A strong farm girl is busy getting rich

Shen Qingqian said, "That's good. If we go with Master Chen, we will have someone to take care of us on the way. However, we can't rely on others for our safety. We have to prepare ourselves."

"Ah? What are you preparing for?"

Yingzi obviously hadn't thought about this problem. She grew up in the mountains and didn't come into contact with many people. She didn't know how treacherous people were, so she didn't think too much about it.

"Can you use arrows?"

Shen Qingqian did not answer her, but asked another question.

"what?"

Yingzi couldn't keep up with Shen Qingqian's pace and didn't know why Shen Qingqian changed the topic so quickly. However, when it came to archery, she was still very confident.

"Of course I can. I have been hunting with my grandfather since I was a child, and my archery skills are pretty good!"

Shen Qingqian nodded and said, "That's good. Go out and buy a bow and arrow. Bring them with you for self-defense when we leave."

Although Yingzi didn't think about it that much, she still agreed with Shen Qingqian's words.

"The girl is right. When we go out, we should prepare some self-defense items."

Shen Qingqian took out another blueprint and handed it to her, saying, "Go to the place that sells bows and arrows, and ask them to make what's on the blueprint. You can give them more silver. You have to finish it today."

Yingzi took the blueprint and asked doubtfully, "Girl, is this... a hidden weapon?"

Shen Qingqian said, "I guess so. This is called a crossbow. It's similar to the bow and arrow you use, but it's a little smaller. You don't need to pull the bow. There is a switch. Once you press the button, the arrow will be shot out."

"that is real good!"

Yingzi exclaimed. After thinking for a while, she said, "Then why don't we just make two crossbows? They will be convenient to carry around, so we don't need to buy bows and arrows, right?"

Shen Qingqian explained: "This crossbow is fast, but its range is not far, so it is suitable for close range use. Bows and arrows have a long range, so you still have to be prepared."

"Oh, so that's how it is! However, I still want to make two crossbows. We can each carry one. We can use the bow and arrow for long distances and the crossbow for close distances. If we encounter bad guys, we will definitely be able to beat them to a pulp!"

"Okay, whatever you want! I'm just worried that I won't be able to make two at once due to the time constraints."

"Then I'll go out and find someone to do it right now, and I'll make sure they find a way to make it quickly!"

The next day, on the morning of the 20th day of the first lunar month, Shen Qingqian finally set out for the capital. She and Yingzi sat in the carriage, and Zhang Sheng drove for them.

Zhang Sheng is a waiter in Shen Qingqian's inn, and is a member of the staff left behind by Manager Hu. Upon learning that Shen Qingqian is going to the capital, Zhang Sheng offers to be their coachman.

Zhang Sheng was smart and prudent, so Shen Qingqian valued him very much. Most importantly, Zhang Sheng also had some martial arts skills. So Shen Qingqian agreed without hesitation.

In front of them was the carriage carrying Chen Shijun, and Chen Shijun's guards were all riding horses, walking around the two carriages.

Ping'an Town is not far from the capital, about 200 miles away. If you ride a horse at full speed, you may arrive in less than a day. But if you take a carriage, it will take about two days.

Shen Qingqian brought a lot of things in her carriage, half of which were vegetables from her greenhouse.

Although vegetables are not considered valuable, they are very precious in winter and are rare even as gifts.

In less than an hour, they arrived at the border of Tai'an Town. However, it was not yet time for dinner, so they did not stop in Tai'an Town and continued on their way.

Yingzi was sitting in the carriage, very excited, and from time to time she lifted the curtain to look out.

In fact, the weather in the first month of the lunar year is still very cold, there is no grass or flowers on the ground, and the trees have not sprouted. There is nothing to see at all. However, the outside world always makes people feel novel and fascinating.

Shen Qingqian was in a good mood, too. She lifted the curtain on the other side of the car and looked outside. However, she was concerned about the road conditions, in case she took the wrong road next time she went out.

After leaving Tai'an Town, they had no other places to stay, not even a village.

It was not until around two o'clock in the afternoon that the group arrived at a big city called "Xiangyang City".

When they arrived at the city gate, Shen Qingqian and Yingzi got off the carriage.

The big city is different from their small town. The city gates look quite imposing and are guarded by soldiers.

Ping'an Town does have a city gate, but it is very dilapidated and people can enter and exit freely without anyone in charge.

Zhang Sheng introduced to Shen Qingqian and Yingzi: "Our Ping'an Town and Tai'an Town both belong to the territory of Xiangyang City and are under the jurisdiction of Xiangyang City.

More than 400 miles south of Xiangyang City is Shahe County, and to the north is the capital, which is about 120 miles away from here."

Shen Qingqian didn't expect that Zhang Sheng knew so much! She asked, "Zhang Sheng, have you been to the capital before?"

Zhang Sheng was silent for a moment, then said, "Well, I've been there a few times, so I'm quite familiar with the capital. Our Ping'an Town is not far from the capital, so it's very convenient."

Shen Qingqian's eyes lit up. When going out, having someone who knows the way around by her side can save time and trouble. It seems that Zhang Sheng took the initiative to be the driver to help her!

Shen Qingqian and the other two followed Chen Shijun's carriage and entered the city smoothly.

Because it was past lunch time, the restaurants they visited were all closed, saying that they would not serve food until after the hour of You. In other words, they had to wait until around 5pm to have dinner.

Everyone had been traveling for most of the day and was already hungry, so how could they wait that long!

In desperation, I had to go into a wonton restaurant on the side of the road.

The wonton restaurant is open all day and you can eat at any time.

I don’t know if it was because the wontons here were delicious or because they were too hungry, but in any case, everyone ate with great relish and felt that the food was more enjoyable than the delicious dishes in big restaurants.

After dinner, Chen Shijun looked at a guard beside him and asked, "Where is the next stop? How far is it from here?"

The guard replied, "Sir, the next stop is Huanggang Town, which is about fifty miles away from here. Should we continue on our journey or stay here tonight?"

Chen Shijun replied without hesitation: "Let's continue on our journey. We will stay in Huanggang Town tonight."

"Yes, my lord."

The group did not stop and continued on their way.

It was already past four in the afternoon when we left Xiangyang City. The days were still relatively short at this time of year, and the sun had already begun to set.

After walking for about quarter of an hour, the group entered a tree-lined avenue.

The road was not narrow, but the trees on both sides were dense. The temperature began to drop significantly, and it started to get a little cold in the carriage.

Shen Qingqian and Yingzi each took out a blanket and covered themselves with it. After a while, they fell asleep in a daze.

After an unknown amount of time, the carriage suddenly stopped. Then, the sound of fighting was heard from the front.

Chen Shijun and his group were walking in front, and their carriages were following behind, so it must be that Chen Shijun's people were fighting with someone!