Chapter 275: Yueyang City, Two Hundred Li Away
“Many thanks for your help today.”
After all the brothers had successfully crossed the checkpoint, Zhang Hu clasped his fists and bowed toward the guards.
However, just as he finished speaking, the guard who had taken the bribe flashed him a meaningful smile.
“If I had known you had such a large group and so many carts, I wouldn’t have let you through for just fifty taels. Next time, if you want to cross again, be ready with two hundred taels.”
Zhang Hu…
The guards’ barracks were nearby, and knowing that ten carts were quite conspicuous, Zhang Hu chose not to argue further. He didn’t want to risk delaying any longer. Instead, he led the convoy through the official road, using the cover of night to move swiftly ahead.
Watching the convoy disappear into the darkness, the guards who had split the bribe money were filled with regret.
“Since when did the people from the wilderness have so much silver? A ten-cart convoy—just the ten horses alone could fetch seven or eight hundred taels if we seized them, not to mention the goods they’re carrying.”
“Yeah! That guy was too clever, getting away with just fifty taels. Those fruits were so delicious, and they had ten carts full! Who knows how much silver they’ll make? Asking them for only two hundred taels on their return trip might still be too little.”
“Do you want to bleed them dry in one go, or do you want them to keep paying us regularly?”
The leading guard, who had taken the bribe, smirked at his companions’ short-sightedness.
Realizing his point, the others quickly nodded in agreement. “Brother Yun, you’re smart! Fine, next time they come, we’ll make them pay two hundred taels for both entry and exit. If they keep coming back, we’ll be rich!”
“Haha! Those fruits are so tasty. They’ll definitely sell well. Once they make a profit, they’ll be eager to come back for more.”
While the checkpoint guards were busy scheming how to extort Zhang Hu’s group, the convoy rushed onward. After an hour of travel, they finally reached a border town.
This small town had only two main streets, each about a hundred meters long. There was just one inn in the entire town, so the group rented three rooms—four men per room—while the rest stayed in the carts to guard the goods.
After traveling for days, they had only been eating dry rations and roasted meat. Though they carried iron pots, they hadn’t had the chance to stop and cook properly. As long as their fruit remained unsold, they couldn’t rest easy.
Now that they finally had a place to rest, Zhang Hu ordered bowls of hot noodles for everyone at the inn.
Yet, despite the warmth of the food, no one found much pleasure in eating.
“This noodle soup is nothing compared to what we have back home. It’s just some mutton with a gamey smell and a bit of salt. We used to eat like this all the time, but ever since settling in Luo City, our tastes have gotten picky.”
“Hah! That’s thanks to our master’s cooking skills. If he hadn’t spent days teaching the kitchen staff how to cook, we’d still be eating like this every day. But we’re on the road now, so let’s just make do, eat up, and get some rest. We’ll take turns watching over the goods tonight.”
Hu Liu’s words made everyone chuckle. They quickly finished their food and headed to their rooms for the night.
As Zhang Hu stood at the counter, watching the innkeeper busy with his abacus, he exchanged a glance with Hu Liu. Hu Liu immediately understood and walked up to the counter.
“Innkeeper, does this town have market days?”
“Yes. The market opens for locals on the 3rd, 6th, and 9th of each month.”
“Oh? This town is close to the wilderness border. I imagine many travelers pass through here. How come there’s only one inn?”
At Hu Liu’s question, the innkeeper briefly glanced up, scanning him before letting out a self-mocking chuckle.
“You already know this place is close to the wilderness. Apart from the occasional exiled prisoners being escorted through, the only other travelers are martial artists heading to Feng City. There just aren’t enough people for more inns.”
“I see.”
“Judging from your accents, you’re not from Dongfeng Kingdom. I could tell the moment you spoke. And you have a ten-cart convoy—where are you headed? If you’re unfamiliar with the area, I can give you some advice.”
“We came from the wilderness, bringing some specialty goods to sell. Originally, we planned to sell them here in town tomorrow morning. But hearing what you just said, it sounds like this place doesn’t have much foot traffic. We might have to find a bigger county nearby.”
“Hah! If you’re looking for a market, I suggest heading to Yueyang City, two hundred miles from here. That place is filled with wealthy families. This town is too close to the wilderness, mostly inhabited by poor folk. Even the martial artists passing through don’t lack money, but they frequent the wilderness enough that they wouldn’t be interested in your goods.”
After returning to their room, Zhang Hu frowned slightly.
“That means we’ll have to travel at least another day. But if that’s the case, the fruits will sit in the carts even longer, and there’s no guarantee we can sell them all at once in Yueyang City.”
“Brother Zhang, how about we set off after midnight? The road might be rough at night, but we should reach Yueyang City by late morning. That way, we can spend the day marketing our goods. Just like Miss Yu Luo said, we should target the big restaurants, major grocery stores, and trading firms. If we can secure a few major buyers, we won’t have any trouble selling ten carts of fruit.”
Zhao Wu’s suggestion made everyone nod in agreement. Even though they had been traveling for three straight days—fighting off wild beasts and exiled criminals along the way—no one complained. The only thing on their minds was selling all ten carts of fruit.
“Alright, then let’s endure for another two days. Once the fruits are sold, we won’t have to push ourselves so hard anymore.”
“This little hardship is nothing! The master and Miss Yu Luo have treated us so well. Now that we’ve had our first harvest, it’s only right that we do our best to sell the goods. They have nearly twenty thousand mouths to feed—it’s a huge responsibility! If we can help them earn some silver, even a little, it’ll lighten their burden.”
Among the group, some were former miners. Hearing these words, Zhang Hu couldn’t help but feel proud.
“Miss Yu Luo has been good to us indeed. If we can help her make more silver, we will. And we know she’ll never treat us unfairly.”
