Chapter 17 Entering the City
As the sun sets and the weather turns cooler, the busy tenant farmers in the fields stop their work and go home one after another.
Smoke gradually rose above the rammed earth houses.
On the way to Village Chief Zhao's house, Chen Yao and Yang Wenying met Old Zheng who had just returned the official ox.
"Uncle Zheng, your land has been plowed!" Chen Yao saw his brisk steps and walked forward to say hello.
Old Zheng put his hands behind his back and glared at Chen Yao and Yang Wenying: "You two girls, instead of staying in the village, you run out all day long. What kind of people have you become? Don't you care about your reputation?"
Upon hearing this, Yang Wenying's face turned pale.
Because she was afraid of being criticized by outsiders, she deliberately tied her hair into a bun every time she left the village.
Chen Yao didn't care about these things. She smiled at Old Zheng and said, "Uncle Zheng, even if you're poor, you still need dignity. Can reputation and face be used to make a living? I have to make money first. When I have money, I will help the village more. Do you still worry about not having a good reputation in the future?"
Chen Yao blinked at Yang Wenying, signaling her not to be afraid.
"You are a girl with evil intentions, and you are always fooling people with your twisted logic!" Old Zheng was so angry that his nostrils flared when he thought about how she had just talked nonsense and asked the head of the village to give her family the first official ox.
"If Uncle Zheng doesn't believe me, just go home and ask my aunt. She comes to my house every day to exchange soybeans for tofu, and she praises us for being beautiful and kind-hearted." Chen Yao raised her hand and touched her dull bun, like a proud peacock, happily pulling Yang Wenying away.
On the country road, Old Zheng stamped his feet in frustration. He wanted to curse but couldn't open his mouth for fear of attracting the attention of the villagers and making fun of him.
The fence is low.
Village Chief Zhao and his family obviously regarded this lively scene as a good appetizer and were enjoying their meal.
Xu put down her bowl and chopsticks, pulled the old yellow ox tied outside the door, and invited Chen Yao and Yang Wenying into the yard.
"Madam, it's time to eat. We came at the right time. We just made a new batch of bean curd sheets at home. You can keep some and make them as a snack for the head of the village." Chen Yao put five bean curd sheets on the table.
Zhao Liangshun didn't even raise his head, holding his bowl as if he didn't hear anything, and let the two of them stand in the yard without saying a word.
She's being too nice for no reason. Chen Yao is definitely going to cause some trouble when she comes home.
Xu handed the two of them a stool and looked at Yang Wenying, suddenly becoming very warm: "If you have anything to say, please sit down and talk."
Chen Yao pulled Yang Wenying to sit down, with a smile on her face, she first thanked Xu, then turned sideways and said to Zhao Liangshun: "Head of the village, please give us another pass."
Look, what he said.
I knew that Chen Yao was up to no good.
Zhao Liangshun used his fingers to pick out the rice grains from the bowl and put them into his mouth. He said in a rather unfriendly tone, "A while ago you said you were going to other villages to pick tofu to sell. Didn't I just give you a pass? Did you lose it?"
“It’s not lost.”
"Why do you need a pass if you haven't lost it?" Zhao Liangshun had just finished speaking when his son, who was sitting next to him, pulled his trouser leg from under the table.
"Ms. Xu, go and bring the old cow in. I will take it to Fang County and return it to the government office tomorrow." Zhao Liangshun sent his wife away.
He knew very well what the old woman was planning.
He and Xu were both slaves in the mansion of Mr. Cui. As they were of low status, their son Zhao Xiaofu was also not allowed to marry a commoner.
Even so, he couldn't let his son marry a fugitive. How could his descendants ever turn things around?
The eldest son of the Xu family reluctantly put down his bowl and chopsticks and went outside to pull the cow.
"You want a pass? Are you going to Qingfeng Town?" Zhao Xiaofu suddenly asked while clearing the dishes on the table.
Chen Yao was quite grateful to Zhao Xiaofu. After all, when they first started selling tofu, he came to their house and bought a piece of tofu for two cents. He was truly the first person to support them.
"Yes, Brother Xiaofu, could you ask Village Chief Zhao to give us a pass to Qingfeng Town?"
Seeing her looking at him eagerly, Zhao Xiaofu clenched his fist and coughed softly: "I can't make the decision on this. You have to ask my father."
Zhao Liangshun was still in shock and couldn't come back to his senses for a long time. How could they actually make money in this remote area?
"Village head?"
Zhao Liangshun never treated them well from the beginning to the end. "I can lead the way wherever you want to go, but not her!"
Upon hearing this, Chen Yao suddenly stood up from the stool and said, "Village Head, why can't Wenying go? Qingfeng Town is only 12 miles away from our village. If she can go to the eastern suburbs, why can't she go to Qingfeng Town?"
"She is a fugitive. There are regulations that fugitives must stay in the jurisdiction and are not allowed to leave Fang County. Don't blame me for not reminding you. If she escapes, your family will be implicated." Zhao Liangshun glared at her.
This girl is going to rebel and dare to challenge him.
Yang Wenying was obviously afraid, so she grabbed Chen Yao's arm and lowered her voice: "Ayao, I'm not going."
Chen Yao held her hand back, meeting the scrutinizing gazes of the Zhao family father and son, with a firm attitude: "I believe Wenying will not run away. Yang Jizong has already married into my family. She is a girl with no relatives. Where can she escape to? Village head, clear the way for me!"
When the two walked out of the Zhao family, Chen Yao, holding the pass in her arms, had already broken out in a cold sweat on her back.
Chen Yao opened her mouth and wanted to ask Yang Wenying what her family had done wrong before, otherwise why would Village Chief Zhao say such words to warn her.
Instructions from above?
Could it be that someone specifically instructed them to "look after" them?
No wonder when she went to the quarry that day, she heard the officers threatening Yang Jizong that if he dared to escape, he would be executed on the spot!
Yang Wenying was very scared, she could feel Chen Yao looking at her at this moment.
But she didn't dare to tell Chen Yao about her past now. What if Chen Yao despised her and her brother as a burden and sent her back to the camp? Then both she and her brother would be finished.
Shen family.
Huang Dongsheng and Huang Xing saw their figures from afar in the yard, and immediately opened the fence gate and welcomed them into the main house.
"Cousin, have you got the pass?" Huang Dongsheng glanced around the yards of his neighbors, and when he saw that no one was eavesdropping, he closed the door.
Chen Yao handed the pass to Shen Qingshan to see.
Huang Dongsheng and Huang Xing immediately stepped forward. Although they could not understand what was written on it, as long as they had this pass, they would not be stopped by the police when entering the city.
Shen Qingshan returned the pass to his daughter and asked her to keep it carefully. He also advised Huang Dongsheng to go back and rest quickly, after all, they had to set off an hour earlier than usual tomorrow.
That night, no one slept again.
It was still dark when Miao sent her son out. She straightened her son's clothes, gave him a few words of advice, and then let him go.
Similarly, when the children were about to leave home, Huang Xing reminded the three of them to take care of each other.
Huang Dongsheng was carrying the load and putting on five-finger gloves. He turned around and saw his cousin and Yang Wenying also took out their gloves and put them on. His pink teeth were immediately exposed and he was very happy.
Everyone can tell at a glance that they are in the same group, and no one can bully them.
"Cousin, is it heavy? How about I carry it for a while?" The load today is much heavier than usual.
In addition to two plates of tofu, there are also twenty pounds of soybean sprouts, ten pieces of bean curd sheets, and another bowl filled with soaked bean curd sheets, cut into small pieces and sprinkled with some salt, so that people can taste it first.
As soon as he set out, Huang Dongsheng was full of energy inside and out, so how could he be tired?
After walking one-third of the way, he was a little out of breath, so Yang Wenying took over and carried the load.
Yang Wenying didn't say much along the way. Only when Chen Yao asked her did she respond with a few words, which made Huang Dongsheng feel a little uncomfortable.
"Cousin, she has such a sullen face, as if others owe her money. How can she do business?"
If he went shopping and encountered a vendor like this, he would definitely turn around and go to another one.
Yang Wenying clutched the burden, her face showing a hint of panic: "I, I will change it."
After saying that, he forced a smile, but it was more bitter than bitter gourd.
Chen Yao patted her arm, signaling her to put down the burden: "Wenying, you are the most educated one among the three of us. You should know how to do things that are beneficial to our business without me telling you."
Yang Wenying could feel that when Chen Yao said this, she was encouraging herself, and the barrier in her heart gradually fell. "I can still carry on. I will definitely tell you when I can't carry anymore."
Seeing that she had recovered, Chen Yao continued to lead the way.
Qingfeng Town.
Two officers were stationed on top of the high city wall, and two officers were also stationed below it, searching the people entering the city.
Chen Yao pulled the two of them to stand in line at the back. The closer they got to the city tower, the more clearly they could see the mottled marks on the city gate, as if it had been cut by a knife or burned by fire. The three words "Qingfeng Town" carved on the gate tower also looked particularly vicissitudes of life.
When it was their turn, Chen Yao handed over the pass.
Seeing the officers opening the baskets to check, Chen Yao was afraid that they might damage the things and quickly said, "Sir, my three siblings came to the city to sell tofu, and these are all home-made food."
The officer looked at Yang Wenying again, checked the pass carefully, and after confirming that it was correct, he took three cents and waved his hand.
With a shout of "Let it go!"
Chen Yao carried the load into the doorway. Huang Dongsheng and Yang Wenying protected the basket on the left and right. The three of them were pushed forward by the crowd.
As I walked out of the doorway, the view in front of me suddenly lit up.
After seeing so many thatched houses and wasteland, I suddenly saw such neat blue brick and tile houses standing on both sides of the long street, with endless streams of people and vehicles coming and going.
Chen Yao felt that she now truly had the feeling of a country person moving to the city.
"Cousin, this city is so big, the houses are so nice, and there are so many people." Huang Dongsheng took two steps forward, turning his head to look left and right, trying to remember everything in front of him firmly in his mind and tell his family about it when he got back.
Compared to the shock of the two people, Yang Wenying was much calmer and reminded Chen Yao: "Should we hurry to the East Market?"
"Yes, let's go quickly. If we go too late, we won't be able to find a good spot." Chen Yao pulled Huang Dongsheng back.
Following the officer's instructions, the three of them turned left and right, and finally entered a more prosperous and lively long street.
There was still a guard guarding the entrance to the East Market. When he saw Chen Yao and his group coming with their loads on their shoulders, he took out a pen and paper to register them.
The visitor’s address: Xiahe Village.
The names of the visitors: Chen Yao, Huang Dongsheng, and Yang Wenying.
What does the visitor sell: tofu, bean curd sheets, and Ruyi vegetables.
When the officer heard Chen Yao say the word "Ruyi Cai", he opened the basket and took a special look at it, and then collected six copper coins from the three people.
Huang Dongsheng touched his empty waist and looked back at the officer, feeling particularly reluctant to leave.
Chen Yao slapped him on the back and said, "Don't mess with those servants. Look at which Feng Shui treasured place you want to choose to sell tofu."
Huang Dongsheng saw that the vendors on both sides had already started shouting. In a panic, he pointed to an empty space on the right side of the road and said, "This is not far from the entrance, not too close. This is it. What about you, cousin?"
Chen Yao put down the burden and looked into the distance.
This action frightened Yang Wenying and Huang Dongsheng, and they said in unison: "Don't go too far, or we won't be able to see you."
Chen Yao couldn't help but smile. What's the matter? I am your lighthouse!
Although she thought so in her heart, she didn't go too far away and set up her stall about five or six meters away from the two of them.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
