bookrandom Chapter 181 Taihang Town
Chapter 181 Taihang Town
Song Jiaojiao smiled and said it was undeniable; being out in public was naturally not as comfortable as being at home.
Soon after, Shang Xiaoxiao brought out the heated buns and brewed two pots of tea, which went perfectly with the buns.
After finishing their dinner, the group went to their rooms to rest early. After experiencing what happened at noon and traveling all afternoon, everyone was exhausted.
Staying at an inn has its advantages. The people at the inn don't have bad intentions, so safety is generally guaranteed. That's why Song Jiaojiao didn't choose the inn she passed earlier.
The next day,
Song Jiaojiao was awakened by Shang Xiaoxiao's knocking on the door.
"Madam, are you up?" Shang Xiaoxiao's voice came from outside the door.
Song Jiaojiao glanced groggily out the window. It was already bright outside, with faint hints of gold. It seemed that it was getting late.
After getting dressed, Song Jiaojiao opened the door.
Shang Xiaoxiao was waiting outside with a wooden basin in her hand.
"Madam, I've boiled some hot water; it's just right for you to wash up," Shang Xiaoxiao said respectfully.
"Okay, thank you for your hard work. Just put it on the table, I can handle the rest myself."
What should we eat for breakfast?
Song Jiaojiao wet a cotton cloth and wiped her face before asking.
“I cooked some plain porridge. I bought a lot of steamed buns yesterday. I heated up the rest and ate them with some pickled vegetables I bought in Nanning County.”
"Well, I see."
Song Jiaojiao told Shang Xiaoxiao to go downstairs first, then turned around and went to wake Mu Xue up.
After the two finished getting ready, they went to the lobby, just as Shang Xiaoxiao brought out breakfast.
After finishing their meal, Zhou Dadan asked Song Jiaojiao a question.
"Madam, shall we go directly to Kunzhou, or to Taihang Town?"
Taihang Town was the last town to stay in after leaving Shuzhou. The Taihang Mountains are vast, with one mountain after another, and have very rich resources. As the saying goes, people live off the mountains and rivers. Every year, countless people come to Taihang Town to collect medicinal herbs.
This has resulted in Taihang Town being just a town, yet its development is in no way inferior to that of a county seat.
Song Jiaojiao saw all of this in the travelogue she bought. After thinking about it, she realized that her main purpose in coming out this time was to find rare seeds and medicinal herbs, so she wasn't in a hurry to travel. She could go to Taihang Town to take a look.
"Let's go to Taihang Town first,"
“Okay, I understand,” Zhou Dadan nodded and said.
After eating and drinking their fill, Song Jiaojiao and the others embarked on their journey again. The carriage swayed and bumped as it entered the city just as the city gates were closing.
Just as the book says, the development of Taihang Town is comparable to that of a county. Ordinary towns do not have city gates, but this one does. Upon entering the town, the first thing that catches the eye is the Sifang Inn.
He's everywhere, which shows Wang Ziyi's business acumen and formidable strength.
Song Jiaojiao first went to the inn to book rooms. She wasn't one to compromise herself, and since she could easily afford it, she booked a small courtyard with five rooms.
On the one hand, when you're traveling, you need to treat yourself well. On the other hand, Taihang Town is a mixed bag, with all sorts of people. Booking a small courtyard can help you avoid most people's attention.
After putting everything away, Song Jiaojiao led Mu Xue and the others out, sending Zhou Dayong and the others to gather information.
After two days of carriage travel, Mu Xue was itching to get out and play. She skipped and jumped along the way, finding everything new and exciting.
Taihang Town wasn't very lively at night. The roadside stalls mainly sold food. The town, nestled against the mountains, had only one narrow river, a tributary of the Chunjiang River, which the locals called Xinghe.
The Xinghe River and the Chunjiang River are exactly the same, equally turbid. The town relies mainly on well water and spring water from the mountains for drinking water.
After wandering around for a while, it wasn't very interesting. Even Mu Xue was listless, going from being excited at the beginning to not wanting to leave at all.
Song Jiaojiao randomly picked a stall and ordered several servings of sticky rice. Taihang Town is most famous for its various medicinal herbs; it's a paradise for herb merchants.
I've seen at least five pharmacies along the way.
Secondly, there's the glutinous rice. Every household in the village cooks glutinous rice, especially at this time of year, when it's the perfect time to make colorful glutinous rice.
"Mom, look, this sticky rice has so many colors, red, green, and yellow!"
Mu Xue, who had been listless just moments before, perked up instantly upon seeing this unusual glutinous rice.
"That's right, now is the season for eating colorful sticky rice, young customer, you've come at the perfect time," the old lady at the stall said proudly.
The old woman has cooked glutinous rice her whole life, and in Taihang Town, if she says she's number one, no one dares to claim second place.
Mu Xue scooped up a spoonful of rice and ate it. The sweet and fragrant taste instantly filled her mouth. It was soft, sticky, and sweet, and tasted completely different from the rice in Yunshui Town.
"Grandma, this rice is so delicious! It's the best-looking and most delicious sticky rice I've ever eaten," Mu Xue praised without hesitation after tasting it.
"Hehe, if you like it, eat more. I've been cooking glutinous rice my whole life, I can cook it with my eyes closed."
The old man smiled so hard his eyes were almost closed when he heard Mu Xue's praise.
Song Jiaojiao tasted it; it was sweet but not cloying, and had a grassy aroma—it was indeed quite good.
After finishing her sticky rice, Mu Xue took a liking to the food the old man was grilling over charcoal.
She leaned closer, smiling, and asked, "Grandma, what's this?"
"Hehe, this is yellow glutinous rice cake, a specialty of Taihang Town. Would you like to try some, young sir?"
"Yes, Grandma, could you please pick out a big one for me?" Mu Xue said quickly when she heard that it was something she had never eaten before.
"Okay!" the old man said with a smile.
Song Jiaojiao frowned and said, "Mu Xue, eating too much glutinous rice is hard to digest. Are you sure you can still eat it?"
Mu Xue rubbed her stomach; after finishing that bowl of glutinous rice, there was indeed no room left.
"Mother, I'll eat when I'm hungry later." Mu Xue smiled ingratiatingly, the aroma of yellow glutinous rice cake filling her nostrils, making it impossible for her to give up so easily.
"Alright, as long as you know what's going on," Song Jiaojiao said helplessly.
After Mu Xue collected the glutinous rice cakes, Song Jiaojiao paid the bill and slowly walked towards the inn.
There were few pedestrians in the town at night. Even those who passed by looked tired and hurried along. Most people carried baskets on their backs and left step by step.
They must be herb gatherers who just came down from the mountain.
Back at the inn, Zhou Dayong came over and told Song Jiaojiao the information he had gathered.
“Madam, every morning in Taihang Town, there are people who go up the mountain to collect medicinal herbs and sell them there.”
"Okay, I understand. Thank you for your hard work. Go and get some rest."
There are herbs for sale on the south side of the town, which is exactly what Song Jiaojiao needs. We can go and take a look tomorrow.
Song Jiaojiao asked the innkeeper to bring her hot water. She hadn't taken a bath for several days and couldn't take it anymore. She had worn all her men's clothes in the past two days and had no choice but to change back into women's clothes today. It seemed she would have to prepare a few more sets of men's clothes for tomorrow.
Hot water was brought over and used to wash Mu Xue first. Then Song Jiaojiao tidied herself up.
Soaking in the wooden tub, the warm water opened up every pore on her body, relieving most of the fatigue from the past few days. Song Jiaojiao felt so comfortable that she almost fell asleep.