Chapter 716: Chapter 711: Arrival at Qiantang
From Luoyang to Qiantang, aside from experiencing an encounter with river pirates, holding a small funeral on the riverside, and repairing the boat, which delayed us a bit, the rest of the journey was quite fast with supply stops along the way.
However, every time we encountered a tributary, we couldnât help but be on guard.
Ordinary river pirates love to hide in the tributaries, suddenly rushing out to rob passersby.
Fortunately, this time, the Luoxing ships following at the end didnât hide their skills anymore. Whenever they met the unscrupulous, they would strike first, and it was enough to defeat the pirates handily.
Gradually, maybe the fame of the female warriors spread through the waterways, and in the last few days on the Grand Canal, it was peaceful without any disturbances from those who couldnât judge the situation.
This journey has given Lin Wanwan new insights into the strength of the gate valves.
More than six months ago, on the way from Qiantang to Luoyang, Lin Wanwan traveled with her aunt, and they did not encounter any bandits at all. The journey was smooth, making it seem as if the law and order of the Great Tang were similar to modern times.
But when the ship with the Xiao banner wasnât with the fleet, they encountered several groups of bandits, large and small, on their journey.
Lin Wanwan had gained considerable knowledge, while Xiao Yixun, on her first trip from Changâan to find Lin Wanwan, had already experienced such events.
Only the carefree child Qingyu was indifferent to it all.
Perhaps she takes after her family, as Qingyuâs courage is as boundless as Lin Wanwanâs.
During the first battle, she slept soundly, and even when awakened by two night assaults, she showed no fear. Upon witnessing the graceful moves of the women from Luoxing, she even envied them, pestering Lin Wanwan to let her learn from them.
Lin Wanwan considered that learning some martial arts wouldnât be a bad idea, so she allowed Qingyu to learn.
Regarding the suitable starting age for martial arts, Qingyuâs current age is neither too early nor too late.
Since then, Qingyuâs habit of sleeping late in the morning has come to an end, as she has to wake up early for horse stance training and strengthening her lower body.
However, Qingyu genuinely seemed interested in martial arts, finding it not arduous at all, which was in stark contrast to her proactive attitude towards cultural learning.
Lin Wanwan couldnât help but wonder if her child was a natural-born military general?
On this day, Lin Wanwan stood on the deck and finally saw the bustling dock of Qiantang.
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Those who had seasickness on the boat felt much better after Lin Wanwan combined motion sickness patches and acupuncture.
Initially, Lin Wanwan didnât plan to manage everyoneâs seasickness. Although there were many from Guanzhong who were landlubbers on the boat, since they were her family servants and followers, living by the sea meant they could not fear water.
By letting them endure it, they would eventually get used to it. They all had to adapt to the water.
But unforeseen turbulence along the way necessitated Lin Wanwanâs intervention in the seasickness issue to enhance the groupâs combat ability. Otherwise, if half the boat was incapacitated by seasickness, how could they possibly fight?
During her last sestrousid journey back to the modern era to buy penicillin, she conveniently purchased many motion sickness patches.
She chose these conspicuously advanced motion sickness patches instead of less obvious motion sickness pills because the pills would likely cause drowsiness, whereas the patches wouldnât.
The reason Lin Wanwan treated their seasickness was to keep them alert. If they took pills and became groggy, it would be better to let them get used to being nauseous.
As the ship flying the Lin banner appeared, someone immediately raced back to the Xiao family, Lin Wanwanâs maternal family, to report the news.
Two months ago, in her correspondence with Xiao Xianghua, Lin Wanwan had informed her that she would likely depart for Qiantang in September if all went according to plan.
Xiao Xianghua, of course, mentioned this to the elder members of the family. Calculating the days, since Lin Wanwanâs ship should be arriving soon, the Xiao family stationed people at the dock every day to ensure that the welcoming arrangements were taken care of at the first opportunity.
For the split-off branch of the family, Lin Wanwan was now their wealthiest and closest blood relative, and they couldnât show her too much favor.
As soon as Lin Wanwanâs ship docked, the carriages and horses sent by the Xiao family were already waiting at the dock to greet her.
Lin Wanwan donned her veil hat, led Qingyu off the boat, followed by Xiao Yixun wearing a straw hat.
The three, tired of the boat, didnât want to ride in the cramped carriage, opting instead to ride the horses brought by the Xiao family (these horses were purchased by Lin Wanwan the first time she visited the Xiao family in Qiantang, so she could ride them when she came to play).
Qingyu didnât ride alone but shared a horse with Lin Wanwan. She did have her own little horse, a small pony bought in Changâan City, acquired after much effort.
However, after the long journey, the returning pony suffered from severe sea sickness upon landing, unsteady on its feet, let alone carrying someone, so they had to make do with ordinary horses for now.
The news of Lin Wanwanâs return from Changâan soon spread through the upper levels of Qiantang.
The first time she arrived in Qiantang, she was an orphan from the countryside entering the city. The second time, she returned as the Village Lady of Leâan, and now, on her third visit, after gaining prestige in Changâan, she had become the betrothed of Xiao Chong, a direct descendant of the Lanling Xiao family, with an increasingly honorable status.
The upper circle of Qiantang County naturally extended friendly olive branches towards her.
The County Magistrateâs Wife of Qiantang County was still Xiao Chongâs cousin, so she promptly sent an invitation to the Xiao Mansion, inviting Lin Wanwan and her cousins to dine at the county government for dinner.
Lin Wanwan had no particular fondness for Lady Lu but didnât dislike her either. She was accustomed to dealing with these high-ranking noblewomen in Changâan City, handling them with a tolerable perfunctoriness.
Although Lady Lu, nĂ©e Xiao, initially didnât like Lin Wanwan, her engagement to Xiao Chong was granted by the emperor himself. The situation was a foregone conclusion, and as Xiao Chongâs cousin, she naturally had to accept it.
Lu Yingâer found it much harder to accept the situation than her mother. Upon learning that Lin Wanwan had become Xiao Chongâs fiancĂ©e, she was furious for several days.
She was utterly uncooperative with the matchmaking events arranged by her parents, so much so that Lady Lu grounded her for several days.
Eventually, Lu Yingâer couldnât resist the inevitable and compromised. Now, the marriage arrangement was more or less settled, the match already chosen, just waiting for the other family to send gifts.
They naturally chose a match of equal rank from the direct lineage of the Prince of Langyaâs family, though they didnât live in the Hang Yue area but in Shengzhou Jinling, meaning Lu Yingâer would be married far away.
At the speed of Tang Dynastyâs carriage and horses, visiting her natal home after marrying far away wouldnât be easy. Some women might only return for the New Year or a funeral.