Chapter 197: Yancheng by the Xiang River

The balmy breeze gently eases, bringing coolness anew; in Minor Heat, the spirit is clear, the days of summer long.

Fits and starts of cicada songs waft from distant trees, murmuring swallows speak, resting on carved beams.

Midsummer, the sixth day, at dusk.

Yancheng's Luosu Wharf bustles extraordinarily, with boats coming in and out by the embankment—boatmen's calls echo over summer cicadas perched on riverside willows.

The rumble of wagon wheels resounds time and again.

Single-wheeled carts hauling goods, horse-drawn carriages with loads going to and from the town, escort agency hands and members of various boat and horse groups are a common sight.

Each sticking to their own livelihood, they greet the helping farmers without intruding upon each other, yet all blend into the thriving scene of the wharf.

Newcomers from Jianghu and travelers alike are startled by Yancheng's clamor.