Chapter 56
Following Manager Chen's directions, Yu Ying and her sister-in-law headed to Tongyue Inn.
Tongyue Inn was much farther than Penglai Inn, taking them an extra fifteen minutes to locate.
Upon entering the inn, just as Yu Ying was about to inquire with the innkeeper, she heard someone call out “Mrs. Yu” from behind.
Turning towards the voice, Yu Ying saw Luo, the manager who had previously purchased herbs.
Relieved to see Manager Luo, Yu Ying approached him with a smile: “Manager Luo, it’s been a while. How have you been?”
Manager Luo nodded, replying, “Thanks to Mrs. Yu’s kindness, these past few months have been very good.”
Indeed, he was grateful to this woman. The fleece-flower root had fetched a good price, and he had received a handsome reward.
He asked, “Have all the medicinal herbs from Mrs. Yu been prepared?”
Yu Ying responded, “Everything is ready. However, the quantity of herbs is substantial, and I'm afraid it will be difficult to transport them. Would Manager Luo be willing to collect them from my home?”
Manager Luo pondered for a moment and asked, “How far is Mrs. Yu’s home from Yuxian?”
Yu Ying answered, “About an hour's journey.”
After considering, Manager Luo agreed, “Alright, I can also inspect the goods at Mrs. Yu's home.”
The current time was between noon and afternoon. The round trip, along with the time needed for inspection, would likely take around three hours.
They needed to return to Yuxian before dark, but clearly, there wasn’t enough time.
After some thought, Manager Luo said, “The time is tight today, it’s too rushed. We can't make it today, we'll have to go tomorrow. But who will lead the way tomorrow?”
Yu Ying thought for a moment and said, “By ox cart, it's an hour from Lingshui Village to Yuxian. If walking, it would take at least an hour and a half.”
If her elder brother were to walk to Yun County tomorrow, it would seem too far.
If she and her sister-in-law stayed overnight in Yuxian, they could ask Uncle Chen to inform the Fu family. However, the inn was a mix of all sorts of people, making it unsafe for just the two women.
Considering this, Yu Ying replied, “I’ll meet Manager Luo at the Si hour tomorrow, and we’ll go together then.”
Manager Luo had no objections, and after agreeing, Yu Ying took her leave.
Leaving the inn, Yu Ying straightened her back, relieved by the lifting of a great weight from her heart.
Since the significant day was tomorrow, Yu Ying and her sister-in-law didn't feel like wandering around Yuxian, so they just bought twenty pounds of rice, some eggs, and a pound of pork for a simple meal and to render some lard.
After these purchases, they waited for Uncle Chen at the city gate.
Having discussed with Uncle Chen, they decided to rent an ox cart for twenty copper coins tomorrow.
To avoid any delay, it was necessary to spend a little extra money now.
Meanwhile, the He family and Song Sanlang were all concerned about whether the herbs would sell, gathering at the Fu family's home.
Seeing the sisters-in-law return, Aunt He eagerly asked, “Did you find the herb buyer?”
Yu Ying, having had a scare today, wanted to tease everyone, but she couldn't help laughing, giving herself away.
Seeing her laugh, everyone knew the answer without waiting for her to speak, and the weight was lifted from their hearts too.
Unable to hide her joy, Yu Ying covered her lips and chuckled, “We found them. They’ll come to transport the herbs tomorrow.”
After busy preparations for more than two months, they finally saw the light at dawn, with joy evident on everyone's faces.
Yu Ying added, “I’ll go to Yuxian early tomorrow to bring the herb buyer, but we might need everyone's help to pack the herbs into sacks.”
Uncle He agreed, “We have a stake in this too, so it’s no trouble at all.”
With a definitive answer, everyone felt at ease and left, all looking forward to the arrival of the next morning.
Yu Ying felt the same anticipation.
After the candles were extinguished in the evening, she found herself too excited to sleep.
Fu Wei asked, "Is it because you have to deliver the goods tomorrow that you can't sleep?"
Yu Ying replied softly, "Today was too tumultuous, my emotions were like riding a roller coaster..." She paused, realizing Fu Wei might not understand what a roller coaster was, and rephrased, "It was like suddenly falling from a high place to a low one, and then being thrown back up high again, too stimulating."
Fu Wei chuckled and summarized for her: "In a nutshell, your feelings were all over the place?"
Yu Ying agreed, "Yes, that's the phrase, all over the place. Although there were scares, fortunately, we eventually found the herb buyer. Otherwise, I suspect I wouldn’t have been able to sleep for a long time, not just tonight."
Fu Wei also sighed, “Thankfully, it all went smoothly.”
After a pause, he suggested, “Tomorrow, when you go to Yuxian, call your elder brother along.”
Before Yu Ying could ask why, he continued, “Not just tomorrow, but whenever you go to Yuxian during this period, have your elder brother accompany you.”
Yu Ying pondered for a moment and understood Fu Wei's concern. Her excitement gradually calmed.
“That’s true, five hundred pounds of herbs is a significant deal. Anyone who hears about it might be envious. If someone with ill intentions notices, they will definitely target us.”
Five hundred pounds of herbs, worth more than ten taels of silver, might be insignificant to the wealthy, but to many, it represented a fortune.
Sensing her mood becoming somber, Fu Wei comforted her, “Your elder brother has practiced spear techniques for nearly two months and has made considerable progress. Coupled with his physical strength, handling three to five ruffians is no issue for him.”
Hearing his words, Yu Ying felt somewhat relieved: “Then we really should have my elder brother join us.”
Fu Wei hummed softly, inwardly frustrated that his legs hadn't fully healed yet, preventing him from openly standing before others to protect her himself.
The next day, just before the Chen hour, Uncle Chen arrived outside the Fu residence to wait.
Yu Ying went with her elder brother, and to avoid any impropriety, they also brought along her sister-in-law.
They arrived in Yuxian before the Si hour.
Anticipating that Manager Luo and his party would arrive at the Fu residence around noon and would not return to Yuxian until the afternoon, they planned to offer them a meal, especially since the He family and Song Sanlang would also be helping and naturally needed to be fed.
So, at the city gate, Yu Ying gave her brother and sister-in-law a hundred wen to buy five pounds of meat and ten pieces of tofu.
After making the purchases, they were to wait at the city gate to meet up.
After finding Manager Luo at Tongyue Inn, he arranged for four people and two horse carts to head to Lingshui Village.
Chapter 56
Following Manager Chen's directions, Yu Ying and her sister-in-law headed to Tongyue Inn.
Tongyue Inn was much farther than Penglai Inn, taking them an extra fifteen minutes to locate.
Upon entering the inn, just as Yu Ying was about to inquire with the innkeeper, she heard someone call out “Mrs. Yu” from behind.
Turning towards the voice, Yu Ying saw Luo, the manager who had previously purchased herbs.
Relieved to see Manager Luo, Yu Ying approached him with a smile: “Manager Luo, it’s been a while. How have you been?”
Manager Luo nodded, replying, “Thanks to Mrs. Yu’s kindness, these past few months have been very good.”
Indeed, he was grateful to this woman. The fleece-flower root had fetched a good price, and he had received a handsome reward.
He asked, “Have all the medicinal herbs from Mrs. Yu been prepared?”
Yu Ying responded, “Everything is ready. However, the quantity of herbs is substantial, and I'm afraid it will be difficult to transport them. Would Manager Luo be willing to collect them from my home?”
Manager Luo pondered for a moment and asked, “How far is Mrs. Yu’s home from Yuxian?”
Yu Ying answered, “About an hour's journey.”
After considering, Manager Luo agreed, “Alright, I can also inspect the goods at Mrs. Yu's home.”
The current time was between noon and afternoon. The round trip, along with the time needed for inspection, would likely take around three hours.
They needed to return to Yuxian before dark, but clearly, there wasn’t enough time.
After some thought, Manager Luo said, “The time is tight today, it’s too rushed. We can't make it today, we'll have to go tomorrow. But who will lead the way tomorrow?”
Yu Ying thought for a moment and said, “By ox cart, it's an hour from Lingshui Village to Yuxian. If walking, it would take at least an hour and a half.”
If her elder brother were to walk to Yun County tomorrow, it would seem too far.
If she and her sister-in-law stayed overnight in Yuxian, they could ask Uncle Chen to inform the Fu family. However, the inn was a mix of all sorts of people, making it unsafe for just the two women.
Considering this, Yu Ying replied, “I’ll meet Manager Luo at the Si hour tomorrow, and we’ll go together then.”
Manager Luo had no objections, and after agreeing, Yu Ying took her leave.
Leaving the inn, Yu Ying straightened her back, relieved by the lifting of a great weight from her heart.
Since the significant day was tomorrow, Yu Ying and her sister-in-law didn't feel like wandering around Yuxian, so they just bought twenty pounds of rice, some eggs, and a pound of pork for a simple meal and to render some lard.
After these purchases, they waited for Uncle Chen at the city gate.
Having discussed with Uncle Chen, they decided to rent an ox cart for twenty copper coins tomorrow.
To avoid any delay, it was necessary to spend a little extra money now.
Meanwhile, the He family and Song Sanlang were all concerned about whether the herbs would sell, gathering at the Fu family's home.
Seeing the sisters-in-law return, Aunt He eagerly asked, “Did you find the herb buyer?”
Yu Ying, having had a scare today, wanted to tease everyone, but she couldn't help laughing, giving herself away.
Seeing her laugh, everyone knew the answer without waiting for her to speak, and the weight was lifted from their hearts too.
Unable to hide her joy, Yu Ying covered her lips and chuckled, “We found them. They’ll come to transport the herbs tomorrow.”
After busy preparations for more than two months, they finally saw the light at dawn, with joy evident on everyone's faces.
Yu Ying added, “I’ll go to Yuxian early tomorrow to bring the herb buyer, but we might need everyone's help to pack the herbs into sacks.”
Uncle He agreed, “We have a stake in this too, so it’s no trouble at all.”
With a definitive answer, everyone felt at ease and left, all looking forward to the arrival of the next morning.
Yu Ying felt the same anticipation.
After the candles were extinguished in the evening, she found herself too excited to sleep.
Fu Wei asked, "Is it because you have to deliver the goods tomorrow that you can't sleep?"
Yu Ying replied softly, "Today was too tumultuous, my emotions were like riding a roller coaster..." She paused, realizing Fu Wei might not understand what a roller coaster was, and rephrased, "It was like suddenly falling from a high place to a low one, and then being thrown back up high again, too stimulating."
Fu Wei chuckled and summarized for her: "In a nutshell, your feelings were all over the place?"
Yu Ying agreed, "Yes, that's the phrase, all over the place. Although there were scares, fortunately, we eventually found the herb buyer. Otherwise, I suspect I wouldn’t have been able to sleep for a long time, not just tonight."
Fu Wei also sighed, “Thankfully, it all went smoothly.”
After a pause, he suggested, “Tomorrow, when you go to Yuxian, call your elder brother along.”
Before Yu Ying could ask why, he continued, “Not just tomorrow, but whenever you go to Yuxian during this period, have your elder brother accompany you.”
Yu Ying pondered for a moment and understood Fu Wei's concern. Her excitement gradually calmed.
“That’s true, five hundred pounds of herbs is a significant deal. Anyone who hears about it might be envious. If someone with ill intentions notices, they will definitely target us.”
Five hundred pounds of herbs, worth more than ten taels of silver, might be insignificant to the wealthy, but to many, it represented a fortune.
Sensing her mood becoming somber, Fu Wei comforted her, “Your elder brother has practiced spear techniques for nearly two months and has made considerable progress. Coupled with his physical strength, handling three to five ruffians is no issue for him.”
Hearing his words, Yu Ying felt somewhat relieved: “Then we really should have my elder brother join us.”
Fu Wei hummed softly, inwardly frustrated that his legs hadn't fully healed yet, preventing him from openly standing before others to protect her himself.
The next day, just before the Chen hour, Uncle Chen arrived outside the Fu residence to wait.
Yu Ying went with her elder brother, and to avoid any impropriety, they also brought along her sister-in-law.
They arrived in Yuxian before the Si hour.
Anticipating that Manager Luo and his party would arrive at the Fu residence around noon and would not return to Yuxian until the afternoon, they planned to offer them a meal, especially since the He family and Song Sanlang would also be helping and naturally needed to be fed.
So, at the city gate, Yu Ying gave her brother and sister-in-law a hundred wen to buy five pounds of meat and ten pieces of tofu.
After making the purchases, they were to wait at the city gate to meet up.
After finding Manager Luo at Tongyue Inn, he arranged for four people and two horse carts to head to Lingshui Village.
