Old Tang nodded in agreement. With all the people there, young and old, it would take at least a month to travel to the capital. Even adults would find it unbearable, let alone children.
"When I go to the county town tomorrow, I'll buy some more red dates, white fungus, and lotus seeds to nourish my body. Although these things are a bit expensive, I still need to stock up. I'll also buy two packets of commonly used medicines at the pharmacy, just in case."
"The head of the household is so thoughtful. Oh, and don't forget to buy two sets of cotton clothes, in case it rains on the road, they can take shelter from the rain. Also, buy two larger tarpaulins, just in case the carriage isn't waterproof, the tarpaulins can also provide some cover. The ox also needs to be sheltered from the rain, it's a real hassle if it gets sick."
Tang Li was also thinking about what to bring, checking for anything missing, and the old couple discussed and planned together.
Tang Baozhu lay on the bed and listened quietly. After all, she was only a four-year-old girl and didn't understand anything. She should just be a loyal listener when she shouldn't interrupt.
The elderly couple discussed it for a long time and finally felt that they had everything they needed before stopping. Then they washed up and prepared to go to bed.
When Tang Baozhu woke up, she felt shaky. When she opened her eyes, she realized she was in the carriage. She didn't even know when they had departed. It seemed she had been sleeping too soundly.
"My daughter's awake. Do you need to go to the bathroom?"
Tang Li had been watching her daughter. At first, seeing that she was sleeping so soundly, she didn't disturb her and let her sleep. She didn't expect her little girl to be such a good sleeper. Now that she saw that her daughter was awake, she quickly asked her what was wrong.
"want."
I hadn't originally thought about it, but when my mother asked, I suddenly wanted to go.
When Tang Li heard that her youngest daughter needed to relieve herself, she quickly opened the carriage door and said to the old man Tang who was driving outside, "Old man, stop for a moment, I'll take my daughter to the toilet."
When Old Tang heard that his daughter had woken up, he quickly stopped and brought over a stool from the back of the cart so that the two of them could get off easily. Most oxcarts are equipped with a ladder for getting on and off, but since his cart was old, the original ladder was long gone, so he brought a stool from home.
Tang Baozhu followed her mother and walked into the bushes on the side. "Let's stay here. Mother will watch over things for you."
To be honest, it was embarrassing to relieve myself in the wild. I kept telling myself, "I'm only four years old, I'm only four years old, I'm still a child."
After relieving himself, he quickly followed his mother back home. Luckily, there was no one around; it was just the three of them on the main road.
"Daughter, are you hungry? Daddy bought you some meat pies in town, would you like one?"
Tang Baozhu washed her hands with the water from the leather bag. She was indeed a little hungry, so she nodded and asked for one.
Don't be fooled by the fact that the meat patties of this era are really quite substantial. Although they are a bit yellowish due to the milling technology, the meat inside is truly high-quality meat. Perhaps because they are all-natural, they are incredibly delicious.
Along the way, they only stopped briefly for meals, and didn't travel at night. They were constantly on the move because they weren't traveling very fast, fearing that Baozhu wouldn't be able to adapt. It took them a month and a half to finally reach the capital.
Looking at the words on the city gate, Tang Baozhu realized that she was illiterate. She didn't even recognize what the words on the city wall were. It seemed that she had another goal to achieve in the future: to learn to read. Being illiterate was terrifying; you could be tricked into signing a contract of servitude without even knowing it.
This place doesn't care about human rights. If an ordinary person dies, they die. They don't care about the life or death of a nobody.
There was a group of yamen runners at the city gate. Everyone entering the city had to pay a poll tax, one copper coin per person. It was truly the first time I'd ever seen anything like it. Did you really have to pay an entrance fee to enter a city? Judging from how unsurprised everyone seemed, it must have always been like this.
When it was Old Man Tang's turn, he saw that there were three people. He would also open the door of the carriage to check if there were any hidden items inside. Only after confirming that there were no problems would he pay the money and be allowed to pass.
“Old woman, I never thought that after more than 30 years, we would actually come back to this place. Let’s find a place to stay first! Do you think we should rent a house or buy a small courtyard?”
Tang Li composed herself and thought about what the old man had said. "It would be best to find out which place would hire apprentices and which place would treat them well. Our pampered daughter, even though she's learning something, can't be beaten or scolded at will. Once we find a good place, we'll buy a small courtyard there."
“Okay, I’ll listen to you. Anyway, we’re not just staying here for a day or two. It’s more cost-effective to buy a yard. Even when we get old and are gone, our daughter will have a place to stay and won’t have to worry about not having a place to live.”
Old Tang agreed with his wife. Since the two of them had already left and had no intention of going back to that village, they should make some plans for their daughter.
"Then let's go find a dental clinic. I remember there was one up ahead that had a pretty good reputation, but I don't know if it's still open now."
"Let's go take a look. It's been more than 30 years. I wonder if that landlord is still around. I remember he was quite old when I rented a house from him."
I found that familiar dental shop, and to my surprise, it was still there. It seems to be a family-run business. I didn't believe it before, but now I finally do.
"Old woman, you and the little girl wait here. I'm going to find the brokerage manager and ask him about reputable embroidery shops."
"Hey, don't worry, go ahead. My daughter and I will be waiting for you here."
The broker had seen it long ago; an oxcart was parked at the entrance. Although the oxcart wasn't very new, their rule was to treat all customers equally. Seeing Old Man Tang come in, he quickly went to greet him.
"Sir, what do you need?"
Old Tang looked at the young shopkeeper. His appearance was somewhat similar to that of the man from 30 years ago, so he figured he must be a grandson.
"Shopkeeper, I'd like to buy a small courtyard, but there must be a reputable embroidery workshop nearby. I'd like to send my little daughter to learn embroidery. Do you have any good recommendations?"
The shopkeeper didn't speak immediately. He paused for a moment, thinking about which place would be suitable. Then he remembered a place.
"Uncle, I won't lie to you, there is indeed a place that teaches embroidery. The teacher is from the palace and now she just teaches students to live a relaxed life. She also has houses for sale in good locations, very quiet, with a school nearby. The only problem is that the tuition is a bit expensive, ten taels of silver a year, so you should think it over carefully. Her skills are indeed very good, so you don't need to worry about that. The teacher also embroiders a large piece every year to sell, which costs over a thousand taels of silver. There are so many people who want her embroidery."
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