The Country Maiden: Fields and Leisure
Chapter 193: Inquiring

Chapter 193: Chapter 193: Inquiring

"Big Brother Lu, hello! We’ll be troubling you on this journey! Um, how much will the cost be?" Wang Yongzhu didn’t know what fee to call it—transport fee? Incidental fee? Express carriage fee? She could only awkwardly inquire.

"Ten copper coins per person, including lunch. You can sit in the cargo carriage outside, but if we come across steep mountain roads, you’ll need to get off and help push," Steward Lu replied briskly, offering a fair price.

Wang Yongzhu and Wang Yongping both eagerly nodded their agreement.

Steward Lu then casually waved over a shop assistant nearby, "Laoliu, let these two guests ride on your carriage later."

Laoliu, the shop assistant appearing honest and simple, bounced over, looked them over, and promptly said, "Alrighty!"

With that, he led the two towards the carriage he was in charge of.

Some of the cargo was simply strapped onto donkeys or mules for transport, and there were also carts pulled by four or five mules.

These carts were piled with various loosely packed mountain goods in bags, placed haphazardly.

Only the front spot for driving was left open. Laoliu pushed the goods aside to make room, "You can sit here!"

After saying this, he took another look at Wang Yongzhu and chuckled at Wang Yongping, "Brother, your sister sure is well-fed. If we come to an uphill stretch, we might have to ask this young lady to get off and walk. But on the downhill, please have her sit in the cart to help weigh it down."

His words were tinged with teasing.

Even the slow-witted Wang Yongping could tell that the comment was a joke about his sister being overweight.

It was one thing to tease him—he could take a couple of jokes, but mocking his sister was off-limits!

Wang Yongping clenched his fists, ready to confront Laoliu.

Wang Yongzhu quickly grabbed Wang Yongping’s arm. There was no need to start trouble over such a minor issue. Their most important task was to reach the county town and find Wang Yongan.

As for this kind of verbal skirmish, she didn’t take it to heart at all.

The best response to someone like Laoliu, with his sharp tongue, was not to explode in anger, which would have played right into his hands.

Wang Yongzhu smiled slightly, "Fourth Brother, why don’t you ask Big Brother Lu if pushing the carriage uphill and weighing it down downhill entitles us to a discount on our fare?" she said, winking at Wang Yongping.

Before Wang Yongping could grasp the situation, they heard a voice from behind, "What’s up? Need something from me?"

Turning around, Steward Lu was standing right behind them.

Laoliu’s face turned pale. He quickly forced a smile and stepped forward, "Nothing, nothing, I was just joking with our guests—"

Steward Lu gave Laoliu a warning glance and then turned his gaze to Wang Yongping and his sister.

Wang Yongping opened his mouth, ready to recount Laoliu’s words, but Wang Yongzhu stepped forward, "It’s nothing, we were just joking." She deliberately also glanced at Laoliu.

Laoliu showed a look of gratitude and bowed to the siblings behind Steward Lu’s back.

Steward Lu understood the situation clearly, but for such trivial matters, it was better to avoid them if possible. He wouldn’t have intervened if he hadn’t been worried about damaging the reputation of Tianfeng Escort Agency.

Seeing the matter resolved, he went off to check on other things.

Only after Steward Lu had gone far did Laoliu give a thumbs-up to the siblings, "You two are righteous. I, Laoliu, have nothing else to say; I’ll remember this."

Wang Yongzhu simply smiled it off.

Before long, the convoy set off, and the siblings were seated in the carriage, chatting intermittently with Laoliu.

Laoliu was the kind of person who just couldn’t keep his mouth shut; he often spoke unpleasantly but was rather forthright in character. Seeing that the siblings knew how to interact, it didn’t take long for him to get familiar with them.

When addressing Wang Yongzhu, he started calling her "little sister" right away and even asked her to call him "Sixth Brother."

They hadn’t been on the road for long when the caravan suddenly stopped. Wang Yongzhu was somewhat perplexed, "Sixth Brother, what happened? Why aren’t we moving?"

Laoliu casually flicked his whip, "Probably someone else wants to join our convoy," he guessed. This was a common occurrence; people would frequently join the team along the way, paying a fee for the added sense of security.

They were more than happy to have the company. Although the road through the mountains was generally peaceful, having more people wasn’t a bad thing. It gave everyone a sense of security, they could assist each other, and they could collect a fee to subsidize their fellow escorts.

Indeed, it wasn’t long before Steward Lu brought someone over. From afar, Wang Yongzhu recognized him. Wasn’t that Song Chongjin? What was he doing here? Was he also going to the county town?

When Song Chongjin saw Wang Yongping and his sister, he nodded, "You’re going to the county town too?"

Seeing that they knew each other, Steward Lu felt more at ease and, after leaving a message with Laoliu, went ahead to lead the way.

Song Chongjin boarded the carriage, and Wang Yongping hurriedly made room for him while asking, "What a coincidence, you’re going to the county town too? Why didn’t you mention it earlier? Otherwise, we could have—"

Wang Yongzhu cut off the rest of his sentence before it escaped his throat.

The fees had already been paid, and speaking such words now would be tantamount to causing offense.

She understood that Wang Yongping meant that the three could have traveled together, which would have saved them ten coins each.

Song Chongjin looked somewhat tired and sat between Wang Yongping and Wang Yongzhu. He appeared a bit uncomfortable due to the close proximity.

After pursing his lips, he closed his eyes to rest.

Wang Yongzhu glanced at him, wondering whether this was a coincidence or something else. But considering Song Chongjin probably bore no ill-will toward the Wang Family now, she figured whatever his business in the county town, it wasn’t her place to inquire—as long as it didn’t hinder her affairs.

Noticing the dark circles under Song Chongjin’s eyes, Wang Yongzhu still lowered her voice to inquire about the situation in the county town.

Laoliu, who always enjoyed showing off his talkative nature, was more than happy to converse with a young lady who approached him. Despite her slightly full figure, he found her eyes particularly attractive, a beauty he couldn’t quite describe. Though he was a rough man and couldn’t articulate it well, she was simply pleasing to the eye.

Especially since she was generous and polite, he was willing to share whatever he knew thoroughly, as long as he had the information.

The journey wasn’t long before Wang Yongzhu had already gathered a rough understanding of the county town’s situation.

The name of the county town was Jing County, and it could be considered a mountain city, surrounded by mountains on three sides and facing water on the other. Due to the water and the dock, transportation was convenient and the town was reasonably prosperous.

As the town had produced a Great Confucian named Lu Changqing a hundred years ago, the atmosphere for studying and scholarship was particularly strong.

Outside the town in the suburbs, there was an academy called Changqing Academy, which attracted numerous students from nearby cities to come study. Being able to study at Changqing Academy was a matter of great pride among the students.

It was said that Changqing Academy, founded by Lu Changqing the Great Confucian in his later years after returning to his hometown, had become one of the most prestigious in the country in just a century.

There were even many students from provincial capitals or the Capital City who traveled great distances to study there.

Because of Changqing Academy, there were many private schools and academies both inside and outside of the town. Students from less affluent families would often teach at these private schools and academies during weekdays to earn a little money for living expenses.