Beautiful Peasant Girl: The Young Marquis's Beloved

Chapter 92

Yongshun Prefecture is located on a major road in the northwest, and Qinghe County is backed by the Canglong Mountains to the north and is close to the Qinglan River. Due to its unique geographical location, it attracts many merchants.

It was Liu Xu's first time here and she wanted to go down for a walk, but He Feng was concerned that there were many people at the dock and they might get lost accidentally. Plus, there were no restrictions on horse-drawn carriages here, so he didn't let her go down.

Liu Xu finally agreed to let her sit on the edge of the carriage after much persuasion. Qiao Yu took out a cloak from her luggage and put it on her. He Feng and Liu Xu placed her in the middle, one on each side. Fortunately, the carriage was not small and the edge was wide enough. Besides, He Feng and Liu Xu were both teenagers, otherwise they would have squeezed her into a bun.

Huanxi stayed in the carriage, while He Lei went downstairs to look for someone as soon as he arrived at the dock.

The wharf in Qinghe County is not large, but it is quite large, extending for dozens of feet along the river bank. The ground paved with bluestone has become slightly rough due to years of polishing. Some of the stone slabs even have tiny cracks on the corners, as if telling the vicissitudes of the wharf over the years.

It was winter, and the temperature by the river was much colder than other places. The wind whistled past, freezing her bones. She tightened her cloak, unable to resist her curiosity about the docks of this era, and looked around.

The vendors on both sides of the road shouted at the top of their lungs, unafraid of the severe cold. "Steamed buns! Hot steamed buns!" "Want a bowl of Yangchun noodles? My sauce is so fragrant!" "Come, come, take a look at the newly hunted skins this year!" The continuous shouting of vendors reached Liu Xu's ears, and the thick smell of fireworks seemed to have driven away a lot of the original cold air.

Workers moving goods were busy shuttling along the shore, wearing worn cotton-padded jackets, some wearing hats, carrying heavy goods on their backs or shoulders, walking with heavy steps, and breathing out white air.

The supervisors were dressed warmly, holding account books and whips in their hands, with stern eyes, shouting at the workers to speed up, and whipping them to warn them if they slacked off even a little.

On the Qinglan River, boats were either docked or sailing. The docked boats were gently swaying with the waves, and the ropes on the side of the boats were tied tightly; the sailing boats broke through the thin ice on the river, and the bows splashed with water.

The merchants coming and going were wrapped in cloaks, riding horses or in cars. They looked hurried, paying attention to the loading and unloading of goods, sometimes chatting with people, and sometimes arguing about prices and delivery time.

The supervisors were dressed in thick clothes, holding account books and whips in their hands, with stern eyes, shouting loudly to speed up, and waving whips to warn if they slacked off in the slightest.

Liu Xu exhaled a breath of white air and rubbed her frozen hands. Qiao Yu pulled her cloak closer and couldn't help but said worriedly, "Miss, why don't you go sit inside? It's cold by the river. It will be bad if you catch a cold later."

"Miss, please go inside and wait. It won't be too late for you to come out after Xiaolei finds the person." He Feng also advised.

Liu Xu thought about it and agreed. The wind from the river was really too biting. Worried that He Feng and the others would be cold, she said, "Brother He Feng, don't go any further. Let's find a place to stop and wait."

He Feng nodded, found a place with a wide view to stop, let Qiaoyu watch, and went to a tea shop to buy a few tubes of hot water. The water was in bamboo tubes, a section of bamboo was split in half, which not only kept the water warm, but also had a light bamboo fragrance when drinking. After a few sips of hot water, Liu Xu felt much warmer, and urged He Feng and the others to drink quickly.

Soon, He Feng reported back that He Lei had returned. After a while, He Lei's breathless voice was heard:

"Miss, I found that person, at, at..."

"Don't be in a hurry, drink some hot water and take your time!" Liu Xu came out of the carriage and handed him a bottle of hot water. He Lei didn't hesitate and took it and drank it in one gulp.

"Miss, the man is not far from the river. When I went there, I didn't see him asking people around. He just sat there with a few bags in front of him. I went up to take a look. One bag looked a bit like soybeans, the size of a fist; another bag was golden yellow, about the length of a chopstick; and there were some things that looked like seeds." He Lei reported as soon as his breathing became a little more stable, and then he couldn't help but mutter,

"Although he looks a little ugly, he looks quite pitiful. I saw that he didn't even have a thin cotton coat and he was shivering while sitting there." After saying that, he looked at Liu Xu cautiously. However, before Liu Xu could say anything, he was slapped on the back of the head by his brother.

"Just answer, why say those useless things!" He Feng scolded. His younger brother has always been lively and simple in nature. The young lady is kind and generous to them, so they should stick to their duties.

He Lei pursed his lips, lowered his head in grievance and dared not speak again. Liu Xu wanted to laugh, but held it back. Then he thought of the two things He Lei mentioned, his eyes lit up, and he urged excitedly:

"Brother He Lei, take me to see it!"

Soon, Liu Xu took He Feng and followed He Lei to the riverside, leaving Qiao Yu and Huan Xi to watch the carriage.

"Miss, I'm sorry!" The closer they got to the river, the more people and cars there were. He Feng was worried that the passing vehicles and pedestrians would hurt Liu Xu, so he just picked her up.

Liu Xu was embarrassed: Hey, when will I grow taller?

Without her short legs getting in the way, He Lei and his companions arrived at their destination in less than half an incense stick of time.

Liu Xu looked at the young man who was sitting cross-legged on the ground in front of him. His skin was as dark as ink, his hair was like a ball of pompom, short and curly and tightly attached to his scalp, and he thought to himself, as expected.

She asked He Feng to put her down, and then walked over with the two of them. Perhaps because he had been chasing after people and asking questions before, now there was no one within three meters around him, which made him look a little pitiful.

The black boy was a little excited when he saw someone coming, but he held back his excitement carefully. He smiled brightly at the three people.

Liu Xu walked to the bag in front of him and saw what was inside. His eyes were burning with joy: Hahaha, it really is potatoes and corn! He couldn't help but look at another small bag, and his eyes were even more surprised: watermelon seeds and cowpeas!

Liu Xu calmed down, smiled kindly, and asked crisply, "How much do you sell these things for?"

The black boy understood, his eyes lit up, and he nodded heavily: "Sell, eat, eat!"

Liu Xu tilted her head: "You mean this is something to eat?"

Jayne, the black man, nodded. Liu Xu had no choice but to ask again: "How much are these?"

Jayne thought about it, and seemed to understand. He stood up excitedly, gesturing and stuttering, "Ten, ten taels," and pointed to the bag and added, "Together!"

"Ten taels all together?" Liu Xu asked, a little surprised. This pile weighed about a hundred pounds. If it was in the previous life, it would definitely be worthless, but in this era, she didn't know if there were any other places, but at present, Qinghe County and even Yongshun Prefecture didn't have any, so you can imagine how valuable it was.

Jayne nodded heavily! Afraid that she would not want to explain, he said, "It's not expensive! Dad (pronounced softly), is sick, medicine, doctor!"

"You mean your father is sick and needs money to buy medicine and see a doctor?" Liu Xu was surprised. No wonder, she said he looked like a teenager, so how could he run so far alone.

Jayne's eyes were red and he nodded excitedly, "Jayne, please, thank you!"

"Your name is Jane, right? Is your father on the ship?" Liu Xu asked.

"Yes, I am!" Jane nodded. Liu Xu thought: No wonder this kid didn't leave the river too far in such a cold day.

"Jayne, I want all these things. Brother He Feng, give me twenty taels of silver." Liu Xu turned and looked at He Feng.

He Feng was confused, but he did not hesitate and handed the money to Liu Xu.

After Liu Xu took it, he gave Jayne 10 taels first, "Here are 10 taels, take it back and ask the captain to hire a doctor for your father." Jayne took the money, nodded heavily, and bowed deeply to Liu Xu. Liu Xu stepped aside and then handed him another 10 taels, "Here, hide it, and take it out when your father recovers!"

Liu Xu was worried that the child would be cheated by someone, so it would be better for him to have some money on him so that he would not be left with nowhere to go.

Unexpectedly, Jayne waved his hand and said, "It's too much, only ten taels!"

Liu Xu was stunned for a moment, then couldn't help but smile, "Take it, it's not much, these things are worth it!" After saying that, she pulled his hand over, put the money on it, and reminded him, "Remember to hide this well, don't let others know!"

Jayne looked at the silver in his hand, his voice choked up: "Thank you!"

Liu Xu asked He Lei to pick up a few bags and was about to leave. But Jayne stopped her and said, "Wait!"

After saying that, without waiting for Liu Xu to ask, he ran towards a merchant ship. Liu Xu and He Feng looked at each other, both a little confused, but also stopped.

After a while, Jayne came back with a small wooden box in his arms. He handed it to Liu Xu and said with a grin, "Shi Shi, it's beautiful. Here you go!" After that, he ran away without waiting for Liu Xu to reply.

Liu Xu's heart skipped a beat. Could it be... She was a little stunned. She wanted to open it and take a look, but she felt that this was not the right place. If it was what she thought, then this gift would...

He Feng looked at his young lady holding the box in a daze, a little confused: "Miss, what's in this?"

Liu Xu finally reacted after hearing this: "Brother He Feng, let's go back first."

Liu Xu looked back at the ship that Jayne had boarded, then took the two brothers back to the carriage.