Goldfield
Chapter 139: Prefectural City

Yu Xiaocao taught Zhenxiu Restaurant how to cook tomatoes in several ways. In doing so, he managed to attract many unexpected customers to the restaurant. The rarer something is, the greater its value. Naturally, the Yu Family tomatoes were sold at a very expensive price, almost on par with an extremely rare fruit. A small patch of Yu Family tomatoes helped them gain quite a lot of wealth.

Although it was now a regular season for produce to enter the market, the Yu Family vegetables excelled not only in taste but also in freshness compared to other offerings. As a result, although the Yu Family products were slightly more expensive than the products of others, the Yao Family and Zhenxiu Restaurant still bought from them.

Of course, now because of the season, vegetables are much cheaper than in early spring. The days of selling vegetables at a higher price than pork are over for now!

As the first morning sunlight illuminated the peak of West Mountain, the birds still in their nests began to chirp and sing. Yu Xiaocao crawled out of bed to wash his face. Little Shitou curled up inside the blanket and watched him enviously.

“If there is anything you want, Big Brother will buy it for you in the prefecture city!” Yu Xiaocao told Little Shitou in a sister-like tone.

Little Shitou thought for a moment and then shook her head, “Nothing I want, no need to spend money on snacks or toys. If there are inexpensive stationery, such as brushes and paper, buy some for me. I felt my calligraphy, compared to the other students in my dorm, was less elegant. ”

“The students who share a room with you come from educated or wealthy families. Mostly, they may start learning and practicing by the age of three. How old were you when you had to hold a brush? It's no shame for you to be a little behind them! ” Yu Xiaocao believes that having a competitive spirit is not a bad thing but having an obsession to get first place is also not good.

Little Shitou turned around on the bed and said cheerfully, “I don't compare myself to anyone else. Teacher also said that having elegant handwriting would help me a lot when I take the exam ahead. I've started slower than everyone else, so I really need to work hard to catch up. If stationery items are cheaper in a prefecture city compared to a city, then please use this opportunity to get more so I have some spare parts just in case! You don't have to spend family funds, I have more than enough pocket money to cover expenses! ”

Ever since Little Shitou had gone to the city to study, Xiaocao had never stopped giving him pocket money. Every week he received at least thirty to fifty copper coins as an allowance. However, the little boy was very frugal and hated to spend it. Instead, he kept it to buy brushes, ink, and paper. However, her second sister was too wise and she never lacked those items. So, his small wallet had over several hundred copper coins in it now.

Yu Xiaocao walked over, pinched his little face, and grinned, “Save some coins you have in your wallet and use them to buy some snacks! You don't have to worry about stationary. After all, you have Second Brother ah! Your second sister has money now and, in the future, will have even more! Just focus on learning and you don't have to think about the rest! ”

After the duck osmanthus in Zhenxiu Restaurant became famous, the Yu Family had at least a thousand taels of income every year. Not only are they able to send one child to school, but if they also want to send each child to school at home, it will not be too expensive for them. Being rich and prosperous is truly a way of life!

“Uncle Yu, where's Xiaocao? Can we go now? ” Zhao Han's voice reached the ears of the two brothers.

Little Shitou gently laughed, “Second Brother, stop touching my face! Don't make Brother Han anxious about waiting too long! ”

“I'm coming, I'm coming!” Xiaocao hurriedly picked up his small cloth bundle that he had packed the day before and rushed out of the room.

Madam Liu was giving her husband a dry ration when she saw Xiaocao was still wearing the clothes she was wearing yesterday. She frowned, “Didn't I make you a new set of clothes? Quickly switch into it! ”

“Set is also pretty good ah! No need to change.. ”Xiaocao see the clothes on his body. Although it is made from its own coarse weave, there is no dirt or fillings on it. What's the point of changing?

Yu Hai chuckled, “Your mother told you to change clothes, so you have to change clothes! Wearing new clothes while you are traveling will give you good luck. ”

Yu Xiaocao wanted to argue more but she was pushed by her mother back into the room. Madam Liu took out a new coat and subordinate, embroidered, cotton-plated from a crate made of rattan. The short jacket is pale blue with floral embroidery on the collar and waist. It was paired with a pair of dark blue toadstools that reached the ankles. Although it is technically a pair of toads, it does not look any different from a regular skirt. However, it really does have legs that are trousers, and this type of clothing will make it easier for a person to ride a horse or walk long distances.

Although the clothes are made of cotton, the fabric has better quality and weave. After washing and canning, the shape is very strong and makes the wearer look quite stylish. This was the first time since he had moved out that Yu Xiaocao could wear such a formal set. He turned around several times in front of Madam Liu, admiring himself. Both her hands framed her face as she smiled, “Mother, am I beautiful?”

“Alright, stop showing off your looks! Sit down, I'll help you style your hair into two bun. ” Madam Liu has a deft and deft hand. Soon, she finished styling Xiaocao's hair and used a long ribbon to decorate it, tying it up into a large ribbon.

With the waist of his short jacket that reinforced his slender and smooth waist, two bun hairs, a soft and pale snow-white face, and a pair of clear big black eyes, Xiaocao looked extremely adorable.

When Zhao Han, who was in the middle of making use of the little donkey with a saddle of a horse, saw the neatly dressed Yu Xiaocao, he barely recognized her. He looked at her for a while before he joked, “Oh! Where did this beautiful girl from this humble family come from? It looks so cute and adorable! ”

Yu Xiaocao opened his eyes wide and placed both of his hands on his hips. She lightly said, “Sister Han, are you trying to tease me?”

Zhao Han's face instantly turned a dead red, and he couldn't look at her, “I ... I sincerely try to praise you!”

Xiaocao's back hurt a little from the punch, so he pouted and muttered softly, “If you don't tell me to change clothes, then we're almost in town now. I was just teasing Brother Han a little, but you hit me very hard. Am I really your real daughter? ”

“We picked you up from a patch of yams!” Madam Liu grumbled harshly. After escorting her daughter and husband to the gate and helping her husband support Xiaocao to Little Grey's back, she repeatedly reminded them, “You two do not have great riding skills. Drive a little slower and be careful on the road! ”

The saddle on Little Grey's back was the saddle that Zhao Han used when he was a child, so it fit snugly on the little donkey's back. Fortunately, while Lady Liu was sewing new clothes, Xiaocao told her to change her skirt to a toad. This makes it easy to sit on the saddle. The legs of the culottes are wide and relieved, so it looks like two sides of a skirt are arranged around the saddle. The cloth swayed in the steps of the donkey.

Initially, Xiaocao felt a little nervous riding on the ass's back. The father and son of the Zhao Family deliberately stepped slower to match the comfort level of the Yu Family.

Gradually, Xiaocao mastered it and no longer sat stiffly in the saddle. The little donkey felt his master relax, and his steps became much more cheerful and comfortable.

After consuming a lot of mystical stone water, Little Grey's intelligence was no less than two good horses from the Zhao Family. It did not require Xiaocao's orders at all and had a fast and steady gait. It was even faster than Yu Hai's horse, and ended up in front of the group.

Xiaocao did not feel him jolting on this trip, even though they were still on a steep and precipitous mountain road. Much more comfortable than sitting in a donkey wagon. It triggered a thought for Xiaocao: ‘In addition to the times I went to the city, maybe I should just ride a donkey?’

Before long, Yu Hai's riding skills also improved, and the group's speed gradually increased. The father and son pair of Zhao were amazed that the Yu Family donkey, no matter what its speed or distance, was able to keep up with the three horses.

Since the little donkeys were more capable than they expected, the four of them arrived at the prefectural city two hours earlier than they had expected.

The prefectural city was a city and hence more lively and larger compared to Tanggu City. The streets are wide and smooth, with shops on both sides. The sun slowly set towards the horizon, and its light illuminated the green isthmus roof, the red walls, and the space between the buildings. There was a three-story building made of red bricks with a green tiled roof, a shop nameplate that fluttered in the wind, and the sound of a horse carriage surrounding them… all this shows that the prefectural city was prosperous and flourishing.

Yu Xiaocao held the control of the little donkey as he stood on the street, observing the flow of people around him who were busy with him. Some are graceful, some are fresh, some are sincere, and some are experienced. His ears were filled with the sound of peddlers shouting their wares punctuated by the sound of high-pitched neighing horses. It was a golden age scene, evolving beyond his dreams …

Zhao Bufan had previously visited the prefectural city, so he was already used to the sight of everyone. He gently consulted father and son couple Yu for their opinion, “Kakak Dahai, should we find a place to stay first, or should we take a walk first?”

Yu Hai looked at his daughter and asked, “Cao’er, what do you want to do?”

“How about we find a place to stay first. We should feed Little Grey and his horses, and also refresh ourselves. It won't be too late to look around after doing that! ” Anyway, they will stay in the prefecture city for two nights, so they have time tomorrow to take a walk. They don't have to try to put it all in tonight.

Zhao Han immediately expressed his approval, “Xiaocao, I know the night market in the area. It is quite exciting at night with lots of snacks from different provinces and you can even find some good deals as well. You'll probably like it! ”

“OK okay! We're going to take a walk at the market tonight and eat some snacks! ” In his previous life, Yu Xiaocao started working to support his family when he was fifteen to sixteen years old. He was always busy and had little time to do things like take a walk in the night market and sample snacks. In this life, he still needed to make money; however, he could also take the time to have fun and enjoy the scenery of life.

The group of four found a clean inn to live in that was close to the night market Zhao Han mentioned. Prefectural cities are considered big cities, so spending there is of course higher. Although this small inn was located in a relatively remote area, it cost one hundred and fifty copper coins overnight. In total, for four people, it produced six hundred copper coins overnight, which did not include the cost of food and drinks. For two nights, more than one tael would be spent!

Yu Xiaocao first went to the backyard and made sure to take good care of Little Grey and his three horses. On the way to the city, in order to preserve the strength of the animals, Xiaocao had given them almost all of the mystical stone water stored in his personal water pouch.

The inn provides food for the animals. All three horses have a good appetite. They only had a small amount of water during the journey, so they had been hungry for a long time. When the feed came out, they all ate it happily. However, the little donkey was raised by Xiaocao, so he was more picky. He impatiently trampled on his nails and underestimated the food provided for being under his status.

This small house is run by a family. The person in charge of feeding the animals was a young girl who was the same age as Xiaocao. When he realized that the gray donkey did not want to eat, he asked Xiaocao, “Is this donkey not feeling well? Why not eat some food? ”

Yu Xiaocao smiled, “Little Grey my family has been spoiled by me. He did not like to eat food given to him by outsiders. Little brother, give me that food, I'll feed my donkey. ”

The little girl also had to go to the kitchen to light a fire. When he heard what Xiaocao said, he put the food from his basket into Xiaocao's hands and said, “Then I have to make you uncomfortable, guest!”