Chapter 158
158 Lodging in the Snow
When the shopkeeper heard from the shop assistant that Shopkeeper Chu’s friend had brought something over, he felt a little strange. They were all using messenger pigeons, so no one would help carry letters. However, this person said that he was Shopkeeper Chu’s friend, so he still followed the shop assistant to the place where he met guests.
When the shopkeeper saw Zhou Jia, he smiled and cupped his hands. “Greetings, sir. I’m the shopkeeper of the Four Seas Bank, Chu Zhong.”
Zhou Jia looked at Ruyi and he left. Zhou Jia said to the shopkeeper, “Shopkeeper Chu asked me to bring you a message.”
Seeing Ruyi leave, Chu Zhong also instructed the shop assistant to leave. Zhou Jia took out a small wooden sword and bamboo tube and handed them to Chu Zhong. “When we were sheltering from the rain in the Taoist temple on the mountain the day before yesterday, General Shen Wu entrusted it to me. He hinted that we should send it to the bank.”
After Chu Zhong took the small wooden sword and bamboo tube and looked at them, he returned the small wooden sword to Zhou Jia and hurriedly bowed to Zhou Jia. “I didn’t know it was you, sir. Thank you for the news.”
Zhou Jia smiled and took the small wooden sword. “Shopkeeper Chu, go ahead. My family is still waiting for me outside the bank, so I won’t disturb you.”
Chu Zhong also had to get busy delivering the news. He did not ask Zhou Jia to stay. After sending Zhou Jia to the door, he turned around and went back to send the message.
Zhou Jia brought Ruyi out of the bank. The group found an inn called Shuntong Inn to stay in.
Li Yu took a shower and lay on the bed to stretch. She thought to herself, It’s still more comfortable to sleep in a bed. Thinking about the journey of two months, she felt a headache. Transportation in her previous life was better. It was only a few hours by plane from the provincial capital to the capital.
Xiaoyu knocked on the door with a water bag. “Young Madam, Young Master wants you to go down for dinner.”
Li Yu opened the door and smiled at Xiaoyu. “Xiaoyu, are you done bathing? You’re exhausted, right?”
Xiaoyu narrowed her eyes and smiled happily. “I’m not tired. I got used to it after sitting for a few days. I even learned how to drive from Ruyi. It’s good for him to rest when we go on the flat road.”
Seeing Xiaoyu’s blissful expression, Li Yu was also glad for the two of them. “Seeing how happy you are, your parents should be relieved.”
He Xiaoyu lowered her head. “Sister Xiaoyu, I just miss my parents a little. I find them naggy at home and I miss them after I leave. I wonder how they are.”
Li Yu was a little sad when she heard that. That’s right! Humans are such creatures. They never know how to cherish what they have in front of them. They are all thinking about what would happen in the future. In the future, they would only be able to miss the past.
“Don’t worry. We’ll write to them when we reach the capital.” Li Yu comforted Xiaoyu.
The few of them rested for a day in Qitong County and bought some necessary items before setting off again.
After walking out of the city for more than an hour, snow began to fall. The cars and pedestrians on the road struggled to move forward against the cold wind and the snow.
When the group reached the beginning of the hour, they realized that there were fewer and fewer pedestrians on the road. Zhou Jia pulled down the brim of his hat and looked at the flying snowflakes worriedly.
Li Yu lifted the car curtain and realized that the snow was getting heavier. Looking at the gray sky, she couldn’t even see the road a little further away. Li Yu thought to herself, No one is familiar with the roads in this area. It would be troublesome if the cart flipped into a ravine.
“Xiao Xi, it’s getting dark. The snow seems to be getting heavier. I think we have to find a place to stay. It’ll be troublesome if the cart skids.”
Zhou Jia looked up at his surroundings and realized that there seemed to be a house in front of him. He said loudly to Li Yu, “There seems to be a village in front. Let’s go over and take a look.”
Li Yu shouted to Zhao Cai behind her, “Everyone, follow closely. Don’t get separated.”
Zhao Cai flicked its whip to signal to Li Yu he had heard it. The cart drove forward for another half an hour. Zhou Jia saw a few thatched houses by the roadside clearly. Zhou Jia parked the car in front of a thatched house and walked over to knock on the door. A man’s voice sounded from inside. “Who is it?”
Zhou Jia said, “Big Brother, we passed by here.”
A middle-aged man opened the door and asked Zhou Jia, “Who are you looking for?”
Zhou Jia cupped his hands and bowed to the man. “Brother, we’re going to the capital to take the exam. We want to stay here for the night. We’ll pay you, alright?”
The middle-aged man stuck his head out and looked out. Seeing four carriages parked outside, he nodded and pointed at the house in the west wing. “That house is not leaking so you can stay in there, but I don’t have any extra beds in my house. Sir, if you don’t mind that our humble abod, you can stay!”
Zhou Jia cupped his hands and said with a smile, “Thank you, Big Brother. We’re already very grateful that you let us stay. How can we despise you? May I know your name?”
The man glanced at Zhou Jia. “My surname is Yu. You can call me Yu San.” The man came out of the house and pointed at the room in the west wing. “I’ll open up the room for you to stay in.”
Zhou Jia cupped his hands and thanked him. “Alright, thank you.”
Li Yu leaned against the wooden box in the car and lifted the curtain to look at the few thatched houses in front of her. The low houses had tofu-like windows. Li Yu looked at the houses and was secretly worried that if the snow was too heavy, the houses would probably collapse.
After Zhou Jia finished talking to the man, he returned to the car and said to Li Yu, “Madam, come down quickly. The owner of the house promised us to stay at his house for the night.”
“Alright, everyone, come down and stay here for the night,” Zhou Jia shouted at Ruyi and the others.
When they heard this, they all got out of the car and started to carry their luggage into the house. Ruyi and Zhao Cai fed the horses. Li Yu brought He Xiaoyu to raise the fire and the house quickly warmed up.
Yu San carried a load of water to the door and said to Zhou Jia, “Sir, these two buckets of water are for you to use.”
“Thank you, Brother Yu.” Ruyi walked over and looked at Yu San. “Brother Yu, I don’t want to trouble you about fetching water to stay here. Tell me where the well is. I’ll get it myself.”
Yu San smiled honestly. “How can there be a well in a poor place? We all fetch water from the ditch in the forest over there.”
After saying that, Yu San put down the bucket and turned around to leave. Li Yu and the others cooked the meal in a lively manner. They chatted by the fire for a while and calculated their itinerary. Zhou Jia said to them, “After we reach Qi Tong County, we’ll reach Anyun County. Going through Anyun County, we’ll have to cross a mountain called the Immortal Peak. The mountain path is a little like the Cloud Stream Peak, but it’s not as steep as the Cloud Stream Peak. However, some places are even narrower than the path at Cloud Stream Peak. I hope that it won’t snow so heavily when we reach Immortal Peak. Otherwise, it won’t be easy to cross.”
Li Yu smiled and comforted them. “Don’t be afraid. We used to carry so many things when we passed the Cloud Stream Peak. Are we still afraid of the Immortal Peak?”
He Xiaoyu also smiled and nodded. “That’s right! We’re not afraid.”
“Yes, we’re not afraid.” They all nodded in agreement.
Ruyi brought Zhao Cai out to look at the livestock. Ah Gou and He Tiezhu followed the two of them to the toilet. Everyone returned to the house and set up the tent. Ruyi said to Zhou Jia, “Young Master, Young Madam, you guys rest. Zhao Cai, Iron Pole, and I will take turns guarding the night.”
Zhou Jia nodded. “Alright, everyone is tired. Let’s sleep separately!” Li Yu and Xiaoyu entered the tent and rested.
At dawn, Li Yu woke up and saw Xiaoyu burying her face in the blanket and sleeping soundly. She thought to herself that the girl must be tired.
Li Yu put on her clothes and skirt and came out of the tent. He Tie Zhu was about to walk out with the grass and hurriedly bowed to Li Yu.