Chapter 709 - 482: My Friend
The couple quickly caught up with the children, and as for the topic of conversation earlier, it was naturally not brought up again.
There were carriages waiting for them outside the city. The family divided themselves among three carriages, which were loaded with quite a few things they had bought temporarily in the city.
The dock wasn’t far, and they arrived quickly. However, upon seeing the large ship, everyone was still amazed.
It had three layers of cabins, with cargo space below, almost twice the size of the boats they used to take for a lake trip.
"Such a big ship! It could hold several hundred people, right?"
Even Xiaomi, who designed it, was seeing it for the first time, never mind everyone else.
Of course, excluding Liu Ze and Xiao Xue, who had visited a few days ago specifically.
Upon hearing Xiaomi’s exclamation, Liu Ze nodded with a smile: "It certainly can. This time, apart from the things we’ll need on the way home, we’re not bringing anything else. It can carry all of us."
Then he looked over at Commander Yang: "However, the cabins above might not suffice, so some of the brothers will have to be accommodated in the lower cabins."
The Imperial guards changed shifts once a year. This year, they were running with the Jiang family, coincidentally with Commander Yang and his team, who had previously traveled with them to Lishi City.
Being old acquaintances, there’s naturally no need for formality. Commander Yang immediately nodded: "It’s fine, after all, it’s just half a month’s time, we’ll be there soon."
Seeing their group, a steward-like person hurried over from the dockside, running towards them.
"Second Master, we are ready, we can set off at any time."
He spoke while sneakily glancing up.
The task this time was to pick up the Marquis and his family. They knew well that the owner of the ship had a good relationship with the Marquis’s family, but it was not easy for them to have a chance to see the Marquis in person.
Moreover, for someone born in a farming family but who became a Marquis through farming, everyone admired and was curious, wanting to see what he actually looks like.
Commander Yang immediately called two teams to board the ship first. While they were inspecting and securing, he signaled to Jiang Hu and others to go over slowly.
No matter when or where, Commander Yang and his people took their duties seriously.
Perhaps others didn’t know, but they knew that in recent years, the Imperial guards had caught quite a few spies.
They came from other countries and some were sent by the court.
These people were apprehended before they alarmed the Jiang family and were taken away for questioning.
Without exception, they intended to bribe Marquis Nong Zheng. If they discovered any good things in the future, they shouldn’t be immediately released but secretly given to them so they could profit together.
Commander Yang understood that the Marquis’s family wasn’t short of money. The dividends from various businesses were enough to far outpace many people.
The most important thing is that they are not greedy for money. If they truly loved money, how could they stay in a remote mountain area for several years?
However, knowing this, they still had to capture those troublesome things.
But since they’ve caught many, they fear some might take risks, so despite the friendly appearance, they’re secretly on high alert.
Moreover, the safety of the Marquis’s family was taken very seriously by the higher-ups. Once they return, it won’t be guaranteed they will be the ones next time. Every year, the five hundred Imperial guards are rigorously selected.
So, when they return, they train seriously. At the end of the year, their skills are tested, and those who are unqualified are replaced by others.
This alone is enough to prove how seriously the higher-ups regard the safety of the Marquis’s family.
When Jiang Hu and his group arrived at the dock, the squad leader who had boarded first returned, standing at the bow and nodded towards Commander Yang, indicating everything was safe.
Jiang Hu’s second wife didn’t notice, but everyone else did, they just didn’t say anything.
Xiaomi bounced onto the ship, and Wei Ziang quickly followed.
As soon as Xiaomi boarded, she wandered around: "This ship is so steady, so big."
Wei Ziang nodded: "Indeed, it’s quite impressive."
Watching from below didn’t quite reveal its size, but upon boarding, they realized just how large it was; even this deck alone was almost as big as a room.
The larger the ship, the steadier it is while sailing. After all, the water beneath the surface roils, and smaller ships are prone to rocking.
Xiaomi had already run to the railing and was looking over the river.
"This river isn’t big enough. For bigger ships, we’ll have to go to the sea."
Wei Ziang stayed by Xiaomi’s side and chuckled when he heard her say this: "Looks like you’ve been studying hard over the years, Xiaomi."
Xiaomi raised her eyebrows proudly: "Of course, I can’t just do nothing while you all have things to do."
"How could that be? Isn’t this ship redesigned from your drawings, Xiaomi?"
The two chatted and laughed while everyone else boarded the ship. Liu Ze called them over to see their room.
On the way here, the ship was loaded with cargo and some passengers. Now, aside from them, there was no one else.
When Liu Ze came last time, he had already instructed the steward to tidy up and prepare it for their arrival today.
Several large cages were carried over, containing Xiaomi, Xiaohei (Little Black), and Xiaobai (Little White).
These three had moved with the Jiang family several times over the years and were quite used to it. They stayed quietly in their cages, not feeling rushed.
Once everything was settled, Xiaomi would let them out in the room and then sneak them into a hidden space to play.
Though the ship was big, there were many people. Even the food alone took up a lot of space.
Liu Ze assigned them rooms on the third floor, two per room, enough to accommodate everyone.
The second floor was for Commander Yang and some of the Imperial guards. The first floor housed the kitchen, bathroom, and some crew and guards.
The remaining crew and guards had to stay in the cargo hold below. However, with no cargo now, it wasn’t too stuffy, and they could come up to the deck for fresh air when not sleeping.
With so many people, they had to manage for the time being. Fortunately, the speed of the ship to Nanyang Prefecture was fast, and they’d arrive in half a month.
Plus, they would stop along the way, allowing everyone to visit towns for relaxation and shopping.
Liu Ze quickly organized rooms for everyone, but Xiaomi didn’t want to stay indoors. Knowing she’d be sharing a room with Zhou Ying, she let Xiaobai and Xiaohei out, then took Xiaomi for a walk.
Since Xiaomi is a cat, though it didn’t show fear, Xiaomi still worried it might be startled.
Just as she wandered onto the deck, she heard someone calling her.
"Xiaomi! Here! I’m here!"
On the dock, a young lady jumped directly off an unsteady carriage, seemingly holding something in her arms, and began to run towards the ship.
But before she could get close, she was stopped by several guards.
Xiaomi quickly ran down: "Wait a moment, she’s my friend!"