Chapter 72: The Carriage

Gu Zhao exclaimed, "How did you make it look so good?"

The carriage was crafted entirely from red rosewood; although the cabin was square, the surrounding edges featured curved lines, making it beautiful and exquisite.

The shafts extended forward, the two wheels had a diameter of one and a half meters, copper nails shimmered with light, the cabin was long and spacious, the door opened at the front, and carved windows adorned the sides and rear.

"Otherwise, why did it take several days?" Gu Qi said to himself, "You're filming a period drama, and you also need to film interior scenes, so it definitely needs to look good!"

Gu Zhao nodded; he had just made up an excuse, saying a classmate entering the short drama industry needed an antique-style carriage made, with a plain exterior but a comfortable and durable interior suitable for long-distance travel, requiring interior filming, and asking for his help.

Then Gu Qi had taken full responsibility, saying, "Leave it to me," and promising to satisfy the client.

Gu Zhao hadn't expected his own father to take it so seriously.

"The wheel surface looks like wood, but actually has a steel rim inside for support, with a solid tire around the outside to ensure durability."

Gu Qi introduced, "Moreover, these two wheels do not share a single axle, so it can turn in place; there are also shock-absorbing springs on top, so even on a stone road, the vibration won't be too strong, and interior filming won't shake."

"And the space you requested." Gu Qi opened the carriage door and lifted the curtain, "The interior space is very large; the height is raised compared to ordinary carriages, and two hanging cabinets were made on the left and right for storage."

"Open the door here; underneath there is also a hidden compartment. The corpse-hiding in carriages you see in ancient detective movies all utilizes this hidden compartment space, showing it is quite large."

Gu Zhao followed Gu Qi's pointing and looked over, seeing the carriage interior covered with a thick mat; rolling up the mat allowed one to retrieve items from the hidden compartment.

Below the hanging cabinets on both sides were windows; against the rear wall stood a foldable low table, and in the side-rear corner was a less conspicuous cabinet for storing the most frequently used items.

"The foldable low table can be opened; four people can sit on the left and right without issue; tea, snacks, or even meals can be placed on it." Gu Qi demonstrated how to use the low table, then said to Gu Zhao, "How is it?"

Gu Zhao gave a thumbs up, "Awesome!"

Perhaps because it was his first time making a carriage, Gu Qi couldn't resist adding some bas-reliefs on the two outer sides of the carriage: one side depicted plum blossoms, orchids, bamboo, and chrysanthemums, the other side flowers, birds, fish, and insects; although merely simple outlines, they were vivid and lifelike.

Gu Zhao nodded; fortunately, his old man had some depth; although this carriage looked a bit better than the ordinary carriages in Xiuyue County, at first glance it wasn't overly stunning; only by observing closely could one see the extraordinary nature of this carriage.

With this, everything was ready!

"Clip-clop-clop..."

The sound of horse hooves rang out lightly as a carriage, one size larger than ordinary carriages, traveled along the official road leading to Wuhe County.

The carriage was large, and the horses pulling it in front appeared to be only inferior steeds, yet they seemed to exert little effort; the old man sitting outside the cabin merely shouted twice and cracked his whip in the air, and that horse would trot a few steps, pulling the carriage forward along the way.

"I didn't expect Junior Uncle to know how to drive." Gu Zhao lifted the curtain and handed a cup of water to Daoist Yan Song.

Daoist Yan Song rolled his eyes, "I just spoke those two extra words!"

Previously, when Gu Zhao brought the carriage back and matched it with the horses purchased from Xiuyue County, he had been wondering who to find to drive it.

Unexpectedly, Daoist Yan Song enthusiastically volunteered, "I'll do it, I'll do it! I still remember the days of driving horse-drawn carts for cargo; it's been several decades since I last did it; let me try to see if my skills are rusty!"

Thus, the driver's position was naturally given to Daoist Yan Song.

"The capable bear more burdens; after all, our group will face some danger, and bringing along an ordinary person would be very inconvenient." Gu Zhao said with a grin.

Daoist Yan Song took the water cup, drank a mouthful, saw they were about to catch up with a group ahead, and then returned the cup to Gu Zhao.

Gu Zhao returned to the cabin; the water cup in his hand was taken by the He Xiuniang and placed on a nearby shelf, then she handed Gu Zhao a small handful of freshly shelled melon seeds.

"Thank you!" Gu Zhao placed the melon seeds in his palm, eating them one by one, "You all eat some too!"

"We already ate." The He Xiuniang pointed to the melon seed shells inside the trash box.

Inside the cabin, the curtains were drawn back, and warm sunlight streamed in, making people feel deeply comfortable.

The foldable low table was opened, with clear tea and snacks placed on it; the He Xiuniang and Zhu Qingyan sat on one side, Gu Zhao sat on the other, and Bai Ke curled up in the corner, lazily letting out a yawn.

"Young Master, this carriage is so convenient; it feels like we could even sleep here at night." The He Xiuniang looked left and right, overjoyed.

"Indeed, you can sleep here; there are blankets and quilts underneath." Gu Zhao pointed downward, joking with the He Xiuniang, "How about we stay at an inn tonight, and you watch the carriage for us?"

The He Xiuniang raised her eyebrows and nodded, "Okay!"

Zhu Qingyan, who had originally been sitting aside with a cool and aloof demeanor, couldn't hold back upon hearing this; she tapped the He Xiuniang's forehead, "Young Master Gu is just teasing you."

"I know." The He Xiuniang nodded, "But our carriage is so good, and there are so many things inside; if we leave, what if it gets stolen?"

The He Xiuniang said seriously, "It would be better if I stayed inside the carriage; the blankets inside are so soft, and there are quilts too; it might even be more comfortable than the inn beds."

A hint of tenderness flashed in Zhu Qingyan's eyes; she couldn't help but look at Gu Zhao, seeing that Gu Zhao had found a backrest, was lying diagonally on the blankets, and had swept the melon seeds in his hand clean, "Rest assured, I will paste a talisman inside the carriage; no one will touch our carriage."

Daoist Yan Song outside the carriage door asked curiously, "What kind of talisman can target ordinary people and also have an anti-theft effect?"

"A Peace Talisman." Gu Zhao said solemnly, "We can pray to the immortals, praying for our carriage to remain safe and sound."

Daoist Yan Song was speechless; the He Xiuniang and Zhu Qingyan both laughed.

At this moment, Daoist Yan Song had driven the carriage up alongside the front group; this group of four wore uniform clothing, carried knives and spears, clearly guards of some sort, walking around a carriage, so their speed was slower.

The laughter of the two women drifted out of the cabin, causing the already slightly alert group to turn their heads, and then they caught a glimpse of stunning faces through the carriage windows.

As the two carriages passed each other, a young yet slightly frivolous voice rang out, "Wait a moment, everyone!"

The next instant, two guards who heard the order blocked the path in front of the carriage.

Daoist Yan Song pulled the carriage to a halt, squinting as he sized up the few people before him, and the young man who had called for the carriage to stop and stepped out from the opposite carriage.

Seeing the burning gaze of the young man opposite, the He Xiuniang frowned slightly and decisively pulled the curtains shut.

But that person's voice still came through, "Do not fear, everyone; I have no ill intentions. I wonder where everyone is going? Jiang Zhou has been unstable recently, with bandits rampant on the roads; traveling alone like this is extremely dangerous!"