Chapter 39
Yu Ying had to deliver the medicinal materials to Yu County and also go to the county government to pay the ransom money.
Since it was Uncle He who had contact with the county yamen runners, Yu Ying asked Uncle He to go to Yu County together.
First, he delivered the medicinal materials, a total of thirty kilograms of medicinal materials, and received four hundred and eighty coins.
The drug dealer surnamed Wu got the advantage and said to the woman in front of him with a smile: "Next time I come to Yu County, I will buy herbs from you again!"
Yu Ying roughly counted the copper coins before putting them into her newly sewn cloth bag. With a gentle smile on her face, she said, "But I can't sell it to you so cheaply next time."
The drug dealer's smile faded. "Why? Do you think it's not good to cooperate with me?"
Yu Ying hurriedly said, "Sir, please don't misunderstand me. I just can't mess up the price set by the clinic. I can only reduce it by two cents at most. If I reduce it any further, I'm sure you know what kind of trouble it will cause."
The drug dealer was about to say something like "God knows, you know, and I know it too", but after thinking about it, he decided to give up. He might not go to Yu County to purchase medicinal materials next time.
After saying goodbye, Yu Ying also said goodbye.
Ah Fu sent her and Uncle He out of the inn. She asked Uncle He to wait in front and then gave him forty-eight copper coins wrapped in cloth.
When she came out this morning, Yu Ying had already counted and strung together forty-eight copper coins.
Yu Ying said, "There are forty-eight coins inside. We won't give it to you in the inn because there are too many people around."
After finally receiving the silver, Ah Fu couldn't help but smile. He hurriedly said, "Ms. Yu, just call me Ah Fu. Don't call me Second Brother anymore. It's embarrassing."
Yu Ying smiled and then instructed, "By the way, don't look for a new drug dealer for now."
The second brother, who had just tasted the sweetness of success, was surprised when he heard this: "Madam Yu, are you not planning to continue the medicinal herb business?"
Yu Ying shook her head and said, "That's not the case. It's just that delivering herbs to the inn too frequently draws too much attention. This kind of attention is not good for me or my second brother."
Ah Fu was stunned: "Why is it bad?"
Yu Ying analyzed the situation with him, saying, "Most drug dealers buy herbs from medical clinics, and medical clinics buy herbs at low prices and sell them at high prices. If I just do something small, they won't take me seriously. But if I steal their business too blatantly and block their way to making money, I'm afraid I'll really make them unhappy."
As Fu Wei said, in her current situation, if she went head-on with those medical clinics, it would be like hitting a rock with an egg.
If she wants to grow bigger, she needs to take it step by step and carefully lay a solid foundation first, so that she can have the basis to take risks.
Ah Fu thought about it and finally came to his senses. Remembering that the clinic had backers, his expression changed slightly and he said hurriedly, "It's better to be safe, it's better to be safe."
After saying this, he pondered for a moment and said, "Then I will just observe the drug dealers staying at the inn. When Madam Yu feels the time is right, I will help to connect them."
Although there is no such thing as too much money, Ah Fu understands that it must be earned in the long run.
Yu Ying nodded, then turned and left.
After leaving the inn, Yu Ying went to the yamen with Uncle He.
The person who came to lead them into the county government office was the cousin of the owner of Wu's Restaurant, Huo Yachai.
Huo Yacha glanced at Yu Ying, nodded, and said, "Come with me to pay the service fee, and we can leave for the quarry tomorrow."
Yu Ying and Uncle He followed Yachai Huo into the yamen.
When he came before the registrar who was in charge of the service list, Yu Ying told him Fu Dalang's name, hometown, current registered place, and finally his wife Wen's place.
The registrar found their names on the list of the Xiqiao Mountain quarry.
He glanced at the remaining years, counted on his fingers, and said, "Fu Zhen of Lingshui Village has three years and four months of service remaining. Each year's service is 1,200 wen silver, which is equivalent to 4,000 wen silver. Wen, the wife of the Fu family in Lingshui Village, has two years and nine months of service remaining. A woman's service is 1,000 wen silver per year, which is equivalent to 2,750 wen silver, for a total of 6,750 wen."
Hearing that it was less than 7,000 wen, Yu Ying breathed a sigh of relief and immediately felt that she could have more money.
Although the total cost including the fees was about 7,500 coins, it was still much less than his original budget of 8,000 coins.
Even if you spend some more money on the road, you can still save as much as you can.
Yu Ying took out the silver and money from her backpack, first about one tael and seven coins, then five strings of coins, and placed them all on the table.
Finally, she took out five small strings of copper coins from the cloth bag, each string containing ten cents, and placed them on the table.
"This amount of money should be enough. Please count it a little, sir."
The registrar winked at the two yamen runners who were doing odd jobs nearby, and then the two runners brought a slightly heavy scale and placed the five strings of cash on it to measure the weight.
After checking several times and making sure everything was correct, the official glanced at the woman and said in a cold tone, "To avoid fraud in the money, you need to pay an extra fifty coins. If there is a shortfall, you can make up for it. If there is no shortfall, it will be used as travel expenses and tea expenses."
Although he felt helpless, Yu Ying still paid an extra fifty cents as the people should not fight against the officials.
Seeing that she paid the fifty coins so readily, the registrar did not make things difficult for her. He immediately wrote two documents for her release upon completion of her service and then took them to the county magistrate to have them stamped with the official seal.
The document was stamped and sent to the quarry by the yamen runners.
In order to prevent someone from impersonating someone else, at least one person from the family had to accompany the yamen runners.
Coming out of the yamen, Huo Yachai said, "Tomorrow there will be an oxcart going to the Xiqiao Mountain quarry. Each person should bring 20 wen for the round trip fare."
After thinking for a moment, he added, "The oxcart will pass by Lingshui Village and arrive around 9:00 PM. You just wait."
After that, he looked at Yu Ying and said, "When we get to the Xiqiao Mountain Quarry, you don't need to pay any more money. Just bring a few jars of wine and some food."
Yu Ying nodded: "Thank you, Mr. Huo, for the reminder."
Yachai Huo nodded, then turned around and returned to the yamen.
Yu Ying turned to look at Uncle He and said, "Since I asked Uncle He and Aunt He to accompany you, I will pay for the car fare."
Uncle He shook his head and said, "Your Aunt He and I are not going with you, but to visit our Erlang."
After a pause, he continued, "It's thanks to you that we have this connection with Huo Yacha, and we can go see Erlang smoothly. Maybe Huo Yacha can help put in a few words, and Erlang's life in that quarry will be better."
At this point, Uncle He sighed and continued, "I'm also planning to buy some wine to take to the quarry. Building good relationships with the guards will ultimately benefit our Erlang."
Uncle He pondered for a moment and said, "If we take an ox cart, it would be faster. We only need to rest for one night on the way and we'll be at the quarry by noon the next day."
Yu Ying calculated that she would be back in about three days, so she wouldn’t have to be gone for too long.
After buying wine with Uncle He, Yu Ying also bought some dry food and storable snacks.
There is oil, salt, rice, eggs, and vegetables at home, so there is no need to worry about food for the next three days.
But she hadn't told them yet that she was going out.
While having dinner in the evening, Yu Ying told him that she was going on a long journey.
"I'm going on a long trip tomorrow, probably for three or four days."
As soon as she said this, the three generations of grandparents and grandchildren all put down their chopsticks and looked at her in surprise.
Fu Wei, who was standing by, slowly put down his bowl and chopsticks and said, "I know about this. She's going back to her parents' home."
Hearing that she was going back to her parents' home, Mrs. Luo felt a little relieved.
In the past, she always felt that Liu Niang did not belong to the Fu family and that the Fu family was not worthy of her, but when she heard that she was leaving, she suddenly felt a lot of reluctance in her heart.
"Will my aunt come back?" Fu An looked a little nervous.
Yu Ying looked at Fu An and Fu Ning and said, "Of course I will come back. I will bring you a big surprise when the time comes."
Fu An lowered his head, picked at the rice in the bowl, and muttered softly, "I don't want a big surprise, I just want my aunt."
Hearing this, Yu Ying smiled faintly as she picked up a piece of meat and placed it in his bowl. She said, "I'm your aunt and your uncle's wife. I must come back. If I don't come back, where else can I go?"
Fu Wei raised his lips slightly and said, "Aunt will come back."
Yu Ying looked at Fu Ning, but Fu Ning didn't say anything and continued to eat quietly. She thought about it, but still didn't say anything.
When going to bed at night, the little girl hugged Yu Ying tightly and refused to let go, as if if she let go, her aunt would abandon her and disappear.
After a long time, the little girl finally couldn't bear it anymore and fell asleep.
Yu Ying gently stroked the little girl's head. Knowing that Fu Wei was still awake, she whispered, "I'll be back as soon as I get him."
Fu Wei sighed softly: "Compared to picking someone up, safety is the most important thing."
Yu Ying felt a little warm in her heart when she heard this, and smiled: "I will pay attention. In addition to collecting herbs these days, I also ground some slightly toxic medicinal powder."
She thought for a moment and then added, "I've left some for you. The powder isn't very toxic. At most, it'll make your body itchy and swollen for a day or two, but it's enough to scare people."
Fu Wei hummed, then continued, "Be careful, and bring your crossbow. If there's a search, just throw it away."
"I understand."
…
As the sky gradually brightened, after Yu Ying got up, Fu Ning followed her.
After Yu Ying had finished cleaning up, the little girl tugged at her sleeve tightly, her mouth pouting and eyes red, looking like she wanted to cry but didn't dare, looking pitiful.
Yu Ying squatted down, took out a green hairpin that she had secretly made last night, and gave it to her.
"When I come back, wear the hairpin I gave you. Can you show it to me?"
The so-called hairpin with flowers was actually made by Yu Ying from an old thorny hairpin.
She sewed three small blue and white flowers on it and wrapped the thread around the hairpin in circles, making it look quite presentable.
But Fu Ning didn't take it and still held her sleeve tightly.
Yu Ying thought for a moment and then said, "Fu Ning, be good. The earlier your aunt leaves, the sooner she can come back."
As she spoke, she raised her head and looked at Luo Shi.
Mrs. Luo understood, stepped forward, pried her granddaughter's hands apart, and then picked her up.
The little girl was suddenly picked up and immediately broke down and burst into tears. She kept reaching out to Yu Ying and cried so pitifully.
Yu Ying turned around and wanted to leave, but in the end she couldn't bear it. She turned back and touched the little girl's head, then gave her a light kiss on the forehead.
She promised: "Auntie keeps her word and will be back on the fourth day at the latest."
The little girl finally calmed down, but she still couldn't stop crying.
Yu Ying took a deep breath, then wiped the tears from the little girl's eyes before turning and leaving.
*
It was almost noon, the sun was blazing in the sky, and in the Xiqiao Mountain quarry, the sound of chiseling stones could be heard, accompanied from time to time by extremely unpleasant curses.
Most of the men in the quarry were shirtless, their bodies tanned black and red, with a thick layer of dead skin on their shoulders.
Some were barefoot, while others wore a pair of tattered straw sandals.
The women were covered in dirt, so dirty that their faces could not be seen clearly. Their clothes were torn and sewn again and again, and their trouser legs and shoulders were already in tatters.
They carried the stones down the mountain basket by basket. If they were a little slow, they would be insulted or whipped.
Each of them had an almost numb expression on their face, and their eyes were so empty that there was no trace of life in them.
Suddenly, three gong sounds were heard, indicating that it was time to take a break for lunch and to catch their breath.
Everyone immediately put down their stuff and ran towards the servants carrying the food like hungry wolves, fearing that they would go hungry if they were a step slower.
Because women could not compete with men for food, men and women came to receive food separately.
Men get two steamed buns, while women only get one, and both are served with a bowl of porridge.
A tall man grabbed two larger steamed buns first, then made some porridge and looked for his wife among the crowd of women.
After a while, the thin figure was squeezed out by the crowd, and soon all the steamed buns were snatched away, leaving only porridge.
The man walked over, pursed his lips, and handed his wife a steamed bun without saying a word.
The thin woman took it silently, and the two of them walked silently to a shady place to eat steamed buns.
At this time, a guard standing in the quarry shouted loudly: "Where are Fu Zhen and his wife from Lingshui Village?"
Hearing his name, the man raised his eyes, looked in the direction of the servant, and raised his hand.
The guard saw him and the woman beside him, and understood what was going on. Then he shouted again, "Where is He Jing from Lingshui Village?"
A young man of about seventeen or eighteen years old who was not far from Fu Zhen looked confused, but suddenly raised his hand.
When the guard saw that everyone had gathered, he said coldly, "You three, follow me immediately."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
