Chapter 125 Arriving in the City and Strolling Through the Streets

The journey from Beiyang County to the prefectural city takes three days. You can depart on the morning of the first day and enter the prefectural city by the evening of the third day.

Although the carriage was traveling on the official road, it had been almost a year since the last road repair, so there were many potholes on the road.

The person was sitting in the car, and it was shaking violently.

I can't do anything.

But Jiang Mai was prepared. Anyway, his older brother couldn't read either—his brother Li wouldn't allow it, saying it would hurt his eyes. So, he might as well teach him to memorize.

He took a month and a half off work, but he was unsure of what to do.

Ye Li didn't stop the little guy from being so diligent.

Jiang Mai is learning purely memorization now; there are no shortcuts except for reciting it over and over again.

Besides, there's really nothing else to do besides reading.

Jiang Ya was quite excited at first; this was the first time he had ever traveled so far from home!

Therefore, after the carriage set off, he sat by the carriage door, turning his little head back and forth, constantly observing the pedestrians and scenery along the road.

However, the roadside was full of crops.

The mule carts, ox carts, and horse carts used by pedestrians were nothing new.

He got bored quickly.

He looked down and rummaged through his large purse, taking out a bundle of thick cotton thread, intending to play cat's cradle with Ye Li.

This little game helped pass the morning fairly well.

At noon, the group arrived at a three-way intersection.

This place is quite spacious, with several food stalls.

But each household has a neat wooden wall for shelter, which can protect them from some wind and sand.

You can't expect too much from these roadside stalls, whether it's hygiene or taste.

Fortunately, Yu Cai was prepared. He brought his own tableware, and the restaurant prepared the food and served it in his own tableware, so he could eat it even if he had to make do.

However, the food was really just so-so.

The noodles had no flavor.

The stir-fry was cooked with almost no oil, almost like it was boiled in water.

The pancakes were dry and a bit choking.

There was half a table of food, but every single dish was unpalatable.

So, after taking a few bites, Ye Li put down his chopsticks and took a pottery jar off the carriage.

He had read Jiang Ji's diary entry from last time and knew that the food at those roadside stalls was generally mediocre.

Therefore, he brought a clay pot of mushroom and meat sauce.

This mushroom and meat sauce was made by him by stir-frying mushrooms and minced pork, adding a lot of spices, grinding dried shrimp into powder to use as MSG, and adding some chili peppers.

The overall flavor is slightly spicy and rich, and it tastes great whether you mix it with noodles or sandwich it with steamed buns.

Scoop a spoonful of mushroom and meat sauce into a pancake or noodle bowl, and the originally bland food instantly becomes much more delicious.

Yu Cai picked up a piece of shiitake mushroom from the bowl, chewed it, and then said with a smile, "You've made shiitake mushrooms taste like meat. That's amazing."

Actually, it's not unusual to make shiitake mushrooms taste like meat, but Li Ge'er isn't a seasoned chef with decades of experience.

Moreover, the overall taste is incredibly fresh.

He had no idea what was in it, as it was unlike any sauce he had ever eaten before.

Ye Li waved his hand modestly: "If you like it, I'll make another ceramic jar for you when I get back."

"Okay." Yu Cai nodded.

Mrs. Yu, who was standing to the side, picked up a mouthful of noodles and tasted them. She couldn't help but praise him for the delicious sauce.

Ye Li remained modest, saying it was nothing.

In his past life, his family ran agritourism businesses. Without some unique skills, they wouldn't have been able to keep doing this business.

With this jar of mushroom sauce, everyone started eating much faster.

Jiang Ya held half a pancake in one small hand and used chopsticks in the other to pick up stir-fried vegetables mixed with mushroom and meat sauce, her cheeks puffed out.

There was half a bowl of noodles in front of him.

There's also a spoonful of mushroom and meat sauce in the noodles.

After finishing the flatbread, he mixed the mushroom and meat sauce in the noodles and continued eating the stir-fried vegetables with the noodles, still eating with great satisfaction, bite after bite.

Yu Linian sat opposite him, looking at his small appearance, picking and choosing, and finally ate a pancake and a small bowl of noodles.

This made Madam Yu beam with joy, and her gaze towards Jiang Ya was filled with tenderness.

After finishing their meal, Wang Mama and Madam Yu's maid, Xiao Huan, washed the tableware with the shop's clean water, and then the group boarded the carriage.

This time, Ye Li led Jiang Ya to find Yu Cai. He was tired of playing cat's cradle, so Yu Cai played with the little guy instead.

Yu Cai hadn't played this little game for many years and was quite interested.

But he didn't forget to chat with Ye Li: "Brother Li, in my opinion, you should use that shop you bought to sell today's mushroom meat sauce. Business is sure to be good."

Peng Ximing, who was standing to the side, couldn't help but nod.

He also thought the mushroom and meat sauce was quite good today.

Ye Li shook her head upon hearing this: "I'm too tired, I'd better rent it out."

He had wanted to buy a shop for a long time, and Yu Cai had been keeping an eye out for it for him.

Two weeks ago, at the end of the same street as Banxianju, there was a shop for sale. Yu Cai told him the news, and after he went to see it in person, he immediately bought it.

The shop is small, only about 20 square meters, and there is no yard in the back.

It was originally a steamed bun shop, but business was so-so. The owner needed money, so he decided to sell the shop.

However, this shop has a good location, situated on the middle street of East Third Heng Street, so the shopkeeper asked for six hundred taels.

After some haggling, Ye Li managed to cut the price down by five taels, eventually acquiring the shop for 595 taels.

However, he hasn't decided what he wants to use it for yet.

Let's put it aside for now.

Yu Cai's suggestion now is not a good one.

He doesn't want to do the job of making sauce every day because it's tiring and the profit isn't particularly high.

Yu Cai immediately said, "Buy two servants to help you."

Ye Li smiled and said, "Let's see how Jiang Ji fares this time."

If he really becomes a scholar who has passed the imperial examinations, then buying two people wouldn't be considered ostentatious.

Since Ye Adie and Liu Yi won't be able to come to the workshop anymore, there will indeed be fewer people in the family.

In the evening, the convoy arrived at Gaotouzhuang.

This is a small town with only two inns, and the prices are the same: a large dormitory room costs eight coins per night, and a regular room costs sixty coins per night.

Therefore, the group randomly chose a house. Ye Li asked for an ordinary room. Jiang Mai and Jiang Ya were too young, and he was worried about letting the two little ones sleep alone in this unfamiliar place.

As for the drivers of the three carriages, they all went to sleep in the communal sleeping area.

The inn's cook wasn't much better than the roadside stalls, so Ye Li brought out the mushroom and meat sauce again.

This time, Jiang Ji didn't write in his diary.

After dinner, he went straight to his room to read.

He had been busy instructing Jiang Mai all day, and hadn't even touched his books today—the content Jiang Mai was memorizing was too basic, and he couldn't review the various topics with Jiang Mai.

Ye Li didn't disturb him. Before it got dark, he led the two little ones, Yu Caipeng, Xi Ming, Madam Yu, Yu Liqian, and Yu Linian on a tour of the town before returning to the inn to rest.

Actually, Yu Shiting also wanted to go out for a stroll.

After a day of jostling in the carriage, my body felt like it was going to fall apart.

But to his surprise, Jiang Ji put down his chopsticks and went to get a book, so he had no choice but to give up his thoughts and go back to his room to read as well.

Actually, he did this purely to broaden his horizons and gain experience.

But since Jiang Ji, a young man, was working so hard, he, as the older brother, couldn't afford to slack off.

Nothing was said that night, and the next day they continued their journey in silence.

On the evening of the third day, the group finally arrived at the city gate.

Mr. and Mrs. Yue were sitting in an oxcart, waiting for them.

Both sides were quite enthusiastic when they met.

There were too many people on Ye Li's side, so Boss Yue didn't invite them to stay at Yue's house for one night—Yue's house was too small to accommodate them all.

The Yue couple drove the oxcart, leading them to the rented courtyard.

Mr. Yue rented the place early, so the courtyard is in a good location, just across the street from the Imperial Examination Hall, a mere 15 minutes' walk away.

The courtyard is very large, with three sections.

Moreover, Yuefulang is a meticulous person. Today, he specially hired someone to clean the entire courtyard, so Ye Li and her group can move in directly.

The kitchen also contained firewood, rice, fresh meat, and vegetables.

Ye Li was very grateful and planned to visit him in a couple of days.

The Yue couple shook their heads repeatedly, telling them to focus on their exams and that they could visit after the exams were over.

Previously, whenever Boss Yue visited Yezaopo, Ye Li would always warmly entertain him.

Now that Ye Li has come to the prefectural city, the couple cannot be impolite.

Mr. Yue then gave a detailed introduction to the various shops in the vicinity, after which the couple boarded an oxcart and left.

The people from Zheng's car dealership also left.

Boss Yue's brother-in-law is the manager of a carriage shop in the prefectural city. He will send three carriages tomorrow, so everyone doesn't need to worry about not having a means of transportation when going out.

The sun had already set, leaving only a touch of orange on the horizon.

Granny Wang and Xiao Huan went to the kitchen to prepare dinner.

All three families lived in the main courtyard.

Mr. and Mrs. Yu Shiting were elderly and lived in the main house.

Ye Li, Jiang Ji, Yu Cai, and Peng Ximing lived in the east and west wing rooms.

Granny Wang and Xiao Huan lived in the side room.

Two bodyguards live in the front yard.

After the rooms were assigned, everyone went back to their rooms to unpack their luggage.

After three days of bumpy carriage rides, everyone was quite tired. After dinner, they went back to their rooms to rest.

Jiang Ji will no longer study hard tonight.

He needs to conserve his energy so that he can go to the government office early tomorrow morning to submit the official documents and pay the registration fee. After that, he can focus on preparing for the exam.

The next day, the group went to the government office by carriage. After Jiang Ji and Yu Shiting finished their business, the group went to scout out the location in front of the examination hall.

The previous provincial examinations were held in examination halls, but the preliminary examinations for students were not yet eligible to use the examination halls.

Therefore, this was the first time Jiang Ji and Yu Shiting had come to the gate of the examination hall.

The examination hall was closed before the scheduled time.

Moreover, this examination hall is quite old, and the vermilion lacquer on the gate is no longer as vibrant as it once was.

But this does not diminish the solemnity and grandeur of the examination hall.

The examination hall occupies a large area, and it is the only building on the entire street.

Standing in front of the examination hall, looking at the long walls on both sides that stretched for over a hundred meters, Jiang Ji couldn't help but sigh and clench his fists.

As Ye Li put it, whether or not they can transcend social classes depends on this.

After scouting the location and having a meal outside, Jiang Ji couldn't wait to go back and read.

Yu Shiting took a deep breath and went back to his room to read.

But Ye Li, Yu Cai, and Madam Yu had nothing urgent to do, so they took a carriage to buy daily necessities.

Like a bathtub, I need to buy one.

If you're going to stay in the city for a month and a half, you can't be without all the little things.

With all daily necessities purchased, on the third day, Liu Jiangji and Yu Shiting stayed home to study, while Ye Li, Yu Cai, Peng Ximing, and Mrs. Yu took the four children out again.

Since we've come all the way to the capital, shouldn't we do some serious shopping?

Like the multi-scented bath beans that Jiang Ji bought last time, I should buy a few more this time, so that I don't run out of them.

Yu Cai hadn't expected there to be such a good thing, and she bought several portions.

Well, he also has a pretty high demand for bath beans.

Anyway, neither he nor Peng Ximing have any children with them, so they can try it tonight.

In addition, Ye Li went to the jewelry store to buy a set of small jewelry for Ye Wen and Tang Yu's child.

When Xiao Ruyi was born last time, he gave her a set of silver jewelry.

The same goes for this time.

Jiang Ya carried his large purse, which contained a dozen copper coins and two five-string silver notes.

Two years ago, he bought a large bronze mirror, which cost him most of his savings. But after saving for two years, he saved up more than ten taels of silver.

He brought ten taels of silver with him when he came to the prefectural city.

I'm planning to buy some small gifts for Jiang Dahe's family and the Ye family.

Of course, his own share was also included.

He spends his own money however he wants.

Therefore, when Ye Li went on a big shopping spree, he also carefully picked and chose some trinkets such as sachets, scented bead bracelets, and round fans.

They even bought some uniquely designed Chinese knot buttons and beautiful silk threads.

Although he doesn't know how to make clothes yet, he's come all the way to the prefectural city, so he can buy some to keep in reserve for later use.

Mrs. Yu found him even more adorable as she watched him handle his hard-earned money, acting like a little adult and buying things in a clear and organized manner.

This little guy was already earning wages when he was five years old.

Now they have complete freedom to spend money, and can easily pull out ten strings of cash.

They're much better than her two kids.

Her two children only receive a monthly allowance of two hundred coins each.

I have never earned a single penny myself.

Well... Xiao Qian is alright, he studies at the private school and is quite diligent.

But Xiao Nian didn't go to the private school; she was taught by her on a daily basis.

I have a lot of free time every day.

In her opinion, Xiao Nian should also go to work in the workshop to earn some wages.

Doing more work and moving around more might just increase your appetite.

Ye Li was unaware of Madam Yu's plans. He went shopping for several days in a row, buying almost everything he needed. After that, he stopped going out and dutifully studied for the exam with Jiang Ji.

He and the two little ones took care of everything, such as making nutritious meals and tidying up the room.

Jiang Ji only needs to do one thing: read books.

Seeing him like this, Madam Yu would often make soup for Yu Shiting.

This made Yu Cai and Peng Ximing seem rather idle.

They went out alone for a few days, explored most of the city, and then stopped going out.

But while staying at home, Ye Li and Mrs. Yu each had their own things to do.

He and Peng Ximing could only read casual books or cook together.

Moreover, only Granny Wang was brought along this time, and Granny Wang and Xiao Huan were responsible for everyone's meals, which was quite hard work.

He couldn't just leave all the chores to Granny Wang, so Peng Ximing still had to do some work on a daily basis.

He always felt a little bored at times like this.

I can't help but let my mind wander.

Since their marriage, Peng Ximing has been inseparable from him, always giving to him and taking excellent care of him.

Looking at Ye Li and his sister-in-law's busy lives, he felt a pang of envy.

He also wanted to be busy like Peng Ximing.

Working together towards the same goal—that's what makes a couple.

But when it came to actually sending Peng Ximing to study, he was reluctant.

Secondly...

Secondly, he was worried about following in his father's footsteps.

He hadn't considered this at all before, since he wasn't asking for forever anyway.

But now, he has such a thought.

Then we have to consider all the possible consequences.