Climbing on the Sparrow Branch – CH 620

Chapter 620: Ding’an

At dawn, An Zhi and Pei Que both got up.

After more than a month of traveling, An Zhi was now getting up at dawn every day, no longer sleeping in as much as before.

After breakfast, the group continued south to Ding’an.

Chunlan and Fusheng, fishing rods in hand, sat at the bow of the boat, both in high spirits, relieved that they would not have to settle on Huludao.

An Zhi, holding her daughter, sat in the cabin with Pei Que and Shunzi.

After two days on the boat, An Zhi felt much better today and even had the energy to ask Shunzi how things were in the capital.

“After the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, the Xu family’s mine was bombed. Minister Xu was unwilling to accept such a large loss, so he made a profit from the Yun family, leading to a feud between the two families.” At this point, Shunzi sneered, “Dogs fighting, each one more wicked than the last.”

“As for Duke Cheng, ever since he realized that saying anything was useless, he’s only focused on his own duties.”

An Zhi, recalling Cheng Huan’s special visit to see her off before leaving the capital, sighed, “Duke Cheng is a rare good man, and the Cheng family are all decent people. Given the situation, it’s good that Duke Cheng does not interfere with others; at least he will not get himself into trouble.”

Pei Que nodded in agreement. “With Duke Cheng supporting the court, Minister Xu will be more cautious. His ambition to rise to power will not be so easy.”

At this point, Chunlan at the bow of the boat suddenly clapped her hands with a smile.

“Madam, I caught a fish!” Chunlan rushed over excitedly, proudly holding up the silver-scaled fish in her hand. “Look at this fish; we’ve never seen one like it before!”

An Zhi smiled, “If you try harder and catch a few more fish, we can have an extra dish for dinner tonight.”

Chunlan agreed and went fishing immediately.

Seeing the joy in An Zhi’s eyes, Pei Que leaned closer and said, “Does Madam think it’s nice to ignore gossip and freely travel and enjoy the scenery?”

“It’s nice,” An Zhi knew Pei Que was testing her. “Every choice has its advantages and disadvantages; it just depends on which one suits us better. Right now, we do not have the option of seclusion.”

She placed her hand on the back of Pei Que’s hand, giving him a reassuring look.

Having made her choice, An Zhi would not regret it. Dwelling on the past would only make her more miserable.

The boat moved slowly forward. There was no farmhouse to rest at tonight, so everyone would make do on the boat.

The stars shone exceptionally brightly that night. An Zhi was not used to sleeping in the cabin, so she sat at the bow watching the moon.

Pei Que sat cross-legged beside An Zhi. The couple, heads close together, were more beautiful than the moonlight.

The next day, before dawn, the ship continued south.

It was not until nearly evening that the ship docked.

An Zhi wore a gauze hat. Although it was late, there were still many workers unloading cargo at the dock.

“The docks in Ding’an stay open even later than the brothels,” Shunzi and Fusheng remarked.

An Zhi overheard this and glanced around the dock. With such frequent traffic, doing business here would surely be very lucrative.

While pondering potential money-making opportunities, An Zhi followed Shunzi to a secluded courtyard.

“The courtyard has already been cleaned,” Shunzi explained. “It has two courtyards, and the Ding’an River is right at the back, making travel very convenient. Although it’s not as nice as the previous mansion, it has everything we need. If anything’s missing, I can get it immediately.”

An Zhi was quite satisfied with the courtyard. Perhaps because she had not stayed in a nice place for over a month, she liked it more and more.