People came to pick up goods every day, but the village did not hire long-term workers or servants. Instead, the villagers did it themselves. Wen Er and his group of fifteen people also traveled all over the capital city of Yichen Kingdom.
Aside from the frontier regions, there wasn't a single major city they hadn't visited. Fifteen people in fifteen carriages would haul goods from the village out to sell, and on their way back, they would bring back goods from the city to sell, making a profit from the price difference.
Wen Shan is now a General of the Cavalry, while Wen Shi and Da Niu are Generals of the Chariots and Cavalry, though their ranks are not as high as Wen Shan's. The three of them share a strong sense of vengeance and always fight fearlessly, which is why they have achieved their current status.
During their ten years of military service, the two of them would visit the frontier every year or two. Although in the novel, the Wen brothers would not die until fifteen years later, they were still worried about it.
An Shuyi was more than once thankful that the two of them had gone, otherwise the three of them would have been waiting to die. It was their fourth year in the army, and the two of them had thought about going to see them. Unexpectedly, when they arrived at the military camp, they saw the three of them lying on the bed, barely alive.
Because they were too eager for quick success and thought that being ruthless enough would allow them to carve out a bloody path, although they eventually routed the enemy, they were all wounded. The camp had no medicine, so they could only give them simple bandages, and then no one cared for them anymore.
If it weren't for the two of them going to the hospital, bandaging the wounds, and stopping the bleeding, none of the three of them would be alive today. After that, the two of them went more frequently, each time bringing medicine or food. And now that they have become generals, no one knows.
After the meal, the twenty carriages set off. This time, not only An Shuyi and Xia Hua were going, but also the nineteen examinees, namely Wen Er and his group of fifteen. Besides hauling the goods to sell, they were also escorting them to the capital.
There were originally only fifteen carriages, but that wasn't enough, so five more were added, and Wenming, Wenyu, Wenhao, Wenqing, and Wenke drove them.
Ten years have passed, and the village population has increased by more than eighty people. Besides the newlywed brides, some village girls have also sought husbands, hoping not to leave the village. However, there aren't many of them, and those who did were mostly orphans.
Of course, some girls do get married and leave the village, but they can still work in the village. However, their husbands and children cannot. The families that these girls marry into are chosen after thorough investigation of their character.
In ten years, more than half of the children were born, and in addition to Yan Zhen and Yan An, An Shuyi had seven more grandsons: Yan Xing, the third grandson of Wen Yi; Yan Li, the sixth grandson of Wen Yi; Yan Ce, the fourth grandson of Wen Er; Yan Hui, the seventh grandson of Wen Er; and Yan Zhi, the fifth grandson of Wen Shan.
The eighth grandson, Lin Yanting, and the ninth grandson, Lin Yanyi, were both from Wenshi. Unexpectedly, while he was on the frontier, he fell in love with a girl and secretly pledged his life to her. The girl was also foolish; she hadn't even seen the man many times before she gave birth to two sons.
Later, when the children grew up, An Shuyi brought the mother and children to the village and sent the children to the academy, while Wang worked in the workshop.
"Shushu, come down!" Xia Hua jumped down from the carriage and helped An Shuyi out. Yan Zhen was also there. The twelve-year-old child was already very composed. In the past ten years, he had not only been taught by two teachers, but also by Xia Hua and An Shuyi. Every time they went out, they would bring their teachers along.
Although many people don't understand why Yan Zhen wasn't sent to the academy but instead had to be taught by a teacher, no one asked. They were just curious. Yan Zhen didn't understand either. Perhaps it was because he was naturally calm and composed. Although he didn't understand, he never threw a tantrum and listened attentively to the teacher's instruction every day.
An Shuyi jumped down, and Yan Zhen followed her down. Because there were examinees, they stayed at inns when they rested at night.
Looking ahead at the inn, a small inn on the official road, catering to travelers, Wen Er went in first and booked all the rooms.
There were simply too many of them: nineteen examinees, fifteen escorts, and five people driving the carriages: An Shuyi, Xia Hua, Yan Zhen, Ruo Hua, and Yan Ce.
With so many people, several people sharing a room, the inn had rice and vegetables, but it couldn't cook so much food all at once, so Xia Hua had to lead a few people to cook.
In Taoyuan Village, even the children have to learn to cook. Of course, apart from An Shuyi, everyone else can cook a few simple dishes, including Yan Zhen and Yan Ce.
Once the food was ready, everyone helped themselves to more rice. After eating, they cleaned up the dishes without asking the innkeeper or staff for help. That night, Lin Wen'er assigned several people to keep watch. Although they had an inn, they also had goods to carry, so keeping watch was essential.
Fortunately, the night passed quickly and all was well. Everyone got up, ate some plain porridge and steamed buns at the inn, and set off. They stopped at noon to cook lunch. It was January now, and the imperial examinations wouldn't start until February, so they could take their time.
Although the journey was long and bumpy, the people in the carriage weren't too bored, because An Shuyi had brought out mahjong and playing cards and would invite a few people to play with her each time.
Mahjong and playing cards were also sold in the village, but they were all made of wood. The customers who came to the village to buy things saw them a few times and, out of curiosity, bought some. Soon, mahjong and playing cards became very popular.
Even if it sells well, it takes a long time to make. Some customers can't wait and have their servants learn how to make it. That's why there aren't as many people buying it now. In Jinnan City, you can find mahjong sets in any of the wealthy families' houses.
Gambling in moderation is harmless fun, and many people still enjoy it.
Seeing the group of people playing mahjong inside the carriage, Xia Hua reluctantly stepped out to make room for them. She wasn't particularly interested in these games, but at the request of her fans, she would turn on the live stream every day while they played mahjong.
These ancient people were indeed clever and cunning. They had thoroughly studied mahjong. Their fans often said they especially enjoyed watching them play mahjong, and as a streamer, she had no choice but to agree.
Finally, they arrived in the capital in late January, and An Shuyi told them to go directly to her residence in the capital. When they came last time, she had instructed the servants that they would arrive in the capital in January.
For the past ten years, they have come to the capital once a year, not only to collect the profits from the two shops, but also to check on the training of the assassins. Later, they brought thirty more such assassins with them.
These are all beggars they've spotted in other cities. Some are orphans. The youngest is fifteen and the oldest is twenty. In ten years, their skills have improved so much that, while they might not be able to take on a hundred, they could easily take on ten.
Their greatest skill, of course, is assassination. With their light-footed martial arts, they can kill without leaving a trace. Now, they are not in the mansion, but have been sent out to monitor the princes.
"Grandma, is this the house you were talking about? It's not as nice as the one in our village," Lin Wence said.
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