Farmhouse Green Plum

Chapter 655 Gossip

He smiled innocently at the boatmen and said, "Hey guys, what's going on? Why are there so many boats waiting here? Could it be that the toll has gone up again? We're all here to discuss the matter."

"Bah! This is even more unlucky than raising the lock toll!" A boatman immediately spat.

Another person was a little surprised, "Such a big thing, don't you know about it?"

Yuan Qing scratched his head. "What's the matter?"

The man's eyes widened, and he threw the handkerchief in his hand over the side of the boat. "Hey! You sailors, do you have donkey hair stuffed in your ears? You don't even know about such a big thing, and you dare to rush around in the canal!"

A while ago, there was a big disturbance in Dongchang Prefecture. Japanese pirates hijacked three grain ships and sank them, along with the people and boats. Not a single person escaped."

Yuan Qing's eyes flickered, and he slapped his thigh as if suddenly realizing something. "Oh! You're talking about this incident, we know about it, but didn't it happen in Dongchang Prefecture? What does it have to do with our Nanyang Gate?"

"Oh, you're such a blockhead!" the boatman shook his head. "The Canal Administration has already issued a death order. Soldiers have been posted to every sluice gate, canal, city gate, official road, and side road to investigate the Japanese pirates and their accomplices."

At this point, he raised his hand and pointed to the dock in the distance, "Look over there, there are three small flags of transport soldiers checking."

Yuan Qing's eyesight was not very good, and it was twilight, so he could not see clearly. However, according to the regulations of the garrison, a small flag had ten people under its command. Because of the ghost soldiers, there were actually only seven or six people. In other words, there were about twenty grain soldiers on the dock.

He frowned, then quickly relaxed, looking surprised. "Nanyang is just a small town, how come there are so many?"

"Some officials are dead," the boatman said, curling his lips. "When the Japanese pirates robbed ordinary people like us, the officials didn't even bother to raise their eyelids, let alone make an effort to search for and crack down on the pirates."

Another boatman interjected, "I heard he was a Hanlin. His father died, so he took the canal boat back to his hometown to mourn. Tsk tsk, now he doesn't have to mourn for his father anymore, he can go straight to the underworld to pay his respects!"

As soon as he finished speaking, there was a burst of laughter on the nearby river. Several boatmen laughed so hard that they fell over and slapped the side of the boat.

Someone slapped his thigh and echoed, "This filial piety is so satisfying! We even saved money on the coffin!"

People burst into laughter again.

Inside the cabin, Yu Lingwan was shaking with anger, and her nails dug deep into Zhang's flesh to restrain herself from making a sound and rushing out.

Song Ying reached out and pried open her clenched fingers one by one, whispering to her in a soothing voice, "Editor Zhang has a reputation as pure as snow. They only say this if they don't know what kind of person he is."

As she spoke, Yu Lingwan gradually loosened his grip, but deep crescent marks had been left on his palms by his nails, and blood was even oozing from one spot.

Song Ying's forehead twitched. "Sister, they are just strangers. Their opinions are not important. Don't hurt yourself because of these insignificant people."

Yu Lingwan took a breath. "I know, but I'm still angry. My husband is wholeheartedly working for the people, yet they say this to me."

Song Ying sighed. People are like this. They understand the truth, but when it happens to them, they still feel emotional.

She had no choice but to hold Yu Lingwan's hand and whisper to her to distract her. "The boatman just said that there are checkpoints and searches on the river and on land. This is going to be troublesome."

Yu Lingwan let out a breath, suppressed her worry about her husband, and focused her thoughts on her current situation.

All the roads are blocked, and it is a desperate situation for them now.

She looked at her daughter sleeping beside her. Could it be that they were going to die here?

No! She was unwilling to accept this. She hadn't even reunited with her husband or seen her son yet. How could she die like this?

But how can I escape?

Yu Lingwan looked out the window at the dark night, her eyes filled with confusion.

Outside, Yuan Qing winked at Chu Dajiang, and while everyone was discussing heatedly, he slowly rowed the boat to the edge where there were fewer people.

Chu Dajiang hurriedly asked in a low voice: "Mr. Yuan, what should we do now?"

Yuan Qing pursed her lips and said, "Let's find a suitable place to dock. I'll go over and take a look at the situation."

"How can that be possible!" Chu Dajiang hurriedly stopped him, "You're just a weak scholar. If they find out what you're up to, you won't be able to escape!"

He hesitated for a moment and looked at Chu Dahe, "Brother, please go over and see what's going on at the dock."

Chu Dahe nodded, said nothing, and jumped onto a rock not far away.

Yuan Qing was immediately shocked. He had been on the canal boat for so long, but he had no idea that Chu Dahe was such a powerful master. He could jump over a height of about two meters just like that!

Seeing his surprise, Chu Dajiang explained, "My cousin is extremely talented and skilled in martial arts. He can wield a 30-pound iron spear like a piece of candlewood. With his skills, even if he is really discovered, he can escape safely."

After seeing that leap, Yuan Qing believed it without a doubt. With one leap he moved two meters far, which showed that his leg skills were very impressive and he must be good at running!

Seeing that the boat had not moved for a long time, Song Ying and Nanny Zhang also came out, leaving Yanqiu alone to take care of Yu Lingwan and the child.

Chu Dahe returned soon. "They probably aren't sure whether we are in Nanyang or not, but the locks are very strict. No ships other than official ones will be allowed to pass."

"What should I do?" Chu Dajiang frowned, "It's a pity that I'm only familiar with the water and don't know much about the situation on land.

Otherwise, let's go ashore and try our luck. We might find a road that few people know about."

Yuan Qing said: "We should go ashore first, but how to proceed from now on will depend on the situation."

Since no one is allowed to pass, those who are stopped can only go ashore and enter the city. They are now pretending to be poor fishermen. Even if they have no money to stay in an inn, according to the people's thinking, they should stay under the city wall to ensure safety as much as possible.

If you don't go, it will seem abnormal.

Song Ying glanced towards the brightly lit dock and said, "Sister Lingwan was pregnant before. They must be very sensitive to pregnant women and babies. We have to find a way to prevent them from discovering the baby."

Nanny Zhang was very worried about facing the close search of the grain transport soldiers. "Doctor Song, do you have any way to make us look like we have some contagious disease so that they won't dare to check us too much?"

"No!" Song Ying rejected it outright. "A disease that can be transmitted to humans will cause panic wherever it goes. Too much attention will make it difficult for us to hide it later."

Yuan Qing also said, "This matter is of great importance. For a disease like this that requires avoiding people, the search may be more thorough."

Aunt Zhang frowned. "Are we just going to accept their search like this? What if someone reveals a flaw?"