Chapter 114

Bei Qiao's concerns proved correct. Shortly after she saw Wen Xiang, the mountain below suddenly erupted in chaos for unknown reasons. Before she could comprehend what was happening, she saw the man next to Wen Xiang suddenly grab her and carry her on his shoulders, running away like a gust of wind, his movements quite skillful.

As for Wen Xiang himself, he adjusted himself to a more comfortable posture with a very peaceful expression, with the left side of his face showing "It's like this again", and the right side showing "Okay, okay", as if he didn't care at all, as if the same situation had happened many times before.

Wen Xiang didn't see Bei Qiao up there, and Bei Qiao didn't even say hello. The driver calmed the frightened horse and pulled the carriage toward a less crowded area. The man carrying Wen Xiang followed closely behind. Although he was running as fast as the carriage, he refused to let Wen Xiang in, and no one knew why.

It all happened so quickly and chaotically that before Bei Qiao could figure out what was happening, the mountain had quickly returned to calm. Wen Xiang had been carried off to who knows where, and the carriage had vanished. Even the people at the foot of the mountain had mostly left, and no one knew where they'd gone.

When the commotion erupted below, people on the mountain were watching. Aside from the pilgrims diligently burning incense and kowtowing, everyone else crowded around the railings, craning their necks to peer down. Spectating is a human hobby, no matter where you are.

The commotion ended so quickly that some people didn't even have time to squeeze into the front row before it was all over. If the people who had given up the front row hadn't also looked confused, and those who didn't get the front row were angry... nothing would have happened.

Some people: Who are you scolding? Huh? I'm asking you, who are you scolding?

"A-choo!" Rubbing her itchy nose, Bei Qiao turned and prepared to walk down. She didn't plan to visit any of the temples on the mountain. Apart from the Earth God Temple and the God of Wealth Temple, she had little interest in the other temples.

A child, having kowtowed at the Wenquxing Temple, walked past Beiqiao, head drooping, his parents leading him by the hand. His face wore the expression of a child who, tired of studying, is forced to attend. Seeing Beiqiao, who was clearly a lone traveler, the child's eyes lit up, and he immediately grabbed his parents' clothes and declared, "Mom, I'm going to be a hero and wander the world!"

Bei Qiao, who was pointed at by a child: "..." Unprovoked disaster.

"Wandering around the world, I think you want to go to heaven!" The child's father took out a bamboo stick and hit him.

The child ran away, pointing at Bei Qiao and shouting, "If others can do it, why can't I?"

Bei Qiao quietly quickened his pace and left: I can't hear you and I won't get involved.

"Mom, look at Dad!" The child ran behind his mother and grabbed the hem of her clothes.

"Come here!"

"I don't!"

"Come here!"

"I won't!"

We were already halfway up the mountain, but we could still hear Bei Qiao: Well, both of them have loud voices, and you can tell they are healthy people with strong energy and blood.

A few acquaintances nearby threatened to intervene, but the child's father took advantage of the situation, dropped the bamboo stick, pointed at the child, and began to scold him: "You're still wandering around the world, are you as tall as him? Don't be unconvinced, I just want to ask you one thing, if you go out like this, will the inn let you stay alone?"

"I have money, why wouldn't they let me stay in the hotel?"

"Okay, you have money, right? Let me ask you again..."

Oh, it seems quite interesting. Why don’t you listen to it again? Bei Qiao slowly stopped and found a place to stand by the side.

A child was talking back to his father on the mountain, and an acquaintance was watching the fun from the side, occasionally joining in to say a few words, sometimes speaking for the child, sometimes speaking for the adults, trying to persuade them with their mouths but actually having fun with their eyes.

The child's father failed to convince him to give up, and instead got himself into a rage. Seeing this, the child's mother suggested that the child learn how to survive on his own, including martial arts, cooking, medicine, law, and so on...

"You have to get up so early to practice martial arts!" The child's face fell: "Is it not okay to stay up late to practice martial arts? I can't get up in the morning!"

"Have you ever seen a martial artist sleep in?"

"What about cooking?"

"Are you going to be the first hero to starve to death in the wild?"

"Doctor...Okay, I get it. It's about self-rescue in the wild!" The child put on a sullen face and gave up talking back: "Mom, you win. I'm going to school." It's so hard to be a hero!

"Oh, you don't want to be a hero anymore." The child's mother raised her hand and pinched her son's chubby face: It's so fun to bully my son.

"Hmph!" The child stomped his feet, making a loud thud. "When I grow up, I'll definitely travel the world to show you!"

"Okay, wait until you grow up."

Growing up... Bei Qiao pursed her lips and started walking down: When I was a child, I always thought that all the failures were because I was still young. When I grow up, those powerless situations will disappear.

But what happens when you grow up? Not every job comes with weekends off and statutory holidays, and not every overtime job earns you a salary. Most of the likes under every video about workplace cleanup come from people who don't have the courage to do so.

Bei Qiao: But I can be considered a wanderer now, even if it's not my own world. If possible, I still don't want to be a social animal. I hope the Qiao Family Escort Agency can continue to operate, and I will become a rare conscientious boss.

Li Qingqing: Dear conscientious boss, when will we no longer have to keep our own accounts?

Bei Qiao:...Well, let’s talk about it when I get back.

Pausing at the bottom of the steps, Bei Qiao looked up at the mountain peaks in the distance. She had heard from enthusiastic locals that the mountain farthest from the city was the mine, with mine caves and numerous manpower both up and down the mountain.

In order to promote urban development, Mingquan City opened several previously excavated mines and sold tickets to allow outsiders to dig for fun. Not only could they take away what they dug, they could also sell it directly locally.

Why is it only open to outsiders? It's because the locals know there's nothing good to be found there, so they don't want to go! Those who pay for tickets are outsiders who don't believe in superstition.

Locals: If you really want to dig a mine, you might as well apply for a job digging in the mountains. At least you can earn some income.

"Even though you might not find anything valuable in the mine, I still suggest you go take a look. Someone was lucky enough to dig up a particularly large and shiny piece of ore before, and now there are often jewelers hanging around the mine entrance. If you're lucky, you can even buy cheap gemstone beads from them. Then find a craftsman to make them into jewelry, and it will be absolutely stunning."

Because Bei Qiao is so pretty, the enthusiastic girl couldn't help but say something. If she didn't have to help her family watch the stall, she would have wanted to be Bei Qiao's guide: "How could someone who gave me toys on our first meeting be a bad person? Right? And she's so pretty!"

Bei Qiao wasn't in a rush to complete the Chamber of Commerce mission. Since the girl said the mine was quite interesting for outsiders, she asked around and headed towards the mine. She could take what she dug out with her, and if she couldn't sell it, she could take it to a bank and try her luck.

The mountain looked close, but for Beiqiao, who was walking, it felt far away. Halfway through, Beiqiao briefly considered logging off to eat before returning. The mine was right there, and it wasn't going to disappear, so it didn't matter whether he looked at it early or late.

"Young man, would you like to come to my house for a bowl of noodles?" Seeing Bei Qiao walking by, an old man in a coarse cloth shorts came out of a roadside shop and said with a smile: "I have fried rice too, but it's a bit more expensive."

Your Bei Qiao stopped and looked at the other person's face, then shook his head and continued to rush to the mine: "No, I've eaten."

Old man: "..." This guy just read my fortune, right?

Bei Qiao: There’s no room for man in his face, and his expression… Never mind, I’m a little hungry and don’t want to analyze those trivial things, let’s keep going.

Without a mount and unwilling to resort to light kung fu, Bei Qiao finally reached the mines. His curiosity about them had been almost exhausted by exhaustion. He found a clean corner and squatted down to rest for a while. His gaze followed the mountain path upwards, and he soon saw the mines open to the public.

To facilitate access for tourists, Mingquan City has created a separate flight of stairs for the mines open to the public. There are five mines in total, located at an altitude of over 100 meters on the mountain. Several people guard the entrances to each mine, and a pergola is propped up nearby, under which sit people waiting in line to mine.

Each mining group has a time limit. To prevent overfishing, a scale is placed at the entrance of the mine. The weight of everything a person brings out, whether it's ore or ordinary stone, must be within a certain range. Stones exceeding the limit are not allowed to be taken away. If anyone is injured due to a dispute, the guards at the entrance will intervene.

There used to be some old mines near the foot of the mountain, but because these mines had been dug to the limit and further digging would cause other places to collapse, the local government sent people to backfill and seal them off. Even the steps leading to the old mines were chiseled away.

As noon approached, the line under the awning was thinner. Some people, after getting their numbered tickets, felt hungry and left the awning to eat. There were many small stalls on the steps from the mine to the foot of the mountain, selling everything from food and clothing. Most of what tourists needed could be bought here.

Besides food, the stalls mostly sell roughly processed raw materials. While the prices are certainly lower than finished products, the quality varies greatly. Those who come out of the mines with nothing will usually buy something from the stalls. Those with plenty of money will simply buy a beaded bracelet, while those who can't afford to spend more will simply buy a single bead to make a pendant and then make their own string.

Passing by food stalls and jewelry stands, Bei Qiao paused at a stall displaying mining tools. Most people who come here to mine are just for fun, and buying tools is a waste. Therefore, the locals set up stalls to rent out various mining tools, making a small profit. Of course, if a rude customer accidentally breaks a tool, both parties will have to argue over compensation.