Top Scholar

Chapter 135 Oh Huh
Two boats with their sloping bottoms were connected end to end, slowly sailing on the Chishui River in winter.

The riverbanks are steep, bluish-gray cliffs, and the mountains are covered with colorful forests in red, yellow and green hues, creating a rich tapestry of colors... It truly is a case of 'boating through it is like being in a painting.'

Unfortunately, the people on the boat were not in the mood to appreciate the beautiful scenery; they were all nervously staring at the treacherous river surface.

This section is the Centipede Shoal, one of the "Little Three Gorges" of the Chishui River. The mountains on both sides are steep and winding, forming one dangerous shoal after another. Many boulders that have collapsed over the years also block the riverbed. Even now, in the dry season, the crisscrossing boulders in the riverbed still cut the water into undercurrents and whirlpools, creating a tremendous roar that echoes through the valley, sending chills down one's spine.

The captain, steering the boat and keeping the speed low, guided the crooked boat slowly through the riverbed strewn with reefs and boulders. Even though he had spent half his life making a living on this river and knew every danger in the book, he still dared not let his guard down.

A single oversight could be fatal...

The water ahead swirled, and two jagged rocks lay across the river.

"Right pole! Gently!" the captain shouted as he steered the boat.

The boatman at the bow quickly steered the pole to the right. The combined force of the pole and the rudder caused the boat to slowly veer to the right, and the bow passed diagonally through the 'arch' formed by two reefs.

Although there was no real danger, the passengers were still terrified and turned pale.

The eldest aunt's legs went weak, and she clung to her son's arm, too afraid to open her eyes.

Even the usually composed old man muttered under his breath, "May the Bodhisattva protect us, may our ancestors protect us."

The old lady, on the other hand, sat calmly at the bow of the boat, seemingly unaware of any fear...

The boat captain, used to such things, laughed and said, "Alright, we've passed the gates of hell, we can finally breathe a sigh of relief."

"Phew..." Everyone wiped their sweat in unison. Before their hearts could settle, the boatman said again:
"Two miles further on is the even more deadly 'Ghost's Bane'..."

“My son, I want to get off the boat…” Auntie said with a sob in her voice, “It’s better to ride a donkey along the mountain path.”

~~
The ship's rule was that everyone had to leave the cabin when navigating dangerous rapids. Only if the situation seemed dire could one jump overboard; staying inside meant certain death…

So on the other ship, Su Lu Su Tai also left the cabin with his two younger sisters.

Zhu Liu and Hai Xun Dao were no exception.

"How was it? Exciting, isn't it?" Zhu Shanzhang glanced at his nephew and Su Lu.

“Indeed.” Su Lu nodded.

“A wise man does not stand under a dangerous wall; we should take the land route.” Zhu Zihe’s face turned pale.

"Haha, don't worry. The water is slow and shallow at this time of year, so safety is guaranteed," Zhu Liu laughed.
"If this were during the high-water season, even a god couldn't get across Centipede Beach. Any boat would be smashed to pieces, right, Instructor?"

The instructor had dark skin, was not tall, and had a typical Lingnan appearance, but his eyes were bright and piercing, and he was serious and stern, giving him an air of authority without anger.

He nodded upon hearing this, and said sparingly, "That's right."

“I often think,” Zhu Liu said, standing with his hands behind his back at the bow of the boat, looking at the magnificent scenery on both banks, “what would Yongning be like if the Chishui River could be navigable without obstruction?”

"That would be terrible!" When the topic of people's livelihood came up, Hai Xundao finally opened up. "Yongning is the only way to enter Guizhou from Sichuan. Once the Chishui River is open to navigation, the salt boats from Fushun can go upstream from the Yangtze River through Luzhou, Hejiang, and Taipingdu, and sail directly to Guizhou."

"It will no longer be difficult for ordinary people to leave the mountains," Su Lu also said.

“Indeed.” Instructor Hai glanced at Su Lu, surprised that this ‘prodigy’ was so down-to-earth. “Now, the official roads are impassable and the waterways are difficult to navigate, so the people can only be trapped in the mountains generation after generation.”

"Unfortunately, no one can dredge this river." Zhu Liu sighed and said, "If I am fortunate enough to pass the imperial examination on this trip, I will definitely submit a memorial requesting the opening of the Chishui River!"

“Then all the hundreds of thousands of people along the Chishui River should sincerely wish the headmaster success in his studies!” Su Lu said with a smile.

"Haha, okay. Thank you for your kind words!" Zhu Liu nodded with a smile and said to Su Lu, "I asked Instructor Hai, and you will start classes the day after tomorrow. You won't have time to go to Luzhou. Let's wait until before the start of the semester to go together."

"Zihe, take this letter to your third uncle and tell him that Hongzhi will come to pay his respects as a disciple after the New Year," he instructed Zhu Zihe.

"Okay." Zhu Zihe nodded and instructed Su Lu, "Try to be early. My third uncle isn't as good-tempered as my ninth uncle. If you're too late, he might not accept you."

"Understood, I'll go there as soon as things are settled in Hejiang." Su Lu nodded.

Just then, the boatman shouted, "The Ghost-Fearing Demon has arrived!"

Everyone immediately fell silent, afraid of disturbing the boat captain.

~~
Fortunately, the journey was uneventful.

As evening fell, the crooked boat rounded a mountain ridge, and suddenly the view opened up before them. In the distance, the Yangtze River rolled on, like a vast ocean, encompassing the Chishui River.

At the confluence of rivers stands a gray-blue city nestled against the mountains and beside the water—this is Hejiang County, our destination. Two crooked boats slowly entered the dock outside the city gate. Although it was nearing the end of the year and merchants had ceased their travels, the dock was still filled with masts, hundreds of boats of all sizes—a scene far beyond what Taiping Town could match…

You Muyou had been waiting at the dock for a long time. Before the boat had even come to a complete stop, he bowed apologetically and said, "I'm sorry, Headmaster, the County Magistrate has gone to the prefectural city to report on his duties. He won't be back in the county for another two days. He specially ordered me to prepare a small feast to welcome your arrival."

"My parents are too kind," Zhu Liu said with a smile. "It's a pity that I have to change ships and leave Sichuan tomorrow morning, so I won't be able to pay my respects. But it's still a pleasure to have a chat with Brother Yunshan."

At this moment, the boatman lowered the plank, and everyone disembarked. As soon as Auntie landed, she breathed a sigh of relief and said, "That scared me to death! I'm never going on a boat again."

"It's fun, I want to sit here again when I get back," the old lady said with a smile.

Su Lu also disembarked and greeted You Muyou.

"Haha, Su the Prodigy, you've become even more handsome and dashing after all these months!" You Muyou said enthusiastically, pulling Su Lu's hand and saying, "Stay at the county government office tonight and have a drink with us two old folks."

"He has a courtesy name now, it's Hongzhi," Zhu Liu said sourly from the side. He had originally planned to give Su Lu a courtesy name when they parted, and he had even thought of what it would be, but that bastard Zhang Yanqiu beat him to it...

So we'll never know what nickname Zhu Shanzhang gave Su Shentong...

"Su Lu, Su Hongzhi. What beautiful calligraphy! Grand and magnificent!" You Muyou praised it highly, indeed without making any strange associations.

“My grandparents have also come to the county to visit relatives.” Su Lu said apologetically, “Let’s settle the elders in tonight first, and then we will visit you tomorrow.”

"Alright." You Muyou nodded. He was only being polite to Su Lu. With Su Lu present, how could he possibly build a relationship with Zhu Liu and have a private conversation?
Little did Zhu Liu know, he had an even brighter light bulb by his side...

You Muyou then took out a business card from his sleeve and handed it to Su Lu, saying, "Give this card to the doorman tomorrow, and he will take you to see me."

"Yes." Su Lu accepted it with both hands.

You Muyou then said to Hai Han, "Instructor Hai, most of the teachers have arrived, enough to form a class. Classes will begin early the day after tomorrow."

"Aren't we waiting for the county magistrate?" Hai Han asked.

"The county magistrate will try his best to return. If he can't, he'll give the instructions after classes begin. In short, the courses cannot be delayed." You Muyou said in a deep voice, "All the teachers must be trained before the end of the year!"

"Understood." Hai Han nodded. Actually, he wasn't interested in any 'phonetic symbols' and thought it was nonsense, so he was quite cold to Su Lu along the way. But since it was a task assigned by the county magistrate, he would complete it conscientiously.

You Muyou, on the other hand, was the opposite. Not only was he kind and gentle to Su Lu, but he also went over to greet the old man and woman, asked them where they lived, and told them to come to him if they needed anything. Only then did he get into the carriage with Zhu Liu and leave.

Hai Han said to Su Lu with a straight face, "I will also go to Mr. You's place tomorrow to discuss the class with you in detail."

"Yes." Su Lu replied, then watched Hai Xundao walk away before straightening up and letting out a sigh of relief. He felt quite pressured talking to this person.

"Huh, why hasn't my uncle come to pick me up yet?" After seeing off the officials, he realized that his own family hadn't arrived.

"That unreliable thing!" the old man said angrily, "Could it be that he's gotten the date wrong again?"

"Never mind, let's just go there." Chun-ge'er had stayed at his uncle's house twice this year, so he naturally knew the place.

He then hailed a live horse-drawn carriage at the dock, filled it with luggage, and helped the old lady sit on the other side of the carriage shaft.

The whole family crowded around the carriage, following Chun-ge into the county town...

The main street of the county town was much wider than the streets of Taiping Town, with shops lining both sides of the street one after another, their various signs and banners dazzling the eye. Although it was nearing the end of the year and most shops were closed, the usual bustling atmosphere was still evident.

There were far more pedestrians on the street than in the town, and they were dressed much more respectably than the people in the mountains. There were also sedan chairs and horse-drawn carriages that you couldn't see in the mountains, passing by from time to time.

When the eldest aunt saw a woman riding in a sedan chair carried by two men through the street, followed by maids and servants carrying her bundle, she couldn't help but feel very envious, thinking to herself, "When will I be able to do that?"
Su Lu was secretly planning to open a Sweet Water Shop here and sell Erlang Wine in the county. He estimated that he could make a lot more money...

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but curse himself inwardly. Su Lu, Su Lu, didn't you say that enough money is enough? How did you become addicted to making money?
Indeed, no matter how many books one reads, one cannot completely rid oneself of greed...

~~
In fact, Hejiang County is not very big. After the carriage had traveled half a mile, it turned into an alley under Chun Ge'er's guidance.

He stopped the carriage in front of the second house and said to the old man, "Grandpa, this is my uncle's house."

"Tell him to get out here!" the old man said angrily, his face dark.

"Okay!" Su Man quickly stepped forward and called out, "Uncle, Uncle."

A moment later, the door opened, and the aunt came out to greet them. Seeing that everyone in the family had arrived, she didn't feel happy but instead burst into tears.
"Waaah, you came at just the right time! Cui Cui and I don't know what to do..."

"Don't cry, what happened?!" the old man asked, frowning.

"Arima has been arrested..." The aunt cried even harder. "Father, Arima has been arrested..."

(End of this chapter)