Capítulo 1303: Chapter 1302: Mostly Spoiled

Lord Du glanced over and saw the expressions on Jinhoo’s face shifting between joy, worry, and gritting his teeth, making him involuntarily feel a bit deflated.

After waiting a while longer and still no movement, Lord Du increasingly felt that he had gone too far.

Thinking it over, Lord Du scooted closer to Jinhoo, but seeing that Jinhoo still wasn’t paying him any attention, he couldn’t help but cough twice to remind Jinhoo that there was another living person in this carriage.

Although Jinhoo was following the caravan leader, learning some of a business person’s slickness, he had only grasped the superficial, naturally unable to cover all the bases. At this moment, his mind was entirely on his future career, utterly unaware that Lord Du was trying to attract his attention.

Lord Du, after all, still had a bit of a temper. Seeing Jinhoo like this, he simply held his breath, sat far away opposite Jinhoo, and they ignored each other.

Meanwhile, Wang Yongzhu and Old Granny Zhang sat in the carriage, and soon someone came to report Lord Du and Jinhoo’s every word and deed inside the carriage.

No need to doubt, the one who could do this was naturally one of the twenty personal soldiers.

Wang Yongzhu listened and just chuckled.

Lord Du still had the energy to throw a tantrum today, but once they reached Shiqiao Town and Qilidun, he might not even have the energy to do that.

He just instructed, “Don’t mind them, they’re all grown-up kids, no need to watch them all the time.”

The personal soldier took the order and left, understanding that it meant not to pay too much attention to those two kids.

Outside Jing County, the further they went, the bumpier the mountain road became. Wang Yongzhu, Old Granny Zhang, and Jinhoo were used to it and didn’t feel anything.

But how could Lord Du be accustomed to this? In the Capital City, the roads were official routes, very stable, even if bumpy it was limited.

How could it be like this here, never a stable moment? Since they got on the mountain road, his backside hasn’t been able to sit steadily.

Lord Du, who wasn’t seasick, was tossed around on this mountain road until he was muddled, half leaning against the carriage wall. During the ride, every bump knocked his head against the wall.

Jinhoo looked at this stance, fearing that even if Lord Du wasn’t knocked dizzy by Qilidun, he’d be knocked out by the bumps.

Even though his aunt said so, if something really happened, how could his aunt explain to Old Master Du?

He had to support Jinhoo, half leaning on a cushion, barely making it a bit better.

By noon when they stopped to rest, Lord Du was already limp like noodles.

Seeing the carriage stop, he finally got a chance to catch his breath, reluctantly climbed down from the carriage, and after blowing in the mountain wind for a while, regained some energy.

At the side, the personal soldiers were already doing their tasks, some went hunting in the mountains, some went to move stones to build stoves, some collected firewood, and some went to try their luck at the water’s edge to see if they could catch any fish.

It was early summer, the trees were lush, and there were many animals in the forest. Soon, those hunting brought back a few rabbits and a mountain chicken.

Those collecting firewood also brought some wild vegetables and fresh mushrooms back with them.

The stove was also set up, a pot placed on it, a fire lit, and the mountain chicken cleaned and thrown in whole to cook until the fragrance wafted out. Then, mushrooms and wild vegetables were added, making an excellent soup.

The rabbits were skewered on branches, sizzling as they roasted, golden oils dripping, with just a sprinkle of salt, they were great.

The dry food was baked flatbread, dry and hard, very chewy. Those without good teeth would find their jaws aching from one bite.

But this flatbread could be carried without spoiling in the hot season and was filling, the usual traveler’s fare.

Those who were particular would roast this flatbread again to soften it, or break it into small pieces and soak it in soup to make it edible.

Now, on this mountain road, having such a meal was already quite good.

Everyone said nothing, not speaking of these personal soldiers, already accustomed to this life, even Old Granny Zhang and Wang Yongzhu had nothing to complain about. Earlier, they couldn’t even have this, so there was nothing to nitpick.

Other people didn’t need mentioning.

Each had a bowl of piping hot mountain chicken mushroom wild vegetable soup, the personal soldiers also sliced some rabbit legs to serve, with each person getting just a bite or two, just enough for a taste.

Wang Yongzhu, Song Chongjin, and Jinhoo had a small pot of mushroom wild vegetable soup to themselves, and luckily the mushrooms were fresh and fragrant, the wild vegetables refreshing, they were edible.

Lord Du had never eaten such simple fare before, the flatbread almost as hard as a rock was impossible to bite, the rabbit meat only had a salty taste, only the mountain chicken soup was relatively mild enough to down, yet there was only one small bowl. Being stuffed by the flatbread, he gulped down several mouthfuls of chicken soup, and it was gone.

He wanted to ask for another bowl, but glanced around, seeing only a small bowl in front of everyone, no more.

He truly couldn’t bring himself to ask others to give up their chicken soup, after all, he had eaten at breakfast, so he could still hold on.

The stubbornness of youth made Lord Du slam down his bowl and turn to board the carriage.

Old Granny Zhang leisurely fished a chicken leg from the soup bowl, biting it, saying, “It’s lucky he’s not one of our kids, otherwise, even with elders present, who dares to throw a tantrum and slam bowls would be spoiled, getting hit a few times over three meals a day would straighten him out! Isn’t this wasting food!”

Looking at the flatbread Lord Du took one bite of and tossed aside, Old Granny Zhang, from a peasant family, couldn’t stand such behavior the most.

A few days ago, she thought this young master from the Du Family was a well-mannered, sensible child. Now looking again, she felt the child had all kinds of faults.

After saying this, she gave a side-eye to Jinhoo, “If you dare to learn from him, just see how I’ll deal with you!”

Jinhoo, drooling over the rabbit meat, quickly lowered his head to sip the soup when Old Granny Zhang glared at him.

Others dared not make a sound, just burying their heads in eating.

The personal soldiers seated further away ate heartily, bursts of laughter reaching Lord Du’s ears inside the carriage, feeling particularly grating.

Old Granny Zhang didn’t particularly lower her voice, so naturally, Lord Du heard it all, his face flushing red. Clenching his fists, gritting his teeth, he didn’t know whether to rush down and explain that he wasn’t such a person, or to turn around and head back to the county.

After the meal, they rested for a while. Seeing that the sun wasn’t so fierce anymore, they tidied up and set off again.

Jinhoo boarded the carriage and saw Lord Du leaning against the carriage wall, eyes closed, with an expression of keeping people at a distance of a thousand miles. Initially, he wanted to persuade him to face reality, but seeing his appearance, he couldn’t be bothered to speak.

In the carriage up front, Old Granny Zhang just shook her head, “This Brother Jun, raised delicately in the Capital, what can he do now that he’s really in our countryside? Old Master Du must have much trust, handing over such a big grandson to us like this? Aren’t they afraid we’ll corrupt him?”

Wang Yongzhu laughed, “Mother, you say Master has much trust, but think about our family Jinhoo, isn’t he around the same age as that Brother Jun? He’s been out exploring for a year now, hasn’t he been safe and sound? I’m anyhow his little master aunt, back when Jinhoo was on the road, I entrusted him to Boss Zhang, but only instructed to keep him alive.”

“Not to mention anything else, hasn’t Jinhoo changed a lot over this past year? More sensible, more filial, with some order in dealing with people and things. After a couple more years of honing, he can also hold his own. Evidently, children indeed need to be let out to see the world, hit some walls, endure some hardships to grow up.”

“It’s the same principle; Master and Senior Brother probably wish for Brother Jun to see more of the world, endure some hardships as well, which will surely not harm his future.”