Hearing his analysis, Qin San Niang was relieved.
If Gu Qingshan is a walking map, then He Xiucai is a walking encyclopedia of people!
Since passing Huozhou City, the number of refugees has noticeably decreased. She didn't know if something had happened in Huozhou City, but things weren't looking good. Qin Sanniang felt that what He Xiucai had said might actually have happened.
However, despite being a transmigrator, she was also keenly aware that she was but a drop in the ocean and couldn't concern herself with all the injustices of the world. It was already quite an achievement for her to take care of this group of people.
Qin San Niang would often bring out steamed buns or dried meat, which surprised He Xiucai's family.
He Yingyuan, being a man of principle, naturally didn't question why her food supplies were so plentiful, seemingly never running out, as if the carriage was a treasure chest.
Just as He Yingyuan was filled with doubt, he heard Tan Sanniang say this.
"We're almost out of food. How much longer until we reach Luochuan? I need to go in and buy some."
After taking a bite of her steamed bun, Qin Sanniang asked Gu Qingshan.
There weren't many steamed buns left in the supermarket, and the dumplings and the like were all gone. There was also some roast chicken, roast goose, and pork head meat, but we had already taken out quite a few of them. Now that we'd be heading into the city soon, there was no need to risk taking them out again.
After a moment's thought, Gu Qingshan quickly replied, "At our current speed, we should be able to reach Luochuan City by the morning of the day after tomorrow. I just don't know how much the entrance fee to Luochuan City will be."
That's what Gu Qingshan should be worried about. If the cost is too high, he doesn't plan to go in. He can just watch over the carriages and horses outside the city and let Madam Qin and the others go in.
"Brother Gu, don't worry about that. The entrance fee to Luochuan City is only about twenty coins, and the number of refugees has decreased significantly."
Hearing this, Gu Qingshan was somewhat surprised and asked, "Brother He, how do you know about the entrance fee to Luochuan City?"
He Yingyuan's face showed a momentary unease, but he quickly covered it up and said calmly, "This is my calculation. Of course, it may not be twenty coins; it could be thirty or forty coins, but it will definitely not exceed fifty coins!"
As he spoke, he stretched out one palm and gestured.
The idea of being reborn is unlikely to be accepted if spoken of publicly; it might even be dismissed as superstition or bring misfortune. In short, it's best not to tell outsiders!
Liao Hongying was gently coaxing Xiaohu to sleep when she looked at her husband with a smile. She didn't know if it was just her imagination, but she felt that since she had escaped, her husband seemed more down-to-earth and less attached to kinship. He seemed to be more patient and loving towards her and their son than before.
"Twenty coins isn't expensive at all. It's even cheaper than Guocheng," Liu interjected. The grain supply had been running out quickly these past few days, and even with divine assistance, she was worried that they wouldn't be able to afford it.
Liu had her own thoughts about supporting so many people.
Along the way, Fatty and her son had developed a bond with their family. Besides, Chunhua usually did the sewing and mending, while Fatty was responsible for driving the cart. Gu Qingshan had also been a great help to them, from hunting wolves to many other things.
If the newly arrived He Xiucai family hadn't notified us to evacuate in time, the consequences would have been unimaginable! It seems the eldest daughter relies on him quite a bit, and that He Xiucai is clearly no ordinary person. If he can pass the imperial examinations and become a Juren or even a Jinshi, and his ancestors were to rise to prominence and he were to become an official, then our grandson would have another avenue to success…
Fortunately, with the help of the gods, and the eldest daughter having some silver in her pocket, they had no shortage of food along the way! Every night, she would clasp her hands together and kowtow to thank the old god who did good deeds without leaving his name!
As expected of the famous ferrywoman in the surrounding villages, Liu Shi had a broader perspective than the average old woman, and she even thought about things that were so far in the future.
Liao Hongying, on the other hand, felt a little embarrassed, so she went up to Qin Sanniang and the others while everyone was resting.
"Third Sister, Aunt, I feel really bad for eating and drinking with you these past few days. This is my family's heirloom jade bracelet. If you don't mind, please take it. Consider it our travel expenses. I know it might not be enough, but if things settle down in the future, I will definitely repay your great kindness." With that, he handed a bracelet wrapped in cloth to Third Sister Qin without further ado.
This bracelet was part of her dowry. It wasn't that she was reluctant to pawn it, but rather that she hadn't found an opportunity to go to the city, so she couldn't pawn it to earn money for food.
Now that they were living off Qin San Niang, she thought of using the bracelet to pay for the food rations of her family of four. Although the jade bracelet wasn't a rare treasure, it would normally be worth a hundred taels of silver. However, in these chaotic times, her family couldn't hold onto that much money anyway, so she decided to give it to San Niang.
Ever since she learned that jade could help upgrade her space, Qin San Niang had become very interested in anything made of jade. This jade bracelet was of medium quality, better than the one she had found on the leader of the bandits.
Qin San Niang felt a flutter in her heart!
"Sister-in-law Hongying, I wonder if Scholar He knows about this? This is your family heirloom jade bracelet!"
Although I really wanted to accept it, I still felt it necessary to ask about the cunning He Yingyuan.
Seeing that she was about to accept the gift, Liao Hongying was quite happy. This meant that her little boy could drink milk. Since drinking milk, Xiao Hu's spirits had improved significantly, and his usually listless little hands could now wave vigorously.
"Third Sister, you saved our whole family's lives. Let alone a bracelet, I would do anything for you, even go through fire and water! My husband said so too, so please don't be shy."
After saying that, he pushed the bracelet in front of her and refused to take it back no matter what.
She had seen the Third Sister's excited expression when she took the jade pendant from the thief, and wondered if her benefactor liked jade pendants. That's when she remembered the jade bracelet on her body.
Fortunately, Qin San Niang eventually accepted the bracelet, but for some inexplicable reason, she didn't put it into her spatial storage.
That night, Qin San Niang brought two bags of milk powder to Liao Hongying, saying it was for Xiao Hu to eat more, as the child was too thin and needed more nutrition. She received sincere thanks from He Xiucai and his wife.
After a hurried journey, the group finally arrived in Luochuan City on the morning of the third day.
Looking around, there weren't many refugees outside Luochuan City. Those who could walk here were either quite capable or exceptionally united villagers.
Having learned from his previous experience, Gu Qingshan parked the carriage a mile outside the city so that he could turn around and head south to inquire about entering the city.
In short, even if we manage to get into the city, we probably won't be able to have lunch.
Liu and Wu Chunhua quickly cooked a meal. They heated up the coarse grain cakes they had made earlier, cooked millet and wild vegetable porridge, added salt for seasoning, sprinkled in some dried meat, and simmered it for a while before eating.
Before long, Gu Qingshan rushed over and looked at He Xiucai with great admiration.
"Sir, you are truly a diviner! The fee to enter the city is indeed twenty coins! We can enter the city now, but we can only stay for one day. There are soldiers on duty and patrolling in the city, and they will check our travel permits."
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