Jiu Zhang Ji: The Daily Life of the Reborn Daughter

Chapter 94 Warmth on a Rainy Night

The old man said that he had been in the teahouse all day and had never met such a group of people, a group of forty or fifty people, and they were officials of the imperial court. He would never forget it if he had seen it.

Qiao Lili was extremely anxious at this moment. All she thought about along the way was getting to Panshi Mountain as quickly as possible. But once she really arrived at Panshi Mountain, where would she go to find Brother Ajing?

At this time, the old man suddenly said, "Young man, let's go back to the village and ask our village head. If the water control officials inspect the dam, they will definitely notify the village head. Our village is close to the Gan River."

Qiao Lili also felt that what he said made sense, so she followed the old man back to the village. She tied the old man's teahouse things to Wuzong and let the old man walk carefully with an oil-paper umbrella. She was also soaked, so she just walked in the rain.

The road was slippery and muddy on rainy days. It was usually only an incense stick of distance, but after walking for half an hour, it was already completely dark. Qiao Lili was riding a horse, and although she was soaked, her boots were still clean. After walking this distance, and falling down before, not only her boots, but also her trouser legs were covered with mud.

First, I put the things back at the old man's house, and then went to the headman's house with the old man. The headman was talking to Qiao Lili in the doorway.

He saw that the young man in front of him was young but very noble, and that the horse was not something that ordinary families could have. Moreover, he was looking for the master from the capital, so he did not dare to be perfunctory and said quickly: "This morning, the master from the capital called together the headmen of several villages near us to inspect the embankment together, and told us what to do. After that, they went to Huaijiang Beach."

Huaijiang Beach, Brother Jing has already gone to Huaijiang Beach. Qiao Lili felt her heart beating faster.

"Which way is shorter from here to Huaijiang Beach?"

"Did they say which village in Huaijiang Beach they would be stationed in?" Qiao Lili asked anxiously.

There are twelve villages in Huaijiangtan. Does she have to search them one by one?

Seeing Qiao Lili was anxious, the village head quickly replied, "Don't worry, little brother. Change your wet clothes first. I see you are in a hurry to get on the road and haven't eaten yet. Change your clothes and eat something first. I'll ask my son to harness the ox cart and take you there. He is familiar with the road."

It would be great if someone could show me the way. It is indeed time to change clothes. It is not good to wear wet clothes for a long time. If I get sick, how can I find Brother Jing?

"Okay, then I won't bother you."

When the old man in the teahouse saw that the head of the village was willing to help, he had nothing to do and said goodbye to Qiao Lili and left.

Qiao Lili tied Wuzong in the doorway, which could slightly block the rain. Wuzong was very tired and was snorting. Qiao Lili felt sorry for him, but she had no time to feed him at the moment.

She was led into the courtyard by the village head. What caught her eye was a small courtyard. The village was located on a relatively high ground, so there was no water in the courtyard. Although only half of the wall was made of blue bricks, it was very clean and tidy. The thatched roof was newly thatched, indicating that this was a family that could live a normal life.

"Erniu, turn on the light in the west wing." The headman shouted while standing in the yard. A half-grown child responded and the light in the west wing was turned on in an instant.

"Ernius's mother, cook a bowl of soup and beat two eggs." A woman answered, and then there was a noise coming from the direction of the kitchen. Maybe because it was raining, no one came to the yard to see, and a few little heads were peeking out from the crack of the main door.

Looking at these little heads, Qiao Lili's mood inexplicably improved.

Entering the west wing, a half-grown child stared at the soaked Qiao Lili with curious eyes. This should be Erniu. "Go get a basin of water and ask your grandmother for a new handkerchief."

Erniu responded and went, "You are a country boy, you don't know etiquette, please don't be offended, little brother."

Cai Ge was very careful. She put two layers of oilcloth inside her package, so everything inside was dry.

Erniu was very quick. Soon he came with a half-basin of water, wearing an oilcloth on his head and a snow-white new towel draped over the edge of the basin.

"Help yourself, little brother. I'll go ask my youngest son to harness the ox cart. When the meal is ready, I'll bring it to you." After saying that, he walked out with Erniu.

Qiao Li felt no trace of heartache, bit her lip but couldn't help but said, "Grandpa Lizheng, if there is hay for cows at home, please give some to my horse. I'm in a hurry to get on the road and haven't fed it all day."

The village head waved his hand and said nonchalantly, "We have plenty of hay at home." He then poked Erniu beside him and said, "Did you hear me? Bring some hay to the young man's horse. The horse is tied at the door."

Erniu responded and wanted to go out, but the village head told him again: "Come back after you put down the grass, don't be too busy." He turned around and smiled at Qiao Lili and said: "You country boy, you are naughty, you want to put your hands on everything you see."

After they went out, Qiao Lili closed the door, bolted it, and began to change her wet clothes. As for the boots, she gave up on them for now because they would still be wet if she changed them. She only changed her socks and wrapped a layer of oilcloth around the socks, which made it much more comfortable even when she had to wear wet boots.

She washed her face again, wiped her hair and tied it up, then opened the door.

After changing her clothes, she felt much more comfortable. Just as she put all her things into her bag, the head of the village knocked on the door and came in, holding a big bowl of steaming soup.

This should be the specialty food here. Put the pot in a pot to boil soup, mix the noodles into a paste and pour it around the edge of the pot. When the water boils, the paste will become dough residue. Pour the dough residue into the soup, beat the eggs and boil them, and you can serve it. It is much faster than rolling the noodles.

The head of the village knew that Qiao Lili was in a hurry, so he asked his daughter-in-law to make the soup.

Qiao Lili was the eldest daughter of the Duke of Dingguo's mansion. She had eaten all kinds of delicacies, but she felt that none of them could compare to the bowl of soup in front of her. She felt that she had never eaten such a delicious soup. The noodles were soft and fragrant, the vegetables were tender, the eggs were soft, and the soup was just the right saltiness.

To all the cooks in the kitchens of Duke Dingguo's Mansion: Miss, is it possible that you are hungry?

Qiao Lili ate very quickly but was not rude at all. She soon finished the bowl of soup and drank up all the soup.

Erniu came to collect the bowls, and Qiao Lili took out a silver ingot and gave it to him: "The soup your mother made is really delicious, she worked so hard."

Seeing Erniu holding back his hand and refusing to accept the money, Qiao Lili continued, "You also helped me feed the horses and fetch water, use this to buy candy for your younger brothers and sisters." When Erniu heard about his younger brothers and sisters, he hesitated and stretched out his hand to take the silver, still mumbling, "Isn't it too much?"

"Thank you, little brother." Erniu imitated the head of the village to call Qiao Lili, "My uncle's ox cart is ready." He handed Qiao Lili an oil-paper umbrella, and he still had a piece of oilcloth on his head.

The head of the village was standing in the doorway holding a lantern, waiting to send Qiao Lili off. A sturdy man was sitting on the shaft of an ox cart, with an oilcloth on his head, just like Erniu.

Erniu quickly tied Wuzong to the back of the ox cart. Strangely, Wuzong was willing to let a stranger like him touch him. Qiao Lili looked down at the grass left over by Wuzong. The grass was in a broken wooden basin. The grass was chopped and even mixed with beans.

"Young man, get on the cart quickly." There was a shed on the ox cart, high enough for one person to sit. There was no door, just a shed. But at this moment, in this small village in the mountains, on this rainy night, it was already a luxury to have such a shed.

After Qiao Lili sat down, she waved goodbye to the village head and Erniu. The man shouted, "Go!" The noose on the old ox was straightened, and the ox cart moved slowly forward.

The voice of the head of the village reminded me again: "Old Five, drive slowly. Come back after you find the man with the little brother."

The ox cart went a long way away, and Qiao Lili saw that there was still a light in the doorway.