sbdcsierra Chapter 32 County Seat
Chapter 32 County Seat
"Sister Yang, are you done yet?"
"Here I am, here I am. Look how anxious you are."
"Hehe, I've been looking forward to it since yesterday, Sister Yang. Have you ever been to the county town? Is it big? Does it have many more good things than the town?"
Do they really sell cows and mules there? Are they all very expensive?
Yang Hualing heard Xiaoyue's little mouth babbling on and on, and tapped Xiaoyue's forehead.
"Okay, okay, you've been asking me nonstop since yesterday, aren't you tired?"
"Not tired at all, I was so happy to win the lottery yesterday. You didn't see Xiaoman, she cried all day because she was too young to go, she didn't even have a chance to win the lottery."
Then, taking Yang Hualing's hand, they went to the ancestral hall to meet.
That's right. After the New Year, it will soon be busy with things in the fields. Without livestock, Yun Dan felt that the villagers were working too hard, so she decided to go to the county town.
It takes a hundred miles to walk from Sujia Village to the county town, and even by donkey cart, it takes a whole day.
However, Sujia Village didn't even have a single livestock, so the villagers rarely went to the county town.
This time, they sought help from a peddler in the next village and borrowed an oxcart, which enabled them to select some adults to travel to the county town together.
When Xiaoyue and Yang Hualing arrived at the ancestral hall, they found that many people were already waiting for the oxcart to arrive.
The group included five adults, including Lin Jiang, Yun Dan, and Xiao Yue, as well as a sixteen-year-old boy.
Xiaoman said excitedly, "Sister Xiaoya, when you get to the big county town, you must remember to buy lots of delicious food, don't forget!"
Yun Dan replied with a smile, "Okay, I promise you'll get to taste lots of delicious food when I come back tomorrow."
Another friend nervously chimed in, "Yeah, yeah, Sister Xiaoya, you have to remember that! Don't forget, you promised us!"
Yun Dan reassured everyone, "We know, we know. When Sister Xiao Ya comes back tomorrow, you can all enjoy the delicious food."
After waiting for a short while, someone ran over and said that the oxcart had arrived at the village entrance.
Many children had never seen an oxcart before, and suddenly a group of little rascals ran noisily to the village entrance.
The adults followed closely behind and walked to the village entrance.
A man of about 40 years old was driving a cart that could seat about eight adults in the back.
When the oxcart driver saw the people arrive, they exchanged a few words and set off amidst the children's reluctant gazes.
The driver's surname was Li. Driver Li went to the county town two or three times a year and knew it very well.
The oxcart moved slowly, and everyone chatted and laughed along the way, stopping to rest four times.
(Old Ox: I can't go on without rest, even I, Old Ox, can't take it anymore.)
After a safe journey of more than four hours, they were finally approaching the county town gate. From afar, Yun Dan could see the words "Fengyuan County" engraved on the city gate.
Its high earthen walls guard the city, while also concealing its prosperity and hustle and bustle.
They entered the city, which was a well-connected place.
Several main roads and countless smaller roads stretched as far as the eye could see, with no end in sight.
Vendors selling their wares from carts, vendors carrying baskets walking through the streets and alleys calling out their wares, and shopkeepers greeting customers outside their stores.
There are several tall buildings standing there in a row.
It's almost evening, but the place is still so lively. Big county towns are really something else.
A group of people staggered to a three-story restaurant. When Xiaoyue saw the huge restaurant, she said, "How much money must such a big restaurant have cost?"
Everyone's face looked pretty much the same, except for Yun Dan and Yang Hualing, whose faces showed complete indifference.
Yun Dan spoke up: "Come on, let's stay here tonight and have some good food."
Upon hearing Yun Dan's words, Uncle Lin hurriedly asked, "Little girl, this place must be very expensive, right? Why don't we go somewhere else?"
"Uncle, it's alright, I have money, don't worry."
Yun Dan stepped forward and said to one of the workers, "Young man, could you please help us lead the oxcart to the backyard and give it some feed and water? Thank you."
Then I handed him five coins.
The man took the money, acknowledged it, and then took the reins and the tip, leading the oxcart to the backyard.
When they reached the counter, Lin Yundan immediately pulled out a five-tael silver coin, slammed it on the counter like a martial arts hero, and said:
"Manager, arrange four superior rooms for us. Rooms with a view of the entire Fengyuan County are preferred."
'If you didn't know better, you'd think they were filming an action movie.'
The shopkeeper weighed the silver, then called out to the backyard:
"Ah Lai, take these guests to rooms five, six, seven, and eight on the third floor."
"I'm coming."
A waiter ran over from the backyard, saying, "Gentlemen, please follow me to the third floor."
From the moment they entered the restaurant and reached the third floor, the elders' hearts were pounding. If it were quiet now, they could almost hear their own heartbeats.
"Gentlemen, would you like to dine in your room or in the lobby downstairs?" the waiter asked.
Upon hearing the waiter's words, Yun Dan replied, "We can go down to eat later. Could you please prepare some hot water for us so we can wash up?"
"Alright, gentlemen, just let me know if you need anything." The waiter said and left.
Everyone put their belongings in the room and then went downstairs to eat.
Upon entering the main hall, the group of ten people sat at two tables. Yun Dan then called over a waiter.
"Is there beef today?" Yun Dan asked.
"Yes, there's plenty of beef in the back of the kitchen," the waiter replied.
Yun Dan looked at the plaque on the wall and continued speaking.
"Okay, then bring a plate for both of our tables, make sure the portions are generous. We also want eight-treasure duck, mandarin fish, pork ribs, stir-fried shredded pork, hot and sour cabbage, and white rice, plus stir-fried beef with scallions."
Uncle Lin was skeptical when he saw how skilled Yun Dan was, wondering how the child could be so proficient without showing any fear, but he didn't say anything.
Yun Dan skillfully picked up the tea on the table and poured it for everyone. They were still in a daze, having never encountered anything like this before.
If it were anyone else, they could brag about it for the rest of their lives once they returned to their village.
That day, a group of us went into a grand restaurant in Fengyuan County, arrogantly threw a piece of silver at the restaurant owner, and then…
Before long, the waiter brought out all the food.
Yun Dan's mouth watered at the smell of the food; none of her family members could understand why she was eating such delicious food for the first time since arriving in ancient times.
"Yeah, this fancy restaurant is great. The food is fantastic. I really want to poach the chef back."
Lin Yundan picked up her chopsticks and took a piece of beef.
Delicious! Delicious! I never expected to find beef here.
I picked up another piece of silverfish with my chopsticks. Hmm, not bad! Not bad!
Everyone stopped chatting and their chopsticks flew across the table, making sure to eat every dish.
Half an hour later, everyone was about 80% full.
They slowed down and ate their food in fits and starts.
"Little girl, this restaurant is really something else. All the dishes are delicious, especially this plate of beef, it's really good."
And this fish, and this duck, are completely different from what we eat at home. I never knew fish and duck could taste so good.
After saying that, he smacked his lips, savoring the taste, wanting to eat another bite of meat...
"It's delicious. We'll come back to eat it after we buy the livestock tomorrow, and we'll pack some to eat on the way."
Xiaoyue's eyes lit up when she heard this; she was so excited!
After finishing their meal, everyone went upstairs; they were all very tired after walking around all day.
But Yun Dan didn't follow them. Instead, she ended up in a large county town and needed to exchange the items in her spatial storage for money.
We absolutely have to get the house built this year. Yun Dan was too young before, so there were some things we couldn't do. But now she's over 1.3 meters tall and can help.
Upon arriving at the pawnshop, Yun Dan ignored the shopkeeper's nagging and unleashed her inner strength, which terrified the shopkeeper. From then on, he became extremely cautious whenever he saw a child pawning something, fearing that he might lose his life one day.
"My lady, please wait, please wait. Have I offended you in any way?" the shopkeeper pleaded, wiping his sweat from his brow.
"You haven't offended me, but you will in a moment."
"No, no, these ladies, please have a seat. Please allow me to pour you a cup of tea."
Yun Dan took a sip of the tea the shopkeeper poured and then spoke directly.
After a very amicable exchange between the two sides, the meeting ended in a mutually agreeable outcome.
Of course, the pawnshop owner was both delighted and disappointed.
The space in Yun Dan's room contained vases, jade artifacts, ancient paintings, and even that piece of oracle bone script.
These were all taken from the man surnamed Chai.
The shopkeeper finally gave Yun Dan 800 taels of silver. For all that, the shopkeeper also increased Yun Dan's strength by more than 50%. Otherwise, with just that, she would have only received a maximum of 400 taels.
Yun Dan thanked the shopkeeper and left.
"Amitabha, Buddha, please protect me, Bodhisattva, please protect me, please make sure the young lady doesn't come again next time." Seeing Yun Dan leave, the shopkeeper finally felt relieved.
Yun Dan bought a lot of things and returned to the restaurant with a large bag on her back. These were all snacks she had promised to give to the children in the village.
And so the day came to an end. After taking a shower, I waited for tomorrow to arrive.