"How about this?" He shifted slightly, letting my head nestle in his chest. "Is it better?"
"That's much better, thank you... Xiao Zuo?"
"Um?"
"Sleeping on horseback is really uncomfortable."
"We need to get going as soon as possible."
"I know... it's just so bumpy, I think even a flea wouldn't be able to fall asleep..."
I kept my eyes closed while he said these words. When I opened them again, Xiao Zuo's voice rang out above my head: "You're not a flea, so you're asleep."
Meanwhile, the first rays of morning sunlight pierced through the thin mist and shone on the swiftly flowing river not far away.
The Yellow River—we've arrived.
Volume 1, Chapter 4: A Sudden Turmoil (1)
Chapter 1 Du San Niang
The first thing I saw was not the Yellow River, but a boat.
The ship was long and narrow, painted black, and a woman stood facing the wind at the black bow, her red dress fluttering, as if her whole being was on fire.
She turned her head to the side and tied her hair up with a silk scarf that matched her bright red dress. Two twisted silver bracelets on her smooth arms glittered in the sunlight.
Seeing such a beautiful scene, I suddenly felt very happy and turned around to smile at Baili Chenfeng behind me.
He immediately dismounted and reached out his hand to me. This man was truly a gentleman; he maintained a safe distance from me throughout the journey and never overstepped his bounds.
I landed and looked at Gong Feicui, who was gazing at the calm river with great curiosity. She said, "I floated on the Yellow River to the capital, hoisting my sail as I approached the endless waves. Could Li Bai have been lying?"
Xiao Zuo replied with a grin, "Replying to Miss: Li Bai wouldn't dare to lie to you. It's just that it's early spring now, and the flood season hasn't started yet, so the water level is relatively low."
Gong Feicui chuckled and rolled her eyes at him, then suddenly exclaimed "Eh!" and pointed ahead, saying, "Sister Qiansu, look at that woman, she's quite special."
I glanced at the bow of the boat again. The woman in red had her face upturned and her eyes closed, seemingly enjoying the feeling of the wind blowing through her. Actually, she wasn't beautiful; her forehead was too high and her lips too thick. But for some reason, she exuded a certain charm: vulgar, yet extremely alluring... Just as I was about to speak, Xiao Zuo praised her, "She's truly a woman with a certain allure."
I nodded and said, "That's right..."
“Master Feng,” Gong Feicui interrupted me coldly, “hurry up and hire a boat to cross the river.”
I was taken aback at first, then I saw Xiao Zuo trying to suppress his laughter, so I shook my head inwardly and turned to order the iron cavalry to hire a boat.
The cavalrymen quickly returned, their faces grave. "Reporting to the commander," they said, "all the boats on the river have been chartered!"
I had barely raised an eyebrow when Baili Chenfeng asked, "Who chartered the boat?"
"It is said that a high-ranking official was retiring to his hometown, accompanied by hundreds of attendants and a large amount of goods."
Xiao Zuo looked around and asked, "Why can't we see them?"
The subordinate replied, "They said they're on their way and will arrive in another hour."
Baili Chenfeng frowned: "We can't wait an hour."
Gong Feicui sneered, "Tell them whoever takes us across the river will get double the price!"
The subordinates went to ask again, but returned with dejected faces: "Reporting to Miss, they all said they were afraid of that high-ranking official and dared not transfer us."
"Even after retiring from public life, he can still act arrogantly?" Xiao Zuo nodded thoughtfully. "It seems this fallen phoenix still retains some of its former power."
Hearing his analogy, Gong Feicui gave him a half-smile and a half-glare, saying, "Ten times the reward."
"Even a hundredfold bounty won't help." A loud voice suddenly interrupted. I turned my head and saw that the woman in red had somehow gotten off the bow of the ship and was walking gracefully towards us.
Baili Chenfeng asked in a deep voice, "Why?"
“Although that corrupt official has retired to his hometown, his son still holds a high position in the court, and happens to be in charge of river transport. Which boatman wouldn't want to die for a temporary reward and ruin his own livelihood?” She paused, looked at Gong Feicui, and smiled. “Unless—”
"Unless what?"
“Unless you give me the chain around your neck, I will not take you across the river.”
Before Gong Feicui could speak, Xiao Zuo asked with a grin, "Aren't you afraid of cutting off your own path to survival?"
The woman laughed loudly, "With that chain, our family can enjoy a life of luxury for ten or twenty years wherever we go. Why would we need to toil away at this Yellow River ferry crossing, rowing for a living? We'll never have to put up with the officials again. How easy and carefree that would be..."
It's surprising that a mere boatwoman has such discerning taste; the pearl necklace around Gong Feicui's neck is indeed the finest of the finest. She touched her own necklace, hesitated for only a moment, then decisively said, "Alright, here you go."
Then he turned to Baili Chenfeng and said, "This debt will be recorded on Baili City Wall!"
Xiao Zuo stroked his chin and said with a wry smile, "So that's why you're so generous. Turns out you don't want to suffer even the slightest loss."
Gong Feicui showed no remorse and said loudly, "Don't forget, I'm a businesswoman. A businesswoman has to plan everything carefully."
After saying that, he took off the beaded necklace and handed it over.