It was getting darker.
It was just past three quarters of Shen time (four or five o'clock in the afternoon), and it was already too dark to see his face clearly.
Inside the rest stop, there were a few more people, all passing business travelers. Some visit relatives and friends, and some do business.
A middle-aged peasant woman came to the rest stop with a basket on her back.
She stood for a while, and when she saw someone coming out, she dared to ask timidly, "Do you accept goods here?"
She has a strong accent.
Wang Mazi glanced at her back basket, which was covered with straw, so he couldn't see what was in it.
"Take it! What are you carrying?"
The peasant woman put down the basket carefully, removed the straw, and revealed the contents inside.
Wang Mazi leaned over, hey, I didn't expect it to be fresh black fungus and dried shiitake mushrooms.
"Where did this black fungus come from?"
The peasant woman was very nervous, so she said nothing.
It was only then that Wang Mazi realized that the peasant woman was a little afraid of him, probably because she couldn't understand official Chinese.
"Mr. Wang, come out for a moment."
Wang Laotongsheng heard the shout and ran out from inside.
"What is it? What is it?"
"Ask her, where did you pick the fungus, and is there any more? Next time, can you skip picking the fungus and just bring the wood with the fungus on it, the price is negotiable."
Wang Laotong was born with the order and communicated with the peasant woman in dialect.
Listening to the familiar dialect, the peasant woman really relaxed a little.
The two of you came and went and talked for a long time.
Wang Laotong asked the situation clearly, "the fungus is picked from the mountains, and it is wild. If you even move the wood, the fungus may not survive. She said that the wild fungus is only grown in their valleys, and no other place can do it. You How much will you charge?"
Wang Mazi was very decisive, "This fungus is good, and I won't let her suffer. According to the market price, I will add three Wen per catty. I want these dried shiitake mushrooms, and I will also accept them according to the market price."
Wang Lao Tongsheng communicated with the peasant woman, and the peasant woman showed a surprised expression.
She obviously didn't expect the price of the rest stop to be so reasonable. No wonder the villagers on the other side of the mountain said that there are good things, don't take them to the village, take them to the rest station, the price is better.
Although it takes a long, long way to go, it takes almost a day to reach the rest station.
Who let their village be in a ravine, it is extremely difficult to come out.
But as long as these mountain products can be sold at a good price, it is worthwhile to walk for two days, let alone one day.
After weighing and paying the money, the peasant woman was ready to return.
Wang Mazi said to Wang Lao Tongsheng: "Ask her, it's so far away, can I go back? It's so dangerous to walk at night, I'm afraid she can't do it alone. We have a Datong shop in the backyard, and there is hot soup. It only costs one penny a night." .Ask her if she wants to live?"
Old Wang Tongsheng laughed.
Wang Mazi usually looks shrewd and calculating, and a bit fierce, but he is actually kind-hearted. When encountering poor people like peasant women, they will try their best to give them a little convenience.
Wang Laotongsheng conveyed Wang Mazi's meaning to the peasant woman.
The peasant woman hesitated and said a series of words.
Wang Laotong translated to Wang Mazi, "She has to rush to buy medicine."
"Do you have a prescription? We always have medicinal materials here. Ask her for a prescription. The market price is the same as the old man. You tell her that we also have a grocery store here, where needles, thread, and oil, salt, sauce, vinegar and tea are sold. It's so cold outside. , just ask her to come in."
The peasant woman was obviously surprised when she learned that the medicine could be picked up at the rest stop.
Trembling with fear, she followed Wang Laotong into the rest stop, and indeed there was a small grocery store that sold everything.
After Wang Mazi handed over the peasant woman to Wang Laotong, he didn't care about it.
He carried a basket of fungus and dried shiitake mushrooms and walked towards the kitchen.
In the lobby, some merchants were delighted when they saw the fungus.
"Boss, here is some fried fungus, fried with fat meat, put more oil."
"Okay! Wait a minute, the fungus hasn't been washed yet."
"Okay! You take your time, we are not in a hurry."
It was getting dark.
Lanterns were hung at toll booths and rest stops, illuminating the road.
Li Dashan originally thought that there would be no more carriages and horses passing by.
Unexpectedly, a rattling sound was heard in the distance, and a carriage came from the direction of Luozhou. Listen to the sound, there is more than one horse.
The convoy is approaching.
It was not the caravan that Li Dashan imagined.
Looking at the carriages and horses, looking at the heads of people, it seems like a rich family traveling.
Whether it's a caravan or a big family. As long as you travel by car and horse, you have to pay tolls.
Li Dashan was doing the registration dutifully.
The steward got off the carriage, paid the toll, and asked, "Is there a room in the rest stop?"
Li Dashan froze for a moment, then yelled in the direction of the rest stop, "Wang Mazi, someone is staying at the hotel."
Wang Mazi ran out in a hurry, "The guest officer lives in the hotel?"
The steward kept a straight face, and calmly held his posture, "Is there a roommate?"
"Yes, there are. We have two types of upper rooms here, one with a courtyard, and the other with a small two-story building. It's cold in the mountains, so I suggest guest officers to live in upper rooms on the second floor. The quilts are all washed It has been exposed to the sun, but no one has ever used it. It has hot water all night long, and there is also a bathroom where you can take a shower.”
"etc!"
The steward came to the most luxuriously decorated carriage and bowed to ask for instructions.
After a while, the steward told Wang Mazi, "On the second floor, there are three rooms. There are five servant rooms."
"We don't have private rooms here, only two-person rooms, three-person rooms, four-person rooms, and Datong shop."
"Then open five quadruple rooms."
"Okay. Please come inside, the guest officer. The horses and chariots will be kept in the stables. There will be guards at twelve hours a day. Don't worry."
From inside the carriage, a few female relatives came down.
In the front, is an old lady.
Coincidentally, Niu Dazhuang came out of the toll booth. He casually glanced at the carriage and let out a snort.
Because he saw the family crest on the carriage.
These days, only those kind of aristocratic families have family emblems.
Boss Niu smiled, it turned out to be a rich family.
Looking at it like this, are you going to the capital
After a cup of tea, Wang Mazi settled the group of nobles.
Boss Niu strolled to the door of the rest station, waved his hand, and called Wang Mazi to him for questioning.
"Have you found out clearly? What's the background?"
Wang Mazi chuckled, "I'm going out, so I can't get any news? I asked the steward, the master's surname is Qu, a family of military generals, a big family in Tengzhou, and he went to the capital to visit relatives. I looked at the old lady and it seemed that it was not I'm happy. I'm afraid it's not about visiting relatives, but going to the capital to ask the teacher for his crimes."
"How do you know that he is going to the capital to ask the teacher?"
"I listened to a few words and heard them mention the Hou's Mansion. Tsk tsk, the relatives of the Hou's Mansion are indeed a big family."
The big family that Wang Mazi talked about was the Qu family in Tengzhou, Aunt Qu's husband's family.
Miss Qu's marriage was not going well, and she offended Mrs. Zhao.
When the news spread from the capital to Tengzhou, Mrs. Qu immediately became popular.
Aunt Qu refused to follow her husband to eat sand in the northwest, so she endured it. She refused to go back to her hometown in Tengzhou to fulfill her filial piety, so she endured it.
Aunt Qu kept saying that she would marry Miss Qu in the capital.
After a few years, not only did the marriage not come to fruition, but also offended the nobleman, what should I do.
Hence, Mrs. Qu simply decided to go to the capital in person to take care of her daughter-in-law and granddaughter.
A group of people settled down in the upper room on the second floor.
The upper room was really clean and warm.
Second Mrs. Qu served Old Mrs. Qu drinking hot soup.
"In such a cold day, the old lady shouldn't go out. At the sister-in-law's place, just send someone to tell her."
The old lady Qu frowned, "Whatever it is. She relied on the support of the Daihou Mansion, and she would not give face to anyone who came to find her. Only when the old man went to the capital in person and used her status as a mother-in-law to control her, would she be afraid Three points."
The old lady Qu refers to Aunt Qu, the eldest wife of the Qu family.
The old lady Qu was very irritable, "She has lived in the capital with her four girls for a few years, and I am afraid that her heart is in the wild. The old lady of the Daihou's Mansion is the most protective, and I am afraid that there will be disputes with the Daihou's Mansion."
The Second Mrs. Qu said: "No matter how much the old lady of the Daihou Mansion protects her shortcomings, she can't stop the sister-in-law from going back to her husband's house to fulfill her filial piety. Our Qu family is not empty. She has lived in the Daihou Mansion for several years with her four girls. , I'm really not afraid of being gossiped.
What's more, the fourth girl offended the nobleman, and even the marriage was rejected by the nobleman with a single sentence. If their mother and daughter don't go back to the Qu's house, it really can't be justified. "
The old lady Qu nodded, "We will arrive in the capital in a few days, we will check the situation first before making any plans."
"My daughter-in-law listens to the old lady."
This night, the merchants staying at the Balipu Rest Station were very satisfied.
In winter, there are warm beds, hot soup, delicious meals, and hot water throughout the night. It's all been a wonderful experience.
The next morning, the merchants woke up early, planning to leave after breakfast.
The guys at the rest station are busy greeting customers, busy with harnessing horse carts, donkey carts, mule carts, and ox carts...
Last night, the peasant woman who spent a penny to live in Datongpu, carrying the purchased medicinal materials, three feet of cotton cloth, and salt, was ready to go back to her home in the valley.
She walked out of the rest station, which was as warm as spring, and looked back at the lobby, with smiles on the corners of her eyes and brows.
She made up her mind that next time she got mountain goods, she would sell them to the rest station. But also to bring the children out to see the world.
Even if you have to spend an extra penny to sleep in the Datong shop, but you can drink winter melon soup for free, it is worth it.
As long as he sells the mountain goods a few more times, the head of the family will be able to pay for the medicine. During the Chinese New Year, maybe you can still eat meat.
After the head of the family recovers next year, they can still hunt some prey and sell them to the rest station.
If you are lucky, you can sell medicinal materials in the deep mountains to the rest station.
It was a nice place, better than the furthest town she had ever been to.
The peasant woman walked into the fog in the mountains and forests, with a smile on her lips all the time.