Song Sanniang's Journey to Wealth

Chapter 112 Farce on the Ship

The dock was bustling with people and vehicles. Everyone was very busy. Dock workers and coolies were pushing carts of various sizes, piled with goods.

One by one, tanned boatmen came down from the boat shirtless, carrying bags of cargo, with sweat dripping from their sturdy bodies. The ship's supervisor or manager, dressed appropriately, was shouting and directing them.

On the river, boats shuttled back and forth, with flags bearing the emblems of their owners fluttering in the wind.

Boats of all sizes were moored at the ferry, and the river breeze blew gently, bringing with it a faint fishy smell, some of which was the smell of fish, and some of which was the smell of silt.

The sun has just risen and a new day has just begun. Some ships are already ready to set sail into the wind at any time.

Song Laoer's family asked people and found a boat that could carry people. It was an ordinary river boat that could seat about 30 to 40 people. There were long rows of seats on all four sides of the cabin, forming a "口" shape.

People who bought seat tickets can sit, but people who bought standing tickets can only stand in the middle. There are no handrails in the middle, so if you encounter wind and waves, you can only fend for yourself.

Song Laoer's family all bought tickets, and everyone put something on their laps, which were gifts for everyone.

It's not a good idea to put it on the ground, and when there are too many people, who knows if someone will take it away. The fourth mother and the other two sat between Song Laoer and Song Ersao, and Song Sanniang sat next to Song Ersao.

At this time, human traffickers were rampant because there was no surveillance and control. Children were kidnapped and taken to another place at random, and then sold for more than ten or twenty taels. The profit was attractive, so the trafficking of children and women continued despite repeated bans.

Boys were sold to those who could not have children to carry on the family line, while girls could be sold to many places, and being sold as maids was the best fate for them.

Sold to be a child bride, she has to work since she was young, eat the least and work the most. When she reaches adulthood, she has to give birth to a child and then serve the whole family.

Those who are good-looking are sold to brothels or to perverts with special fetishes.

Therefore, Song Laoer's family kept a close eye on Si Niang and her husband. At the beginning, the couple did not keep such a close eye on them because they were rural children who were raised in a free-range manner.

However, after being repeatedly reminded by Song Sanniang, the couple took it very seriously. Si Niang and the other two also knew that they should always follow their parents closely when they were outside and not run around.

People came into the cabin one after another. The cabin gradually became crowded and the smell inside began to mix. Song Sanniang couldn't stand the smell, so she turned her head to the window.

The advantage of this kind of boat is that it has windows on all four sides and is supported by wooden supports. If there are strong winds and waves, the wooden supports can be taken down and the windows closed.

The boatman outside saw that most people had boarded, so he picked up the gong and started beating it. After a few clangs, the helmsman heard it and started the boat.

At this time, an old lady with her grandson was pushing her way through the crowd, causing complaints from everyone. But she didn't care. Suddenly, she saw Si Niang and the other two. Her eyes lit up, and she quickly grabbed her grandson's hand, squeezed through the crowd and came to Si Niang and the other two.

The four women had never been on a boat before, and they were imitating Song Sanniang's way of looking out the window at the river. They were small and could turn around easily.

So they both put the things on their legs to Song Laoer and his wife, and the two of them leaned against the window, enjoying the river view and chatting.

The lady reached out to touch Si Niang, but was stopped by the vigilant Song Ersao. "What do you want to do?" Song Ersao asked unhappily.

"Hey, are these two girls your children? Look, they are sitting in two different seats."

Then she looked at Song Lao Er again, and seeing that Song Lao Er was looking at her with a vigilant look, she smiled awkwardly and continued,

"This is your man, right? You two can hold the child and let us sit on your laps. Let's take these two seats."

Song Sanniang originally thought she was a human trafficker, but who knew she was actually a blackmailer trying to get someone's seat?

Her dignified tone made her laugh. Her voice attracted the attention of the old lady, who glared at Song Sanniang with her cloudy eyes.

The fourth and second wives had already sat up straight when they heard the noise. They looked at the middle-aged woman in bewilderment, then at Second Wife Song and Third Wife Song.

There was no need for Song Sanniang to say anything. Song Ersao patted the heads of Si Niang and Wu Niang and said, "It's okay. Just sit down. Mother has paid for it. Just sit down peacefully. No one can take your seats away."

It's a smooth journey from the provincial capital to the county town. A seat ticket costs seven cents per person and a standing ticket costs three cents per person. It takes about half an hour to get there.

Seeing that Song Ersao ignored her and said this, the old lady glared at her and started to curse with her drooping thin lips.

"These two damn girls are still treated like treasures. When they grow up, they will become money-losing goods for other families. Money-losing goods really give birth to money-losing goods.

Marrying you is really a misfortune for our family. You should let this little whore suffer and ruin the family." She kept on cursing, as if Song Ersao had spent her family's money.

The little boy behind her became impatient and punched her back so hard that you could even hear the thumping sound.

While beating her, he scolded her, "It's all your fault, old thing. You left me without a seat just to save a few cents. You want to tire me to death, don't you, old thing, old thing, old thing."

After he said that, the old man punched the old lady a few times. Although he was small and not very strong, the old lady had gray hair and looked not in good health. She looked a little painful after being hit like that.

She stopped scolding and turned to coax the little boy.

"My dear son, it's all mother's fault. You are right to scold me. Just wait until I go find your sister and ask her for money. When I come back, I will buy you a ticket and let you take the boat happily."

Hearing this, the little boy smiled with satisfaction. The people around looked at the two people with disgust. Everyone thought that the two were grandparents and grandchildren, but unexpectedly, they were mother and son. It was really unlucky to be her daughter.

A fat auntie sitting next to Song Sanniang pulled Song Sanniang aside and said, "Hey, your family is really good-tempered. You are not angry at all." She bought her ticket after Song Laoer's family, so she knew that they were a family.

"Auntie, when we see a dog barking, we can't just bark along with it." Song Sanniang was disgusted by the old lady who kept talking about losing money, so she spoke harshly.

The auntie slapped her thigh and said, "Oh, you are right. If a dog bites us, we can't bite the dog back."

The two of them didn't deliberately lower their voices when talking, so everyone could hear them. Everyone laughed, and some people even followed suit.

"Oh, some people are not human. They are women themselves, but they keep talking about losing money. No wonder they look like they are about to step into a coffin before they gave birth to a boy."

"That's right, hehe, without even saying mom, he turned into an old immortal, it's really funny."

The atmosphere in the cabin became lively. The old lady was furious, but she dared to talk nonsense in front of Song Ersao because she looked kind and easy to bully.

Who knew that not only was she difficult to bully, but now everyone in the entire cabin was being sarcastic towards her, so she didn't dare to say anything. Her son didn't understand who everyone was talking about at all, and just listened with his ears perked up.

Looking at the river scenery and feeling the river breeze, they soon arrived at the dock. Everyone got off the boat in an orderly manner. Song Laoer's family picked up their belongings and also got off the boat.