Chapter 234 Dragon Boat Race
The person giving orders on the shore hit the gong with the hammer!
"Bang!" The gong sounded, and the eight teams, who had been on edge, immediately put down their oars. The eight dragon boats rushed out of the stone bridge like arrows from a bow!
The speed was so fast that the spectators on the shore were dazzled, and the cheers were higher and higher.
The eight dragon boats seemed to have their own acceleration and flew past everyone in a few seconds.
The four brothers and sisters of Dalang, who saw dragon boat racing for the first time, opened their eyes wide and their mouths opened in surprise and could not close them again.
"It's so fast!" Sanlang looked up at A Niang in surprise.
Qin Yao's eyes were also attracted by the dragon boats, and she nodded in agreement: "Fortunately, we are standing high, this position is good, otherwise we can only see the dragon boats for a few seconds."
There were flags of different colors on the eight dragon boats. The one with the white flag was far ahead from the start. If nothing unexpected happened, it would take first place.
The seven dragon boats at the back were not to be outdone. They kept speeding up the tempo to the fierce drumming of the leading drummer. The oarsmen were waving their boats so hard that they almost left afterimages. They actually caught up with the white flag.
The people were so excited watching the fierce battle that they subconsciously chased the dragon boats, and they heard the continuous "splash, splash" sounds of boats falling into the water.
Fortunately, the organizers had anticipated this and used bamboo poles and small boats to rescue the people who fell into the water.
At this time, the dragon boat had reached the middle section, and cheers came from behind that were no less than those from the crowd in the front section.
"Here it comes!" Liu Ji pointed to the east excitedly, his expression changed, "The yellow flag is in first place, and the white flag is in third place!"
Someone in the crowd spread out the gambling cloth that had been prepared in advance and shouted:
"Come on, come on, let's play a round. I'll go first. I bet Baiqi can overtake and regain first place!"
Hearing this, the people around became even more excited. Those who had money threw money, and those who didn't had money threw jewelry and hairpins. Anyway, they all wanted to join in the fun.
Some people bet on the yellow flag to come first, some bet on the yellow and white to be a tie, and some bet on the red flag to come last. There are all kinds of bets.
In addition, the positions of the eight dragon boats in the river changed several times, making the final result even more confusing.
Because the river is narrow, only four dragon boats can run side by side at the same time. If one wants to overtake the other, the boats will inevitably fight.
At the bend, five dragon ships squeezed in together and got stuck there.
The three lagging teams at the back caught up, and the five dragon boats that were huddled together in a hurry started paddling. You push my dragon head, and I push your dragon tail.
Qin Yao's family of six on the tree were also deeply involved in the betting along with the people on the river bank.
Ji Lang shouted directly: "Bai Qi, run! Don't worry about them!"
Sanlang and Si Niang were very optimistic about Huang Qi, who had come from behind. Although they didn't shout out loud, they waved their hands and kept shouting in a whisper: "Come on, come on!"
If Qin Yao hadn't held his legs, he would have fallen into the river and become a drowned chicken like those people chasing the dragon boat in front.
Liu Ji and Liu Li favored the yellow flag and the white flag respectively. They cheered for their favorite teams while sneering and baring their teeth at the other team to show their disdain.
Influenced by such an atmosphere, Qin Yao also relaxed, and her emotions fluctuated with the ups and downs of the dragon boat race.
Dalang looked at her in surprise.
Maybe the stepmother herself doesn't know that she has never had such an easy time in the past two years.
Even when chatting and laughing with villagers, he would subconsciously clench his fists and always remain vigilant.
Before learning martial arts, Dalang didn't notice this little movement.
But after practicing martial arts, he could realize that even if the surrounding environment was very safe and there was no threat at all, his stepmother would always suddenly look behind him.
After realizing there was nothing, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief and showed a look of relief.
It is like a hunter who has lived in a forest full of dangers and wild beasts and birds for many years, and has developed an instinctive body reaction.
This kind of physical instinct makes her ready to fight at any time even when she reaches the safety of the mountain.
But today, with so many strangers around, the stepmother loosened her clenched fists and let her palms naturally spread out and hang down.
Dalang guessed that maybe she was gradually getting used to the peaceful environment at the foot of the mountain.
The young man thought happily in his heart that this was a good thing, because he hoped that his stepmother would be truly happy.
The five dragon boats that were crowded together finally rushed out of the bend, at the cost of two of them capsizing.
There were only one hundred meters left to the finish line. There were only six dragon boats left on the river, fighting fiercely back and forth.
Veins bulged on the rowers' arms, they clenched their teeth, and rushed forward with all their might, their faces flushed, which made people's blood boil.
In the last fifty meters, the white flag was indeed the strongest. It broke through the encirclement again, surpassing the second-placed red flag by three or four meters and became the first.
In the last twenty meters, Bai Qi was far ahead.
In the last five meters, Huang Qi actually overtook three or four people at an extremely fast speed and became the second.
In the last meter, the yellow and white lines run parallel to each other, and it is impossible to tell with the naked eye which is in front and which is behind.
With a gong sound, two dragon boats rushed across the stone bridge at the same time, followed by the red, blue and other teams.
Liu Ji shouted excitedly: "White flag first!"
Liu Li also shouted at the same time: "Yellow flag first!"
"How could it be the yellow flag? I clearly saw the white flag dragon beard cross the bridge first!" Liu Ji retorted to Liu Li angrily.
Liu Li thought that what he said was too much, "It was clearly the yellow flag ribbon that crossed the stone bridge first!"
The people who were betting on the ground also started arguing. The banker bet on the white flag, so naturally he hoped that the white flag would come first. The two sides argued fiercely, and in the end, they could not come to a conclusion, so they all looked at the prefect in the stands.
The officials in the stands were also in confusion for a while, after all, what they saw was that two boats left the stone bridge at the same time.
But there can only be one first.
After a discussion, the prefect announced that the white flag was first because the white flag drummer touched the stone bridge arch first.
"How can this be possible!"
The girl lifted up her skirt, revealing her lantern-shaped thin sandal pants. She stepped onto the stool in two steps and shouted to the officials who were discussing the results:
"No one ever said that you have to touch the arch to count after crossing the bridge. I don't agree! The yellow team clearly crossed the stone bridge first, so the yellow team is first!"
Hearing this roar, all the officials looked at Prefect He helplessly.
"He Zhanghua, what are you doing?" Prefect He shouted, "Get down! Who told you to get on the stool?"
The spectators on the shore suddenly realized that it was the daughter of the prefect.
"It seems that Miss He also bet on the yellow flag." Qin Yao said to Liu Li.
Liu Ji was furious. "My lady, why are you so ungrateful? You have sharp eyes, so you must have seen clearly who crossed the bridge first. It was the white flag, right?"
Qin Yao didn't answer, but asked him: "You didn't place any bets, why are you so anxious? Just watch the fun."
Liu Ji looked up at her weakly, his lips trembling, hesitant to speak - all his private money! He put it on the white flag last night!
Qin Yao raised her eyebrows in disbelief, then narrowed her eyes dangerously.