Before dawn, Tian Yu was awakened by a rooster's crow, probably around four o'clock. It was inconvenient; there was no specific time, so she could only guess. Touching her eyes, she felt a little wet. It seemed Xiao Tian was finally free. That poor girl; she hoped she would be happy in her next life. Thinking about going to the county town today, she got dressed and woke Tang Yuan. Tang Yuan wasn't fully awake yet, but the thought of going to the county town made him happy and he got up. They each ate an egg and drank some water, then fed the chicken in the dark. After packing everything, she took the copper coins and two taels of silver from her trunk. Tian Yu silently vowed to earn it back later. After her latest dream, she understood why Xiao Tian hadn't touched the money—using it meant she agreed to the divorce. But for now, she needed to borrow it. Locking the door, she shouldered the bamboo basket and the oil jar, and, led by Tang Yuan, headed towards the east end of the village by moonlight. Passing through the village, she saw that several houses were already lit up. The weather in early spring was still quite cold, especially in the morning. Tian Yu and Tang Yuan wore their thickest cotton-padded clothes, but their hands and faces were already red from the cold before they even reached the village entrance.
As they approached the village entrance, they saw a horse-drawn cart waiting at the crossroads, with several people already seated on it. Tangyuan exclaimed excitedly upon seeing the cart, "Mommy, look! There's a cart! There's a cart to the county town today!"
"Okay, great! Let's go quickly. By the way, do you know how much it will cost?"
"Ten coins for adults, five coins for children." Since she didn't know how the money was calculated here, Tian Yu nodded and didn't say anything.
Tian Yu, leading Tangyuan, jogged to catch up with the carriage that was about to depart. She handed the prepared copper coins to a driver who was bundled up and holding the reins. The driver told her to get in and sit tight, and then they prepared to leave. Something covered in oilcloth was dark and took up most of the rear of the carriage. After Tian Yu and Tangyuan climbed into the middle of the carriage and settled down on the left side, they looked around. Diagonally opposite them, near the rear of the carriage, sat a person huddled up next to them with a bamboo basket containing some things, also covered with oilcloth. Turning back to the driver sitting with his back to her, she cracked her whip and gave a shout, and the carriage set off. As it started, the carriage wobbled, and Tian Yu, holding Tangyuan, inadvertently leaned to the left, bumping into the person sitting next to her. Tian Yu quickly apologized, then looked up and saw that the disheveled hair and full beard belonged to the hunter named Chen Chong from yesterday. Tian Yu could only turn back and give Chen Chong a silly smile and a nod, as if to say hello again. Tangyuan, as if discovering a new road, shook her arm and reminded her, "Mother is Hunter Chen, he's going to the county town too!" Tian Yu held Tangyuan tighter, not wanting to exchange any more pleasantries, and patted Tangyuan's head to calm him down. But Tangyuan didn't seem to think so; seeing that Tian Yu wasn't speaking, he started asking Chen Chong questions.
"Is Uncle Chen also going to the county town?"
"Um"
"Are you going to sell the wild boar you hunted yesterday?"
"Um"
Can wild boars be sold for a lot of money?
"Um"
......
Tangyuan asked many questions about hunting, but the other man only gave brief replies. Tianyu thought he probably didn't want to talk, after all, they weren't familiar with each other, and he seemed quite angry yesterday. When Tangyuan asked again, Tianyu stopped him, telling him to rest well, as they still had a long way to go. She glanced at Chen Chong beside her; apart from his bright black eyes constantly watching them, she couldn't read any other expression. Seeing that his injured hand was still bandaged by her yesterday, Tianyu felt a little angry again, thinking, "Why can't this man take better care of himself? If he gets an infection, won't he blame me?" Thinking this, Tianyu turned her head away, ignoring Chen Chong. By this time, dawn was breaking, and the surrounding mountains were visible. Before long, Tangyuan fell asleep from the bumpy ride of the carriage, and Tianyu also closed her eyes to rest.
Chen Chong looked at the woman before him, puzzled. Had he done something wrong again? Why did she seem reluctant to see him? When they were coming this way, he, with his sharp eyes and keen hearing, had spotted them first and told the driver to wait, otherwise the driver would have left long ago. But she hadn't noticed him at all until she bumped into him while getting into the carriage. Chen Chong thought this woman looked even more beautiful than yesterday, and her fragrance was even better. Compared to her aloofness, the little boy named Tangyuan was much cuter. He had been trying to talk to him, and had answered all his questions, but in the end, this woman wouldn't let Tangyuan chat with her, and seemed quite angry.
Because it was a mountain road, the carriage wasn't traveling very fast. It wasn't until dawn that they could vaguely see the town ahead. They must have picked up speed considerably once they were on the main road to the county seat. Tangyuan was already awake, happily looking around at the scenery. Although the trees were all bare, it didn't dampen her curiosity. Looking ahead, Tangyuan felt uncomfortable, as if the people around her were watching her, like prey being stalked by wolves.
Finally, they arrived at the city gate. A tall gate tower stood there, with two large characters written on it. Tangyuan excitedly asked her, "Mommy, what do those characters say?"
"Mountain City, we'll be there soon."
As they passed through the city gate, the soldiers conducted a routine check and reminded those entering the city that those wishing to leave should be careful, as the gates would close before dark. Once inside, Tangyuan was so excited she didn't know what to do, looking around frantically. Tianyu asked the driver which street the market was on, then got off the cart and pulled Tangyuan along the road the driver indicated. Before leaving, the driver instructed that those who wanted to return to the village should wait under the big tree in front of the city gate after lunch, departing around 1-3 PM, as it wasn't very safe due to years of war and rampant bandits, and they needed to return to the village before dark.
Tian Yu led Tangyuan towards the streets in the east of the city, while another person got off and went to the west. The carriage took Chen Chong to the south. Tangyuan looked at the unfamiliar streets with great curiosity, pulling Tian Yu around and asking what this was and what that was, having a very cheerful time. Tian Yu wasn't in a hurry and let him look around. She was also curious about the streets of this ancient place. It was similar to what she had imagined, but also different. It didn't have as many bright colors; it was mainly dark-toned. Most of the people on the street were women buying vegetables and some vendors. There were rows of shops along the street, and Tian Yu could guess their general shape from the shop signs, although she didn't recognize many of the traditional Chinese characters. Being new to the city, Tian Yu thought she should look around and ask questions, comparing prices before buying.
This chapter is not finished yet. Please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
