Chapter 50: Exploring the River
After the agreement was settled, Shen Luo handed over the horses to Mr. and Mrs. Yu Dadan, and rowed the small boat into the river himself.
When he was about to set off, Yu Dadan did not forget to give him detailed instructions, fearing that he might encounter any accidents. Shen Luo naturally took this seriously and noted down the details of each section of the river and the matters needing attention.
The woman even provided him with clean drinking water for the boat, and brought out some pancakes and pieces of jerky from their home. She wrapped them in a hemp cloth and insisted Shen Luo take them with him on the boat.
Shen Luo, unable to refuse their kindness, laughed and accepted the package.
The awning boat drifted down the rapid river. Shen Luo stood at the bow of the boat with a bamboo pole in his hand, not to row, but to feel for the reefs in the water on either side of the boat.
Soon, the boat bypassed clusters of reeds as tall as humans, and entered a reed beach.
According to Yu Dadan’s description, this section is the most turbulent in the Luan Shui River. The boat was not going too fast when it first hit the water, but as it went downstream its speed increased rapidly. This forced Shen Luo to start using the bamboo pole to feel the bottom, reducing the speed of the boat.
However, he was quite unfamiliar with rowing. Even though he was fully concentrated, he couldn’t avoid bumping around in these rapids.
"Bang, bang, bang”