Chapter 1393: Chapter 1371: Entering the City
Leaving Mianzhou City, they were headed all the way to Liangzhou. Manbao and the others had traveled this path once last year, only it was summer then, and the weather was scorching hot.
Now it was still in January, the weather was just beginning to warm but still chilly. They couldn’t quite tell whether this period of travel was more difficult than last time.
Manbao would occasionally pick some herbs and brew a pot of medicinal soup for everyone to drink, as a preventive measure against epidemics. Everyone obediently drank it, even she grimaced as she swallowed it.
This was to prevent seasonal illnesses, otherwise, with the weather so unpredictable, it was easy to fall ill.
But the closer they got to the capital, the more consistent the weather became, with constant strong winds and cold days. Each day after lunchtime, Manbao and the group would ride their horses for a bit, spending the rest of the time sitting in the carriage.
The excitement of Sanya and Fourth Head on their first long journey gradually wore off. Along the way, they would stop for rest, spending nights in inns in small towns or counties, or in stations outside the cities.
Only when traveling from Liangzhou to the capital did they find themselves moving too slowly one night, unable to reach the next station before nightfall, missing the previous village and ending up camping in the wild.
But with plenty of attendants from the three households, they gathered around several big fires, fearless. Old Madam Liu, Mr. Zhuang, and Ms. Zheng slept in the carriage, while Bai Shan and the younger ones excitedly roasted meat and played around the fires for most of the night, leaving everyone unable to get up the next day inside the carriage.
But the carriage’s jolting made sleeping uneasy.
Having some experience, Bai Shan and the others would get off to ride horses when rest was disturbed to shake off sleepiness, resolving to get a good rest once they reached the capital.
But Sanya and the others didn’t; they couldn’t resist napping when they got tired. Even when the older cousin suggested they sit in the driver’s seat to wake up with the cold wind, they were reluctant.
They preferred napping inside the carriage over enduring the cold wind.
Then they found their waists and necks aching; everywhere was uncomfortable.
The trio went tearfully to Manbao for treatment, who could only regretfully say, "Medicine won’t help. You should twist your bodies gently; want me to teach you?"
Bai Erlang, chuckling on the side, said, "I told you not to sleep in the carriage, didn’t I? But you wouldn’t listen and now you have to suffer."
Sanya retorted, "Didn’t you sleep in the carriage too?"
"That’s different," Bai Erlang replied, "That’s called a nap, you know? Like a morning sleep, not really sleeping."
The trio was dumbfounded, and even Bai Shan and Manbao were taken aback by this explanation. After some thought, they had to agree, nodding in approval.
The three reluctantly started gently turning their necks and kneading their lower backs. Occasionally Manbao would help them with some massage.
To this end, she even took the opportunity during carriage naps to enter the classroom and consult Teacher Mo on massage methods, trying it out on the trio, though the effects seemed quite average and even accidentally worsened Fourth Head’s neck pain.
Fourth Head was about to cry out loud, so Manbao dared not massage him any longer, only opting for acupuncture to ease the pain.
The three eventually reached the capital in this state of discomfort. Initially full of complaints, they fell silent upon seeing the tall city walls from afar, with necks no longer sore and backs no longer aching.
The three leaned out of the window to look ahead, staring with unwavering eyes, "It’s so big!"
"And so high!"
Even though Bai Shan and Manbao had seen it several times, they still found the city walls very majestic.
By this time, it was almost lunchtime, and there was quite a crowd queuing to enter and exit the city. Their convoy appeared large elsewhere, but was insignificant compared to the myriad of convoys converging from different avenues.
They slowly merged into the traffic and entered the convoy.
Sitting in the carriage, Bai Shan waited for a while, finding the pace extremely slow. He jumped out of the vehicle to find his grandmother, "Grandmother, how about Manbao and I ride ahead on horseback and tidy up the house to await your arrival?"
Old Madam Liu knew they couldn’t sit still, and now that they were at the city gates, she didn’t want to restrain them too much, so she waved her hand, "Go on, then."
Bai Shan, overjoyed, immediately went to find Manbao and Bai Erlang, "Let’s ride into town."
The three sitting in the last carriage overheard and immediately clung to the window, "Cousin, are you leaving us?"
Manbao said, "Fifth Brother is right behind us."
Fourth Head pushed Third Brother aside, pleading pitifully, "But Cousin, we want to go with you."
Bai Shan pointed to the guards leading the horses over, "Simple, ride with them."
The guards, initially numbering just two, promptly brought over a third horse.
Nine people and six horses left the convoy to queue at another small entrance ahead, quickly getting their turn to go in.
Sanya and the others sat behind the guards, wide-eyed with awe as they entered the city gates, glancing around, amazed by the incredibly wide streets and the bustling crowd.
When they spotted several obviously foreign Hu people, they were even more astonished, mouths agape. Though restraining themselves, they couldn’t help but continue eyeing these people.
The Hu people on the street noticed their stares, turned their heads, and, seeing their wide-eyed amazement, muttered quietly, "Country bumpkins."
Then strolled off with raised heads.
Sanya swallowed and asked, "Cousin, are those Hu people?"
Manbao glanced and said, "Those are merchants from the Western Regions, also Hu people."
She added, "Don’t keep staring at them, they’ll feel embarrassed. Take a glance, then move your eyes away, then turn back for another look. That way they won’t notice."
The trio thought her advice made sense, so throughout the rest of the journey, whenever they saw something or someone unfamiliar, they followed this strategy.
Eunuch Wu, waiting for them in the gatehouse, inadvertently saw all of this and felt somewhat speechless.
The soldier behind him bowed and said, "Sir, they’ve already gone far."
Eunuch Wu snapped back to reality, immediately headed downstairs, and took the carriage to chase after them.
There were many pedestrians on the road, so they didn’t dare gallop, only letting the horse trot ahead. When they encountered congested sections, they had to slow down leisurely.
But the pedestrian paths and carriageways were separate, so it wasn’t too bad.
A carriage rumbled up from behind, and Manbao, without looking back, maneuvered her horse aside to make way, leisurely moving aside.
But the carriage kept up with her pace, and the window opened, revealing Eunuch Wu’s smiling face, "Doctor Zhou Junior, how have you been?"
Manbao, looking down, was pleasantly surprised, "Eunuch Wu, what a coincidence, you’re out of the palace for a trip today too?"
Eunuch Wu laughed, "Doctor Zhou Junior jests, there’s no way I can leave the palace on a whim. I’m here by His Highness’s orders to wait for you at the gate."