Misty Rain of the Old Times

Chapter 23: Cutting down the forests for firewood

Following Wang Hai, we left the courtyard and walked through the hall to the street outside the inn. It was the rising sun and the street was already bustling.

As a resting place, the inn is naturally full of travelers who check out in the morning. It is true that don’t say you leave early, there are people who leave even earlier.

However, Chen Xuan's attention was attracted by a row of carriages, seven or eight in total, with nearly twenty guards on horseback carrying swords in front and behind.

The carriages were not just for people, some of them also carried gifts.

This was obviously the Gao family's convoy. The servants and maids were busy preparing for departure. Chen Xuan thought that what he had seen before was not the whole story, and secretly thought that he was too narrow-minded.

Just one trip had caused such a commotion. What was going on with the Gao family? Chen Xuan was filled with curiosity.

In addition, Chen Xuan also noticed that each carriage had a silver-white brocade triangular flag with some words written on it, but he didn't recognize any of them.

Noticing Chen Xuan's gaze, Wang Hai, who was leading the way, said proudly, "Xuan'er, you still can't read, right? The flag says Yang County Gao Family. When you go out, show the flag to avoid being bumped into by ignorant people. As for those who don't recognize the Gao family's flag, if they make a mistake, they will be courting death!"

Is the Gao family so powerful? I think they can avoid a lot of unnecessary trouble by raising a banner.

As they talked, the two of them kept walking until they came to a carriage slightly behind the middle of the convoy. Wang Hai said, "Xuan'er, you take this carriage. If you have nothing else to do, I'll go and get busy first."

Originally, Chen Xuan wanted to ask him about the Gao family's situation, but now was not the right time, so he had to give up and nodded, saying, "Thank you."

"Brother Xuan, you're welcome. Do you need my help?" Wang Hai waved his hand and said with a smile.

There was no need for him to help, there was a small stool next to the car. Chen Xuan said: "No, I'll get on first."

Wang Hai turned and left after he got in the car. Everyone else was busy, and it was impossible for him to be idle. He guessed that calling Chen Xuan would save him some work.

The driver seemed to be not in place yet, so Chen Xuan simply lifted the curtain and went in. There were actually people inside, four in total, three of whom looked to be girls in their twenties, and the last one was a middle-aged woman. When Chen Xuan came in, they all looked at him curiously.

Chen Xuan also understood that with so many people, it was impossible for him to have his own car. Facing their gazes, he smiled and said hello: "Hello, sisters, hello, auntie."

"You must be Xuan Ge'er, ha ha, you are so sweet, your words make my sister very happy."

"She has a handsome appearance and will surely grow up to be a handsome man. It will bring honor to the young master to be with her."

"Come, come, Xuan'er, sit next to me, let me take a good look at you."

The three young women immediately started chattering, as if they had found their favorite toys, and were very friendly to Chen Xuan. He was not nervous and sat down on the empty cushion, but did not actually sit next to them.

The middle-aged woman looked at them with a smile.

After a brief exchange, Chen Xuan understood their identities. The three young women were maids accompanying her, but they were not Madam Gao's personal maids like Qinghe and the others. The middle-aged woman was an embroiderer. The clothes on Chen Xuan were hurriedly made by her last night. She was able to make the clothes fit Chen Xuan perfectly based on his description without even seeing him, which showed her exquisite craftsmanship.

Soon, I felt a sinking sensation outside the carriage, and then a warning sounded, signaling the departure. The carriage slowly set off. Is the Gao family in Yang County just a wealthy family in one county? But when Butler He bought me yesterday, he didn't act like a wealthy family from a small town.

Setting off for Gao's house, unlike the closed carriage on which they came, Chen Xuan could lift the curtain to look outside. Everything was not the glamorous ancient scene shown in recent film and television dramas. Instead, it was like the scenes in the old version of Water Margin, full of old-fashioned atmosphere, and even better.

The passengers guessed that this was Chen Xuan's first time in such a "bustling" place, so they didn't disturb him when they saw him looking around curiously.

The convoy could not move fast even though it was in a busy city. After more than half an hour, Chen Xuan finally saw a city wall, about 10 to 20 meters high, full of traces of time.

After passing through the city wall, there is a wide rammed earth road outside. With the constant coming and going of people and vehicles, the road has become bumpy over time, and the carriages are also bumpy.

There was a long queue of merchants, travelers and porters entering the city, and you couldn't see the end of it at a glance.

Looking around all the way, Chen Xuan never saw Li Street from beginning to end. He was bought there and he would probably never forget it for the rest of his life.

"Xuan'er, we have already left Jinxia County. Please let down the curtains to prevent dust from coming in and making everyone dirty," a maid named Guoguo reminded.

After lowering the curtain, Chen Xuan pondered for a moment and asked curiously, "Although the area outside the city isn't exactly desolate, I can see no trees as tall as a man, while the distant mountains are emerald green. Why is that?"

"Xuan'er doesn't know this? Does that mean Xuan'er has never been to a town before?" Another maid named Qiuju said in silence.

Is there anything I should know? I've never been to an ancient town before.

Seeing Chen Xuan stunned, embroiderer Zhang Fen sighed slightly and explained, "Let Xuan Ge'er know that the reason there are no trees outside the city is because firewood is the most important necessity. Any slightly taller saplings nearby have been taken home and burned as firewood. Take Jinxia County for example, with 100,000 households, how much firewood do they consume every day? The surrounding mountains and forests have long been cut down, so firewood can only be found further afield."

"Yes, it's not just Jinxia County. You can't see tall trees around any larger town. Of course, those specially planted by the owner are not counted," Guoguo took over the conversation.

Qiu Ju also nodded and said, "I wonder if Xuan'er has noticed before, but in the queue to enter the city, most of them are people carrying firewood. They collect firewood from far away to sell. Although it is hard work, they can exchange it for some money to supplement their family income. Every day in Jinxia County, there are probably at least 20,000 people selling firewood. It is because of them carrying firewood on their shoulders that the 100,000 families in Jinxia County can have smoke from cooking every day. Otherwise, they can't even have a warm meal."

Hearing this, Chen Xuan was somewhat speechless and asked, "Are there so many firewood sellers?"

While asking the question, he was also thinking in his mind that no matter what time, energy is the most important thing. In ancient times, there was no electricity, so the consumption of firewood was naturally high.

"Nowadays, it's the busy spring plowing season, so there are fewer people collecting firewood. When winter comes, the number of people collecting firewood and selling charcoal will more than double. They will be coming in an endless stream from morning to night. Every household has to store firewood and charcoal for the winter. Although life in the city is good, the cost of firewood is a considerable expense," said embroiderer Zhang Fen, shaking her head.

They are not out of touch with the real world. They are quite familiar with the lives of the lower classes and may have come into contact with many of them while working for the Gao family.

Looking out of the car, although his vision was blocked, Chen Xuan couldn't help but feel a little sad after hearing these words. All the forests were cut down just for firewood.

No wonder floods were so common in ancient times. Too many trees were cut down, and plant growth couldn't keep up with the rate of felling. Soil and water loss were severe, and flash floods were inevitable.

(End of this chapter)