My treasure bowl connects the past and present; I've won everything on my journey into exile.

"A post station, it really is a post station."

"Great, we've finally arrived at the post station. I can finally get a good night's sleep tonight."

"Waaah, all I wanted to ask was, when we arrived at the inn, was there any food? I'm so hungry!"

……

The group looked at the post station in front of them and began to discuss it excitedly.

The presence of a post station indicates the presence of nearby towns and villages, where they could replenish their supplies.

From now on, we won't have to go hungry anymore.

Old Wei told them to quiet down.

Then he went and knocked on the door.

The gate to the post station opened, and a burly man with a full beard came to open it.

As soon as he opened the door, he frowned, his face showing displeasure.

"Who are you all?"

What are you doing here? If you have nothing to do, get out of here.

Old Wei took out the official document and handed it to the other party.

The burly man's face immediately lit up with a smile:

"So it's Master Wei and you've arrived. I'm so sorry, I didn't recognize you and I've been so disrespectful to you."

Old Wei waved.

He folded the official document and hid it close to his body, then looked into the courtyard:

"Where's Lao Liu? I remember he used to be in charge of this place. Where did he go?"

"Brother Liu quit a long time ago and went home to take care of his grandson. It was because he quit that the county government arranged for me to come here. My surname is Ma, and you can call me Ma Daming, Master Wei."

Ma Daming explained with a smile, his eyes subtly glancing at the crowd, a hint of delight in them. This exile procession is quite large; very good.

He immediately opened the door with a smile and let them in.

As soon as they saw that they could go in, the crowd, who had been waiting impatiently, immediately rushed in to grab a place to sleep that night.

Because of Xu Ping'an and a few others, the Xu family quickly secured a corner.

Just as they had secured their spots, a little boy who had taken a place next to them was suddenly picked up and thrown to the ground.

"Get out of here, this place is mine." Chen Zhihua looked at Chen Ruoming, whom he had thrown to the ground, with an arrogant expression.

Chen Ruoming is good at picking locations; he actually chose a place right next to the Xu family's house.

Not bad.

Chen Ruoming scrambled to his feet, his eyes wide with surprise:

"This place is mine, I was here first."

"So what? I've set my sights on it, so it's mine. You little brat, get out of here." Chen Zhihua said with a look of contempt.

He then called his family over.

Now that I have a place to sleep, if I'm a little shameless enough tonight, I can trick the Xu family into giving me some food. Perfect.

"No, it's a first-come, first-served rule here. I got this first, so it's mine." Chen Ruoming wouldn't back down, rushing forward and shoving Chen Zhihua directly.

"This is my territory, get out of here."

Chen Ruoming resolutely refused to back down. If he did, his mother and siblings would have to stay in the courtyard again tonight.

No, absolutely not.

My younger sister and the others already have a cough, and if they continue to sleep outside, it will definitely get worse.

His mother was exhausted from the journey and needed a place to rest.

"Rebellion, is this it?" Chen Zhihua roared, swinging his hand to strike Chen Ruoming.

"I'll beat you to death, you bastard."

……

Chen Ruoming let him hit him, but he wouldn't give in.

Xu Pingan, who was standing to the side, couldn't stand it any longer. He stepped forward, grabbed Chen Zhihua's hand, and shoved him forward.

"roll!"

"Ouch!"

Chen Zhihua fell to the ground, screaming in pain. He looked up, about to yell at someone for meddling.

When he saw that it was Xu Ping'an, the curse that was on the tip of his tongue was instantly swallowed back down.

He stood up cautiously:

"Brother Ping An..."

"Who said you're my brother?" Xu Ping'an sneered.

"roll!

What's wrong with bullying a child?

If you've got the guts, come and try to steal it from me!

"If you don't dare, then get out of here right now. If you dare come back here to bully the child again, see how I deal with you."

Upon hearing this, Chen Zhihua immediately lost his temper.

He naturally dared not cause trouble for Xu Ping'an.

Knowing that the other party intended to help Chen Ruoming, he didn't dare to force the issue.

They could only turn around and leave dejectedly.

However, as he left, he glared fiercely at Chen Ruoming, giving him a look that said, "You just wait and see."

Chen Ruoming didn't care at all.

He breathed a sigh of relief after seeing him leave, and then thanked Xu Ping'an sincerely.

Xu Pingan raised an eyebrow:

"Kid, not bad, you've got guts."

Chen Ruoming scratched his head and grinned sheepishly, saying in a simple and honest way:

"I...I just want my mom and the others to get a better night's sleep."

His mother didn't want him to come in and take the kang (heated brick bed), but she couldn't dissuade him, so she let him in to try. She also told him to stick close to the Xu family and just take a spot next to them.

Who knew he would actually succeed in snatching it?

Just then, Li Ping came in carrying a lot of things and with three children.

Seeing the dust on his body and the injuries on his face, I immediately felt sorry for him.

"Ming'er..."

“Mother, I’m fine,” Chen Ruoming interrupted her.

"You and your sister tidy up here, I'll go find firewood."

After saying that, he rushed out.

Li Ping knew this wasn't the time for melancholy. Although she felt sorry for her children, she quickly composed herself and immediately got her children to pack up.

When Lin Mo came in, she saw Li Ping next to them and breathed a sigh of relief.

The people are still the same people; things from the past life might still happen.

The two greeted each other and then began packing their things.

Just then, someone rushed in excitedly and shouted:

"There is food available at the post station. A meal costs twenty-five coins. If you want some, hurry up and sign up."

These words caused an uproar, and the crowd immediately surrounded him.

"Is it true? Twenty-five coins a serving?"

"Is it rice, with meat and vegetables?"

Is it all-you-can-eat?

……

At that moment, Ma Daming came in and shouted, immediately silencing everyone.

"You want rice, meat, and vegetables? Twenty-five coins? Are you trying to fly to the moon?" Ma Daming sneered.

"Twenty-five coins for one steamed bun, two cornbread buns, a bowl of soup, and a dish of pickled vegetables. If you want meat, it's an extra 20 coins."

Upon hearing this, everyone immediately shouted that it was expensive and a rip-off.

Ma Daming sneered and glanced around the room. "This is called transparent pricing. There's no forced buying or selling. If you want to eat, you have to pay."

Do we make steamed buns and cornbread for free?

Can someone do it for free?

In short, if you want to eat, bring some money and go to the kitchen window to buy it; if you don't want to eat, then go hungry. If you want to go to town to buy it, go ahead; it'll take almost two hours round trip.

After saying that, he swaggered outside.

After he left, the gossip intensified.

This thing, which should only cost a few coins, costs twenty-five coins a serving.

Many people angrily cursed Ma Daming for giving money to those in distress.

"It's expensive. If I don't eat it, will I go hungry? Can I starve until tomorrow?"

Someone in the crowd said this.

Suddenly everyone fell silent, followed by whispers, and then people started walking outside.

Lin Mo watched all of this with indifference.

Those who left were all trying to find something to eat.

A serving costs 25 yuan, and it only includes one steamed bun and two cornbread buns. It's too expensive.

With such a large family, it's not like we can't afford to eat one serving each.

But if you eat there, it will cost a lot of money, and you still won't be full.

They had limited money, and the journey ahead was long; no one knew how much more they would need to spend.

Leaving aside the flowers along the way, let's talk about the place of exile.

Building a house, settling down, and navigating relationships all cost money.

Naturally, we should save money wherever possible.

Lin Mo smiled slightly, but they knew they wouldn't find anything to eat if they went out.

Ma Daming had already planned to slaughter them, so why would he let them find food?

So in the end, they all obediently come back and pay for it.

Granny Qin frowned, and took out a money pouch from her bosom, handing it to Lin Mo:

"Young Madam, I still have some silver here."

"Or we could use the money to buy food, so that none of us have to go out to find anything to eat tonight, and we can all get a good night's sleep."

Lin Mo pushed her purse back and shook her head:

"No need, just hide yours."

He glanced outside and said, "We won't buy the food at this inn; we'll cook it ourselves."

Cook the last of the rice, then add the dried meat and cook together.

Granny Qin hesitated.

She wanted the young master and young mistress to eat well.

Can't you add more meat if you pay more?

Besides, they didn't have much rice left, not enough for tonight's meal at all.

Xu Wuyan shook his head, "Granny Qin, do as the young mistress says."

Qin Mama sighed and nodded, "Alright, I'll go to the kitchen to borrow a stove to cook in a bit."

I'll just make some porridge and make do.

Xu Wuyan nodded to Lin Mo, then turned and walked outside.

At this moment, Lao Wei found Ma Daming, his expression grim:

"Ma Daming, don't be so unseemly."

Twenty-five coins for a steamed bun and two cornbread buns? That's outrageous!

Ma Daming looked at Lao Wei with a fawning expression:

"Master Wei, it's not expensive."

We brothers are stuck in this shabby place, and we only see a few groups of people a year. We all have to make a living, right?

"I had no choice. Otherwise, how could the meager funds the imperial court provided be enough to support my family?"

Seeing that Lao Wei still had a dark expression, he reluctantly said:

"Then I'll give them five coins less per serving."

Old Wei glanced at him, then turned and left.

As soon as he left, Ma Daming immediately turned hostile and spat viciously at his retreating back.

"Pah! You're cutting off my source of income."

No way! This is a rare opportunity to make a fortune; I can't miss it.

Ma Daming's eyes lit up, and he immediately had an idea. He then hurriedly walked outside.