The general kneels on the washboard again

After so many years in this place, Yue Niang has been busy on the road.

If she didn't need more money to run the school, she would naturally be unwilling to come to Yunzhou, so as not to be remembered by the family in Kyoto.

Yunzhou is not far from Qingshi Town. Jiang Yunxiao is not here, and among these people, only Li An has been here. Today, he begged Li An and Erya to come together.

They hired a carriage and the three of them set off.

Li An accepted the money from Yue Niang. He had already passed the autumn examination and was only waiting for the spring examination. Now he studied day and night and worked very hard.

Yue Niang looked at the confused Li An, whose beard had grown so long that it could be pulled, and she couldn't help but worry: "Brother Li An, you have to make sure you rest well. Combine work and rest, and don't burn yourself out."

Erya sighed softly and said jokingly, "Alas! He's almost ascended to heaven."

Li An also smiled: "If I ascend to heaven, I will definitely take you with me. We will become an enviable immortal couple."

Yue Niang shook her arms and said, "It's so sore. A mere mortal like me is already envious. But seeing Brother Li An like this, I feel relieved. It proves that you haven't become stupid from studying."

"Don't worry, Yue Niang, it's not that serious. I just haven't understood a few things recently and have been a little obsessed. I haven't taken care of myself." Li An said a little embarrassedly.

Yue Niang waved her hand nonchalantly: "It's okay, we don't have anything important to do today, just take a stroll."

The primary purpose today is to take a look around and see if we can expand any business.

The group set out early, and the coachman was in a hurry, but they arrived in Yunzhou around noon.

When we arrived at the market, it was a very busy time.

Although Yunzhou is located in a desolate area, it is located on the border between two countries, and trade exchanges are very frequent, so it is very prosperous.

It is more than ten times more lively than Qingshi Town, and people doing business can be seen everywhere.

Moreover, most Feng people are taller than Cheng people, with straighter noses and clear facial contours, and each of them has a first-class appearance.

There are so many restaurants and inns here, especially the dyeing workshops. Yue Niang also went forward to take a look. Compared with the cloths in Qingshi Town, the colors of those cloths are all new and unusual.

Searching through the original owner's memories of when he was in Kyoto, he had never seen most of them, probably because the Fu family didn't have much to do with silk fabrics.

"Sister, look at the color of this cloth. You have been learning for so long, can you dye it into such a color?" Yue Niang asked seriously.

Erya also answered seriously: "I can't, Yue'er, Grandma Fu didn't even mention these colors."

Maybe my grandmother doesn't have this ability either.

The stall manager waited for the two to discuss the matter in front of the stall. After they finished, he slowly said, "These are the new patterns made by our store. They are most suitable for young ladies of your age. Would you like to pick a few to take home and make clothes?"

There was no displeasure in her tone, and her gentle attitude made Yue Niang successfully buy the product.

Yue Niang picked out a few for Erya and herself. "Sister, these are for uncle and aunt, this one is for you, this one is for Li An, and I'll take these back to grandma. Those ready-made clothing shops don't have such good patterns."

Even Ang Lee couldn't get it, so the coachman helped.

As they were walking around, they saw something being auctioned in front of them, and there were crowds of people surrounding them.

Yue Niang and Er Ya squeezed to the front, relying on their small stature.

I saw a man holding a box and showing it. Inside the box was a white-gray stone-like object.

After showing it around, those who knew the value of it were already shouting, "Fine ambergris is priceless."

Ambergris? Yue Niang remembered that this kind of thing was a priceless treasure in the modern times she lived in.

I saw the Qiefeng man put his index finger to his mouth and made a gesture of silence.

The restless crowd quieted down.

The man said in his half-fluent Cheng language, "Ambergris, one ounce for one gold coin."

Yue Niang was still thinking in her heart: How can an ordinary person afford one or two ounces of gold!

The next second, someone in the crowd shrieked, "I want them all. Please settle the bill."

Just like that, this item was sold out in one second.

The crowd dispersed, leaving only Yue Niang who seemed lost in thought and Erya who was confused.

Erya asked Yue Niang, "Yue'er, what is that?"

Yue Niang said, "Baby."

Ambergris is a secretion formed in the intestines of sperm whales. When it is excreted or spit out by the sperm whale, it will be washed into the sea water. Generally speaking, the longer the ambergris is soaked in the ocean, the better its quality.

In terms of color, ambergris is generally black, gray, light gray and white. White ambergris is the best gift.

I made up my mind that I would go to Rongzhou, which is close to the ocean, when I have time.

This trip has yielded some results. Seeing that it was getting dark, several people decided to go back home. It was too late, and even the official road was not safe.

Just then, several people passed by a "human market" where the owner was shouting and hawking his wares.

At this moment, on the stage was a sturdy young man, about seventeen or eighteen years old, with a firm gaze and an indifferent expression. His messy hair and dirty clothes did not hide his outstanding temperament. It seemed that he had practiced martial arts.

Yue Niang stopped walking, only to hear the slave owner say, "This boy knows martial arts, he would be a good choice to take home to look after the family or the courtyard. The price is a small one or two taels, and the highest bidder will get it."

Yue Niang whispered a few words to Li An, and Li An quickly offered: "Two taels."

A voice came from the crowd: "Three or two."

"Four taels."

"Five taels."

Li An directly said: "Fifty taels."

The crowd groaned, and some even laughed, "Young man, this is just a slave. With fifty taels, you can buy several official slaves."

Li An, with his sloppy and frail appearance as a scholar, suddenly bid fifty, which attracted the attention of several people.

Those people were full of gangster spirits. Yue Niang was afraid that they would be targeted, so she quickly said, "This is the belongings of the three of us brothers and sisters. It's just that this brother is about the same age as us, and we can't bear to take him away. Now we only have enough money to go home. If someone else bids, we won't be able to pay, which only proves that we are not destined to have this brother."

In the "human market", it is not uncommon to see a few kind-hearted passers-by every day.

The crowd laughed even louder, "Little girl, you're calling a slave brother, I'm afraid your parents will cry their hearts out."

The trafficker had no time for jokes.

"Fifty taels once, fifty taels twice, fifty taels three times. Give me the money."

Li An, who already knew what Yue Niang meant, took out ten taels from his pocket and gestured to Yue Niang. Yue Niang took out another ten taels from her pocket. After rummaging through her pockets several times, she finally collected the fifty taels of silver.

He also showed his empty pocket to everyone.

Be careful in everything.

Several people took the deed from the human trafficker, stamped it, handed over the slave, and then left.

I didn't realize that I was being watched.

Several people got on the carriage and untied the young man, not knowing that danger had already arrived.

When the carriage started moving, the young man who had been silent all this time finally spoke: "We are being targeted." His tone left no room for doubt.

Yue Niang and Li An looked at each other and sighed, "I knew it. Fifty taels is still too risky."

Li An kept blaming himself: "It's all my fault. What should I do?"

The young man took a defensive stance and said, "I'll handle it. Give me a quarter of an hour."

The young man looked at Yue Niang, and Yue Niang also looked at the young man. He didn't look like a liar or treacherous person, and he had no intention of buying any slaves today, so he could just run away.

After a mental struggle, Yue Niang nodded: "Okay! Stop the car."

The coachman stopped the car and the young man jumped out, not forgetting to instruct: "We are not far from the city yet, so try to get to the city gate and don't move until I come back."

Yue Niang did as she was told.

Li An was a little confused at this time: "Yue Niang, aren't you afraid that he will run away? Why do you trust him so much?"

Yue Niang said, "His eyes are sincere. I didn't intend to buy any slaves. If he's a liar, then I can just run away. But if someone really sets their sights on me, I'm not a master of martial arts, and you and Sister Erya don't even know how to fight. This is too risky."

A few people also thought it made sense, so they agreed and stayed to wait for the boy to come back, hoping that he would come back.