At dawn, the Jianghuai Great Marsh was shrouded in a thin mist.
Over a dozen small boats were connected in a zigzagging, twisted line.
There had been a heavy rain last night, with fierce river winds, leaving everyone listless and the moorings fairly disordered.
"Make way, make way for all!"
Someone with a conical bamboo hat was paddling a small boat, shouting all the way, urging the boats in the middle to move aside and make room in the channel.
A few strong men who were dozing off perked up upon hearing this, grabbing the crew members rowing and inquiring.
"Is it a River Official from the Fishing Tax Office?"
"What? Have they arrived already?"
One of them lifted his straw raincoat and sat up from the boat.
The boatman shook his head: "Not yet, but there is a Greenstripe Fish passing through."
"Oh?"
The straw raincoat fell back into place, followed by more sleep.
The rest appeared disinterested.
"Take a break, it's a merchant ship, brothers, you were happy too soon."
