The next day, Zheng Shu brought back news that a caravan was heading to the capital and would leave in two days. Wang Yu, Chen Yanwen and others went to see the caravan's manager to explain their purpose.
The steward was very polite when he knew that they were candidates going to Beijing to take the imperial examination. After all, these three people were qualified to be officials. If they passed the examination, they would become high-ranking officials. It would be no big deal to give them a ride on the way.
"You are welcome, my three scholars. We are going to the capital as well, so it's no problem for us to take you with us."
Wang Yu bowed and thanked him, "Thank you, Manager. We will take care of all the food and lodging on the way. Just let us follow the team."
"Okay, we'll set off on the 20th and meet you at the city gate at noon."
Now that it was agreed, they had to prepare the things for going to Beijing. Wang Yu planned to buy a comfortable and spacious carriage. If he used the carriage at home for more than a month, he would probably be shaken to death. After discussing with Chen Yanwen and the others, they agreed and went to look at carriages together.
The carriage and horse market in the city is very large, and there are all kinds of carriages here. The waiter took them around the market and finally they found a carriage they liked.
It is simply a small mobile house with a built-in bed, table, chairs and blankets, a canopy on top and shock-absorbing wheels on the bottom. The carriage is also equipped with a stove that can be used to boil water and keep warm. It is simply a must-have luxury car for long-distance travel.
The price of a carriage is also good. An ordinary carriage costs thirty or forty taels, a better one costs fifty or sixty taels, and this one costs one hundred and fifty taels, which is almost the price of a house. But you still have to buy it. Comfort is the main thing on the road.
Wang Yu paid the money and they didn't argue. It would be too hurtful to ask for money from their friend of so many years, and Wang Yu would not accept it.
Although Cheng Chen was reluctant to leave, he had been packing Wang Yu's luggage for the past two days. It was getting colder as they went on, so he had to bring thick clothes and a blanket so that he could cover his legs when he felt cold sitting in the car.
Bring some food and snacks with you, you can eat them on the road for the first few days, and then buy them at the post station or the town you pass by when you want to eat. You also need to pack the books your husband wants, fortunately this carriage is big, and there is space under the seats and under the bed to put things.
Wang Yu sat on the bed and watched her husband busily moving around the room, muttering to himself. Her heart warmed, and she pulled her husband to sit on her lap. "I'm leaving tomorrow, won't Achen talk to me?"
When Cheng Chen heard her husband's words, her eyebrows drooped and her eyes were filled with tears. Wang Yu didn't expect that her words would make her husband cry, so she quickly coaxed him, "Good Ah Chen, I will never separate from you again when I come back next year."
Wang Yu originally wanted to say that Cheng Chen should not go with them, but when the words came to his lips, he felt it was inappropriate. Dabao was still young and it would not be good for him to be away from his father. It would be cold in winter and he would suffer on the road. He would take them there by water in June next year when the weather and temperature would be suitable.
Cheng Chen hummed, feeling that she had been spoiled by her husband for many years. Nowadays, many men go out to do things without their wives waiting at home. After convincing herself for a while, she felt better.
Wang Yu saw that her husband was in a better mood, so she stopped holding his hand and bit his ear and said, "We have to leave tomorrow. We can rest later tonight."
Cheng Chen was still thinking, shouldn't I rest early before leaving tomorrow? Suddenly, she felt a chill and her clothes were taken off. Before she could react, she was pushed down on the bed by her husband. After a while, she heard his deep breathing.
Wang Yu looked at the blushing face of the person under him and kissed the corner of his mouth, "Achen is so beautiful."
Cheng Chen felt that the ceiling of the bed was shaking, and his spirit was almost scattered before he fell asleep.
…
On the second day, Cheng Chen felt sore all over because her husband was too fierce yesterday, but she still had to get up and send him out the door.
Wang Yu hugged him lovingly and wanted to let him sleep a little longer, but he insisted on getting up to see him off. He also felt that he had gone too far yesterday and felt a little guilty. He took Cheng Chen's hand and told him to eat well and rest well at home, not to do needlework for too long, and take care of himself.
He also said goodbye to his parents and asked them to take good care of themselves. Finally, he picked up Dabao and kissed him. Dabao was almost two years old and didn't know that his father was going away. He thought that today would be the same as before and he would be back in the afternoon. He waved happily to Wang Yu and said, "Daddy is going to school."
Wang Yu squeezed his little hand and kissed his cheek, and finally said to Cheng Chen: "I will write to you when I get there. You have to write to me too, okay?"
"Well, husband, please be safe on the road."
"Okay, go back. I'm leaving." Wang Yu bid farewell to his father and mother again.
At noon, the three of them took a carriage to the city gate to meet the caravan. The carriage was driven by Zheng Shu and Achang, a servant of Chen Yanwen. They walked behind the caravan. The carriage was indeed comfortable to sit in. The seats were padded and the wheels were shock-absorbing. The official road was very smooth and not bumpy at all.
The three of them pulled open the curtains to let the light in. Wang Yu looked at the scenery passing by outside and lost in thought. He had been in this world for more than five years, had a husband and children, but this was his first time traveling far away.
He had traveled far in his previous life and had been away from home for work, but he had never felt as melancholy as he did now. Perhaps it was because the transportation and information were too slow in this era.
Wang Yu looked for a while and then looked away. Wang Yu and Song Boyan both had people they were worried about, but Chen Yanwen didn't. He was just excited about going to the capital. He was happy all the way, eating snacks and drinking tea, looking outside and occasionally talking to Wang Yu and others, looking forward to what the capital would look like.
Wang Yu and Song Boyan looked at each other and were really envious of Chen Yanwen, who was cheerful and didn't have too many concerns about people and things.
At noon, the caravan stopped by the roadside. Everyone sat down and ate the dry food they brought with them. There were snacks prepared by Cheng Chen on the table. Wang Yu picked up a piece and ate it, and also let Chen Yanwen and others have some. After eating, they also got off the carriage to stretch their bodies.
The caravan had seven or eight vehicles transporting goods, and a total of about twenty people. After chatting with the manager for a while, I learned that the goods transported this time were mainly cloth and rare dry goods from the south.
There are post stations along the official road for travelers to rest. They need to reach the post station before sunset today. The post station provides guest rooms and hot meals, so they can have a good meal and rest at night.
Of course, the post station was not open every night. Sometimes we had to stay in nearby farmers' homes, temples, Taoist temples, or nearby towns, or in carriages. If it rained too heavily, we had to stop.
For example, we encountered heavy rain just after passing Liangzhou. Fortunately, the post station was not far away, and a group of people rushed over. The steward wiped the rain from his face, looked at the dark sky and said, "It's too rainy to go on. Let's wait until the rain stops."
After saying that, the manager asked someone to check the goods moved into the house. Although the goods were covered with oilcloth, they were indeed not suitable for walking on rainy days. After all, they were cloth and dry goods, and they would be ruined if they leaked and got damp.
Moreover, the rain was too heavy for the carriage to move, and it would be even worse if there was thunder. They were not in a hurry, so it would be fine to wait until the rain stopped.
Chen Yanwen also shook off the mud on his feet and said, "The rain started without warning. Fortunately, we are close to this post station, otherwise we would have to sleep on the streets again."
A few people asked for hot water and took a good bath to get rid of the cold. It rained for two consecutive days before it cleared up on the third day. When the road was clear, the group packed up and prepared to continue on their journey.
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