang out. A group of people were probably stunned for a moment, followed by a chorus of protests.
"Don't end it with 'to be continued'..."
"Young master, young master..."
"Brother-in-law, you can't do this."
"What happened to that Fahai and Bai Suzhen..."
"Jinshan Temple is so big, how can it fly into the sky, how can it fly, how can it fly..."
The voices were mixed, male and female, chaotic for a while. The storyteller probably took a sip of water: "Hey, you guys are going too far, I've been telling stories all afternoon... How Jinshan Temple flew up, you guys saw Jinshan Temple yesterday too, it can fly however you imagine it to fly, you have to have imagination..."
"But what kind of Buddhist chant is 'Great Mighty Heavenly Dragon, World Honored Ksitigarbha, Prajna叭嘛吽'? Young master, young master, Buddhism doesn't say that..."
"It sounds very powerful, besides, what do you know, you little girl..."
"Juan'er has read Buddhist scriptures, Juan'er, you tell us..."
"Master Fahai is so powerful."
"Tsk, finished, Juan'er has a crush, someone go hit her..."
"No, young master."
"Brother-in-law, does Buddhism really have such supernatural powers?"
"You believe it?"
The chattering and clamoring continued. On the aisle on the side of the deck on the first floor, there was also a woman leaning there, looking at the flowing river with a leisurely expression. She was wearing a goose-yellow and moon-white dress, with a white shawl draped over her shoulders, and she held a small fan in her hand. She was still young, but her hair was tied up in a married woman's bun. The mixture of youthful innocence and mature leisure made people see at a glance that she was a married lady from a prominent family.
This group of people was naturally Ning Yi and his party traveling south.
This trip to Hangzhou was partly for tourism, and also because Su Tan'er was planning to expand the focus of her business in the Hangzhou area, in order to slightly differentiate her influence and that of her father within the eldest branch of the family. Therefore, in addition to her, Ning Yi, Chan'er and other three maids, a trusted accountant from the family, two shopkeepers and their families, maids, servants, and guards also traveled with them. In addition, Su Wen Ding and Su Wen Fang, two cousins who were closer to the eldest branch of the family before, also followed along, accompanying their cousin Su Tan'er to Hangzhou for experience.
As a result, there were about thirty people in total, and Su Tan'er rented this relatively comfortable two-story painted boat. They had stayed in Zhenjiang for a few days to play, and naturally went to Jinshan Temple in Zhenjiang. In fact, Jinshan Temple in Zhenjiang at this time had already changed its name twice, first to Longyou Temple, and currently it is called Shenxiao Yuqing Longevity Palace, but the previous name was naturally still remembered. When everyone mentioned it, Ning Yi told the story of the Legend of the White Snake to scare people, using the version of Xu Ke's "Green Snake". Before the story was finished, Chan'er and others seemed to be fascinated by the Fahai that Ning Yi had rendered so handsome, while Wen Ding and Wen Fang and others could not help but have fantasies about the two charming snake demons.
After lunch, in addition to the three maids and two cousins, even the families of several accountants and shopkeepers gathered on the upper deck to listen to the story. In addition, the accompanying servants and guards, such as Dong Zhu and Geng the guard, also listened with great interest in the corridor on the second floor. During the past few days of playing in Zhenjiang, everyone had long understood the humor and amiability of this young master of the house, so there was not too much restraint. Su Tan'er was originally interested in these stories, but after everyone gathered, she came down once and saw that it was crowded above, so she did not go up again. The two floors of the painted boat were not high, and she could hear clearly from the side of the ship. She stood here blowing the wind and looking at the scenery, and actually listened to the story here.
If it was in the past, although Su Tan'er had been dressed as a married woman since getting married, she still had the maturity of the business world. But if you really want to talk about the temperament of a married woman, it was actually a bit rigid. At this time, that rigidity was completely gone. At this time, she stood here and did not go up, listening to the lively atmosphere, the feeling of being proud of her husband sitting in charge and being liked by everyone.
Before getting married, she had never thought about this kind of thing. She also had the aura of being good at socializing in the business world and becoming the center of attention. If everyone was sitting together, she could also attract the attention of others with a few words and prevent the atmosphere from getting cold, but being kind and humorous was not her forte. 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, she was occasionally said to be like Wu Zetian, which was naturally unavoidable.
If there was any expectation in the past, it was only to hope that this husband would not be too dull after getting married, and would always greet people and not offend people too much, and that would be enough. She had never thought that this husband could control every occasion so well. For example, she had also asked about Ning Yi's showdown with Wu Qilong. The Wu family was able to accept their fate so quickly, probably because her husband had completely swept away Wu Qilong's confidence in a few words. And at this time, he could make Wen Ding and Wen Fang and others as harmonious as ordinary family members. She could do the former, but she was afraid that she could not do the latter in terms of family members.
She felt the happiness in it, and there was naturally a bit of charm in her smile, like Bai Suzhen in "Green Snake", gentle and sweet.
Although it was noisy above, since Ning Yi had said that it was the end of the story, others would naturally not pester him to tell it. For Chan'er, Juan'er, and Xing'er, he was always the master even if he was kind. For Wen Ding, Wen Fang, and others, Ning Yi, even if he was kind, always maintained a strong aura. To some extent, perhaps only Su the Old Master of the Su family could possess a stronger sense of oppression, and others were even less likely to force Ning Yi to finish the story. Although there were a few jokes, everyone was more enthusiastic about discussing the plot of the story and guessing the sequel.
After a while, Ning Yi and Su Wen Ding and Su Wen Fang came down to the deck, talking and laughing. When they saw Su Tan'er, Wen Ding and Wen Fang said a few more words before leaving. Ning Yi took a teacup, looked at his wife who was lightly shaking her fan over there, and walked over with a smile. Su Tan'er also squinted her eyes: "It's too hateful, I still want to listen..."
"You didn't say so just now."
"The White Snake liked a human man in order to repay a debt of gratitude, and Fahai subdued demons and exorcised evil spirits out of kindness, also fulfilling his duty. Husband, who do you think is wrong in the end?"
"If I were Xu Xian, then the one who was wrong would naturally be Fahai. If I were Fahai, then the one who was wrong would naturally be Xu Xian."
"Huh? How could it be Xu Xian?"
"If I were Fahai, and I had become a monk, of course I would be annoyed by Xu Xian, so I would break them up. As for why I would break them up, of course it would be because I took a fancy to Bai Suzhen..."
"Heh..." Tan'er couldn't help but laugh, then slightly straightened her face, "Husband, don't make such jokes, there is Buddhist philosophy in the story."
Ning Yi shrugged, not arguing. At this time, the boat was traveling to a place with dense reeds, and turned slightly. The sunlight turned the shadow of the ship's side as the painted boat turned. In sight, the river bank was a low, undulating mountain range, and the trees were stirred by the warm wind, shaking thousands of leaves. A few birds and rolling dust flew into the sky together. The couple stood there looking at the scenery. Ning Yi took a sip of tea, and Tan'er was probably a little thirsty, so she took the cup from Ning Yi's hand and took a sip, then held it in her hand. In the cabin behind them, probably the children of the two shopkeepers ran past the aisle, shouting: "Great Mighty Heavenly Dragon, World Honored... um Zang... la la la la la..." Perhaps they couldn't remember the words, making people laugh.
Although the Jiangnan River is an artificial canal and the riverbed is not deep, the water quality is actually very good after so many years of excavation. Looking from the boat, the river is rippling with green waves. Su Wen Ding and Su Wen Fang did not know what they were talking and laughing about while looking at the river below at the bow of the boat. When they looked over here, Ning Yi smiled and said, "What? Have you figured it out?"
Su Wen Ding curled his lips: "Brother-in-law, it's a disgrace to scholarship." Ning Yi then laughed.
Su Tan'er didn't know what they were talking about. She asked a question, and heard Ning Yi explain that Su Wen Ding and Su Wen Fang were pestering Ning Yi to tell a story, and Ning Yi said that they could swim across the river and he would tell them. In fact, although he still had some swimming skills, he had very few opportunities to go into the water after coming here, and he thought he couldn't swim very well. However, Wen Ding and Wen Fang prided themselves on being scholars and were unwilling to do things that disregarded their image.
Su Tan'er listened and gave Ning Yi a roll of her eyes with a smile, then said that he was a disgrace to scholarship. She leaned her head to look at the water.
In fact, the average water depth of the Jiangnan River is only two meters. Right now it is the flood season, and it will not rise much. As long as you can swim, you will not drown if you go down. Ning Yi looked at the water with her and asked, "Can you swim?"
Su Tan'er smiled: "I can swim a little, but I haven't swum in a long time."
"If there's a chance, you can try it..."
Ning Yi muttered to himself, and Su Tan'er slightly pouted her lips, acting angry, and gave him a roll of her eyes: "Husband is always talking nonsense. If I go down, and people see me, where will husband's honor go..."
"Ahem, just talking, you can build a pool yourself in the future..."
The two joked about this for a while. The nearly two hundred miles of waterway from Danyang to Wuxi on the Jiangnan River is a straight line. Except for the swamps where there is silt, there is almost no need to turn, and they are all going with the current. However, after a while, the wind blew in the opposite direction. Ning Yi and Su Tan'er looked towards the southeast, and saw that thick rain clouds had already piled up in the sky over there. The edge of the clouds was like a black line drawn in the sky, and the sky over there was weighed down by the clouds.
At this time, everyone on the boat had noticed the rain clouds. Su Tan'er looked up at it for a while, and Chan'er also brought a basin and ran out of the cabin to Su Tan'er's side and said, "Young master, isn't this the heavenly soldiers and generals coming to catch the White Snake?"
Su Tan'er put her arm around the maid's shoulder and smiled as she held her in front of her: "Maybe it is."
The old boatman who steered the boat had already arrived on the deck at this time, frowning as he looked up at the cloud. The old boatman's surname was Gu, and Ning Yi said with a smile: "Uncle Gu, I have also learned a little bit about reading the weather by looking at the clouds. Looking at the clouds today, it seems that there will be a heavy rain." He had learned some tips on reading the weather by looking at the clouds from the boatman a few days ago, and at this time, he was using them for practical application.
The old boatman also laughed: "What the master says is true. Looking at the momentum of the clouds, there should be a thunderstorm, but it's okay here. It's actually a special taste to sail in this kind of wind and rain."
Su Tan'er said: "Will there be big wind and waves on the Jiangnan River?"
"There are some wind and waves, but not big ones. Our boat is big. If it were the Yangtze River section, this kind of weather would be considered big wind and waves, but it can still handle it. The sea is where the real big wind and waves are. The mountains are lower here, so it can blow up a big wind, but the water is not deep, so there won't be big waves no matter what. Some people like to come to the boat to play when the wind is strong, saying it's exciting. Oh, over here... what's the poem that says? 'Seven hundred miles of peaceful river, fertile land in two or three prefectures. Sitting, one has the interest of lakes and mountains, and traveling, one has no worries about wind and waves.' That's what it says about the Jiangnan River."
This old man could even recite poetry, which surprised everyone. Ning Yi said with a smile: "Uncle Gu is still a refined person. Wen Ding and Wen Fang, test you, who wrote this poem?"
Su Wen Ding thought for a while, but Su Wen Fang immediately waved his hand with a smile: "Brother-in-law, you underestimate us too much, it's a poem by Bai Letian of the Tang Dynasty."
Bai Letian was Bai Juyi. Ning Yi nodded and laughed: "I confess, I actually forgot." He was telling the truth, he had never seen this poem before. The others all laughed, and no one believed him.
The old boatman directed two boatmen to lower the sails. At the end of the field of vision, the strong wind was rolling up the rain clouds, pressing over here... (To be continued.) Please vote for recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
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