After finishing her breakfast, Hong Xiaoduo asked Tian Shu to take her to find the postmaster.
"Did you enjoy breakfast, young lady?" the man asked with a smile as soon as he saw her.
"It's very good. Your chef's skills are really good. The steamed buns are soft and fluffy, the rice porridge is as smooth as silk with a rich aroma of rice, and the pickled vegetables are bright green, crisp, and delicious with rice." Hong Xiaoduo commented on what she had eaten.
A genuine compliment, because it really is delicious.
Hearing her praise, Yang Yicheng couldn't stop smiling, because he knew she was being sincere: "To tell you the truth, young lady, the cook at this inn is my wife. In this remote place, wages are low, and even skilled cooks can't be kept. If she knew about your praise, she would be overjoyed."
"By the way, what brings you here, young lady?"
"Oh, I'm here to pay the room fee," Hong Xiaoduo explained.
I was originally thinking about whether to pay the room bill for that old man. He had given him a food box before and kindly invited him to come along. Although he was in danger because of them last night, it was out of kindness. The old man had not expected the danger.
People should get along well, but when Hong Xiaoduo thought about the fact that there were about thirty of them together, she gave up on the idea.
It's not that she's shrewd or stingy, she just doesn't dare to be generous.
Then she thought that the other party was an official, and his money must be more abundant than hers. So she decided to only pay for her own and her children's room and not expect him to pay for it. It was already good enough that she didn't take advantage of him.
"Rental fee?" Yang Yicheng was quite surprised.
Hong Xiaoduo nodded. Could it be that Lord Wei has already ordered someone to settle the rent?
“Young lady, it’s like this. This is an official post station.” Yang, the postmaster, said after careful consideration.
"Inn? Official inn?" Hong Xiaoduo thought to herself, "Oh, I see. So the room rate is a bit higher than that of a traditional inn, right? It's okay, how much is it?" She figured it couldn't be much more expensive. Anyway, this person didn't seem like a swindler or someone who would overcharge based on the person's price.
Upon hearing this, Yang Yicheng sighed inwardly, thinking, "So you understand now!"
"That's right, our inn here doesn't charge for rooms or food, so young lady, you don't need to pay for the room."
Oh? Is that so? Is there really such a good thing?
No, no, it must be my own problem.
After her brain raced for a few moments, Hong Xiaoduo tentatively asked, "Is the post station specifically for officials and government officials?"
Yang Yicheng smiled and nodded. This young lady is quite clever; she figured out what was going on so quickly.
"But we are not..."
"Ahem, Lord Wei, I'm glad you're satisfied with your stay, young lady." Just then, a porter carrying a broom passed by, and Yang, the postmaster, immediately interrupted Hong Xiaoduo.
I just praised her for being smart, how come this little girl's brain is sometimes sharp and sometimes not?
Hong Xiaoduo, who was interrupted, saw the postmaster glance at the walking postman and immediately realized what was going on.
"Oh, I understand, thank you." Hong Xiaoduo quickly thanked her.
This isn't about taking advantage of anyone; if official post stations are only for officials and their entourage, then they won't serve ordinary people. If I hadn't come to inquire about the room rate, they might have assumed I was with Lord Wei.
But since they had already asked, and the person already knew they weren't together, they didn't react otherwise but continued to pretend to be confused. That's not only because the person was good, but mainly because of Lord Wei's face.
If someone insists on paying for the room while pretending to be superior, then they are really ungrateful.
The commotion started, and if other staff at the post station heard it, some unscrupulous person might report it to their superiors, accusing the postmaster of abusing his power for personal gain.
Besides, Lord Wei seems to be an upright person. The fact that he would let me and the children move in with him can only mean that he is not the kind of inflexible old-fashioned person.
"Shouldn't we wait for Lord Wei and the others to leave together?" Hong Xiaoduo took a few steps, then turned back and asked in a low voice.
Yang Yicheng immediately understood her meaning: "That's not necessary. If you have urgent business to attend to, you can leave first. However, the ingredients we bought today are quite good. We should make braised lion's head meatballs, braised pork ribs, and stewed duck with bamboo shoots for lunch."
The young lady also said my wife's cooking has improved; are you not leaving yet?
Hong Xiaoduo was a little embarrassed: "Isn't that a bit inappropriate?" Knowing that it was free and still staying for lunch would be a bit like freeloading.
Yang Yicheng is nearly fifty years old and has five grandsons. He usually envies those who have granddaughters, and seeing Hong Xiaoduo's adorable reaction makes him even happier.
Lord Wei is a famously upright and incorruptible official. The reason he brought this young lady and her seven children to stay with him was probably because he was looking after the three of them, one adult and seven children.
Looking around to make sure no one was there, he said, "Young lady, don't think so much. It's just a meal, nothing fancy. It's nothing to worry about."
"Okay, then I'll eat more at noon," Hong Xiaoduo said with a grin.
It was still early before lunch, so Hong Xiaoduo wondered if she should take Tian Shu to thank Lord Wei. She asked the innkeeper where Lord Wei was staying and went there. From a distance, she saw Lord Wei talking to several guards.
Thinking about what happened the night before, Hong Xiaoduo guessed that the adult must be very busy, so she changed direction and went back to the small dormitory. Tian Shu said to go see the donkey, so she went with him.
Upon arriving at the stable, Hong Xiaoduo and Tian Shu both stopped and looked ahead.
More than a dozen guards were crammed into the carriage, doing something unknown; their attire suggested they were Lord Wei's guards.
"Mother, what are those people doing surrounding our carriage?" Tian Shu asked in a low voice, a little nervous.
Hong Xiaoduo thought to herself, "You're asking me? Do I look like I know the answer?"
He took a step and walked over, and Tian Shu quickly followed.
There were still things in the carriage: winter clothes for the eight of them, a tent tied to the back of the carriage, and fodder for the donkeys.
Even though Tian Shu was young, he didn't think that Lord Wei's guards wanted to steal things from the carriage.
That's why I can't understand what they're doing.
"What are you doing?" Upon approaching and finding that no one had noticed her arrival, Hong Xiaoduo had no choice but to ask in a low voice.
If she speaks too seriously, the other person might think she's misunderstood and think they're stealing.
The guards, who were so engrossed in their conversation, didn't even notice when someone approached them. Startled by the sound, they all turned around and saw that the person in front of them was the owner of the donkey cart. Their faces all wore expressions of having been caught doing something wrong.
"What are you doing with my whip?" Tian Shu asked, his eyes sharp.
The whip was a gift from the owner of the carriage shop. Fearing it might accidentally fall into the bushes and go unseen, he specially took a piece of rose-red cotton satin from Yuheng's cloth bag, cut it into strips, and wrapped it around the handle of the whip, also tying a strip to the end of the whip.
The purpose is to make the color eye-catching so that it's easy to see when it fades...
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
