Chapter 364: Chapter 189: Unexpected Complications_1
The second watch of the night, a request for pink powder.
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Lian Manman had hired two carriages, both covered. Taking such carriages to the county town naturally cost a pretty penny. Lian Manman touched the full purse in her bosom; she had specifically taken twenty taels of silver out of the four hundred taels that Lian Shouren had sent, to serve as their debt-collection funds.
"Since Uncle loves to make a fuss, he must have money to burn. Let’s help him spend a bit," Lian Manman said to Wu Lang and the others.
"A poor family must be well-prepared for travel; it’s indeed necessary to carry more money," Lady Zhang and Lian Shouxin had said the same, but they did not agree with Lian Manman’s approach. Mainly because they were all honest, simple people who lived day by day, and such spending pained them.
Lian Manman didn’t listen to them. Jinyang County Town wasn’t the familiar Qingyang Town they were accustomed to, and she feared that activities there would cost money. Having enough money would prevent them from being hampered should anything arise.
Regarding the issue of silver, among those who went to collect the debt, aside from Lian Shouxin who was pained by the expense, the younger ones all agreed with her.
Wu Lang and Xiao Qi occupied one carriage with Lian Manman, while Lian Shouxin took Erlang and Sanlang in another.
This was the first time Lian Manman had traveled far, and neither Wu Lang nor Xiao Qi had been to Jinyang County Town before. The carriage was equipped with soft cushions and also had a lively burning charcoal brazier, so sitting inside insulated them from the cold outside. The coachman was a talkative fellow, who, upon learning it was their first trip to the county town, started to speak incessantly, mainly introducing the villages and scenery they passed by.
They had set out before dawn, and after a journey of thirty li, taking a little over a Chinese hour, they reached the gates of Jinyang County Town.
The winter morning was foggy, and at this moment, the mist had not yet dispersed. Lian Manman lifted the carriage curtain and could see the faint mist shrouding the blue-grey city gates and walls.
The gates and walls were exceptionally tall and solid, and even more so, they appeared very ancient in style. As they drew closer, one could see the large bluestones exposed, with traces of chisel and ax marks. On a part of the wall’s top, there remained a notch about the size of an iron pot. Clearly, it was not a remnant of the construction but a mark left by bloody battles with cold weapons.
Lian Manman had heard that Jinyang County Town was what the learned spoke of as "a battleground contended for by strategists," where countless bloody battles had taken place. Outside these walls, corpses had lain over a thousand li many times over.
The surrounding sounds gradually receded, and amidst the grey haze of mist, Lian Manman almost felt as if she had traveled through time and space to an ancient battlefield.
It was a bit cold, and Lian Manman’s body shrank back a little.
Just then, the fog completely dissolved, revealing the lush pines and cypresses outside the city walls, the scattered houses near and far, and various sounds began to resound by her ears once more; the cold and desolate atmosphere from a moment ago had vanished instantaneously.
The force of human reproduction was so powerful; not centuries but only several decades were needed to bring forth a new world.
Upon entering the town, at a three-way intersection, Lian Shouxin asked the coachman to stop.
"Shall we go to your eldest uncle’s place first?" Lian Shouxin suggested. They knew where Lian Shouren lived from what Lian Shouli had told them; turning into the left lane and walking a bit further would take them there.
"No, let’s go directly to the Song Family," Lian Manman proclaimed.
"Not visiting your eldest uncle first?" Lian Shouxin hesitated. In his heart, he found Lian Shouren’s actions unacceptable and wanted to confront Lian Shouren face to face. If the matter could be resolved within the Lian Family, there would be no need to take it to the Song Family.
"Dad, when Erlang and Sanlang came, they had to wait a day before seeing the eldest uncle and his wife," Lian Manman explained, "And that was when the eldest uncle saw a use for Erlang and Sanlang. What we’re here for, my eldest uncle must know. If we go, who’s to say we won’t be waiting a day, or even a month, and still not see anyone... Usury waits for no one, and grandpa can’t wait at home either."
If they didn’t hurry and finish the matter to return home, Old Master Lian’s impatience would grow, and the life he had just managed to cling on to would be at risk of being lost again.
"Alright, we’ll go to the Song Family first," Lian Shouxin, finding Lian Manman’s words reasonable, nodded in agreement.
The Song Family lived in Lion Stone Alley, and without asking for directions, both coachmen knew the way.
"Uncle," Lian Manman discussed with the coachman, "is there any decent teahouse near the Song Family? We want to stop there first."
"You’ve got it right," the coachman chuckled, "In this county town, the best teahouse is Yonghe Teahouse, just one street away from the Song Family."
"Okay, we’ll go there then," Lian Manman decided.
Their carriage went ahead, with Lian Shouxin’s carriage following behind, heading towards Yonghe Teahouse.
