When the book-traveling little detective meets the two-faced prince

Chapter 406 'Anyone who believes this chapter is a fool'

After this person intervened and mediated, many people felt that what he said made a lot of sense.

"Yes, it was a false alarm. Luckily, no one was hurt. Boatman, please let him on board."

Everyone said they didn't mind. If they refused the beggar's entry onto the boat now, it would seem rather heartless. After hesitating for a while, the manager called to the waiter beside him, "Untie the ropes and move the wedding boat away. Lower the gangplank and let the old man come aboard."

"Yes, sir."

Once the small boat is moved to a suitable distance, the gangway connecting the two boats will no longer be so steep.

Just before boarding the ship.

The old beggar walked up to the boatman, took five copper coins from his string of coins, stuffed them into the boatman's hand, and said with a smile, "Although I am an old beggar, I will not ride your boat for free."

Having said that, he stepped onto the diving board.

The boatman looked at the copper coin. In his hand, besides the coin, there was also a piece of snow-white sacrificial candy. The coin was still covered with a few specks of white powder. He shook his head with a helpless smile and murmured, "This old beggar."

I was startled for no reason, and I didn't even win the argument, so I naturally felt a bit frustrated.

but.

Although the old beggar's words on the boat were unreasonable and unjust, they still touched his heart.

Having spent years navigating the river in a small boat, accustomed to these tall, imposing vessels and ferrying countless wealthy and powerful people, I truly felt inferior. Having lived more than half my life, I was still less enlightened and carefree than an old beggar.

He then put the piece of candy for the Kitchen God in his mouth, a smile appearing on his face, and prepared to row away.

"Brother Boatman—!"

The boatman looked over and saw the maid Xin'er leaning against the railing. When she saw the boatman looking over, Xin'er took out some loose silver from her purse and prepared to throw it down.

"Brother Boatman, this is what we agreed on, please keep it safe!"

However, the boatman turned his back and continued rowing, shouting loudly, "Your young lady has already paid the fare. Since this old beggar has paid his own fare and doesn't intend to go back, I have no reason to accept the money. I wish the young lady and her husband a long and happy marriage!"

With a face full of gratitude and her eyes sparkling, Xin'er exclaimed, "Then on behalf of my young lady, I thank Brother Boatman!"

The boatman waved again, and the small boat slowly sailed towards the brightly lit city of Zecheng.

After the boatman's small boat gradually sailed away from the pleasure boat, the other three boats arrived at the pleasure boat in turn.

They came out from the other two ships.

On a boat, a simply dressed couple held an infant in their arms. The baby was wrapped up very warmly and slept soundly in the woman's arms, neither crying nor fussing.

The other boat carried two young men.

"Fortunately, it was a close call. We're on our way."

Seeing that the crowd had dispersed, Lin Lezhi greeted Xiao Yihuo and went straight downstairs.

When going downstairs.

A middle-aged scholar-like man and two young men disembarked from a small boat and were being led upstairs by the boat's staff, who enthusiastically introduced them to the various facilities on the boat.

Upon arriving at the first floor of the pleasure boat, the old beggar sat down on the floor, leaning against the outside of the men's guest room.

The couple with the child were separated outside their room because the guest rooms on the first floor had to be booked separately. The woman then led them into the women's room.

As people passed by the old beggar, they all kept a safe distance.

But the old beggar paid no attention to the stares of passersby, looking relaxed and content. He even yawned and dozed off on the spot.

Lin Lezhi smiled, walked into the guest room, and took the food she had bought to Guan Ziheng's room.

"Ziheng, I'm going back..."

Lin Lezhi lifted the curtain, only to find that Guan Ziheng was not in the room. Thinking that Guan Ziheng might have vomited again, she put down her food and hurried to the spot where he had vomited, but she still did not see Guan Ziheng.

Did he go out to watch the commotion when it happened outside?

But by now, the people outside had already dispersed.

Perhaps?

Did they come to Ting City to look for me because they haven't seen me for a long time?

After thinking for a moment, Lin Lezhi's eyes narrowed slightly with worry, and she decided to go out and look for Guan Ziheng.

Just as I was about to leave the men's room, Guan Ziheng walked towards me, looking very cold, rubbing his arms back and forth in front of his chest.

As soon as he entered, Guan Ziheng saw Lezhi preparing to leave.

"Lezhi, you're back?" He glanced at the spot where Lin Lezhi had returned from, his face filled with disbelief and a hint of worry. "You got seasick too?"

Seeing Guan Ziheng, Lin Lezhi's eyes relaxed, and she replied, "No, when I came back I found you were neither in the house nor in the vomiting area, so I was going out to look for you."

Upon hearing this, Guan Ziheng gave her a pitiful look that seemed to say, "Don't say anything more," so Lin Lezhi helped Guan Ziheng back to his room.

Back in his room, Guan Ziheng had barely sat down when he couldn't help but launch into a torrent of complaints to Lin Lezhi.

"After you left for a while, I felt so dizzy that I thought I'd go out for some fresh air to see if it would make me feel better. When I felt a little better, I thought I'd go to the third floor to find you. But as soon as I got to the second floor, for some reason, there was a sudden shouting on the boat, and it started to capsize. I wanted to see what was going on, but a swarm of people rushed up and I was pushed to the other side of the boat. Then the boat rocked up and down, and I almost got seasick. You don't know, it took me a while to hold back from throwing up. After I calmed down, I saw that there were fewer people, so I came back."

"It sounds like you've had a lot of bad luck too."

"That's right."

Recalling what had just happened, Guan Ziheng looked gloomy and resentful. At this moment, the boat suddenly rocked again, and Guan Ziheng felt a surge in his chest, as if he was about to vomit.

He clutched his chest, suppressing his impulse, his face contorted in pain, yet his resolve remained firm. He waved his hand and said, "So, I've decided to come back and wait for you. I won't go out again. If I have to go out, I'll wait until we get there first thing tomorrow morning."

Lin Lezhi smiled and said, "It seems to be a coincidence. We just happened to be on different sides. When it happened, Xiao Xu and I were coming down from the top floor and got stuck on the second floor."

"No, there are so many people on the ship, how did you two run into each other again?"

Upon hearing that Lin Lezhi and Xiao Xu had run into each other again, Guan Ziheng couldn't help but want to complain.

Lin Lezhi smiled awkwardly and said, "We just... bumped into each other."

Guan Ziheng narrowed his eyes at Lin Lezhi's far-fetched explanation, staring intently at Lin Lezhi with a look that said, "Only a fool would believe that," his eyes revealing a scrutinizing gaze.

However, after realizing that this was not the main point, Guan Ziheng looked at Lin Lezhi and asked, "What exactly happened during that big commotion up ahead?"