Chapter 4

Chu Huan walked to the pier with a package, the sky was gradually darkening. A small passenger boat was moored at the pier, looking rather old. A burly boatman was shouting something at the bow, and a gray-clothed boatman had already jumped onto the pier, ready to pull the anchor and set sail.

Chu Huan stepped forward, about to board the sampan, when the burly boatman walked to the edge of the sampan in two steps and waved his hand, saying, "Go away, there's no spare money to give you here."

Chu Huan smiled faintly, "Who asked for your money? I want to take the boat to Yunshan Prefecture!" As he spoke, the blade of grass in the corner of his mouth remained stuck there, not falling off.

The burly boatman sized him up a few times and said in a rough voice, "Beggars also change places. Smelly beggar, let me give you a piece of advice. Taiyuan Prefecture produces the most grain, and the lords and ladies have extra grain to give you a mouthful. In Yunshan Prefecture, there's not as much grain, so don't starve to death there."

Chu Huan said calmly, "Now I want to take the boat, and I'll pay you later. I am your lord now, so be careful with your words!"

The burly sailor laughed, and two other boatmen came over. One of the boatmen joked, "Smelly beggar, if you crawl on the ground and bark like a dog, we'll let you on the boat and won't even charge you. What do you think?"

Chu Huan was neither angry nor anxious, and said calmly, "My parents gave birth to me to speak human language, not to bark like a dog." With that, he stepped onto the sampan, ready to board the boat.

The burly boatman clenched his fist and sneered, "Get down, if you come up again, I'll throw you into the river to feed the fish!"

Chu Huan, with a blade of grass in the corner of his mouth, shook his head and sighed, "Pushing people too hard is not good for you. You only see my clothes, but I know that only the guard dogs at the gate judge people by their clothes... Don't look down on a poor young man, I'm determined to board this boat today!"

The burly boatman laughed coldly, and a sailor nearby picked up a stick, ready to attack. Chu Huan showed no fear and took large steps along the sampan.

The burly boatman cursed, "Really asking for death!" He raised his fist, took a step forward, and was about to hit Chu Huan when he heard a cold and stern voice, "Stop!"

The burly sailor was stopped by this voice, turned around, and saw a man in black tight-fitting clothes coming out of the cabin.

This man was burly, with thick eyebrows and big eyes, a square face, and a black band tied around his forehead. He had a broad back and a bear-like waist, and a knife hung from his waist. He walked over with large steps and frowned, "Why can't he board the boat? Isn't this a passenger boat? As long as he can pay, who can't board? Don't look down on a poor young man, that's a good saying!"

The boatmen, clearly intimidated by this man, the burly boatman smiled and said, "Sir, this is a beggar, where does he have the fare? It takes three or four days from here to Yunshan Prefecture, and it costs one string of coins. How can he afford it?"

The man in black clothes laughed coldly, "How do you know he can't afford it? If he really can't, you can find me later, and I'll pay for him."

Seeing the man speak like this, the boatmen looked at each other and didn't dare to say more. The burly boatman glared at Chu Huan and sneered, "This time you're lucky to meet a noble. But let me tell you, you can't enter the cabin in this state, so as not to shock the guests inside. You can stay on the deck at the bow or stern... hehe, you're used to sleeping on the ground and using the sky as a blanket, so you won't care about this!"

Chu Huan didn't say much, boarded the boat, and although the burly man reluctantly let him on, he was very disgusted with Chu Huan. As Chu Huan passed by him, he deliberately turned and bumped into him, seemingly casually, but with great force. However, when he bumped into Chu Huan, it was like bumping into a rock. Chu Huan, intentionally or unintentionally, met him halfway, so the sailor stumbled back two steps. Fortunately, a companion nearby quickly grabbed him, or he might have fallen into the river.

Chu Huan looked back and laughed mockingly, "Can't even stand, how can you be a boatman?" He shook his head, looked at the man in black, and this time took the blade of grass out of his mouth, smiling, "Thank you!"

The man in black nodded and didn't say much, turning back to the cabin. Chu Huan followed behind, wanting to enter the cabin, but the burly boatman shouted angrily, "I said you can't enter the cabin in this state, or you can't take the boat!"

Chu Huan frowned, turned around, and saw the burly boatman glaring at him. Before he could speak, he heard the sound of hooves from the shore. Looking up, he saw two horses galloping from the distance under the setting sun, moving very fast. The other boatmen also heard the hooves and thought passengers were coming, so they all turned their attention to the shore.

At a distance from the pier, the two horses suddenly stopped. Everyone could vaguely see that the riders were in black tight-fitting clothes, but they all wore conical hats, so their faces were not clear.

The boatman on the shore, who was pulling the anchor, called out loudly, "Are the two of you going south? The boat is about to leave, please board quickly!"

The two riders didn't move, and just as everyone was wondering, they suddenly turned their horses and galloped away, quickly disappearing from sight. The boatmen looked at each other, puzzled. A fifty-something old man came from the cabin corridor and scolded, "What are you all standing around for? Don't you have work to do?"

The boatmen finally reacted, and the burly boatman said, "Captain, the sun has already set, and no more passengers are likely to come. Should we leave?"

The captain's surname was Pan, and he had seven or eight boatmen under him. He walked to the bow and looked around. The shore was empty, with no one in sight. He nodded and said, "The boat is already crowded, let's go!"

The boatmen then started to pull in the sampan and raise the sail, preparing to set sail.

The burly boatman seemed to think of something and turned to look at the cabin door, but the young man who looked like a beggar was already gone. He couldn't help but curse softly, "Damn it!"

Captain Pan was right next to him and, hearing the curse, scowled and scolded, "Xue Lao Liu, how many times have I told you to change this habit? Did you eat shit? Why is your mouth so foul?"

Xue Lao Liu, the burly boatman, looked embarrassed and said, "Captain, a beggar just boarded the boat..." Before he could finish, Captain Pan looked around and shouted, "Where is he? Get him off the boat quickly!"

Xue Lao Liu hurriedly recounted what had happened, and Captain Pan's face lengthened as he lowered his voice, "When we reach Yunshan Prefecture, collect the fare from this beggar in advance. If he doesn't have it, you can ask that man for the fare. If you can't collect it, use your own wages to make up for it..." He didn't say more and turned to leave.

...

...

Chu Huan entered the cabin and felt it was quite crowded. The small space accommodated more than twenty people. When he entered, many people in the cabin looked at him. Seeing his disheveled appearance, many people frowned, and some even covered their noses, showing disgust.

However, when traveling, no one knew each other's background, so no one dared to cause trouble. Chu Huan casually scanned the cabin and saw the man in black who had helped him earlier. He nodded at the man, who also nodded but didn't say much. Next to him, two other men in black tight-fitting clothes were sitting in the cabin, clearly part of the same group.

Inside the cabin, there were three single cabins. The man in black and his two companions were sitting in front of the left single cabin. The doors of the three single cabins were closed, and those who could stay in them were either wealthy or of high status.

Chu Huan saw an empty spot in the corner and walked over, sitting down. Next to him was a middle-aged man in a long robe, with a long, pale face. He was holding a book. Seeing Chu Huan sit next to him, he frowned and moved inward, trying to keep a distance from Chu Huan.

Chu Huan could tell that this man in the long robe was likely a scholar, but the two patches on his robe indicated he had no official rank.

However, scholars generally considered themselves superior, even if they had no achievements, and looked down on lowly people like beggars.

However, he didn't see the three people, Su Linlang and her servants, in the cabin. Chu Huan knew they must be in one of the three single cabins. Before he could think more, the door of the single cabin on the right opened, and someone came out, quickly closing the door. Chu Huan recognized the old man who had given him alms on the shore.

The old man came out, and someone in the cabin immediately called out, "Old Su, come here and sit, I'll make room for you!" Another person said, "Old Su, we really have a connection this time, to be on the same boat. I always wanted to have a drink with you in Yunshan Prefecture, but you were always busy. Today is a good day, I brought a jar of good wine, let's drink together!"

The person calling the old man was also in fine clothes, clearly not an ordinary person, and they seemed to respect the old man greatly.

The old man, known as "Old Su," smiled and bowed, glancing at Chu Huan in the corner. He was surprised for a moment, then walked over and sat between the scholar and Chu Huan, smiling kindly, "Young brother, are you also going to Yunshan Prefecture?"

Chu Huan felt some affection for the old man, who, despite his apparent status, didn't mind his appearance and sat next to him. He smiled and nodded, "Yes, I'm going to Yunshan Prefecture. Thank you for your help earlier on the shore!"

The old man shook his head and smiled, "No need to thank me. When traveling, who doesn't have difficulties? By the way, your accent isn't exactly Yunshan, but it has a hint of Yunshan. Have you lived in Yunshan Prefecture before?"

Chu Huan said, "To be honest, I was born in Yunshan Prefecture, but I left and haven't been back for many years."

The old man nodded slightly, about to say something, but then heard a sudden cry. Everyone in the cabin was startled and looked in the direction of the cry. It was the scholar next to Chu Huan, who was sobbing loudly.

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