Chapter 134 That girl has taken a liking to you
“Human life is so precious, yet it’s still just a dog.” Yao Shisan wasn’t surprised at all.
Zhou Congxian pursed his lips.
He used to think that only by standing high enough could he protect all those he wanted to protect.
Only now did he realize that he had been bound hand and foot and had never been able to fly out of the Zhou family's territory.
Song Jiyun was chosen by his grandmother, while Li Ruoshuang was chosen by his mother.
Jiang Shiyao was his own choice, yet he was forced to fake his death and leave.
In the end, even the dog he bought for Fu'er couldn't be kept in the mansion.
"you are right."
He suddenly said something to her.
Yao Shisan glanced at him, then smiled. It seemed that Zhou Congxian's trip back to the capital had finally made him understand things a little better.
He is the heir apparent of the Duke of England's mansion, and the burdens he carries prevent him from doing as he pleases.
“Everyone has their own ambitions. The heir will inherit the title and become a favorite minister of the emperor, reaching the highest position among officials.”
"But I was born just an ordinary woman, only suited to a quiet life in a remote corner."
From the moment she was reborn, they were no longer the same.
This kind of life is something she never dared to dream of in her previous life.
In her previous life, Fu'er did not raise a dog, nor did she think about struggling to find a new way to survive.
Now, they are not only living well, but also living peacefully and contentedly.
Perhaps, Little Bone also followed in their fate and luckily escaped with her life.
Zhou Congxian lowered his eyes.
After a long while, he murmured, "If you need anything in the future, remember to come find me."
He then added, "I am still Fu'er and Pangxi's father."
Yao Shisan nodded, and then a smile appeared on his face.
"OK."
After being urged repeatedly by General He, He Ran and He Zhuo finally returned.
He Ran grabbed Jiang Xingyao's sleeve and cried with tears in her eyes, repeatedly urging him that there were still three months left before he had to go and propose marriage!
While crying, she didn't forget to threaten him, "Jiang Xingyao, if you dare to look at other women even once, I'll gouge your eyes out!"
Jiang Xingyao stood at the city gate, under the watchful eyes of more than a dozen people, his ear tips turning bright red.
"Won't."
Looking at his sister's expression, He Zhuo felt utterly humiliated.
Dingxian has entered the height of summer.
The cicadas chirped incessantly during the day. After sunset, Sister Zhang said she was going to make a local delicacy and took a few children with lanterns to catch cicadas.
The next day, when a plate of dark, worm-like insects was served, Yao Shisan and Shuang'er retreated a great distance.
Sister Zhang picked one up and showed it to her, "Don't be afraid, Madam Yao. In my hometown, we call it 'Jie Le Gui' (结了龟). It might look scary, but it's really delicious!"
Yao Shisan chuckled dryly and waved his hand, "Forget it, I won't try it, you guys eat it."
Shuang'er followed behind, waving her hand.
Finally, on Zhang's recommendation, everyone except the two of them tried some.
Zhou Congxian was actually the one who ate the most heartily.
The sowing of late rice has been completed, and there is not much grain left in the granary.
Manager Wu has mentioned it several times; now the Yuzhou vassal army camp needs grain.
Grain prices in Dingxian County are now showing signs of instability, and prices are expected to continue to decline.
If it weren't for Yuzhou's urgent urging, she wouldn't be in a hurry to collect the grain at all.
Shuang'er: "These people deserve to be left out in the cold!"
Yao Shisan handed her the money box for collecting grain, saying, "Manager Wu hasn't returned from Yuzhou yet. Xiulian will go with you today, and take Wei Xun with you."
“That Uncle Fu, the early rice harvest was zero, we need to be wary of her retaliation.”
Shuang'er: "Sister, aren't you going?"
Yao Shisan wants to get into shipping, but he hasn't told Shuang'er yet.
"I'll be going to Chuzhou in the next couple of days, so I'll have to trouble you to collect the grain."
Shuang'er knew she was from Chuzhou, "Lord Jiang, would you like to come along?"
Yao Shisan: "It's busy time on the river right now, so he's not going."
When a business grows large, transportation becomes an unavoidable aspect.
Shipping is the most convenient method.
Chuzhou is a place with abundant waterways and an important port with a thriving shipping industry.
Therefore, she needed a boat, and going to Chuzhou was the most convenient option nearby.
She grew up in Chuzhou, and her strongest memories of him were watching him go to school and then secretly following him to eavesdrop.
As Yao Shisan embarked on his journey towards Chuzhou.
Another person also embarked on the same path without prior arrangement.
"My lord, the ships in Chuzhou are all merchant ships and cargo ships. Can we use them?"
Zhou Congxian said, "What kind of ship we have now is not important; what is important is that we need a ship."
"The current procrastination and delays of the Capital Maritime Administration are probably related to the Jianzhou Navy."
"Even a clever cook can't cook without rice. Our naval training is all empty talk without ships."
The situation in the court has become much clearer.
However, the Jianzhou Navy, the Southwest Camp, the Northwest Camp, the Southern Border Army, and the Western Huai Camp outside the capital are all not under His Majesty's control.
In particular, the governor of the Jianzhou navy had a mother who was of a different ethnicity.
His Majesty then prioritized the transfer of power from the Jianzhou Navy.
Moreover, in times of emergency, expediency is necessary; purchasing ships from Chuzhou is the only way to solve the immediate crisis.
There are boats from Yuzhou to Chuzhou.
Zhou Congxian changed out of his usual brocade clothes and put on the most ordinary cloth clothes.
He's gotten quite tanned these days, and blends in with the crowd without standing out.
Only when others see him do they realize he is a handsome young man.
"Young man, are you also going to Chuzhou?"
As soon as Zhou Congxian boarded the ship, a friendly middle-aged woman struck up a conversation with him.
He glanced at the cabin filled with ordinary people and simply nodded.
The woman didn't back down because of his cold treatment; instead, she followed him, determined to get to the bottom of things.
"Your accent doesn't sound like someone from around here."
Are you going to Chuzhou to find relatives or to make a living?
Zhou Congxian glanced at her, ignored her, and simply found a place to sit down.
The aunt asked several more questions, but Zhou Congxian ignored her.
Even a young woman next to him couldn't take it anymore.
"Auntie, she doesn't even know you, why are you asking her so many questions!"
The woman pursed her lips, but eventually left.
Zhou Congxian had never hidden his identity, so he had never encountered such a situation before.
He only knew that it was inconvenient for women to walk around outside, but now it seems that men are not safe either.
He nodded and said, "Thank you."
The girl beside him didn't seem to care much. "That auntie must think you're from out of town and wants to trick you into going to the village once you get to Chuzhou."
"A stronghold? A bandit stronghold?"
“They’re not bandits.” She explained patiently, “There’s a secluded village in Chuzhou that has lived by hunting for generations. The girls in the village never marry outside; all the girls have to marry men into the village.”
“Sometimes when they can’t find a suitable young man in the village, they will go outside to scam people.”
Zhou Congxian nodded knowingly.
The Great Sheng Dynasty was a vast and resource-rich land, and in some places, there were different people and customs.
The girl glanced at him and smiled, "Young master, you are handsome. No wonder you caught that old lady's eye."
Zhou Congxian didn't show much expression. "Thank you."
Seeing that he didn't want to talk, the girl stopped talking as well.
After the ship left the shore, the people in the cabin swayed with the ship's rocking.
After a while, those who had never been on a boat before could no longer bear it and began to vomit loudly by the side of the boat.
Zhou Congxian's face turned pale.
No matter how well they swim or how well they've trained in small boats, once they're on the big ship, everyone's vomiting like this. How can they possibly fight?
The enemy doesn't need to make a move; just let them run wild for a couple more days, and we can win without a fight.
He gripped the railing tightly with both hands, and almost everything he had eaten before boarding the boat was vomited up.
The river is currently relatively calm.
He didn't know what they would become if they encountered a naval battle with strong winds and high waves.
No wonder His Majesty wanted to establish a navy first; it's different from infantry and cavalry.
Not everyone can stay awake on a rocking boat.
Are you alright?
It's that girl from before. "Have you never been on a boat before?"
Zhou Congxian nodded hastily.
The girl handed over a moon-white handkerchief.
This handkerchief is actually made of quite good material.
On any other day, Zhou Congxian would have been alarmed, wondering why an ordinary woman dressed like a commoner would use such a fine handkerchief.
But he was so vomiting that he couldn't think of anything else.
Just as his fingers touched the soft handkerchief, a pale white hand came from the side and stopped him.
"Have you considered the consequences of accepting a girl's handkerchief?"
The girl looked at the owner of the hand and said, "This lady is quite strange. I only gave him a handkerchief because he was seasick."
Yao Shisan glanced at the handkerchief in her hand. "That girl gave the wrong handkerchief."
The girl's expression changed, and she was about to warn her not to meddle in other people's business.
Zhou Congxian straightened up, leaning on the railing. "What are you doing here?"
Yao Shisan looked at him and teased, "I wasn't here, how could I have seen you being sold out without even realizing it?"
Zhou Congxian now understands that the girl who seemed to have helped him is actually in cahoots with the aunt from earlier.
He swept his cold gaze over the girl and said, "Get lost."
The girl glared at Yao Shisan while holding her handkerchief, then turned and walked towards the back deck of the boat.
Sure enough, the older woman behind her was waiting for her.
The older woman asked her a question silently as soon as she saw her.
The girl could only shake her head.
Zhou Congxian took the water bag handed to him by Yao Shisan and drank a sip of water.
"Are they human traffickers?"
Yao Shisan said, "That girl has taken a liking to you and wants you to go back and be her husband."
"Once you accept that handkerchief, you'll be taken away as soon as you disembark."
Zhou Congxian: "...What's the difference between this and kidnapping?"
Yao Shisan said, "This village is mysterious. I've only heard about it. You're lucky to have encountered it on your first trip on the boat."
"I've heard that they only choose men from poor families. Many families are so poor that they can't afford to marry a wife, but they still go there willingly, so it's normal that you haven't heard of it."
As she spoke, she looked him up and down and said, "If you dressed like usual, no one would have tried to kidnap you."
Zhou Congxian, “…”
"If it's mutual affection, then it's fine, but this isn't deceiving people into being fooled."
Yao Shisan shrugged. "Then I don't know."
Zhou Congxian said, "Give me a handkerchief."
He dressed like this to avoid being recognized, and he didn't carry anything else with him.
Yao Shisan's gaze was drawn to the people behind him.
Zhou Congxian thought she didn't want to give it, "I am, after all, Fu'er's father."
"It's so dangerous now. Forget about morality, even with our past relationship, you have to give me a handkerchief for self-defense!"
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