From Hoarding to Time-Travel: My Supplies Saved Him

Chapter 719: Chapter 721: Nothing at All

However, as soon as they arrived, they were thoroughly disappointed.

There were a few stalls, but they were only selling items that local farmers had brought over themselves, like eggs and chicks. The noodle stalls they had envisioned were completely nonexistent.

"This place really has nothing," Gu Mingdong said. He had never seen such a desolate area before. "Let’s go back. There’s nothing to buy."

Gu Le Ping pursed his lips and silently crossed this place off in his mind. It really was poor here; trying to do business in such a place would likely be very difficult.

Gu Benluo hadn’t expected to arrive with high hopes only to leave in disappointment. "Forget it. Let’s head back to the inn. They should still have breakfast."

What else could they do if they didn’t go back? They couldn’t exactly just open their mouths and feed on thin air here.

When the few brothers returned to the inn with their arms slung over each other’s shoulders, Gu Wenheng just gave them a cold glance before lowering his head to eat his breakfast.

Gu Benluo and the others carefully bypassed him and walked to another table, where Ming Feng had already set up breakfast for them.

There was a stark difference compared to Gu Wenheng’s spread. They had just caught a glimpse of at least a dozen dishes on his table, each an exquisite pastry. In contrast, their table only had a large pot of mixed-grain porridge along with some standard steamed buns and mixed-grain rolls.

They were already accustomed to this kind of treatment. Gu Wenheng had made it clear to them early on that bringing them along was not for them to enjoy luxury or put on airs. They had to eat and sleep alongside the guards and help out on the road with whatever tasks they could manage.

When Gu Benluo first started eating these things, he was a bit unaccustomed to it. However, seeing the Gu Family Brothers eating with such relish opened his appetite, and he slowly accepted it.

Before leaving, Gu Wenheng glanced at their table, a hint of amusement flashing in his eyes.

Realizing that Gu Wenheng was about to depart, Gu Benluo and the rest didn’t dare delay. They quickly downed the porridge in their bowls in a few gulps, grabbed two buns each, and hurried out to catch up.

"I’ve already asked the steward at the county government. The journey isn’t far, but the roads there are so narrow that carriages and horses simply can’t enter." Jiang Milie stood next to Gu Wenheng. "My lord, shall we head over now, or should I have someone repair the road first?"

Having followed them all the way to Yi Province, the guards were not only adept at protecting their master but were also highly skilled at carving through mountains and repairing roads.

"There’s no need. Since it’s not far, we’ll just walk over. Pass down the order and have everyone get ready." Gu Wenheng also had no intention of visiting the county government. "Find someone to lead the way."

Just as they walked out of the inn, County Magistrate Kuang was already there waiting. Chief Chen had gone to notify Xinsheng Village yesterday but hadn’t returned all night. Today, the magistrate would personally lead the group. Fortunately, there was still a steward who knew the location. Otherwise, they really would have made fools of themselves this time.

「Xinsheng Village.」

Chief Chen could have returned to the county town yesterday, but the villagers had scattered across several mountains to hunt, leaving only a small handful of people behind in the village. Even if he wanted to deliver the notice, he couldn’t reach everyone. Left with no choice, Chief Chen had to stay behind and help them search all over the mountains for the others.

Because of this delay, the sky had already grown dark. It wasn’t safe to travel out of the mountains alone at night, so he had to make do and spend the night in the village.

Early the next morning, looking at the villagers lined up neatly in front of him, Chief Chen told them to go tend to their fields. Having everyone crowd around the village to await the Inspector General would look far too deliberate.

"Why do you think such high-ranking officials would go out of their way to suffer and come to a place like ours?" Yu Laoda shook his head. "Being held up from last night until today means we’re going to catch a lot fewer prey."

"This is the difference between being commoners and mountain bandits." Wu Xiaoliu cleared away some freshly sprouted weeds with a swing of his hoe. "Actually, this is quite nice. It means we won’t have to hide anymore.

"Before you all got back, I asked Chief Chen about it. The reason we have land to farm, houses to live in, and household registration now is all because of Mr. Gu.

"He is our great benefactor. Never mind waiting here for a single day—even if I had to offer up a longevity tablet for him, I’d be willing to do it."

"Really?" Yu Laoda stopped his work. "Then it seems he’s a good official? Does that mean he won’t mind our past identities and won’t give us a hard time later on?"

Wu Xiaoliu replied, "You’re overthinking it. Such a prominent figure wouldn’t even bat an eye at people like us.

"The reason he’s coming over is probably just to see whether the local officials actually took his words seriously.

"If we earn a little less, then so be it. The fact that we were able to sell so much prey before was likely also thanks to this lord.

"If he hadn’t come, we wouldn’t have been able to sell them for such high prices.

"Make sure to pass the word to your brothers later. Tell them not to keep such stiff faces. People who don’t know any better might think we’re utterly unwelcoming."

Yu Laoda glanced back and realized it was true. These men were all in a foul mood today. Anyone who didn’t know the situation would think someone owed them dozens of taels of silver.

He also realized this was highly inappropriate. After all, Xinsheng Village had yet to elect a new village head. If he dropped the ball now, he could forget about competing for the village head position in the future.

Without bothering to continue chatting with Wu Xiaoliu, he went over and gathered his men. By the time they dispersed, everyone had smiles plastered on their faces.

"How’s my expression? Do I look happy?" Tian Laimi rubbed his face vigorously, displaying what he thought was a cheerful smile.

"That’s a sinister smirk. Even kids would probably avoid you if they saw that." He Lu smiled back at him. "Learn from me. You have to show your teeth.

"See? Doesn’t this look much better?"

Seeing these idiots, Yu Laoda felt somewhat exasperated. "Stop grinning like fools. People who don’t know any better will think you’re plotting something wicked.

"If you don’t know how to smile, just try to think of something happy. The way you’re acting gives people the creeps. It was better when you all had stiff faces."

Not minding the rejection, the two grabbed the people next to them to practice their smiles.

Yu Laoda glanced at Gu Letian and swallowed the words that had reached the tip of his tongue. Knowing that this was just his personality, Yu Laoda figured it wouldn’t change even if he made things difficult for him.

Gu Letian, who had been silent the whole time, finally spoke up. "Boss, do you think we can ask them for news about Shangjing later?"

"You’re trying to ask for news about your family." Yu Laoda, however, wasn’t optimistic. "It seems you got separated not far from Shangjing. But such prominent figures wouldn’t know the first thing about the lives of the lower class.

"Don’t go foolishly stuffing silver into those people’s hands. It wasn’t easy for us to save up that silver. You’re better off keeping it so you can find a wife and have a child later on. Consider it continuing the Gu family line."

Even though Gu Letian usually didn’t like to talk, he was completely incapable of hiding anything on his face whenever something was bothering him.

Back when Yu Laoda had first brought him to the mountains, he had managed to pry a few details out of him in fits and starts. From the sound of it, trying to find his relatives like this would be incredibly difficult.

As for returning to his hometown, that was a joke. It was a journey of thousands of miles; walking back on foot was simply impossible.