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

Chapter 383 Fisherman on a Small Boat

Jing Chunxi pointed to the path below and walked a few quick steps to the intersection. Then he turned back and told Tang Shuang and Chun Tao, "You follow behind and go straight ahead. If you see anyone, hide. Tang Shuang will protect Chun Tao."

Although her tone was light, it was filled with unquestionable determination, as if this was an action that had been rehearsed long ago.

Tang Shuang and Chun Tao looked at each other, a hint of nervousness flashed in their eyes, but they quickly regained their composure and nodded slightly to show that they understood.

There are no houses down this path, and only small boats near the riverbank. I think the yamen runners and soldiers must be gathered at the dock now. Even if a few of them walk towards this side, there is nothing to worry about, I can easily deal with them.

Jing Chunxi was secretly calculating in his mind, but his steps did not stop at all, trying to increase his speed as much as possible.

She walked ahead to deal with the danger first, and Tang Shuang and Chun Tao followed. With Tang Shuang as a strongman, Jing Chunxi was not too worried about their safety. Besides, she did not plan to leave them for too long and would be back soon.

The path was quite rugged and steep, but for Jing Chunxi, flying down it was just another feeling of training with Xiao Man. Her figure was as light as a falling leaf, sliding down the path, her feet making almost no sound.

However, it was not so easy for them to keep up.

Jing Chunxi looked back and saw Tangshuang and Chuntao moving cautiously down the path. Chuntao had a hint of panic on her face, while Tangshuang stayed close to her, looking back from time to time, as if alert to the movements around her.

When she landed on the ground, she was already close to the edge of the dock. Jing Chunxi still felt a little unsatisfied. She felt that her skills had improved a lot, and she was secretly proud of herself.

More lanterns were lit at the dock, illuminating the waters of the Xunyang River like stars, making them tremble and shimmer. From afar, it was a unique landscape, and Jing Chunxi couldn't help but want to take another look.

She hid in the shadows, quietly observing everything on the dock.

In front of the two ships at the dock, soldiers were lined up in two rows, about 20 to 30 people, just enough to protect the loading area of ​​the large ship. There were also a few other people who looked like small leaders, shouting and giving orders on the side.

Boxes of ceramic tea were transported down from the warehouse continuously. Perhaps because they were worried about damaging the ceramics, they did not use wooden carts for transportation, but instead used manpower.

Jing Chunxi saw the people carrying the goods, all dressed in rags, their faces filled with fatigue and helplessness, and a pang of sadness welled up in his heart. These people were all captured laborers by the government, forced to do hard labor here.

"Hurry up and catch up. If you delay something important, I'll skin you alive."

A rough sound came from the crowd, followed by the sound of whipping people. The sound came from top to bottom, one after another, and it was not the sound of one person.

I think there should be quite a few yamen runners and soldiers supervising the porters from the warehouse down to the dock, and they all use violence.

Jing Chunxi was furious at the occasional wails and pleas for mercy. She clenched her fists so tightly that her nails almost dug into her palms.

A large group of soldiers just stood there without taking any action. Those who were tortured were all laborers captured from the people. I really wanted to go up and snatch their whips, let the people exchange with them, and whip them a few times so that the suffering people could also vent their anger.

But Jing Chunxi knew that she couldn't do that at this time.

There are five ships in total at the middle dock, two of which are not yet full. According to the message just received, all five ships should be full tonight and will depart together in the early morning.

But what are these boats used for? The one closest to Jing Chunxi, leaning against the edge and the corner, is a small boat that can only seat a few people. The hull is very broken, obviously not used for transportation, but probably a small fishing boat.

There were four boats in total, two of which had lights on. Jing Chunxi quietly approached.

The voice of an obviously older man came from inside: "We people in the fishing village are always forced to do hard labor and we don't even have enough food to eat. When will this end?" His voice was filled with endless fatigue and helplessness.

A younger voice said: "Why don't we escape by boat while the soldiers are not around? I don't want to row the boat for them anymore. I work so hard for two months and only get a few kilograms of rice when I come back. It's not enough to feed the elderly and children at home for a few days. I might as well go fishing myself." There was a hint of impulse and unwillingness in his tone.

There was another voice that sounded like a teenager: "Fishing, do you dare to fish? Aren't there many people who have been sent to prison and died for fishing? I won't take the risk. Let's take it one step at a time. It's better to live a miserable life than to die." There was a hint of timidity and hesitation in the teenager's voice.

Another one retorted, "Escape? Where can you escape to? It will be the same situation if you escape to Jian'an County. You are lucky that you are alone, but I have two younger brothers who are helping with the transportation! There are elderly people and children at home. If I run away, they will all die." There was a hint of helplessness and pain in his voice.

Knowing that these were boatmen captured by the government and suffering people, Jing Chunxi did not continue to listen, nor did he try to knock them out.

She sighed inwardly. These people had such a hard life, yet they were forced to work for the government. Perhaps what happened in Xunyang City had not yet reached them.

Jing Chunxi planned to continue moving towards the pier.

However, just as she was eavesdropping on the fisherman's conversation, she turned around and saw Xiaoman's small figure. She had never expected that they were so fast and arrived at the dock in an instant.

However, Xiaoman's figure only flashed by. When Jing Chunxi looked over here, he saw that the two rows of soldiers were still standing firmly, with no signs of being knocked unconscious.

However, it should be soon.