Chapter 12: 12012 Qingshui Town

The sky had just begun to turn pale. As they walked along the road, the early morning chill kept burrowing into Li Menglan's neck. Caught off guard, Li Menglan gave a sudden shiver, muttering inwardly, "This really won't do; the weather is getting colder and colder. I wonder if there's anything like air conditioning here... I have to earn some money to buy cotton, coarse cloth, and things like that to make warm clothes. Otherwise... life really won't be livable."

"Daughter, are you cold?" Although Li Dazhu was a simple-minded man, he was her father after all; he had seen Li Menglan's small movement clearly.

"Dad, I'm not cold. Aren't we walking right now? We'll sweat once we get moving, and it'll get warm in a bit. It's fine—Dad!" Li Menglan's eyes nearly reddened at Li Dazhu's attentiveness, and she made a silent vow in her heart: she must ensure her family lives a life of abundance and comfort in this lifetime.

Just as the father and daughter reached a spot not far from the village entrance, they saw an ox cart approaching from a distance: "Dad, do you think that ox cart is going to Qingshui Town?" Li Menglan had made inquiries long ago. To get from Shangliang Village to Qingshui Town... even a man like Li Dazhu would have to walk for more than two hours, let alone her small frame. Li Menglan's eyes were filled with anticipation as she looked at Li Dazhu.

Li Dazhu was momentarily stunned by Li Menglan's words, but when he saw her bright, sparkling eyes, he couldn't help but smile slightly. "Dad doesn't know. Don't worry, daughter, let me go ask for you."

Ox carts from Shangliang Village to Qingshui Town were never frequent, and they charged three wen per person every time. Although Li Dazhu felt the sting of the cost, he felt even more for his daughter. Furthermore, Li Menglan's health had always been weaker than average; if that ox cart really was headed to Qingshui Town... Li Dazhu planned to grit his teeth and ride it.

When the ox cart arrived before them, heh... what a coincidence. The driver was actually Uncle Wang—Wang Tiezhu, whom Li Menglan had seen yesterday. Sitting on the ox cart was a woman of a similar age to him; she was slightly plump and had a fairly delicate appearance. Seeing how closely she sat next to Wang Tiezhu, uh... they must be husband and wife, right?

"Brother Dazhu, what a coincidence!" Seeing Li Dazhu, Wang Tiezhu greeted him with a beaming smile. "Are you heading to town so early, Brother Dazhu? Get on, Big Brother will give you a lift." Without waiting for Li Dazhu to speak, Wang Tiezhu had already invited him with a face full of smiles.

"Brother Wang, Sister-in-law Wang, where are you two heading so early?" Li Dazhu asked.

Li Menglan also quickly flashed a sweet smile at the Wang couple and called out in a crisp voice, "Hello, Uncle Wang, Auntie Wang."

"Ai..." Wang Tiezhu's wife responded with a smile and waved to Li Menglan. "Lan girl, come here and let Auntie have a look at you."

"Auntie Wang." Li Menglan walked obediently to her.

"Good girl, look at this... poor Lan girl, look at her... after that bout of illness, look how thin she's become!" Wang Tiezhu's wife said, reaching out to pull Li Menglan into an embrace.

"By the way, Brother Dazhu, where are you and your daughter heading so early in the morning?" Wang Tiezhu asked curiously, glancing at the two bags—one large and one small—carried on Li Dazhu's back.

"Um, I plan to take Lan girl to Qingshui Town." Li Dazhu didn't want to say much, so he answered vaguely.

Before leaving home, his daughter had specifically instructed him not to tell anyone about the hedgehog fruits—which were actually chestnuts. The same went for the persimmons, chilies, and Sichuan peppercorns; after all, there were only so many of those on Crooked-Neck Mountain. There was a lot of demand and a limited supply!

People in the countryside were not very wealthy, but the villagers were much better off than his own family. Originally, Li Dazhu hadn't taken Li Menglan's words seriously, but seeing the bare walls of his own home, he finally chose silence.

Worried that Wang Tiezhu would press further, Li Dazhu intentionally changed the subject. "By the way, Brother Wang, are you taking Sister-in-law Wang back to her maiden home today?" Sister-in-law Wang's maiden home was in Zhouzhuang, near Qingshui Town. If that were the case... he and his daughter could truly hitch a ride for part of the way. A hint of a smile appeared on Li Dazhu's honest face.

"Haha... Brother Dazhu, you and Lan girl are in luck today. Your sister-in-law's family sent word through someone yesterday for her to go home today. It just so happens I can drop you and Lan girl off outside Qingshui Town. Get on!" Wang Tiezhu didn't think much of it and picked up the thread of the conversation.

"Then we'll have to trouble you, Brother Wang and Sister-in-law Wang. I'll pay the fare once we reach the destination." Friendship was one thing, but Li Dazhu did not want to take advantage of them for free; he spoke with a serious expression.

"Since you want to pay, I'll just take it from you then! Lan girl is so young, and besides, I'm her uncle; what money would a niece have?" Wang Tiezhu knew Li Dazhu's temperament well. Although the man was honest, he was also very stubborn; he held fast to his principles, and once he decided on something, even ten oxen couldn't pull him back.

"Hehe..." Li Dazhu scratched his head and laughed softly before climbing onto the ox cart.

As for Li Menglan? While her father was chatting with the other man, the girl had already climbed onto the cart by herself!

Once the sun came up, they finally arrived outside Qingshui Town. Li Dazhu woke the sweetly sleeping Li Menglan; it turned out the girl hadn't slept well the night before, so she had fallen into a deep sleep as soon as she got on the ox cart. Li Dazhu gave Wang Tiezhu three wen and made an appointment to meet him outside of town in the afternoon. The father and daughter and the Wang couple parted ways at the crossroads.

Qingshui Town covered many surrounding villages and had a large marketplace; it could be called the centralized trading hub for all agricultural and sideline products in the area. One must never underestimate the wisdom of ancient people; the layout of the market was fundamentally no different from modern times.

Vegetables, fruits, agricultural products, eggs, poultry, meat, and fish, shrimp, and seafood all had their own designated trading areas. Both sides of the streets were lined with shops and restaurants. The streets were already bustling early in the morning, bearing a resemblance to a small county town of later generations.

"Dad, it's so lively here." Li Menglan looked around the way, her eyes nearly overwhelmed by the sights.

"Daughter, do you like it here?" Li Dazhu asked with a chuckle, affectionately patting Li Menglan's head.

"I don't." Li Menglan spoke without thinking. Fearing her father might ask why, she preempted him by asking, "Dad, do you know where the largest teahouse in Qingshui Town is?" This was Li Menglan's first time out, so naturally, she knew nothing and had to ask her father.

"Um... Dad knows. It's a place called 'Xianke Ju'." Originally, Li Menglan hadn't held much hope; she had only asked out of curiosity. Who would have thought her father would actually know? Now, it was Li Menglan who was left stunned.