I didn't intend to be a Fairy

"Can the boatman go to Lingbo?"

The Taoist stood on the shore, leaning on a bamboo stick, bending down to ask the boatman who was docking, with a smile on his face, like before, but different.

Next to him is a little girl wearing three-color clothes, with a clean and delicate face, a bun, and a dagger in her hand, but she has a serious expression and is very cute.

"Ling Bo?"

The boatman held the oar, looked at them, and replied: "Go! Why not go?"

"How to collect money?"

"It takes five days to go down the river from here to Lingbo. One person costs two hundred dollars, and a horse has to be calculated as two people's money. They are all charged in this way. The girl brought by the husband can only be counted as half a person's money. The steward on the ship There is no delicacy in the food, so it can only fill the stomach. However, you have to bring the horse's fodder yourself. If you don't bring any, you can put it down every morning and evening when it docks and let it go to the shore to graze. "

"Two hundred dollars..."

Song You turned his head and looked into the distance.

This is not Nianping Ferry. Although we go to Lingbo together, it is different from the place he took a boat to more than ten years ago. Compared with Nianping, this place is closer to Lingbo. You can also hear it from the boatman's words, It took six days to get to Lingbo by boat, but now it only takes five days.

But it's still two hundred dollars.

"It's all at this price! If I met someone else, the little old man might ask for a higher price, but the guest is a religious gentleman. No matter how unscrupulous the little old man is, he will not randomly ask for a price from a religious gentleman! What's more, these days Business on the river has been bad, and the little old man has already given me a discount for my husband. If it is a hot season, it will cost at least two hundred and twenty yuan per person, and it will have to be full before leaving." The boatman saw Song You. She didn't say anything for a long time, thinking it was because he was too expensive, so she quickly explained, "Why don't you give me some more money, sir? I'll just charge you 650 cash."

"It's definitely more expensive than before."

Song You came out of his memories and smiled at him: "Please ask the boatman to come to the shore."

"okay!"

The boatman immediately beamed with joy, rowed over, and explained while rowing: "It's not expensive, it's been this price for several years. To say it's cheap, it must have been at least ten years ago. But now it's becoming more and more popular to run boats on the river." It’s not peaceful anymore, and it’s even more uneven if you travel by land. Plus, somehow, the world has made money less and less valuable, and it’s already gone up.”

"I see."

Song You stepped onto the boat in a few steps.

With a clang, the horses also boarded the ship.

The girl followed closely and counted the money to him.

This time the money was one hundred cents more than before, because the Sanhua Empress did not turn into a human form before, but used the cat's body to ride on the boat. The boatman did not charge the boat money from the cat, but now she has transformed into a human.

This has two benefits.

First, Sanhua Empress likes fishing. For several days on the boat, she transformed into a human being. Whether fishing or reading, it was more convenient. If she turned into a cat, such a small space would inevitably be boring. Second, although Empress Sanhua is greedy for money and likes to save money, she also likes to enjoy the same treatment as others. Giving her a share of the ship's money can satisfy her psychology and is conducive to children's inner growth.

"Oh! Sir, this horse is amazing!"

"The boatman doesn't need to worry about it. Just let it stand here. It won't fall down."

"okay……"

Song You then bent down and entered the cabin.

But there was no one in the cabin.

Just when Song You thought the boatman was still waiting for passengers, he felt the boat sway slightly. It had just reached the shore, but now it gently left the shore and sailed away.

"Is the boatman waiting for anyone?"

"Waiting for someone? Who are you waiting for?"

"Waiting for guests."

"Waiting for a passenger? No wait! This is a small ferry, there aren't many people, and business on the water has been bad recently. If we wait for a passenger here, we may not be able to wait for two days. Even if we wait, it will probably only come from this place. Going from one ferry to the next is a waste of time, sir." The boatman laughed and said, "It's better to go down the river and pass by the major ferries. If you see someone, take them with you along the way, and you can make more money."

"It makes sense."

Song You nodded and smiled.

It looks like this trip is more spacious.

So he sat horizontally in the cabin, leaning against the awning, stretching his legs almost straight.

Sanhua Empress sat next to him, sitting upright, with her two small hands neatly placed on her knees. She seemed to be much more honest than when she turned into a cat, but in fact she kept turning her head left and right, or tilting her head slightly. , looking at everything in the cabin curiously.

"If the husband feels bored riding alone on the boat and wants to find someone to talk to, the little old man can also play the shells with the husband. If the husband wants to drink some wine, there are also wine sellers at some ferries, but the little old man has never read in his life. If the gentleman wants to recite poems and sing lyrics like those literati and officials, the little old man will not be able to accompany him hahaha..."

“Boatman is funny.”

Song You stretched out his hand and pinched his Tong'er's face. Seeing that she didn't show any expression at all and didn't even look at him, he continued to ask: "By the way, boatman, can this boat reach Lingbo?"

"Isn't Sir going to Lingbo?"

"yes."

"I can get there, why can't I get there?"

"It couldn't be reached before."

"Before? A long time ago? Even more than ten years ago?" The boatman was happy and asked in surprise, "Who did you hear this from, sir?"

"Also a boatman."

"Haha, that was all more than ten years ago." The boatman stood on the bow of the boat and said to him while riding the boat. "More than ten years ago, there was a water demon in Lingbo. He was not a bad person and made a lot of noise. No one was there. If we dare to leave, even the government's big ships don't dare to pass there, so naturally we don't dare to go there. However, a god passed by more than ten years ago and got rid of the water monster. Although the river has not been peaceful in recent years, they are just small things. , if you are more careful, you can sail the Ten Thousand Years Ship, and it will be able to pass normally a long time ago."

"So this is ah……"

Song You smiled thoughtfully.

"Sir, are you afraid of demons?"

"Not afraid."

"If you're not afraid, you have to tell your husband: Don't fish at night. Be careful of being pulled down by something. Even if it's just a big fish, it won't be so easy to get back on the boat at night; if you see a fish floating beside the boat for no reason, , never reach out to pick it up; if you hear someone shouting at night, or hear any noises while relieving your hands, don’t go to the side of the boat; if you see a black shadow under the water, don’t lie down by the side of the boat to look out of curiosity..."

The boatman kept talking a lot, as if he was listening to strange stories.

It's obviously just some things to pay attention to, but when you listen to it, it seems like you are listening to the ghosts and ghosts that have happened one by one, which is also quite interesting.

"The boatman knows a lot."

"Those of us who run boats all year round have a lot of things going on on the river. The guests coming and going are bored on the boat and like to talk about it. They ask us these things and tell us. Haha, by the way, there is another person in Anqing in front of us. The scholar surnamed Fu wrote a book, which was said to be full of such weird things. It was very popular. Although the little old man couldn't read the words, he often heard from his guests that the scholar surnamed Fu used to write about it. At the ferry, we, the boatmen who were taking a break, listened to some stories, but no one knew it at the time, but they were all written down in his book."

"The scholar named Fu..."

Song You's eyes were filled with memories.

"The book contains a lot of strange things on the water and rivers, and they are all just like the real thing. For some, you just need to read the stories to avoid being harmed by monsters. Some of the stories also have tips at the end to teach you how to deal with them. There is something interesting about how this kind of thing should be done.”

"I've heard about it too..."

"Sir, have you seen it too?"

"This book is very well written. I bought it when I was in Changjing."

"Are they also sold in Changjing? It's so far away!"

"yes."

"Haha, this scholar is famous."

The boatman's hearty laughter echoed on the river.

Song You also sat in the cabin, reminiscing about the past.

The girl next to her had completed her observation and grasp of the unfamiliar environment in the cabin. She had withdrawn her attention, picked up her small bamboo pole, and was laboriously untangling the twisted fishing line with her head lowered.

"I told Lady Sanhua that when you reel in the fishing line, reel it in properly. It will be very convenient for reuse later."

"I told the Taoist priest, when you take in the fishing line, take it in casually, and when you untie it, just take it out carefully." Sanhua Empress lowered her head and concentrated on untying the fishing line, and told him without raising her head.

"You're quite stubborn little thing."

"You're a big guy and you're quite stubborn!"

"..."

The Taoist shook his head and stopped talking.

The boat goes straight down the river, the water waves sound and sway gently, and there is a breeze on the river, which just passes through the cabin and blows on the Taoist's cheeks, making people feel comfortable. Apart from being comfortable, I don't think about anything in my heart. I feel like "I am used to the world now. The feeling that my heart is at ease everywhere.”

Just lie down and take a nap first.

When I woke up again, it was dusk.

At some point the boat stopped.

The sky is dark or dusk, and the mountains turn into deep black shadows. The dreamlike light in the sky and the silhouettes of the mountains are reflected in the water, and the river is also dyed with color. The small boat was floating on the water, and the light on the boat looked no bigger than a soybean from a distance. It was also reflected in the water, and was wrinkled by the evening breeze.

The boatman huddled next to him and made a fire to cook. He was careful not to wake him up.

There was a small figure sitting on the bow of the boat, holding a small fishing rod in his hand.

The fishing line enters the water, ripples appear in the waves.

The girl suddenly raised her pole.

"puff!"

There was a faint silver light in the darkness.

At the same time, she reached out and took it.

Just a small fish.

The girl looked calm and skillful. She took it off casually and threw it away casually.

"Puff puff..."

Fish were dancing in the cabin.

"You can cook porridge."

The girl turned around and said to the boatman. When she saw that the Taoist had woken up, she was stunned again: "Are you sleepy?"

The Taoist stood up with difficulty and couldn't help but rub his eyes.

My eyes were drowsy when I woke up, and the sky was gloomy at dusk. The river had not changed in countless years, and the scenery on both sides of the river was similar to that of many years ago. Suddenly, I seemed to see a talkative and talkative scholar sitting there. On the bow of the boat, when I wanted to reach out and touch the water in the river, the person who dropped the fish was not Sanhua Empress, but an old boatman.

It’s been a dream for many years.

…

Five days later.

On the blue spring water, the canopy boat listens to the wind, and the swallows follow the boat and fly across the water like water birds. They often surpass the boat, fly to the front, circle back, and fly behind the boat, as if they are playing.

The girl sat on the edge of the boat, scratching the side with her fingernails.

"The one we just passed is Anqing. After passing Anqing, ahead is Lingbo." The boatman almost stopped and walked without rowing the boat. He said to the Taoist, "We can get there this afternoon."

"Anqing!"

Sanhua Empress raised her head, looked at the Taoist, raised her head to the sky, and then tilted her head back until she found the swallows flying behind the boat, and then she kept this strange posture motionless:

"We're back at Yanzi's hometown again!"

"Miss Sanhua, please don't twist your neck." Song You calmly held her head back and straightened it, so as not to arouse the boatman's suspicion.

"It is said that in ancient times, there was a big demon causing trouble. During the rainy season, it caused torrential floods. The water covered thousands of miles and the waves were rough. They did not recede for several years. Many people in the county were drowned. It was a tragedy. Only some of them were lucky enough to escape here. On the mountain, I saved my life. Later, in order to prevent the big demon from causing trouble again, a city was built on the mountain, which was called Lingbo."

The boatman, who also serves as a tour guide, said to Song You.

Song You smiled when he heard this——

I heard familiar words again.

"There is a temple along the official road ahead. Sir, you can see it later." The boatman said to him, "Didn't it be said before that there were water monsters causing trouble in this section of the river, and they were later eliminated by the gods? The local People built a temple for that god, that’s the temple.”

"Yeah……"

Song You stood by the river, facing the breeze and moving forward.

"Have you ever seen the boatman?"

"I've been there once. It's a stone statue, similar to other gods. There's also a horse statue. Oh, it seems to have a dog. Don't look at us boaters who are on the river every day. In fact, on the shore We have never been to many places in our lives, and the past few years have been uneventful. This temple has a good reputation, so I also came to pay my respects. I don’t know if it works, but after worshiping, until now, I have I have never capsized a boat, and I don’t know if it was blessed by gods.”

"The boatman must be careful and blessed."

"Haha, we are almost at the temple! Don't you dare say that!" The boatman waved his hands repeatedly, fearing that the gods would hear and blame him, "Didn't I tell my husband before that there was a scholar named Fu in Anqing who wrote a book full of monsters and ghosts? A storybook? He seems to have written this matter into the book, and he seems to have said that he has seen the immortal with his own eyes, which is probably true!"

"I see……"

Song You took a deep breath. He didn't know how far away he was, but he could still faintly smell the scent of incense.

It seemed that he had come specially to find him.

"..."

The Taoist waved his hand and still dismissed it.

Not long after, I actually saw a temple.

The boat passed by along the river.

In a daze, the Taoist seemed to see a middle-aged man on the road by the bank. He was dressed as a scholar and was playing by the river with his friends. His face was vaguely familiar, and he wondered if he was an old friend.

The boat was really light.

"Ling Bo is here."

The boatman docked the boat and let out a sigh of relief.

"Thank you boatman."

After thirteen years, the Taoist once again set foot on this river bank.