nashuaworldcup Chapter 347 The Old Woman Selling Fruit
Chapter 347 The Old Woman Selling Fruit
It took the escort team more than a month to walk from one ink painting to another color painting.
During this month or so, they only stayed in three cities for two and a half days.
After replenishing water and food, we continued on our journey.
This speed is much faster than when the old man took them south to study.
Moreover, the further south we went, the more bandits we encountered along the way, and it took a lot of time just to deal with them.
On February 15th, we still had a day and a half to go to Peizhou...
The sun is shining brightly today, the trees are green, the flowers are bright, and while walking along the path you can hear the gurgling sound of the nearby stream.
In the South, the weather in February is neither too cold nor too hot, making it a perfect day for horse riding.
In the team, everyone was on horseback except the little girl who had never ridden a horse alone.
Occasionally, Huo Changming and Li Xingsang squeezed their horses' bellies, rushed forward, and felt the pleasure of the wind passing through their cheeks!
The mountains and forests are filled with the hearty laughter of young people.
Behind them, the guards dressed as bodyguards looked at them and were inevitably infected by their enthusiasm.
"Little sister..."
Meng couldn't bear it and drove his horse to the carriage.
The small window was pushed open, and there were still traces of sleep on the little girl's face.
She looked sleepy and poked her head out lazily, "What's the matter?"
"We are almost in Peizhou. Let's rest in a nearby city before setting off again."
It’s almost here…
She sobered up and looked around.
A breeze blew, ruffling the little girl's black hair.
"Okay~" was her soft response.
"drive…"
Meng Buhen drove his horse to the front of the team and gave orders to the team in a loud voice.
After having enough fun, Huo Changming and Li Xingsang returned to the carriage, one on the left and one on the right. The young master took out a fruit from his arms and teased the little girl.
"Sister is awake, do you want to eat?"
“Fruit!”
Jiang An stretched out his fat paw and asked, "Where did you get this~"
"I just saw an old woman selling them on the official road, and I bought them all."
The old man was already gray-haired and his legs were not very good. I don’t know how he walked so far just to sell some fruits…
Anyway, they have a large escort team, and it's just a few fruits, so they will lose every point.
Selling things on the official road?
Or an old woman?
Jiang An was playing with the sweet-looking fruit in his hand, muttering to himself: Why is this combination so weird?
This fruit is unique to the South. After peeling off the skin, the flesh inside is sour and sweet, and very appealing.
The last time Jiang An came to the South, he saw many people setting up stalls and selling goods in the city.
It is true that the fruit is ripe this month...
Jiang An looked at Li Xingsang with suspicion in his eyes.
Young Master Li shook his head, looking helpless, "This fool rode forward, I couldn't catch up..."
Li Xingsang only saw the staggering back of the old woman he mentioned.
Logically speaking, the place where they met the old woman was closest to the city, so they should be going the same way.
But he never saw her once.
Jiang An's eyebrows wrinkled even more tightly, and he bit the juicy fruit and asked vaguely, "Is there anyone following the team along the way?"
"No."
"Brother Meng has left people around the team, so no suspicious people are approaching."
That's fine~
The little girl simply stopped worrying about it, thinking that maybe she was just an ordinary old woman trying to make a living.
As we were talking, the convoy was already queuing up to enter the city...
When it was almost their turn for routine inspection, the little girl stepped out of the carriage.
She stood aside, with her hands on her waist, moving her legs and butt, looking particularly cute from behind.
"Seize the young master?"
Huo Changming raised his voice, "Twenty cents? Are you robbing me?"
Twenty cents, and for one person!
The price for entering the city was not this high before.
The city guard who held out his hand sneered and looked the young man up and down, "You can come in or not..."
"If you don't want to enter the city, take your team and get out! Don't waste my time!"
Hey?!
Jiang An narrowed his eyes and was about to rush forward.
Who is whose boss, you shameless bastard!
"An An!"
Li Xingsang quickly grabbed the little ancestor by the collar and said, "It's important to get into the city first!"
On the other side, Meng Buhen grabbed the angry Young Master Huo and quickly asked his men to hand over the money, so that they could enter the city smoothly.
Throughout the whole process, the little girl and her brother had the same sinister expression, staring at the general defending the city and making him feel cold...
Li Xingsang started chatting with several small vendors pushing carts around him.
"Old man, when did the entrance fee become so high?"
“It wasn’t like this when we came here before…”
The old man was pushing the heavy cart and didn't even have a hand free to wipe the sweat off his face.
He sighed, "How long ago did you get here..."
"Last autumn, the entrance fee to the city increased from ten cents to fifteen cents, and after the new year, it went all the way up to twenty cents."
He looked at his cart of goods with a sad face, "I can only make thirty or forty cents from selling them for a whole day."
How can people survive in this world?
Li Xingsang understood what the old man didn't say completely, and felt quite uncomfortable.
He stretched out his hand, "Let me help the old man push it."
"Don't, little sir!"
"Don't get your clothes dirty..."
"It's okay, just wash it when it gets dirty." The young master smiled gently and pushed the cart forward with the old man.
“Then do you know why it’s rising?”
"It's all because of the Second Prince in Kyoto!"
The old man lowered his voice, and his tone was full of resentment when he mentioned Jiang Yizhou...
There were soldiers guarding the city gates all around, and they didn't dare to talk about the prince of a country too ostentatiously.
However, from the old man's brief words, Li Xingsang was still able to analyze the reason.
According to the old man, the trouble caused by the Second Prince in the South Land years ago ended in Kyoto, but it did not end in the South Land.
Officials in the city used this incident to increase the entrance fee and various fees. If you ask why the increase was caused, it was simply because the city was severely damaged by the Second Prince's incident, and the government offices and other places all needed money.
So where does this money come from?
Naturally, wool comes from sheep.
"That's it…"
In the inn, after Li Xingsang finished speaking, he drank a cup of cold tea.
"The wool comes from the sheep!"
Huo Changming suddenly stood up and turned around in anger.
Before An An came to the north, the government office was poor every year, so poor that the governor had to sew and patch his pants. Why didn't he increase the various taxes and fees?
Anyone who can say such things is not a good person... No, he is a good official!
Li Xingsang patted Changming's shoulder, "Calm down..."
This inn is not soundproof.
"I don't think this is something that local officials did themselves..."
He asked the old man, and the price for entering several nearby cities, including Peizhou, was the same.
In other words, the governors of several states were blatantly squeezing the people's wealth at the same time.
In this case, it seems more like someone in a higher position in Kyoto gave the order specifically to ruin the Second Prince's reputation.
Jiang An's eyes flashed with annoyance, "Another royal family fight..."
After all the fighting, they still sit high in the government, while the people at the bottom suffer.
Li Xingsang and Huo Changming did not speak to each other. The house, which was not very big to begin with, was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.
Even if they see through the trick, it doesn't matter. This is a matter of several states. Who can do anything about it...