Li Xi took out the shopping list she had made the night before, which included everything from clothing and food to housing and transportation.

There's no need to buy clothes. We bought cotton cloth and cotton to make a few quilts and put them on the carriage so we can cover ourselves when it's cold.

It's a pity there's no duck down here, otherwise I would have gotten a few down comforters and down jackets, which would be lightweight and warm.

Then they went to the grain and oil shop and bought fifty catties of rice, fifty catties of flour, and all kinds of oil, salt, soy sauce and vinegar.

They agreed with the shopkeeper to store the items first and pick them up later. Then they went to the general store and the iron shop, buying everything they could think of, including pots, pans, and other utensils, trying to buy things that were easy to carry and wouldn't take up much space.

At 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM, Li Xi, led by a servant from her employer, went to the carriage and horse market.

The carriage and horse market here is a comprehensive market that not only trades in carriages and horses, but also includes vehicle repair, horse breeding, and feed sales.

In addition, the market town is also an information exchange center where people exchange news, spread information, and even engage in some entertainment activities.

Li Xi walked around for a long time and picked out a male and a female horse. Meng Zhelan went up and touched the two horses, then circled them for a while.

Under the guidance of the waiter, Li Xi mounted a horse. He then taught her some riding tips, and she gradually mastered the skills of riding.

Meng Zhelan also negotiated prices with the carriage and horse merchants. In addition to a carriage that could seat four or five people, as well as horse harnessing tools and some horse feed, she spent a total of two hundred taels.

Having just received a large sum of money, Meng Zhelan handed over the money without hesitation. The horse shop owner, overjoyed, had one of his assistants help drive the carriage back. The assistant harnessed three horses to the carriage, one of which was for him to ride back to the city.

Li Xi instructed his assistant to drive the cart to pick up the purchased goods, and once loaded, the group headed towards the village.

Ling'er was thrilled as she sat in the carriage. It was her first time riding in a carriage, and the interior was very spacious.

The carriage has windows that can be opened on both sides, with benches under the windows and two rows of luggage compartments underneath. There is a table at the back where you can put tea and food.

Li Xi had thought about this kind of life before when she watched period dramas, but she never expected that it would actually happen one day. She felt a mix of emotions.

Li Xi usually dressed as a man when she went out, so at this moment she was sitting next to the driver.

There's no need to avoid the taboo of men and women not touching each other; you can ask him for tips on driving the carriage.

"Brother, your horse-driving skills are amazing! The carriage runs smoothly, which shows how skilled you are," Li Xi said, cupping his hands in greeting.

The young man, who looked about seventeen or eighteen, said shyly, "Thank you for your praise, sir. My father is the groom for the Wang family, and I learned from him since I was little. Driving a carriage is actually quite easy. When riding a horse, driving a carriage, or using oxen, horses, mules, or donkeys, shouting 'Giddy up' means 'go'; shouting 'whoosh' means 'stop'."

The horse-drawn carriage on the return trip was much faster than the oxcart on the way there. It took two hours to get back to Yadi Village, and it was already dark.

Li Xi, who had learned to drive a horse, gave the shop assistant a tael of silver. The shop assistant was overjoyed, thinking that he had made the right choice and earned half a month's wages in one trip.

The villagers were extremely curious when they saw Li Xi and his companion returning in a horse-drawn carriage, guessing that the two had struck it rich.

When they arrived back at Meng Zhelan's house, Qiao'er stood at the door and saw Ling'er getting off the carriage.

Jealousy said, "You actually slack off and go out to play! Don't you need to do the housework and till the fields? Dad said he's going to break your legs."

Ling'er ignored Qiao'er and went straight home, only to find that there was no food left for her on the table.

She went straight back to her room, ignoring her father's dark face. "You finally decided to come back? What kind of behavior is it for a girl to be running around all the time? You don't need to worry about the family anymore. Don't go out for the next few days. A matchmaker has come to propose marriage, this time..."

Upon hearing the word "matchmaker," Ling'er knew her father had ill intentions. She pretended to agree with him for a few moments before returning to her room.

Having eaten plenty of pastries on the carriage, Ling'er wasn't hungry at the moment. Lying on the bed, she thought about her future life and was eager to leave this place.

Li Xi parked the carriage in the courtyard. "Lan'er, I admire you to the point of worship. The silver I earned from hunting with all my might is less than the few pieces of paper you casually pulled out."

Meng Zhelan replied with a smile, "This is all thanks to my father. He wrote all these prescriptions. Actually, he was a royal physician more than ten years ago. He offended some powerful people and left the palace. In the end, he brought me here. My mother died on the way here..."

As she spoke, her smile faded, and sadness welled up in her eyes.

Seeing this, Li Xi stepped forward and gently hugged her, saying, "Lan'er, don't worry, with me here, I will make sure you get to the capital safely to find your father."

The friendship between girls is simple, pure, and beautiful, without any ulterior motives.

Without Meng Zhelan, Li Xi would probably be crippled even if she were to transmigrate and survive.

It was Meng Zhelan who rescued her and took care of her tirelessly for many days, providing her with soup and water every day until she recovered completely.

Meeting her in this world must have used up all their luck. After exchanging a few compliments, they packed up and went to sleep.

Li Xi was so tired that she fell asleep. Although driving a carriage seemed simple, she was quite exhausted after two hours. It seemed that she still needed to continue to train her physical fitness.

The next morning, Ling'er arrived after breakfast, and the three of them began packing their belongings.

Meng Zhelan packed her books and rarely used items into three large boxes.

After loading the carriage, Li Xi and Ling'er drove to the county town.

The two had agreed last night to entrust the luggage to a security escort agency in the county town to be sent to the capital.

Li Xi asked several people and finally found Hengyuan Escort Agency. After negotiating the price, they signed the documents, paid the rent, and agreed to have it delivered to Hengyuan Head Escort Agency in Kyoto for safekeeping until they could pick it up.

They had considered going to the capital with the escort agency, but that would require them to take a detour to other branches of the agency, which was too long, so they decided to set off on their own.

After unloading their luggage at the escort agency, Li Xi took Ling'er to the county government office.

In ancient times, due to inconvenient transportation and difficult roads, the army or officials often set up checkpoints on the roads to check people. If they did not have a legal pass, they would be prohibited from passing.

Therefore, the travel document was one of the important documents that ancient travelers had to carry with them.

After the original owner fell off the cliff, all he had was a travel manual, which he kept close to his chest, demonstrating its importance.

Meng Zhelan had traveled extensively with her father since childhood, and had a long history with him. Ling'er, on the other hand, had never been outside of her small town since birth.

Guided by the yamen runner, I presented my household registration certificate and paid one hundred coins to open the gate.

After Li Xi slipped him three taels of silver, the yamen runner didn't ask any further questions.

In those days, there were quite a few women who went out to do business or study.

Ling'er breathed a sigh of relief upon receiving the household registration certificate. She had stolen it; her father had gone to town, and her younger brother had gone to a private school.

Every day after breakfast, the stepmother and younger sister would go to Chen Junsheng's house to chat.

Thinking about the days after she left, Ling'er said gratefully, "Xi'er, I really don't know how to repay your kindness. From now on, I will follow you and serve you like a slave."

Li Xi teased, "Alright, without you, Lan'er and I would be eating pig bran."

Their cooking skills were really mediocre; the food was barely edible, lacking in color, aroma, and taste.

Back at Meng Zhelan's home, she had already processed the remaining useful medicinal herbs into pills and powders.

It can be used for common symptoms such as colds, fever, dizziness, and headaches encountered on the road. I also prepared mosquito and snake repellent powder just in case.

Li Xi and Meng Zhelan took the pastries and fabrics they had just bought to the village chief's house.

A few years ago, Meng Zhong brought her to Yadi Village. The village chief accepted the father and daughter to stay and helped them out.

This is the place where they have stayed the longest, and the villagers are mostly kind and easy to get along with.

Yadi Village has 61 households, most of whom are surnamed Chen. Later, some people with other surnames settled here. Ling'er's family is surnamed Yang, and they moved here in her grandfather's generation.

The village chief was about sixty years old, with some gray hair and a slightly hunched back, but he was in high spirits and spoke with a strong voice.

"Lan'er, I haven't seen you for many days. Has your father gone out of town and not come back yet? Oh dear, my legs have been sore and painful lately, I was thinking of asking your father to take a look at them."

"Grandpa Village Chief, let me take a look." Meng Zhelan asked the village chief to sit down, and then she took his pulse and massaged his legs.

"Grandpa Village Chief, it's nothing serious. You're just overworking. Take a break. You haven't been working in the fields lately. I'll prescribe some medicine for you and apply some ointment. Have Xiao Tiedan come and get it later."

The village chief took out a handful of copper coins and gave them to Meng Zhelan, who accepted them without refusing, saying, "Grandpa Village Chief, I have something to discuss with you."

I will be leaving Yadi Village in a couple of days. My father wrote to me asking me to come find him. I don't know when I'll be back. If I don't return within five years, it means my father has found another place to settle. At that time, you can decide what to do with my house and belongings. Thank you for your help. I appreciate your care these past few years; this is just a small token of my appreciation.

Meng Zhelan pointed to the pastries and fabrics on the table and said, "I'm talking." She also stuffed a bulging purse into the village chief's hand.

The village chief quickly stepped back and said, "Oh, you're too kind, child. It's a pity you're leaving. You've helped us a lot over the years."

The two pushed and shoved each other for a while before the village chief had no choice but to accept it.

"Don't worry, I'll find someone to take good care of your house." The village chief looked reluctant to part with her, and then chatted casually with Li Xi for a while longer.