As for Zhao Juhua's plans, that was beyond Qin Sanniang's knowledge. She didn't take this woman seriously at all; as long as she didn't cause trouble in front of her, she didn't care.
The next day, the group returned to the official road, filled with mixed emotions. They had previously thought the official road was simply difficult to travel on; after all, years of continuous warfare had left the government with little energy to maintain it, resulting in a rugged and uneven road. In chaotic times, even if there were the energy, there simply weren't the funds!
After three days of trekking through the mountains and forests, I realized that this official road was actually quite easy to travel.
The Qin family continued to walk in front, not intentionally to be the leader, but simply because they were the only family in the group with livestock, and Gu Qingshan was strong and healthy, well-fed and well-rested, so he could walk lightly even while pushing a cart.
Ah Zhi was still in the back carriage, where Wu was taking her measurements to make her a winter coat.
The number of refugees around them was increasing, and Qin Sanniang keenly noticed that more and more of them were alone, and they were carrying less and less luggage. Presumably, most of them had been robbed by bandits. As the saying goes, even a goose leaves a feather behind; bandits wouldn't let go of even a single grain of food. They should be grateful to God for sparing their lives!
Many refugees were staring at them, their eyes filled with a chilling greed and blatant malice. The women of Lujia Village quickly took off their straw hats and covered the baskets on the cart, afraid that others would see the food in their baskets.
There was a shrewish woman who yelled at the refugees, "Get out of my way! Don't even think about messing with me! Otherwise, I'll fight you to the death!" Her wide eyes, set in her already overly thin face, were quite frightening! This was enough to scare away some of the people.
In such circumstances, Liu instructed everyone to be cautious. Not only adults but even children wore their old patched coats over their new clothes to keep warm.
In the afternoon, Gu Qingshan said that there was a city ahead called Guocheng. Should we go in and rest for a while?
Guocheng is a small city, but it is quite prosperous because it is a transportation hub connecting the north and south and has a port.
He was planning to go in; he had quite a few wolf pelts on hand, which he had dried and cleaned during his break a few days ago. If he had the time and materials, he could tan them into leather garments, which were almost twice as expensive as raw hides!
Clearly, neither of these two factors is present! They have no choice but to give up. Even so, the pelts could still fetch several taels of silver. The reason is simple: winter is approaching, and furs will become scarce, especially since these are top-quality wolf pelts.
Hearing that there was a city ahead, Qin San Niang was delighted. She knew they would have to go in, and at least she could take a hot bath!
Furthermore, the villagers behind them can sell their wolf pelts or chestnuts, and going to town is quite necessary. It's just unclear whether a head fee is required to enter the town; therefore, we need to inform Lu Lizheng.
After dinner, Qin San Niang took Da Wa to find Lu Lizheng. This boy was rather shy and needed to be trained! As the eldest son in the family, Da Wa had always considered himself a little adult, and Qin San Niang felt that as his mother, she had the necessity and responsibility to teach him by example.
"Uncle Lu, this is a little bit of houttuynia cordata. I heard Aunt Chen coughing a few days ago. It's good to cook this in porridge to help with coughs!"
Lu Li's real name is Lu Dingtian, what a grand name! When Qin Sanniang first heard it, she was truly astonished.
When Granny Chen and her family visited her home, they brought a lot of wild vegetables as a gesture of goodwill. Besides, it was just a handful of grass picked from the stream, but houttuynia cordata was indeed effective for Granny Chen's cough.
It's because others don't recognize me! Knowledge is power!
Hearing that these were medicinal herbs, Old Mrs. Chen accepted them cautiously. She quickly had her and Da Wa sit by the fire; it was just past dusk, but the night air was already cool.
Lu Lizheng's family all wore two layers of hemp clothing. The outer coats were also heavily patched, but the clothes underneath looked quite nice. Don't ask her how she knew, because her family did the same thing.
Knowing that Madam Qin would only come to the temple for a reason, Lu Lizheng didn't beat around the bush and asked her directly if there was anything wrong.
Qin San Niang quickly informed him that they would be passing through a city.
Lu Dingtian was surprised. There must be someone in Madam Qin's family who knew this route. He had previously thought Gu Qingshan knew the way, but he hadn't expected him to be so familiar with it, even knowing the cities they passed through. He inwardly applauded his own brilliant decision to shamelessly ask to travel together!
Their food supply is running low, and wild vegetables are becoming increasingly scarce along the way. The weather is getting colder, and if they run out of food...
Before he could reply, Old Mrs. Chen's voice suddenly rang out, "Oh dear, Qin girl, thank you so much! We were also planning to go to the city. To be honest, my grandson doesn't even have enough cotton-padded clothes! He'll suffer if it gets cold!" Actually, even the adults don't have enough cotton-padded clothes, but can adults withstand the cold while children can?!
Old Mrs. Chen rolled her eyes at her husband. She preferred to be straightforward, and she could tell that this Mrs. Qin wasn't one to beat around the bush either! The reeds she had collected this summer weren't enough, but luckily she had picked up some soft grass along the way, which could be used to fill the gaps.
“If that’s the case, then we’ll stay in the city for two days and we should be able to buy everything we need. We don’t have enough warm clothes at home either. If you have some money, Auntie, please buy some kapok. Although kapok is a little more expensive, it’s cold-resistant and warm, and can be worn for several years. My child’s padded jacket is made of kapok, and it’s very comfortable to wear!”
As she spoke, she tugged at the eldest child's padded jacket. None of the adults had made such padded jackets; they were all wearing old linen clothes. They would just make cotton-padded jackets for them later.
Zhang dried her hands, gently touched her eldest son's padded jacket, and said with delight, "Mother, this padded jacket looks thin, but it's really comfortable and must be warm! Our fifth son is weak, so this is perfect for him."
Xiao Wu is the youngest son of the second son in the Lu family, and also the youngest child in the Lu family! Hearing her sister-in-law say this, the second daughter-in-law of the Lu family looked at her gratefully. Her mother-in-law has always relied on her sister-in-law, so she would definitely listen to what her sister-in-law said.
Qin San Niang nodded in agreement, thinking to herself that Zhang Shi was truly a clever woman! This way, she could gain favor with herself and also make Old Lady Chen think that she was sensible. Perhaps her child could also wear cotton-padded clothes. After all, Old Lady Chen didn't seem to be the kind of person who favored one family over another. If she were to buy something, she wouldn't just buy a little bit. Besides, according to her observation, this family was quite well-off.
Watching the women chatting away, Lu Dingtian felt a headache coming on and quickly stopped them. In the end, however, he decided that they would also go to the city, and he would inform the villagers one by one.
Those who could enter the city followed along; those who did not wish to enter waited at the city gate, considering it a rest.
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