"Tang Peng doesn't want to."
Su Sijin looked at Lu Changming who returned dejectedly, and the answer was very clear: Tang Peng did not agree to take a detour.
Lu Changming roughly wiped the sweat off his face and his cracked lips, unscrewed the water bag and took only a small sip, not daring to waste it.
After his throat finally felt better, he nodded. "He said Zhengding County is the shortest way, and there's no need to go the long way. Besides, water resources are scarce, and taking a detour might increase the number of deaths."
Su Sijin nodded, turned her gaze and met Lu Changgong's. "What Tang Peng said makes sense. He wants to go to Zhengding County to purchase supplies, and water is indispensable."
Su Sijin pondered for a moment, her almond-shaped eyes looking ahead, "We also need to replenish supplies. Besides, I want to see what secrets are hidden in Zhengding County."
Su Sijin and her group arrived in Zhengding County at 3:00 p.m. and did not find anything unusual.
The county was in a state of depression. There were no bustling vendors, and few people shopping. It was deserted and lacked the prosperity that a county should have.
The houses were very old and looked as if they had been neglected for a long time. The passers-by who rarely saw them glanced at them furtively as if they had seen a ghost.
When Su Sijin met their inquiring eyes, they hid away like frightened birds.
Lu Changming stopped a passerby and asked them about the inn where they were staying. The man shook his head in fear and walked away as if he was escaping.
"Why do I feel weird here?"
Lu Changming touched his head in confusion and muttered to himself.
Su Sijin and Lu Changgong looked at each other. Even the thick-skinned Lu Changming felt something was wrong, which meant that the problems in Zhengding County were so serious that they were visible to the naked eye.
Half an hour later, they found an inn that was large enough to accommodate the team.
"Sir, our inn provides food and lodging." The innkeeper looked at the huge team and came forward to greet them with a smile.
"Bring us four upper rooms and prepare some food and wine," Tang Peng said. "And prepare a few large bunk beds. Ask them for the money."
The shopkeeper nodded and responded quickly, fearing that if he responded too late, Tang Peng would regret it.
The shopkeeper was about to go upstairs with Tang Peng when Su Sijin suddenly said, "Shopkeeper, I need two rooms upstairs. Are there any left?"
"Yes, yes, yes. We have six upper rooms in our inn. Let me send the guest upstairs and then come down to talk to the girl." The shopkeeper quickly signaled the waiter to come forward and help greet them.
But when Su Sijin said this, she stirred up a hornet's nest, especially the hornet's nest in the old lady's rooms.
The buzzing noise was annoying, but Su Sijin didn't intend to pay any attention to it. After they had finally separated from the family and severed their relationship, why wasn't she allowed to live a better life?
She didn't make it public before because she didn't want to cause gossip, but now she does whatever she wants.
When the shopkeeper came down, he saw a crowd of people and could not help but frown and scold the waiter, "Why haven't you arranged for the guests to rest yet?"
The waiter had a bitter face and said aggrievedly, "It's not that I didn't make any arrangements, it's just that the guests didn't want to leave."
The shopkeeper frowned and looked at everyone, then ignored them. He turned to Su Sijin with a smile and said, "The guest asked for two upper rooms?"
Su Sijin nodded, "Yes! Two."
She originally wanted four rooms, but considering the mysterious Zhengding County, it would be easier to take care of herself if she stayed in one room.
The shopkeeper pushed the tea in front of Su Sijin and others. Su Sijin raised her eyebrows. The shopkeeper was used to soliciting customers.
"Guest, I have something to inform you of in advance. The upper rooms in our inn cost five taels of silver per room. I wonder if you..."
"No problem." She had plenty of money in her space.
It was inconvenient to take it out and use it before, but she didn’t care about it in the future. She would do whatever she felt comfortable with.
The last bit of worry was gone. The shopkeeper smiled so hard that his teeth were showing. When he was about to take people upstairs, he was stopped by Qin Qing's sharp voice.
"Boss, we also want four upper rooms and put them on her account."
After Qin Qing finished speaking, she pulled Lu Changbao upstairs.
Su Sijin stopped her, looked at her sideways, and laughed sarcastically, "Auntie, this shameless way of begging is the first time I've seen it."
Qin Qing lost her composure when she heard this and pointed at herself angrily, "Beg? You said I'm a beggar?"
Su Sijin crossed her arms and raised her eyebrows. "You said that yourself. A tree needs bark, and a person needs dignity. What do you have to do with me? You put me on the bill as soon as you open your mouth?"
"Dog mouth? You said I'm a dog?" Qin Qing said and was about to pounce on Su Sijin and tear her apart.
Su Sijin would not tolerate her before, and she would not tolerate her now. The silver needle in her hand quickly pierced her flailing hand.
Qin Qing felt pain and her hands instantly lost consciousness. She looked at Su Sijin in horror and asked, "What did you do to me?"
Su Sijin looked past him with contempt, looking at the other two branches of the Lu family, and finally her eyes fell on the face of the old lady who looked angry, and she sneered,
"Old lady, the letter of severance is still warm. You and our family are already two families. If you want to ask for help, you should act like a beggar instead of robbing like a bandit."
"Su Sijin, you..."
“Bang!”
"Don't stop talking."
Qin Qing was stopped from speaking by a slap from the old lady. The old lady glared at her angrily, and Qin Qing did not dare to be presumptuous anymore.
"You shameful thing. If you want to live in a room, you have to pay for it yourself. If you don't have money, you can sleep in a bunk bed. I can sleep in a bunk bed. Are you more precious than me?"
Although the old lady blamed Qin Qing, she was also implying that Lu Changgong and others were unfilial.
Su Sijin raised her lips slightly, "Second Uncle Lu, Third Uncle Lu, Fourth Uncle Lu, your old lady wants to live in the upper room, you won't be so unfilial as to not arrange it for her, right?"
Want to kidnap her with morality?
It's simply wishful thinking.
Otherwise, what's the point of severing ties and establishing a new family tree? Isn't it just to prevent them from continuing to cling to the Lu family's eldest son and continue to profit from his own interests?
At this moment, a sudden voice diverted the anger of the Lu family's third branch, "The yamen is doing business, everyone should make way."
At the same time, the shopkeeper fell down on the steps in fear.
Su Sijin raised her eyes to glance at the shopkeeper, then looked at the yamen runner who rudely pushed everyone away.
"Manager Tong, hundreds of people have come to your inn to stay, and you haven't reported it to the county government. Do you think you're going to stay in Zhengding County?"
Shopkeeper Tong was so frightened that he fell several steps. He barely managed to steady himself on the escalator, handed over the silver, and hurriedly explained, "Captain Li, the guests just arrived. I planned to settle them down before reporting to the county government office."
Li Bantou weighed the silver in his hand and pushed Tong the shopkeeper away with dissatisfaction. "Ma County Magistrate has noticed your inn. I'm afraid your inn... hehe."
Tong, the shopkeeper, was horrified by what Li Bantou had not finished saying. He tried to make amends with a sad face, but Li Bantou ignored him.
"Today is the day the government collects the head tax. Each person is charged one tael of silver. Everyone, come and pay the silver. After paying the silver, you can go and rest. You can also leave Zhengding County at any time."
The implication is that if you don't pay the head tax, you can't leave Zhengding County.
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