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墨書 Inktalez
Pei Qingxuan spotted Qi Chong's tall figure in the bustling crowd.
"Qi Chong! Qi Chong!" he called out from a distance, waving his hand and lifting the hem of his long robe as he made his way through the throng.
When Qi Chong saw him, he hurried over, weaving through the people.
"You’re from Qiongzhou Prefecture, right? I haven’t been there yet; take me along!"
Before Qi Chong or Yu Chunmiao could respond, Zeng Yulan chimed in teasingly, "What’s this? Are you going to mooch some tea? You’ll have to wait a few months; come back in April."
Noticing that Pei Qingxuan had thoroughly offended Zeng Yulan, he bowed slightly and said, "Qing Niangzi, spare me! I admit my ignorance; I’ve only heard of Qingming Tea. But I want to join you not for the tea, but for the tobacco."
Zeng Yulan saw his earnestness and decided to let him off the hook for now, refraining from further banter.
"For tobacco? What do you mean?" Qi Chong asked.
Pei Qingxuan felt a bit embarrassed. "You may not know this, but my salary here isn’t much. The local tobacco farmers are quite skilled. There aren’t many people growing tobacco where you are; I’d like to help promote the cultivation techniques in the south. When I saw you buying so many tobacco seeds, I thought you could use my expertise."
Yu Chunmiao found his reasoning sound. "What you learn from books is often superficial. Since it’s Qi Chong's first time growing tobacco with the villagers, he will undoubtedly face many challenges. Having an expert like you around would be incredibly beneficial."
She then asked him, "How much is your monthly salary at the Grain Bureau?"
Pei Qingxuan replied, "One tael and eight coins a month."
His monthly salary, when adjusted for current prices, was equivalent to about five or six thousand in modern terms—not too high but still quite burdensome.
Yu Chunmiao glanced at Qi Chong, silently seeking his opinion.
After some consideration, Qi Chong said, "It’s not impossible for you to come with me; however, we need the villagers' approval to hire you. If you're not worried about losing your stable position at the Yamen, I don’t mind if you join me."
He planned to bring Pei Qingxuan along first; if the villagers disagreed, he would assign him to guide them on tobacco cultivation. This way, the villagers would see his value and hiring him wouldn’t be an issue.
The next day, after Yu Wei finished shopping and came to pick up Pei Qingxuan, everyone faced a dilemma.
Pei Qingxuan had only written a resignation letter and packed a few clothes, but his books filled four large wooden boxes—each weighing around sixty or seventy pounds.
The donkey cart was already loaded to capacity; even with Zeng Yulan's help, it was impossible to fit anything else.
Yu Chunmiao decisively declared, "Let’s buy another donkey cart."
Since they would return the horse in town and wouldn’t have any transportation left for themselves after that, they would need a donkey cart for transporting Yan Ye in the future anyway. It made sense to buy one now.
"How bold!" Zeng Yulan gave her a thumbs-up.
Thus, Yu Wei urged Little Black Donkey forward, while Pei Qingxuan drove Xiao Jing Donkey. The five of them became six as they set off in the direction of Qiongzhou.
Upon reaching a steep incline, Little Black Donkey could no longer bear the load and refused to move. Zeng Yulan got down to help push the cart, barely managing to get it over the hill.
"Xiao Wei, there’s still room in the Donkey Cart; why don’t you move some goods over?" Yu Chunmiao suggested, feeling a bit sorry for Little Black Donkey. "Auntie, you can ride with Pei Gengjiao."
Qi Chong lifted Yuan Qingmiao off the horse and began helping with the cargo.
"Be careful, be careful! This box contains porcelain; handle it gently," Yu Wei instructed. He was experienced in transporting goods and could remember exactly what was in each box without needing labels.
He hurried over to help Qi Chong lift a box, but Qi Chong effortlessly picked up a nearly hundred-pound crate and set it down gently without even breaking a sweat.
"Tian Ye, what do you eat to grow so strong?" Yu Wei marveled.
"Meat," Qi Chong replied as he went to lift another box.
His strength came not only from inheriting it from his father, Qi Yunzhen, but also from eating plenty of meat since childhood. The game his father brought home was either sold or consumed, and as the eldest son, he certainly had his share.
Seeing that there was only room at the front of the Donkey Cart, Zeng Yulan reluctantly sat down next to Pei Qingxuan.
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