The wind and snow came as expected.

The distance between Tianjin and Beiping City is obviously not far, but in this wave of wind and snow, the movement of the fleet is extremely difficult. Not only did the cold weather and the windy weather make the boatmen suffer, but the strong winds from the north also forced the ships to move against the wind. Along the way, ordered by the fleet of the Yan Wangfu, the ships temporarily docked several times on the way, looking for a place in the wild to avoid the resistance of the strong wind. The waterway, which could have been completed in one day when the weather was fine, was delayed for two days, and during this time I had to spend the night far away from the city, with only a village and a simple wharf nearby, and there was nowhere to find supplies.

Fortunately, when everyone left Tianjin, they had already been reminded by the people of Yanwangfu that sufficient water had been replenished. And because of the previous experience of being stranded at the port on a rainy day, everyone prepared enough supplies, so the night was still spent safely. By the afternoon of the next day, when the fleet sailed into the Tongzhou River, Xie Mulin was in the cabin, and he could hear the joyful shouts of people from the other boats around him.

In fact, the boatmen hired by the Xie family were also rejoicing. They originally agreed with the Xie family that after arriving in Tongzhou, they would end their employment after putting down their people and luggage. At this moment, they have arrived in Tongzhou, which means that they can collect the final payment, go ashore to find their own ship company to rest here, and when the wind and snow have stopped, they will return to Jiangnan with a new batch of guests or goods. Seeing that winter is already coming, they are of course more willing to get rid of the bitter cold of the north and return to the much warmer south.

The ships sailed into Tongzhou Wharf in turn, and the people from the Yanwang Mansion and the government received the news early and arranged temporary berths in the wharf, which could not only arrange the fleet thoughtfully, but also would not affect the daily operation of the wharf itself.

The first time Xie Mulin saw this ancient Tongzhou wharf, he only felt that the degree of prosperity and development was no less than that of big ports such as Beijing, Yangzhou, and Cangzhou. As a northern wharf, this is really surprising, especially since today's Beiping is not the historical Beijing. Since it is not the capital of a country, how did King Yan govern his fiefdom capital so prosperously?

It's a pity that such a capable boss can only be a prince, or the kind that is famous for leading troops to kill the enemy, and he can be ignored by the world in order to govern the world!

Xie Mulin didn't have much time to think about it. Once the ships in your fleet are all stopped, everyone is ready to disembark.

Xie Mulin was dressed thickly, and after wearing a hooded cloak in sheepskin, she also wore an extra thick gauze hat, although the wind protection effect was almost none, but it was better than nothing, and it also allowed her to go directly off the boat without having to bother with an umbrella or let the girl cover it, which seemed to her to be quite convenient and convenient.

She carried a small hand stove and went to check the family members on the same boat one by one, from the old lady Xie who kept chattering in her mouth, to Xie Yingfen, who was the youngest and weaker, they all checked. Except for Aunt Wanqin, who was infected with the wind and cold in Tianjin, she needed to be covered with a thick quilt and carried off the boat on a stretcher by the mothers-in-law, everyone was dressed properly, and the girls and mothers-in-law were no exception, and they could get off the boat at any time against the wind.

Xie Mulin asked Xiangtao to take someone to check the luggage on the ship to ensure that nothing was missing, and the fire that should be extinguished was also extinguished, and he took two other mothers-in-law off the boat and transferred to the boat in the second room to see how the Song family and the others were prepared.

After all, the Song family is a native of Beiping, although he has been away from his hometown for many years, the memories of his childhood are still there, and he is more skilled than Xie Mulin. She had long been watching her daughters and her grandsons and granddaughters get dressed, and advised them to eat some hot food to cushion their stomachs, and when they got off the boat, they had to find a silk handkerchief to cover their mouths and noses, and they were forbidden to speak in the wind, otherwise they would easily get sick.

When Song saw Xie Mulin coming, he said, "I am here, you don't have to worry about it." Your aunt will be on your brothers' boat in a moment, and you won't need to remind them. Let the steward go to the dock and ask if your parents have sent someone to meet us. If there is, we can get off the boat and get on the bus directly, without having to stand stupidly in the wind and wait, let alone find another place to shelter from the wind. By the way, I'll have to call your brothers to the boat in the Yanwang Mansion to thank you later. I just don't know how the people of Yanwangfu will go after they arrive in Tongzhou? If it's convenient, we'd better continue to walk with the people of the palace, and there will be a care on the way. ”

This is true. When Xie Mulin came over, he noticed that the boat of the Yan Wangfu was still parked on the shore, and there seemed to be no movement of the personnel disembarking from the ship, and he didn't know what the arrangements would be for a while. She was also thinking about asking her third brother Xie Huizhi to inquire about it when she went to her brothers' boat for a while. Now that the second grandmother Song has a charter, she will do it according to it.

After getting off the boat in the second room, she met an acquaintance head-on.

Wrapped in a thick cotton jacket, holding an oil-paper umbrella, and covering her mouth and nose with a handkerchief in one hand, Cuijiao stood on the pier at some point, looking around. As soon as she saw Xie Mulin, she immediately ran over excitedly: "Girl! Girl! You're here! "Barely pounced.

Xie Mulin couldn't help laughing, and grabbed Cuijiao with both hands: "Ah, it turned out to be you!" You've grown a lot taller, and your whole person has changed a lot! ”

Cuijiao's height is almost a head taller than three years ago, his face is also a lot rounder, the whole person has grown, his facial features are pretty, and his smile frequently attracts the attention of the boatmen. But she didn't notice it at all, and was only happy to be reunited with Xie Mulin: "The girl has also grown a lot taller, and she looks better than before!" If I hadn't recognized the girl's cloak and sent it back to my hometown by my wife, I wouldn't have recognized you! ”

Xie Mulin hurriedly asked, "Someone from the family came to pick us up?" Daddy didn't come, did he? ”

"The master didn't rest today, and he still had to go to the yamen, so he didn't come." Cuijiao replied, "But my wife is here, and she is waiting in the private room upstairs of the restaurant over there." Seeing that the fleet of Yanwangfu had arrived, my wife immediately sent someone to the dock to ask if our boat had also arrived. I was anxious to see the girl, so I followed. ”

She turned her head as she spoke, and she didn't need to say much, Xie Mulin could already see that her cheap mother, Wen, was already wearing a winter coat, and with the support of the maid with the umbrella, she walked towards her quickly with a group of male and female servants.

The mother and daughter reunited after a long absence, so they naturally wanted to hug and cry. But before Wen had time to cry, Xie Mulin took the first step to persuade her: "People come and go here, it's inconvenient to talk." Mother, let's find a warm place to rest after the two old ladies and the rest of the family, shall we? ”

Wen Shi hurriedly held back his tears and said, "You don't have to bother so much. I'll go back to the ship with you. Let people go and talk to the boat boss, continue to sail, and go straight to the pond in Beiping City. The old man has presided over the affairs of river dredging in Beiping for the past two years, and this year the Tonghui River has been dredged and can be sailed. A few days ago, when Cao Liang went north, he took this waterway, and the road was unimpeded and very convenient. Now that our family is following the boat of Yanwangfu, we can also take this waterway, which is much easier than taking a horse-drawn carriage in Tongzhou, and we don't have to let the two old ladies suffer from bumpy roads. If the journey goes well, we'll be home before dark! ”