The journey of the only child of a peasant family to take the imperial examination

Everyone carried their bags and followed them to the ferry. The village chief looked at the bags hanging on everyone's backs and couldn't help but say, "A raft can only accommodate three people. You're carrying so much stuff, there's no room. Didn't we just agree with your leader that each person can only carry a small bag, and the remaining luggage will be used to pay for our fare?"

Ma couldn't help but tighten the bag around her body and said, "Our bag isn't that big. We left quite a lot behind in the car just now."

The others nodded and agreed, "It can't be any less, we need it all!"

Zhang was also distressed. "How about this, let's go to the ferry first and see what happens. If we really can't take her, we can discuss what to do next!"

"It's up to you. You'll know when you go and see. But let me make it clear first, our village doesn't have any more sheepskin rafts and bamboo rafts. If you insist on taking your luggage with you, you can only split into two groups. Half of the people will stay and wait until we come back tomorrow. The boat fare will also have to be increased," said the village chief indifferently. He could see that this group of guests were very anxious to go to the provincial capital, and he had his own thoughts in his words.

How could Zhang Ping'an and Zhang Shi not see through it, but the situation was stronger than people, so they didn't say anything more at the moment. Everyone would know when they got to the ferry, and they would have to throw it away even if they didn't want to.

After walking for nearly two quarters of an hour, we arrived at Heifeng Ferry, which was about two or three miles outside the village.

It was called a ferry, but in fact it was just a row of wooden stakes driven into the riverbank to tie up sheepskin rafts and bamboo rafts, and a wooden trestle close to the ground. There were already seven or eight boatmen waiting on the riverbank.

On both sides of the river are sandy land on one side and rocky mountains on the other, with some crooked pine trees sparsely growing there. The entire water surface is eerily quiet, and from time to time a cold wind blows from the mountain side, making a whistling sound. When you walk to the shore and look into the water, you can't see the bottom at a glance, and it can be seen that the water is very deep.

In addition, the weather was bad, there was no sun, and the sky was gloomy, which made the ferry look very creepy.

"Oh my god, I have goose bumps. Why is it so quiet?" Qian Yongde rubbed his arms and muttered.

The village chief was used to it and explained, "Our ferry is upstream, and the water is much deeper than downstream, so you can't hear the sound of the running water, which is why it feels quiet. Plus, it's remote, so naturally there are fewer people taking the boat. Otherwise, our village wouldn't be so poor. But our prices are the most reasonable, and our people are better swimmers than those in other villages, so don't worry."

"Village chief, please come here quickly, otherwise we won't be able to rest in the reed marsh before dark," the boatman on the riverbank shouted at the top of his voice.

The sound startled several water birds, which fluttered up from the water, scaring everyone even more.

"Let's go," Zhang Pingan said first.

Zhang and Zhang Laoer followed closely.

Everyone had no choice but to hurry up and keep up. At this time, gathering together gave them a little sense of security.

When they got close to the riverbank, the boatman on the riverbank picked up the large gourds on the boat and handed them to everyone, saying, "Adults, tie two and children, one. Tie them around your waists. If you fall into the water, we can rescue you."

Zhang Ping'an and his father looked at each other and were completely relieved. He actually thought of preparing gourds for them, which showed that he was a serious boatman.

Jin Bao picked up the gourd and asked curiously, "Can it float just by relying on this person?"

One of the boatmen replied without even looking up, "Of course you can. Those who are a little better at swimming can even use this gourd to cross the river. We call it a waist boat."

Qian Yongde's eyes lit up when he heard this. He squeezed to the front and said with a flattering smile, "Brother, I'm strong, and two gourds may not be enough. How about giving me one more?"

The village chief glanced at him and said disdainfully, "You're as skinny as a chicken. Two of you are redundant. This kind of big gourd is a specialty of our Black Wind Ferry. It's very solid and can't be found anywhere else. Don't worry."

After thinking for a while, he said, "Forget it. Eat your fill. I think the gourds are not enough. Just give him one and share one with the big guy next to him. I'm afraid two wouldn't be enough for him."

The village chief was talking about Liu Sanlang. He is as strong as two others and taller. If he falls into the water, it would be difficult to save him!

"Okay, uncle," a younger boatman responded.

"No, two is just two," Qian Yongde quickly picked up the two gourds and walked to the side, tying them around his waist with a hemp rope.

Soon, everyone followed suit and tied their gourds.

Zhang Ping'an took a look and guessed that the village chief had calculated the number of people. The gourds were just right, not one extra.

The sheepskin raft is indeed not very big. It is just big enough for one person to sit on with a small bag, but it is impossible to sit on a large bag.

The village chief urged everyone to pack up and get on the boat, but no matter what they saw, they were reluctant to throw it away, and the riverbank was in a commotion for a while.

Zhang and Old Man Zhang were the oldest of all, but Old Man Zhang was indifferent to everything. Zhang Pingan walked over to Zhang and whispered, "Grandma, please come out and talk to us quickly. We can't delay any longer."

Zhang was about to say something, but she couldn't bring herself to talk about other families, so she started with her own family: "Eldest, second, and third wives, what are you three doing? Do you have any sense? Don't you realize what time it is? Hurry up and pack your things and get on the boat. Wear some warm clothes and take some dry food in your bags. Give them the rest."

After Zhang scolded everyone, she got on the boat first, followed by Old Man Zhang and Jinbao's parents and grandparents. Everyone started to panic and quickly packed up their things.

The gold, silver, valuables and travel passes were all sewn into the underwear. In the end, apart from taking some dry food and a change of clothes, the rest could only be left to the villagers.

Although the clothes left behind were of poor quality, they were still good enough for the villagers.

When the village chief saw that there was a small iron pot, he smiled so much that his teeth were showing. In addition, he just saw that there was still a lot of grain in the mule cart. Well, this deal is good, it's a good deal!