Chapter 534: Magical Two-Wheeled Car
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Attas Studios
Zeng Sanshui asked curiously about the price of honeycomb charcoal. Lu Ye said indifferently, “2,000 catties cost only one tael of silver.”
Zeng Sanshui looked shocked. “Why is it so cheap?”
This was too cheap. Wouldn’t it be more cost-effective than firewood?
Lu Ye smiled and said, “Our army obtains direct supplies from the coal factory, so it’s naturally cheap. The people buying from outside will definitely be charged a higher rate.”
Zeng Sanshui was stunned. “How much higher?”
Lu Ye thought for a moment. “If it is whole sale price, it’s probably only five coins per catty.”
Five coins per catty!
That was also very cheap!
Carefree Kingdom’s money was too valuable.
If they could buy such cheap coal, why would they enter the mountains to pick firewood?
Everyone ate the hot instant noodles, except for Bai Xinshui and Jia Yuqin.
Only then did they remember what the soldier had said in the dining hall the day before. He would definitely not prepare any more food for them.
Bai Xinshui was furious. But she didn’t care about eating their lousy noodles.
They turned around and entered the carriage to eat their sesame seed cake. Bai Xinshui felt displeased when she heard the slurping sound outside and smelled the noodle fragrance.
This lousy place!
Zeng Sanshui finished the refreshing instant noodles soup and was puzzled. “Where did this water come from?”
There was clearly not even a pond nearby.
Unexpectedly, Lu Ye pointed at the row of taps beside him. “There’s water there.”
Zeng Sanshui stood up magically and turned on the tap. It was clear and free of impurities. He asked in surprise, “There’s a tap here too. How did you bring the water over?”
Lu Ye smiled. “Our Carefree Kingdom has its own way.”
He looked proud. Zeng Sanshui could not deny how great it was.
It had to be said that everything Zeng Sanshui had seen in the Carefree Kingdom was too shocking.
After dinner, everyone continued on their way. Not long after, they saw the locals grazing.
The dense flock of sheep bleated continuously. Zeng Sanshui drooled. “What a fat sheep!”
After a while, a group of horses galloped past him. Zeng Sanshui said enviously, “What a handsome horse!”
It was said that the southern frontier was full of tribes riding on horsebacks. The valiant movements of the herdsmen were really pleasing to the eye.
Suddenly, he saw a stall in front selling something by the roadside.
Zeng Sanshui immediately went to take a look. It was the herdsmen selling beef jerky and dairy products.
In the Ling Kingdom, cattle could not be killed. Eating beef was completely a luxury.
With so many beef jerky here, Zeng Sanshui had the intention to buy some.
Fortunately, he had listened to the soldier and specially exchanged for some banknotes from Lu Ye. Only now did he have the money to buy things.
He tasted the beef jerky. It was very fresh and fragrant. It was chewy and the fibers were rich.
While admiring the scenery along the way, Zeng Sanshui ate the snacks. It was rare for him to feel so happy as though he was out for a vacation.
Apart from beef jerky and dairy products, there was also the yogurt he had drunk in the dining hall previously. The stall owner also sold it here. For a few coins, he could buy a large bucket of it.
The price was really cheap and worth it.
Zeng Sanshui happily bought many things. He even gestured to the stall owner and learned a few local dialects.
Zeng Sanshui generously distributed the things he bought to his subordinates. Qu Yuanxian also received a piece of beef, but Bai Shining’s family of three did not get a single piece of wool.
It was obvious that they were ostracizing them.
Bai Shining did not want his things too. Thinking that Lu Ye would not prepare food for Bai Xinshui, he had another idea.
He walked straight to the stall owner and took out an ingot of gold. “Wrap the rest of the things for me.”
The sudden appearance of the nouveau riche made the herdsman very happy. He turned around and took out a large pile of beef and dairy products from the tent.
The amount of gold was too huge, and they still had to return the change.
The herdsman took out a pile of crumpled banknotes and handed them to Bai Shining with a smile.
When Bai Shining saw his rough, dark, and calloused hands, he lost interest in the food.
He did not accept the banknotes. He waved his hand and said generously, “Keep the change, don’t give it to me!”
The herdsman was very simple-minded and determined not to take advantage of him. He picked two more sheep and sent them to Bai Shining.
Bai Shining had regained his pride in front of the herdsmen and ordered someone to kill the sheep and bring them along. He would treat everyone to roasted whole sheep that night.
He secretly reminded himself that he definitely wouldn’t let Zeng Sanshui and the others take a bite.
When the sun was almost setting, they finally saw the rest station.
Beside the rest station, there was a medium-sized gathering place for the herdsmen. Many herdsmen had even built houses here.
Zeng Sanshui had just entered the rest station to settle down when he looked down from the window sill and saw one or two people riding a strange iron thing. They moved past him with a whoosh.
Zeng Sanshui ran downstairs in surprise. Qu Yuanxian and the others were the same as him. They looked at the bicycle leaving with disbelief.
Zeng Sanshui grabbed Lan Jingbai and asked, “What is that? Why is it moving so fast?”
Lan Jingbai said calmly, “Bicycle.”
This word sent them away. Zeng Sanshui wanted to know more, so he asked Lu Ye, “What is a bicycle? How can it move with your feet?”
Lu Ye raised his eyebrows and said matter-of-factly, “A bicycle is naturally a car that can move with your feet.”
It was as if he hadn’t explained anything.
Zeng Sanshui went straight to the point. “1 want to see the bicycle.”
After he finished speaking, the others also looked at Lu Ye expectantly.
As soon as Zeng Sanshui finished speaking, a little girl appeared leisurely on a pink bicycle.
The people of Ling Kingdom beside the road widened their eyes in disbelief.
Indeed, they looked very much like country bumpkins who had never seen the world.
The little girl was frightened by them. She was originally riding her bicycle leisurely, but she suddenly disappeared as if she had stepped on fire wheels.
Zeng Sanshui’s face was filled with envy. “So cool!” He looked at Lu Ye even more intensely.
Lu Ye smiled proudly. “The bicycle is just a means of transportation here. You can buy it if you want.”
Zeng Sanshui’s eyes widened. “You can buy it?”
Lu Ye grunted. “There’s a bicycle shop ahead. We can take a look.”
Zeng Sanshui immediately said, “Let’s go! Let’s go quickly!”
Everyone followed Lu Ye towards the herdsmen central area. It was not a big place, but there were all the necessary stores.
As soon as he entered, Zeng Sanshui saw the eye-catching bicycle shop.
There were all kinds of color and styles of bicycles in the store. Even though it was almost dark, there were still many local people surrounding the store.
Zeng Sanshui squeezed in and saw a child testing the bicycle.
There were dozens of horses at the child’s house. The bicycles were actually for the child to play with.
The child circled on the spot on his bicycle and kept ringing the bell. Envious gazes surrounded him.
The child raised his head high, and the parents also felt proud.
Most of the people who bought bicycles were local officials of the Imperial Court. A horse had to be taken care well, and it was not cheap and time consuming.
There were not so many things to do when buying a bicycle. After buying it, they could ride it anytime and anywhere. Although it was not especially fast, it was enough for them to ride it to work and gather statistics and information about the herdsmen..
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