HCB Chapter 29 Preparations Before the Escape
Chapter 29 Preparations Before the Escape
"Girl, Pingyuan Pass has fallen. Quickly take your family and run south. This wounded wild buffalo is worth eighty taels, and the calf is fifty taels," Manager He said, not wanting to waste time, and gave a fair price.
“Alright,” Wen Yuxia nodded in agreement. After receiving the silver, she said to the Wen brothers, “There’s only one cart at home, and Uncle will definitely hog it. You can decide whether to buy an oxcart or a cart. I’m going to look around somewhere else.”
Wen Zibo said, "Let's go check out the bull market first." If we had money, we'd buy an ox-drawn cart; who wants to push a handcart?
"I'll come find you in a bit," Wen Yuxia said before leaving with Wen Yunhong.
"Da Ya, you'd better hurry up and come over. By the way, are you buying a cow? If you are, I'll help you pick one out first," Wen Zihua said, watching the siblings' backs as they walked away.
"I haven't decided yet whether to buy a mule or a cow. I'll see which one is cheaper at the cattle market." If she doesn't need to consider plowing land, Wen Yuxia would prefer a mule because mules run faster than cows.
Wen Yuxia's words reminded Wen Yubai, who said excitedly, "Buy a mule! Mules are cheaper; you can choose a strong one for 40 taels of silver!"
Many people in the town knew about the fall of Pingyuan Pass, and the two brothers, fearing they would run out of mules, hurriedly ran to the cattle market.
Wen Yuxia turned into a deserted alley, led out two calves from her spatial storage, went back to Bifeng Restaurant, sold them to Manager He, and then went directly to the general store.
Salt, sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, and other seasonings, along with bowls, chopsticks, buckets, basins, bathtubs, and earthenware pots—these are all urgently needed items for her family and must be purchased.
Besides buying water bags, oilcloth, raincoats, and bamboo hats, she also bought one for Wen Dashan and his wife, as well as one for her maternal grandmother's family.
Next, she went to the pharmacy and bought twenty doses of every kind of medicine she could think of: medicine for typhoid fever, medicine for external injuries, medicine to stop bleeding, medicine to prevent heatstroke, and so on.
Don't be fooled by the amount of medicine; it's actually not much at all. Excluding the great-grandfather's family in town, the Wen family alone has 19 members, plus the maternal grandparents' family of 12.
Immediately afterwards, Wen Yuxia rushed to the grain store, ordering 1 jin of brown rice and 1 jin of dark flour. She asked the shop assistant to help transport the grain to the previously deserted alley, lying that her family would be coming to pick it up by cart.
After storing the two thousand catties of grain in her spatial storage, Wen Yuxia didn't delay any longer and went straight to the bull market.
"Da Ya, we're here!" Wen Zihua, who had been staring at the entrance to the bull market, waved and called out as soon as he saw Wen Yuxia.
Wen Yuxia walked over and saw Wen Zibai leading three strong mules. Wen Zihua squatted down and whispered in Wen Yuxia's ear, "Three mules and three carts, only one hundred taels of silver."
The mule seller was in a hurry to escape, and seeing that they were buying in bulk, he charged them only the cost price.
Wen Yuxia said, "I don't want the frame, I want the carriages." Goods wouldn't be noticeable inside the carriages. This time, the enemy doesn't know how many cities they'll conquer; with so many people fleeing, anything could happen.
After considering it, the Wen brothers also chose the carriages, so the shopkeeper asked them to pay an extra 5 taels of silver and gave them three mule carts with carriages.
Considering that the two of them would have to share the money with Li Xiang when they returned, Wen Yuxia generously took out 45 taels of silver, letting Wen Zibai and the others contribute 60 taels.
"Second Uncle, do you want to go to the general store to buy some oilcloth, water bags, raincoats, and straw hats? Do you need to buy some more grain?"
Wen Yuxia wanted to separate from Wen Zibai and his brother; she still needed to buy a mule cart for her maternal grandparents' family and couldn't let the two of them come along.
"We need to buy water pouches and oilcloth," Wen Zihua nodded and said. If Da Ya hadn't reminded him, he would have already gone back.
Before leaving, Wen Zibo told Wen Yuxia that when the wild ox returned, he should tell Li Xiang that it had been sold for 60 taels of silver, so that the remaining 20 taels of silver from buying the mule could be given to Li Xiang.
As for the fact that he and Wen Zihua each received an extra 10 taels of silver, Li Xiang must not know about it. As compensation, their brotherhood would occasionally allow Li Xiang's family to rest on the mule cart.
“You all know how difficult Granny Li is. We absolutely cannot let her ride in the mule cart. Giving Li Xiang twenty taels of silver is already being generous,” Wen Yuxia said disapprovingly.
"Da Ya, as long as your second uncle has something to eat on the road, you and your siblings will have something to eat too. Your second uncle will protect you all the way," Wen Zibo said, patting his chest in delight.
Wen Zihua also stated, "Da Ya, what your second uncle said is exactly what I was thinking."
Wen Yuxia smiled and said, "Okay, I've got it. Uncles, hurry up and buy the things. I need to go to Xiaowang Village to inform my grandmother."
"Da Ya, be careful on the road," the Wen brothers said in unison.
"You all be careful too," Wen Yuxia waved her hand, and gracefully drove the mule cart away.
She drove the mule cart into the deserted alley, then stored it in her spatial storage. The siblings quickly went to the cattle market and found the shopkeeper they had just met.
The shopkeeper watched with a puzzled look as Wen Yuxia drove the mule cart away, muttering to himself, "Judging from her clothes, she doesn't seem like a rich person, but her family seems quite wealthy, buying one mule cart after another."
Wen Yuxia, who came from a wealthy family, had just reached the entrance of Xiaowang Village when she saw several boys from Dawan Village running out of the village.
The three villages of Dawang, Xiaowang, and Lijia have the most in-law relationships, so it's likely that the boys came to Xiaowang Village to deliver the message.
Sure enough, when we arrived at my maternal grandparents' house, we saw my maternal grandmother and eldest aunt preparing dry rations in the kitchen, while my maternal grandfather directed several uncles to load the grain onto a cart.
"Grandpa, I've brought you the mule cart," the mule cart stopped outside the yard. Wang Ping and the others were so busy that they didn't even have time to look up at the outside.
"Da Ya, what brings you here? Have you packed your things at home?" Wang Ping asked two questions in one breath.
Wen Yuxia smiled and said, "I bought a mule cart and will send one over to you. We don't have much stuff at home. Oh, and I also need to take the goats to town to give to Manager He."
Wang Wushi came out of the kitchen and said, "The village head is taking Xiao Wang Village, your village, and Li Family Village together. Your maternal grandfather has a good relationship with the village head, so he got a few extra travel permits."
The Wang Ping family, the Du family (Wang Ping's eldest daughter-in-law's family), the Wang An family and their three daughters-in-law, the families of Gou, Luo, and Li, the Wen Yuxia siblings, and Wen Dashan and his group—a total of eight travel permits.
Wang Ping took out two travel permits from his pocket and handed them to Wen Yuxia: "Da Ya, one for you and your brother, and the other for your grandfather. Do you want your eighth uncle to accompany you to town?"
"No need," Wen Yuxia and her brother said quickly, leading the goats away. "My second uncle is waiting for me at the village entrance with his mule cart. You two hurry up and pack your things. I'm leaving now. The oilcloth, water bags, raincoats, and straw hats on the cart are all for you."
Upon reaching the village entrance, they turned and went into the woods, where they stored the goats in their spatial storage, and then moved the mule cart out of the storage.