The Lucky Farmgirl-Chapter 2078 - 2053: On the Road (Wishing Everyone a Happy Mid-Autumn Festival)
A group of seven people raced their horses towards Xiazhou. Without resting, and sparing no effort, they bypassed Yongzhou City and reached the post station by the time of Shen.
Manbao and the others stopped, quickly replenished their provisions and hot water at the post station, and prepared to continue their journey. The Post Station Steward noticed they were leaving directly and hurriedly said, "It’s going to take a full day to reach the next post station from here, and if you leave now, you’ll miss the place to stay for the night."
Manbao replied, "We’ll find a village inn along the way to stay."
"What if you miss the village?" The Post Station Steward said, "Sir, it’s not summer or autumn now. If you sleep outside, you’ll freeze to death."
Manbao looked towards Daji.
Daji calculated the schedule and confirmed, "We can find a village to stay."
Manbao thanked the Post Station Steward for his reminder and led the group on their way.
The Post Station Steward watched them leave, frowning slightly. People from the Imperial Hospital on official duty, what could be so urgent?
Manbao and the others continued riding until dusk, when they faintly heard the sound of barking dogs.
Daji dismounted, lit a torch, and followed the sound off the small path. Fifteen minutes later, they saw a village with a light on.
Manbao and the others reined in their horses next to him. The medical assistant felt uneasy, "It looks like there are only two lights."
Bai Shan glanced at him and said, "Indicates that the village is not that small. Let’s go."
Just two lights and it’s not small?
The medical assistant, confused, followed them forward. As they entered the village, he finally understood what Bai Shan meant. Although it was now dusk, the moonlight allowed them to see some houses clearly.
It was quite a few, but none of them were lit.
The village had households with dogs. As soon as they entered the village, the dogs started barking loudly, accompanied by the crowing of chickens, making the previously quiet village instantly lively.
Daji went directly to knock on the door of the house with the lights on.
Coincidentally, it was the village chief’s house.
So Manbao and the others rented a place inside with a string of money.
wen for two and a half rooms, with hot water and some ordinary food, still very cost-effective.
Manbao shared a room with their granddaughter, so it was considered two and a half rooms.
Manbao said to Daji, "Have them make a pot of ginger soup to ward off the cold."
Daji agreed and took a piece of ginger from the bundle, as well as digging out a piece from a square of brown sugar to hand to the homeowner.
The homeowner was momentarily dazed, but quickly accepted it and started cooking. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶
While Manbao was drinking the soup, Bai Shan had already communicated with the village chief and turned to Manbao, saying, "It’s not far from here to the main road. If we get up early tomorrow, we should reach the next post station around 1 to 3 p.m. We can reach the third post station by nightfall, and then we’ll have to change horses."
Manbao understood that with such intense traveling, the horses would certainly be damaged. To avoid affecting the upcoming journey, they must be replaced.
Not just the horses, but people were also very tired.
Manbao took out a jar of ointment from his bundle and handed it to Bai Shan, "Apply this tonight."
Bai Shan did not refuse and accepted it.
They stayed in the village for one night, got up before dawn the next day, had breakfast prepared by the village chief’s family, replenished their dry food with many white steamed buns, and set off in the dark.
By the time they reached the main road, daylight had broken a bit, just enough to barely make out the road.
With no one on the main road, the seven felt reassured as they let their horses gallop freely.
Once they left, the village chief glanced at the 30 wen he held, put it away, and turned to his family, saying, "Avoid going into the county or crowded places recently. If anyone comes from the north, try not to let them stay the night."
His eldest son asked, "Why?"
"I don’t know," the village chief said confidently, "The dignitaries didn’t give any reason, just instructed us to avoid bustling places when possible."
Their group managed to reach the third post station by nightfall. The horses were nearly exhausted, and Manbao and her companions almost couldn’t stand. They handed over the horses to the post station staff to wash up and then discussed changing horses with the Post Station Steward.
Manbao took out a gold ingot weighing a full ten taels, along with her official seal and documents from the Imperial Hospital, so the Post Station Steward agreed to give them new horses and prepared the necessary documents.
Because Manbao was on official business, all accommodation and meals were free of charge.
They were up again before dawn the next day, had breakfast, packed the dry food prepared by the post station, and departed.
The Post Station Steward, half asleep, watched them leave, finally convinced of their urgency.
Going out on official duty in such cold places and so urgently, it truly seemed like a daunting task. As expected, being in high office is not easy.
In the manner of swift pursuit, they swapped horses three more times before finally nearing Xiazhou on the fifth day.
As they neared Xiazhou, they sensed it, as there wasn’t a single cart headed north on the main road. Occasionally, they encountered carts traveling in the opposite direction, busy with families, and more were those pushing carts or leaving on foot.
With the sky about to darken, they still hadn’t seen the city. Daji scanned the main road and saw only three people coming from the opposite direction, appearing to be a family of four. A young man was assisting an elderly woman and a younger woman, pushing a cart, with bundles and luggage on their backs.
Daji went forward to intercept them and asked, "How far is it to Xiazhou City from here?"
The stopped person looked at them in surprise, "You’re heading to Xiazhou City? You can’t enter Xiazhou City; there’s an epidemic there, and it’s been sealed off. You’d better leave."
Daji responded, "We are aware. We are going to Xiazhou City on official duty, but it’s getting dark. We just want to know how far it is to reach Xiazhou City."
The person glanced at their tall horses, took a slight step back, shielding his family, and said, "It’s not that far. If you’re riding, it should take about two hours."
Seated high on her horse, Manbao looked them over, her gaze lingering on their cart, and asked, "Did you come from Xiazhou City?"
"No," the person hurriedly denied, perhaps realizing he was too hasty. He paused for a moment before adding, "Our home is nearby. Times are tough now. We’re going to the children’s maternal family’s place for a living."
Manbao watched him for a while, then dismounted to check the cart. She reached out to lift the blanket when the person quickly grabbed her hand, "What are you doing?"
Daji immediately stepped in to grab his hand and pressured, "Let go."
Manbao stared at him, "I’m a doctor."
The person stood in front of the cart, not letting them move.
Manbao gestured for Daji to release his hand. Bai Shan fumbled inside the bundle and pulled out Manbao’s official seal, stepping forward, "We are from the Imperial Hospital. Are you sure you want to prevent us from checking?"
The person was astounded, glanced at the official seal, and seemed not to recognize it.
But...
His eyes roved over their attire and the fine horses behind them. After a moment of hesitation, he released Manbao’s hand and stepped slightly aside, but he still watched them warily.
