Having finally finished packing the mushrooms, Zheng Ruqian shouldered the package and prepared to leave.
Jiang Sheng tugged at his clothes.
Zheng Ruqian turned around and said, "You're a girl, I can't let you carry this."
Jiang Sheng chuckled, "Second brother, I won't take responsibility for anyone."
"How can we get him to the county if we don't carry him?" Zheng Ruqian wondered. "Are we supposed to drag him along the ground?"
Jiang Sheng really wanted to kowtow to her brother's imagination. She waved her hand and pointed to the gradually clearer figure at the village entrance.
Shili Town was poor, and Shilipu Village was also not well-off.
Villagers mostly travel on foot. If they need to transport something, they have to pull a cart, and it takes a strong adult to travel ten kilometers.
But there are other means of transportation in the town, such as donkey carts.
A donkey pulls the cart at the front, and the driver can control the donkey to move forward at a steady speed by cracking a whip.
The flatbed wagon can carry seven or eight people at the back; cargo is charged separately.
When Fang Heng changed the dressing for Xu Mo's broken leg last time, he suggested going to the county. However, with five people, it would cost twenty coins to go there and back, at two coins per person.
Jiang Sheng had never seen so much money before. She felt heartbroken and couldn't bear to part with it. She would rather walk for four hours to the county.
But after witnessing her brothers' earning power and seeing Xu Mo's loneliness and silence these past few days, the little money-grubber finally decided to splurge.
"You, you, you rented a donkey cart." Zheng Ruqian was also stunned. When he came to his senses, he felt heartbroken. "How much money must that have cost? I'm afraid all the money I earned today will be thrown into it."
Jiang Sheng gritted her teeth, "I didn't rent it."
"Not rented?" Zheng Ruqian was very confused and turned to look around.
Fang Heng and Xu Mo were both somewhat puzzled, but Wen Zhiyun remained calm.
That's because Jiang Sheng had discussed it with her fourth brother beforehand. She still had two gold coins in her hand, which she originally intended to give to the doctor. Later, the doctor was murdered, and the two gold coins were still in Jiang Sheng's hands. After thinking it over, she felt that it was too cruel to walk for four hours every time she went to the county to deliver mushrooms, and it was not worth it to ride in an oxcart for a long time. She might as well grit her teeth and buy a donkey cart.
Wen Zhiyun expressed his support, but he hadn't considered accepting the gold beans on behalf of his parents. He simply said that Jiang Sheng could use them however she wanted.
Jiang Sheng bought the donkey cart with a mouthful of blood in his mouth.
The price of an old donkey is two taels of silver, while a flatbed cart is cheaper at only three hundred copper coins.
Jiang Sheng handed over the two small gold beans and received a large amount of copper coins in return.
"Two coins' worth of gold beans is equal to three taels of silver. One tael of silver is worth one thousand copper coins. Do you want seven hundred copper coins, or half a tael of broken silver?" the coachman asked.
Jiang Sheng didn't hesitate at all, "I want seven hundred copper coins."
She also wanted to experience the feeling of her money bag rattling.
Madam Che was very kind. She patiently counted out seven hundred copper coins for her, and before leaving, she asked the children, "Can you drive a donkey cart?"
Several small heads turned to look at Fang Heng.
Fang, whose family hoped for good skills, was somewhat at a loss. He had driven carriages before, but those were horse-drawn carriages.
No one had ever taught him how to drive a donkey cart.
But thinking about it, donkeys and horses are close relatives, and they look... pretty much the same, so it should count, right?
Fang Heng never showed any fear in his life; even when he felt guilty, he would nod with a cold face.
He gives people the impression that this child is steady and reliable; if he says he can do it, he definitely will.
The old coachman said no more, pocketed the gold coins, and went back to report.
The remaining children hopped and skipped around the old donkey.
Some patted its head, others stroked its tail, and even Wen Zhiyun couldn't resist touching the sturdy wooden flatbed cart.
From now on, they will also own donkey carts.
Jiang Sheng tried to hide her big teeth, but she was still so happy that her throat was visible. "Second brother, third brother, help eldest brother onto the carriage. We're going to deliver the mushrooms."
"Me?" Xu Mo, whose name was called, looked puzzled.
But he soon realized that his doubt had turned into bewilderment.
He said that Jiang Sheng's sister, who only buys thick noodles, couldn't bear to buy a donkey cart, because it was so that he wouldn't be alone.
The little girl is not very old, but she is exceptionally thoughtful.
Xu Mo felt a little sore, but with so many younger brothers and sisters around, he felt embarrassed and could only endure it, letting the soreness spread from the tip of his nose to his throat.
With the combined efforts of Zheng Ruqian and Fang Heng, Xu Mo was gently placed on the flatbed cart.
Jiang Sheng skipped and hopped as she sat down next to him.
Wen Zhiyun held the medical manual and sat on the other side.
Zheng Ruqian then placed the mushrooms at the back of the car and sat down himself.
Now, it's up to the three brothers.
Several pairs of large, wet eyes looked over, and Fang Heng suddenly felt that he had a heavy responsibility and a long way to go. He gritted his teeth, suppressed his barely perceptible fear, sat behind the old donkey, picked up the leather whip, and flicked it lightly.
"drive!"
With a soft shout, the old donkey snorted and took off running.
The four people on the flatbed cart almost fell off.
Fang Heng was startled and quickly reined in the donkey's muzzle. The donkey cart came to a sudden stop. Before the people on the flatbed could recover from their face-to-leg position, they fell backward and stared at the sky.
"Ah..." Zheng Ruqian shouted, desperately protecting every single mushroom.
Wen Zhiyun and Jiang Sheng held onto both sides, afraid of pressing on Xu Mo's injured leg.
"Third Brother!" Jiang Sheng cried out, "Do you even know how to ride a donkey cart?"
Fang Heng responded to her with a whip: I can, I really can.
The donkey is getting old and a bit unruly.
After a bumpy, undulating journey that left my buttocks feeling like they were being torn to pieces, it took an hour to finally reach the county.
Jiang Sheng jumped off the donkey cart and spat out a mouthful of yellow liquid.
"Jiang Sheng, are you alright?" Her brothers were very concerned.
Jiang Sheng waved her hand, then opened her mouth and spat out another mouthful of yellow fluid, "I'm fine... I just... got... motion sickness on the donkey cart."
I've seen people get carsick from horses and horse-drawn carriages, but I've never seen someone get carsick from donkey carts.
People passing by couldn't help but turn their heads to look, and when they saw that the person driving the donkey was a child, they all smiled knowingly.
"Jiang Sheng, it's my fault. I promise I won't let you faint when we get back." Fang Heng apologized sincerely, his usually icy face filled with remorse.
After vomiting, Jiang Sheng drank some water and finally recovered.
She patted Fang Heng on the shoulder, "Third Brother is just not skilled at first. In the future, he will definitely be a qualified donkey cart driver."
Fang Heng pursed his lips and said no more.
They lined up and arrived at the entrance of Xieyang County, crossed the city gate, and entered the county town.
If Shili Town is a large market, with a wide variety of meat and vegetables for sale and a strong sense of local life, then the county town is relatively calm, majestic, flat and magnificent.
The densely packed stalls and vendors have been replaced by neat shops on both sides of the road.
The clothing of the people coming and going has changed from coarse linen clothes to fine cloth robes. Some men wear jade crowns, some wave paper fans, and their steps are light and graceful, which is clearly different from the dark-skinned men in the village.
Jiang Sheng had been to the county before, but each time he would steal a little food and run away quickly, never really observing the county town closely.
They had no idea where You Ran Ju was located.
Fortunately, she had a silver tongue and after asking two or three times, she found the branch store that was supposedly opened in the county by a wealthy family from Fengjing.
Leisure Residence.
The carriage stopped in front of the grand restaurant. As soon as Fang Heng looked up and saw the name on the plaque, his expression changed drastically.
Isn't this... a property owned by the Jiang family?
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