Chapter 188: On the Official Road

From the third to the fifth day of the new year, many families visited the wife's parents, but the Zhao household had no such custom, because Zhao Jin's maternal grandfather, Butcher He, was busy at this time. During the first month, the slaughtering of pigs and sheep was a booming business, and he had no time to entertain his daughter and son-in-law. He had sent word long ago, saying there was no rush and they could come back in the second month.

Although Zhao Jin had not been given any new armor, at Zhao Zhentang's insistence, he still went out fully armed, looking awe-inspiring and majestic. His companions had no objections when they saw his getup, and by the next day, they had all geared up as well, drawing envious stares from the other youths and children on the street.

In the first ten days of the first month, training at the goods yard was halved, and two of the distillery's stills were fired up. Everyone was relatively at ease and relaxed. Zhao Jin led his companions in cleaning the courtyard left by his uncle, Zhao Zhenxing, as a way of remembrance and commemoration.

On the seventh day of the first month, Li Shun came to visit. He had already come to pay his New Year respects on the first day, but this visit was about the matter of Gao Village.

"If Young Master Zhao is interested in Gao Village, it would be best to go there before the Lantern Festival. Right now, Gao Village is without a master, and many of the villagers are preparing to go to Pizhou and Yutou Town to find work. Local labor is still more convenient. It would be good if Young Master Zhao went there, to help steady people's hearts," Li Shun said, speaking quite pragmatically.

Zhao Jin smiled and asked, "If I do not want this village, does that mean Gao Village will simply stop farming?"

"The terrain there is good, but there isn't much farmland. The salt trade, the grain trade, and all the business from the various mountain gangs are run by outsiders. The local residents can only find work outside to support their families. But once Young Master Zhao's distillery opens, I imagine there will be many places needing workers. Using local people will save a lot of trouble," Li Shun explained, very reasonably.

Zhao Jin nodded. With no other options available, Gao Village was indeed suitable. Relocating and building anew should be done sooner rather than later. With spring approaching, during this lean period between harvests, labor was cheapest—it was a good opportunity. If he missed it, he would spend more money and face many more variables. Zhao Jin also understood clearly that a place as good as Gao Village would attract more buyers the longer he delayed. If he missed this chance, it would truly delay his plans.

Although nothing had been stated explicitly, Li Shun observed the change in Zhao Jin's expression and said with a smile, "Gao Village isn't far from the city. Even on foot, it's only half a day's journey. Whenever Young Master Zhao wishes to go, just send someone to inform me, and I will arrange for things to be prepared over there."

After seeing Li Shun off, Zhao Jin gathered all his companions at the distillery. Nearly everyone had taken part in inquiring about the details of Gao Village, and each of them had a clear picture of the place. Everyone agreed it was a good location.

"... Buying that village will cost two thousand taels. Renovations and the like, fifteen hundred taels should be enough. Adding up all the miscellaneous expenses, it won't exceed five thousand taels. But as long as production can start normally, we can earn it all back in just over a month..." Zhao Jin had long had a plan in mind.

"Does Big Brother still have enough silver on hand? You gave out so much at the end of last year?" His companions all had similar questions.

"This five thousand taels won't be invested all at once. The distillery in the city will keep producing, so the income won't stop. You don't need to worry about the silver," Zhao Jin replied with a smile. The dividends he had given out, he would not take back.

"Relocating the distillery is a major undertaking. Once the Fragrance Distillery moves, for the next few years, the foundation of our brotherhood will be rooted in Gao Village. This matter must be handled with great care. If anyone has another good location in mind, or feels there is something unsuitable about Gao Village, speak up now," Zhao Jin said with a serious expression.

The companions in the room exchanged glances, then all grinned and said the same thing: "Big Brother, you make the decision."

Zhao Jin couldn't help but smile wryly. Chen Sheng spoke up from the side: "I've also asked around about that place. It truly is a good location. My father also said that the reason Cloud Mountain Temple doesn't want Gao Village is because it's too close to both Huai'an Prefecture and Fengyang Prefecture. Cloud Mountain Temple can't quite reach it. With an operation as large as theirs, they certainly can't attend to every place. But if we go there and put all our effort into managing it, we can definitely hold our ground. Let's go!"

Among the companions, Chen Sheng didn't speak much, but every time he did, he hit the nail on the head. After Chen Sheng finished speaking, no one had any further objections.

"Everyone go back and prepare. We set out the day after tomorrow. Shitou will stay behind to watch the house. The rest of you will come with me to take a look at Gao Village," Zhao Jin made the decision.

For this trip, Zhao Jin maintained his usual caution and prudence. Although the martial strength of their seven companions was already formidable enough, Zhao Jin still assigned twenty household guards to accompany them.

In addition to the household guards, Zhao Jin also specially prepared a large cart pulled by two horses, loaded with enough provisions for everyone for two days. Zhao Jin did not view this trip to Gao Village merely as an outing, but also as a training exercise in marching.

The selected household guards all regarded this trip as a reward. Having eaten their fill, trained hard, and drilled daily, they had long wanted to get out and see the world. Those chosen were all in high spirits.

On the morning of the tenth, they assembled at the south gate. Without needing any reminder from Zhao Jin, everyone was fully equipped. Dong Bingfeng and Sun Dalei were both riding horses. However, seeing everyone's excited demeanor, it was clear this was not out of vigilance, but a desire to swagger through the streets. The time Dong Bingfeng had ridden had made everyone deeply envious, and judging by the exclamations of passersby, their efforts to dress up had not been in vain.

Once they exited the city gate, everyone was relaxed and excited, looking around in all directions. In recent years, apart from Sun Dalei going to Yutou Town during the holidays, everyone else had stayed within the city. The previous years were spent practicing martial arts, and this past year they were busy with the distillery, so they had few opportunities to leave the city. Now that they were out, the feeling was naturally different.

Their mood also infected the hired carter, who said with a smile, "Sirs, you've chosen a good time to leave the city. Once the spring thaw begins and the snow melts, large carts simply cannot travel on the roads. With the slightest carelessness, they sink into mud pits, and it takes seven or eight men to pull them out."

In the first month, Xuzhou was still bitterly cold and the ground frozen hard. The accumulated snow on the road remained. Although it was somewhat slippery, the advantage was that the road surface was frozen solid, and the horse cart traveled along very smoothly.

"See that village over there? That time I rescued Xiaolan, my father had me hide there. That's also a place where salt is distributed. All the salt peddlers from the villages went there that day to pick up their goods," Zhao Jin said, pointing into the distance. Everyone followed his gaze and looked over.

Besides Zhao Jin, others also shared what they knew. Ji Xiang chatted a few lines with the carter, then laughed and said loudly, "If we knew how to ride horses, we wouldn't need to go to all this trouble. We could reach Gao Village in just over half a shichen."

They had been chatting and laughing at the start, but after walking for two shichen, the group became much quieter. Whether it was the official road or the farmland and villages on either side, everything was the grayish-white of snow and the yellowish-brown of bare earth. Moreover, during the Spring Festival in the first month, everyone was cooped up at home celebrating the new year, so few people were traveling. The official road was very quiet. The silence and the monotonous scenery indeed felt dull and tedious.

Dong Bingfeng and Sun Dalei were riding horses, while the others walked. At first, it was fine, but by now, the riders felt somewhat embarrassed. They repeatedly offered to let their companions ride the horses, especially Zhao Jin, but he refused with a smile: "If we can't even walk this short distance, what else is there to talk about? Since you're riding, just keep riding. Don't stand on ceremony with your brothers."

With bodies tempered for so long, everyone had ample physical stamina. Marching on foot was no difficult task for them.

After walking eastward like this for two and a half shichen, the terrain finally showed some change. The sides of the road were no longer a flat, boundless plain, but had some undulations—low hills and mounds, with sparse, scattered dead grass and trees on them. And the further they went, the denser the vegetation seemed to become.

"There are actually plants and trees here?" More than one person voiced this surprise. The official road linked the villages, towns, and cities along the way. Around populated areas, weeds and trees were easily cut down and taken home for firewood. The several hills near Xuzhou were all bare. Only around Cloud Mountain Temple, for the sake of the temple's scenic beauty, was there a dense forest.

"Many people here burn coal, and several villages nearby have suffered floods. Two of them were completely wiped out, so who's left to cut firewood? But still, the trees and woods here have only grown up in the last ten years..." The carter was very familiar with this area and explained.

This exchange did nothing to lift the group's spirits. Zhao Jin looked up at the sky; it was time for the midday meal. He raised his voice and said, "Walk for a little less than half a shichen more, then we'll stop and rest by the roadside, light a fire, and cook a meal."

After walking for so long, everyone felt somewhat tired and hungry. The effect of the previous short rest had long since vanished. Hearing Zhao Jin's words, each of them felt a surge of energy.

Rounding a dirt mound, everyone saw two horse carts ahead. The two large carts were toppled over on the ground, the horses tethered to one side. Beside the horses was a large pile of goods, and several men were gathered there.

Hearing the noise, these men turned their heads to look. Seeing that Zhao Jin's group had a horse cart, looks of excitement appeared on their faces. One of them called out, "Driver over there! Our cart axle is broken. Could you help us carry the goods? We'll pay a good price."

The carter glanced at Zhao Jin beside him. Zhao Jin nodded. In this freezing cold of the first month, a cart breaking down midway was truly a troublesome delay. If they could lend a hand, they should.

With Zhao Jin's permission, the carter drove the large cart closer, calling out as he went, "How do you drive properly and still manage to break an axle? Did you hit a bump or something?"

"You said it. The animal was going a bit fast, and who knows what it kicked up. My buddy here even took a tumble," came the helpless, complaining reply from the other side.

Two large carts were lying across the road, with large and small bundles of goods piled by the roadside. If they weren't fixed, going around them would be quite troublesome. The carts were loaded with heavy items, and the ground on either side wasn't flat, nor was the snow packed down hard. A large cart could easily get stuck in a pit. Besides, the axles were made of wood, and once broken, the cart was stranded just the same.

As they spoke, they drew near. The four men by the cart all looked over with joyful expressions. Their faces were flushed red from the cold; it seemed they had been waiting here on the road for a long time.

The carter halted the horse cart while muttering, "Isn't this just making trouble for yourselves? One cart broke its axle, couldn't the other one just go slower..."