Jiang Yue thought of those stupid eyes and seemed to hear a cat's meow.
Those guys aren't very smart and can't speak human language very well. If they encounter any danger, no one will be as kind as them.
She suddenly thought, why not go in and take a look?
Jiang Nian stopped the mule.
Perhaps it was because it was rare to see people with mule carts now, and the two of them had been standing at the city gate for quite some time, which attracted the attention of the gate guards.
One of the square-faced men came over and shouted at them, "What are you two doing?"
"Just passing by."
Jiang Yue got out of the car and asked, "I want to ask you, sir, what are the rules for entering the city now?"
"You two, take off your masks." Instead of answering, he pointed at the masks on their faces.
When Jiang Yue took it off, she revealed an ordinary, sallow face.
"Why cover your face?"
"To prevent sandstorms and epidemics along the way."
The guard felt uncomfortable looking into the woman's eyes, but he couldn't tell what was wrong.
He looked at the man again. He also had a thin, sallow face, similar to the other people. But his eyes looked too fierce.
He wore a straw hat, but his clothes were much better than those of other refugees, and most importantly, they were neat.
The square-faced guard stepped forward and opened the carriage door.
Jiang Nian couldn't stand his domineering look and clenched his fists, but his arms were held tightly by Jiang Yue, so he stood aside with a cold face and didn't say a word.
The guard looked around and found only an old quilt in the carriage. He tapped it with the back of a knife and picked it up again, but found nothing.
He once again sized them up and down, convinced he was a wealthy young man or young lady in distress. He held his chin high and spoke in a condescending tone, "Want to enter the city? Fifty taels of silver each."
When Jiang Yue heard this, she turned around and was about to get in the car. Whoever wanted to be the sucker could do it.
"Husband, we don't have that much money. Let's go. It doesn't matter if we don't go into the city."
Jiang Nian nodded, helped her up, then jumped onto the shaft of the cart with a whip in his hand, as if he was going to whip it and leave.
Seeing that they didn't look like they were faking it, the guard regretted asking for too much. "Hey, hey, I feel sorry for you guys, so I'll be kind and give you ten taels each so you can enter!"
He added, "The next city is still two days' journey away. Where are you going to get supplies if you don't go into the city? Besides, there may not be any government offices in the next city..."
He saw no food in the car, and the two men had nothing to hide on them. He just couldn't believe that the two men didn't need supplies.
Jiang Yue looked down at him, her tone indifferent, "Ten taels for two people, if possible, we can pay now."
The guard was furious that he had bargained so hard. But to be honest, he hadn't lost out on ten taels of silver. Even if he gave half to his superiors, he could still keep five taels, which was quite a lot.
Rich kids have bad tempers, and he's been there before. He swallowed his anger and said, "Okay."
Jiang Yue took out some money, threw it to him, then got off the car and led the mule into the city. Sometimes, when facing a tough guy, you have to be tougher than him. They are all bullies who only care about the strong and bully the weak.
This city is about the same size as the previous Fengtian Prefecture City. It suffered a disaster and one-third of the houses collapsed, but the overall appearance is still maintained and it is livable.
On average, two people can be seen in every five households. It is not known whether these are native residents of the city or recruited from refugees.
Some people clutched freshly dug wild vegetables, washed but still covered in spring mud, roots still attached. Others returned from the outside carrying wet firewood. With no business left in the city, they had no choice but to gather firewood outside to keep the stoves warm.
After spending a few months in Changle Village, I was used to seeing how normal neighbors interacted with each other. But when I first came out, I felt a big gap when I saw these people who were tortured by the disaster and looked like they were no longer human and no longer joked or talked.
Hearing the sound of hooves, the people stared at their mules with wide eyes.
The mule was breathing heavily. It had become accustomed to this kind of look along the way - the look that wanted to cook it in a pot. It had learned its lesson and knew that it would be safe only if it stayed close to its master.
Jiang Nian walked in front, his fierce eyes conveyed a bad message, and the people dared not look at him anymore.
The guards were probably unhappy with them and didn't tell them where to go after entering the city.
Jiang Yue had experience, so they went straight ahead until they reached the government office. Sure enough, someone there was arranging housing for the newly arrived refugees.
When the official saw the mule cart, his eyes were filled with greed, just like the guards before him.
"Do you want a whole house or share?"
"Excuse me, sir, what is the difference between the two?"
The clerk picked up the book and wrote, "The monthly rent for the whole house is ten cakes or ten taels of silver. If you share the house with someone, the monthly rent is five cakes or five taels of silver."
Prices may be slightly lower now than last year, but they have increased tenfold compared to before the disaster.
Now that they had entered the city, Jiang Yue stopped bargaining and took out ten taels of silver and handed it to him.
The money was given so readily that this time the official regretted asking for less.
Human greed is endless.
The official led them to a small house not far from the government office. It wasn't very spacious, but for the two of them, three rooms were more than enough. The walls were high, so they had good privacy.
"You are not allowed to wander around the city or cause trouble. Anyone who disobeys this order will be killed."
After saying this, the official left.
Jiang Yue: Are you no longer talking about laws? You're issuing orders at will, killing people whenever you want. Are you trying to establish yourself as king?
However, she did not come to the city to be managed, so it was naturally impossible for her to be obedient.
After they fed the mule, it was noon. Jiang Yue went out and saw a lot of disgusting things.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com