After selling the handkerchiefs, Jiang Zhi hurried outside, where Xu Errui was already waiting with the old mule.
The old mule kept at the Huo family's pharmacy had rested for most of the day, and after eating and drinking its fill, it had regained its energy.
Errui also prepared food for the group on the road.
When they arrived at the city gate, they saw Xiaoman and Wuyang waiting there, with Xiang Dejin beside them.
Upon seeing Jiang Zhi, Xiang Dejin said, "Auntie, you've been traveling too fast. Why don't you rest for the night before you continue your journey?"
Miss Huo had said this before, that Jiang Zhi should rest for a day.
Jiang Zhi said, "Nowhere is as comfortable as home outside. It's hard to travel during the day, and if we stay here, it'll be another whole day. We were the ones who troubled you last time we sold the tender corn!"
Last time, it really was thanks to Xiang Dejin and his friends that we got help.
Xiang Dejin chuckled and said, "Auntie, what are you saying? It's not a matter of trouble between us brothers. It's just that Xiaoman said it's lively on the mountain now, and Peiqi has grown up. I really want to go and wrestle with it again."
They used to live on the mountain and playfully outwitted the wild boars every day. Now, more than half a year has passed, and they've heard that the wild boars have grown to almost 200 pounds. They miss them terribly.
After exchanging a few words, they noticed that it was getting late and the heat from the ground was fading.
Those who also wanted to travel while it was cool at the city gate had already left, so Jiang Zhi and the others bid farewell and set off.
Because it was mid-month, the full moon hung high in the sky, shining as brightly as day. The night breeze was cool, making it much more comfortable than traveling during the day.
Jiang Zhi still rode in a wooden cart, pushed by three strong young men, and she wasn't tired at all.
Xiaoman was very excited and kept telling Errui all the strange things she had heard from Xiang Dejin and the others.
They patrolled the streets to investigate cases, caught thieves, and even committed murder and disposed of bodies.
Walking in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by dark shadows and filled with the sounds of insects and strange noises, is truly an immersive and thrilling experience.
Errui and Jiangzhi were talking about Xiaoman (the solar term of 24th lunar month) when they said, "There's an old well in that old house. When Brother Xiang and the others heard a sound coming from inside, they looked down and saw something icy cold and steamy splashing onto their faces..."
Jiang Zhixin's heart was in her throat: "Did a thief hiding inside escape?"
Xu Errui asked nervously, "What is it? Could it be a ghost jumping out?"
Xiaoman chuckled: "I told my older brother that he was startled too. Upon closer inspection, he saw a tiny green frog, no bigger than a palm, jump out!"
"Xiaoman...you're being too stubborn, you deserve a beating!" Jiang Zhi pointed at him angrily, both cursing and laughing.
As they chatted and laughed, Xiaoman somehow brought up the topic of war.
The battlefield is no longer in Ba County. The area is gradually returning to peace, and people are beginning to forget the war and strive for a better life.
But in other places, wherever the war spreads, chaos ensues.
Xiaoman lowered her voice and said, "I heard from some yamen runners that the King of Zhou's troops all came from Ba County, especially one group that charges into battle without fear of death."
Hehe, we drove those imperial soldiers away at the mere sight of them.
Jiang Zhi's brows gradually furrowed. The King of Zhou had left Ba County, but the war was still raging. What was that male protagonist doing now? Was he in that fiercest army?
She hadn't dreamed in a long time, and she couldn't recall any details from the original book.
Originally, reading online novels was just for fun. Skipping chapters, listening to audiobooks while sleeping, forgetting the previous chapter after finishing the next one, and knowing the ending after reading the beginning was the norm.
Especially the "feel-good" novels; once you finish reading them, you forget them completely, unable to recall the content of each book, or even the names of these similarly formulaic "feel-good" novels.
Jiang Zhi remained silent. Wu Yang was always a man of few words, and besides, he had already heard these words in the city.
Only Errui and Xiaoman kept laughing and chatting.
Suddenly, the old mule in front stopped, its ears twitching as it listened to the sounds around it, as if it had noticed something amiss.
Wu Yang, who was pushing the cart, also stopped and took out the knife from his waist.
Xiaoman and Errui alertly pulled out the machetes placed in the car, and Jiangzhi also stood up and looked at the mountain forest next to them.
It was late at night, and the already sparsely populated streets were deserted.
At this point, you're likely to encounter either highway robbers or wild beasts.
The group wasn't particularly nervous. Encountering animals in the wild is quite normal; they had experienced this situation several times before.
Wild animals will not initiate conflict with humans unless they are extremely hungry or encounter each other unexpectedly.
The chances of encountering bandits are slim. This is the official road to Pingchuan County, only about 20 li away from Xujia Village. There are patrol teams coming and going, so bandits wouldn't dare to make a move here.
Before long, a rustling sound was heard, and a dog-like animal emerged from behind the rocks outside the road, quickly darted across the official road, and disappeared into the woods.
"It's a stray dog!" Xiaoman recognized it with her sharp eyes.
The old mule stood still for a moment before tentatively taking a step forward.
This time, because they were traveling at night and the journey was long, and the old mule was not strong enough, Jiang Zhi did not buy any grain in the city.
Although old mules are not as strong as young and strong mules, they have their own way of surviving and are always conserving their energy on the road.
They would never take two steps if they could take one, and they would never take a big detour if they could take a small one. Their pace was always steady and unhurried, and they could even detect danger by listening to sounds.
Jiang Zhi believes that animals are intelligent, given enough time!
No one dared to linger on the rest of the journey. With midnight approaching, Xiaoman, Errui, and Wuyang took turns jogging all the way back to Xujia Village.
At this moment, the entire village was completely silent. In an ordinary mountain village, the barking of dogs would have been deafening long ago.
"We should get a dog!" Jiang Zhi exclaimed.
I didn't realize how important dogs are during the day, but now I'm discovering their importance.
To paraphrase an old saying: "Even a loud noise would be nice!"
Unfortunately, those dogs abandoned by the villagers during their escape from famine, after surviving the chaos of war and fire, still ended up in the mouths of the refugees who gathered here.
In addition, the villagers don't have enough food to feed their livestock, so there are no dogs in the village now.
Since there are no dogs to keep watch, some of these sleeping people are the ones who keep watch.
As soon as Jiang Zhi and the others stepped onto the path between the houses, someone heard a sound coming out of the shack.
"Aunt Jiang, are you back?" Xu Genyou came forward to lead the mule.
Liu also lifted the curtain and came out: "Oh dear, it's nighttime again. I'll go cook some porridge for you!"
Jiang Zhi called out to her, "Sister Liu, I have some steamed buns here. You can boil some water; we'll finish our water on the way."
After a flurry of activity, eating and drinking, the group rested in the village.
As the first rays of dawn appeared, the early-rising farmers went out into the fields again.
Xujia Village has come back to life; now the children run around cutting pig feed and herding sheep.
Seven or eight women were gathered under the village storehouse, each with a smile on their face, whispering to each other: "Sister-in-law, how much did you make selling those oak mushrooms this time?"
The woman who was asked the question opened the money pouch at her waist and proudly showed it to others: "People in the county town are really rich. The village chief brought the same amount, and he sold it for five more coins than he did in Lihua Town!"
"Yes! Yes! Look, the money from selling one pheasant at Lianhua's house is enough to buy a lot of grain. Her son Genqing has already gone to town to buy meat."
"They were just lucky to catch a pheasant, while we only have one rabbit..."
The women chatted as they dispersed.
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