To everyone's surprise, the next morning, the clouds suddenly opened and the rain fell, and the birds and birds in the mountains and forests chirped and chirped endlessly. When Yu Yan heard the sound of birds outside the tent, he remembered that his golden eagle had been stuffy for two days, so he didn't want to get sick, so he released the two eagles. The golden eagle was finally able to leave the scaffolding and soar with its wings, as if it were very proud, hovering in the air and letting out a long roar. The poor birds in the forest were all frightened and silent when they heard the sound of the eagle's chirp.

Xin Jia and Zhou Chang saw that the rain had stopped, so they went to the Yuren camp again to inquire about Yuefei's condition. As soon as Zhou Chang walked on the front foot, Zhou Fa pulled Zhou Kao to see the golden eagle, the two climbed to the highest point of the hill, looked up at the sky and searched around, Zhou Fa muttered to himself: "It's strange, I heard the cry of the eagle just now, why did it disappear all of a sudden?" ”

Zhou Kao patted him on the shoulder, pointed to the sky and said, "Look, there!" Zhou Fa looked over and suddenly sighed: "Wow! The golden eagle flies so high that it has become two black dots. The two of them looked at it with their necks up for a long time, their necks were sore, but the two golden eagles had no intention of landing at all. Zhou Fa began to get bored and said to Zhou Kao: "Big brother, why can't we fly to the sky as freely as eagles?" ”

Zhou Kao smiled dumbly and said, "You don't have wings, how can you fly?" ”

"Why do you have to have wings to fly?"

I couldn't answer this question in the weekly exam, so I had to prevaricate: "I've only seen birds that can fly, but I've never seen anyone who can fly, so I can't fly without wings." ”

"Then why don't people give birth to a pair of wings?"

As soon as Zhou Fa's "three consecutive questions" stunt came out, no one could resist it, and Zhou Kao could only fool him and said: "If a person has wings, he will probably become like a bird, and he will no longer be a human being." ”

Zhou Fa nodded as if he didn't understand, he looked into the distance, and suddenly said, "Big brother, you see there's a city over there." Zhou Kao looked north, and sure enough, he saw a city built by the water, and Zhou Kao and they stood on the top of the hill and looked down, so they could see that there was a palace in the center of the city. Zhou Kao said, "Oh, that's probably Sioux City." ”

"Sioux City? Isn't that the home of Lord Suhou and Miss Daji? ”

Zhou Kao looked at the roof of the palace in a daze, but did not answer. Zhou Fa asked again: "Big brother, you see that there is a high platform built next to the palace, what is it for?" ”

Only then did Zhou Kao notice that there was a high platform on the north side of the palace, which was white throughout, wide at the bottom and narrow at the top, forming a cone with steep slopes on all sides, which was not only higher than the roof ridge of the palace of Suhou Mansion, but even higher than the city wall of Sucheng, which was particularly abrupt. Zhou Kao said: "I haven't seen this thing before, I don't know what it's for." ”

Although Zhou Fa was very interested in this peculiar high platform, since he didn't even recognize the eldest brother, he didn't ask anymore. At this time, I only heard someone calling the two brothers under the mountain, it turned out that Zhou Chang and Xin Jia had come back from Yu Hou, Zhou Kao and they hurriedly returned to the camp, and they just heard Tai Ji asking: "How is it?" Is Miss Yuefei better? ”

Xin Jia replied: "Compared with the previous two days, she is still a little better, she can barely eat, but her body is still very weak and cannot see the wind. If she goes on the road now, her condition may recur, so Lord Yu Hou will not leave until Yue Fei has fully recovered. ”

Tai Ji said with some anxiety when she heard this: "But with Yuefei's current condition, even if everything goes well, it will take at least two or three days for her to recover." Do we have to wait with Lord Yuhou? ”

Xin Jia said to Taiji: "Since we made an appointment with Lord Yuhou to go to Chaoge together, if we abandon him at this time, it seems that ...... It seems a little impersonal. ”

Zhou Chang didn't understand Taiji's thoughts, and also said: "Actually, we followed Mrs. Di's advice to take the waterway, which has greatly shortened the trip. Chaoge is already close at hand, even if you stay here for a few more days, it doesn't matter the overall situation. ”

Seeing that the two of them have the same position, Tai Ji can't be stubborn. As soon as she thought about it in her heart, she said again: "In this case, I want Kao'er to go to Chaoge to inform my father first, so that he will not worry about us in his old man's heart." As long as a few of us adults are still here, I believe that Lord Yuhou will never mind. ”

In fact, Tai Ji is to let Zhou Kao see Xin Gui as soon as possible, so that their ancestors and grandchildren can get closer, if Xin Gui leaves a good impression on Zhou Kao, she will be able to propose a marriage contract to her father more smoothly in the future. However, her intentions can't be made clear to her eldest brother and sister-in-law.

Xin Jia said with some hesitation: "Your idea is not bad, but Kao'er has never been to Chaoge, and I am always a little relieved to suddenly let him go alone." ”

"Wouldn't it be okay to let the mane bear take the Zhou guards and accompany Kao'er? After Sioux City is the border of the Great Merchants, what can go wrong with such a small distance? ”

Xin Jia and Zhou Chang both felt that this was a good idea, so they agreed to Taiji's proposal. Unexpectedly, Wan Ji said at this time: "The child also wants to see his grandfather as soon as possible, so please ask my father to allow Wan'er and her cousin to go to the court together." ”

When Mrs. Jiang heard this, her face suddenly sank: "No! You're a girl, how can you run around by yourself? What kind of system is that? ”

Xin Jia originally didn't want Wan Xi to leave his parents, but he thought that Wan Xi followed him back to Xin Cheng when he was very young, and he hadn't seen his grandfather in more than ten years, and his father must have missed this only grandson very much. So he said: "My father is an official in Chaoge alone, and he has never enjoyed the joy of family reunion, and I, as a son, can't bear it. You just let Wan'er go, so that you can relieve your father's pain of missing her relatives. ”

When Mrs. Jiang saw Xin Jia speak, she didn't want to say anything more. Over there, Zhou Fa saw that his eldest brother and cousin had to leave first, and thought: If I am the only one left here, wouldn't it be extremely boring? Therefore, he also proposed to go with the weekly examination. Zhou Chang was worried that Zhou Fa would be uncontrolled, and he didn't know what trouble was going to happen, so he hesitated. Tai Ji persuaded: "Fa'er and Wan'er can just ride in the same car, Kao'er and they ride horses, if they go fast, they can reach Chaoge in less than two days." Besides, with the beard-sama here, there's nothing to worry about. ”

Zhou Chang had no choice but to order Zhou Kao to summon Mane Bear and instructed: "Mane Bear, I have entrusted my two sons and Wan'er to you." You have to be careful, keep a good watch on them for me, and don't make any trouble. Kao'er, your mother and I are not around, you must follow the instructions of Master Huo, don't act rashly, and don't cause more trouble. Along the way, you must go straight to Chaoge, and you must not delay the trip for irrelevant things. Remember, remember! ”

Mane Xiong was ordered by Zhou Hou to prepare the carriage on his own, and Tai Ji helped Zhou Kao and them pack up. After everything was ready, Xin Jia, Zhou Chang and his wife accompanied Zhou Kao and the other three to send them to the foot of the mountain.

When Wanxi and Zhou Fa got into the carriage, Zhou Chang was still a little uneasy, and told Zhou Fa: "You have to follow the eldest brother honestly, don't run around, if something goes wrong, beware of me, you are the only one who asks!" Zhou Fa knew that his father was already extraordinarily generous for allowing him to go with his eldest brother, where did he dare to say more? He just nodded vigorously, secretly rejoicing in his heart.

Zhou Chang said to Wanxi again: "Wan'er, if Kao'er and the two brothers have any sexual mistakes, you have to stop them, and you must not be naughty and messy with them." ”

Wan Xi smiled and agreed, "Only, uncle." Wan'er knows. ”

Zhou Chang waved his hand, and Zhou Kao and Mane Bear stepped on their horses, led more than 20 Zhou guards, and set off slowly in the carriage. After Xin Jia and the others saw them go up the avenue, they returned to the camp on the mountain.

Zhou Kao and Mane Bear rode at the forefront of the procession, and it didn't take long for them to reach the city of Sioux City, Zhou Kao saw a wooden bridge in front of him from a distance, so he asked, "Master Huo, is there a river ahead?" ”

Mane Bear said, "Oh, that's the Qinshui River. Qinshui is the boundary river between the Su State and the Shang State, and after passing Qinshui, we will step into the border of the Great Shang. ”

Before Zhou Kao got on the bridge, they had already heard the sound of gurgling water, and when they walked to the bridge, the first thing that caught their eyes was a large area of shallows and woods on the east bank of Qinshui; When Zhou Kao looked north, he found that the water originally flowed from west to east, but when it passed through Sioux City, it suddenly turned and became a north-south flow. In this way, Sioux City is located on the inner side of the Qinshui River Bay, and the river becomes a natural barrier to defend the city. Because Sioux City is relatively close to the river bank, the Sioux people also built an earthen embankment on the west bank of Qinshui, and at the same time used Qinshui to irrigate farmland, so that this side of the west bank can be seen everywhere with ploughed fields and scattered farmhouses.

After they crossed the wooden bridge and came to the east bank of Qinshui, the road was lined with woodland and was sparsely populated, making it much more desolate than the west bank. Zhou Kao said: "Master Huo, both sides of this Qinshui are fertile rivers and fertile soil suitable for farming, why is there no one on the side of the Shang Kingdom?" ”

Mane Bear replied with a smile: "My lord, this is the border of the Great Shang, it is still a little far away from Chaoge, and there are no big cities nearby, so the merchants are reluctant to move here. By the afternoon we would pass through Muyi, and when we got there, there would be more and more people. ”

"Why are there so many people starting from Muyi? What's so special about Muyi? ”

"Well, the area around Muyi is flat and has large pastures, which are used by merchants to graze cattle and horses. What's more, there is a ferry port on the east side of Makip called Yeonjin. It was the closest ferry port on the river to Asaka, and many people who went to Asaga by boat would get off the boat in Yeonjin, so it also made Makip more prosperous. ”

After walking for most of the day, the trees on the side of the road gradually decreased, and they often walked through a large area of long grass before they could see a few trees. They rested for a while on the side of the road, and when they set out again, they left the woodland altogether and entered the great meadow as far as the eye could see. The scene here inevitably made Zhou Kao feel a little familiar, it turned out that his grandfather Zhou Hou Jili had been ordained by the king of Shang to serve as "Mu Zheng", raising horses in the Zhou Yuan area to pay tribute to the king of Shang. Therefore, the scenery around this Muyi is somewhat similar to Zhou Yuan.

It's just that the climate is cold at this time, and there are not many cattle and horses grazing on the pasture, which makes Zhou Kao a little disappointed. However, Zhou Fa and Wanxi sat in the car, chattering all the way, I don't know if it was because they were close to the song, so they were particularly excited. The group walked straight east along the main road, and before they knew it, they had reached the bank of the big river. It turned out that the river had changed to flow from south to north here, and they could no longer continue to move east, so they could only follow the river bank to the north.

After traveling for more than ten miles, Zhou Kao saw dozens of ships parked on the surface of the river, many of which were about the same size as the "flying boats" in Xincheng. With the exception of a few ships that had just docked with white sails hanging from their masts, most of the sails had been folded.

Mane Bear said to Zhou Kao: "This is the Yanjin Ferry, and most of the ships that dock are from all the way from the Dongyi countries. Usually these ships do not go upstream when they arrive in Yanjin, so it is almost impossible to see such large ships in the west of Taihang Mountain. ”

Zhou Kao and they came to the ferry, and there were many ox carts parked on the side of the road at the port. These ox carts were of a variety of shapes, the most rudimentary of which was almost a plank with two wheels on top of them. Zhou Kao said: "Master Huo, what are these ox carts doing here?" ”

"Oh, that's the case, most of the ships entering the port in Yeonjin are cargo ships, and the goods on board are generally transported to Chaoge to be sold. Therefore, some local farmers in Makip gather here to make a living by transporting goods for people. ”

Zhou Kaoxin passed by the ox carts relentlessly, and saw that the drivers who were driving the carts were all listless, apparently waiting here for a day, but received no work. Some people are lying in the car and napping, some are sitting on the bank of the river and looking at the water in a daze, and some people are squatting together in groups of three or five, not knowing what to say. Only a middle-aged man and woman with two small children were standing next to an ox cart, talking to the coachman.

The man looked to be in his early forties, tall and tall, but a little thin, and at his feet lay two wooden boxes, with hemp ropes on them, tied to each end of a bamboo pole. And the woman was at least thirty years old—but judging by her appearance and figure, she still looked charming, carrying a large net on her back. The two children next to them were holding hands, and they seemed to be brother and sister: the boy was probably close to Wanxi's age and carried a package behind his back, while the girl appeared to be under ten years old and had no luggage. Zhou Kao speculated from the appearance of these people that they should be a family from afar, probably wanting to rent an ox cart and were bargaining with the coachman.

When Zhou Kao approached, he heard the man say to the coachman, "You wait here early tomorrow morning, and then pay off the rest of the fare when you get to Chaoge." With that, he gave the coachman two seashells as a deposit. The coachman agreed, received the deposit, and drove the ox cart out of the port. Zhou Kao thought to himself: It turns out that they are also going to Chaoge, and they are all the way with us, but I don't know where they will stay tonight?

He walked forward for a while, and when he looked back, he saw the man carrying a suitcase and taking his wife and children into a large house. This house is very simple from the outside, not like the residence of dignitaries, but it is much larger than the thatched hut where ordinary people live. Zhou Kao pointed to the big house and asked, "Master Huo, what is that place?" ”

"The eldest prince, that room is called the Reverse Journey, and like the pavilion, it is for people to stay temporarily. However, the pavilion was built by the princes, and was generally only available in the capital, and only envoys from various countries were allowed to live; Most of these expeditions are privately run and are reserved for the common people who are away from home. ”

Zhou Kao nodded, and asked again: "How far is it from this ferry to Chaoge?" Will you be able to get there tomorrow? ”

The bears calculated the distance and replied, "There are still about eighty miles from Chaoge here, and if we hurry up, we should be able to reach Chaoge before dusk tomorrow." ”

Zhou Kao said: "It's not early now, I think it's better to camp around this ferry." There are more people living here, and it is relatively safe. ”

The bears had no objection to this, so they found an open area and set up camp. These affairs were all taken care of by the bear, and there was no need for Zhou Kao to intervene, so he took Wan Xi and Zhou Fa for a walk around. The three of them walked along the river bank until they reached the port, when more than a dozen large ships entered the port and were unloading goods on the shore. The goods were packed in rattan baskets, and it was impossible to see what they were, and the laborers at the port kept moving the baskets to the riverbank, which was a tedious task, but the three and a half children were so happy to see it.

When the cargo on the ship was almost unloaded, a large group of people came down from the ship. The first person is not tall, his appearance is not good, and he is over thirty-five or six years old; But there were as many as forty or fifty guards and servants behind him, and just looking at the posture of this faction, Zhou Kao thought that the princes of which side had arrived. As soon as the coachmen who were resting by the ox cart saw this man come ashore, they immediately gathered around him and asked:

"Master Jiao, do you want to hire a car?"

"Master Jiao, how many ships of goods do you have to transport today?"

The middle-aged man, known as Jiao Jiao, ordered a dozen coachmen and asked them to follow his men to the port to load the goods, while the rest of the unselected drivers scattered with frustrated faces. The shopkeeper of the reverse brigade was already waiting outside the gate, nodding and saying to the rubber mantle: "I have reserved an upper room for you, please come in, master!" ”

Zhou Kao saw that Jiao Qi had entered the reverse journey, and couldn't help but be very curious about his identity. At this time, there happened to be a few idle coachmen chatting next to him, so Zhou Kao went over and asked, "A few big brothers, may I ask what is the origin of the rubber mustache master just now?" ”

Those people saw that Zhou Kao was a young junior and had a very good face, so they didn't pay much attention to him. Only an elderly coachman saw Zhou Kao's sword at his waist and knew that his identity was extraordinary, so he said to him: "Childe, this is probably the first time you have come to Yanjindu, right?" This rubber beard man is a well-known figure in our place. He was originally a native of Xiangguo, his real name was Jiao, and it was rumored that his family was poor before, and he was just a penniless poor man at the age of twenty. No one expected that after he came to Yanjin, he would become rich by selling fish and salt in just over ten years, so that now everyone no longer dares to call him by his name, but respectfully calls him Master Jiao. ”

Zhou Kao was secretly speechless after hearing this, and said in his heart: This rubber mustache can accumulate huge wealth in more than ten years, but it is also a great strange person, but it is a pity that our Zhou country does not produce fish and salt, otherwise we would have to ask him for advice on how to get rich.

Zhou Fa and Wan Xi only care about looking at the scenery, but they are not as preoccupied as Zhou Kao. The three of them wandered around the river for a while, and then returned to the camp. After resting for the night, they continued their journey north.