Chapter 73

Five children who were well-prepared changed into their new summer clothes together.

The fine cotton clothes were worn only once when they visited Humu Town last time. When they returned to do farm work, they still wore old clothes. Now they wore the new clothes for the second time, and they still looked new.

Shuiqing was afraid the children would be cold on the ox cart, so he gave two daughters a thin cotton padded jacket with frog buttons and a bib-like vest. The three sons didn’t wear anything extra.

The sons were active and had warm bodies. Even though it was a bit cold, they sweated a lot every day. They wore clothes because they were afraid it would be too hot in town and they would take them off and catch a cold in the wind.

Shuiqing also changed into new clothes. It must be said that Mrs. Li, who was recognized as having good craftsmanship in the village, really made good clothes.

The stitches were fine, the cutting was precise, and wearing them made everyone feel much more upright.

Fan Jin made winter clothes, but he didn’t make new clothes for summer. He stood by the ox cart in his old crescent white long shirt with a gentle smile, watching his wife and children change into new clothes, happier than himself.

The family happily boarded the ox cart. The ox cart first left the bumpy mountain path and then traveled on the official dirt road, swaying towards Guangning Prefecture.

It took more than an hour from Shanshui Village to Guangning Prefecture, which was equivalent to three hours. The total time spent on the road was six hours.

Mainly because Shanshui Village was too remote.

Shuiqing, who was almost dizzy from the swaying, suddenly heard the children cheering excitedly.

“Mom, look! It’s the city wall!”

“It’s so tall, much taller than our house!”

“And there are soldiers guarding it. Sister, do you think the soldiers’ weapons are real?”

“Big brother, you’re silly. Of course they’re real. What if there’s trouble?”

“That’s not your business! By the way, that city gate is dark inside. Are we going in there later?”

Shuiqing was suddenly alert, sitting up and turning to look in the direction of Humu.

Along the way, most of the houses were thatched cottages and adobe houses. It was only when they were near Guangning Prefecture that there were more brick and tile houses along the official road.

In the past, in Hua country, there were dozens of high-rise buildings next to the city walls, and there was no feeling of the city walls being tall and large. Now both sides were flat houses, and Shuiqing felt the city walls were unbelievably tall!

Sure enough, it still needed to be set off.

“It’s so tall.” She sincerely sighed.

The five children not only didn’t laugh at her, but also echoed, “Mom also feels tall. It’s the first time I’ve seen something taller than a brick and tile house.”

“Are you afraid to stand on it? I see there are people on it.”

“What’s there to be afraid of? If I could go up there, I wouldn’t be afraid.”

“I really want to go up and have a look.”

Shuiqing smiled lightly at the children’s curious and adventurous attitudes.

“Later when we enter the city, you’ll have even more to think about.”

“We won’t!” Fan Jiang replied firmly.

Fan Jin paid the city entry fee, and the five children watched as fourteen copper coins disappeared, feeling extremely distressed.

Then, as they entered through the city gate, each of them let out a quiet exclamation.

It wasn’t until later that everything became clear. Crowded pedestrians, the calls of vendors, a dazzling array of novelties, and one shop after another made the five people wish they had more eyes.

“I used to think there were already many, many things in the market, so much that there couldn’t possibly be more. I didn’t expect the capital city to be like a market every day.”

“If only we could live here every day.”

Shuiqing bluntly shattered their hopes: “Living here requires money. Without money, looking but not buying every day, what’s the point to you?”

“Mom’s right!”

“And you see, in the city, it’s all houses, with no land to grow vegetables or raise chickens. If we don’t earn money, living here will be even harder than in the village.”

The other sisters and brothers nodded in agreement.

Several of them reached a consensus: they must earn money living in the city. Otherwise, they’ll be unable to buy anything, which would be quite unpleasant.

Earning money… How can we earn money?

Fan Jin was almost always in the city and knew the roads well. He drove the ox cart to its usual spot, watched as his wife and children got down from the cart, and then effortlessly slung the baskets from the cart onto his back.

They needed to buy some small items later, so having a basket was convenient.

First, they had to take care of official business, which meant finding craftsmen.

There was a dedicated dental office nearby, so they asked for directions and first found the carpenter’s house. After setting a date and place and paying a deposit, they visited the artisan who designed gardens.

Shuiqing waited with her five children outside the house while Fan Jin went in to negotiate.

He returned shortly, holding a rolled-up piece of paper and explained to Shuiqing as he opened the drawing, “The garden designer heard that our land is high and recommended this simple design. He had previous blueprints and let me take one for three hundred coins. What do you think?”

Shuiqing looked at the blueprint in Fan Jin’s hands.

One detailed the size of the houses and courtyard, even including the number of bricks and tiles needed; another showed how tiles could be laid to drain water quickly, avoiding pooling in the courtyard; the last showed the location of the kitchen, outhouse, and stable, and even a pattern of pebbles for the pathways in the courtyard.

After reviewing them, she had to admit the plan was extremely reasonable!

“Alright, let’s build according to this plan.”

Fan Jin smiled slowly and asked, “Should we eat now or go to the grocery store first?”

They hadn’t left early; the ox cart moved slightly faster than walking pace. But after so long in the city, they must have been quite hungry.

Shuiqing was a little hungry herself. She asked the children, “Would you like to eat first or go to the grocery store?”

She thought they’d want to eat immediately, given how hungry they must be. Surprisingly, all five children agreed they wanted to visit the grocery store first, eyes shining brightly.

They’d grown up, and it showed. How could they not understand?

This was something they really wanted, so much so they could skip a meal.

They walked over to a large grocery store. Fan Jin didn’t have to worry about the children’s safety and followed Shuiqing inside.

He whispered, “Buying brown sugar for your mother?”

Shuiqing shook her head and whispered back, “The last time I sent her two pounds of brown sugar, she probably still has some left after a year. I want to see the quality and price of brown sugar for myself. Maybe we could grow sugarcane and make our own sugar in the future.”

Fan Jin blinked in surprise. They were going to grow sugarcane and make sugar themselves? Shuiqing hadn’t mentioned that before.

“Trading in the marketplace is convenient for earning money, but it’s not a long-term plan. We need a solid industry of our own, especially after what happened this morning, it has strengthened my resolve.”

Using someone else’s name isn’t sustainable.

With savings and a new house, we’ll have a workshop, and with the marketplace as a foundation, we’re set for a business in real-world production.