These words were not spoken by her. Zhao Jiaqi felt secretly pleased, and glanced at Fan Zehao, whose face had turned ashen, raising an eyebrow at him without a sound.
Seeing that he remained silent for a long time, and that both she and the village chief were waiting awkwardly, Zhao Jiaqi reluctantly softened her voice.
"Husband, I think this plan is excellent. You should go back and attend to your business first. I'll wait here for you to return!" Zhao Jiaqi said with a smile, then looked at the village chief and added, "Go home and prepare the silver before coming to pick me up. As for me, you can rest assured. With the village chief here, I certainly won't suffer any losses."
Zhao Jiaqi changed the subject and asked the village chief, "Right?"
Wang Yuanzhi nodded repeatedly, a smile creasing his eyes into slits. "Yes, yes, yes, of course. We are partners now, and we have a long way to go together. How could I be harsh with your wife? I'll certainly treat her well with good food and drink. Young Master Fan, you can rest assured."
With words to that effect, what else could Fan Zehao do?
He opened his mouth with a deep breath and briefly explained why he was angry. "Wife, you asked me to go back for the silver notes, but you should have at least written a letter. That way, when I get back, I can ask your father for the money. Otherwise, your father might suspect something is wrong with you."
Zhao Jiaqi blinked her eyes, pondering what this "father-in-law" thing was about. However, she quickly reacted and said with a smile, "Look at me, I almost forgot about that."
As she spoke, she got up to fetch the ink brush and began to write in front of the village chief. However, the letter contained some unfamiliar characters, making it seem as if it were incomplete. Wang Yuanzhi couldn't help but shake his head when he saw it.
Even though she was the wife of a wealthy family, this wife's literacy was not good. Not only were her characters crooked and uneven, but they were also full of errors. It was fortunate that her husband could read them, otherwise, no one would know what the letter said.
Wang Yuanzhi couldn't bear to look any longer and said to the couple, "You two write, I'll go and re-check the goods. Then, I'll see if you're leaving today or tomorrow, Young Master, so I can arrange a cart for you."
Fan Zehao looked at the weather outside. With this plum rain season, he couldn't wait for the rain to stop. Moreover, he had more important matters to attend to now. Of course, he wanted to leave as soon as possible.
"Go and prepare. I'm leaving today. Also, be sure to pack the cart well and wrap it with something on the outside to disguise it. Who knows if there will be bandits on the way back."
Wang Yuanzhi gave him a thumbs-up for this idea. "That's no problem at all. I'm best at disguising things. I'll get it ready for you right away."
With a cheerful laugh, he left. In the room, with only the two of them left, they dared not speak, for fear that the village chief might return unexpectedly.
After waiting for a while and confirming that everything was safe, Zhao Jiaqi finally opened her mouth, "When you go back for the silver notes, bring more. No..."
"Excuse me, am I preparing an ox cart or a horse-drawn carriage for you?"
The couple froze. When had the village chief returned? How had they not noticed? And when he left, he had clearly closed the door.
Yet, at this moment, he was pushing the door open and standing outside, asking the couple.
Fan Zehao frowned slightly. "Of course, a horse-drawn carriage. I'll pay for the fare. It won't take much time for a round trip."
Wang Yuanzhi waved at him. "Understood. I'll go now."
With a clang, the door was completely shut, but the two people inside became even more afraid to speak.
Fan Zehao stood up, opened the door, and looked outside. After confirming that the village chief's figure had disappeared, he closed the door and sat down beside his wife.
"With this village chief's suspicious mind, there must be a significant problem here. I will rush back as soon as possible, make all the arrangements, and then I'll come back for you!"
In his heart, he still couldn't bear to leave his wife here, and was more worried and afraid. People like the village chief were desperate characters; there was nothing they wouldn't do.
"I understand. No need to say more. Remember to be extra careful. And on your way back, you must act like a merchant and not reveal any flaws!"
After speaking, Zhao Jiaqi said in a low voice, "Seeing how cautious the village chief is, I suspect there's more to it. On your way back, I even suspect someone might follow you or be observing your every move at fixed points. So, you must be extremely careful."
After hearing his wife's advice, Fan Zehao was stunned and felt a chill of apprehension. If something unexpected happened halfway, his wife would truly be in trouble.
Thinking this, he knew he had to be even more cautious.
"I'll leave the special forces commander with you. In no more than two days, the remaining special forces soldiers will arrive. You must also be careful in your actions."
Zhao Jiaqi gave him a reassuring smile and promised, "Don't worry, everything will be fine here. At most, I'll pretend to be sick for two days and not leave my room. By then, you should be back."
This was a last resort, but at least by not saying too much, there would be fewer mistakes to be picked.
After their conversation, Zhao Jiaqi packed a set of clothes for him, gave it to him, and smilingly saw him off at the door.
Standing at the village chief's doorstep, she looked at the pile of ceramics on the horse-drawn carriage. It was obvious they were in the pottery business, which was completely different from their true purpose.
Zhao Jiaqi smiled and looked at the village chief. "As expected, a good strategy. With these ceramics, very few people will pay attention on the road."
Wang Yuanzhi smiled and said, "Indeed. These ceramics are not valuable; small ones cost a few copper coins, and large ones only a few dozen. Moreover, they are fragile, so no one would pay attention. At most, everyone would think we are taking these things back for the children to play with."
Zhao Jiaqi gave him full marks for this explanation.
Fan Zehao sat on the carriage's canopy, preparing to leave. Just then, Wang Fang, who had gone to gather information, arrived.
Standing beside the village chief, Wang Yuanzhi looked at Fan Zehao and then walked over with a smile. "Although you, young master, have done some work, it's not good to be without a helper when traveling."
Saying that, Wang Yuanzhi introduced Wang Fang, who was by his side. "This is a young man from our village. He usually talks a lot and doesn't interfere in others' affairs, but he can work. Let him drive the carriage. It will be good to have a companion on the road. To put it bluntly, if something happens, there will be someone to help!"
Fan Zehao did not expect the village chief to go to such lengths, and still found it hard to believe he would bring back the silver.
"That's true. One person is needed for communication. But don't worry, I will bring the silver notes back as soon as possible. My wife is worth more than this silver."
After speaking, he made way for the driving position and sat on the other side, his hand reaching for the letter his wife had given him.