71 Delivering Sugar
Little Ah Yu’s shouting attracted the attention of the others in the village. Everyone followed her to the cliff and looked down. Indeed, they saw a carriage there. “Eh, why is a carriage coming to our village?”
“They came to our village, right? To visit their relatives?”
“He shouldn’t be a local. It looks like he took a long journey.”
There were two paths at the entrance of Hu Family Village. One led to the outside world, and the other led to the river.
If they took a detour along the river, they could also go to the outside world. However, it would be a long way.
The locals did not leave.
Moreover, that path could only be taken at the foot of the cliff. Humans could use the stone ladders to climb up, but not the carriages and donkey carts.
While everyone was discussing, some curious children had already run down the cliff.
“Little Brother! You’re such a good-looking little brother!” Little Ah Yu was already very happy. She waved her little hand non-stop and wanted to follow the others to the bottom of the cliff to welcome Qin Huai.
But everyone stopped Little Ah Yu. The mountain path was difficult to walk on, so they could not let her fall.
Qin Huai and the others only found out after getting off the carriage that this path could not go directly to Hu Family Village. If they wanted the carriage to go too, they would have to circle around for another hour.
The coachman looked troubled. “Young Masters, if we take another detour, I won’t be able to make it home in time.”
The road was slippery at night. He was afraid too.
At this moment, the children in the village had already skipped down.
The children ran quickly and only took half an hour to descend the mountain before they surrounded the carriage curiously.
These children had never been far away, and even the most knowledgeable of them only managed to go to town.
There were not many carriages in town, and not everyone was qualified to take one. It was a rare item.
“Wow, this is a horse. Why do I think it’s similar to the village chief’s donkey?”
“This carriage looks so big! It’s much bigger than a donkey cart!”
“It can block the wind and rain. Hey, you definitely won’t get wet from transporting food!”
There were also people who were curious about Qin Huai.
“Little Sister Ah Yu said that he’s good-looking. It’s true.”
“Nonsense, it’s clearly his clothes that look good! If I had such beautiful clothes, I would look good too!”
“Your face is covered in boogers! Others are so clean. How are you good-looking?”
“It’s beautiful!”
Qin Huai ignored the various voices around him. He only glanced at the little person who was still jumping around on the cliff.
He felt inexplicably happy.
She looked really healthy.
It was just that she looked a little small, like a cat.
Qin Huai stepped onto the stone stairs and walked up the cliff.
On this side, the coachman did not agree to take a detour.
Chi Jia skillfully took out the silver and threw it into the coachman’s arms. “We’ll buy the carriage. Just transport the things up.”
There were still many things in the carriage.
The coachman was in a difficult position. “This-”
Another silver ingot was thrown over.
The coachman grinned from ear to ear. “Alright! Go up first. I’ll help you transport the carriage up! It’s not a big deal. It’s not that I’m greedy for your money. I’m just naturally warm-hearted!”
As for whether he would return home after dark, that could wait!
Chi Jia nodded. “Yes.”
He had just taken two steps when he heard the coachman shout, “I have candy here. I’ll give it to whoever helps me bring it up!”
“Me, me, me!!!”
The coachman took out another handful of copper coins and said loudly, “Go back and tell your adults to come and help move the carriage. If ten people come, I’ll give them two copper coins each!”
A child had already started running. “I’ll call my father and the others over immediately!”
Chi Jia, who had lost 20 taels of silver: “…” He felt what it meant to be evil.
Qin Huai walked on the stone stairs step by step. Because the stone stairs were built by the villagers, they did not look very neat.
Some were long, some short, some thick, and some thin. They were different from the ones he was used to.
He recalled a year when his mother brought him to Puji Monastery to offer incense. She had also walked up the 1008 beautiful stone steps like this.
But at that time, he was thinking about nothing. He did not want to pray to G.o.d or worship Buddha and so he had walked numbly.
And now, as he endured the tearing pain in his chest, he wanted to laugh.
Although the past seven years of his life had been short, he was really tired of it.
Now that there was only three months left, he wanted to be willful again.
Just once.
“Young Master, do you want me to bring you up?” Chi Jia followed.
Qin Huai shook his head.
He wanted to walk around and see for himself.
After walking for an unknown period of time, Qin Huai felt his legs gradually lose feeling.
“Cough, cough, cough-”
He could not help but cough again, and blood appeared at the corner of his mouth. Taking out a handkerchief skillfully, he wiped the blood away.
Looking around, there were lush trees and unknown wildflowers everywhere. The birds hid their figures and secretly chanted.
He did not know where to throw the blood-stained dirty handkerchief.
He simply put it away and stuffed it back into his pocket.
Chi Jia frowned.
The color of the blood deepened.
“Little Brother! I’m here!” Little Ah Yu’s excited voice sounded.
Like a spring breeze, it blew away the oppressive atmosphere.
Qin Huai did not look up. Instead, he clenched his fists and exhaled softly.
He raised his numb feet and walked up.
Little Ah Yu was extremely happy to see Qin Huai climb the last few steps.
When Qin Huai completely walked up, Little Ah Yu pounced over and hugged him without thinking.
“Little Brother, are you here to see Ah Yu? Are you here to see Ah Yu? Right! Do you miss Ah Yu? Ah Yu misses you so much!”
After climbing hundreds of steps, Qin Huai’s body was weak. Even if Little Ah Yu was small, he could not hold her up.
The two of them fell to the ground. Qin Huai subconsciously reached out to protect her little head.
“Ouch! My b.u.t.t hurts!”
Little Ah Yu held her painful b.u.t.t and quickly sat up to pull Qin Huai back.
Qin Huai avoided her little claws and got up.
“I’m sorry, Ah Yu was wrong…” Little Ah Yu felt very guilty. She was too happy.
Qin Huai glanced at her and did not say anything, making Little Ah Yu feel even more guilty.
She did not know why, but she was so happy to see Little Brother. Would she anger Little Brother away?
The two of them fell into the gra.s.s. The surrounding adults saw them and came over to take a look.
“Ah Yu, are you alright? Did you hurt yourself?” Old Master Hu hurriedly asked.
“Grandpa, Ah Yu is fine.” Little Ah Yu patted her claws and raised them for Old Master Hu to see. “It doesn’t hurt at all!”
Chi Jia watched from the side without any intention of helping.
Young Master did not like being helped.
The children carrying things behind also came up one after another. Some of them were holding a small pot of flowers, some were carrying a jar of tea leaves, and some were carrying a pair of shoes.
Breathlessly, they placed the items on the stone table under the yellow-horned tree.
Hu Erpang was also among them. He laid out the candies he had obtained and took a fierce bite with his teeth. Then, he wiped the saliva on it carelessly and handed it to Little Ah Yu.
“Little Sister Ah Yu, come, have some candy. It’s very sweet!”
To the farmers, sugar was a rare thing.
In fact, sugar was still a medicine.
If anyone in the family was weak, they would drink some sugar water and recuperate for two days. That way, their complexion would recover.
Therefore, the children especially cherished the hard candies and could not bear to give it to the adults, let alone share it.
w.a.n.g Erpang could not bear to share with her, but Ah Yu was so obedient, so he had no choice but to share with her.
“Thank you, Brother Fattie!”
Little Ah Yu immediately wanted to take it, but a hand stretched out from the side and stopped her.
It was Qin Huai.
“Little Brother?”
Qin Huai still did not speak, but he reached into his pocket with his other hand and took out a paper bag.
He opened it in front of Little Ah Yu. There was a candied hawthorn lying inside.
Because the journey was too long, the sugar coating outside had almost melted.
But there was still a string of hawthorns left.
Qin Huai handed it to Little Ah Yu, indicating for her to accept it.
Little Ah Yu looked at Qin Huai, then at the candied fruit, then at Qin Huai, and then at the candied fruit.
She burst into tears.