freenovelworld Chapter 204 Quanzhou Prefecture
Chapter 204 Quanzhou Prefecture
Song Jiaojiao, who had been resting in the town for three days, finally entered the county seat today. This remote county in Mozhou is not very developed and has always ranked at the bottom of Mozhou. There is nothing special about the county. It is neither near mountains nor water. It is just a very ordinary county seat.
There are still Sifang Inns in the county. The area is sparsely populated, and Sifang Inns are very spacious. Song Jiaojiao booked a three-courtyard house, which could comfortably accommodate ten or more people.
Zhou Dayong and the others will need at least half a month to recover from their injuries before they can set off again. Song Jiaojiao is not in a hurry; she simply tells them to take good care of themselves and gives each of them a bonus.
Consider this the heart-stopping journey as compensation.
June weather is like a child's face, changing in an instant without giving anyone a chance to react.
Just moments ago, the sun was shining brightly, but in a short while, a heavy rain began to fall. Song Jiaojiao and Mu Xue quickly stood under the eaves to take shelter from the rain.
"Mother, how long until we set off? We've been here for almost half a month already," Mu Xue asked, pouting unhappily.
"We'll leave once Uncle Dayong and the others have recovered from their injuries. If it weren't for Uncle Dayong and the others risking their lives to protect us, we might have lost our lives at the Seventy-Two Turns."
Song Jiaojiao squatted down and patiently explained to Mu Xue.
"But this county is really no fun. I've explored every nook and cranny." Mu Xue knew why she stayed, but she just found it too boring. She couldn't understand the local language, and she couldn't understand what the locals were saying if they spoke too fast. There were also no children to play with her.
"Okay, Muxue, be good. Just wait a few more days. This time we'll head straight south, all the way to the southernmost point. They say there's an endless sea there, and beautiful seashells too."
After this, Song Jiaojiao no longer planned to stay in that county town for an extended period of time. At most, she would buy some local specialties, and the stay would not exceed one day.
"Alright!" Mu Xue reluctantly agreed.
After the rain stopped, the two continued strolling through the streets. Although they had walked this road countless times, they couldn't stay in the inn all the time.
"Madam, I think we can continue our journey!" Zhou Dayong said to Song Jiaojiao with a smile. They had been here for too long. It was already mid-June, and the weather would get hotter and hotter. Song Jiaojiao and the others had already changed into summer clothes. The further south they went, the hotter it would get.
"Zhou Dayong, how's your hand?" Song Jiaojiao asked with concern.
"As long as you don't lift heavy objects, there shouldn't be any problems," Zhou Dayong said with a sheepish grin, scratching his head.
Song Jiaojiao thought that quite a bit of time had passed since they arrived, and most people's injuries had healed, so it was indeed time for them to leave.
"Alright, give the order to prepare some dry rations. We'll set off tomorrow. We'll be in a bit of a rush and won't linger on the road. This time, we'll head straight for Quanzhou County."
"Yes, madam, I'll go and tell them right away."
Time flies and stars shift.
Song Jiaojiao and her group traveled at a fast pace and finally arrived in Quanzhou County at the end of July.
Quanzhou Prefecture was an important prefecture for maritime trade development in the Great Jin Kingdom. There were three wharves along the coast, and many people of different ethnicities could be seen on the streets. They were very different from the people of the Great Jin Kingdom.
The man from another race was tall, with blue eyes and blond hair, and spoke a broken Jin language.
"Mom, look! Their houses are different from ours!" Mu Xue said excitedly, her face beaming with a bright smile. Her cheerful laughter carried far, attracting the attention of passersby.
"Yes, Xue girl, this is a local specialty. Those shells you see are oyster shells. Locals collect them to repair their houses. They have a very good heat-insulating effect, keeping the house warm in winter and cool in summer."
Upon hearing Mu Xue's voice, Zhou Dayong chuckled and explained that he used to visit Quanzhou Prefecture every few years, as it was indeed a very prosperous place.
"Alright, let's find a place to stay first, and then we can go out and explore after we've settled in."
Song Jiaojiao said with a smile that as someone who grew up in a city where it neither snows nor is near the sea, the sea and heavy snow are her obsessions. In her previous life, she was always busy being a beast of burden and never got to see the sea.
Unexpectedly, this wish came true in this life.
Sifang Inn remains Song Jiaojiao's first choice. Not only is it owned by Wang Ziyi, but it also offers greater security than other inns.
As expected of a prime location, even the inn is a five-star establishment, in the words of the previous generation.
This time, the inn was not only spacious, but also had many more burly thugs guarding its safety.
Song Jiaojiao still chose the small courtyard. The three-courtyard courtyard was much more expensive than the one in Mozhou, with the price tripled. Even so, it was difficult to book. Song Jiaojiao only managed to book it by taking out the jade pendant given to her by Wang Ziyi.
"Mom, Mom, I'm ready, let's go out!!!" Mu Xue jumped excitedly around Song Jiaojiao.
She had only caught a glimpse of the foreigners from inside the carriage; she hadn't had a chance to really look at them or see if they were more attractive than the people of the Great Jin Kingdom.
Although it is currently the hour of Wei (1-3 PM), when the sun is at its blazing, Quanzhou is located by the sea, and the constant salty sea breeze carries away most of the heat, preventing it from becoming unbearably hot.
The streets were bustling with people, mostly vendors and people of different ethnicities, in addition to the locals, creating a unique scene.
Song Jiaojiao did not choose men's clothing. This place was more open than Yunshui Town, and there was not much difference between men, women, young and old. You could see many women setting up stalls by the roadside, selling bracelets made of seashells, wind chimes and the like. These things were very attractive to Mu Xue, who had never been far from home.
Before long, Shang Xiaoxiao, who came out with Song Jiaojiao and the others, was carrying a lot of things, many of which were hard to find in Yunshui Town, and many of them were brought by people from other races.
Song Jiaojiao bought quite a lot, stopping and starting along the way, her mouth and hands never stopping. In the end, she had so much stuff that she had to rent a horse-drawn carriage to return to the inn.
Back at the inn, Song Jiaojiao collapsed onto the bed, utterly exhausted. She didn't feel tired at all while out and about, but once she got back to her room, she felt completely drained.
"Madam, would you like some hot water?" Chunhua, who hadn't gone out with them, came over and asked Song Jiaojiao.
Song Jiaojiao really didn't want to move, but in the summer, any movement would make her sweat profusely, let alone after shopping all afternoon.
"Keep it ready, I'll go later." Song Jiaojiao said wearily and listlessly.
After lying down for a while, Song Jiaojiao got up and slowly removed the jewelry from her head, casually placing it on the dressing table.
I took my change of clothes to the shower room. The tub was filled with hot water that Chunhua had prepared, and the steaming water looked so comforting.
Song Jiaojiao entered the bathtub and let out a comfortable hum.
She still needed to take a bath. As soon as she came in, the fatigue from shopping all afternoon was instantly gone. The warm water enveloped Song Jiaojiao, and she closed her eyes and fell asleep without realizing it.