Chapter 22: Entering the City
(Part One)
As it neared the hour of Si, business at the stall grew increasingly brisk. Seeing that there was little need for his assistance, Jiang Song’an happened to notice a figure darting across the crossroads. Upon spotting him, the person called out softly. Jiang Song’an turned, paused briefly, then walked over.
“What’s wrong?”
The visitor was also a worker from an iron shop in the county town. Glancing around cautiously, he whispered, “Second Brother, I just heard at the dock that many refugees have arrived from the southwest as well. There’s a family named Jiang who’ve settled in Heli Village and seem to be looking for someone.”
Upon hearing this, Jiang Song’an’s previously calm expression gradually darkened.
“Are you certain?”
The shop assistant nodded. “I’m sure. Why not go ask the village head? He must know by now!”
Jiang Song’an’s voice instantly darkened. “Very well. I understand. Thank you.”
..
When Jiang Song’an returned, Yuan Yao had already sold out her goods. Aunt Dou was extremely envious. “Leaving so soon? Oh, if only I could pack up this early too!”
Yuan Yao smiled. “You earn far more than I do! My business is just a small sideline with very little stock. I’m off now!”
Jiang Song’an quickened his pace and approached. “Going home?”
Yuan Yao nodded with a smile. “Mm, we sold out completely!”
Jiang Song’an also nodded, deftly helping her pack everything up.
In high spirits, Yuan Yao chattered all the way home: “We collected three qian today! After deducting the cost of the tofu and the jars, we made a clear profit of two qian!”
Seeing her childish excitement, Jiang Song’an laughed. “Making two qian isn’t the same as making two taels; are you really this happy over it?”
Yuan Yao nodded. “I’m happy!”
She was genuinely happy. Now that she had a fixed stall, she no longer had to wait for market days; she could earn money every single day. Two qian a day meant twenty qian in ten days—that’s two taels. Imagine a month… or two…
No one should ever underestimate the power of small amounts accumulating into something substantial.
Upon returning home, Jiang Song’an packed away all the items used for the stall, while Yuan Yao went to prepare dinner.
For lunch, they had noodle soup, simple and easy to prepare. As Yuan Yao was about to pick a few wild onions before serving, she noticed Jiang Song’an standing by the vegetable patch and called out to him. Yet even after calling twice, he seemed not to hear at all. It was only when Yuan Shuang went over that he finally snapped back to awareness.
Jiang Song’an headed to the kitchen, and Yuan Yao didn’t think much of it. However, noticing his unusual silence at the dinner table, she asked after her younger sisters had finished eating, “What’s wrong with you? You seem quite distracted.”
After a brief moment of silence, Jiang Song’an suddenly put down his chopsticks and said, “Tomorrow I’ll take you to the county town. Would you like to go?”
Yuan Yao, who was sipping her soup, nearly choked upon hearing this. After coughing several times, she managed to stammer, “W-what? Go to the county town?”
Jiang Song’an poured her a glass of water and hummed in agreement. “Didn’t you say before that you wanted to visit the county town? If we’re going to do business, it’s better to go out and take a look.”
That is true…
Yuan Yao did indeed want to go.
“But why so suddenly? I haven’t made any preparations at all.”
Jiang Song’an smiled. “There’s nothing much to prepare for. If you wish, you can bring A-Shuang and the others along, though it will be more troublesome. If you’d rather not, we can ask Granny Liu to look after them for a few days.”
Yuan Yao was still quite surprised: “Is something wrong? This is so sudden.”
Jiang Song’an replied, “No, I just realized I might get quite busy after this period and won’t have time to take you out. Aren’t you planning to sell these fermented bean curds only ten days from now? There’s still time. Would you like to go?”
Yuan Yao thought for a moment, then nodded. “Alright… but tomorrow feels a bit rushed. How about the day after? I’ll make some preparations, and this time, I won’t bring them along. Just as you suggested, they can stay with Grandma Liu or Auntie Dou for a couple of days. I’ll be back within two days at most.”
Jiang Song’an considered this briefly. “That works too. Once we reach the county town, you needn’t worry about lodging; I’ll arrange everything.”
Yuan Yao agreed somewhat dazedly. She had never expected to be heading to the county town so suddenly.
Although in her previous life she had already been to Chang’an City, her heart still swelled with immense joy.
–
Qingshan County was actually quite unfamiliar to Yuan Yao. In her previous life, after Jiang Song’an joined the military and rose rapidly through the ranks, they had lived in Qingshan County for less than a month before settling directly in the prefectural capital. Yuan Yao hadn’t even grown accustomed to the place before moving again; thus, the county town felt far less familiar to her than Yangzhou’s prefectural seat.
Thinking about going to the county town tomorrow, Yuan Yao felt a sense of disorientation. Though she had been reborn for over half a month, this would be her first time leaving Shenmu Town, and her heart was filled with nervousness.
That afternoon, while Jiang Song’an went to consult the village head regarding household registration documents, Yuan Yao told her three younger sisters about her trip to the county town. Although Yuan Shuang and the others were eager to go, they understood that their eldest sister was attending to important matters. They obediently replied, “Eldest Sister, don’t worry! We’ll stay home and wait for you!”
Yuan Yao gently patted the heads of the three sisters. “Good girls. Next time I go out, I’ll take you with me.”
At dusk, Jiang Song’an returned and handed Yuan Yao two scrolls—two household registration documents. “They’re done. The village head worked quickly, but they won’t take effect until next month, when the official seals are uniformly applied.”
Yuan Yao was overjoyed, patting the heads of Yuan Qi and Yuan Li; this had resolved a major concern for her.
“Let A-Shuang and the others go to Grandma Liu’s house. I’ve already arranged it. We’ll leave early the day after tomorrow, so tomorrow, make a list of everything you need to procure.”
Yuan Yao smiled and agreed, “Alright, I understand. Now wash your hands and get ready for dinner.”
With the matter of the household register settled and another trip into town awaiting them the next day, Yuan Yao was in high spirits. She prepared a lavish supper that evening, leaving the three sisters so full and content that they went to bed with satisfied hearts and rounded bellies.
In the dark of night, Jiang Song’an unusually entered the bed curtains first; by the time Yuan Yao arrived, he was already lying down. Yuan Yao asked curiously, “Have the lamps been extinguished?”
Jiang Song’an hummed in affirmation.
Yuan Yao slowly climbed into the bed curtains. She felt that something seemed off about Jiang Song’an today. Just as she was about to ask, his heated body pressed against her again. Before Yuan Yao could even speak, her hands were pinned above her head, leaving her unable to utter a single word…
–
On the twenty-first day of the first lunar month, the weather gradually began to warm.
Early in the morning, Jiang Song’an managed to borrow an ox cart from somewhere and took Yuan Yao into town.
Before leaving, both of them bid farewell to Grandma Liu and Auntie Dou. The three sisters obediently went to the Liu household and stood at the doorway to see them off, calling out, “Goodbye, eldest sister and brother-in-law!”
Yuan Yao said, “Grandma, we’ve truly caused you so much trouble.”
Grandma Liu waved her hand dismissively. “We’re neighbors; why say such things? Take care on your journey!”
Yuan Yao nodded, waved to her younger sisters, and then bent down to climb into the ox cart.
Grandma Liu glanced at the young girls, who were about the same age as her grandson, and her expression softened: “Go inside now. If you’re hungry for anything, just tell Grandma.”
“Thank you, Grandma! We’ve already had breakfast!”
..
It takes nearly three hours to travel from Shenmu Town to Qingshan County—not exactly far, but not close either. A round trip into the county seat in a single day is hardly feasible, so most people rarely venture there unless they have places to stay at both ends, just like Jiang Song’an.
Along the way, Yuan Yao was undoubtedly in high spirits. She asked Jiang Song’an, “Whose ox cart is this?”
Jiang Song’an replied, “It belongs to the Lizheng’s family.”
Upon hearing this, Yuan Yao quickly said, “Lizheng Zhao seems quite familiar with you and has helped me so greatly; we really ought to properly thank him.”
Jiang Song’an replied honestly, “He’s doing fine. He helped me out a lot before. He’s sincere, and the villagers all respect him.”
“I can tell.”
As Jiang Song’an drove the cart ahead, the words the village head had spoken to him yesterday came to mind—
“They’ve arrived, right over in Helitun. You’d better head to the county town and lay low for a couple of days; if they can’t find you, they might just leave. But that wretch truly is scum—up and left without a word back then, and now he has the audacity to show his face again.”
Jiang Song’an’s voice was low and heavy as he said, “I haven’t heard any news about Xiaonian yet.”
Zhao Lizheng replied, “He brought three children with him, but the specifics haven’t been reported yet. I’ll let you know the moment I have any information.”
At this thought, Jiang Song’an’s mood grew even heavier, but remembering the person behind him, he reined in his emotions slightly and quickened his pace.
They set off before the hour of Chen and only arrived at Qingshan County precisely at the hour of Wei. When Yuan Yao stepped down from the cart, her small face was somewhat pale from the jolting ride.
The village roads were not yet leveled, and the ox-cart was far from comfortable. She had endured the entire journey without uttering a sound, yet Jiang Song’an still noticed her condition once she disembarked.
“Feeling unwell? Let’s find a place to rest first.”
Yuan Yao waved her hand. “It’s nothing serious; let’s go to your lodging first.”
Yuan Yao had also obtained a travel permit from the village head for this trip into the city, but since ox carts were not allowed inside, it had to be left at the designated storage area outside the city walls. Yuan Yao hadn’t brought much anyway—just a small bundle containing some money, which Jiang Song’an was now carrying. After showing their travel documents to the guards at the city gate, they were allowed to enter.
“Are you really alright? The place where I’m staying is quite far.”
“It’s fine.” Yuan Yao patted her chest. “I just haven’t ridden in a cart for so long; I’m not that delicate. A short walk to get some fresh air will do me good.”
Jiang Song’an had no choice but to lead her first in the direction of the iron smithy.
Not far beyond the city gate, one must first cross a rainbow bridge, the indispensable thoroughfare for entering and leaving the city. Although the busiest hour past noon had already passed, the bridge remained thronged with people. Vendors’ hawking cries rose and fell in unceasing succession. The afternoon sun bathed the rainbow bridge in light, turning even the dust motes in the air to gold. Though it was still early spring, waves of heat rolled forth, making one feel the bustling vitality of the county town.
As they crossed the rainbow bridge, Jiang Song’an most naturally took Yuan Yao’s hand. Yuan Yao looked up; Jiang Song’an kept his gaze fixed straight ahead without glancing aside. From her angle, she could see only his handsome, sharp profile. In truth, Jiang Song’an was exceedingly handsome—a fact she had noticed long ago. Yet when he did not smile, he always carried a certain sharpness about him, a sharpness that, for Yuan Yao, transformed into a profound sense of security.
Yuan Yao lowered her head. As they passed over the rainbow bridge, she glanced downward and only then realized that the waterways of Qingshan County crisscrossed in every direction. Surely, there must be numerous business opportunities here.