Chapter 586 - Chapter 586: Chapter 573: A Cunning Slave (1/2)

Chapter 586: Chapter 573: A Cunning Slave

Though not comparable to a Ferghana horse that could travel a thousand miles a day, they were also known for their endurance and stamina. High-intensity sprints like this, without rest, could last for two to three days without any problems.

However, despite their ability to run without rest, they still needed to eat and drink, or else they might not run fast during the day.

A fine substitute for the horses would not easily be found in a regular county town, so they would need to take a brief rest.

Zhuang Qingning nodded, “Alright.”

She looked around. Ying County was rather bustling. At this time, the morning market vendors were already welcoming customers, back and forth. The small food stalls and shops selling breakfast were all open for business.

Seeing a shop selling pan-fried buns up ahead, the enticing aroma wafting from it beckoned many people. They also had long tables and benches outside and sold things like soy milk, porridge, and tofu pudding.

Su Mu went off to find food for the horses, while Zhuang Qingning and Su Ye ordered some pan-fried buns and tofu pudding to eat.

Zhuang Qingning, delicate and beautiful, and Su Ye in her dark, rugged attire exuding an icy chill, quickly garnered attention. Many people looked over, but sensing their distinguished identities, dared not offend them or even sit near them.

Fortunately, there were not many out eating breakfast so early, and many bought food to take back home. There weren’t many people at the stall and those present kept their distance, so they didn’t stand out too much.

“Two servings of pan-fried buns, quick,” a man in blue shouted at the owner.

The owner, a slightly fat middle-aged man, smiled and replied, “Please wait for a while, it will probably be done in the duration of a cup of tea.”

“Don’t you have two servings of buns in hand? Why do I need to wait so long?” The man furrowed his brows and demanded.

“Apologies, but these two servings were ordered by these two ladies a while ago. The last batch was sold out and you’ll have to wait for the next,” the owner explained.

“Well, then give me these two servings and let them wait instead,” the man requested.

“Uh…” Seeing the man acting unreasonable, the owner could only smile wryly, “There should always be a ‘first come, first served’ rule. Not long now, only a cup of tea’s time, you just need to wait a bit.”

“How about this, after a while I’ll give you an extra half serving of buns. You can take it home and eat.”

“Are you treating me like a beggar, offering half a serving of buns?” The man’s face turned sour instantly, “Do you know I am from Magistrate Zhuang’s residence? Our young master is merely passing by and is hungry. If he eats your buns, it is a favor to you. Don’t bite the hand that feeds you and get ahead of yourself.”

There’s a saying that commoners shouldn’t antagonize officials, especially when the person is a servant of the magistrate’s household – it’s simply a scandal.

After some thought, the owner gave up and turned to Zhuang Qingning and Su Ye with an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry, ladies. Please wait a bit longer. Please consider the tofu pudding on the house.”

Saying this, the owner reached out to hand the buns to the man.

“Hold on,” Su Ye stood up, blocking the owner’s hand. “I don’t agree with this.”

She was ordered to protect Miss Zhuang. If she couldn’t even guard her dignity over a serving of buns, how could she face her superior?

She would undoubtedly lose face amongst the secret guards!