Chapter 224: Back from the Market

This man was filthy.

Was he even salvageable?

Did he just crawl out of a dirt hole?

Yan Lao’er jumped down from the cart, sending up a cloud of dust around him.

Grinning carelessly, he greeted the villagers with a wide smile.

“Yeah, I’m back. The trip went smooth.”

“No big issues—just a long way to go.”

“Went all the way to Longxing City. Don’t let the name fool you—it might sound impressive, but it’s got nothing on our Crouching Tiger. We definitely picked the better spot, haha!”

“Think I bought too much? Not a chance! We need it all. The cart’s packed full—nothing but medicine, heh heh!”

“Ah! You guys made a delivery run today too? Did you see my big brother? He doing alright? …Good, good. My Eldest Nephew said we’d be getting paid today, yeah? Then we’re all just waiting on that qian. No wonder you all look so chipper—been hoping for this, haven’t you?”

Yan Lao’er was like a celebrity walking down the runway, flanked on both sides by a crowd of enthusiastic fans—old and young alike. Anyone who spoke to him got a cheerful word or two in return.

He strolled all the way home amidst the chatter, and when he saw his wife at the gate, he grinned and turned around to shoo the crowd away.

“Alright, time to get back to work! Go on home—why are you all blocking my door? Even the ox cart can’t get through. Nothing to see here! I’ve only been gone a few days and you lot already don’t recognize me? Let me get cleaned up first. Once I’ve washed all this grime off, you can all stare to your heart’s content when the qian’s handed out tonight!”

The crowd chuckled and teased him a bit more before scattering.

Yan Lao’er wasn’t wrong—the villagers were genuinely busy.

Especially now that digging up herbs earned them Work Points they could exchange for silver. The enthusiasm was sky-high.

Village Chief Luo didn’t mind the dust-covered returnee one bit. He pulled him aside for a long string of questions.

Yan Yu led Sanbao into the courtyard.

“Your Qi Si Uncle’s back?” Li Xuemei asked.

Yan Yu gave a nod. “Good thing you didn’t get too close, Mama—my dad and Qi Si Uncle are both covered in dirt!” She flapped a little hand in front of her nose.

Li Xuemei gave her a look. “Your father was clearly rushing to get back. The roads are all dirt—how could he not end up like that? A wash will sort it out.”

“Dad’s hilarious. Now I finally understand the phrase ‘so dirty he’s crumbling’—it fits him perfectly! Hahaha!” Yan Yu laughed until she nearly ran out of breath.

Li Xuemei looked at her, speechless.

But then again, she had to admit—her husband did cut quite a ridiculous figure.

She couldn’t help the small smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.

Yan Yu finished laughing and ran off to fetch water for her dad.

She grabbed a cloth towel, looked for clean clothes, then sneaked out their “treasured” collection of bath scrub towels, shampoo, and medicinal soap, wrapping them in the change of clothes.

Of course, she couldn’t forget the homemade scented soap.

Still, Yan Yu figured her dad would probably prefer the store-bought stuff—if only because the scented soap could be sold for qian, while their “treasures” couldn’t.

Back at the house, Yan Lao’er had barely exchanged a few words with his wife when he heard his daughter calling him from outside.

When he saw all the things Yan Yu had prepared for him, his heart warmed.

He scrubbed down thoroughly—twice. The water turned a murky brown, and Yan Lao’er couldn’t bring himself to dump it on the vegetable patch. He quietly tiptoed to the edge of the courtyard and poured it out little by little.

By the time he returned, Granny Rong had already laid out a meal.

Pork offal noodles, with two braised eggs and a few leafy greens tucked into the bowl.

Yan Lao’er slurped up the noodles noisily while Li Xuemei stood behind him, combing through his hair—gently loosening and spreading it to help it dry faster.

Granny Rong had gone off to clean some fish, leaving just the three of them in the kitchen.

On the stove, a pot of braised pork offal simmered on low heat.

After he finished his first bowl, Yan Yu quickly filled another—this time with fewer noodles but a generous heap of meat, especially the bits from the base of the stomach, her dad’s favorite.

She’d asked Granny Rong specifically to set those aside. Otherwise, what were the chances the braised meat pot would be picked clean of everything but Yan Lao’er’s favorite cuts?

Starving and craving something tasty, Yan Lao’er tucked in with gusto. The past few days on the road had been tense and exhausting. Nothing he ate had any flavor.

But now that he was home, everything felt right. Even his appetite had returned with a vengeance.

Once he finished the second bowl, Yan Lao’er rubbed his belly and decided he’d had enough. He wasn’t like the Qi family brothers—just needed to take the edge off his hunger. Dinner wasn’t far off, and if he overate now, he’d be starving again by midnight.

Yan Yu squatted in front of her dad, grinning as she watched him chow down.

Hands tucked habitually into her sleeves.

Maomao meowed twice at the door before Granny Rong tossed her a small fish.

Maomao: …

She stared at the fish for a moment, then glanced at Granny Rong, then toward the kitchen.

Tilting her head in thought, she picked up the fish delicately and strolled over to Granny Rong with dignified grace.

After surveying the area, Maomao laid the fish down and used a paw to push it into a tidy pile with others of the same size.

Then she crouched low, curling herself into a loaf, her feline eyes half-closed.

“…The surrounding towns all got the word, so Qi Si and I had to reroute to Longxing,” Yan Lao’er was recounting his trip. “Longxing City’s got presence, no doubt. About the same size as Yongning City, but the moment you step inside, you can feel the difference. It’s not as lively, doesn’t have that buzz that Yongning does.

“Security at the gates was tight—real tight. Coming in or going out, they checked everything. If I didn’t have the travel papers on me, I doubt they’d have let me through so easily.

“The merchants in town are honest enough, but word gets around way too fast. I made deals with two shops for medicine, and by the next day, everyone knew. Prices jumped ten percent overnight. Took a lot of sweet-talking to bring them down even a little.

“Guess what? That scented soap sells for more in Longxing than it does in Yongning! I didn’t dare sell much—offloaded a few pieces and brought the rest back untouched.

“I didn’t even try to sell the ginseng—just asked around about prices. Turns out, they’re about the same as in Yongning. So I figured we’re better off there—familiar ground, more shops, more people. We don’t stand out too much. But in Longxing? Besides the stationed troops, hardly anyone’s around. Feels like everything you do is right under someone’s nose.”

“On the way back, we took a shortcut and avoided the Post Station. The medicine on our cart is in high demand right now—I was honestly worried we’d run into someone unscrupulous who might try to seize it.”

Yan Yu nodded vigorously. “Right, gotta stay on guard about that. But poor Dad—the shortcut must’ve been rough, huh?”

“Through the woods and tall grass—don’t even get me started. Come nightfall, pitch black all around, and who knows what’s howling nearby. Creepy as hell… Heh! Good thing we’ve been through worse. Fleeing famine was way tougher than this, wasn’t it? And we made it through.”

Yan Lao’er added proudly, “Daytime travel was smooth, though. Took us three days to get there, only two to come back. Tsk tsk, all thanks to our Sanbao. Try that with another ox, see if it doesn’t keel over.”

“Qi Si didn’t get suspicious, did he?” Li Xuemei asked.

Yan Lao’er waved it off. “The Qi Family brothers are solid folk. Just kept their heads down and followed me without a word… real brothers.”

“I even found something else out,” he added. “Turns out, the river next to our village actually starts up in Fengming, flows past Longxing, then down to us, then to Gufeng, and finally into Changping.

Changping’s by the sea, right? So it probably empties out into the ocean.”
(End of Chapter)