Plane Trading: A Peasant Girl Escapes from Famine and Becomes Rich Enough of a Nation

The other three had no objection to whatever Su Qiuyi said, and so the carriage took a detour and headed towards Chisha Town.

After walking about thirty miles, a not-so-big city gate appeared in front of us.

The words "Chisha" were written on it. Knowing that they had finally arrived safely at their destination for the day, the four of them breathed a sigh of relief and headed for the town entrance in one go.

But the closer we got to the town entrance, the more we realized something was wrong.

"Why are those people gathered at the entrance of the town and not going in? There are so many people here!"

Su Laosan, who was sitting in the middle of the carriage and observing the surroundings, was the first to express doubts.

I saw that the entrance to Chisha Town in front of me was crowded with people. The four-person carriage was getting closer and closer. Only then could I vaguely see and hear what was happening in front.

It turns out that you have to pay money to enter the town.

"What should we do?" Su Xiaofang looked at her niece and asked.

She had two hundred wen in her hand, which was left to her by Yang Dachun. The eight hundred wen were divided among the four members of the family, with each person receiving two hundred wen.

"Hasn't the Chisha Town escaped the famine yet? Aren't the wells here dried up?" Su Qiuyi asked his doubts with some surprise.

Chisha Town is not far from Qinghe Town, and the drought situation should be similar. How come there are still people guarding Chisha Town and not leaving?

As soon as they asked this question, an old man with a cane not far ahead turned around and looked at them, then slowly walked forward to explain to them.

"There are still wells in Chisha Town that haven't dried up, so very few people in the town have fled from the famine. They just barely survive by guarding the wells! That's why they guard the entrance to the town and don't let outsiders in."

When they heard this, they wondered, “So that’s how it is?”

In other words, they are afraid that outsiders will come in and drink up all their water?

Su Lao San clasped his fists and said, "Thank you for telling me, old man!"

The old man rolled his eyes and looked at the carriage. After a while, he raised his head and waved, "You're welcome! If you want to get in, just hurry up! I also heard that the number of people allowed in on this day is limited. If it's too late, you won't be able to get in even if you have money!"

Su Lao San clasped his fists again and said, "Thank you!"

Originally, I thought the conversation was over, but the old man didn't intend to leave and just stood there without moving.

Su Laosan winked at his eldest daughter, but Su Qiuyi didn't react for a moment.

Seeing that this family was really rude, the old man said in a somewhat unfriendly tone, "Old man, I have told you so much, you can't just say thank you, right?"

Only then did Su Qiuyi understand that the old man had no good intentions and was here to sell them information?

She thought about it, reached into her sleeve, and fumbled for a long time, finally taking out five copper coins, which were the leftovers from her purchases a few days ago.

Apart from these few copper coins, there is no change in the space.

"Uncle, take these coppers! Thank you for telling us this!"

Su Qiuyi got off the carriage and handed the copper coin in his hand to the old man not far away.

But after seeing the five copper coins, the old man changed his kind words and his face turned dark.

"Little girl, you are so rich and can ride in a carriage, but you are so stingy. What can you buy with five copper coins? You can't even buy a steamed bun! Give me more! At least twenty copper coins!"

The sound was louder than before, attracting the attention of everyone around.

Su Qiuyi looked at the people around her who were not surprised at all, and suddenly realized that it turned out that this old man specialized in making money in this way and was used to doing such things. No wonder he knew it so clearly. Looking at the large group of people in front of him, he didn't even come forward, so how did he know it so clearly? She was still confused just now.

She spoke in a louder voice, trying to make everyone around her hear, "Uncle, this is already a lot. Although we are riding in a carriage, my father's leg is broken and he can't walk. This carriage cost almost all of our family's belongings, and we really don't have much money to waste! Besides, you are just telling us something that everyone knows. Even if our family doesn't know it now, we will know it when we get to the front. Besides, it wasn't us who asked, you came forward and said it yourself! How can you still blackmail us? In broad daylight, is there no law?"

Su Qiuyi said that his family was pitiful, and pointed out the fact that the old man took the initiative to talk to them. On the other hand, they took the carriage because the head of the family had a broken leg. In fact, they were not much better off than the people around them.

Even though everyone had envy and jealousy in their eyes and some even wanted to rob their carriages, they now seemed to have given up the idea.

In the car, Su Mingyue was so scared that she started crying. Su Xiaofang also got out of the car, holding the reins tightly in her hands, and looking around vigilantly.

As for Su Laosan, even though he was fine now, he still had to sit in the car, his legs motionless, and the look of pain on his face was quite realistic.

"I...I...Okay, okay, five coppers is five coppers...It's just my bad luck..."

The old man finally gave in amidst the accusatory looks from those around him, picked up the copper coin from Su Qiuyi's hand, turned around and ran away into the crowd.

Su Qiuyi looked around, thanked the person who had just spoken for them, and then walked towards his own carriage.

When the people around saw that everyone had run away, they also dispersed.

Su Xiaofang drove quickly, slowly passed through the path where the crowd was dispersed, and walked towards the town entrance.

When they arrived, a family of several people just paid and entered.

Su Qiuyi hurriedly got out of the car and walked forward. Looking at the soldiers dressed in yamen uniforms, he addressed them as officials.

"Sir, I want to ask, how much is the fee to enter the town?"

The square-faced yamen runner standing at the front glanced at her and explained the charging standards in a lukewarm manner.

"There are three levels! If you just want to buy something and come out, it's ten copper coins per person. If you want to stay overnight, it's fifty copper coins per person! If you want to stay in a better place and eat and drink normally, it's one hundred copper coins per person!"

After saying that, he looked at their carriage and added, "The carriage is charged separately. One carriage costs an extra fifty copper coins!"

Hearing about the entrance fee, Su Xiaofang touched the purse in her pocket. The money she had was enough for four people to stay in the city for one night, but it was not enough to bring a carriage in.

She looked at her niece with embarrassment, and Su Qiuyi happened to look over here as well. The two made eye contact, and Su Qiuyi turned around and asked the square-faced yamen runner another question.

"What does it mean to stay overnight?"

She understood that if she wanted to live in a better place and eat and drink properly, it would cost a hundred copper coins, so the meaning of staying for one night was intriguing.

The square-faced yamen runner was getting a little impatient, and said, "Stay overnight is just what it says! Just find a place to stay overnight!"

Many people around were also looking at them. She was crying poor and saying she had no money just now. If she took out 450 coins to enter the city now, she might be targeted as soon as she entered.

This was someone else's territory, and she didn't have the guts to do that.

She frowned and nodded, then walked towards her own carriage, and said, "Dad, aunt, second sister, let's find a place to stay for the night, and continue on our journey at dawn! We don't have enough money to go into the city, so we can't go in!"