After crossing, I was forced to hold on to my thighs and build a kingdom

After all, it was the first time that he had used a trick to trick someone. Even if he said it with certainty, he still felt a little uneasy in his heart.

Zhao'er spent two days in fear, but he didn't see Fudan and Ernao come to cause trouble. It seemed that the two of them really didn't notice his little trick. He completely relaxed and secretly rejoiced at his rare successful counterattack.

Having tasted the sweetness, he pestered his sister every day to study and practice calligraphy. Jin Chu was naturally very happy to see that he was willing to take the initiative to study.

However, she had only been in this world for a short time and had no chance to meet other scholars. Naturally, she didn't know what books everyone was reading these days, or what books children were learning for enlightenment.

Thinking of the farewell letter written in traditional Chinese characters that the man in black left behind before leaving, she felt a little more at ease.

Her grandfather in her previous life was the vice president of the local calligraphy association. Therefore, since Jinchu was three years old and could hold a pen, her grandfather began to hold her little hand and teach her to write big characters.

She was young at the time and didn't like the calligraphy classes that had soft pens and took half a day to practice. She always liked to be lazy and perfunctory during her studies. Later, when she entered junior high school, the workload became tight and she had less time to go home. In addition, her grandfather also saw that his granddaughter was really not interested in it, so he simply stopped forcing her to write.

However, with nearly ten years of study, although her handwriting is not worthy of being presented in a formal setting, it is more than enough to fill the amateur market.

Recognizing ancient characters is the basic skill of practicing calligraphy. For Jinchu, who has dabbled in both large and small seal scripts, the traditional Chinese characters in this world are simply child's play, so she basically has no obstacles in learning to read.

She discussed with Zhao'er and decided to go to the bookstore in Lincheng today to choose some suitable elementary school books for Zhao'er, and buy some daily necessities such as rice, flour, grain and oil. In case Sun withheld their food again, the siblings would not end up without food and clothing.

Zhao'er was already weak, and had become emaciated due to hunger during this period. She had to find a way to make up for the loss to the child.

Jinchu heated up the only three steamed buns left in the house, cooked a pot of corn rice, mixed it with some pickles, and the brother and sister had breakfast.

She left the remaining two steamed buns for Zhao'er to eat as lunch.

Zhao'er wanted to go with them, but was rejected by Jinchu.

One reason was that the weather was cold after the snow. The round trip from Qingxi Village to Lincheng was thirty miles, and the road was mixed with mud and snow, making many remote trails slippery and difficult to walk on.

The second reason is that Zhao'er is only a six-year-old child after all, and she has just arrived. She is unfamiliar with the city. If she brings a child into the city with her, if something unexpected happens on the way, she will not be able to deal with it properly.

Seeing her sister's firm attitude, Zhao'er pouted in grievance, but finally stayed obediently.

Jin Chu gave him some more instructions before picking up the basket and hurried to the village entrance.

Before reaching the village entrance, I saw a donkey cart parked on the side of the road in the distance. There were already five or six people sitting on the cart. In front of the cart was a big gray donkey with a strong physique, a big head, long ears, and shiny hair. It was lowering its head and kicking its front hooves.

An old man in his early fifties was sitting on the shaft of the cart. He had a slightly hunched back and was talking to someone on the cart with his head turned.

Jinchu walked closer and, following Zhao'er's description from last night, tentatively called out, "Uncle Zhou."

The old man turned his head and looked at her, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes, and then a smile appeared on his face. "Hey, isn't this Miss Jin'er from the Sheng family?"

Jin Chu ignored the gazes of the people in the mule cart and simply replied with a smile, "It's me, Uncle Zhou, you're welcome. Just call me Jin girl. Is this cart heading to Lincheng today?"

"We are going to Lincheng. Is Jin girl going to the city too?" Uncle Zhou changed his address and asked with a smile while looking at Jin Chu.

"Yes, I want to go to the city to buy some tableware and a set of cotton clothes for my brother." Jin Chu shook the basket in his hand.

"That's right. It's freezing cold in these coldest days of winter. We need to prepare more food to prevent ourselves from going hungry or freezing." Grandpa Zhou nodded repeatedly and pointed towards the car. "Jin girl, come on up quickly and sit for a while. Once Old Wang's granddaughter Huizhen comes, we can set off."

Jin Chu responded, held the handlebars and climbed onto the donkey cart. There were two empty seats near the inside. She smiled friendly at the people around her and walked to the innermost seat and sat down.

The people in the car were silent for a few moments, and then they started talking again. "Aunt Li, was what you just said true or false?" asked a young daughter-in-law in her twenties.

"Of course it's true!" The thirty-something woman across from me slapped her thigh and shouted, "I went to the city a few days ago to deliver winter clothes to Zhuzi's father, and I happened to see a notice posted by the government. It clearly stated that anyone who provides information will receive a reward of fifty taels!"

"Hey, the reward is so high, what crime did this person commit?" a thin man next to him asked curiously.

"The notice didn't go into detail, but the city sent out many soldiers to search for him that day. Oh, and they even searched the Bluestone Mountain behind our village."

"Have you found out the results?" someone else asked.

"Of course not. If there was, the notice wouldn't have been posted all the time! I heard it was a young man around twenty years old. He looked very handsome in the portrait."

The middle-aged woman sighed, feeling very regretful. "You can do anything else, but you choose not to do anything serious and go against the government. This is like the King of Hell hanging himself - he thinks his life is too long!"

"Alas, the world is in such a mess these days! Ever since that Marquis Wu'an colluded with the Western Rong people a few years ago and killed 80,000 of our northwestern border troops, the northwest has been in turmoil. The court has sent several governors there, but the Western Rong still harass the border every year. The current general is loyal to the court, but when it comes to fighting..." The man curled his lips and said disdainfully, "He's really not as good as the previous general."

"Be careful with your words!" Another tall, thin man who had been standing by and had been silent suddenly warned, "Be careful with your words! This is something the officials should be concerned about. You and I, ordinary people, should just live our lives well!"

His shout silenced everyone, leaving only the short man who had been stopped in silence to mutter indignantly, "Humph! The days ahead? They're getting worse by the day!"

Seeing that no one said anything, he grumbled again, "Right now, the northwest is in chaos, and the barbarians in the southwest aren't at peace either. Ever since General Chen arrived in Jiaocheng, he's been asking the court for military rations every year, but the court simply can't provide them. As the saying goes, 'A good cook cannot cook without rice.' How can the soldiers fight the barbarians when they can't even eat or wear warm clothes? General Chen has been trapped in Jiaocheng for almost three years now, hasn't he? We pay so much in taxes every year, but the nobles and sons of Yong'an City live a life of luxury and debauchery, while the soldiers away from home are left with nothing to eat or wear. I wonder where all this money has gone?"

His tone slowed down slightly, with a hint of relief, "If it weren't for the support of King Dingbei, those fierce Beidi people would have already broken through Youyun City and marched south to Yong'an City, the capital of Zhongdu!"

"That's true. There have been continuous disasters in various places in the past two years, and the lives of the people have become more and more difficult. Our Lincheng is still relatively better. I heard that in other prefectures and cities where the famine is severe, a large number of disaster victims cannot afford to eat. It is said that the imperial court's relief department also allocates money and food every year to comfort the people, but the number of poor people who cannot eat is increasing. I don't know whose fault it is. If this continues, how can we live?" Someone else felt deeply sympathetic and couldn't help sighing.

"Who says it's not true? I've been to Lincheng recently and have noticed that there are a lot more refugees outside the city than before. If the masters up there don't think of a solution, I really don't know what the future will hold!"

"Uncle Zhou, I'm late!" A clear female voice interrupted the whispers in the car.

"Jane, we've been waiting for you. Please come up quickly!" Uncle Zhou's voice was filled with urging.

"Okay, okay, I'll be right there!" As soon as the voice fell, the car curtain was lifted, and a beautiful girl of fourteen or fifteen years old looked around, smiled brightly at Jin Chu, and sat down next to her.

With a "dee" sound from Uncle Zhou, the donkey cart began to move forward slowly.