This area was filled with mountain slopes; not only were the rural paths narrow, but they were also incredibly bumpy. Lin Shu lifted a corner of the carriage curtain to observe the outside world.
Sparse groups of villagers could be seen on the road, all of them dressed in coarse cloth, some even wearing clothes with patches. Some villagers carried bamboo back-baskets, while others balanced bamboo shoulder poles with a basket on each end. Inside the baskets, one could see glimpses of fresh green, likely leftover vegetables and fruits that hadn’t been sold.
As the carriage passed, the villagers moved aside to give way, their eyes filled with curiosity that they couldn’t hide: it was a carriage that only wealthy families could afford! The small path led to several villages, the farthest being Tianshui Village, and they wondered where this carriage was headed.
The dozen or so villages under Jingxi Town were all poor. Anyone who could afford a plow ox was considered a wealthy family. During the spring plowing, most of the work relied on human labor. In a place like Tianshui Village, only the Village Chief’s family and Old Man Liao’s family owned a plow ox. Old Man Liao had hitched his ox to a cart, and every morning he would drive it to town to help the villagers bring back daily necessities; anyone wanting to hitch a ride would give him three to five copper coins. Towards sunset, when Old Man Liao returned, he could carry a few more people. Old Man Liao earned quite a few copper coins every day just by hauling goods and people with his ox-cart.
A carriage as grand as the one before them was rare even in Jingxi Town.
On the narrow, winding rural path, the carriage drove through the fading afterglow of twilight, appearing as if it were plated in a layer of golden light. Before long, it pulled up behind an ox-cart.
That ox-cart belonged to Old Man Liao of Tianshui Village. It was carrying three village women and some miscellaneous items, such as bamboo back-baskets filled with goods, baskets stuffed to the brim, and various jars and pots. There was even a large vat tied to the cart.
The road was narrow, and Old Man Liao had no way to let the carriage pass, so the carriage could only follow slowly behind.
Old Man Liao felt a bit flustered, but no matter how fast the ox-cart went, it could never outrun a horse.
“Nanny, you and Uncle Shi Qing should just drop me off here. If we squeeze a bit, that ox-cart in front can fit one more person. I’ll just take that,” Lin Shu proactively suggested.
Nanny Gui looked at the crude ox-cart covered in thatch and frowned in silence, but Shi Qing spoke up: “We are not in such a hurry. I will deliver the Young Miss to the house.”
Hearing this, Lin Shu stopped insisting. Shi Qing was not a warm-hearted person; she suspected that Lin Yao might have asked Shi Qing to secretly bring something to her parents.
When the ox-cart reached a wider clearing ahead, Old Man Liao finally breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly moved aside to let the carriage pass.
With a shout from Shi Qing, the carriage immediately accelerated. The wheels kicked up a cloud of dust, covering the faces of the people on the ox-cart.
A middle-aged village woman with a round, plate-like face spat twice. “Where did those wealthy people come from? What are they doing in our rural countryside?”
Another woman with narrow eyes and thin lips, who looked quite shrewd, watched the departing carriage with a look of wonder. “The last time I saw a carriage was two years ago. That Marquisate carriage was much more luxurious than this one, and the servants had more poise than the county magistrate.”
As soon as the word “Marquisate” was mentioned, the remaining woman, who had been sitting with her eyes downcast in silence, underwent a sudden change in expression.
The three women sat together, and compared to the other two, her beauty was far more striking, though her features appeared overly submissive.
The woman who had spoken realized her slip of the tongue and tapped her own mouth lightly, saying apologetically, “Look at my mouth, bringing up things that shouldn’t be mentioned. Sister-in-law He, please don’t take offense.”
He Guixiang had a soft and easy-going temperament, but this time her jaw tightened and she remained silent.
“Oh my, Sister-in-law He, it’s been two years; you should have come to terms with it. Lin Yao went to the capital to enjoy a life of luxury. Being the daughter of a Marquisate—that’s a blessing so great you couldn’t even pray for it if smoke rose from your ancestral graves! In any case, a girl has to marry sooner or later; just think of it as her marrying into a distant place. Speaking of marriage, that lad Zhou Ye has no luck; otherwise, he could have married a Marquisate daughter. But you’re not losing out either; Zhou Ye has immense strength and is a master at everything he does. You bought him, so even if he marries another woman later, he’ll still have to provide for you in your old age. If you’re really worried, let Zhou Ye wait for your Little Pu; he’d only have to wait five or six years at most. It’s just that your Little Pu’s constitution is weak; I don’t know if she’ll be able to bear children…”
Seeing the other woman’s words becoming more and more inappropriate, the plate-faced woman immediately pinched her arm. “Say less, will you!”
How could anyone offer comfort like that, with every word stabbing the heart?
“I’m only acting out of kindness… Oh, wait! Sister-in-law He, that carriage… could it be your Lin Yao coming back to see you?”
“I remember now! That driver is the same one from the year before last! Sister-in-law He, it must be your daughter coming back to visit!”
In Tianshui Village, it wasn’t just that shrewd woman on the ox-cart who had a good memory.
Someone recognized that this was the Marquisate guard who had come to the village two years ago to pick up the girl, and they immediately began to shout with excitement.
“People from the Marquisate are here! People from the Marquisate are here!”
“Quickly, go tell Lin Old Second! The Marquisate people are here!”
At this time, the sun was setting in the west. The farmers working in the fields were returning one after another. Lin Old Second lived at the end of the village, and his allotted land was far away, so he hadn’t returned yet. His wife, He Guixiang, had also taken the ox-cart to town this morning. Only Lin Xiaopu, that “debt-collecting medicine jar,” was left at home.
Several little girls in the village split up to run. Two went toward the road to find Old Man Liao’s ox-cart to see if Aunt He had returned, while two fast-legged ones ran toward Lin Old Second’s fields. When they could see the fields, they ran while shouting: “Uncle Lin, Big Brother Zhou Ye, people from the capital’s Marquisate have arrived—”
In the fields, Zhou Ye and Lin Dashan were preparing to head back.
Lin Dashan’s back was slightly hunched, and sweat soaked his coarse cloth clothes.
Zhou Ye took the hoes, sickles, and other farming tools from him and walked silently behind him.
Lin Dashan was a skilled worker and considered sturdy in Tianshui Village, but standing next to Zhou Ye, Zhou Ye was actually a full head taller. He was broad-shouldered with long legs, tall and robust. His sleeves were rolled up halfway, revealing a section of his forearms where firm muscles and slightly protruding veins could be seen. After a day of labor, the amount of work he had done was more than three times that of Lin Dashan, yet he still looked refreshed, with only a thin layer of sweat on his forehead.
Hearing someone shouting, both were stunned.
“Ah Ye, that’s the Fan family’s second girl. What did she just say?” Lin Dashan’s voice was somewhat dry and hoarse.
After a moment’s daze, Zhou Ye replied calmly, “She said people from the Marquisate are here.”
Confirming he hadn’t misheard, Lin Dashan quickly increased his pace. Thinking of something, he gave Zhou Ye a push and said urgently, “Ah Ye, you’re fast. You go back first; don’t make the people from the Marquisate wait too long! Only Pu-ya is at home. She’s shy around strangers; don’t let her keep the door shut and leave people standing outside…”
Zhou Ye gave an “Mhm” and walked away quickly. He didn’t even need to run; he simply moved his two long legs faster, and in no time, he had left Lin Dashan far behind.
When he reached the house, the area outside the Lin family’s courtyard was already crowded with villagers watching the excitement. The Village Chief’s family had also arrived.
A large carriage was parked outside the Lin family’s courtyard.
Calling it a courtyard, it was merely a small yard enclosed by a bamboo fence. However, this bamboo fence was high and dense; one had to peer closely through the gaps to see what the people inside were doing. The gate of the courtyard was made of two wooden boards and looked quite decent. The gate was barred from the inside.
Zhou Ye approached and looked at the outsiders.
Zhou Ye recognized the man driving the carriage. Two years ago, it was he who had taken Lin Yao away with a firm attitude. The Village Chief was slightly hunched, conversing with this man. The man would reply occasionally without even lowering his head, maintaining an air of superiority.
“Zhou Ye is back!” someone shouted.
Shi Qing glanced over and then looked away. The people he wanted to see were the Lin couple.
Zhou Ye stepped forward and performed the proper etiquette. “Uncle Lin won’t be back for a while. Would the honored guest like to come inside for a bowl of water?”
Shi Qing: “I won’t disturb you. After I see the Lin couple and deliver the message in person, I will leave.”
“Suit yourself then.” Zhou Ye nodded. The bamboo tube he used to carry water was already empty, and his mouth was parched.
But just then, someone on the stationary carriage suddenly lifted a corner of the curtain. A pair of bright black eyes looked toward him. A soft ray of twilight light fell perfectly into those eyes, looking as if warm-colored stars had landed inside. The eyes full of stars curved slightly at him. “Big Brother, could you also give me a bowl of water?”
That soft, sweet voice was even sweeter than the mountain spring water of Tianshui Village.