Chapter 271: Returning to the Old City District

Hearing Shi Yong say that,

I said to Shangguan Zhuren, "Shangguan Zhuren, we might as well go back together. Anyway, it's already like this; when we get to Zaocheng, they might turn out to be great helpers."

Shangguan Zhuren laughed and said, "Fine, then we'll all go back tonight to that home in Lao Cheng Qu, where we can live comfortably; letting them keep rocking on the boat makes me uneasy."

"Great, we finally got ashore. Damn, I've only been on the ship a day and this boat has shaken my brain silly. I was saying, what's with the tempers of those Northeasterners? Turns out they're all feeling suffocated on the ship." Shi Yong happily jumped off the bed.

I clearly felt the ship rock,

I said, "Shi Yong, jump gently; this is a ship, not land. The ship is rocking."

Shi Yong chuckled.

Since we've settled this matter,

Then let's go to sleep; I'll have Shangguan Zhuren and Xiao Long share a room.

I'll sleep together with Shi Yong.

Anyway, I'm used to Shi Yong's snoring.

I had just lain down,

At that moment, Shi Yong asked me, "Brother, who do you think is prettier, Xiao Fang or Shen Honghong?"

I said, "Shi Yong, you're awake, right? I want to sleep; I'm not in the mood for idle chat."

"What's wrong with small talk? I feel Shen Honghong is prettier; after all, she's a woman from a big city, so her demeanor is different, and she's very mature, with a special charm I can't describe. One glance from her and I start daydreaming, so those Northeastern guys, upon seeing Shen Honghong, would have good thoughts."

"Brother, are all the women from Forty-Nine City that beautiful? When can we go to Sijiucheng to have fun?" Shi Yong sat on the bed muttering to himself.

"Go to sleep, Shi Yong; we're not talking about Forty-Nine City yet—you haven't even enjoyed Zaocheng properly. If you go to Sijiucheng, you'll lose your bearings. Women like Shen Honghong aren't for us to even think about."

"She's a heavenly beauty, not for vulgar people. Do you understand?"

"Am I not vulgar? I feel I'm not vulgar at all. I'm straightforward in my actions and I love watching TV dramas. Starting tomorrow, I'll read books, study culture diligently, and become a refined person." Shi Yong said.

I almost laughed out loud,

"Just reading more books can make you refined; I really want to say, refinement isn't pretentiousness—it's the grandson who's putting on an act. This Shi Yong has been bewitched by Shen Honghong."

I said to Shi Yong, "Shi Yong, you're a married man; think more about Ya Ling. Actually, Ya Ling is the one who suits you; other women aren't worthy of you. Don't let your mind wander, or you'll easily go astray, and going astray will lead to trouble."

As soon as I mentioned Ya Ling, Shi Yong fell silent again.

He just smoked and didn't speak; I didn't know what he was thinking.

I stopped paying attention to Shi Yong, hurried to sleep, and there's still a lot to do tomorrow.

Early the next morning, I got up, went outside the cabin, and saw that the water surface had only a thin layer of ice.

The boat captain also got up,

I asked the boat captain, "Can this ice allow navigation?"

The boat captain said, "Of course."

I said, "We're now heading to Lin Bridge Harbor."

The boat captain asked, "We're leaving just like that?"

I said, "Yes, if we wait until tonight to leave, the northwest wind will blow all day, and by night the ice will thicken too much to navigate."

The boat captain said, "Should we let Fifth Brother know?"

"No need; when we reach Lin Bridge Harbor, I'll contact him myself."

The boat captain said, "All right, I'll weigh anchor now."

The boat captain went off to attend to his duties.

I returned to the cabin,

Shen Honghong and Xiao Fang also got up,

Seeing me, Shen Honghong directly said, "Zhao Jianqiang, if we keep staying here, I'm leaving right now; let them drag me away—I won't endure this suffering any longer."

"This night, the ship has shaken me to pieces; it rocked like an earthquake, and I couldn't sleep at all. Look at my red eyes and the bags under them."

Looking at Shen Honghong's eyes, I laughed and said, "Red eyes—just like a red rabbit."

Upon hearing that, Shen Honghong immediately swung both fists at me,

shouting, "I wish I could kill you right now; all my suffering is your fault."

I then said to Shen Honghong, "Enough, stop the fuss; you haven't noticed, but we've already weighed anchor. For your sake, we're not staying on the ship."

Upon hearing me say that,

Shen Honghong was somewhat doubtful,

she said, "Really, we're leaving; we won't stay here."

I said, "No doubt about it. Xiao Fang, did you bring your makeup box?"

Xiao Fang replied, "I have a makeup pouch; it's fully stocked. What do you need it for, Brother Jianqiang? Not staying here is great—those Northeasterners are terrifying; I was scared stiff last night. Fortunately you stepped in; if you hadn't, we wouldn't know what to do."

"I didn't expect them to be like that either, so we have to leave here. I asked about your makeup box because I want you to do makeup for all of us tonight after we go ashore, so we won't be easily recognized." I said.

"That's simple; just leave it to me—I love doing makeup for people. When are we going ashore?" Shen Honghong asked.

I said, "We'll go ashore tonight; we'll stay on the ship one more day."

Shen Honghong was delighted,

at this point she was about to throw her arms around my neck with both hands,

saying, "Great, we're finally ashore; I've had enough. I realize I'm liking you more and more."

I quickly raised my hand to block Shen Honghong.

Xiao Long and Shangguan Zhuren also came out of the room,

judging by last night, they didn't sleep well; Shangguan Zhuren was staggering as he walked,

"Brother Jianqiang, it seems living on the ship is truly unbearable; as soon as I lie down at night, I feel like I'm in water, swaying back and forth—oh dear, my head feels foggy."

I said, "Shangguan Zhuren, look at how well Shi Yong is sleeping—he hasn't even woken up yet."

"Alas, no one can compare to Shi Yong. Only he can fall asleep. I admire him so much." Shangguan Zhuren said.

Even Shangguan Zhuren admires Shi Yong's sleeping ability, showing that Shi Yong's sleep is unrivaled under heaven.

After hearing Shangguan Zhuren finish speaking, everyone burst out laughing.

Time quickly came to evening,

Under the makeup of Xiao Fang and Shen Honghong, our group walked out of the cabin.

After staying on the boat for a long time, we discovered that our legs would go weak when we went ashore.

We needed to adapt a bit before we could walk.

I told the boat captain to take the boat to Da Ba Cha again.

I'll just let Xiao Wu know in a moment.

Anyway, we really aren't suited to life on the boat.

After arriving at Lin Qiao Gang, we found the dock chief and asked him for our car.

After getting in the car, I finally felt comfortable.

Still, the car is warm and much more comfortable than the boat.

Before setting off, I instructed Shi Yong: "Be sure to take the small roads; I'd rather take a detour than use the big roads, because the big roads have many cameras.

Also, on the road, we must not stop unless there is an emergency, and the two vehicles must maintain constant contact."

Shi Yong nodded and got into the car.

In his car sat Shangguan Zhuren and Xiao Fang.

I drove, with Xiao Long and Shen Honghong sitting in the back.

Under the cover of night, our six of us drove toward the old city district of Zaocheng.

Because we had been taking small roads all the way, making a detour, by the time we reached Zaocheng's old city district, the sky was already getting light.

We finally arrived at the place where we used to live.

We parked the car outside the alley.

Our six of us quietly went inside the house.