Chapter 228: Chapter 227: Pushing the Cart

The rain gradually stopped. The downpour came and went quickly, and in no time, the sky cleared up.

Just by looking at the muddy road outside the pavilion, Liu Ji already felt a headache.

Memories from the past began to resurface in his mind, reminding him of the rainy, muddy days when he transported grain to the border.

The suffering in those days, he lamented his limited eloquence, unable to put it into words.

“Miss Qin, should we wait a little longer?” Liu Li asked with a frown. He stood on the pavilion steps, hesitating to step out with his leg lifted several times but unable to bring himself to do it.

On his feet were the new shoes his wife had just made for him when he left home. One step into the mud, and they would be beyond recognition.

There were no rain boots available here, so even if Qin Yao didn’t want to dirty her shoes, there wasn’t a better solution.

At least a few pairs of shoes could be spared from getting dirty.

Qin Yao glanced at the sky, deciding that it wouldn’t rain in the afternoon. “Let’s keep going. There’s another twenty li to the next town; it’s not too far.”

Seeing that Liu Li had no objections, Qin Yao instructed Liu Ji, “Go fetch the carriage over here; I’ll carry the children into it first.”

What could Liu Ji say? He could only sigh and step into the rain-soaked ground with a squelch, feeling like he was stepping in dung.

Da Zhuang signaled Liu Li to wait at the pavilion and followed Liu Ji to the mud to retrieve the carriage. Liu Li, with Da Zhuang’s help, climbed onto the carriage from more than half a meter away.

He immediately exhaled a sigh of relief, glancing smugly at Liu Ji.

“Tsk~” Liu Ji scoffed, thinking how pretentious! He wasn’t envious at all!

Qin Yao placed the four Da Lang siblings under her arms one by one into the carriage, instructed them to sit tight, and then jumped onto the other side’s shaft to sit outside with Liu Ji. The two families continued their journey.

However, with the muddy roads and heavy load, Old Huang wouldn’t budge after taking just a few steps.

“Hey, you stubborn horse, I just gave you a scoop of good beans this morning, and now you’ve run out of energy?” After several attempts to urge the horse to move, Liu Ji couldn’t help but curse.

Liu Li and his servant, walking behind, were blocked by the carriage in front and couldn’t move forward.

But their carriage only carried two people, and it wasn’t much better than Qin Yao’s.

Old Huang was a tall breed with significant strength.

Liu Li’s was a typical short-legged horse, small in build, and without metal-covered wheels, their wooden carriage was tough to pull too.

Listening to the shouts from front and back, Qin Yao looked up to the sky, took a deep breath, pushed Liu Ji, and then jumped off the carriage, landing squarely into the mud.

Liu Ji was a bit annoyed at first, being pushed off the carriage suddenly, but seeing Qin Yao jump down too, he thought it was fair; they both would be covered in mud.

“Miss Qin?” Da Zhuang asked suspiciously from behind, “What are you doing?”

Qin Yao replied, “Lighten the load, push the carriage.”

She called out to Liu Li in the carriage, “Better to walk; there’s a town ahead. We can find a place to clean up then.”

Compared to being delayed on the road, getting dirty didn’t seem like much.

Having already been delayed by nearly an hour due to avoiding the rain, any further delay would mean they couldn’t reach the next town by nightfall.

Da Zhuang jumped down first, telling Liu Li to stay in the carriage, and he’d push it.

Liu Li hesitated for a while, and finally, under Da Zhuang’s persuasion, decided to stay in the carriage and see how it went. If it didn’t work, he’d get off.

As for their affairs, Qin Yao had nothing to say and let them be.

She instructed Da Lang and Si Niang, who were hanging by the carriage window, to “stay well inside the carriage, stay away from the window, and be careful not to get your clothes splattered with mud.”

Da Lang shook his head. “I want to get off too.”

Liu Ji’s rare conscience acted up, stopping him quickly, “You better not. Listen to your mother and stay put.”

Otherwise, when they reached the town, he’d have to clean not just his clothes but also those of the notorious woman, and the socks and shoes!

Da Lang wasn’t thinking as far as his father but knew his parents well and obediently stayed inside.

Liu Ji led the horse from the front, while Qin Yao pushed from the side. Old Huang, feeling the reduced pressure, finally started moving slowly forward.

Da Zhuang tugged on the horse, and though the horse moved, it was slower compared to Qin Yao’s side, gradually widening the gap, prompting Qin Yao to wait. Liu Ji couldn’t help but shout towards the carriage:

“Liu Laoer, can’t you get down and walk? You’re slow as molasses; you’ll have me waiting till dark!”

Qin Yao didn’t stop him and simply watched Liu Ji’s comical, muddy antics, like a mischievous monkey, with amusement.

When Liu Ji turned back, he caught her teasing smile and, embarrassed, pointed at her accusingly, “What are you laughing at? We’re both half a dozen of the same kind!”

Qin Yao raised her brow, “Looking for a fight?”

Unbeknownst to her, there was a spot of yellow mud on her face, right on her chin, making her resemble a matchmaker in an opera. Normally, Liu Ji wouldn’t dare laugh at her unless it was genuinely funny.

“Pfft~” He couldn’t hold it in and let out a fart.

Da Lang, Second Lang, Sanlang, and Si Niang, peering from the car door, were infected, laughing out loud, “Haha~”

“Mom, you look like a matchmaker!” Second Lang laughed, pointing at Qin Yao’s chin.

Qin Yao paused, touched her chin, unable to maintain her stern face, and couldn’t help but laugh out loud herself.

The six members of the family laughed heartily, their laughter echoing into the distance.

Laughing until they were out of breath, the family finally stopped, each with tears of joy in their eyes.

However, after such laughter, the muddy journey didn’t seem so bad anymore.

Si Niang, truly her mother’s little angel, took out a cloth, stretched out her small hand, and offered it to Qin Yao, “Mom, wipe your face.”

Qin Yao tapped her little nose, the little girl shrunk her neck, afraid of the tickle, and giggled back at her.

Qin Yao wiped her face clean, placing the dirty cloth on the carriage shaft, unable to resist cupping Si Niang’s cute little face and giving it a big kiss, “So adorable!”

Si Niang blushed from the kiss, her big eyes gleaming with admiration as she crouched by the car door, feeling at that moment she was the happiest girl in Sheng Country!

Da Zhuang caught up with the carriage, finally closing the distance.

The road ahead had begun to dry, allowing both families to pick up speed.

Before nightfall, they successfully arrived at the small town they planned to pass.

This town only had a simple little inn, frequented by students heading to the Prefecture for exams. Three groups had already arrived, leaving just two rooms, one for each family.

Though the rooms were small, they had everything necessary. The waiter had already fumigated them with wormwood, and the wooden flooring allowed for bedrolls on the floor, which met their needs for the night.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep