Although Yunling felt that Uncle Cheng resembled her grandfather and gave her a sense of closeness, it did not mean that others treated her as their own granddaughter.
Moreover, they had no financial dealings, no written agreement, and were meeting for the first time, so they didn't know each other's backgrounds. If he were to leave in a hurry, or abandon her once the boat was full, that would be perfectly understandable.
Therefore, Yunling planned to make two preparations. If Uncle Cheng could wait as agreed, everyone would be happy. If not, she would not be too passive and lose her composure.
Uncle Feng stopped, glanced at Yun Ling, then slowed his pace and asked softly:
“Brother is just afraid that Uncle Cheng will really leave. But he’s just saying it. You don’t need to take it seriously.”
"I trust my uncle's recommendation. I didn't mean anything by it; I just wanted to learn more about what's going on inside. After all, I'm not in this business, so I'm just curious."
Seeing that Yunling's words were sincere, Uncle Feng became less wary.
"Of course, Chengbo's family isn't the only one selling fruit in this caravan. There's no such thing as a business that can be run by one person alone. But Chengbo has been traveling by water for decades and has seen all sorts of messy things. The key thing is that he's an honest man. If you go with him, you can put your mind at ease."
It seems she gave the right amount of money. Yunling's heart is no longer as unsettled as before. After saying goodbye to Uncle Feng, she drove the carriage back to the county town. She had to be quick and efficient. She would rather come here early the day after tomorrow than be late.
It was already dark when she returned to the county town. She planned to stay overnight at a shop in Pingli Lane, first to talk to Tang Ling about her trip to Bianjing, and then go to the escort agency to find Gangzi at dawn.
But... never mind, let them be alone. If she were there, they probably wouldn't be able to chat and laugh to their hearts' content, and even the young men wouldn't dare to say anything. She didn't want to spoil the fun.
Furthermore, she didn't tell Zhang that she wouldn't be back tonight before she left. Now that she's about to go to Bianjing, if she doesn't miss home and spend more time with Zhang, her ears will probably be worn out from talking to her before she even gets to travel far.
With that, Yunling flicked the reins and quickly drove the carriage towards Dongtou Village.
Zhang looked around at the door. It was already dark, but Yunling was still nowhere to be seen. She was getting restless. She took two steps forward, then two more, hoping that she could catch a glimpse of the figure she wanted to see as she moved.
Yun Shenghua came out carrying a bowl of soup. The soup was ladled out of the pot by his mother, and it was still steaming. He blew on it to blow away the steam, brought the bowl to his lips, and took a small sip. It was so hot that he yelled in pain.
When Zhang turned around and saw that the man showed no sign of tension or worry, she became even more furious.
"Look, Ling'er hasn't come back yet, but you've already started eating the soup."
Seeing that the blame was about to be placed on him, Yun Shenghua unceremoniously shifted it to his mother.
"Mother said, 'The rice isn't the most important thing; the soup has to come first.'"
"I never said that..." Old Lady Yun came running out with a soup ladle, handing the pot back to her. "Didn't Chunniang ask you to accompany Ling'er to find the caravan? Why didn't you go?"
Zhang finally came to her senses, strode back to her front door, and said angrily:
"Why don't you go with Ling'er to look for her? It's too much trouble for her to go alone to those chaotic places like the two towns. Her father doesn't know how to love his daughter at all."
Yun Shenghua was even more wronged than Dou E. It wasn't that he didn't want to go with Yun Ling; it was that Yun Ling simply wouldn't let him go. Who could he complain to?
Moreover, Yunling is no ordinary child. The combined courage of her entire family cannot match hers. She is both brave and resourceful, having even been to Qingcheng on her own. What are a couple of towns compared to that? Let alone others causing her trouble, it would be good enough if she didn't cause trouble for others.
Yun Shenghua had a lot to say, but before he could get a chance to say it all, Zhang Shi beat him to it.
"It's so dark already, I wonder if Ling'er has run into some trouble. She's so young, she..."
"Mother, Grandmother, Father~"
Upon hearing the sound, Zhang's face immediately lit up with joy, and she hurriedly went to greet them.
Grandma Yun hurriedly went back to the courtyard to serve Yunling a bowl of hot soup.
Yun Shenghua felt he had been rescued. He took a small sip of the soup, but it wasn't hot. He figured the cool night breeze had cooled it down, so he took a big sip. But the soup was still hot underneath, scalding him so badly that he cried out to heaven and earth in vain.
"Ling-jie, have you found a reliable fruit-selling caravan?"
After Yunling parked the carriage, she said:
“Mother, do you still remember the person who rented the warehouse to us? I asked him for directions. At first, we found a boat that sold general merchandise, but after learning that it was just a passing boat, I rejected it.”
"Where can I go by that passing boat? I don't know where it will go, or when it will reach Bianjing. Wouldn't that make it even harder for me to come back and see my mother?"
“I immediately slipped him a small string of copper coins, and he arranged for me to join a fruit-selling caravan. I met the caravan owner, who was about the same age as my grandfather and looked very friendly. He also said that the owner had been traveling by water for decades and was very reliable.”
Zhang listened to every word Yunling said. She had been worried that Yunling might find someone unreliable and be sold off along the way, but after hearing what she said and having given her some coins to keep her on the side, she trusted her more.
"When do we set off?"
"The day after tomorrow, we need to go to the two towns very early in the morning."
"So urgent?"
Yun Shenghua, having finally recovered from the shock of the burns, explained on Yun Ling's behalf:
"Fruit is all about freshness, so naturally we want to get it to the ship as soon as it's picked to avoid wasting time."
Zhang glanced at Yun Shenghua. She was talking to Yun Ling, so why was he interrupting? Seeing the grease on his lips, she guessed he was only concerned with eating and showed no concern for her daughter, which made her angry again.
"You think you know everything?"
"I don't understand, but Chunniang does. Chunniang is the most amazing."
Zhang was so angry that she lost her composure and gave the man a soft snort.
Yunling: ? ? ?
What on earth happened to make her bear all of this alone?!
**
After daybreak, Yunling went to the county town again. On her way to Pingli Lane, she bought some fried wontons, meat buns, and steamed buns—things that were easy to carry—and took them to a shop. She figured that Tang Ling and the others had gotten a little tired of the food at the music hall kitchen these past few days, and eating something from outside occasionally would be a nice change.
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