amaotonovel Chapter 462 Tang Travel (4)
Chapter 462 Tang Travel (4)
The coughing continued intermittently, accompanied by cries of pain, indicating that the person must have been seriously injured.
But Wangyou thought it might not be human. It's impossible for others not to hear a human's words, but only she could hear them. But what exactly was that coughing thing? She hoped that when she went up the mountain another day, that person would still be alive.
As evening fell, the villagers organized a group to go down the mountain. After counting the number of people, everyone went down the mountain as quickly as possible. They also brought firewood to Wangyou's family. A little bit for each person made up a large pile.
Wangyou gave each of her newly acquainted friends a piece of malt candy.
When I got home, Qingman was already cooking dinner, and there was still a lot of cotton left.
"Qingman, let's find someone to help us choose tomorrow!"
"Cotton is of great importance; I'll finish in two days."
"It's alright, the villagers will be the ones planting it anyway, so it's not a big problem."
"Okay, I'll find two people tomorrow to clear them out as soon as possible." Qingman nodded in agreement, and the two began to eat.
After finishing her meal, Wangyou started thinking about the coal mines. Most of the coal mines were now concentrated in the hands of powerful families. The palace naturally used coal in the winter, but Wangyou, the unfavored princess, had never used coal and relied entirely on firewood in the winter.
She thought she could find out who owned the coal mine and try to take advantage of it.
In the following days, the weather got even colder, so Wangyou didn't go out anymore.
She glanced at the soybeans in the corner, then decided to sprout them, just to have something new to eat.
I couldn't finish all the Forget-Me-Not fruit, so I gave some to my friends so they could try it. They didn't accept it for nothing; they reciprocated with either eggs or homemade pickled vegetables.
Since they had nothing better to do and every household had soybeans, Wangyou taught her friends how to sprout soybeans.
"Miss Wangyou, can I teach this method to my family? Vegetables are in short supply in winter, and these bean sprouts can be sold for money," Caohua said nervously.
"No problem, once I teach you, it's yours to keep." Wangyou nodded indifferently.
“Miss Wangyou, don’t worry, we won’t take it for nothing. We’ll share half of what we earn with you,” Caohua said earnestly, and Dazhuang and the others nodded in agreement.
"It's up to you." Wangyou didn't care about these things. Bean sprouts didn't make much money; they were just something to eat fresh in winter.
Caohua and the others kept their promise; they would share half of the money they earned from selling bean sprouts with Wangyou. Wangyou didn't say she wouldn't accept it, but after she estimated that she had accepted about five taels of silver, she stopped accepting it.
The other villagers were envious when they saw that the person who was on good terms with Wangyou was making money again. They thought about how to get their children to befriend that girl. Just because they didn't have the chance this time didn't mean they wouldn't have the chance next time.
Wangyou had anticipated this situation. She would not refuse anyone who genuinely approached her, after all, these children were about the same age as her, and nurturing them could certainly be a help to her.
There's no rush now. Let's observe first, plant some seeds of self-importance in their minds, and then nurture them.
Furthermore, the villagers of Qingtian Village are basically from the same clan and are very united. There are very few conflicts among the clan members, and if there are, they are never held against each other overnight. Developing them into her power base would be entirely beneficial to her.
After practicing calligraphy at home for a few days, Wangyou heard some bad news: the heavy snow had collapsed houses in several nearby villages, and people had died.
When Caohua came to find Wangyou, her tone was full of relief. Fortunately, the people of Qingtian Village had made a lot of money this year, and with the help of the clan, every household had renovated their houses. Otherwise, they would never have been able to escape.
However, these things have little to do with Wangyou. If anyone should be worried, it's the officials, the one sitting on the dragon throne. It's none of her business to worry about them.
The cotton that was cleared out totaled thirty catties. Qingman bought some cloth to make several small cotton-padded jackets for Wangyou and made quilts for the two of them. That was all.
After much deliberation, Wangyou planted another patch of cotton in her space. After all, the two of them couldn't be short of cotton. Wangyou selectively forgot the pain of picking cotton.
After this batch of cotton was harvested, Wangyou vowed never to plant cotton again.
Seeing Wangyou covered in dust and dirt, Qingman quickly boiled water for her to wash up before going to pack the two large bags of cotton, which were twice as many as last time.
In the blink of an eye, the New Year will be here.
Wangyou took Qingman to Chang'an City to prepare for the New Year. Then, when Wangyou passed by those aristocratic families, she stole their coal. Mining is so tiring in the dead of winter.
As for remorse, there is not a trace of regret. None of the major aristocratic families are doing well now. The common people are suffering so much, and they are at least half the reason.
The two bought a lot of New Year's goods, while Wangyou mainly bought food.
"Hey, Yuchi Gong, isn't that the little girl we met before? She's changed so much, she's gained a lot of weight." Cheng Yaojin smiled and nudged the person next to him when he saw Wangyou.
"It really is that girl. She looks like she's left that scumbag father of hers. She's smiling a lot now."
For some reason, the two couldn't help but observe the girl, even though it had been half a year since they last met.
The two looked at each other and, with perfect understanding, followed behind Wangyou and Qingman.
"Qingman, someone is following us again."
"Miss, let's hurry up and leave first."
“There was no malice in those eyes, let’s ask them.” Wangyou thought for a moment and then turned around and walked towards the two of them. “Are you human traffickers? Why are you following us?”
"You can't say that carelessly. My brother and I just thought you were so cute that we wanted to follow you around to see where you live and bring you some things," Cheng Yaojin said with a grin.
"No need, we don't need your stuff. If you follow us any further, we'll break your legs," Wangyou said fiercely.
Even with that expression on her face, she didn't come across as fierce; instead, it added a touch of cuteness.
“I’ve run into you twice since I went out, which means we’re destined to meet. Last time I heard you say you didn’t want your father, how about I be your father?” Cheng Yaojin said shamelessly.
“Don’t look at him, little girl. Look at me. I’m much more reliable than him,” Yuchi Gong said, pushing Cheng Yaojin aside.
"Don't scare the little girl with your big, dark face!"
"Don't embarrass yourself by showing off your three basic skills!"
The two started arguing as they talked. Wangyou called to Qingman, and the two of them ran away in a flash. When the two of them came to their senses after arguing, they found that the person they were arguing about was gone.
After searching around but finding nothing, the two continued arguing.
Wangyou and Qingman rode the oxcart back to the village. Just as they were passing through the mountains, Wangyou heard coughing and cries of pain again.
"Qingman, can you hear cries of pain and coughs?"
"No, it's very quiet," Qingman said after listening for a while.
Wangyou was now certain that only she could hear that voice; it had been so cold these past few months that she had completely forgotten about it.