Chapter 46: Clearing Trees from Rivers (Part 1)

  The south of the Yangtze River has plenty of water, and Shaoxing is even more so.

  The entire city of Shaoxing is gently wrapped and entwined by the winding rivers. Water brings vitality to the city, and the city also gives water its vitality. The city and water are interdependent and inseparable.

  In the numerous rivers of Shaoxing, Fengzheng River is a particularly important one. It is both a section of the city moat and part of the Zhejiang Eastern Canal. The river surface has always been relatively broad. Throughout the year, boats shuttle back and forth on the canal, with sails in the wind or oars without it, coming and going day and night, hence the name "Fengzheng River".

  Today, the river surface is more lively than usual. The officials and wealthy merchants of the two counties brought their families and boarded double-decker ships, yachts, and painted boats to stop near Guai Zi Kou. They drank and had fun while waiting for the good show to start. The common people also gathered together, pooled money to hire a fishing boat or small boat to come and watch the excitement. There were also some awning boats carrying fresh fruit, flower carvings, and yellow wine, shouting and selling loudly, and in no time they earned more than their usual daily income.

  This scene usually only appears on Dragon Boat Festival and Double Ninth Festival, today is like a holiday, all because the second match of the two counties will be settled today...... The big move of cutting trees in the river is more exciting than the small skill of gilding the inside of a bottle, no wonder the parents of Shaoxing are so enthusiastic about betting.

  Even some young ladies from wealthy families couldn't help but beg their parents to let them come along, hiding in the curtained cabins of the boats to sneak a peek... Goodness gracious, what a lively world this is. The young ladies, mostly sheltered and naive, had big shining eyes, looking so innocent and curious.

  Miss Yin and Huaping also came over on a yacht. In fact, she was born to be quiet and not fond of noise, and she was busy with work, if it wasn't for Huaping coming back to tell her, Shenmo actually looked down on the method she had thought out with great effort, which almost drove her crazy! She wouldn't have taken out precious time to join in this commotion either.

  At this time, the river surface suddenly had a stir, and then Hua Ping excitedly said: "It's coming, it's coming!" Miss Yin looked in the direction of the sound, and saw a fast boat coming from upstream with the wind, with a young man in blue standing at the bow, who should be that stinky little boy! He really knows how to show off...

  Miss Yin couldn't help but narrow her eyes, wanting to see what this rascal looked like, and how he could make the painter infatuated... Unfortunately, the boat was moving extremely fast, and in the blink of an eye, it had already passed by, and before she could get a clear look at his face, she could only see his stylish back.

  "What a presumptuous little brat!" Miss Yin gritted her teeth in anger, her heart seething with rage. The painted screen sensed her abnormal behavior and thought to itself: "You've really offended the young lady this time."

  Shen Jing wore a blue shirt, standing alone at the bow of the boat, striking his most stylish pose, enjoying the cheers from all around. Suddenly, he let out two loud sneezes in a row, instantly becoming flustered and causing the people around him to burst into laughter.

  His face turned bright red with anger, and he muttered in a low voice: "Who is scolding me behind my back?"

  "Jiang Feng is so big, it's strange if he doesn't catch a cold."

  "I just want to enjoy the thrill of being cheered by everyone, don't I?" Shen Jing wiped his nose hard and said with a sorrowful face: "This is great, I'm going to die from embarrassment... Is this really my fate?"

  "Master, young master, we've arrived." The old sailor announced loudly at this time.

  He nodded silently, supported himself against the cabin door and slowly stood up, walking onto the deck to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Shen Jing.

  As soon as they saw the white clothes fluttering, a burst of cheers suddenly erupted from the riverbank and the shore, interspersed with some shrill screams from young women: "Shen Mo has arrived..."

  "It was silence after all..." Looking at that slightly thin white back, Miss Yin said softly: "Just a half-grown child."

  "Miss..." The screen muttered with a small mouth: "You are biased..."

  Miss Yin teased her with a smile: "You don't even want to talk about it?" Although she wholeheartedly supported Hua Ping's decision to leave, which was like a sister to her, she couldn't help but feel some reluctance and sadness in her heart. It wasn't hard to understand that this also led to some resentment towards Shen Mo.

  Just as Hua Ping was about to speak, a loud and rough voice came from outside: "Young Master Shen, I'm Wang Mou. I keep my promises, and I've brought Yao Zhangzi to you as promised. Have you brought the idea I wanted?"

  Then a clear voice replied: "Let me try." Even with some bias, Miss Yin had to admit that this kid's movement was really good.

  Then he saw the silent one order the old captain: "Please bring the boat closer."

  "Alright!" Rarely showing off in front of so many people, the old captain straightened up and said: "Young master, take a look!" After finishing speaking, he used force to push the boat paddle, and the fast boat slowly approached the big tree, stopping steadily three inches away.

  "Secure the boat." Shen Mo smiled silently. The old sailor then used ropes to tie the boat's side tightly to two thick branches.

  "Next, it's up to the masters." Shen Mo then said to the seven or eight carpenters who came out of the cabin: "Let's do it according to what we discussed yesterday."

  "The carpenters smiled and said, 'Don't worry, young master.' Then they began to work in an orderly manner. First, they used saws and axes to remove the branches from the lower part of the old tree, making it a bare trunk. Next, three feet above the water's surface on the tree trunk, they sawed out a notch. After the notch was done, the boatman untied the rope and rowed the boat to the other side of the tree trunk, re-securing it."

  The carpenters did not rush to saw the tree, but first chiseled some small holes slanting upwards at a position one foot above the water surface on the trunk. Then they inserted some wooden rods with both ends sharpened and put the prepared boards on top. The four corners of the board had been chiseled into suitable small holes beforehand, which allowed the other end of the rod to enter but not exit.

  Around the trunk as if it was carved half a circle, and then tie the inside with ropes to each other, a delicate and sturdy foot platform is set up.

  Check the sturdiness of the scaffolding, and the carpenters will feel at ease stepping on it. Use a long saw to cut down the tree trunk from the opposite side. To avoid accidents, Shen Mo jumped onto the scaffolding, rowing the boat far away, and also instructed Shen Jing, who stayed on the boat, to prevent curious boats from approaching, so as not to cause any harm.

  After two minutes, the saw finally cut close to the gap. At this time, the big tree began to make a creaking sound, and soon the thick trunk slowly fell down. With the rustling of branches, the degree of the trunk falling became more and more open, only to hear a loud crash, the big tree fell into the water, stirring up a water column as high as two Zhang, soaking all the people on the scaffolding into a mess.