Chapter 140: Inside Cangshi County

What could niter be used for?

Wu Wei fell into thought again. Besides the method she had provided for making chemical fertilizer, niter could transform into one of the key ingredients for a devastating weapon. It could also be used to make ice or pigments.

They were not far from Cangshi County now. No matter what it was for, such a large quantity of niter would surely leave some traces in the county’s markets.

Wu Wei thought to herself: I hope I’m just overthinking it. Or… could it be Gao Ningxue? Since she introduced me to someone here in Cangshi County to buy grain and even recommended a helper, maybe Prince Pingyan’s Mansion has business interests in the area.

Such a huge amount of niter could produce plenty of fertilizer. If it really was Gao Ningxue’s doing, that would be a good thing.

Wu Wei’s heart eased a little. She smiled at Embroider Maiden, who had been by her side the whole time.

“Figured it out?” Embroider Maiden asked softly.

“Yeah, I’ll tell you tonight,” Wu Wei replied out of habit.

This was the unspoken understanding between her and Embroider Maiden. Whenever there was an outsider present, the two of them never discussed anything important—no matter how pressing the questions. They would wait until evening, close the door to their room, and whisper about it under the covers.

“How are you holding up? Besides your mouth, did you hurt anywhere else? Does your chest or back hurt?” Embroider Maiden asked.

“I’m fine. Second Brother-in-law cushioned our fall, so I barely felt a thing. But… when I was holding onto you as we crashed onto him, I think my elbow hit him. Once we get to Cangshi County, we absolutely have to get a doctor to check him out. We can’t let him end up with any internal injuries.”

“We do need to go to a clinic. We can’t skimp on that silver, no matter what. I won’t feel easy until a physician looks at the cut in your mouth too. But the carriage is wrecked. What are we going to do?”

Just then, Zhang Shuisheng and Zhang Quan came over, each carrying some of the scattered luggage. Wu Wei stood up and looked them over. Zhang Shuisheng’s face was pale, not looking good at all. By comparison, Zhang Quan’s injuries were just superficial scrapes. They looked painful, but as long as they disinfected them properly, there wouldn’t be any real problem.

“Second Brother-in-law, the driver already waived our five-tael fare, so we won’t pursue the matter. Once we’re in Cangshi County, we’ll find a clinic ourselves.”

“I’m fine, and so is A’quan. We’re on the road—silver doesn’t grow on trees. We can’t afford to throw it away like this. No need for a clinic.”

Wu Wei pulled back her lips to show the cut inside her mouth. “I need to go to the clinic for some styptic powder. Are you really okay leaving me and Embroider Maiden to go alone? Come with us and get checked at the same time. It won’t even cost a few copper coins just to have a doctor take a look. It’ll give us peace of mind.”

Zhang Shuisheng touched his ribs, feeling a twinge of pain from inside, so he didn’t argue further.

The driver came over to the group. “This carriage of mine definitely won’t be going anywhere today. I’ve got an idea—mind if I run it by you all?”

“Go ahead,” Wu Wei said.

“I’ll ride ahead to Cangshi County first, head to the Mule-Horse Market, and find some folks I know to borrow a carriage. I’ll bring some helpers back too. Then you guests can take the new carriage into town, and someone can tow this broken one back for repairs. Sound good?”

Wu Wei said coolly, “If I remember right, the Mule-Horse Market doesn’t open until around the hour of the ox, does it? What makes you think you’ll find anyone at this hour?”

The driver flushed and gave an apologetic smile. “It’s the only option we’ve got left. I know you ladies can ride, but the carriage company doesn’t have any contacts on hand, right? With all this luggage and you folks, we need a proper carriage to fit everything. It’s a last resort. Luckily, the damage isn’t too bad. You’ll just have to rough it with a night camp by the roadside.”

Wu Wei glanced at Embroider Maiden and Zhang Shuisheng. Seeing them both nod, she finally agreed. “Fine. Go quick and come back quick.”

“Right away, miss! Don’t worry—you’ll see me back first thing tomorrow morning. There’s some rice in my carriage; help yourselves. If I’m not mistaken, if you head through the woods to the west, there’s a lake not far off. Easy to fetch water there.”

“Thanks for thinking of that. Safe travels—hurry back.”

With her approval, the driver fetched his horse, swung into the saddle, and galloped off toward Cangshi County in a cloud of dust.

Wu Wei’s group picked out a spot to camp. The four of them divided up the tasks: gathering firewood, fetching water, sorting luggage, and rinsing rice to cook.

Seeing that Zhang Shuisheng was injured, Wu Wei had him stay behind to organize the luggage. Embroider Maiden handled rinsing the rice and cooking. Zhang Quan went into the woods for firewood, while Wu Wei grabbed the rice bucket and headed to the lake for water.

…

When Wu Wei returned, a campfire was already blazing by the roadside, and the rice was in the pot. She set down the water bucket and lifted her other hand with a smile. “Ran into an old angler by the lake. Bought two fresh fish from him. I already cleaned them there, so we can just skewer them and roast.”

With fresh fish added to the mix, the other three looked a bit more cheerful.

…

Night fell. Wu Wei and Embroider Maiden lay embracing inside the carriage. The flickering glow of the campfire filtered through the window, casting a shimmering reddish light over the compartment.

Zhang Shuisheng and Zhang Quan had made beds on the ground by the fire, and their loud snores were already ringing out.

Wu Wei and Embroider Maiden lay there quietly holding each other, occasionally bursting into shared giggles at the odd symphony of snores.

Embroider Maiden nestled in Wu Wei’s arms, clinging tightly to her elbow and refusing to let go.

“Scared, huh?” Wu Wei asked softly.

Embroider Maiden was quiet for a long moment before countering, “Once our rice shop is up and running, you’ll have to come to Cangshi County regularly to buy grain, right?”

Wu Wei paused. She really hadn’t thought about it before, but now… yeah, she probably would.

Though she’d bought the rice shop to prepare for disaster, business was business. No matter how much rice they stocked, it would eventually sell out.

Wu Wei considered her words carefully. “It’s still months until the autumn harvest, but we all know how this year’s yields will be. I think… for the next year or two, I’ll be making frequent trips to Cangshi County.”

Most rice shop owners didn’t own vast fields themselves, so some in the Liang Dynasty just played the game of buying low and selling high. With poor harvests in Qinglu County and Clear River County this year, grain was hard to come by, making the rice trade hotter than usual. Multiple trips on this road for Wu Wei were pretty much a sure thing.

Wu Wei pressed her lips together and tightened her arm around Embroider Maiden.

How could she not know what was on the girl’s mind?

The girl in her arms had always been like this—thinking of things she herself overlooked. Her heart was always fixed on Wu Wei’s.

After another silence, Embroider Maiden said slowly, “Even with Second Brother-in-law and Brother Zhang Quan protecting us, we still had an accident. The thought of you traveling this road all the time from now on makes me uneasy. I wish we hadn’t opened the rice shop. We could’ve done like Second Brother-in-law and opened an oil-pressing workshop or a clothing shop instead.”

Wu Wei reached up and tweaked the straight bridge of Embroider Maiden’s nose, chuckling. “Have you forgotten why we opened the rice shop in the first place? A clothing shop or oil workshop might be steady, but they won’t save lives in a real disaster. The rice shop means more travel, sure, but we’re sitting on grain. That’s security. You know my original intent: make sure our family has food first, then help as many as we can. We’ve come this far thanks to kind people along the way. I know you’re worried about me and hate seeing me wear myself out, but… I want to protect you properly too.”

Wu Wei spoke with deep feeling, pressing a kiss to Embroider Maiden’s forehead. She coaxed her softly. “I’ll never forget how I first met you— so thin and frail, wearing patched old clothes, clutching that half-bag of grain everywhere you went. I’m never letting you live like that again, Third Sister. If disaster really strikes, silver won’t fill bellies. You, me, Aunt Liu—we three women struggle even in peaceful times. If that day comes without grain… I don’t even want to imagine it. I promise you, once we have the capital, we’ll hire reliable help, buy a few more horses, and hand off the loading to the staff as much as possible. Okay?”

Hearing this, Embroider Maiden’s heart swelled with emotion. This was the partner she’d chosen. She gazed at Wu Wei with eyes full of affection. “Really? With all that grain… aren’t you afraid the help will just run off with it?”

“I’ve been thinking about it too. This round trip is just too far, and it’s never as convenient for a woman to travel as it is for a man. Miss Gao introduced me to a canal transport boss, so I’ll have a good talk with him and see if he can spare a few capable hands. I think Zhang Quan would be perfect, and of course there’s Second Brother-in-law too. The Zhang Family has good connections in the village. If worst comes to worst, Second Brother-in-law can recommend a few trustworthy folks we know well—someone to handle loading goods here in Cangshi County.”

“That’s for the best. You should make fewer trips yourself. Anything that requires going far can be handed off to the clerks—let them handle it.”

“Good~.” The hour was getting late. “Time for bed. The coachman will come pick us up at dawn.”

“Mm.”

Embroider Maiden nestled into a comfortable position in Wu Wei’s arms and closed her eyes.

…

Dawn had just broken when the coachman arrived with a brand-new carriage and several helpers mounted on horseback.

Everyone pitched in to load their belongings onto the new carriage. They roped the damaged one to it and hitched two horses to drag it along as they set off toward Cangshi County.

In just over an hour, they rolled into Cangshi County, and the coachman’s job was done. Wu Wei and her companions found an inn to stow their luggage. After lunch, Zhang Shuisheng learned of a well-regarded clinic nearby, and the four of them headed there together.

The cut in Wu Wei’s mouth was already on the mend, and Zhang Quan’s scrapes received proper care. Just as Wu Wei had suspected, Zhang Shuisheng bore the worst of the injuries among them—his ribs were a mass of ugly bruises, swollen and tender.

The physician suspected a bone injury but, with the limits of medicine in this era, there was little to do for bruised ribs but rest and recover. He rubbed a medicinal liniment over the area and prescribed four doses of herbs for Zhang Shuisheng to brew and drink back home.