Chapter 89 - 86: Entering the City
Chapter 89: Chapter 86: Entering the City
A month passed in the blink of an eye.
On this day, bright and early.
Ms. Chen had made a lot of delicious food: crispy pastries, vegetable pockets, and dried meat, all packed into a large bundle.
Then, she said to Fang Cheng, who was driving the cart:
"Fang Cheng, you’re the older brother. Take good care of your younger brother on the road, you hear? If my Zhi’Er comes back skinny, I won’t forgive you."
"Mom, I know, I know," Fang Cheng agreed good-naturedly.
In reality, how many times had Fang Cheng even been to Xiahe County Town?
Not even a fraction as many times as Fang Yue. Whether it was familiarity with the route or general experience, Fang Yue was far more seasoned.
But in Ms. Chen’s eyes, Fang Yue was the younger brother, and Fang Cheng, as the elder, had to take care of him.
This trip to the city was to buy some daily necessities.
It was also a chance to take his sister Fang Lan, his sister-in-law, and his older brother to look around the city.
His sister and sister-in-law had never been to Xiahe County Town in their entire lives.
This was actually quite normal. Their Da Liushu Village was quite a distance from Xiahe County Town.
Two hundred li was a very long way to travel on foot, with no horse-drawn carts or other means of transportation.
Such a long journey was fraught with potential dangers.
If something unexpected happened on the road, who would ever know?
That was why, in the past, only groups of ten or more adult men from the village would travel to the city together. They would rarely bring their wives along.
But Fang Yue was a Martial Artist. His current combat prowess was comparable to that of a Martial Artist at the fourth pass of the Martial Dao, the Marrow Transformation Pass.
A hundred or so ordinary farmers would be no match for him. Taking on a hundred men at once was no exaggeration.
That was why he dared to bring his older brother, sister, and sister-in-law into the city with him.
"Don’t worry, Mom. Nothing will happen, I promise," Fang Yue said with a reassuring smile.
Fang Yue and his brother Fang Cheng walked at the front.
His sister and sister-in-law sat on the ox-cart, following behind.
As they walked, his brother Fang Cheng suddenly whispered to Fang Yue:
"Zhi, do you think the city girls are as fresh and lovely as young white cabbages in the field?"
Hearing this, Fang Yue’s eyes went wide. He couldn’t believe it, thinking he must have misheard.
’How could my honest, simple brother suddenly say something like that?’
’Who told him city girls were so lovely?’
’Is my brother one of those guys who goes bad as soon as he gets a little money?’
In this day and age, having three wives and four concubines was normal. Ordinary farmers couldn’t afford it, of course, but which landlord didn’t live like that?
"I heard they use some kind of rouge and powder to look so lovely. I was thinking of buying some for your sister-in-law," Fang Cheng continued.
’So that’s what this is about.’
Okay, for a second there, Fang Yue almost thought his simple, honest brother wanted to take a concubine.
’So that’s it, he wants to buy rouge and powder for his wife.’
’Still, it’s not easy for my dense brother to think of a way to please his wife.’
"Who told you about rouge and powder?" Fang Yue asked.
’My brother is as dense as a block of wood; he definitely wouldn’t have come up with this on his own.’
Or rather, a guy that clueless about romance would never think of giving rouge and powder as a gift.
Someone must have taught him.
"I’ll tell you, but don’t you dare tell Mom when we get back. It was Dad. He asked me to bring some back for him, so I figured I’d buy some for your sister-in-law too," Fang Cheng whispered seriously.
Fang Yue was utterly stunned this time.
’It was actually Dad!’
He never thought the quiet, simple, and honest Father Fang had such a side to him.
No wonder he was able to marry a wife as shrewd and capable as their mother.
Since that was the case, Fang Yue naturally had to help. "In that case," he said,
"I’ll take you to buy it when we get there. I won’t tell Mom. I don’t know anything."
Fang Cheng nodded emphatically.
Then, he glanced guiltily back at the ox-cart. Thankfully, his wife and sister were busy talking and hadn’t noticed him.
Luckily, perhaps because it was their first time traveling so far from home, the two women were completely absorbed in the scenery on both sides of the road and paid no attention to the Fang brothers.
Because Fang Yue wasn’t traveling alone this time—bringing his brother, sister-in-law, and sister along—the journey took quite a while.
It wasn’t until noon on the fourth day that the outline of Xiahe County Town came into view.
"Zhi! Zhi! Is that Xiahe County Town? The town is so big! The walls are so high! And there are so many people at the gate. What are they all lining up for?"
Fang Lan was thrilled. Even after four days of a bumpy and tiring journey, she was still full of energy.
As for Fang Cheng’s wife, perhaps because her brother-in-law was right there, she was much more reserved. She didn’t ask a million questions like Fang Lan, but simply held tightly to Fang Cheng’s arm.
"Mhm, those people are paying the city entrance fee. It’s two copper coins per person," Fang Yue explained.
Driving the ox-cart, the group soon reached the city gate.
Only then did they realize how long the line was—several hundred people.
They carried bundles on their backs, drove ox-carts, and wore all sorts of different clothes, but most of them shared one characteristic: they were all poor.
"So many people... how long will it take to get through this line?" Fang Lan couldn’t help but ask, looking at the queue that stretched over seventy yards long.
She knew Xiahe County was populous, but she hadn’t expected this many people.
Just waiting in line to enter the city looked like it would take over an hour.
"It’s fine. We’ll be inside in no time."
Fang Yue led his brother, sister-in-law, and sister right past the line, walking directly toward the city gate.
Fang Lan and the others naturally followed him.
The people waiting in line noticed Fang Yue’s group, and their gazes turned scornful.
’Don’t know where these country bumpkins came from.’
’They’re dressed decently enough, but don’t they know the rules here? Daring to cut the line... they’re in for it now.’
"Trying to cut in? The absolute nerve! Get the hell out of the way!"
Just then, as if on cue with their thoughts...
At the city gate, a burly soldier grabbed someone from the crowd, cursed at him a few times, and then kicked him away.
It turned out the man had tried to cut the line and was caught by the gate guard, so naturally, he got a beating.
And that was just for trying to sneak in. It was rare to see people as brazen as this group, walking right past everyone.
The other people in line couldn’t help but look at Fang Yue’s group with schadenfreude.
"Zhi, did we go the wrong way? Should we be lining up at the back?"
Fang Cheng was getting nervous now, feeling like his younger brother had made a mistake.
’Don’t you have to line up to get in? Why are we walking straight to the gate?’
’That guy just now got kicked by the guard for cutting in line.’
’They obviously don’t allow line-cutting!’
"Don’t worry, it’s fine."
Fang Yue gave a small smile to reassure his brother and sister.
By now, they had reached the city gate.
And they were still walking toward the entrance.
"What are you lot doing? Don’t you know the rules? Hurry up and get..."
Sure enough, the city guard saw Fang Yue’s group acting so lawlessly. He had just taught a lesson to someone who didn’t follow the rules.
’For these ones to dare do it again... they clearly have no respect for me. I’ll have to teach them a harsh lesson.’
’Otherwise, these unruly peasants will never learn what fear is.’
The surrounding crowd all turned to look at Fang Yue and his family.
Everyone craned their necks, ready for the show.
SLAP, SLAP.
As expected, a crisp sound rang out.
The onlookers felt a sense of satisfaction. ’Finally, another rule-breaker is getting what they deserve.’
But just as that thought crossed their minds, what happened next...
...left them, one after another, wide-eyed and dumbfounded.
They watched as the burly soldier began slapping himself in the face.
"What are you hitting yourself for? Hurry up and get out of the way. We need to enter the city."
When Fang Yue’s voice rang out, the soldier looked as if he’d just received a royal pardon. He quickly gestured to his colleagues to clear a path.
"Please, come in! Come right in!"
The soldier, who had been so imperious just moments before, was now practically fawning over them.
Fang Yue and his family quickly passed through the gate and entered the city.
A moment later...
The area by the city gate erupted into chaos as the people in line began to buzz with discussion.
They had no idea what had just happened. Why did that soldier start hitting himself and then respectfully invite those country bumpkins inside?
As for the reason, the soldier involved certainly wasn’t going to explain himself to these worthless commoners in line.
For a long time afterward, the day’s events became a popular topic of conversation for some.
After entering the city, Fang Lan and the others still couldn’t quite believe how the soldier’s attitude had changed so drastically, letting them enter first.
But then a thought occurred to them: Zhi was a Martial Scholar.
Those government constables who used to bully people in the village with their fierce looks were always meek and respectful in front of their family, even speaking three parts softer.
’Perhaps this was the same kind of situation.’
Once inside the city, Fang Yue first settled his brother, sister-in-law, and sister into an inn.
It was the same one as before, their usual affordable spot.
But now when Fang Yue stayed there, the owner basically only charged him for the cost.
At first, he hadn’t wanted to charge at all, because Fang Yue’s two examination successes had brought great fame to his inn.
Business had improved by an untold amount.
Furthermore, that old woodshed was now the most expensive room in the establishment.
Whether they were civil scholars or Martial Artists, anyone hoping to achieve success in the imperial examinations would come to their inn, and they all wanted to stay in that woodshed.
After settling in his brother and sister, the sky was already getting dark, and there wasn’t much time left in the day.
Besides, his brother and sister needed to rest after the long, bumpy journey, so he didn’t plan on taking them out to sightsee.
Instead, Fang Yue went to visit Zhang Baiyang’s residence, intending to ask for detailed information about the recent situation in Xiahe County.
Arriving at Zhang Baiyang’s estate, he found his luck was good today; Zhang Baiyang was at home.
"Hehe, I was wondering why the magpies were chirping today. It turns out Yu’Er has come to visit."
Upon seeing Fang Yue, he enthusiastically pulled him into the house.
"Senior Uncle, it’s been a year. Your presence is even more impressive than before," Fang Yue said.
In the past two years, Fang Yue had actually only been to Xiahe County Town once.
So it had been a year since he had seen Zhang Baiyang.
"Ah, haha, we’re all family here, no need for such formalities. If anything, this Senior Uncle has just gotten older. Look, my hair has gotten much grayer," Zhang Baiyang laughed.
After the pleasantries, a servant naturally came to serve tea.
Fang Yue took a sip and then asked:
"Senior Uncle, I heard the drought has spread throughout all of Shanyang Prefecture? I was wondering, what is the situation now?"