Chapter 144: Strange Things in Chuanbei City

"Yes, yes, yes!" The leading soldier was so excited that it seemed as if an invisible tail was wagging. "There aren't many people in Chuanbei City, so riding a horse won't be a problem. Shall we go?"

Su Zhenzhen gave a soft "hmm".

The lead soldier handed the silver to the others, saying, "You all stand guard and discuss what to buy with this money. We'll go to the nearby county town to buy it when it's light tomorrow."

Su Zhenzhen unexpectedly learned another important piece of information: Doesn't Chuanbei City have a market? Why do people have to go to other cities to buy things?

After giving his instructions, the leading soldier led the way, and anyone who didn't know better would have thought he was a servant or a stable boy.

Soon they came to an alley. Just as Su Zhenzhen was wondering if this soldier was planning to rob her, she heard him shout.

"Old Li, Old Li! We have guests at the door."

"Squeak—"

The first house in the alley opened its door, and a shrewd, thin old man came out. Even if you couldn't see his expression, you could sense his anger from his words.

"Wang Mazi, are you kidding me? Nobody's coming to Chuanbei City, who's going to stay?"

The soldier called Wang Mazi stepped forward and patted the old man on the shoulder. "Are you blind? Can't you see two people this big?"

The old man turned around, and upon seeing Su Zhenzhen and her companion, his attitude immediately changed completely. "Oh, you two distinguished guests, where are you staying?"

Hensheng dismounted first, then helped the horse so that Su Zhenzhen could jump down.

"Sir, do you live in your house?"

The old man immediately straightened his back. "This alley is all my property. You can live in whichever one you like, and I'll give you the same price."

Su Zhenzhen: "..."

I never expected to encounter an ancient landlord.

"Um... do all these houses belong to you?" Su Zhenzhen asked curiously. It seemed that it wasn't easy for people in ancient times to acquire property.

The old man pointed to the houses in the alley and introduced them, "This one is my sister's house, that one is my aunt's house, and that one is my great-uncle's house..."

Su Zhenzhen was dumbfounded; it turned out this was a family business.

"Then...where are they?"

Actually, based on what the old man said earlier, we can deduce that these people are probably all dead, but I still want to ask.

The old man's tone remained unchanged, but Su Zhenzhen inexplicably sensed a hint of sadness in it.

“Oh, they died of illness, some went out to do business and never came back, anyway, they all died one after another, so this alley is now empty and all of it belongs to me. Don’t worry, the government has approved the deed, these are all my houses.”

Su Zhenzhen's doubts deepened. How could the government not seize these houses for themselves, but instead issue them deeds, making them legally protected property? Although she didn't know if the laws of the Jiang Dynasty were still valid, this official was far too fair.

"Sir, how much does it cost to stay here for one night?"

The old man held up three fingers.

Su Zhenzhen thought it was three taels of silver.

To my surprise, he said, "Thirty coins."

Su Zhenzhen glanced at Hensheng and, with her excellent eyesight, noticed the surprise on his face.

Isn't this a bit too cheap? I haven't seen any goods measured in "wen" (文) since I came here.

Su Zhenzhen found the smallest coin and handed it to the old man, saying, "Uncle, this is the rent. Please keep it safe."

It was completely dark by then, and Su Zhenzhen, worried that the old man wouldn't be able to see clearly, turned on her flashlight.

"Huh? What is that? It's so bright!" the leading soldier exclaimed.

The old man was also shocked when he saw what Su Zhenzhen was holding. "Could this be that luminous pearl?"

Wow, this person is very rich.

The old man saw the silver in Su Zhenzhen's hand the moment the flashlight beam came on, and immediately took it, clutching it tightly in his palm. He said excitedly, "Would you two like some food? Or a drink of water?"

Su Zhenzhen waved her hand, "No need, keep the change."

The old man's face lit up instantly. "Which room would you like to stay in?"

Su Zhenzhen casually pointed to the house next to the old man's house, "That one."

The old man immediately went to open the door, and Su Zhenzhen then realized that none of the houses in this alley were locked.

"Please come in," the old man greeted.

Su Zhenzhen walked ahead, while Hensheng led the horse in.

The old man greeted them, "You two can just leave when you check out."

Su Zhenzhen agreed, "Okay!"

The courtyard wasn't as dilapidated as I had imagined; it was just a simple farmhouse, though there was some dust on the ground and walls.

Su Zhenzhen heard people talking outside.

"Old Li, this is a big customer. Shouldn't you share some of the room fee with me? If I hadn't stopped them, they would have stayed at an inn on the street."

"Go away, go away. Do you think I don't know? The inn is closed, and the manager is planning to use his connections to run away. At most, I'll give you a bag of salt if you buy some with this money."

"make a deal!"

The footsteps faded into the distance. The old man had gone home. The commander should have gone back to guard the city gate. I wonder how he managed to walk in the dark.

Su Zhenzhen pushed open the door to a room. Inside was a dilapidated wooden bed with no blankets or anything else. No wonder it only cost thirty coins a night.

Hensheng tied the horse in the yard and then went inside.

“Zhenzhen, I feel that Chuanbei City is very strange. It seems to be very poor, but the people in the city are very polite and well-mannered. They could have just robbed us.”

Su Zhenzhen wholeheartedly agreed, "But aren't we in a hurry to go south to solve the locust plague? If we investigate things here, who knows how long it will take?"

Hensheng voiced his thoughts, "I plan to visit the magistrate of Chuanbei City and see what kind of person he is. If things don't look good, I'll leave immediately. I can bypass this city by traveling north from the south, so I don't have to worry about being blocked on my way back."

Su Zhenzhen nodded in agreement, put the flashlight aside, sat down on the ground, and began to meditate.

There aren't even blankets. Sleeping in this bed is too torture. It's better not to sleep at all.

Seeing this, Hensheng lay down on the wooden bed. He needed to sleep, so even though the conditions were harsh, he had to make do.

The next morning, as dawn broke, Su Zhenzhen put away her flashlight and woke Hensheng as soon as she felt the first rays of sunlight.

“Hateful birth, dawn has broken.”

Hensheng was a light sleeper, and the wooden bed was uncomfortable, so he got up almost immediately as soon as Su Zhenzhen spoke.

"Zhenzhen."

Su Zhenzhen responded with a soft "hmm".

The two had already discussed visiting the highest-ranking official in Chuanbei City the night before, so they weren't in a hurry to leave, since it was already too early.

Su Zhenzhen bought some bread and milk from the system store and ate with Hensheng.

Hensheng ate with great elegance, which made Su Zhenzhen slow down her eating pace as well.

After satisfying her hunger, Su Zhenzhen threw the trash into the sky, teleported back to the 906th century, and then went out with Hensheng.

The first people to find are the soldiers who guarded the city last night, since they don't know who the highest-ranking officer in Chuanbei City is.