Chapter 121 Buying a Carriage
Lu Qian didn't stay long this time. He simply drank some tea, chatted for a few minutes, and asked Jiang Ling when she would open her shop next.
He then got up to take his leave.
He received the message by carrier pigeon this time and specially put aside his official duties to rush over from the capital.
Now, the north of the Great Yu Dynasty is suffering from famine, and the border troops are going to war.
Even though he was a leisurely prince, he was currently assigned a lot of tasks.
Before he came, he had already rehearsed his story with the guards, saying that the branch in the capital couldn't be left unattended and that he needed to hurry back.
Jiang Ling saw that he had important business to attend to, so she didn't keep him any longer.
It was almost lunchtime, and considering that even traveling by fast horse to the capital would take them more than an hour.
Jiang Ling turned around and walked to the shelf, took out two plastic bags, and filled them with a lot of the new, durable, and filling snacks she had just received.
There were individually packaged meat jerky, small sandwich cookies, several boxes of substantial pastries, and a few bottles of drinks. They were carefully wrapped and handed over.
"It's almost lunchtime now, so take these to tide you over. They're all newly arrived pastries, and they taste pretty good."
Her tone was natural, conveying the concern of a friend.
Lu Qian was slightly taken aback. Looking at the bulging bag handed to him, the softest part of his heart seemed to be gently touched.
He did not refuse, but reached out and took it, saying, "Thank you, Miss Jiang."
Li Hong silently took the items. There were two bags, and Miss Jiang had naturally prepared his share as well.
"Be careful on the road." Jiang Ling saw them to the shop entrance.
Lu Qian mounted his horse, sat down, and turned back to give Jiang Ling one last deep look, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he only cupped his hands in a respectful gesture.
"Miss Jiang, please wait. Take good care of yourself. I will come to see you again once things in the capital are settled."
Jiang Ling stood at the door, smiling and waving.
The sound of horses' hooves rang out again, carrying the two of them away into the distance, disappearing at the end of the village road.
Jiang Ling stood at the door for a while, until she could no longer see them, before turning around and going back into the shop.
The sun was rising higher, and it was almost noon.
Xiao Ran stopped wiping the shelves, looked up and asked:
"Sister Jiang, it's almost noon. What should we eat for lunch today? I'll make it."
Jiang Ling was checking the order slips when she heard this. She looked up, thought for a moment, and then suddenly had a whim.
"We're not cooking lunch today. Xiaoran, let's go to town to eat."
"Go to town?" Xiao Ran was a little surprised. Going to town would take some effort, and half a day would be spent going back and forth.
“Yes,” Jiang Ling put down her pen and smiled, “Yes, let’s go to town to buy a carriage and try out the restaurants there.”
She's been here so long and hasn't gone out to eat yet.
I'm quite curious about the culinary standards and flavors of this era.
The weather is nice today, and the shop isn't too busy, so it's a good time to go for a walk.
Furthermore, the shop needs a horse-drawn carriage now, as there will be many more opportunities to deliver goods in the future, and I also want to go out and travel.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Ran immediately replied, "Okay! Sister Jiang, I'll go home right now and hitch up the oxcart!"
Now that the autumn harvest is over and all the work in the fields is done, his old ox is idle.
Before long, Xiao Ran drove his family's slightly old but sturdy oxcart back to the shop entrance.
Knowing that Jiang Ling wanted to sit there, Zhao Yin and his wife specially laid a thick layer of dry and soft straw on the cart floor, and then carefully placed several layers of washed coarse cloth on top of the straw to make it as comfortable as possible.
It was Jiang Ling's first time riding in an oxcart, and she found it very novel.
The oxcart moved slowly but steadily.
The weather was neither too hot nor too cold, and a gentle breeze carried the fresh scent of grass and trees from the fields, making it very pleasant.
Along the way, fields and villages can be seen, and the land appears exceptionally peaceful after the autumn harvest.
Xiao Ran sat in front, waving the small whip with a practiced air, occasionally giving a soft shout to guide the old ox steadily forward along the dirt road.
The oxcart wasn't going fast, but Jishui Village wasn't too far from Ping'an Town. About half an hour later, the not-so-tall city wall came into view.
The city gate was bustling with people coming and going.
According to regulations, oxcarts and similar livestock are not allowed to enter the city directly.
Xiao Ran skillfully drove the oxcart to a small tea stall outside the city wall, where vehicles were parked. He paid the owner a few coins to watch over the cart for him.
Aside from the Mid-Autumn Festival lantern festival, this was Jiang Ling's second time visiting the city.
But last time, I was in a carriage heading straight for the Twilight Tower Inn, and it was nighttime, so I didn't get a good look at the town.
It was daytime, and the scene before her eyes seemed quite novel to her.
The streets in the town are much wider than those in the village, with bluestone slabs on the ground and shops lining both sides, their banners fluttering in the breeze.
The streets were lined with vendors, their calls filling the air.
There were vendors selling all kinds of rouge and face powder, beaded jewelry, seasonal fruits and vegetables, chicken, duck, fish and meat, as well as various snacks, clay figurines, bamboo and straw woven toys...
Jiang Ling found it novel and strolled along, stopping frequently, enjoying the sights for quite a while.
When I see unfamiliar food or interesting gadgets, I can't help but buy some.
Xiao Ran followed behind her, and soon her arms were full of various paper bags and boxes, almost too heavy to hold.
"Sister Jiang...did we...did we buy a bit too much?" Xiao Ran asked breathlessly, peeking out from behind a pile of things.
Jiang Ling looked back and couldn't help but chuckle, then reluctantly stopped shopping.
"Okay, okay, let's not buy it for now. Let's go find a place to eat."
As Jiang Ling spoke, her gaze swept over the restaurants and eateries along the street, and finally she chose a restaurant called "Zuiyunlou".
This place has a spacious storefront and lots of customers, so the food must be pretty good.
The two entered the store, and the waiter immediately greeted them warmly.
The lobby on the first floor was almost full of diners, bustling with noise and the aroma of food filling the air.
"Gentlemen, would you like to dine? There are private rooms upstairs." The waiter cleverly led them upstairs.
The second floor was indeed much quieter, and the window seats offered a view of the street below.
Jiang Ling and Xiao Ran chose a place to sit down.
The waiter handed over a wooden sign with the names of the dishes written on it.
Jiang Ling browsed through the menu and found that she had never heard of many of the dishes. She asked the waiter to recommend a few of the restaurant's signature dishes and ordered two bowls of rice.
The grocery store has made so much money, and finally, it has a use.
While waiting for her food to be served, she looked out the window at the bustling crowd and wondered where she would go to buy a carriage later.
She looked up and asked, "Xiao Ran, do you know where I can buy a horse-drawn carriage in town?"
Xiao Ran shook her head. "I don't know either. Sister Jiang, carriages are precious things. In our village, only the village head's family had one in the early years, but they sold it later."
In his mind, horse-drawn carriages were something only the town's gentlemen could afford.
Xiao Ran's family owns an oxcart, which already puts them ahead of many other families in Jishui Village.
Jiang Ling then realized that she had oversimplified things.
In this era, horses were important strategic and transportation resources, but they were expensive to produce and difficult to raise.
Those who own their own carriages are indeed either rich or noble.
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