jdhmnovel Chapter 196 Rain
Chapter 196 Rain
This morning was basically spent shuttling back and forth in the mountains and forests. When it was time to take a break at noon, while everyone was sleeping soundly, Guangdan ran to Hammer's side and squatted on the side of the road, imitating him.
He turned his head and asked curiously, "Uncle Hammer, how do you remember this road? The roads in the mountains are basically the same, right?"
"What's wrong? Little guy, are you worried that I'll lose it for you?" Hammer joked with a smile, biting a piece of wild grass in his mouth.
"Hehehe, that's not the case. I'm just a little curious. Do you have a map?" Guangdan asked innocently.
When Hammer heard him ask this, he immediately straightened his face and said, "Don't talk nonsense. The map is not something that someone like me can get. But I have a map that I got from the escort company. Do you want to take a look?" As he said that, he took out a small cloth roll from his jacket pocket and shook it in front of Guangdan's eyes.
"Yes, yes, yes, you are worthy of it! Uncle Hammer is really the best!!" Guangdan did not hesitate to praise him and smiled at Hammer with a bright face.
After taking the cloth roll from Uncle Hammer, he carefully opened it on the grass. However, the map marked with embroidery thread on the cloth roll was quite different from the map that Guangdan understood.
In later generations, the main task of maps was to provide navigation and way finding, but in this era, the task of maps was to mark, to mark the names of mountains and places, and more importantly, to mark various locations. There were only a few official roads on the entire scroll.
"We are not taking the official road." After reading it, he carefully rolled up the cloth again, tied it with a thin linen rope and put it in Hammer's hand.
"So, what's more important is experience. The way to the provincial capital has long been imprinted in your uncle Hammer's mind." Hammer said as he raised his chin with some pride, his eyes filled with memories of his escort life when he was young.
"That's amazing!" Guangdan praised seriously.
After a simple lunch, they quickly got back on the road. In Hammer's words, that was when it wasn't raining. They took the small trail, which was faster, and would return to the official road if the weather got bad.
Even though the mountain forest path was a little rugged and narrow on a sunny day, it was a path used for business all year round and could be used by horse-drawn and mule-drawn carts, so the group was very satisfied with it.
On the afternoon of the fourth day after they set out from Linjia Village, their good luck finally ran out and a light drizzle began to fall from the sky.
"Baldan, don't stick your head out. We have to hurry." After putting on her straw raincoat and hat, Fang Cuihua gently whipped the ox with the reins, then turned around and said to the dishonest Baldan in the ox cart.
"I know, but I don't know how far it is from here to the official road?" Guangdan said with a worried tone.
I was even thinking about what to do if it rains heavily, I have to find a cave to hide in!!
"Don't think too much, just sit tight!" Before Fang Cuihua finished her words, the entire convoy accelerated.
The drizzle at the end of October was not gentle and soft at all, but more like needles falling into the world. Guangdan, who was curled up in the carriage, could still feel a hint of chill, not to mention Fang Cuihua who was driving the carriage outside.
"Every autumn rain brings a chill!" Fang Cuihua sniffed and sighed.
"Fortunately, I brought ginger and brown sugar!" Hearing his mother's sigh, Guangdan rummaged through the numerous packages in the carriage. Finally, he pulled out some old ginger and brown sugar cubes tightly wrapped in layers of oil paper from a yellowish-brown burlap package.
"I'm afraid we'll have to walk at night today!" Fang Cuihua said as she continued to gently pat Niu Niu's butt with the rope.
It took the group about an hour and a half to go from a drizzle to raindrops as big as beans. Fortunately, they were already on the official road by then.
"It's probably only a dozen miles from here to the next post station!"
Just when Fang Cuihua and Guangdan were worried about the journey ahead, Fourth Uncle Lin on the ox cart in front shouted to the ones behind.
"I got it!" Fang Cuihua felt relieved instantly.
Although it is raining heavily and it is getting late, it is not a big problem to be a little dark on the official road. Besides, a distance of more than ten miles is not a problem for the team!
After thinking about it, Fang Cuihua tightened the collar of her raincoat and continued to wave the whip to speed up.
As soon as they got on the official road, their speed increased immediately. The yellow mud in the mud pit was trampled into flowers by the cow's hooves. At this time, Guangdan felt that the route arranged by Uncle Hammer was really good!
When it started to rain, they turned back to the official road. As the rain got heavier, Fang Cuihua could already see a vague light in the distance ahead.
"Guangdan, we're almost there!" Fang Cuihua shouted excitedly.
When Guangdan heard that they were almost there, he excitedly stuck out his little head, and sure enough, he was getting closer and closer to the vague light!
But soon Guangdan frowned again. He remembered what Uncle Hammer said. There were post stations on the official road, but these post stations were not for people like them who were escorting goods or doing business to stay in. These were places for court officials to rest.
Fortunately, there are usually villages not far from the post stations, and these people would usually take their caravan and luggage to the villages to stay overnight.
Sure enough, Guangdan soon saw the light. It was the swaying lanterns in the post station. They were particularly dazzling in the rainy night. Oil lamps were lit in the courtyard and houses of the post station, and there were young people sitting in the main room drinking.
"Hey, when will we have the chance to stay at the inn?" Fang Cuihua took a look and muttered to herself with some envy.
"Wait until Goudan passes the exam to become a scholar, then we can stay at the post station when we go to the provincial capital." Guangdan responded with certainty, causing Fang Cuihua in front to start fantasizing.
But he quickly came to his senses and scolded him rudely: "Don't say such nonsense. If others hear us, they will say we are ignorant!"
Although Fang Cuihua knew that the village teacher liked Goudan very much and always told the old man that Goudan was a good student, she did not feel it was real because Goudan was too young and she did not know how good this good student was.
After all, there are only a few people who can pass the examination to become a Tongsheng in the surrounding area. Being a Tongsheng is considered very impressive, and being a Xiucai, Juren, or a Master is even rarer.
Maybe everyone doesn’t have a specific concept yet. In a remote northwestern place like Xiling Prefecture, it is more difficult to pass the examination to become a student than to pass the college entrance examination in later generations. The same goes for scholars and juren.
The group got off the official road at the fork next to the post station and walked along the path. After a quarter of an hour, they came to a village. In the rainy night, they could vaguely see a few lights flickering, which made Guangdan breathe a sigh of relief.
Hammer went straight to the house with the light on, and then found a place to stay with the introduction of the owner. Although the money he spent was more expensive than his previous stay in the mountains, there was nothing he could do about it because it was raining.
After settling the ox cart, Guangdan immediately went to the family's kitchen with ginger and brown sugar. This saved him the trouble of lighting the charcoal fire and burning the stove himself. He had already spent money anyway, so he might as well save money.