The Lucky Farmgirl
Chapter 928 - 906 Departure

Chapter 928: Chapter 906 Departure

Ms. Qian, sitting at the head of the room, said, "It’s just about food and lodging. You’re all grown men; just bring a few more blankets, and that will do. We’ll make you dry food to take with you; it won’t be troublesome at all."

She continued, "When you get to the capital, if the shop isn’t making much, you should look for manual labor. First take care of yourselves, and when we have money after the summer harvest back home, we will send some to you."

Old Zhou felt that something was amiss, "Aren’t we going to earn money? Why would we need to put money into it?"

Zhou Dalang and his brothers, on the other hand, thought it was quite normal, saying, "Dad, you have to invest seeds before you can farm, and you need to spend money to buy the land too, right? Doing business must be the same."

Ms. Qian gave them a glance and said, "Your sons have more foresight than you."

Old Zhou: ...

With the matter settled, Ms. Qian saw that Manbao was already yawning, so she waved her hand, "Okay, go back to sleep. Tomorrow, we’ll pack Manbao’s luggage; it’s time to get ready to leave."

Everyone agreed.

Actually, the busiest of them all was Junior Ms. Qian; the others were not much help.

Manbao could pack her own books, clothes, and other items, while Zhou Wulang and the others needed to take even less, which could be packed in less than half a day.

But Junior Ms. Qian couldn’t bear the thought of Manbao and the others enduring hardships on the road, so she put a lot of thought into preparing tasty and portable food for them, and also had to pickle some items for them to take to the capital.

In the end, a large pile of items was prepared. Upon seeing so much stuff, Ms. Qian said, "Let’s buy a mule; they’re hardworking and have enough stamina."

Zhou Dalang and Zhou Er went to the county seat and came back with a mule and a cart.

But it was difficult to take so many items along, after all, there needed to be room for people on the cart, right?

Just as Old Zhou was wondering whether to bring out the family’s ox cart as well, Bai Shan came with the Bai Family’s servants, "... the family has hired several mule carts to load items; these boxes aren’t convenient to place in the carriage. It would be better to load them all on a flatbed cart."

He also said to Manbao, "Let’s ride together; we can discuss our lessons on the way."

Manbao nodded repeatedly.

Discuss lessons my foot! The three of them sat down in a cart, opened all the windows and fixed them, lifted the curtains, and began to lean on the window sills, looking out at the world. Soon, they had forgotten all the sorrows of departure.

Just the thought that they were heading to the capital excited them beyond measure. Even though the road ahead might be fraught with danger, they were filled with fighting spirit and joy.

Mr. Zhuang, sitting in the carriage behind them, couldn’t help but smile and shake his head at their excitement.

Driving Mr. Zhuang’s carriage was Zhou Liulang, while Zhou Wulang drove their own mule cart behind, with Datou, Second Son, and Erya all leaning out the windows, looking out in amazement. It was the familiar road into the county seat they had seen countless times, yet they found the scenery surprisingly new and thought today’s flowers looked particularly beautiful.

The capital seemed so vast and prosperous just by hearing of it.

Upon reaching Luojiang County, they would enter through one city gate and leave from another. Yang Heshu had specially arranged for someone to keep watch on the road, and when they arrived, they would go back to inform him.

Yang Heshu had two chests brought out, along with a letter and a list of gifts, "These two chests are for my friends and relatives in the capital; once you arrive, please help me deliver them to their homes."

Bai Shan agreed and had his servants secure the chests onto the cart.

Yang Heshu exchanged only a few pleasantries with Mr. Zhuang, then turned his head to Bai Shan and the others, sighed softly, and patting their shoulders said, "Keep a low profile in the capital, and be patient when you can."

Manbao spoke out, "I heard the capital is terrifying."

Yang Heshu laughed and said, "It’s certainly not simple."

Bai Shan nodded solemnly, "We’ve taken note, and we’ll be careful."

He twisted his head to glance at the two young companions beside him, then solemnly said again, "I’ll watch over them."

Manbao and Bai Erlang couldn’t help but snort, "Who’s watching whom is still up in the air."

Yang Heshu smiled, stepped back, and said, "You should set off as early as possible, or else you won’t reach the inn by evening."

Ms. Cui came along too. She had two food boxes prepared and gave Manbao a box, "I also have a letter for you. When you first reach the capital, if you find yourself bored, you can visit my sisters. I have a cousin who ranks twelfth in our family and is about your age."

Manbao gratefully accepted it, and then the three said farewell to Yang Heshu and Ms. Cui.

Back in the carriage, they all started to feel a bit sentimental, "I wonder if we can return home for Mid-Autumn Festival?"

Outside the carriage, Daji, who was driving the horses, thought: ...It’s already June 18th, by the time they meander to the capital it will be almost July, then stick around for a month to come back for Mid-Autumn Festival and then return to the capital again?

How idle can they be?

It was Bai Shan who was a bit more sensible, "We’re going to the Imperial Academy to study. The Mid-Autumn holiday probably won’t be long enough for us to go home, right?"

Bai Erlang asked, "Can we go home for the New Year then?"

After calculating for a while, Manbao said, "That shouldn’t be a problem."

But Bai Shan remarked, "I have my doubts. Otherwise, why would my dad have brought my grandma along when he went to study in the capital? Longzhou is even closer to the capital than Mianzhou."

That’s when Manbao recalled another issue and with an "Oh," said, "Grandma Liu and the others are also going to the capital, so your home will be in the capital, right? You don’t have to rush back to Qili Village then."

Manbao and Bai Erlang waited for Bai Shan’s response with a "you have betrayed us" look on their faces.

After a moment of silence, Bai Shan decided to wound Manbao in return, "Aren’t your brother and nephews also headed to the capital? You have even more family members coming than I do."

Manbao thought about it and agreed.

Bai Erlang stared at them with wide eyes.

Both felt a bit sheepish but seemed to think of something and both looked at him, "Isn’t your elder brother also in the capital?"

Bai Erlang widened his eyes, just remembering that fact, "Oh yeah, my elder brother seems to be in the capital."

Bai Shan and Manbao: ...

Frustrated, Bai Erlang slapped his palm and said, "Damn, I forgot to bring something for my elder brother."

Manbao and Bai Shan offered feeble comfort, "It’s okay, just buy something at the next stop and claim it’s from home."

"Is that alright?"

Bai Shan replied, "It’s better than showing up empty-handed, right?"

So, during the noon rest, Bai Erlang went to ask Gao Song, who came along on this trip, "I need to buy something for my elder brother in the next town."

Gao Song quickly inquired, "What would Second Young Master like to buy for the Eldest Young Master?"

Bai Erlang expressed his trouble, "I don’t know, but I should bring something from home for my elder brother, right?"

Only then did Gao Song understand, and after a long pause, said, "Second Young Master, you do know that about half of the things we’re transporting in our carriage are being sent to the Eldest Young Master, right?"

Now it was Bai Erlang’s turn to be surprised, "I had no idea, why didn’t anyone tell me?"

Watching the carriage move into the distance, Old Master Bai’s wife from Qili Village finally dabbed at the corner of her eyes and turned around, "With both children gone on a long journey, my heart feels so empty."

Yet Old Master Bai suddenly clapped his hands as he remembered something, "Damn, I forgot to tell that boy about the things prepared for his elder brother in the carriage. I hope he doesn’t make a mess of things on the way."

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