Chapter 27: Entering the City
The journey to Xiaocheng was not smooth.
Not to mention jackals, tigers, leopards, poisonous insects, and ferocious beasts, the bandits who had become outlaws and robbed people on the road were enough to make people tremble with fear. In order to avoid unnecessary trouble, Shen Tang and his companion tried their best not to spend the night outdoors.
However, the most urgent task is to get two new outfits for Young Master Shen, as Qi Shan herself is running out of clothes.
He came out of the cloth shop with a cloth bag in his hand.
There was no time for tailoring, so he could only choose two men's shirts from ready-made clothes that were about the same height as Young Master Shen.
With both inner and outer garments, plus the one I lent to Young Master Shen, three sets should be enough for changing.
"Young Master Shen, it's time to go..."
Qi Shan was about to call Shen Tang to set off and go to the next village before dark, but Shen Tang, who should have been waiting at the door, was nowhere to be seen.
Where are they?
How dare someone who's completely unfamiliar with the area run around like that?
He was about to go look for the missing Shen Tang when, out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of a familiar pure white figure across the street—a tall, snow-white mule lying obediently on the ground, its tail swishing wildly even as passersby gathered in a circle around it.
Qi Shan: "..."
"Fellow villagers, come and take a look! Freshly picked green plums, three coins a pound, while supplies last..."
As soon as I got closer to the crowd, I heard a familiar shout.
There he saw the familiar young man, Chen, sitting down on the ground without any regard for his image, hastily tying his hair into a bun with straw rope. In front of him was a cloth piled high with green plums, and next to him was a large basket filled with green plums.
She seemed completely unashamed, enthusiastically hawking her green plums.
Whenever someone came to buy, she would greet them enthusiastically, calling them "young master" or "madam" or "brother" or "sister," using sweet words and calling them a whole bunch of random things.
They even promoted the green plums.
This fruit is delicious, inexpensive, thin-skinned, and large. It not only quenches thirst and relieves summer heat but also nourishes the skin and improves complexion. It is truly an essential fruit for the hot summer.
Qi Shan stood in the crowd for a while and noticed that most of the people buying the green plums were women, each buying three or five catties at a time. Not to mention that the green plums were too cheap, buying them was a bargain, and just having this handsome young man call her "sister" or "wife" made it all worthwhile.
If it weren't for the fact that Young Master Shen is so young, so enthusiastic, so handsome, and has such pure and innocent eyes that he has no wicked intentions, the men on this street would probably have dragged him into an alley and given him a good beating—why is he trying to provoke these married women and young ladies?
He calls everyone he meets 'wife' or 'sister,' which is frivolous.
Before long, Shen Tang's plums were completely sold out. She put dozens of copper coins into her money bag, got up, patted the dust off her bottom, and seemed to have expected Qi Shan to be there.
He asked with a smile, "Yuanliang, are you done with your work?"
Qi Shan was annoyed and resisted the urge to roll her eyes.
"You're done with your work? What are you doing here?"
While others sell wine at a counter, Young Master Shen sells green plums on the street?
Shen Tang shook the jingling money bag.
"You're out of money, Yuanliang, what a question..."
Don't you know how poor she is now?
You can't exactly ask Qi Shan for money, can you?
They were not related and were just tools to each other. Neither of them owed the other anything, and Shen Tang couldn't possibly continue to treat him like an ATM.
Under Qi Shan's complicated gaze, Shen Tang returned the basket to another stall owner, redeemed the Wenxin monogram that had been pawned, and put it back on her waist. With the money she had earned, she bought some salt, wine, and other pickled vegetables.
"Knowing that you are short of money, why did you still give the money to Master Tian and the others?" Qi Shan said, throwing the cloth bag into the bag on the motorcycle. Ever since he discovered that Shen Tang could condense the motorcycle for twelve hours a day without getting tired, the motorcycle had been given a new job.
They left their luggage to it to carry, saving them effort.
Two days ago, after parting ways with Tian Zhong and his group, Shen Tang took out a few pieces of silver from his pocket and gave them a dozen or so cakes.
"Firstly, those few pieces of silver weren't earned by me." She had collected them from the first official who was killed, and she didn't care about using someone else's inheritance. "Secondly, Tian Zhong and the others were injured and penniless. Even if they found a place to go, they had nothing on them, and it was uncertain whether they would survive to reach their destination."
She won't starve even if she has no money.
After some thought, he gave away a few pieces of silver.
As a female artist who grew up in peacetime, Shen Tang can't stand seeing others in distress, and she'll help them whenever she can.
Qi Shan seemed unconvinced and asked again, "Is that all there is to it?"
Shen Tang tilted her head, puzzled.
"If it's not because of this, then what is it? What, doing a good deed these days is being used as a conspiracy theory?"
Qi Shan: "..."
Seeing that Shen Tang's expression didn't seem fake, it was unclear what he was imagining, but his expression kept changing unpredictably, leaving everyone completely confused.
Shen Tang was puzzled and could only ask cautiously, "Yuan Liang?"
Qi Shan looked at her deeply and sighed, "It's nothing."
But with a slight misstep, he had already flashed more than three zhang away.
Left standing there, Shen Tang thought, "Damn it!"
If nothing's wrong, why the hell are you using your magic words to run away?
They just take advantage of her not knowing how to ride a motorcycle and stealthily navigate the scenery!
Because he was so poor, Shen Tang could only travel around selling his own homemade cakes, plums, and maltose.
The prices of green plums and maltose fluctuated depending on the locals' attire; those dressed neatly and cleanly sold for a few more coins, while those covered in patches and unkempt hair sold for a few less. The price of cakes varied depending on the local vendors. Since it was a business with no initial investment, they tried their best not to disrupt the market.
Qi Shan neither agreed nor disagreed with her considerations.
Of course, what she was thinking about Shen Tang in her heart is anyone's guess.
Young Master Shen was the most miserable strategist he had ever seen in his life, even more so than when he himself was at his lowest point.
But since the other person was enjoying it, he couldn't say much.
The two hurried and finally approached the territory of Sibao County.
Judging by the time they spent on the road, it was probably slower than the journey of the second batch of prisoners exiled by the Gong family.
“Yuanliang, I recently heard people at the market say that Sibao County has four great treasures, and the people are well-fed and clothed… But why is that?”
Shen Tang led the motorcycle and followed Qi Shan, looking around.
The streets were deserted, and all that could be seen was a scene of desolation. Occasionally, one could see passersby who were pale and thin, as if they were just bones covered with a tattered sack, and a gust of wind would make them sway.
These passersby were particularly timid. If their eyes inadvertently met those of Shen Tang and his two unfamiliar faces, they would shrink back like frightened rabbits and quickly disappear.
Qi Shan sighed, "Sibao County was one of the first counties to be conquered by the Geng Kingdom. Of the six surrounding counties, three were completely looted, with Sibao County being particularly severely affected. It will be difficult to restore its former prosperity..."
Every household was draped in white mourning clothes and holding funerals, and the wailing and sobbing never stopped.
Qi Shan was not surprised by this scene of decay.
Why was the battlefield of the war between the two countries located in the State of Xin?
The people of this land are destined for tragedy.
However, when the two finally arrived in Xiaocheng after many hardships, they found that the inside and outside of the city were two completely different worlds.
Outside the city, corpses lay strewn across the desolate land, and the howling of the night wind sounded as if countless lonely ghosts were wailing in unison beside one's ear.
And inside the city—
Crowds surged, and the atmosphere was one of peace and prosperity.
(End of this chapter)
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