There are more than a dozen fishing boats moored by the Zhongbakou River, but these fishing boats are just a name for the locals. In fact, the people on the boat either make a living by selling grains or groceries. However, those who regard boats as their families all know how to fish and often bring some fish and shrimps to the shore to hawk.

Most of them claimed to be from Xinghua, and said that Xinghua suffered floods and could only come out to make a living.

Local people all think that they believe it and never thought that Xinghua would not suffer disasters every year. Fishermen like them had been dozens or even hundreds of years ago, but they all regarded boats as their homes. They would not stay in one place for too long today, so most of them saw a new face.

Although local people are easy to cheat, they are also timid and do not know whether they are good people or bad people. Apart from buying some groceries or selling some grains, they hardly deal with them. Over time, every household had two statements when they were teasing their children: one was to send you to the fishing boat if you were disobedient, and the other was that you were picked up by me from the fishing boat, so locals had an inexplicable feeling for fishing boats, especially children always thought that fishing boats were mysterious.

Xu Lequn came out yesterday and never returned to the yamen. He stayed on the black-sailed boat by the river. From outside, he saw that the boat was not only small but also old, but the cabin was clean.

There were thick curtains hanging at both ends of the cabin and thick bedding was covered with the cabin. He lay in the quilt and hugged a woman of eighteen or nineteen years old, stroking the woman's hot body. It was already afternoon and there was still no intention of going ashore.

A woman in her thirties sat on the bow of the boat and whispered, "Master Xu, Master Xu!"

Xu Lequn moved his body, changed his position and hugged the woman in the quilt, and asked unhappily: "What's wrong? What's the matter? Why are you calling me to do?"

The woman put down the soles of her shoes and reminded: "Mr. Xu, it's getting late. I know you can't bear to leave my Ling'er, but you are a big business person, so you can't delay your business because of Ling'er."

Xu Lequn felt that the woman outside was annoyed, so he let go of the woman in his arms, took out a handful of silver from the clothes placed beside him, and stuffed it out from under the curtain: "Master, I'm fine, don't you just want money? Master, I have money! Don't bother me anymore, go and get some wine and food."

"Master Xu, who doesn't want to make money? We can't meet a few guests like you a year, but... we can't stay here anymore. We really want to leave. Why don't you go with us to Jiangyan and think Jiangyan is far away from Rugao."

"Why can't you stay anymore? Why do you have to leave?"

"In the morning, I went to buy meat on the shore. I heard from the people in the town that the new inspector was selfless and really didn't have money. He arrested many people and wanted to send them all to Taizhou to the magistrate. He either had a hundred sticks or a hundred sticks for three years or a hundred sticks and three thousand miles. Some were also stomped on the prison! The business we did was not enough. If the inspector knew that we were here, 80% would let the official sender lock them up."

The woman became more and more nervous as she spoke. She couldn't help but lift a corner of the curtain and leaned over and said, "Mr. Xu, I've been worried all the time. A couple will be kind to you for a hundred days. Please be fine. Please let us go for the sake of my Ling'er."

Xu Lequn didn't expect that she was worried about this, and couldn't help but smile and said, "I think why, don't worry, don't say that the inspector may not know, even if he knows, he won't make things difficult for you."

"Why didn't you? You didn't go to the town to see it, and the town was in full blown."

"Master, I came out of the yamen. The new inspector is my friend. Don't worry now."

"Master Xu, the inspector is your friend. Do you recognize the inspector?"

Xu Lequn picked up a handful of peanuts and threw them over: "Why are you so annoying, your wife?"

The woman sitting at the bow of the boat hurriedly shrank her head and did not dare to ask again.

She was skeptical, and still felt uneasy. She was about to let the man who was watching the wind on the shore keep a close eye on her. A strong man ran over from the shore, jumped onto the peanut-selling boat on the left, stood on the bow of the boat and held the boat shed and said, "Mr. Xu, Mr. Xu."

"Where are you here, what's the matter?" Xu Lequn got up and picked up his cotton jacket and put it on.

"A boat came from the north just now, leaning against the 'gap' in the city god temple, two people came up, carried a load of things and went straight to the yamen, saying that it was Li Xiucai's friend who gave Li Xiucai a New Year gift."

Li Xiucai did not recognize Xu Lequn, but Xu Lequn recognized Li Xiucai and knew Li Xiucai very well. He looked down at Ling'er, who was flashing with big watery eyes, and pondered: "Whether in Hai'an or Fu'an, the surname Li is also considered the number one person. What's the fuss about someone coming to give him a New Year gift."

"The two people who came to give New Year gifts with the accent are not locals."

“Where’s the accent?”

"It sounds like the one in Huaibei." The man standing on the left side glared at the madam who was standing subconsciously, and said, "And those two guys neither look like businessmen nor scholars."

"Have they entered the yamen?"

"I went in, Mr. Han's family named Pan took them in."

Xu Lequn thought about it and said lightly: "It's not our business, you can continue selling peanuts when you go back."

"yes."

"etc."

Xu Lequn dared not take the fortune of his old boss as a joke. The reason why he stayed on the boat was waiting for news from Fu'an and the soldiers Han Xiufeng moved from Taizhou. He would never bet on the bet. Thinking that Han's surname was a newcomer after all, he might not know the details of Li Xiucai, and he might fail. He murmured: "Who can come from Huaibei? Watch first."

"Mr. Xu, they are in the yamen now, how can you tell me to keep an eye on me?"

"Look at the yamen gate. If Mr. Han asks them to come out, you will keep up."

"Then what?"

"Then do business, find a place where no one is working, and don't disturb the nearby people."

"I know, I'll go to the yamen to stare first."

Everyone knows that salt merchants are rich and are most likely to be missed by thieves, so the salt merchants in the salt farm are not only high-walled courtyards, but also all hired Lian Jiazi as guards. The strong man who just spoke was the guards of Mr. Bao's house. Xu Lequn was not worried that the guards would suffer any losses, so he threw his cotton jacket to the side and entered the gentle village.

...

It was about to be held, so it was normal to give New Year gifts. Even before Su Jueming went to Taizhou, he went to the countryside to give New Year gifts to his two uncles. Han Xiufeng had no reason not to let Li Xiucai meet guests, and he sat in the signing room of the second hall while roasting the fire while reading.

"Young Master, Wang Ruhai, the post shop, is looking for a meeting."

"please."

As soon as he put down the book, Pan Er invited Wang Ruhai in.

Wang Ruhai put down two oil paper wrapped with thin ropes and grinned, "Mr. Han, these are the candies we have to eat during the Chinese New Year. They are fried with noodles, which are sweet, crisp and fragrant. My nephew gave me two packs of New Year gifts in the morning and brought them to you for a taste."

"You are so kind of polite, you bring something every time you come."

"Master Han, this is not worth much money."

"Okay, I'll accept it first." Han Xiufeng signaled Pan Er to go outside and stared at not letting outsiders approach, while whispering: "When it comes to serious business, how do the people in the town discuss it?"

"How else can I talk about it? Mr. Han is not a small compliment. The neighbors in the town all say that you are an honest official and you are a good official! If there were years of past years, every household would not have a good sleep at this time, and they were always worried that the little New Year's goods they had saved money to buy were stolen. Who dares to steal again this year? It would be fine if you don't close the door when you sleep at night!"

Wang Ruhai didn't dare to sit down, so he stood up and said, "There are those who are disobedient. These days, one is more filial than the other. President Gu and Mr. Wang said that this is the road... what kind of etiquette, night... what kind of thing? Anyway, it's the meaning of the folk customs that you will be better when you come,"

"Don't pick up the remains on the road, and don't close the door at night."

"Yes, yes, it's just that you don't pick up your own houses on this road and don't close your door at night."

Han Xiufeng smiled and asked again: "Where is Chen Youdao?"

"I haven't gone to the pawn shop these two days, nor have I gone anywhere else, so I just stayed at home. It seemed that I had a fight with his wife, and his wife was so angry that she went back to her parents' home."

"What else is new."

"It's gone, even those who live in our post shop have gone home for the New Year, so they will naturally not be happy. But they really have no complaints about Mr. Han, so they can only blame their son for a lot of debts." When Wang Ruhai said this, he suddenly remembered something and said hurriedly: "Mr. Han, aren't you worried that you will use a boat during the New Year but can't find a boat? I went around the river in the morning and asked those fishing boats if they leave during the New Year. Do you know who I saw?"

"who?"

"I met the man who came to the yamen with Dean Su's boy a few days ago. When I went there, he happened to be standing at the stern of the boat wearing clothes and peeing. But if you want to use the boat he stays at, it's probably not available, unless it's requisitioned."

Han Xiufeng thought to himself that the original Xu hiding on the boat, and couldn't help but ask, "Why can't you use it?"

"It was a flower boat from Taizhou. I don't know if I thought there was a family of three on the boat. In fact, the one who was carrying the boat was a turtle man, the woman who was washing and cooking was an old madam. The one who stayed in the cabin all day was not their daughter, but the girl who didn't know where they bought it, the girl who specialized in picking up customers!"

"He will enjoy it, hahahaha."

"Master Han, don't you know?"

"I didn't ask, nor did he say that, how could I know if you said that."

"Why is he like this? I won't tell you wherever he goes!"

"No matter how much he is, let's talk about the boat. If you want to use a boat during the Chinese New Year, how many can you help hire?"

"There are four fishing boats in the town, and the riverside fishing boats. If you are urgent, you can hire eleven if you stand here. If you are not particularly urgent, I will go to Jiaogang, Jiangjiazhuang and Zhangyaozhuang to help you find them. There are five or six boats in these three places."

"Okay, I'll bother you then."

"Master Han, what are you saying? These are all small things that should be done by the young ones." Wang Ruhai looked back and took out two letters from his arms with a little nervousness: "Master Han, this was just sent from white rice in the morning, so I'll send it to Rugao quickly. Didn't you let me pay attention to the official documents? I'll show you it first."
Chapter completed!