novelaction Chapter 1004 Spending the Night in the Village
Chapter 1004 Spending the Night in the Village
Knowing the old man's concerns, Lu Qingqing took out her money pouch from her bosom.
"Don't be afraid, sir, we are a legitimate merchant caravan."
We just arrived from Rongyang Town this morning.
Don't worry, we're not bad people.
If it were our village, could we spare a few houses that don't leak?
We are willing to pay the accommodation fee according to the guesthouse's rates.
When the old man heard what Lu Qingqing said, he looked at his money bag again.
"Are you really willing to give money?"
"How many people are there? How many rooms do you need?"
Seeing that he was willing to talk, Lu Qingqing told him about the situation.
The old man called out into the courtyard, and soon an old woman came over carrying a raincoat.
After putting on the clothes, the old man said something to the old woman and then led Lu Qingqing and Qin Lang into the village.
After talking to more than a dozen places, I finally found an empty house with enough room to stay in.
When they returned to the old man's house, Lu Qingqing took a small bundle out of the carriage.
"Uncle, you've gone to so much trouble to help us find a house. This is just a small token of our appreciation. Please don't find it offensive."
As soon as the old man took the bundle, he smelled the aroma of wheat inside.
People who are constantly hungry have a sensitivity to food as sharp as radar.
Almost instantly, the old man knew that the bundle must contain steamed buns.
He opened the bundle and peeked inside. When he saw that it contained white flour steamed buns without any bran, the wrinkles on his face deepened into a smile.
"Young man, why are you being so polite?"
"Tell me, I was just going to show you the way, how could I possibly take so many steamed buns!"
As he spoke, he even pretended to decline.
The old lady standing beside him was afraid that Lu Qingqing would really take it back.
He snatched the bundle and said with a smile:
"Young man, I can spare two rooms in my house, and I guarantee I'll clean them up spotlessly for you!"
Lu Qingqing looked inside and saw that there were several paths paved with flat stones in the courtyard of this house.
Walking on this stone path is always better than stepping into the mud.
Although the mud courtyard inevitably accumulates water, it is still cleaner than the courtyards of many rural households.
"Okay, then we'll go back and call for help."
The old lady readily agreed, went back into the house and called her daughter-in-law out, and together they tidied up the house.
At this time, almost all the families in the village who had agreed to stay were tidying up their houses.
When Lu Qingqing and Qin Lang returned to the official road, Bai Song and the others were waiting at the intersection.
Many people cheered when they learned they could stay overnight.
Having a house to shelter from the rain is not only comfortable, but also saves a lot of trouble.
Setting up and taking down tents every day is really exhausting.
When the group arrived at the village entrance, the old man was standing there to greet them.
He smiled and went up to greet them, but as he got closer, he noticed the large swords hanging on the soldiers' bodies.
The old man had lived to this age and had only ever seen such a large knife on government officials and bandits.
Judging from their clothes, these people shouldn't be government officials.
That leaves only one answer.
These people are all bandits!
The old man felt immense regret upon realizing this.
Oh no, oh no, he's really done a terrible job for the villagers.
At this point, the old man dared not ask for any more accommodation fees.
I just hope that these bandits will leave obediently after they stay here.
As long as they don't die, we should be thankful!
Lu Qingqing had no idea that the old man had so many thoughts running through his mind.
She was talking to Bai Song, Qian Chengzhi, and the women from the East Courtyard about the habitable houses in the village.
The group began to divide the people into groups based on the number of rooms.
Lu Qingqing stopped Old Man Zhuang and Sun Yue and stayed in the old man's house.
Bai Song glanced into the courtyard and decided to stay there as well.
The old man, seeing the scar on his face, concluded that he must be the most bloodthirsty and brutal of the bandits.
They were terrified that he would suddenly go mad and endanger their entire family.
After hesitating for a while, he saw that Bai Song had already entered his yard.
Fearing that he would decide to stay at her house, she hurriedly ran to Lu Qingqing's side.
He pointed to Bai Song and quietly discussed with her whether they could find someone else to stay at his house.
Lu Qingqing didn't understand the situation, but seeing what the old man said, she still went up to Bai Song and explained the situation.
Bai Song, realizing that they were clearly trying to kick him out, looked at the old man with some confusion.
But to the old man, who already had a filter of fear, this was just him being glared at.
The old man was so frightened that he hid behind Lu Qingqing.
Lu Qingqing was the only one in this group who he felt had a somewhat kind face.
Seeing that the old man was somewhat afraid of Bai Song, Lu Qingqing called over the woman from the east courtyard.
Ruyue called Xu Erniu and three other sisters, and they stayed at the old man's house.
The old man felt somewhat relieved when he saw these women.
However, it's not that just because there are women in the group, they aren't bad people.
In his view, these women must have been abducted by bandits.
The reason they weren't afraid was simple: these women were weak and posed no great threat to their family.
After Lu Qingqing and the old man from Qinlangzhuang stayed behind, the rest of the people, led by the trembling old man, headed towards the village.
After Lu Qingqing and her companions entered the courtyard, they were led into the east and west wing rooms by the enthusiastic old lady.
"Young man, this is the room of my two newly married sons."
They work in Rongyang Town and only come back once every few months.
The house is usually occupied by the daughter-in-law, and it's very clean.
We just cleaned and wiped it again. Are you satisfied with what you see?
If there's anything you're not satisfied with, please let me know.
Looking at the small room, which was spotless, Lu Qingqing and the others had no complaints.
After the old lady left, Old Man Zhuang and Sun Yue plopped down on the kang (a heated brick bed) and let out a long sigh of relief.
After resting for two days, I was exhausted all over.
After sitting on the kang (a heated brick bed) for a while, the group began moving their luggage into the house.
After setting up the kang (heated brick bed), they moved all the valuables from the car into the house.
It's always wise to be cautious, and it's safer to keep valuables close at hand.
The carriage was left in the courtyard.
After they finished settling their things, the old man returned.
Seeing the lights come on in the east and west wing rooms, they knew they had moved in.
He closed the courtyard gate, quickly went inside, and told his wife the news.
The two were once again thrown into a panic, which goes without saying.
After changing into clean clothes, Lu Qingqing and the others lit a stove inside the house.
A rack was set up next to the stove, and the clothes were hung up on it.
Meanwhile, food was being heated on the stove.
Before long, the aroma of Eight Treasure Duck and several other meat dishes wafted into the courtyard.
Inside the old man's house, the three grandchildren, seeing their grandparents still sitting on the kang (a heated brick bed) talking, quietly left the room.