They've all separated, so what does it matter to me if they get poorer and poorer?

Chapter 439: Taking advantage of others
That day, Xu Zhichun and his group planned to stay overnight in Shangluo Town and set off early the next morning, aiming to arrive in Jining by the evening of the following day.

Muqi received a message saying that the large ship at the Jining dock was ready. It would arrive in Jining tomorrow night, and he could spend the night on the ship. It would set sail early the day after tomorrow, and then he would be spared the trouble of traveling by carriage.

I'll also try it out and see if I get used to living and resting on a ship.

If you really can't get used to it, then we'll still arrange for a horse-drawn carriage.

Xu Zhichun and the others couldn't wait to experience life on the ship, hoping that everyone would adapt so that the rest of the journey would be much easier.

The long and arduous journey of the past two weeks has been quite exhausting.

Although the carriage was spacious and sturdy, and had some shock absorption, the roads in this era were simply too terrible. There were almost no smooth roads, and who wouldn't complain about the continuous travel?

Fortunately, they were lucky. The weather was good along the way, and they didn't encounter any windy or rainy days. The climate was also mild. If it were the dead of winter or the sweltering heat of summer, just thinking about it would make them succumb to the unpleasant taste.

Taking a boat means no more tiring travel – that sounds incredibly tempting!
Upon entering Shangluo Town and settling into a good room at the inn, everyone breathed a sigh of relief, finally able to rest.

Xu Zhichun smiled and said, "Everyone, go back to your rooms and rest. If you want to eat out for dinner, go ahead. If not, you can have the waiter bring it to your room. It's the same old rule."

The old rule was that if you ate at the inn, you could just tell the waiter to put the bill on your room number. If you ate out, you could ask Granny Qin Qing for money to cover the cost. At first, no one dared to ask for money, since Xu Zhichun had given everyone a big red envelope of thirty taels of silver on the first day of the trip. It was Granny Qin Qing who took the initiative to ask. Later, everyone got used to it and asked Granny Qin Qing for reimbursement for whatever they ate. Granny Qin Qing would give them the silver without even asking any questions.

However, without exception, everyone's spending was within a reasonable range.

Qin Qing, the old nanny, smiled at Xu Zhichun in private and said, "Congratulations, Madam and Master, the subordinates you've chosen all seem to be of good character."

The saying "time will tell" also applies to "time will reveal a person's true character." After all, traveling is such tiring work; who can keep up the act for the entire journey? They've been doing this for more than just a day or two.

Even if someone pretends to be convincing at first, their true nature and character will eventually be revealed in the details.

Especially when it comes to money, Xu Zhichun doesn't need to do anything; anything related to money is a natural test of one's character.

No one tried to be clever or take advantage of others, which shows that their character is indeed acceptable.

Xu Zhichun didn't intentionally test anything; it was just something that happened naturally, and she was happy to be able to keep track of things.

She was also a little proud. Her husband's judgment was indeed excellent.

Just as everyone had finished checking in and was about to disperse to their rooms, they were unexpectedly stopped by a man who looked like the manager who had just entered the inn.

The steward was in his early forties, with a square face and fair skin. The two servants following him were neatly dressed and full of energy. All three of them looked like they came from a wealthy family.

Yu Ji has been in charge of foreign negotiations all along the way, and this time is no exception.

Normally, Xu Zhichun would have ignored this and taken Granny Qin and the others back to their room.

But she found the steward and his two attendants to be extremely arrogant, and this arrogance was not mindless or stupid, but rather an arrogance that exuded an aura of "I have connections" and was genuine.

In other words, the other party might have a powerful background, and she wasn't entirely at ease, so she decided not to leave. Since she wasn't leaving, Liang Mingxuan, Granny Qin Qing, Mu Qi, Sanlian, and the others naturally didn't leave either.

Everyone stopped.

Mu Qi glanced at the three managers with some displeasure, thinking to himself, "Where did these clueless people come from? Can't they see that they're all exhausted and just want to rest? We're not even acquainted, let alone close friends. What are you calling us for?"
It's one thing to call out, but to go "Hey hey—" is just rude.

Even Yu Ji greeted him with a smile; if it were me, I would have slapped him.

Seeing Yu Ji's smiling face, gentle tone, and polite manner only fueled the manager's arrogance, and he felt disdain in his heart.

When traveling, one's status is determined by one's family background. My wife is the younger sister of the Marquis of Rong'an in the capital. She brought the young master and young lady to the capital to visit the Marquis of Rong'an's residence and to settle the marriage of the young master and young lady.

In a small town like Shangluo, could anyone be more distinguished than their family?

Steward Bai said arrogantly, "I don't think you need so many rooms. Give us two superior rooms. Hurry up, our mistress, young master, and young lady will be here soon."

Xu Zhichun's group all looked annoyed, with Sanlian, Muqi, and others showing disdain.

They served the Marquis, so everyone treated them with utmost respect.

This inexplicable manager is a brainless scoundrel. Although I disdain arguing with such a person, there's absolutely no way I'd tolerate him.

Yu Ji tilted his head slightly and glanced at Xu Zhichun, who gently shook his head.

Everyone was already exhausted from traveling continuously, so Xu Zhichun specifically instructed from the beginning that they should find the best inns to stay in each day, and take all the best rooms available. If there were no rooms available, they should ask for the next best room in order, so that everyone could have a more comfortable place to rest.

It's impossible for me to give it up to someone else.

Yu Ji smiled at the white-clad manager and said, "I'm sorry, manager, we don't have any extra rooms available. Since we can't accommodate everyone here, wouldn't it be nice if you would kindly find another inn?"

Manager Bai sneered: "This is the only decent inn in this town. Kid, I'm trying to talk to you properly. Don't push your luck. If you didn't have the guts to back down, would I have said this? I'm giving you face, so you should know when to stop. Don't push yourselves into an embarrassing situation. It won't look good then."

"When you're traveling, it's always good to maintain harmony."

Yu Ji was amused; how could he say that peace is the most important thing?

Xu Zhichun: "The saying 'harmony is the most important thing' is true, so this manager shouldn't force people. We've traveled all day and everyone is tired, so let's go back to our rooms and rest. We'll continue tomorrow."

"Wait!" the steward roared, glaring at Xu Zhichun and sneering, "You're in charge? Fine. Do you even know who our mistress is?"

Xu Zhichun: "."

Just say what you want to say; there's no need to keep it a secret.

Steward Bai didn't expect her to answer anyway, and sneered, "Our lady is the younger sister of the Lady of Rong'an Marquis in the capital. She came to the capital this time at the invitation of the Lady of Rong'an Marquis. Madam, now, can you give up the best rooms?"