Chapter 177: Lake Drifting on a Raft, Straight Girl
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Li Nianfan heard of the Clear Moon Lake more than once, especially when he was buying fish. The fishmonger loved to mention the Clear Moon Lake—it was one of the more famous visiting sites of the Fallen Town.
He had been there before. At the time, he was too astounded by how beautiful the view was. Not to mention, he was a single fellow at that time. Although he wanted to go rafting, he did not feel that it was necessary at that time. He intended to go lake drifting with Daji.
The two of them arrived at the Fallen Town, then rode on a horse carriage. After an hour, they saw the lake that was as clear and reflective as a mirror. The sunlight hit the surface of the lake, making it sparkle brightly. It looked like a light show from afar—it was a majestic view.
They were in the carriage for a while.
The coachman said, “Mr. Li, we’re almost there. If you’re interested, you can come out and check out the view. The lakeside breeze is nice out here.”
The coachman was a local citizen from the Fallen Town. He was a bearded buff man with thick sideburns and a hoarse voice.
“Haha, okay!” Li Nianfan laughed and got out of the carriage with Daji. They sat on the coachman’s seats.
Suddenly, a damp, cool, lakeside breeze blew on their faces. It felt like someone was caressing their cheeks with soft hands. It was indescribably nice.
“Nice,” said Li Nianfan.
He looked around. He had been here before but he was still astounded.
It was hard to imagine that mother nature could create something so beautiful.
On both sides of the Clear Moon Lake were tall mountains. It was surrounded by the woods and some strange-looking rocks. However, there were no rocks in the Clear Moon Lake. It was as if they did not want to disrupt the smooth mirror-like surface.
The calm lake was in contrast with the steep mountains. It accentuated the peacefulness and grace of the lake.
“The Fallen Town is crowded mostly because of the Clear Moon Lake. A lot of bored people would come here to check out the view.”
The coachman often brought visitors here, so he knew the Clear Moon Lake very well. He pointed and said, “Mr.Li, look. There’s the Nuisance Door.”
He looked over and saw a narrow landslide area. It looked like a door created naturally. The lake was from an Eastside ocean. The current was strong, so the water was pouring in through crazy waves.
However, here was the magical part. Once the waves passed through the Nuisance Door, the waves became still and peaceful. It blended in perfectly with the peaceful Clear Moon Lake. Not a single ripple was created.
Li Nianfan had to ask, “Looks like the lake is deep, right?”
“Of course, it’s mystifyingly deep!”
The coachman warned him, “Mr. Li, be careful when you go lake drifting. You’re more important than those fishmongers. It’d be dangerous if you accidentally fell into the water.”
Li Nianfan smiled and said, “I know. Thanks for the caution.”
Whistle—
The coachman pulled on the ropes and the horse carriage came to a stop. “Mr. Li, the Clear Moon Lake is right up front. It’s not convenient for horse carriages to continue, so I can only drop you off here.”
“Okay, bye.” Li Nianfan paid the coachman and got off the carriage with Daji. Then, they walked toward the Clear Moon Lake.
There were a lot of people around the lake, most were fishermen. There were a lot of boat owners at the side, too, waiting for customers to rent their boats.
The lake was endless against the horizon and it had a golden surface. Boats and rafts slowly moved on the lake. It looked like a sailing painting.
Li Nianfan walked to an elderly who was wearing a hat. He smiled and said, “Elderly, is this raft for rent?”
“Rent? Young guy, if you want to go raft drifting, that’ll be two silvers for two people. If you want to drift to the other side of the lake, that’ll cost two more silvers,” said the elderly.
Li Nianfan smiled and said, “Elderly, we’re indeed here to lake drift. But we want to rent the raft, we can row by ourselves.”
The elderly man was slightly surprised. “Rowing on your own? Do you know how to?”
Li Nianfan humbly replied, “A bit, it’s not a big deal.”
“That’d be great. I’ll agree with that, but rowing a raft isn’t as easy as it looks. It’s quite difficult,” reminded the elderly.
Li Nianfan smiled and said, “Don’t worry. How much is the rental fee?”
The Elderly was stumped. “Rental fee? What’s a rental fee?”
Li Nianfan smiled and shook his head. “Nevermind.”
He looked at the sky. It was getting late. If they had fun, they could spend the night on the raft. Therefore, he paid for the standard boat fees for two days.
“Goodbye, we’ll be leaving now,” said Li Nianfan as he waved. He moved the oars and steadily rowed the raft toward the center of the lake.
That elderly was relieved and immediately complimented him, “Hey, young guy, that’s awesome. Your father must be a boat owner, too, right?”
“Ha, nope.”
Slowly, they moved away from the lakeside. The people on the lakeside looked like small dots. Boats and rafts passed by Li Nianfan from time to time. They would all look at Li Nianfan with curiosity.
It was rare that a graceful young guy would row his raft. He looked like an experienced lake drifter, too.
They did not dare to look at Daji. They glanced at her and immediately looked away. She was way too pretty.
Their raft was rowed to the center of the lake. Li Nianfan put the oars aside and let the raft drift on its own.
“Daji, how is it?”
“Who knew you’d also be good at rowing. Your moves were smooth and graceful, too. You made it look easy. That’s so awesome,” said Daji.
Li Nianfan smiled awkwardly. “I was asking about the view.”
Daji replied calmly, “The view’s beautiful.”
Li Nianfan was stumped. He wanted to show off by reciting a poem he prepared, but he suddenly did not know what to say.
Sigh. Daji was a bit out of touch. As expected of a straight girl.
Li Nianfan walked into the awning and said, “Let’s go in and place our things.”
He chose a raft with an awning for a reason. The raft was nice and spacy. A rectangular table was placed at the center of the awning. There was enough space for two people to lie down on each side. It was just like a tiny room.
Daji asked, “Are we not going back tonight?”
Li Nianfan smiled and said, “Probably not. It’s late and we don’t lake drift often. It’s nice to see the night view of the lake. Look, I even brought lanterns.”
“Oh.”
Daji was secretly happy. She immediately helped Li Nianfan unpack their items. It was convenient because of the System Space. They had their clothes and all their basic equipment with them.