Transmigrated as a Stepmother: Time to Bring the Family to Prosper!-Chapter 371: Bathhouse Soak

As they left the village, the sky remained overcast throughout the journey.

The seasoned old farmers could tell at a glance that the nighttime temperatures might plummet, and snow was likely to fall at dawn.

Unfortunately, there wasn’t a proper farmer among the group. As Liu Ji drove the carriage, he merely felt colder and colder, mumbling, "Traveling in winter is really a punishment for humans."

In a daze, he thought back to the days of delivering grain to the Northern Territory last year. In the blink of an eye, it had already been a year.

A year seemed short, but during this time, there was first a locust plague outside, followed by famine, making everything a chaotic mess.

Yet, their village seemed like a utopia, establishing a stationery factory, building roads, and everyone in the village had built large houses, making the situation unbelievably good.

But upon leaving the village, heading towards the Prefecture, braving the bone-freezing winds, they saw several groups of beggars.

It seemed that every year, the common people who struggled to make a living still couldn’t enjoy the comforts of warm clothes and full meals in the end.

Those straw-built huts remained unchanged for ten years, without a trace of change.

The last time he went to the Prefecture for exams, the huts looked like this, and in this cold winter, they still looked the same.

"Wife, you truly are the village’s good fortune!"

Qin Yao, warming herself by the fire and sipping hot tea inside the carriage, suddenly heard this flattery, not exactly genuine, but certainly deliberate.

"What?" she asked bluntly.

Outside the thick cotton curtain, Liu Ji chuckled awkwardly, "Could you kindly use your noble hand to help your husband find a thick garment to wear? It’s so cold out here that my hands are almost numb."

Qin Yao snorted lightly, advising, "Next time, speak directly and don’t waste my time."

Rarely leaving the village, she cherished the quiet moments to herself, wanting only to listen silently to the wailing sound of the cold wind outside the window and immerse herself in her solitude.

But interrupted by Liu Ji, her mind became restless. While searching for clothes for him, she pondered the tasks awaiting her in the Prefecture.

First, she’ll visit Aunt Qi, then find Jiang Wen of Fulong Trading Company to settle accounts, finally spending half a day shopping in the city, buying gifts for the children, preparing some New Year’s supplies, then heading back home.

Calculating this, they needed to stay in the Prefecture for at least three days, and considering the round trip, half a month would be wasted.

When they returned to the village, there would be the matter of Liu the carpenter withdrawing his shares to address, just thinking about it made Qin Yao want to lay down and give up.

Liu Ji didn’t bring much luggage, just two sets of changeable clothes. Qin Yao found one, casually shook out a thick robe, and tossed it out with an incredibly irritable temper.

Liu Ji, unaware that he had disrupted her peace, took off the robe covering his head, warmed by the charcoal heat, and felt bewildered.

However, complaints were not an option; he could only appease her to avoid the tragic fate of being discarded in the wilderness.

"Wife, it doesn’t seem to be getting brighter at all. I wonder what hour it is now," Liu Ji asked out of curiosity.

The person inside the carriage lifted the curtain and emerged. Liu Ji instinctively felt a warmth at the back of his head, but the falling cotton cloth blocked it again, and as the cold wind blew, he shivered, thinking what kind of divine life she was living in the carriage.

He made way to leave some space for Qin Yao.

The cold wind howled outside, her improperly tied hair bun flew wildly beside her cheeks. Liu Ji felt a chill watching her, but Qin Yao seemed unaffected by the cold.

She looked up at the sky, frowning slightly, "It’s already past noon; the sky isn’t getting brighter, indicating a thick cloud cover. By afternoon, there might be a significant temperature drop, and it might snow tonight."

The driver ahead, overhearing this, turned back to ask politely, "Madam, are you certain there will be snow tonight?"

Qin Yao answered affirmatively. In this post-apocalyptic world, various extreme weather conditions occurred one after another. The omens came unnoticed, but after experiencing them repeatedly, she gradually found a pattern.

With signs this obvious, Qin Yao was sure she wasn’t mistaken.

Qi Xian poked his head out of the carriage window, bundled up with a scarf, hat, and earmuffs, revealing only a delicate, fair little face, like a squirrel, making Liu Ji laugh heartily.

Only when Qin Yao shot him a glare did he reply with a "cough, cough," clenching his fist to stifle his laugh.

Qi Xian asked, "Madam, if there’s snow tonight, will it affect tomorrow’s itinerary?"

Qin Yao replied calmly, "No problem, just a light snow. It’ll melt away once daylight comes, not affecting the schedule, but it’s best to stay indoors tonight."

Qi Xian let out a sigh of relief, asking Qin Yao if she was tired. Upon hearing she wasn’t, he instructed the guards to skip the midday break, hasten their journey, ensuring they reach the large official post station by evening to cope with the temperature drop tonight.

Liu Ji watched wide-eyed as Little Senior Brother made decisions alone, almost grinding his teeth – didn’t the driver’s life count?

But just as his freezing hands were about to be numbed stiff, Qin Yao yanked him aside, taking over the whip, "Get lost!"

Liu Ji felt a dazzling array of blooming flowers before his eyes, the spring sun suddenly setting upon his heart, melting the ice.

"Wife, that ’get lost’ is the most touching one I’ve ever heard." Before he ducked into the carriage, he couldn’t help but crack a joke.

Qin Yao was utterly resigned, shaking her head in helpless laughter, flicking the whip to speed up, quickly catching up with the Qi family’s carriage ahead.

The weather turned just as she predicted; by mid-afternoon, the cold felt noticeably heavier.

Fortunately, before darkness set in, they successfully reached the largest nearby official post station.

Benefiting from the Qi family’s association, it was the first time Liu Ji and Qin Yao stayed at this official post station that ordinary people could only view from afar but dared not approach.

As it was the largest inn between Kaiyang County and the Prefecture, the establishment not only boasted luxurious heavenly numbered rooms but also had a bathhouse available for a soak.

Liu Ji, leaning on Little Senior Brother’s shoulder, swaggeringly called over a post station attendant to inquire about the procedures. The attendant cautiously replied:

"Honored guests first collect tokens at the entrance of the backyard bathroom. If the group exceeds five people, the kitchen will immediately heat the water, and guests may enter the bathhouse with their tokens to enjoy a soak."

Soaking wasn’t just about immersing in hot water; maintaining temperature required a continuous supply of hot water. In the winter, catering to just one person’s needs was too indulgent, wasting much firewood.

However, the threshold of five people was essentially nonexistent for the dignitaries accompanied by attendants.

Qi Xian hesitated, wondering if it was too extravagant, but Liu Ji had already headed to the bathroom entrance. Who knows how he managed it, but he gathered a basket of bath tokens and distributed them to all the inn’s guests.

With this demand from the guests, the bathhouse opened, hot water filling the pool, and soaking in the bath became a natural process.

"Teacher, come on, get your clothes together. We’re going to soak in the bath!"

Gongliang Liao was in the midst of his evening meal when Liu Ji, whirlwind-like, swept him away.

After a series of rattling noises, all that remained in the room was a pair of jade chopsticks fallen to the ground.