Chapter 4: Matters of Food and Accommodation

However, at this moment, everyone had arrived, and there was no reason to avoid them. Immediately, the middle-aged man approached. After greeting a seemingly cleaner farming household, he drove two horse-drawn carts into the fence enclosure of the farm, unloaded the stove, and began to cook meals on the ground.

The village is not small, with at least five to six hundred households. Upon seeing their arrival, the children playing in the village rushed over in a crowd. Not far away, many villagers also came out, each pointing and gesturing towards them.

The villagers' awe-filled gazes indeed made Wen Ao and the others quite comfortable, but those children, just as the lean man had said, had long runny noses, and the stench of sweat mixed with other odors

What comes into view is a dilapidated temple, which has evidently been abandoned for two years

She actually agreed as well

The middle-aged man nodded, and the warm old woman also said: "That is true, the lowly people we usually see in Jiankang are quite clean. Even in my younger sister's maternal home, it is also tidy and comfortable"

Several servants were busy, while Zhang Qi, as the master, naturally wore a veil hat and sat upright in the vacated hall.

With her eyes fixed on the silk manuscript, Zhang Qi continued to ponder.

The lean man exclaimed anxiously, "Let us dine right here. Those wretched commoners are all sniffling and reeking, how could one possibly eat there?"

The elder responsible for her education admonished, "Girl, you must remember that your surname is Zhang; such petty remarks should not be made again in the future"

As soon as he spoke, both the elderly woman and the middle-aged man hesitated simultaneously

Zhang Qi secretly thought it was not good, and immediately said in a crisp voice, slightly annoyed: "What are you talking about? Where are they smelly? Although their clothes are a bit old, they are all clean." She believed that the farmers these people had seen were either commoners who had come to work in Jiankang City specifically or people from near her maternal grandfather's home, and those individuals had all been specially tidied up and were very clean.

Zhang Qixin's mind stirred; having traveled alongside these three servants from prominent families in Jiankang for some time, she had gained an understanding of their character. At that moment, Zhang Qi looked at the rural dwellings, raised her chin, and said cheerfully and pleasantly: "Ah, I wonder if Sister Ahua is feeding the chickens or having a meal right now? Hehe, my friends back in my hometown would be so envious if they knew I had also become a member of the gentry, living in luxury and comfort."

Unable to recall where the bandits had attacked her, Zhang Qi could only cautiously survey her surroundings. This place had very few passersby, and several small paths through the fields were overgrown with weeds. At the end of her line of sight, there was a large area of farmland, where smoke was rising as it was mealtime.

The master of the farmers is aware of their disdain, yet does not dare to speak up and ask them to cook in their own pot, instead quietly watching from a side room.

It is unclear how much time has passed, when the voice of the old woman came from outside, "The temple has arrived, little aunt, please prepare yourself."

Pulling down the car curtain, Zhang Qi bit her lip and thought: I wonder if my actions have startled him and caused him to change his mind

This person is indeed suspicious

Zhang Qi responded softly, put on her veil hat, adjusted her clothes, and as soon as the carriage came to a stop, she stepped down with the support of the warm matron

Her voice is crisp, like the tinkling of spring water; although what she says may be unbearable, it is also impossible to dislike.

Zhang Qi slowly lowered the car curtain. In the moment she bowed her head, she caught a glimpse of the lean man glancing at her, his gaze filled with surprise and suspicion

Wen Ao said this and turned to look at the lean man, asking curiously: "Lao Zhong, what is wrong with you today? Why are you being so picky?"

As soon as his voice fell, the lean man anxiously said, "It's still quite far, I'm hungry, let's have a meal here." His pair of triangular eyes searched around, could it be that this was the place he had arranged with the thieves?

The man clearly did not want Zhang Qi to continue this topic. He frowned and said loudly, "Alright, alright, there is a temple ahead; let us take a break before we set off again"

In the midst of the tense atmosphere, Zhang Qiyi heard the warm old woman laugh and say: "The sun has not yet set, there is no rush to eat. Moreover, after the meal, we still need to find a place to stay. Just listen to Old Fang and head to the village ahead."

Zhang Qi noticed that while the three were busy, the lean man excused himself to fetch some water from the well nearby, and he was gone for more than half an hour. When he returned, the food was already cooked, and the bowls and chopsticks had been set out.

As soon as the lean man was called out, the other two shifted their attention and focused on continuing their journey

A group of people will have dinner here before looking for a place to stay overnight

Then, the middle-aged man spoke: "Since the young lady misses her hometown, let us dine in the village ahead, and we can also find a farmer's household to rest for a while"

She quietly raised her gaze and saw the warm old woman and the middle-aged man simultaneously looking towards the village. They had grown up in the Zhang family since childhood, and in Jiankang City, whenever they encountered a few rural commoners, they were always treated with utmost respect and admiration. Just thinking about that feeling is truly wonderful. This time, having finally come out, it would not hurt to show off a bit in that village.

Faced with her education, Zhang Qihong blushed and hurriedly replied: "Yes"

Seeing that he no longer insisted, the old woman began to chat and laugh with the middle-aged man as they loaded the items back onto the cart, then urged the horse forward towards the village ahead

Glancing at the expressionless, lean man, Zhang Qi twisted his hands together and thought to himself: He must be going to contact those thieves. I wonder if they have given up, or if there is another scheme at play

A quarter of an hour later, the carriage entered the village

Therefore, although she had recognized these characters long ago, she still had to pretend to be illiterate along the way and start over from the beginning

With her words reaching this point, the lean man found it difficult to resist any further. He gritted his teeth and cast a furtive glance at Zhang Qi, feeling resentful: this little wretch has already let such rumors spread, I truly cannot force the issue. Well, well, let us act according to the circumstances.

She leaned forward and casually picked up a thin silk book from between the walls of the carriage, on which was written "Introduction to Learning." The Zhang family is a prominent clan, and she carries their noble blood, thus literacy is essential. However, her maternal family is merely a rural landowning family; such a humble lineage is neither qualified nor afforded the opportunity to be literate.