CHAPTER 145: CHAPTER 144: GOING TO YU STATE

Seeing the days when Granny Sun’s complexion got better, they decided to set off.

Yu Changhe and Sun Fengshou went ahead to the government office to handle the road permits and change of registration, and Yu Xiaolian also put Zhao Sanyan’s indenture contract on record at the government, to avoid any future troubles from Zhao Daneng.

Bottles and water bags, along with two big pots of steamed buns and stuffed buns prepared by Mrs. Sun, were put into the carriage.

Granny Sun was packing clothes to take along, and when Mrs. Sun saw her mother bringing worn-out clothes full of patches, she took them out.

Granny Sun advised earnestly, "Fangzi, although you have money now, you shouldn’t show off your wealth. What if someone targets us and we get robbed?"

"Mother, we’re not wearing fancy silk and satin, who would rob us? You haven’t been outside, there are lots of rich people out there, no one will rob us."

Granny Sun had never traveled far in her life, the furthest she had been was River Bay Town.

Now her daughter seemed like the richest person to her, like a big fat sheep.

Fifty taels, fifty taels were donated to the village for a school; she hadn’t saved that much in her whole life.

Mrs. Sun, impatient and straightforward, seeing her mother picking up the torn clothes again, snatched them and threw them far away.

She insisted her mother change clothes, to wear the set of clothes she made a few days ago.

Granny Sun patted herself, "What’s wrong with my clothes? I won’t change, aren’t they just fine?"

She knew if she took off these clothes, her daughter would surely discard them, so Granny Sun made up her mind not to take them off.

Mrs. Sun coaxed, "We’re all wearing clothes without patches, giving mother patched ones, wouldn’t that make us a laughingstock?"

Granny Sun dodged Mrs. Sun’s reaching hand, "My clothes only have one patch, can that still be called patched? Don’t worry, if anyone says you’re unfilial, I’ll explain that my daughter and son are very filial."

Mrs. Sun had no choice but to let her mother be.

Yu Xiaolian poked her head and asked, "Mother, what about the leftover grain in the warehouse?"

"Leave it to your fifth uncle!"

The family had grain in their supermarket, and the carriage couldn’t carry too much weight; with so many people, it’s already heavy enough.

When Yu Xiaolian went over to Sun Fifth Uncle’s house, their family was having breakfast.

Seeing Yu Xiaolian, they quickly asked if she had eaten and invited her to join them.

They also asked what the neighbors were busy with early in the morning.

Yu Xiaolian replied, "We’re leaving, my mother wants to leave the warehouse grain to Uncle Five."

Sun Fifth Uncle, hearing they were leaving, put down his rice bowl, losing his appetite.

Once gone, it could be farewell forever.

Sun Fifth Uncle said solemnly, "I need to go see off my old sister-in-law!"

When Sun Fifth Uncle arrived, Granny Sun was already carried onto the carriage by Sun Fengshou.

The two elders, one inside the carriage and one outside, had a rambling conversation.

Sun Fifth Uncle’s eyes brimmed with tears, "Rest assured, I will look after my cousin’s grave. If I’m gone, Daji and the others will be there, ensuring soil is replenished and paper burned for offerings annually. Don’t worry!"

Mrs. Sun took out ten taels of silver and stuffed it into Sun Fifth Uncle’s hand, asking him to take care of the grave and offerings annually.

Even knowing by year’s end, Sun Fifth Uncle’s family would have to escape famine too, she still gave the ten taels, hoping to assist him a bit.

The daughter’s space of fifty thousand taels was gone, but she still had over a hundred taels in her bag; otherwise, she would have left more for Uncle Five, even though Uncle Five isn’t her father’s brother, he cared for her dearly when she was little.

Thinking of her daughter’s advice not to put all eggs in one basket, it was truly foresighted and fortunate some silver was kept with her. Otherwise, the family would become paupers again.

Sun Fifth Uncle initially refused, having been given so many tools for work, good meals, a couple of good wines, soap for his wife, candies for his grandchildren, and now grain; how could he take more money?

But Mrs. Sun insisted, Yu Changhe insisted, and the old sister-in-law also told him to take it, so Sun Fifth Uncle reluctantly accepted.

As the carriage was about to leave, Mrs. Sun leaned out of the small window, speaking sincerely, "Uncle Five, if there’s truly a drought at year’s end, remember to head south. We’ll be in Yu State, in Luocheng city with a general store. If you come to Yu State, make sure to find us!"

Yes, heading to Yu State, not the Capital; they discussed last night and thought Yu State would be better.

Moreover, Yu State is close to the Capital; if they wish to visit the Capital, it would be convenient.

When the carriage departed, Sun Fifth Uncle couldn’t hold back his tears.

Sun Fifth Uncle wiped his tears discreetly, acting as if nothing happened, "Go bring the grain from the warehouse next door, send someone to inform Village Chief Wang, the repairs can start."

His sons responded immediately and ran to move the grain next door.

"Ah, the Sun Family has left?" someone came out with a hoe, seeing only the back of the departing carriage.

"Yes, they left!" Sun Fifth Uncle answered heavily, not wanting to chat further, and returned to his yard.

The big yellow horse was driven by Yu Changhe, this carriage is large and spacious, Granny Sun and Mrs. Sun could lie down when tired inside.

Several layers of soft bedding had been laid in the carriage long before.

The big red horse was driven by Sun Fengshou, who had never managed a carriage before, let alone driven one, but men seemed born with such a skill.

Yu Xiaolian, Tiger Kid, Zhao Erya, and Zhao Sanyan were sitting in the carriage pulled by the big red horse.

Several little heads huddled together, extra happy and excited.

Especially Zhao Sanyan and Tiger Kid, chattering non-stop, covering their little mouths and shaking with laughter whenever they said something fun.

Now Zhao Sanyan was no longer shy, mingling very well with Tiger Kid.

After the carriage traveled for two hours, they saw a village when Yu Changhe said, "We haven’t encountered a river along the way, the horse is thirsty and tired, let’s enter the village, find a family to give the horse some water, and let the horse rest."

Mrs. Sun nodded, "It’s time to let the horse rest; it’s been traveling all morning."

Sun Fengshou saw his brother-in-law’s carriage turning into the village ahead, so he followed suit.

Yu Changhe called out to a family at the village entrance, but no one responded.

At this time, it’s spring plowing season, so the household might have gone to work in the fields.

At the second house, there were people and water, but the water had been laboriously carried bucket by bucket from the well rim, they were not willing to give it freely to water the horse.

But the person pointed to the village center, "The big well is over there, fetch it yourselves!"

Yu Changhe thanked the person, driving the carriage towards the well.

Fortunately, before leaving, he hung a wooden bucket at the back of the carriage, which came in handy now.

Sun Fengshou swung the well rope, and Yu Changhe pulled up, soon the horse had its fill of water.

Once the horse drank, Yu Changhe filled all the water bags with water, then drove the carriage out of the village, stopping in a shady area with trees.

Everyone got off the carriage, preparing to eat some lunch.

Yu Xiaolian stared at the dry, yellowed grass on the ground and felt grateful, relieved that they were traveling now; if it were autumn with the horse having neither food nor drink, they’d be forced to escape on foot.

Mrs. Sun took out meat buns and steamed buns, first handing a meat bun to her mother, "Mother, is it uncomfortable shaking around?"

Granny Sun smiled, "Not uncomfortable at all."

This was her first time sitting in a carriage, she was excited and didn’t feel uncomfortable at all.