Republic of China: Guandong Ginseng King

Chapter 30 To Anton

Qu Shaoyang prescribed seven days' worth of medicine for Wang Changliang, paid the money, thanked Doctor Chen, and turned to leave.

"Oh, it's already this late, you haven't eaten yet?

Your aunt is cooking right now, why don't you stay and have a bite to eat before you leave?" Doctor Chen politely tried to persuade her to stay.

"No, no, I'm busy over there. It's getting late. I have to go back quickly."

It was just a polite gesture. How could Qu Shaoyang be so thick-skinned as to really stay for dinner? So he said goodbye to Doctor Chen and left quickly.

When Doctor Chen saw Qu Shaoyang leave, he shook his head, sighed, and turned back to the back room.

"Dad, where is Brother Qu?" Chen Xiuyun was helping her mother pick and wash vegetables. When she saw Doctor Chen enter the room alone, she asked hurriedly.

"He got the medicine and left." Doctor Chen said casually without paying attention.

"Oh, Dad, look at you, it's already this late, just let him have a meal.

I was also thinking of bringing him some medicine for bruises, hemostasis and pain relief.

They are just wooden handles, and they may bump into something at any time, so it is not convenient to find a doctor." Chen Xiuyun stamped her feet anxiously.

"Everyone has his own destiny. You don't need to worry about it." After cooking a dish, Doctor Chen's wife looked up and glared at her daughter, and said.

When Doctor Chen heard what his wife said, he couldn't help but sigh, "Alas, Xiaoqu is a very smart child, but it's a pity that he became a wooden handle.

No matter how good a person is, he won’t learn anything good if he follows those fools for two years.”

On the morning of the eighth day of June, after breakfast, the gang members rowed the boat and set sail again.

Erzou Wang Changliang was seriously injured. Originally, Shui Laowu said that he would find a family in the local area to let Wang Changliang stay and recuperate.

But Wang Changliang refused and insisted on following the raft.

In desperation, Shui Laowu could only let Wang Changliang go to the upper row and lie down in the flower shed to recuperate.

Li Yongfu, the second counter clerk, still has his leg in a splint and has no choice but to use crutches.

Some of the others were almost done, while others were not. In order not to delay the delivery of the timber, they had to grit their teeth and endure.

Erzhao is recuperating from his injuries, and Zhao Da Kui and Song Laojiu are gone, which means there are three less people working.

Now that they had arrived in Anton, it was not worthwhile to hire more wooden handles, so when they re-arranged the rows, they reduced the original ten sets to nine.

Bian oarsman Qu Shaoyang temporarily replaced Wang Changliang as the second oarsman.

The raft drifted down the river. Shui Laowu and Qu Shaoyang stood at the head of the raft, watching the mountains on both sides of the river rising and falling and receding backwards.

"Lenghu'er, look at the riverside. Those are the graves of our raftsmen. Generation after generation, I don't know how many wood handles have been buried here."

“Of those who used to raft with me, only a few are left now.

Lenghu'er, listen to the master's advice. This business won't last long. Save some money while you are young, buy a house and land in the future, and live a down-to-earth life. "

A few days ago, Qu Shaoyang officially became Shui Laowu's disciple, and now the two are in a master-disciple relationship.

In front of outsiders, Qu Shaoyang called the water crow "Touareg", but in private, he called him "Master".

Shui Laowu has no wife or children in his life. He finally accepted an apprentice and treated Qu Shaoyang as his own son.

"Oh, I understand. I'll listen to Master."

Qu Shaoyang had long seen through that rafting and logging was not a long-term solution, but it was just a temporary solution as he still had three years left on his contract.

The raft floated on the river for another seven or eight days, passing smoothly through the Mamianshi, Tuditai, Yaquan, Yandaiguo, Yangyutou and other checkpoints, and finally arrived at the last checkpoint near Andong, Mashitai. Mashitai was formerly called Hushan. As early as the Ming Dynasty, it was a big horse market for trade with neighboring countries, and gradually became a prosperous market.

Especially in the middle and late Qing Dynasty, most of the rafts coming down from Changbai Mountain stopped here. For a time, every household became a "half-open door" or "sea platform", and they specialized in making wooden handles.

There is a saying among the woodcutters: "When the woodcutters arrive at Mashitai, the woodcutters are unwilling to return home."

This shows the attraction of Mashitai to the muba.

The mountains on both sides of Mashitai, shaped like crouching tigers, block the river. The water is deep, the wind is strong, and the waves are surging. And after passing the first three connected small checkpoints, there is the last checkpoint.

There are large and small outposts, and each one is connected to another. The old guard always says that the three small outposts are easier to pass, but the Ma Shi Tai is more difficult to pass.

The first row with the flag of "Qian Xiucheng's Old Row" was in the front and was the first to enter the turbulent waters of Mashitai.

As soon as the raft entered the sentry post, it was tossed left and right by the waves, jumping up and down. The river water surged, throwing the raft to the top of the waves, and then it fell again, and was thrown into the wave valley again.

The waves here are strong and the river is deep. If you are not careful, the front of the raft may go into the water, and both people and the raft will be in danger.

The water crow remained calm and composed, standing at the head of the raft and giving orders. The rafts, one after another, all passed the last dangerous hurdle smoothly.

At dusk, the raft docked.

On the river bank, countless women dressed in red and green, with makeup on, waved their handkerchiefs and greeted the porters with smiles on their faces.

With the water crow keeping them at bay and the raft not yet reaching the South China Sea and their wages not yet paid, the guys on the raft, although nervous as a cat, at least managed to control themselves and no one went ashore.

At night, everyone rested on the raft by the river bank. Early the next morning, the raft continued to move forward.

The further the raft went, the wider the river became. The river, which had been flowing for more than a thousand miles and had been busy and rushing all the way, finally slowed down its pace at this moment.

Going further, the water and sky are vast, and there are many boats coming and going with flags waving.

"Go ahead and you will reach Dadonggou. Our big cabinet has a dock here. I'll have to trouble you to park the raft at the dock."

Li Yongfu rested for a few days and his leg injury gradually improved, but he still couldn't throw away the crutch.

Each lumberyard has its own dock in Dadonggou, with a large flag with the name of the lumberyard written on it.

On the river bank, there were people and horses bustling about, and wood was everywhere.

On the river bank, there were vendors selling goods on stalls, waiters soliciting customers in restaurants and casinos, and girls in seductive and gorgeous clothes. The river bank was bustling with people.

Qu Shaoyang jumped between the rafts to check their readiness for docking.

Under the command of the old crow in the water at the front, nine rafts came ashore one after another and gathered together.

The counter arranged people to come to the dock to check every day, so as soon as the raft docked, the people from the counter arrived immediately.

Li Yongfu was standing under the row of poles, leaning on a crutch. Twenty or so guys gathered together to listen to Li Yongfu's summary of this season's row of poles.

"My dear men, we have been rafting for more than two months this season, and now we have reached the end point, Dachao Bay in the South China Sea.

I have to give an account to the big boss and also make transactions with old timber customers from all over the place, so I may have to stay here for a few days.

Now, I will pay everyone their salaries, and then everyone can do as they please. "

At this point, Li Yongfu paused for a moment and said, "I will also pay Zhao Dagui and Song Laojiu's salaries.

But I can't go back for the time being, so I'll have to trouble Touzao to help bring them back to their families."

(End of this chapter)