Chapter 63

The hay and firewood piled in the corner of the yard are included in the cost of renting the yard. Anything exceeding this amount needs to be purchased separately.

Water could only be drawn from the well in front, but ceramic water jars were provided, which could be filled with water for a whole day. Wen Yi and the others unloaded the simple water filter from the cart frame and then cleaned the house. They would all live here for the next period of time.

"It looks a lot better than ours, doesn't it?" Wen Yi asked the people around him with a smile, pointing to the buildings in the distance, and said in a surprised tone, "I can actually see it from here."

In the yard, you can see a high platform not far away, and vaguely see the overlapping eaves. Apart from the animals carved on the roof, they are dyed red with some unknown paint, which looks very eye-catching.

Compared with the monotonous black and gray walls in Pingyi and other places, the buildings on the high platform are much more exquisite, but the manpower and materials consumed are also not at the same level.

They could still hear loud laughter in the courtyard, but they didn't know where it came from. The person who brought them here said there seemed to be a nobleman's horse ranch nearby, and people were probably having fun there.

The person beside him put down his things and thought for a moment. This man's name was Dao Cheng. He looked unremarkable, a retired soldier. His leg injury left some residual injuries. He couldn't walk normally, couldn't support long distances, and would feel a little pain on rainy days. However, he practiced martial arts every day, and when he went out, he was more capable than the average guard.

Most of the people Wen Yi brought with him this time were like this. There was also a guy who looked smart. If they came here again in the future, they could take fewer detours with this guy leading the way.

Dao Cheng heard Wen Yi's words and thought about it carefully. "It looks like there are more people and it's more lively, but it still feels a bit uncomfortable."

Although it's not bad, he still thinks those places in Pingyi are better than here, but he can't explain the subtle differences. But if he were to choose, he wouldn't hesitate at all.

Wen Yi smiled, but Dao Cheng on the side thought he hadn't explained it clearly enough: "Those guards here seem difficult to deal with. We are better because we look shabby."

Of course, I was looked down upon because of this, but compared to my life and property, these are not important. I still have to be able to bend and stretch when I am on someone else's territory.

"Also, most places here don't look as clean and tidy as ours." Another person added, "Although those buildings look luxurious, only the nobles can enter." The roadside was also dirty, and some places even emitted an indescribable smell.

I felt it was a bit troublesome at first, but after getting used to it over time, I felt that it was better to be cleaner, and I didn’t have to worry about stepping on dirt when walking on the road.

The doctors in the clinics also said that rotten and dirty things can easily make people sick. Although I don’t understand things like “spleen congestion and dampness stagnation” or “organ imbalance”, I can still do it by remembering what I can and cannot do.

When I came here, I saw many people living in simple houses. The clothes they wore were very worn out. They could only squat in the corner, drinking water while looking at the stalls in the distance that emitted the aroma of food.

The place they were temporarily staying in was a crossroads between the common people and the nobility, and while it was relatively safer than other places, it didn't have the same guard patrols as Pingyi, so they still had to be careful and alert at night. Not long after arriving, they heard someone tell the shop owner that they had lost something.

Those who could afford to stay here at least had some goods or property, and since they were outsiders and not protected by the city, they dared not make a public announcement if something happened, so thieves naturally favored them. The shopkeepers also put some rubble on the walls and reinforced the wooden doors, but it still couldn't stop the guys who were used to doing this.

When they came over, they also felt that someone was looking at their frame, but they gave up after finding that there was no valuable goods and the group of people were dressed a little shabbily.

"That makes sense, but we can't just focus on the bad." Wen Yi called over the people still in the courtyard. "At least the things here are much richer than ours, and they've been able to maintain the stability of the city amidst the struggles of various parties. So many merchants are willing to transport their goods here."

This alone ensured Changyu's safety until the nearby factions encountered trouble. After all, no one wanted to abandon this precious land. However, if one of these factions grew stronger or weaker, the region's stability would be in doubt.

But at least there doesn't seem to be any danger here recently, so I can rest assured.

The seeds he had bought outside had been placed in a box for safekeeping. Wen Yi was not planning to sell the things in his hands in the city, but he did have a few food recipes that he could sell, perhaps in exchange for something that interested him.

"If there is anything you want in the next few days, you can buy it, but don't leave alone." This trip will certainly not be in vain. If there is anything you need, you can buy it and take it back. It can be regarded as a specialty in a sense.

Although the city looks better than the outside, there are people riding horses or carriages passing by, most of which have various signs on them. These people don't look at the road and can only remind each other to avoid them.

It was the first time for Wen Yi to witness the demeanor of the "nobles" of this era, or perhaps they should be called "dandies".

When they met Yao Wenjun, he was extremely down and out, but after going through all that, he became relatively easygoing. Song Jin and the others were naturally easygoing, so they naturally wouldn't make things difficult for others.

This also led to some misunderstandings, but the facts soon dispelled these misunderstandings.

Wen Yi had previously believed that people might have different perspectives, but that those with sufficient material resources would not deliberately create difficulties. Now, it seemed that he was limited to those around him. When he moved elsewhere, he discovered that many people in the shadows were accustomed to treating others as nothing. More precisely, they saw some people as non-human.

This kind of concept established in the environment is not easy to change unless there is a major change.

When they first entered Changyu, they were almost hit by people riding horses. Fortunately, the pedestrians around them reacted first. Wen Yi and others realized that something was wrong and followed suit to avoid the accident, thus avoiding an unexpected disaster.

There were about four or five people in the lead, each riding a fairly sturdy horse, seemingly carrying something in their hands, and followed by a number of followers. They entered the city gate without stopping, and the guards knew their identities and did not stop them. However, a few people carrying burdens were unlucky and had their cargo knocked over and trampled.

However, the people around him didn't show any change in expression and continued to queue at the city gate, as if they were used to it.

As for the group of guys who rode past on horseback, Wen Yi and the others could only recall that they were wearing extremely brightly colored clothes with a lot of accessories hanging on them. They made crisp sounds when they collided with each other, and they must have been worth a lot of money.

*

There is naturally no shortage of food here in Changyu.

Not only is there no shortage of grain, some people even use grain to make some wine. The brewing methods and raw materials used for vinegar and wine are not much different.

This area had not suffered from insect plagues before, and the harvest was pretty good. In addition, water transportation was well developed, so food from other places could be transported here at a very low cost.

There were even some fruits that could only be found further south, but the varieties were probably quite primitive. Wen Yi recognized a few of them, but most of them were similar to wild dates and fruits in the mountains. Wen Yi and the others looked at each other, not even sure if some of them were edible.

The layout of the city was a bit messy, and there was no place dedicated to selling things like the later markets. Even if you asked the people living here, you could only get a rough direction. You were not sure whether the vendors were still there, so you could only take your chances.

The place where grain was sold was very secretive. Wen Yi and his companions searched for several days before they found it. The entrance was hidden behind a group of messy buildings. There was a flag hanging at the door with a big word "grain" written on it.

The characters here weren't exactly the same as the ones Wen Yi knew, but they were likely derived from the same type, so it wasn't a problem to infer their general meaning. Plus, since they could understand most of the language and there wasn't much of a barrier between them, they could probably negotiate a deal.

Pushing the door open, I saw a neatly dressed steward, holding a bamboo slip in his hand and writing something down. He simply nodded and greeted someone, pointing to the stacked bags next to him, indicating that they could see what they wanted, and then continued with his work.

There were some people who came here every day, but not much business was actually done. Most of their business was with large caravans, picking up and delivering food on a scheduled basis, so they didn't take it seriously. However, based on the principle that guests are welcome, if a deal was successful, they could get a commission. After finishing the things on hand, the manager began to introduce the goods here.

He untied a sack beside him, revealing the food inside.

Wen Yi frowned as he looked at the burlap grain bag mixed with straw, picked it up and smelled it carefully. There was a smell of mold and decay. He knew without asking that it had been stored for a long time.

Old grain is not a problem when there is a shortage of food, but eating spoiled grain is like drinking poison to quench thirst in a sense.

She was not satisfied with the things here, but considering that perhaps not all the food was placed outside, and perhaps the good food was carefully and properly stored, she asked a few people to go and negotiate while she stood by.

The manager of this grain shop originally wanted to fool these outsiders. After all, the news of food shortage in the north had already spread everywhere. Many caravans were unable to move after seeing the food outside and hearing the low prices.

However, this time the visitor seemed a little different. Although the document still showed that he was from the north, the first question he asked was whether there was any edible food.

Listen, these things that can be resold in the eyes of those vendors are actually not edible in the eyes of these people.

The manager thought for a moment and guessed that perhaps this group of people were purchasing for the master's family. After a few tentative words, he moved out some of the inferior food.

The food he brought out this time was quite good, not much different from what was left in the Fengyi treasury. Wen Yi and the others also saw that this person definitely had better food, but they didn't need to pursue taste at the moment, so they nodded.

The price offered by the manager was relatively fair. Of course, it was much higher than their purchase price. Wen Yi and the others could only test the other party's psychological price.

After discussing the price reduction, Wen Yi and others took a step back, but the manager was responsible for transporting the grain out of Changyu. They naturally had some connections in doing business here, and they usually gave a lot of gifts to the guards, so everyone was happy.

In the area of ​​Changyu, gold, silver or copper coins can naturally still be circulated. Wen Yi and others naturally placed some in the secret compartment of the carriage frame, which can be taken out for trading at this time.

After the steward confirmed the authenticity, the smile on his face became much more genuine. He gave a few instructions to the people behind him, and then invited Wen Yi and others to the back hall. Steaming water was placed on the low table, which looked like it had just been prepared.

There were some rough snacks on the table. Although they were not very beautiful, they were enough to entertain guests.

Wen Yi and the others pretended not to notice, and sat on the mats with a smile, chatting and talking about random things. If someone who didn't know them came in, they would probably think that they were just chatting and felt that they had met too late.