Great changes. The Treasure Ship headed east.
The small boat headed west.
"Food's ready!"
"From the fifth month to the Sixth Month, from east to west—no heat in sight, only cold. What a strange thing." Fan Zixuan jumped down from the mast and took the chopsticks.
"The farther west we go, the more it's like this. Yesterday, we found a small restaurant for a meal. We couldn't understand a word when ordering, and no one spoke the official language. Even those who could speak it couldn't explain themselves clearly." Cha Qing wolfed down his mixed noodles.
"I wonder when Lord Liang will arrive."
"We'll get there in the seventh or eighth month, settle in for two months—by my reckoning, it'll be deep autumn no matter what."
"Judging by the accents of you three, might you be from Southern Zhili? From the way you speak and conduct yourselves, are you officials? Where are you headed?"
A choking stink drifted over with the wind.
Kou Zhuang could see the lice in the man's hair. He wanted to tell him to leave, but Cha Qing stopped him with a look, so he ignored the man and remained silent. Along the way, there was never any shortage of opportunists coming up to strike up conversations. There was no need to respond, no need for pleasantries. Keep your mouth shut and your purse covered—that was enough.
Seeing that no one paid him any heed, the man left resentfully.
"Da Zhuang, when you're away from home, no matter what others say, good or bad, don't respond." Cha Qing warned him. "The moment you answer, you've stepped into the snare."
Kou Zhuang did not ask what sort of snare it was. He nodded seriously. "Got it."
Fine rain swayed in the air.
The grass carp struggled