Chapter Sixty-Four

Chapter Sixty-Four

After Lu Yao left, Lady Lin had a servant bring the food box to the back yard and deliver it to her father-in-law.

After some thought, she decided to personally take Lin Zijian along with her.

These days, the weather was hot, and the old man found it increasingly difficult to eat during the summer heat. The servants said he only ate two meals yesterday, each consisting of just a little rice porridge, leaving the rest untouched. If this continued, his health would surely deteriorate further. When would they be able to return to Shang Jing?

Arriving at Old Master Lin's courtyard, Lin Zijian rushed in ahead of his mother, calling out, "Grandfather, Grandfather, I'm here."

Inside the house, a few coughs echoed as Old Master Lin was helped to sit up by a servant.

As soon as Lady Lin entered, the smell of medicine and stuffiness almost made her stumble. She quickly asked the servants, "Why didn't you air out the room?"

Old Master Lin waved his hand, "I didn't allow them to open the windows; the wind might trigger my headache again."

"Grandfather, look what I brought for you!" Lin Zijian waved his hand, and a maid hurriedly handed over the food box. "This is from the family whose illness I helped treat last time. They sent these as a thank-you gift!"

Lin Jingxian affectionately stroked his hair, "Good boy, keep it for yourself. Grandfather can't eat much."

"Please try it, Grandfather. This dish is different from what we have in Shang Jing. It smells delicious!" Lin Zijian opened the food box and placed a pastry in his grandfather's hand.

Lin Jingxian held the cake carefully, examining it closely. It did indeed look different from what was sold in Shang Jing. He touched it gently, finding it exceptionally soft.

"What is this made of?"

"I don't know. I'll ask Beidou next time he comes."

The old man took a small piece and put it in his mouth. The soft, sweet taste surprised him with a hum. These days, all he tasted was medicine, but this cake instantly revived his palate.

"Delicious!"

Lady Lin and Lin Zijian's eyes lit up. To receive such praise from the old master meant that Lu Xiaolang's skills were truly remarkable!

Lin Jingxian finished three pieces of the pastry in one go, and the servants quickly brought him ginseng tea. After taking a sip, he sighed deeply, feeling full for the first time in many days.

"I never expected such culinary skill in a small town like Qiushui. It surpasses even the Eight Treasures of Shang Jing."

Eight Treasures was the most famous pastry shop in Shang Jing, known for its eight specialties, which were expensive and not affordable for ordinary people.

Old Master Lin offered the remaining pastries to his grandson, but Lin Zijian shook his head, swallowing hard. "Grandfather, your health is poor. Since you finally have an appetite, please keep them for yourself. Zijian can eat anything."

Lady Lin had an idea, "Your classmate's family runs a food shop. Perhaps they sell these pastries too. We could buy more from them next time."

"Yes!"

At dinner, Old Master Lin tried the other dishes, particularly enjoying the tofu and the Four Joy Meatballs. The candied carrot, however, wasn't to his liking, so he let Lin Zijian finish it.

*

The next day, Lu Yao set up his stall as usual. In the past few days, his illness had affected his business, so today many regular customers came to inquire about his health.

"Yesterday when I came to buy breakfast, I heard the shopkeeper was ill. How are you now?"

Lu Yao took out a fried dough stick from the pot and wiped his hands. "Much better. Just a bit of heatstroke. Nothing serious."

"That's good. Without your bean curd pudding, something always feels missing."

Lu Yao couldn't help but smile, giving him a discount of one copper coin when settling the bill.

The morning passed quickly, and today he sold more soy milk than usual, with enough leftover bean curd pudding for another ten bowls. Lu Yao decided not to sell it and instead take it home for lunch, saving himself the trouble of cooking.

After cleaning up the shop, Lu Yao closed the doors and windows, preparing to go home.

Suddenly, a carriage approached from a distance. Lu Yao recognized it; after all, there weren't many people in town who could afford carriages.

Soon, the driver parked the carriage in front of the shop, and Lady Lin got out, walking directly toward Lu Yao. "Are you closing the shop now?"

"Lady Lin, breakfast is served until noon."

"That's a shame. I wanted to try your cooking."

"There are still some bowls of bean curd pudding left. If you're not averse, come in and have a bowl."

Lady Lin nodded and smiled. Today, she had come to deliver the food box, not intending to eat, but since she was already there, she decided to sample his cooking.

The shop was small but very clean. The strong scent of beans and broth inside stirred her appetite.

Lu Yao served a bowl of bean curd pudding and brought it to her. The fire outside hadn't completely died down, so he added some oil and wood, frying two more dough sticks for Lady Lin.

Inside, Lady Lin tasted the bean curd pudding. Its flavor was even better than she had imagined. The smooth texture paired perfectly with the bone broth, making her want more after every sip. It was truly irresistible.

No wonder Old Master and Zijian loved his cooking so much. Lu Xiaolang's skills were indeed impressive!

Lu Yao brought over the freshly fried dough sticks. "Is it to your liking?"

"The taste is excellent. How much does a bowl of bean curd pudding cost?"

"Three copper coins."

"Only three copper coins?" Lady Lin was surprised. After all, this dish was far tastier than those costing dozens of copper coins in restaurants!

Lu Yao smiled, "Doing business here, most of our customers are ordinary folks. If we charged more, fewer people would buy it. We just earn a living through hard work."

Lady Lin tasted the fresh dough sticks. "With your skills, if you opened a food shop in Shang Jing, you'd attract customers from all over the city."

Lu Yao listened, thinking about it seriously. He did want to open a shop in Shang Jing, but he lacked capital and connections. As a commoner without official documents, he might not even be able to leave Ping Prefecture.

"Perhaps someday, if the opportunity arises..."

Lady Lin finished her bean curd pudding and wiped her mouth with a handkerchief. "Today, I have another request. The pastries you made the other day were greatly enjoyed by my father-in-law. Due to his illness, he hasn't had an appetite, but after eating your pastries yesterday, he actually overate." Lady Lin paused. "So, I would like to ask you to make some more. You can set the price."

"That kind of pastry doesn't cost much, but it does take some effort. If Madam likes it, I'll have Beidou bring more over tomorrow, free of charge."

Madam Lin's eyes lit up. This Lu Langjun was indeed extraordinary. Most people would not be able to resist asking for payment upon hearing such words, yet he refused without hesitation.

"In that case, I thank you in advance. If you ever need help with anything, come to the Lin family. We will never refuse if we can help."

Lu Yao showed surprise and quickly bowed his thanks. He understood the weight of these words. In this era, connections were far more valuable than money.

Although the Lin family had returned to recuperate from illness, they were still at the top of the food chain in the small town of Qiushui. If they could rely on such support, they would no longer have to worry about anyone causing trouble for their shop!

*

"Hurry up, hurry up! Don't dawdle!" On the official road, a long line of people moved slowly like ants carrying their belongings.

Today was the thirteenth day of their journey from Ping Prefecture to Ying Prefecture, and the eighteenth day since they left home.

It rained last night, making the roads muddy and difficult to traverse. Puddles of mud were everywhere, and the carts easily got stuck in the mire.

Zhao Beichuan pulled the cart step by step, while others pushed from behind.

"Da Chuan, let's rest for a bit. I and my brother will pull for a while," said the eldest son of the Qin family. He had been pulling for nearly an hour without stopping.

Zhao Beichuan wiped the sweat from his face. "Let's wait until we get past this mountain. I'm not too tired yet."

He was the only one in the group whose body wasn't injured. The others' shoulders were raw and bloody from the ropes.

Zhao Beichuan avoided this because he had a leather bag on his back, which helped reduce friction, though it still rubbed off some skin.

Ahead was a steep slope, and pulling the grain cart uphill was exhausting, moving as slowly as a snail.

Suddenly, someone cried out ahead, and a grain cart started sliding down the hill!

"Get out of the way!" Zhao Beichuan reacted quickly, pulling the cart to the side with all his might.

Those who couldn't dodge in time were immediately knocked over. The cart rolled down, hitting over ten people before finally falling to the bottom and breaking into pieces. The injured lay scattered on the ground, some writhing in pain, others unconscious.

"What happened?" The officer rode over hurriedly.

"The person pulling the cart ahead fainted from exhaustion, and the cart slipped down..."

"Damn it! Hurry up and retrieve the grain below!"

The clerk pointed tremblingly at a few people to go down and collect the grain. "Sir, what about those who are injured?"

"Check if they can still move. Those who can continue transporting the grain; those who can't, leave them here."

"But... this is the wilderness. Leaving them here... isn't that a death sentence?"

The officer narrowed his eyes. "Do you want to take responsibility for sending them back?"

The clerk knelt down in fear. "I dare not, sir. I will follow your orders."

"Everyone else, keep moving forward! No delays!"

The others numbly pulled their carts and continued climbing step by step.

Zhao Beichuan tightened the rope, and those pushing the cart behind him worked harder, fearing he might lose control and the cart would roll down.

As they passed the injured, Zhao Beichuan glanced and recognized two men from Lujia Village. They were the father and son he had saved from the river during the labor service last year. He didn't expect to see them lying here today.

After crossing the mountain, the road ahead was flatter. Zhao Beichuan switched positions, letting others pull the cart while he rested behind.

This time, the Gao brothers didn't try to shirk their duties. They volunteered to pull the cart, knowing that if Zhao Beichuan hadn't shouted a warning, they would have been crushed. Even if they weren't killed, broken limbs would have left them to be devoured by wolves.

Zhao Beichuan had pulled the most carts, and everyone owed him a favor.

After walking twenty miles, they finally reached the boundary of Ying Prefecture. The official ordered everyone to rest for half an hour.

Many began to sob quietly. Their relatives, friends, and fellow villagers had been left behind, unsure if they would survive.

Zhao Beichuan took a sip from his water pouch. He wanted to eat a piece of sugar but felt it was too precious and put it back, resting his head on his knees.

Every part of his body ached, especially his shoulders. The more he relaxed, the more intense the pain became, as if his bones were being broken.

Others were no better off. Qin Father was cleaning the wounds on his sons' shoulders, sighing with concern.

Zhang Mao, sitting nearby, said, "We must grind our flesh until calluses form to stop the bleeding. Just bear with it for now."

Zhao Guang glanced at him, disliking him ever since he heard about his escape attempt.

Sitting next to Zhao Beichuan, he asked, "Can you hold on? This afternoon, I'll pull with Qin Father and Zhang Father so you can rest."

Qin Father nodded. "Yes, the three of us should manage."

Zhang Mao's face turned pale. He didn't want to pull the cart but dared not protest, given his previous escape attempt.

Zhao Beichuan nodded. "Try pulling it first. If you can't, we'll switch again."

After resting, the official urged them to continue their journey.

Zhao Guang, Qin Father, and Zhang Mao led the way, pulling the cart, while others pushed from behind. Although they moved slower, it allowed them to rest.

For the next few days, they cooperated in this manner. The young men's shoulder wounds gradually formed scabs and stopped bleeding.

As they progressed, the officers and soldiers grew increasingly irritable. Initially, they only threatened with words, but now they began using whips. The military-grade leather whips caused instant lacerations. Several people were whipped and begged for mercy.

"Get up and keep moving! If you slow down any further, I'll whip you all to death!"

They had no choice but to endure the pain and speed up.

Officer Ge, holding the reins, looked grim. Thirty miles ahead was "Datonkou," where three roads intersected, leading to Ying Prefecture, Goguryeo, and Khitan.

And there was another fatal drawback: the terrain was flat and open, making it perfect for cavalry charges, with no place to hide.

Before the previous dynasty went to war with the Khitans, the two countries had engaged in trade, and this ancient road was a remnant of that time. Now, it had become a strategic location, frequently used by enemy forces to raid caravans and supplies.

With over a thousand laborers pulling more than two thousand stones of grain, they seemed like a piece of prime meat, tempting to anyone who saw them.

Although there were over two hundred guards accompanying them, in a real fight, these two hundred men would be useless against the charging barbarians.

"If you don't want to die, we must travel sixty miles north today! In three days, we'll reach the military camp in Ying Prefecture!" he shouted, urging his horse through the crowd.

The others immediately found renewed strength upon hearing this. Once they delivered the grain to the military camp, they could return home! After such a long journey, they finally saw a glimmer of hope! Their intense longing made them walk faster, their pace doubling!

They reached the "Datongkou" area before noon.

A battle had taken place here recently, and the road was still littered with rotting corpses and dead horses. The people moved forward in fear, wary of any ambush.

Commander Ge was on high alert, ordering the soldiers to hold their halberds and spears ready for combat at any moment.

After walking less than ten miles north, everyone suddenly heard thunder.

"How can there be thunder on such a clear day?"

"I don't know, maybe the weather is changing."

Zhang Mao's face suddenly turned pale; he recognized the sound—it wasn't thunder but the hooves of barbarian horses!

In a panic, he yelled, "Run! The barbarians are coming!!!"

His shout threw the crowd into chaos. Commander Ge, eyes bloodshot, rushed over with his spear and thrust it into Zhang Mao's back!

"I'll see who dares to run! Anyone who runs, I'll kill first!" he roared angrily, "Can you outrun horses on this flat ground? This is our Great Wu territory; if the barbarians dare come, we'll make sure they never leave!"

The soldiers tightened their grip on their weapons, and the civilians clenched their fists, not daring to breathe.

Within moments, a group of riders approached them slowly from the distance!

"It's over, it's over..." Zhao Guang muttered, trembling uncontrollably, tears and snot streaming down his face. He didn't know why he was crying, perhaps just the fear of death.

The Qin family huddled together, with Qin Father picking up a wooden stick and handing it to his sons. "Don't be afraid. If there's no other way, fight to the death!"

Gao Qinghe and Gao Qinghai hugged each other in terror. When Zhang Mao was killed earlier, it had scared them so much that they wet their pants. Seeing him die right in front of them after living together for so long was an indescribable horror.

Tian's eldest brother tried to hide under the cart, while Gao Wan wanted to cover himself with sacks of grain.

Only Zhao Beichuan reached into his backpack, pulled out a small knife, and gripped it tightly.

One thought dominated his mind: he couldn't die, he couldn't die here. Lu Yao was waiting for him to return home...