An eight-year-old kid emptied his scumbag father's warehouse and followed his grandparents into

Chapter 441: The First Checkpoint of Minjiang River

After a meal of fried fish, stewed fish, steamed fish, braised fish, fish porridge, and fish soup, we entered Sanming County before noon the next day, the first checkpoint after entering the Minjiang River.

When Xiao Man came up to remind them that they were about to pass the checkpoint, Jing Chunxi was sitting quietly, looking out the window. She looked through the slightly misty window, carefully observing the scene ahead.

The river ahead narrowed considerably, and at its narrowest point, visible from afar, several wooden boats, of varying sizes and ageing in appearance, were lined up on either side. Between the two boats, two bamboo rafts, tied together, stretched across the middle.

Several thick ropes were tied to the bamboo raft, and the other ends of the ropes were fixed to wooden stakes on both sides of the river. This was obviously to prevent the raft from being washed away by the water and to facilitate loosening at any time.

This is the so-called river checkpoint. Wooden boats and bamboo rafts are tied together, obviously to block passing ships. If ships want to pass, they must be inspected.

There was not a single tree on the high embankments on both sides, which was in stark contrast to the lush greenery in the previous section of the river.

The trees had been cut down, and a row of wooden houses had been built on both sides. Clothes hanging out to dry were fluttering in the north wind. Looking up, one could occasionally see one or two people walking around.

Most of these wooden houses are built from felled trees and are simple and crude. The roofs of the houses are covered with thick thatch and the walls are coated with a thin layer of mud to protect them from wind and rain.

"Miss, look, is that a person waving the flag?"

Xiao Man and Tang Shuang both pointed at the bamboo raft ahead and whispered in surprise. Jing Chunxi looked in the direction of their fingers and saw a figure appear on the raft, waving a flag.

"It's the yamen runner!" Jing Chunxi frowned slightly and said in a low voice.

On the previously empty bamboo raft, a man in yamen clothes suddenly appeared and waved a yellow pennant towards their boat. There was a large black character on the flag, but it was too far away to see clearly. Seeing the boat coming from the front, the yamen runner who had been guarding the old cabin rushed out.

Judging from the direction the pennant was waving, it seemed that they were being ordered to stop to the right.

Following the direction indicated by the flag waved by the yamen runner, their boat slowed down and slowly approached the right bank. The boatmen skillfully operated the boat, adjusting the direction and speed to allow the boat to approach the bank smoothly.

Everyone’s heart is raised.

At the embankment where the ship was about to dock, there were steps leading up to a small bamboo house at the top of the embankment. This small bamboo house was the checkpoint and the office of the yamen runners.

The walls of the bamboo house were made of woven bamboo, and the roof was covered with a thick layer of thatch, making it look extremely simple. A wooden sign with unclear writing hung on the door of the bamboo house.

Seeing the boat approaching the shore, two men emerged from the small bamboo hut and walked leisurely down the steps, still wearing the same uniform as yamen runners. Both men looked young, around 20 to 30 years old. The one in front was slightly older, taller, with dark skin and a serious expression on his face.

The leading yamen runner, whose uniform was embroidered with golden patterns, looked a bit majestic and must be the leader. The one behind him was also wearing a dark blue yamen runner uniform, but it was plain and without any decoration. They all had a long sword hanging from their waist.

The old boatman, who was still at the helm in the top hold, said to Ah Qi, who was standing beside him, "Give them a pass later, but you have to be careful. They look a little strange today."

The old boatman's face looked a little solemn. He had been sailing on this river for many years and was very familiar with the situation at the checkpoints from what he had experienced in the past two years. He could feel that something was wrong with the atmosphere today.

Ah Qi looked at the old boatman awkwardly: "Uncle, did you see anything strange?" Ah Qi was a little worried. The old boatman's words might not be groundless, so he had to be careful.

The old boatman continued to steer to the right, saying, "The boatmen are usually very familiar with each other. If you hand over the pass, they will usually send a few people on board to check. If you give them a little bit of money, there will be no problem."

He paused and whispered, "It's so strange today. All the soldiers are gone, only the yamen runners are left." The old boatman's words made Ah Qi's heart sink, and he realized that things might be really bad.

Ah Qi felt a little regretful: if he had known earlier, he should have stripped a few of the yamen runners' clothes so that he could act according to the situation. Now it was too late to ask the guards in soldier uniforms to change clothes.

He secretly regretted his negligence, but it was too late to regret now. He could only act according to circumstances and see how to deal with the situation.

Seeing the boat slowly approaching the shore, Ah Qi could only bite the bullet and quickly run down to the first floor.

When they reached the first floor, he first called Chongsan, who was also wearing a soldier's uniform, to follow him. Finally, he whispered to the open doors of each compartment: "Everyone, be smart!" Although Ah Qi's voice was low, it was full of majesty, which made the soldiers dare not slack off.

The soldiers in several compartments sat up straight, and some even touched the weapons hidden under their pillows and beds. They all knew that if something went wrong, they had to take action immediately.

As soon as the boat stopped, two yamen runners were already standing not far from the deck.

Ah Qi quickly stood at the front, folded his hands together, bowed, and greeted with a smile on his face: "Brother, thank you for your hard work!" He tried to make himself look enthusiastic and friendly, hoping to leave a good impression in front of the yamen runners.

Chongsan also stood beside Ah Qi, one step away from him, and respectfully handed over the pass in his hand: "We came to your place from Xunyang City, and I hope you can give us some convenience." Chongsan tried his best to look less nervous.

When the chief yamen runner heard that they were from Xunyang City, his eyes immediately rolled around, and he looked at Ah Qi and Chong San's faces again, and suddenly asked: "So few? Why is there only one boat? Didn't Pheasant come?" It sounded like a greeting, but in fact it was full of vigilance and questioning.

Chongsan remained silent, and Ah Qi immediately replied, "We don't know anything else. My master only said that Jian'an City needed manpower and asked me to arrange for thirty people to go there first." Ah Qi tried his best to make his tone sound natural, polite but not flattering, and without revealing any flaws.

After a pause, he continued, "Whether Xunyang City will send more troops here later is not something we can ask." Ah Qi knew that the "Pheasant" mentioned by the yamen runner might be a name they were familiar with, but he couldn't be sure and could only answer vaguely. Judging from the yamen runner's tone, it seemed that Xunyang rarely sent out a single ship on a normal day.

While Ah Qi was talking, he not only accepted the gazes of the two yamen runners, but also carefully looked at the two people opposite him.

The chief yamen runner stood there, his eyes as sharp as a knife, sizing up Ah Qi and Chong San, as if trying to find some flaw in them. Ah Qi could feel the pressure of the scrutiny, but he tried to remain calm while also observing the other person carefully.

The chief yamen runner looked to be in his early thirties, tall and erect, with a stern, tanned complexion and a serious, stern expression on his face. His eyes were piercing, sharp, and deep, and he looked straight at people, as if he wanted to see through them.

Ah Qi thought: This man should be a soldier, and he has some minor official position, at least a thousand households. He sensed a soldier's demeanor from the other party's behavior and temperament, that kind of well-trained temperament is not something that ordinary people can have.

The other yamen runner was a little younger and shorter, and acted like a little follower, not worthy of his attention at all.