Chapter Thirty-Three: Meticulous Arrangements
The timing of our arrival was unfortunate. When we reached the main road at the entrance of the village, we didn't see the old man's cart, so we could only continue walking along the road.
The sound of wheels approached from behind, and the two stepped aside in advance. At the same time, Shen Zhiyi reached out to flag down the car and called out, "Uncle, we need a ride!"
"Hey, it's not far, no need to take a car." Zhao Daya took Shen Zhiyi's outstretched hand and said earnestly.
“Alright,” Shen Zhiyi said, taking a step back to move forward. “It will take us almost an hour to walk from here to the county town. We’ll have to rent a carriage, which will definitely take some time. When we finally get there to find the magistrate, he’ll definitely have to wait a long time. If he blames us, we won’t be able to bear the consequences.”
Zhao Daya was confused by this long string of words and said, "Then tell me what to do, I'll listen to you."
"Get in the cart!" Shen Zhiyi said decisively. The oxcart slowly pulled up and stopped in front of her. She quickly got on, and Zhao Daya followed in a daze.
Before the other party could react, Shen Zhiyi paid the two coins for the bus fare. As for being asked about it later, she was confident she could continue to deceive them.
In short, saving time is essential right now!
The faint moon in the sky faded completely, the morning light became bright, the oxcart entered the county town and stopped at the usual place. Shen Zhiyi hurriedly pulled Zhao Daya towards the only car in town.
At first, I didn't realize I would be renting a car, and I didn't even ask what time the rental shop opened. I could only wait there because of this last-minute arrangement.
Seeing that the car dealership was closed, Shen Zhiyi chose a spot sheltered from the wind and said, "Let's have some biscuits to tide us over first."
She really wanted to take people out for some hot wontons, but the thought of the two-coin fare made Zhao Daya's heart ache, so she decided to forget about the six-coin bowl of wontons.
"Okay," Zhao Daya replied, taking the flatbread and staring intently at the door. She finished the flatbread in a few bites, then took the water pouch from her belt. "Would you like some water?"
Shen Zhiyi nodded hurriedly. She had thought she was used to the rough texture of the flatbread, but she didn't expect that adding pickled cabbage would actually make it more palatable.
Uncle Sanxing's cooking skills are indeed only palatable to his own daughter.
"Why do you eat so slowly, just like Miss Lin from the Lin family?" Zhao Daya said casually, gently handing her the open water pouch.
"Cough cough." Shen Zhiyi gulped down water, finally swallowing the piece of food stuck in her throat. "I want to eat faster too, but Uncle Sanxing's pancakes..."
"Hmm?" Zhao Daya's tone rose slightly.
To Shen Zhiyi, it naturally came across as a "you dare say it and see what happens" tone, so she wisely changed her tune: "It's a little salty."
"It's normal for pickled cabbage to be a little salty. Just swallow it with water, and you'll be full!" Zhao Daya said with experience.
Shen Zhiyi was drinking water and eating a pancake when she heard Zhao Daya beside her shout, "Hurry up and eat, the waiter over there has opened the door!"
The pancake, which should have taken three bites to eat, was quickly eaten by Zhao Daya, who, in her eagerness, simply lifted her hand and put it all in her mouth. Then she pulled her along and ran forward.
After running a short distance, Shen Zhiyi nearly choked. Taking advantage of Zhao Daya's conversation with the waiter, she couldn't help but vomit, quickly turning her back to silently process it. Then she heard someone call out, "Daya, I asked..."
With something in her mouth, Shen Zhiyi immediately nodded to show that she was listening.
"A horse-drawn carriage costs five hundred coins a day, an oxcart four hundred, and a donkey cart one hundred," Zhao Daya said slowly, glancing back at the shop assistant. "Am I right?"
"The young lady is right," the car dealership clerk said with a smile.
Zhao Daya pulled Shen Zhiyi aside and whispered, "Let's rent a cart. We can tie it to the back of the cart and it will run along with us."
Shen Zhiyi's eyes lit up. Although she couldn't find such a sturdy connection tool in this era, she was still amazed by Zhao Daya's idea.
She finally swallowed the biscuit that was stuck in her throat and asked a middle-aged man who came out, "Shopkeeper, is the driver's money included in the rental fee?"
The middle-aged man was slightly taken aback, not realizing that his attire had given away his identity, and asked curiously, "How did you know I was the manager here, young lady?"
“The shopkeeper’s clothes are neat, and he came out of the shop, so he must live in the backyard. People who do manual labor usually wear short shirts, have thick calluses on their hands and thick knuckles, but the shopkeeper’s hands are not, and even the gaps between his fingers are clean, so you can guess something from that,” Shen Zhiyi said seriously.
"Young lady, you truly have discerning eyes," the shopkeeper replied politely.
"Then, can the shopkeeper answer my question from before?" Shen Zhiyi asked with a smile.
The shopkeeper laughed heartily and instead asked, "Are you Shen Zhiyi from Xiaba Village, Miss Shen?"
Shen Zhiyi was slightly taken aback. Surely she couldn't have guessed it?
"How did you know, shopkeeper?" Shen Zhiyi asked, puzzled. She couldn't find any connection between the two, but she could sense that the question was well-intentioned.
Just as Shen Zhiyi was pondering, Zhao Daya readily replied, "Yes, that's me."
You could also see Zhao Daya's hand gesturing behind her back, seemingly telling her to wait and see.
“Miss Chen must be here to rent a car, right? Why don’t we wait a little longer…” the shopkeeper said slowly.
"Why do we have to wait?" Zhao Daya said with dissatisfaction. They were already in a hurry, and now they had to "wait," which seemed like they were being deliberately made difficult, so her tone was not very good.
During their conversation, Shen Zhiyi was brainstorming and vaguely grasped some possibilities, but he needed to wait for the key figure to appear before he could confirm his speculation.
Fortunately, it didn't take long before Xuan Yan, dressed in a close-fitting outfit, came over. Shen Zhiyi greeted him, "Brother Xuan Yan, what brings you here?"
"Manager Xuan," the carriage shop manager said respectfully, bowing.
"Miss Chen, you really did come here." Xuan Yan couldn't help but sigh.
Upon hearing this, Shen Zhiyi was taken aback, then said in a relaxed tone, "This is the only carriage rental shop in the city. You have to come here to rent a carriage. I didn't expect to run into Brother Xuan Yan here."
Lord Lu has his own carriage when he travels, and government officials have donkey carts to use, so there's no need for them to come here to rent one. The answer is...
“The young lady is on an official business, so in order not to delay her journey, we need to rent a car to pick her up,” Xuan Yanping explained calmly.
"All ready! All ready!" the car dealership manager hurriedly said. "As instructed by Manager Xuan, everything is prepared and we are just waiting for you to inspect it."
“In that case, Miss Shen, you should also take a look. If there are any shortcomings, we can improve them.” Xuan Yan then turned to Shen Zhiyi and the others and said.
Zhao Daya was visibly happy, feeling that saving money was a good thing.
Since it's all called "handling the matter," it seems reasonable that the government would pay to resolve these concerns.
Shen Zhiyi was clearly thinking more deeply, and she replied, "Let's go take a look."
The car dealership owner led them into the backyard stable, where they saw rows of spirited horses, cows, and donkeys, while those at the back looked rather tired. This contrast likely reflected the difference in rental prices.
A horse harnessed to a carriage is displayed in the middle. The horse has bright eyes and strong limbs, and looks more energetic than the horses in the enclosure. Presumably, it will fetch a higher price.
"This is the best horse in our business, you could even call it our prized possession! Miss, take a look at this carriage. Although it looks simple on the outside, the interior is full of ingenuity!" The carriage shopkeeper said as he lifted the curtain to let them see the interior.
“I saw that Master Lin’s carriage was like that too. The wooden planks there can be lifted up, and there’s a groove underneath that fits perfectly, making it a table for tea sets and snacks. I heard that if it’s a master’s or young master’s carriage, there’s a special place to put an ink stick so they can write in the carriage.” Zhao Daya spoke softly to Shen Zhiyi, and even though she lowered her voice, everyone else could still hear her, but she herself was completely unaware.
“The young lady is right! Not only that, there’s also the footwell; just pull the ring out and you’ll find the trunk!” the carriage shopkeeper chimed in. “As instructed by Steward Xuan, it’s stocked with quilts, pillows, changes of clothes, and other necessities. With everything arranged like this, the carriage won’t feel cramped, and the comfort is excellent. This is the latest carriage from the prefectural city; those gentlemen and young masters haven’t even had a chance to use it yet.”
“The rental price must be expensive,” Shen Zhiyi said.
"You get what you pay for. You'll know how wonderful it is once you try it, young lady," the carriage shopkeeper said, already gesturing for her to join in.
Seeing this, Zhao Daya first crawled inside to take a look. She checked all the hidden compartments and, after seeing what was inside, exclaimed, "I never expected that going on a business trip with the master would be so generous!"
The car dealership owner started chatting with Zhao Daya, and naturally, all the topics were positive.
"Miss Chen, is there anything you are dissatisfied with?" Xuan Yan asked.
This made the car dealership owner pause in his speech. So this was the Miss Shen he was trying to curry favor with? Even though he had made a mistake, it didn't stop him from trying to get on her good side first. A girl who came with Miss Shen must have a good relationship with her.
"No, they took very good care of me." Shen Zhiyi stopped being coy. Thinking of all the help Lord Lu had given her, she felt less worried since she already owed so many favors. "Thank you, Brother Xuan Yan, and thank you, Lord Lu."
“You’re too kind, young lady,” Xuan Yan said hastily.
Sitting in this carriage, complete with a driver, Shen Zhiyi experienced the travel lifestyle of a "rich person".
Zhao Daya, who had been sitting quietly in the carriage, soon lifted the curtain and sat down with the middle-aged man driving the carriage. After exchanging a few familiar words, she asked him for advice on "how to drive a horse-drawn carriage," acting like a true ox.
Crucially, she also possessed astonishing talent. With a simple "I've learned it," she took the whip and skillfully guided the carriage to follow the one in front, occasionally speaking to Shen Zhiyi through the curtain, showing no signs of nervousness despite having just learned the skill.
Such a relaxed and measured attitude is truly something that Shen Zhiyi envies.
"We're almost at Shangyan Village," Zhao Daya called out.
"Oh, I understand." Shen Zhiyi replied, putting away the small table in front of her, taking the charcoal pencil she had just sharpened, and taking out a few sheets of scrap paper from her prepared bundle for easy note-taking later.
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