C192 (1/2)

The three of them stayed in a tavern in the twenty-fourth city for a full seven days.

Jin Xiaolou also ate Gao Lang's secret roasted chicken for seven days in a row.

The location of the Shuzhou was extremely dangerous, with many mountain ranges and valleys intersecting. The closer they got to Qingchuan, the more they felt the world was in turmoil. There were even some commoners who were forced to become bandits and obstructed those who tried to rob money and food on the mountain path.

Jin Xiaolou felt that the carriage was too eye-catching, so after discussing with Gao Lang, she decided to sell the carriage and bought a horse and saddle for the three of them to ride on.

After taking a short rest in the Green River Town, and asking for the location of Shuzhou, the three of them rode their horses towards the Shuzhou.

The July and August sunshine were the most scorching. Not long after riding the horse, Jin Xiaolou's face was already bright red. The sun would be behind him in the morning, so Gao Lang was half a horse's body slower than him. The sun would be at the front, and Gao Lang would be able to move half a horse's body faster.

The sunlight shined onto Gao Lang's tall body, leaving him with a small, cool shadow.

Fortunately, the further in they went, the greater the fog became. The moist air eased a lot of the heat, but it also became a little stuffy.

Jin Xiaolou was not used to the stifling wetness in Sichuan, she had been forcefully walking for three days, and every day she felt worse. Not long after walking that day, Jin Xiaolou felt extremely dizzy.

Right in front of them was a teahouse with a grass shed. The three of them tied up their horse ropes and sat down to rest in the teahouse.

The tea water was only the most ordinary old tea under the shade. It tasted heavy and bitter, but it was the most effective at relieving the heat of the summer.

Jin Xiaolou drank two gulps, then leaned against Gao Lang and sat on the bench as she blew, feeling much more comfortable. The shopkeeper was a woman who was around 30 years old. Nan Yang went to ask her about the way, and just as she sat back, he heard a wail from behind him.

Turning his head, he saw an elderly aunt lying on the table, crying and curling up her fists to pound on the table.

The owner of the tea house quickly put down the teapot and asked loudly, ”What's the use of crying to the heavens?”

Then, he stomped his feet and said, ”In my opinion, we still need to report to the officials!”

”A reporter? They're afraid of you reporting to the officials?! ” The aunt raised her face, her face filled with tears. She looked like a sad and honest person, ”Besides, the officials can't avoid them as easily as they can, so why would they care about my daughter's life!”

”Then this still isn't a solution!” The owner frowned. ”Your daughter is going to be married tomorrow. You can't just sit by and watch her die, can you?”

”Worse comes to worse, I might not get married for the rest of my life!” ”Go to the house and be a sister-in-law!” The aunt gnashed her teeth in grief and indignation.

”If you think about it, they might not be able to let it go!” The teahouse manager shook his head. ”Which one of these girls they have their eyes on managed to escape?”

”Then what should we do!?” ”Then I might as well bring my family's young lady and crash to death with me!” The aunt became even more agitated as she spoke. She abruptly stood up and flipped the tea bowl on the table, wanting to smash it into a pillar of the grass hut nearby.

The owner of the teahouse cried out, shocked. Nan Yang, who was beside him was quick to react, rushed forward and grabbed the man.

The big aunt also did not see who was coming either, she pulled Nan Yang's nose and cried all over her body, her two hands tightly wrapped around Nan Yang's waist, as though she had grabbed onto someone, and did not let go no matter what.

”Sigh, she is also a pitiful person. Miss, don't bother with her.” The owner of the teahouse came back to his senses and hurried over. He bent over to help the half-kneeling aunt up, muttering, ”There is hope when a person is alive. How can one so easily seek death?”

Hearing this, Jin Xiaolou could no longer sit still: ”Innkeeper, what's wrong with this aunt?”

The owner of the teahouse glanced at Jin Xiaolou, and when he saw the bright clothes on their group, he thought back to how agile the young lady was when she went to save them.

He rolled his eyes and told her everything that had happened.

So her surname was Chen. She was a widow from the village up ahead. Her husband had died of illness a few years ago, leaving her and her three-year-old daughter alone.

Aunt Chen was a woman who suffered bitterly. She had finally managed to bring up her daughter with great difficulty. Seeing her daughter's increasingly beautiful appearance, she was also very happy in her heart.

However, the people who came along with their daughter as she grew up were an endless stream of matchmakers.