The stone slabs at the dock were washed by the rain until they gleamed pitch-black, and countless porters wearing straw raincoats and straw sandals carried sacks and crates, shuttling back and forth between the ships and the slippery bank, splashing muddy water everywhere.
The air was filled with the earthy scent unique to river water, the smell of damp wood, the unavoidable fishy odor of the dock area, and sweat, all suppressed by the rain yet stubbornly rising into the air.
The status of Jinan Pier as a waterway hub needs no elaboration.
The Xiaoqing River route they traveled on was initially built during the Southern Song's Shaoxi Period, starting from Jinan, flowing east through Zibo, Weifang, Dongying, and finally into the Bohai Sea. It is the only artificial canal in Qilu Land connecting the inland to the coast.
