Chapter 984 - 823: The Bow of the Boat

Beside the dock, the painting boat slowly moved as the muscular servant stood at the stern, rowing.

The windows of the painting boat were open, and the thin silk curtains, swaying in the breeze, revealed soft lighting and silhouettes of graceful figures.

Li Si, Xu Shu, and Zhang Zheng subconsciously stepped forward, tiptoeing as if this would allow them to see better. Xiao Man scoffed, "Can’t you three have a bit of self-control? If not, why don’t you just get on the boat, no one’s stopping you."

Xu Shu laughed, "Are you serious?"

Xiao Man curled her lips, "Even though my uncle is a monk, at this moment it shows the little monk’s self-discipline..."

Just as she spoke, she turned her head and saw the little monk bending over, trying to peer into the cabin through the gap in the wind-blown silk curtains. Xiao Man immediately pinched the little monk’s ear, making him stand up straight, "You, a monk, are looking at this for what reason?"

The next moment, a woman’s scolding voice and a man’s coarse laugh drifted from the cabin; it was hard to tell whether Chen Ji’s voice was among them.

Zhang Xia said expressionlessly, "I heard each of the Twelve Golden Hairpins on the Late Sun Painting Boat excels at playing the zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting. Their beauty is also peerless, enough to become a leader... it seems the rumors are well-founded."

Xiao Man hesitated, "Sister Axia, instead of sulking here, why not catch up with them? The boat hasn’t gone far yet, shouting now can stop them."

Zhang Xia raised her eyebrows, "Why would I be angry? What’s there to be angry about? I’m just talking about the reputation of this painting boat. Besides, marrying your young master was merely a way to shield him from trouble at the Qi family’s gate; soon, once things settle down, we’ll just need to divorce amicably, and it’ll be done."

Xiao Man shrank back a bit, "Yet you say you’re not angry, you talk nonsense in anger..."

Li Si interjected from the side, "Godmother, don’t be upset. This matter is surely unrelated to godfather; it must be Yuan Xing and the others pestering him to go, I can even imagine the excuses Yuan Xing the philanderer would use..."

"Indeed, he’s not a good person," Zhang Xia said, turning to head for the dock.

Li Si beamed, "Yes, yes, all four of them aren’t good people."

Just as Zhang Xia moved, dense and rustling footsteps sounded behind her. She turned and saw dozens of people following grandly.

Furthermore, more than twenty people were hiding in the shadows, standing by.

Zhang Xia stopped.

Xiao Man asked, "What’s the matter?"

Zhang Xia sighed, "These people are tailing us to find Chen Ji and his group; forcibly boarding the boat now will expose Chen Ji’s tracks."

Xiao Man thought for a moment, "There’s only this one boat on the river; if we board it, they can’t catch up."

Zhang Xia shook her head, "The painting boat moves slowly; they can keep pace by jogging on the shore, and then the boat won’t be able to dock. Now that Chen Ji is back in Jinling, there must be very important matters he needs to attend to; I can’t disrupt his plans."

Xiao Man regretted, "What can we do then?"

Zhang Xia softly said, "Let’s go home."

Just at that moment, Xiao Man exclaimed, "Look, the young master is coming out of the cabin."

Zhang Xia looked up and saw Chen Ji emerging from the noisy cabin, standing alone at the quiet bow, gazing out at the distance, unclear what he was observing.

Moments later, Chen Ji sat on the edge of the boat, with his legs hanging over the side. He took out a stack of papers from his chest and silently read them, glancing up at the night on the Qinhuai River as he read.

Zhang Xia couldn’t help but move closer, wanting to see more clearly, even to see what Chen Ji held in his hands. But worrying that those behind her would notice something amiss, she stopped.

She watched from afar, the thin silk in the cabin full of intermingling shadows and continuous laughter, while the person at the bow willingly sat alone in the darkness. The boat traveled farther and farther, until it disappeared into the glistening waves of the Qinhuai River.

Zhang Xia froze, seemingly realizing something, she suddenly understood why Chen Ji had boarded the painting boat.

Xiao Man cautiously said beside her, "The young master is too wasteful, even ignoring the Twelve Golden Hairpins, suggesting there’s something even more beautiful in his heart..."

Zhang Xia glanced at her and interrupted, "Let’s go home."

Having said that, she turned and walked away, swaggering through those tailing them.

Xiao Man breathed a sigh of relief, and the little monk approached, "Has Lady Axia lost her temper?"

Xiao Man complained, "Can’t they, as husband and wife, live together happily? They make me anxious every day; my life matters too!"

She grew increasingly annoyed as she spoke, turning to scowl at the little monk. Immediately, she balled her fist and thumped the little monk’s back twice, making him grimace.

...

...

On the Late Sun, Chen Ji sat at the boat’s edge, reading the Wuxiang Morning News by the dim light.

"Painting boats incessantly traverse the river, with horn lanterns hanging from the beams, linking one by one, resembling the Milky Way. Dozens of boats are connected tail to head, like a fiery dragon meandering over the emerald waves..."

"Boatmen maneuver small boats among them, calling to sell wine cups and snacks at the side of large boats; the writer sits alone near the bow, calls a small boat over, and buys a cup of sweet wine from the boatman..."

Chen Ji also sat alone at the bow, waving a hand to call a small boat, "Boatman, bring me a cup of sweet wine."

The boatman beamed with joy, quickly steering the small boat closer, "Here I come, here I come, would you like chrysanthemum wine or rice wine?"

Chen Ji hesitated, the newspaper didn’t specify which one Zhang Xia drank.

At this moment, the woman beside the boatman laughed, "Why are you sitting here, Lord? On the Qinhuai River, the drinkers usually sit in the cabin and drink with the women; it’s rare to see someone sitting at the edge like them."

Chen Ji chuckled in reply, "Is it not possible? The scenery here is excellent; sitting elsewhere is a sign of poor appreciation."

The boatman also laughed, "A few days ago, a lady sat here like you, in exactly this spot, and asked me for sweet wine."

Chen Ji’s spirit shifted, "What did she drink?"

The boatman recalled, "It seems like..."

The woman behind him added, "It was chrysanthemum wine."

The boatman remembered, "Yes, yes, it was chrysanthemum wine."

Chen Ji smiled, "Then get me a cup of chrysanthemum wine as well."

The boatman handed over a ceramic bowl, "That’ll be eighty cents."

Chen Ji widened his eyes, "What kind of chrysanthemum wine is this expensive? The shop on the shore sells it for ten cents."

The boatman rubbed his hands, "Everything on the Qinhuai River is priced this way. On the shore, I sell it for ten cents too."

Chen Ji laughed heartily, took out a piece of broken silver from his sleeve and tossed it to the boatman, "It’s all yours, leave me the ceramic bowl, I’ll drink it slowly."

Once the boatman rowed off, Chen Ji moved sideways, yielding the spot as if someone were sitting there. He sat at the edge with the ceramic bowl, sipping carefully, fearing he’d finish the drink before the boat docked.

Chen Ji handed the wine bowl to the right as if clinking glasses with someone after ten or so days, but as he turned his head, Old Ears was unexpectedly sitting in the spot he’d vacated, looking at him with a faint smile.

Chen Ji, frightened, almost spilled the wine into the river, replied annoyed, "When did you get here, why didn’t you make a sound?"

Old Ears laughed heartily, "If I can approach you without you noticing, then my old age hasn’t been lived in vain."

Chen Ji downed the chrysanthemum wine from the ceramic bowl, tossed it into the river, "I thought you were happily drinking in the cabin, why come out?"

Old Ears chuckled, "I have no women in my heart. My sword is naturally divine. But you, boy, are trapped by worldly affairs; not to mention whether you can enter the Divine Realm, even if you can, your sword won’t be as fast as mine."

Chen Ji didn’t compete, "Okay, okay, your sword is the fastest."

Old Ears turned to look at him, "Is your business in Jinling done? If it’s wrapped up, come with me to Huangshan Dao Court."

Chen Ji shook his head, "Not yet."

Old Ears raised an eyebrow, "Still not done? Are you waiting to sort out the salt permit before leaving? Salt permit matters can’t be resolved in less than a year or so; by the time you’re finished, the Universal Sacrifice will be over."

Chen Ji thought for a moment, "Rest assured, it’s not about the salt permit, nor will it take that long."