klisemfg Chapter 294: Leaving Rongcheng
Chapter 294: Leaving Rongcheng
Chapter 294: Leaving Rongcheng
Having resolved the financial issue, Ji Meiqing returned home and lay on her bed, her mind filled with thoughts of making a fortune in Jiangnan. She felt incredibly pleased with herself. After packing everything, Ji Meiqing went to check on the progress of the brewing.
The workers were quite diligent, and no one was slacking off, which made Ji Meiqing very gratified. Li Ming spotted Ji Meiqing in the crowd at a glance, but unsure what to say, he lowered his head and went back to work.
“These days, Brother Lu and I are going to Jiangnan. You guys work hard, and when you come back, if your income is good, we'll give you a raise,” Ji Meiqing said, looking at them and observing their expressions.
Sure enough, as soon as these words were spoken, everyone seemed very excited and worked very hard.
In those impoverished times, perhaps having three meals a day was enough for them. But who wouldn't want a better life? Ji Meiqing sighed inwardly.
After a while, Ji Meiqing called Li Ming over and said, "Li Ming, you are one of the earliest workers here, and I trust you the most. So, while Brother Lu and I are away, I want to entrust you with the winemaking and other tedious tasks."
Li Ming remained silent for a long time, and Ji Meiqing was not in a hurry, waiting for his answer.
"Can I go with you?" Li Ming lowered his head, not daring to look at Ji Meiqing. After all, Ji Meiqing had spoken so resolutely last time. Now, facing Ji Meiqing, he didn't know what to do. But he still wanted to be with Ji Meiqing every day. Even if they couldn't be together, just being together would be enough for him.
"No, if you go too, no one will take care of the wine," Ji Meiqing decisively refused Li Ming. Li Ming seemed to have already guessed this, and his expression didn't change much. Since Ji Meiqing had made it clear, Li Ming didn't press the matter and turned to leave.
After taking a few steps, he turned back and asked, "When are you coming back?" Li Ming was really reluctant to see Ji Meiqing leave so suddenly, but he still wanted to know how long it would be before they could see each other again.
"I don't know. I want to expand my business in Jiangnan, but that will take a long time," Ji Meiqing said. Li Ming said "Oh" and turned to leave.
Watching Li Ming's departing figure, Ji Meiqing didn't know what to do. She stood there blankly for a while before she came to her senses and returned home.
As soon as she entered, she saw a slender figure. Without even guessing, she knew who it was. Ji Meiqing said teasingly, "Yanzhi, you're such a busy person, how come you have time to come here?" She walked over, sat down, and drank tea. Yanzhi wasn't angry when she heard Ji Meiqing say that.
"I heard you're going to Jiangnan. I've also left the Ji family and have nowhere to go. I wonder if I could stay here for a while?" Rouge said as she sat down, acting very casually. She's already made herself at home so quickly; she's really too familiar with people. Ji Meiqing thought helplessly.
"Alright, do as you please," Ji Meiqing readily agreed to Yanzhi's request. A while later, she realized Lu Yu was missing and felt somewhat annoyed. She only felt relieved when he returned. Lu Yu held a short knife in his hand, sharpened to a gleaming shine, radiating a cold light. Ji Meiqing naturally didn't question it, informing Lu Yu that she had gone to Jiangnan and that Yanzhi would be staying in the house. Lu Yu agreed to Ji Meiqing's arrangement.
Just as she finished packing her things and was about to leave, she saw Granny Mei rushing back from outside. Ji Meiqing realized that she hadn't seen Granny Mei for several days and didn't know where she had gone. She couldn't believe that when she was with Lu Yu, she hadn't even noticed that someone was missing.
"Young Master and Madam Ji, are you going on a long trip? I'm so sorry, I went back to my hometown these past few days and forgot to tell you both," Granny Mei said, bowing her head and trying to keep talking, afraid that Ji Meiqing and Lu Yu would be angry. Ji Meiqing smiled and said it was alright, and Granny Mei stopped talking.
Before leaving, Ji Meiqing entrusted Granny Mei with the care of Ji Tianci, Yan Jin, and Yan Shen, and also told Granny Mei that Yan Zhi could keep her company while she was away. Granny Mei came out to see Ji Meiqing and Lu Yu off. Seeing this, she felt a pang of reluctance, wondering when they would return. Sniffling and fighting back tears, she was patted on the shoulder by Lu Yu, which calmed her sorrow.
The distance from Rongcheng to Jiangnan is long, so Ji Meiqing and Lu Yu hired a horse-drawn carriage.
It was already noon when they set off. It would take at least three days to get to Jiangnan. There were more than twenty jars of wine, fruit wine, and grape wine in the carriage. Even Lu Yu's treasured Daughter Red wine, which he had kept for several years, was brought along.
Since there is wine in the carriage, the carriage should not go too fast or be too bumpy. If anything happens to the wine, the loss would be incalculable and amount to a huge sum.
As evening approached, Ji Meiqing and Lu Yu, feeling it was getting late, told the driver to stop and find an inn to stay in. Perhaps because it was located on the border, the area was sparsely populated, with no sign of prosperity, let alone an inn.
"Stay in the carriage and don't move. I'll go see if there's anywhere to stay nearby," Lu Yu said to Ji Meiqing inside the carriage.
Lu Yu used his lightness skill to fly for a while and found that the surrounding area was completely silent for dozens of miles, so he found a high place to take a look.
Standing on high ground, he had a panoramic view. He searched for houses but found none. Just as he was about to give up, he saw a light in the distance, probably from someone who had lit candles. Thinking this, he used his light-footed skill to return to the carriage.
Lu Yu climbed into the carriage and said, "There's a restaurant not far away. Driver, let's get going." He pointed out the direction as he spoke.
Upon arriving at his destination, Lu Yu discovered that this was the only household, or more accurately, a restaurant, within a radius of dozens of miles. The two-story house wasn't too shabby; it was made of wood.
It was pitch black outside. Ji Meiqing looked at the house and couldn't help but shudder. She had a feeling that the house was eerie.
Although Lu Yu remained outwardly calm, he deeply sympathized with her feelings. Sensing the fear in the person beside him, he pulled her into his arms. Fear aside, with only one restaurant in such a large area, they had no choice but to make do.
As soon as Ji Meiqing entered the restaurant, she felt a gust of cold wind, making her feel uneasy all over, and she couldn't help but rub her arm. There were two people inside, one sitting and eating, and the other at the counter. Lu Yu led Ji Meiqing to the counter.
"Oh, sir, would you like to stay at our inn?" the innkeeper said with a smile.
Ji Meiqing felt uncomfortable looking at the shopkeeper, feeling that there was something wrong with him, but she couldn't quite put her finger on what was strange about him.
The shopkeeper looked to be in his forties, with a thin face and sunken eyes. He looked like someone who did manual labor, yet his skin was eerily pale, and even stranger, his hair was jet black and glossy. It was all quite perplexing.
"I need a room upstairs," Lu Yu said, taking a silver ingot from his bundle and placing it on the counter.
The innkeeper's eyes lit up when he saw the silver. He quickly stuffed the silver into his sleeve and said, "Yes, yes, yes! There are several rooms upstairs. You may choose whichever you like."
As soon as the innkeeper finished speaking, Lu Yu led Ji Meiqing upstairs, followed by the coachman, completely unaware of the strange exchange of glances between the innkeeper and another man eating.
Upstairs, only the corridor had candles, so Lu Yu randomly chose a room and went in. The room was pitch black; he couldn't see anything. Ji Meiqing turned around to find a candle, when suddenly the innkeeper was behind him, holding a candle. The candlelight illuminated her pale face, making her look like a skeleton—a truly terrifying sight. Ji Meiqing instinctively screamed. Lu Yu turned around and shielded her behind him, glaring at the innkeeper with hostility.