Chapter 259 - Chapter 259: Xingfu Town
Chapter 259: Xingfu Town
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Ji Xiang smiled slyly and poked Zhao Cai. “Quick, tell the truth about you and that girl.”
There was something going on. Li Yu and Zhou Jia looked at Zhao Cai together.
Zhou Jia smiled and teased, “Yo! Looks like Zhao Cai has found a good wife! Which girl is it? Tell me.”
“You’re so fast with your words!” Zhao Cai patted Ji Xiang and said with a red face, “Master, on the day the rankings were released for the Spring Quarter Examination, Ruyi and I went to look at the rankings and met a servant. After you left, I sent something to Young Master Lin and found out that she was the daughter of Young Master Lin’s nanny, Su Xiazhi. Xiazhi told her mother and her mother agreed to let her marry me. She’s waiting for you and Madam to decide for me. ”
Zhou Jia pulled Zhao Cai over and laughed. “Silly, it’s been three years. Why didn’t you write to tell me? Let’s go, I’ll write to Brother Yuxuan to ask for his hand in marriage.”
“I just convinced Xia Zhi’s mother to agree.” Zhao Cai blushed and followed Zhou Jia to the study.
Li Yu looked at Ji Xiang and smiled. “Ji Xiang, what about you?” Ji Xiang glanced at Gu Yu, who was standing at the side. She picked up Yangyang and giggled. “Madam, please spare me! I don’t want to be trapped! Right? Young Master Yangyang?”
Li Yu looked at Ji Xiang, who was playing with Yangyang, and smiled. “You’re not young anymore, but you’re still like a child.”
Li Yu thought about going to Great Maple Mountain the next day and said to Gu
Yu, “Gu Yu, prepare yourself. I’ll bring Ji Xiang and you to Great Maple Mountain tomorrow morning.”
Gu Yu looked at Li Yu and thought that she had heard wrongly. “Madam, are you going to Great Maple Mountain that I told you about?”
Li Yu smiled and said, “Yes, I’ll bring you and Ji Xiang to take a look.”
Gu Yu thought that Li Yu was going to play. She waved her hand and said, “Madam, there’s nothing to see in the mountains at this time of year. It’s colder up there than in the city, and the mountain roads are not easy to walk on. Occasionally, scholars will go to the mountains to look at maple leaves in the autumn. Most of them don’t want to go again after going once. The roads are really not easy to walk on.”
Li Yu didn’t explain and nodded. “Go and prepare!”
“Yes, Madam.” After Gu Yu agreed, she thought that there were no extra blankets in the mountain and she had to bring two thick blankets. She would get them from Sister-in-law Xiaoyu.
Li Yu told Ji Xiang about going to Great Maple Mountain tomorrow and asked him to prepare two sets of clothes. Ji Xiang agreed and packed up.
“Come, son, I’ll bring you to take a shower.” Li Yu carried Yangyang and walked towards the bathroom. She said to him, “Does Yangyang like Daddy?”
Yangyang raised his hand. “I like Daddy. Daddy will bring Yangyang to ride a big horse. He will carry me!”
“Oh! Mother has something to do and has to go out for a few days. Can Yangyang stay at home to accompany Daddy and ask Grandma Liu to prepare delicious food for Daddy?”
Yangyang looked at Li Yu and pouted. “Where is Mom going? Yangyang wants
to go too!”
“If Yangyang and Mom are not home, no one will prepare Daddy’s favorite food. Daddy will be hungry when he gets home!”
Yangyang pouted and nodded aggrievedly. “Mom, come back quickly.”
Li Yu kissed him with heartache. “Mother will definitely come back early. My darling is still at home!”
The next morning, Zhou Jia sent Li Yu out with Yangyang. Li Yu brought Gu Yu and Ji Xiang to Xingfu Town.
Xingfu Town was a large town not far from the Yunzhou Prefecture. The road was flat, and the few of them arrived at the town at dawn. There happened to be a market in the town, and the streets were crowded with villagers and people carrying burdens. The cart could not move halfway. Li Yu asked Ji Xiang to find an inn at the entrance of the town and leave the cart and luggage in the inn. She said to Ji Xiang, “Ji Xiang, go buy a few stones of food. Gu Yu and I will go to the market to buy some meat and vegetables.”
“Yes.” Ji Xiang agreed and led the horse to buy food.
Li Yu and Gu Yu bought some sugar from the grocery store and walked toward the meat market in town. When they arrived at the meat market, they bought 50 kilograms of fatty pork and got the butcher to cut it into portions of two to three kilograms each. Li Yu was going to give them to the old and weak when they reached the mountain.
Gu Yu saw that Li Yu had bought fat meat and knew that Li Yu was buying it for the villagers. She was so touched that tears welled up in her eyes. The butcher divided the meat into strips and placed them in the backpacks the two of them had brought. Although Gu Yu wanted to carry all the items, Li Yu helped still helped to carry some of them. “Alright, go buy some vegetables and we’ll go up the mountain.”
Gu Yu said, “Madam, there are radishes, cabbages, and taro on the mountain. There’s no need to buy vegetables.”
“Alright! Lets head back to the inn and call Ji Xiang so we can go up the mountain.” The two of them turned around and walked back. They saw four ruffians surrounding a gray-haired old farmer who was selling vegetables to collect protection fees. The old farmer pointed at the pickled vegetables in the wooden barrel and begged, “Little brothers, please do me a favor. I went out late and just arrived in town. I haven’t earned any copper coins. Can I make up for it later when I’ve earned copper coins?”
A sharp-mouthed ruffian kicked the wooden barrel containing the pickled vegetables and sneered. “Old thing, do you know the rules? Every person who comes to town to sell vegetables has to pay twenty copper coins for protection. Who do you think your grandfather is?”
The old farmer bowed and begged, “I’ve never been here to sell anything. It’s really because my wife is sick. I don’t have money to treat her, so I thought of selling some pickled vegetables to get some medicine for her. Please.”
“Get lost.” A ruffian raised his leg and kicked the wooden bucket. The old man pounced forward to protect the pickled vegetables in the bucket and said angrily, “Don’t kick it over. I’ll leave now. I’m not selling anymore.”
The ruffian surrounded the old man and laughed wantonly. “Do you think this is your house and you can come and go as you please? If you want to leave, you have to give me the money first.”
Li Yu saw that the surrounding people had packed their things and hidden themselves far away. She knew that it had not been a day or two since these people had been tyrannical in town. Thinking that this place was only more than two hours away from Yunzhou City, she wondered why no one coming to interfere. Someone was probably using these people to accumulate wealth.
Li Yu stepped forward and shouted, “Who allowed you to collect protection fees and be domineering in town?
Seeing that Li Yu, a woman, had come to help him, the old man was afraid that she would suffer. He hurriedly let go of the wooden bucket and said to Li Yu, “Thank you for your help, lady. I’m not selling anymore. You should leave quickly!”
When the hooligans saw Li Yu, their eyes lit up. They surrounded Li Yu and turned their heads with lecherous smiles. “Brother Cai, when did such a beauty come to town?”
Gu Yu hurriedly walked forward with her back facing Li Yu. She stretched out her arms to protect Li Yu and shouted, “Get lost. How dare you be rude to my Madam! ”
One of the ruffians laughed strangely. “Yo! Brother Cai, listen. When did a
Madam come to town? We didn’t know about that.” Li Yu looked at them coldly.
The ruffian called Brother Cai glanced at Li Yu and went forward to pull the other to his ear. “Dachui, look at her. She looks even more imposing than
Madam Zhencheng. I’m afraid she has a powerful background.”
Dachui chuckled and said, “Brother Cai, you’re just too timid. Think about it.
When have you seen a Madam come to the market to buy groceries?”
“It’s not wrong to be careful. Let’s go! If we provoke someone we shouldn’t, even the Town Mayor can’t protect us.” Brother Cai turned around decisively and said to them, “Let’s go.”
Dachui pointed at the old man and said, “I’ll let you off today.” The hooligans walked away arrogantly..