The pork butcher is smoother than a pig butcher!

Chapter 89 Security

This is an ancient path carved out of the rock at the foot of the mountain.

Walking on it, you can clearly see the tire tracks on the stones.

One can imagine how busy the Hangu Pass Ancient Road was during the Han Dynasty!
Gan Minglan was not far away, listening intently to the little round-faced girl telling the story.

She remained outwardly calm, but inwardly she was screaming wildly:
Pre-Qin period is correct!

It also existed in the Western Han Dynasty!

The Eastern Han Dynasty and the Three Kingdoms period both emerged.

The Tang Dynasty, in its golden age, was not lacking either!
That’s right, that’s right!
Everything matches up!
Round-faced young man, you're a good talker, so talk more!

Did the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties that followed the Tang dynasty still exist?

Can't you just say it all at once?

It's not just her who likes to listen.

The cheap man beside her also heard that, and his expression changed unpredictably.

Although Zuo Wenkang already knew the course of this world from the memories of the scholar.

But having history revisited again is still quite shocking.

The history before the matriarchal Phoenix Dynasty bears no resemblance to this timeline.

They were like another continent.

They are different in both history and geography!

They wanted to hear more stories, but unfortunately, the little round-faced girl had already taken them to their destination.

He waved and turned to leave.

Gan Minglan's happiness today comes from the fact that the State of Bei and the Chinese nation share the same historical trajectory.

Fatty immediately benefited from the situation.

He ate a small fist-sized tsampa (roasted barley flour cake) made by his mother with a small amount of barley maltose syrup.

It smelled absolutely delicious.

He licked his fingers and exclaimed, "Mmm, this is so delicious!"

Seeing her beloved grandson eating so deliciously, Mrs. Luo also took a bite herself.

The roasted aroma of the barley completely suppressed the smell of stale grain.

The grain powder that sticks together has a distinct gritty texture when you bite into it.

It also has a distinct sweetness when chewed.

It's not bad!
Before she was exiled, she would have been happy to eat a few bites.

Luo was somewhat incredulous and asked her daughter-in-law, "Can mixed grain flour really be this sweet and fragrant?"

Gan Minglan looked around and then whispered to him:

"I was worried that Fatty wouldn't like it, so I spent one tael of silver to have the postmaster buy some syrup and put it inside!"

Not only do children like sweets, but older Roche members also have a sweet tooth.

As long as the money was spent on her own family, she didn't say anything that would spoil the mood.

It noticeably sped up the process of eating the dough.

Zuo Wenkang remained silent.

In the past, he often had to go along to serve the King of War when he went to war.

Back at the Prince's residence, Princess Zhan liked to entrust him with trivial matters such as the management and purchasing of the Prince's estate.

He wasn't the kind of clueless scholar who couldn't even distinguish between the five grains like the original owner.

Even if aged whole grain powder is mixed with syrup, it shouldn't taste like this!
So, did his fairy wife use magical means?

Keep quiet, absolutely do not utter a sound.

Just focus on your food and do your job!

After eating, it's time to get to work.

Perhaps few people have walked this path over the past few centuries, and no one has maintained it.

Every 1,800 meters or so, there are large rocks or silt blocking the road.

If we can't get past it, we have to clear it out!
Why would government officials do this kind of hard labor?
Then, young and strong men like Zuo Wenkang were put in charge to lead the way.

After a long and arduous journey, all we managed to find was a stone road. In some narrower sections, it was less than two meters wide, uneven, and full of potholes, making it very uncomfortable to walk on.

The children and women with bound feet had great difficulty walking.

The two leaders, who had just given a deposit of over one hundred taels of silver, started their money-making scheme again.

That night, an official addressed the crowd:

"Anyone interested in riding horses tomorrow? We'll have five horses available for everyone! Each horse costs ten taels of silver per day and can carry one elderly person and one child—it's a great deal!"

Everyone picked at their ears. Here we go again!

Didn't the officials make a lot of money off those women before?

Why do you eat so awfully?
The officials and constables: That's the extra money they earn!

The problem now is that the public funds in the hands of the leaders are definitely not enough for them to leave the Shaanxi region.

Extra income is private property and should not be easily given away for public use.

Since that's the case, the only option left is to find revenue through open source.

Another reason is that the pass is difficult to traverse, making horseback riding uncomfortable.

This time, Gan Minglan responded readily: "If we rent one horse, can we rent it until we cross the border?"

The official who shouted the order was so happy that his teeth were practically showing.

"Of course! Let the scholar's wife choose the horse first. Once you've chosen one, it will be exclusively for your family of four! We've bought horses that are eight to ten years old and in good physical condition."

Zuo Wenkang also supported renting horses.

He was leading the way, so he was well aware of how bad the road conditions were.

Now that my wife's pregnancy is quite obvious, we can't let her carry our chubby son on her back on the mountain path anymore.

When Fatty heard that he could ride a horse, he was as happy as a fool.

After discussing it with his father, he realized that the maroon horse was the one he liked the most.

Of the whole family, only Luo was so anxious she was jumping up and down. Behind everyone's back, she gritted her teeth and whispered a scolding to her spendthrift son and daughter-in-law:
"Ten taels a day, that's one hundred and fifty taels in half a month! I don't even know if I can make it out in half a month, how am I supposed to live?"

Zuo Wenkang pointed to his wife's belly:

"Mother, I can't get away from you for a while. Do you want me to carry Fatty in front and carry you on my back?"

Luo insisted, "I can walk by myself, I don't need anyone to carry me!"

My feet were killing me, but I remained stubborn as always.

Gan Minglan was impatient to argue with Luo Shi over such trivial matters.

She could understand the panic that people feel when they have no income and see their savings shrink significantly.

It's just a lack of security!

Before Zuo Wenkang could persuade her further, she whispered a few words in Luo's ear.

The old lady, who was jumping up and down in anger just a moment ago, suddenly became sunny again.

He repeatedly confirmed with his daughter-in-law, "Is it true? Don't lie to this old woman!"

Gan Minglan pulled her along and asked the officials if they needed to relieve themselves.

Come back again.

The old lady's feet no longer hurt, and her chest no longer felt tight.

She happily followed her son and beloved grandson to see the chestnut horse.

Zuo Wenkang was curious:
"Mom, what kind of bewitching potion did your daughter-in-law give you?"

"Hmph! What soup can be more effective than silver? My father-in-law is truly a doting father to his daughter. Kang'er, you must treat him like your own father from now on."

"That won't do. My own father would have to crawl out of his grave in the middle of the night to come and tell me ghost stories!"

"You're just being cheeky! If it weren't for your father-in-law's generous subsidies, I really don't know how I would have survived! I'm so tired of those hard times."

"Don't worry, Mother. Your precious grandson will learn to slaughter pigs from his mother as soon as he arrives in the border town. Our family will be able to set up a butcher shop very soon!"

"You little brat! How old is Fatty? You're counting on him to support the family?"

Upon hearing this, Fatty realized that his own father was acknowledging his abilities!

With her little head held high and her chest thumping loudly, she declared, "Grandma, Grandma, we're slaughtering a pig, you collect the money! We'll make big money together!"

(End of this chapter)