“Phew! They’re a good weight.” The lad huffed as, together, they loaded the last barrel onto the cart.
“You’re right. My father used to say that a barrel with liquid in it was twice as heavy as, say, a barrel of rice. He wasn’t far off the mark, either. Do you know, there are – or should say, there were - more and more boats coming here from Venice and, I reckon, they survive on damned rice! Anyway, get back to the stable now, there are plenty of jobs for you to do.”
“See you later, ‘sieur.”
Lanval jumped up onto the cart, tugged at the reins, and they slowly trundled along the quay. The occasional sailor or merchant nodded as they passed but, compared with the days before the port was closed, they were few in number.
He had two deliveries this morning. The first took him through the n
