Transmigration: Space-Aided Rise to Power and Prosperity-Chapter 336 - 172: Staying Overnight

Mrs. Gao listened to the passengers’ discussions and her face turned somewhat unsightly. No matter what, her girl was still the legitimate daughter of the Duke Mansion’s Princely Heir, how could she be scrutinized by such vulgar people?

Qing Dai and Lianxin involuntarily shrank back. In the Duke Mansion, the people they interacted with were all ladies from large households and some maids and old women; no household would be so wantonly scrutinized, and they were not accustomed to it.

Gu Chengyu saw this and quickly called them into the carriage. The six carriages then majestically set off.

"Sir! There’s a village ahead, should we go seek lodging there?" Ming Mo was leading the way and spotted a small village up ahead. The skies were about to darken, and if they missed this village, they wouldn’t know if they could reach the next market town.

Gu Chengyu lifted the curtain and looked at the sky, "Alright, ask Ming Yan to inform Miss Yao, Brother Sun and the others to prepare, for tonight we’ll need to lodge at a farmhouse."

Actually, if there weren’t women in the party, they would certainly rush to the next market town to stay at an inn. Women are fragile, and the carriages can’t be driven too fast, which delayed them.

After Ming Yan conveyed the message, the carriages headed for the village.

Gu Chengyu observed from within the carriage, noting it was a small village with just over twenty households. The houses were like those in the original Shangling Village, all made of earthen bricks with thatched roofs.

It was now past the dining hour; villagers had eaten, and sat by the large well at the village entrance, while children chased and laughed alongside the adults, making this the most leisurely time of the day.

The villagers saw Gu Chengyu’s carriages even before they reached the village entrance.

"Old Man Hua, those are carriages, right?" An elderly man squinted at the carriages nearing the village entrance, and asked.

"Looks like it to me! Eh? Yes, indeed they are!" Old Man Hua craned his neck to peer at the carriages; he was well-versed and had of course seen carriages before.

"Why so many carriages? Who could they be visiting? Which family has such wealthy relatives?" The elderly man speculated about who these carriages were visiting as they approached the village entrance.

The village was very poor, and everyone knew each other’s roots. To think they were relatives of someone in the village, he truly did not believe it!

"Could they be seeking lodging? Our village hasn’t heard of such relatives."

Although it wasn’t far from the official road, few people actually sought lodging there. If it was daytime, they could continue a little further to find a tea house for food and drink, and the next market town wasn’t too far either. With some effort, one could reach there before nightfall.

So, few people came to the village for lodging. Additionally, their houses were too shabby for travelers to care for.

"Oh~ carriages, there are carriages, Er Dan, come see the carriages, there are carriages coming into the village." A five or six-year-old child, pulling along a mud-covered, smaller boy, called out.

"There really are carriages!" A man returning from the fields with farm tools also looked over.

The women were also chattering away. With no outsiders living there, everyone in the village, despite its small size, knew everything from whose hen laid eggs, whose dog had puppies, to which wife was scolded by her mother-in-law.

The arrival of carriages was obviously news, and since there was nothing pressing, the women naturally enjoyed gossiping.

Ming Mo drove the carriages to the village entrance and quickly stopped them, asking, "Old gentleman, we wish to lodge in the village, is there a household with many rooms?"

Old Man Hua promptly stood up; he had good eyesight! He knew that the person sitting on the axle must be a servant; even the servant’s clothing was silk, so the people in the carriages must be very wealthy.

"How many are there of you?" Seeing six carriages, there were surely many people, and no household in the village was large enough.

"Eighteen people in total, are there places available?" Ming Mo glanced at the village; most of the houses were dilapidated, unsure if the young ladies could adapt to staying there.

Old Man Hua frowned, "You’d better check with the village chief’s house, though even there might not accommodate everyone."

Unexpectedly, so many people arrived at once. Old Man Hua pondered; his family had four rooms; the eldest son, daughter-in-law, and grandson occupied one, leaving two rooms, which should still be sufficient if they squeezed in.

These were wealthy individuals, and whoever they lodged with would probably receive some lodging money when they left. If they encountered someone generous, maybe they would even leave one or two taels.

Such an opportunity could not be missed! However, his house couldn’t possibly accommodate all of them, so it would be better to have some go to the village chief’s, whose house was better and big enough to fit seven or eight people without issue.

Ming Mo turned and asked Gu Chengyu, "Sir! With so many people, one house definitely won’t fit us all; should we check the village chief’s house?"

Gu Chengyu pondered for a moment; night was approaching, and there likely weren’t any more villages for miles around.

"Then let’s go check out the village chief’s house."

Old Man Hua heard this and knew that there must be someone important in the carriage, but the voice sounded rather young.

Sun Xian and Ye Zhiqiu also lifted the curtains and looked outside, "Chengyu! Could it be that with so many of us, we won’t fit?"

"I’m not sure yet, we need to see the village chief’s house as the old gentleman mentioned." Gu Chengyu was also uncertain, mainly because there were women traveling with them.

Old Man Hua, through the lifted curtain, saw Sun Xian and the others in the carriages and was somewhat surprised — they all looked quite young? They were all young men!

Mrs. Gao in the middle carriage listened to the conversations ahead and said to Yao Mengxian beside her, "Miss, this village seems so small, and the houses are in disrepair. Can we find a place to stay?"

Her girl may not be favored in the mansion, but she had never stayed in such a place!

Yao Mengxian was more concerned about whether they could actually fit, rather than the condition of the houses. Traveling away from home required some compromises. This hardship didn’t amount to much compared to her dreams.

"Traveling away from home, even with a desire for comfort, it may not be feasible, so we’ll have to make do." Lianxin was more open-minded, believing that wherever their benefactor was, it was always safe.

Besides, Mr. Gu appeared to be a considerate person, unlikely to let her young lady suffer too much.

Qing Dai, who was staring blankly at the front carriages earlier, snapped back to reality upon hearing the voices in her carriage.

"The houses here are quite rundown; let’s hope the village chief’s house is somewhat better."

Old Man Hua led the way, with the carriages continuing forward. The villagers followed curiously, including children who ran after them. They hadn’t gone far before reaching what they called the village chief’s house.

"Village chief, someone is here seeking lodging!" Old Man Hua, despite not being very old, appeared so. He shouted with vigor.

The village chief’s house looked like the best in the village. Although it was a mud-brick house, it had a tiled roof.