615: Chapter 613: You’re Finally Here— 615: Chapter 613: You’re Finally Here— Jinhoo also felt embarrassed and took out a few silver pieces from his pocket to hand over, “Auntie, this is my contribution, too.
I’ll give it to you.
When we get to Qi City, we’ll certainly need to spend money.
If it’s not enough, you can cover for first, and when we get back ho, I’ll have my dad give to you!”
These silver pieces were his private stash.
Before the new year, he and Jindou had run to the town with a little more than one silver coin each and bought so goods for the New Year that the family needed, then sold them in the nearby villages.
Their goods were fairly priced, and they had sweet tongues, offering to bring specific items if soone ntioned a need, hinting at the life of itinerant peddlers.
If custors did not have cash on hand, they could also offer goods as collateral, which the brothers then dragged to town to sell.
After half a month, they actually each earned a little more than one silver coin.
This ti, Jindou had given all the money to Jinhoo, also hoping that he would see sothing cheap, attractive, and fashionable in the county town to bring back and sell.
When Jinhoo left, his parents had not given him any money, and he hadn’t thought of it at that mont.
Now, seeing Wang Yongping giving money, he felt both ashad and guilty and hurriedly took out all his capital silver intended for business.
Wang Yongzhu laughed and did not refuse; she accepted the silver coins.
Wang Yonggui, after hesitating for a long ti, finally took out a piece of silver with reluctance.
He had secretly exchanged it in the county town.
He handed it to Wang Yongzhu.
Qi City, though not far from Jing County, was a completely different county town.
Jing County thrived on the Changqing Academy and various mountain goods peddlers.
Qi City, on the other hand, was famous for its mineral resources.
The mountains around Qi City were not high, and the trees were not very lush.
Initially, it was a rather poor small town.
However, when copper mines were discovered there, the place suddenly beca lively.
Copper was a tal regulated by the Imperial Court; private mining was not allowed.
After the discovery of the copper mines, the Imperial Court recruited many commoners and craftsn to mine and slt for the court.
These commoners brought their families, and soon the small town beca insufficient to accommodate everyone.
With the presence of stationed soldiers as well, the town beca busier and within a few years, it was upgraded to a county town.
Due to the mineral resources, Qi City was quite secluded but still considered wealthy.
Even the houses on the streets seed to exude a sense of nouveau riche, more so than in Jing County.
Having disembarked from the boat, Wang Yongzhu saw Song Chongjin sitting on the second floor of the teahouse beside the dock, discreetly nodding at her.
Wang Yongzhu felt a sigh of relief in her heart.
Old Granny Zhang massaged her waist, “Now that we’ve arrived in Qi City, I have no idea where that beast Laosan is living, how are we going to find him?”
Wang Yonggui said carelessly, “Didn’t he say he was working for the County Magistrate as a Master?
Why don’t we just go to the County Yan to find him?”
Wang Yongping had never been to a County Yan in his life and felt sowhat afraid at the thought, “Won’t we be thrown out if we go to the County Yan?”
As they were talking, a familiar voice was heard, “Mom, little sis, Laosan, Jinhoo, you’ve all co!”
Everyone turned their heads and saw, a short distance from the dock at a tea stall, a person standing up—it was none other than Wang Yongan.
Wang Yongan was dressed in a simple blue cloth robe, standing out among the laborers who frequented the tea stall, him among them out of place.
Seeing the Wang Family mbers, a sincere smile brightened Wang Yongan’s face as he quickly stepped up to greet them.
Old Granny Zhang didn’t bother with small talk, “What’s wrong with your father?
How did he fall ill?
And he can’t get out of bed now?”
When Wang Yongan heard Old Granny Zhang ask this question, he imdiately displayed a look of self-reproach, “It’s all my fault!
Everything was fine on the way; even on the boat, he didn’t get seasick.
But after we got ho, he began to vomit and suffer from diarrhea the next day.
We called the doctor, who said it was acclimatization sickness.
He prescribed dicine, but it hasn’t helped.”
“At first, Father could still get out of bed and walk around, but it just got worse.
Now he’s bedridden, and is barely hanging on with broths and dications.
I’m truly panicked.
I haven’t even gone to the County Yan these past few days, doing nothing but summoning the doctor and waiting here for you.
If you hadn’t co, I wouldn’t know what to do…”
He spoke with reddened eyes, a clear sign of his distress and worry.
Old Granny Zhang snorted through her nose and didn’t play along with Wang Yongan’s words, “Alright, let’s first go take a look at your ho.”
Wang Yongan quickly nodded and hired a horse carriage on the side, inviting everyone to get on.
When Wang Yongzhu helped Old Granny Zhang onto the horse carriage, she took another look at the teahouse; Song Chongjin had already left.
The carriage didn’t travel far before it stopped at the entrance of an ordinary-looking small courtyard.
After getting out of the carriage, Wang Yonggui looked around suspiciously, “Laosan, haven’t you beco the Master for the County Magistrate?
Why are you still living in a place like this?”
The place clearly looked like an ordinary private residence, with narrow alleys that weren’t very clean, with children playing and laughing in front of each ho.
Every so often, won in plain clothes would co out of their hos and dump water at the base of the walls.
Seeing people from the Wang Family, these won glanced over several tis with stiff gazes before returning to their hos.
Wang Yongan’s expression remained unchanged as he calmly spoke, “Let’s talk inside.”
Pushing open the gate of the courtyard, they entered a small yard with three main rooms and two side rooms that were both small and low.
The courtyard wasn’t large, with a tiny flower bed in the middle.
Upon hearing the noise, Lady Qian and Jinchai walked out from the main room, and the window of the left side room stirred slightly as if soone was behind it, but no one ca out.
Lady Qian, seeing Old Granny Zhang and the group that included Wang Yongzhu, imdiately squeezed out a couple of tears, “Mother, Little Sister, you’ve finally co!
If you hadn’t—”
“Get out of my way—you think your father is dead, wailing like that?” Old Granny Zhang was irritated upon seeing Lady Qian, and pushed her aside to barge into the main room.
Entering the main room, she didn’t see Wang Laozhu’s figure; turning back, Lady Qian twisted her handkerchief and forced a smile, “Mother, father is resting in the side room.”
She pointed toward the right side room.
Old Granny Zhang and others hurriedly ca out again, and Wang Yongan had already opened the door to the side room, standing at the entrance.
Old Granny Zhang and her party did not think much else and entered the room to find that not only was the side room small, but the lighting was also poor.
Upon entering, they were t with a foul sll.
The room was stuffy, and with Wang Laozhu having suffered from vomiting and diarrhea, and the ss not promptly cleaned, the indescribable odor was overpowering.
Wang Yonggui covered his nose and quickly darted back outside.
Old Granny Zhang’s face contorted with discomfort, and it seed as if she could hardly bear it any longer.
Wang Yongzhu was nearly in tears; her heightened senses made her more sensitive than others to the odor, and it affected her far more severely than everyone else.
She had no choice but to hold her breath, opened the window, and leaned out to take a few breaths of fresh air, barely managing to pull herself together.
After so effort, the odor in the room finally dispersed sowhat.
Old Granny Zhang and Wang Yongzhu approached the bed and saw Wang Laozhu lying on it, eyes closed as if in a deep sleep, the commotion not having woken him.
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