Portable Space: Small Peasant Girls Farm to Get Rich

Chapter 344: Feichi Rescue
Feichi Prefecture City.

Liu Qingcao and his group paid the city entry tax and slowly entered the city.

The snow not far from the city gate had turned into ice, there were few pedestrians, and the shop doors were slightly open.

Going further in, there was a sparse amount of snow on the bluestone slabs, and the number of pedestrians coming and going gradually increased. The shop doors were open, and the goods inside were varied, most of which were inedible.

Liu Qingcao looked around, and passers-by all turned their heads to look at him, with different expressions.

Liu Wu looked around, her eyes lingering on the clothes of the people passing by. She muttered to herself, and after passing a crowded place, she approached Liu Qingcao and asked in a low voice.

"Miss, the people of Feichi City don't seem to have a good life, so why is it called Feichi?"

Liu Qingcao curled up the corners of his lips and explained slowly, "Most people in the world have expectations for what they want in their hearts, hoping that the things they have been thinking about will come true. This is a sustenance and also an encouragement."

Liu Wuqing let out an "ah", then nodded in sudden realization.

Liu Wu looked at the person behind him again, and his eyes widened belatedly. At the same time, he tightly grasped the soft sword in his hand and protected Liu Qingcao by his side.

"Girl, isn't this place even more dangerous?"

Liu Qingcao glanced back, then turned to Liu Wu and shook his head, "Not necessarily."

Liu Wu was puzzled and didn't know why the girl said that. Liu Qingcao obviously saw what Liu Wu was thinking and said.

"When we come to Feichi City, we will definitely pass by Kailing City and Changxin City. These two cities are much more prosperous than Feichi City. When this natural disaster comes, the people who have a good life will become more vicious."

"Liu Wu, go to the cloth shop in front and buy some cheap cotton and linen cloth. Oh, and also buy some iron farm tools and kitchen utensils."

Liu Qingcao took out the purse from his waist and handed it to Liu Wu. Although Liu Wu didn't understand why, he just did as he was told.

Liu Wu and Liu Er walked into the open cloth shop in front. There were not many cloths in the shop. Perhaps because it had snowed for several months in a row, most of the cloths had been bought.

The two looked around and their eyes fell on the skinny, white-haired old man in front of the counter. They frowned and asked in disbelief, "Are you the owner of the cloth shop?"

The old man's lips were pale, and he sat weakly on a stool at the counter. He had seen Liu Er and Liu Wu come in a long time ago, but he hadn't eaten for two days and didn't have the strength to stand up and greet them.

Hearing Liu Wu's question, he could only nod his head with difficulty.

After getting the answer, Liu Wu took out three pieces of baked bread and a potato from his pocket and placed them in front of the old man.

"I don't have much to eat, boss, please fill your stomach."

Liu Er looked at Liu Wu calmly, took a step forward, and ignoring the fact that the old man was eating a piece of steamed bread, he said coldly, "How much is a piece of cotton and linen cloth? How many pieces do you have? If there are enough, we will buy them all."

Liu Er paused, his eyelids half closed, hiding the murderous intent in his eyes, and said coldly, "Don't think about asking for too much, otherwise, if you eat it, I can make you vomit it out."

Liu Wu felt that what she had just done was inappropriate and glanced at Liu Er with a guilty conscience. Fortunately, Liu Er had his back to her and did not see her evasive look.

Without even raising his head, the old man tapped his white hair vigorously a few times. Although the potato in his hand was so hard that it gritted his teeth, he had no intention of stopping.

Having not eaten a grain of rice for two days and relying only on boiled snow water to fill his stomach, he had long forgotten what fear he had other than hunger.

Liu Er did not urge him any further and just waited quietly by the side. When Liu Wu found that the owner of the cloth shop did not move, he breathed a sigh of relief and walked towards the place where the cloth was placed.

There were piles of various fabrics on the cloth cabinet, but most of them were cotton and linen fabrics, and there were almost no good brocades and silks.

Liu Wu turned around and had an idea in mind.

At this time, the owner of the cloth shop had finished eating the food on the counter, picked up the kettle and poured three cups of tea, looking at Liu Er and Liu Wu with gratitude.

"Thank you two kind people for the food. I have no way to repay you. I still have some cloth in the cloth shop. If you need it, I will sell it to you at a low price. It can be regarded as repaying your kindness just now." The old man ate something and his complexion looked much better, but he did not have enough strength to do anything else.

He learned from the man just now that they came here to buy cloth, so he wanted to make friends with them.

However, he had no money and no food, and all he could offer now were some cloth and cotton left in the cloth shop.

It just so happened that the two of them needed him, so he was still of some use.

Liu Er and Liu Wu did not nod in agreement, but took out ten taels of silver from their purses, looked at Shopkeeper Wu calmly, and said in an unquestionable tone, "It's not for nothing, you take this money and pay us the price."

Shopkeeper Wu looked at the silver on the counter and was in a dilemma. If he accepted the money, he could buy a pound of rice, which, if eaten sparingly, would last him three to five days. But once the rice was all eaten, his life would be difficult.

After thinking it over, Shopkeeper Wu made a decision. He stretched out his skinny hand, resolutely pushed the silver away, and with an embarrassed look on his face, he discussed with Liu Er and Liu Wu in a weak voice.

"Two kind people, Mr. Wu has an unreasonable request, please forgive me."

After Shopkeeper Wu finished speaking, he looked at the two men's faces. Seeing that Liu Er and Liu Wu looked normal, he continued, "This money is of little use now. Can you two exchange grain for cloth with me?
You don’t need too much, just enough to last for three to five days.”

Shopkeeper Wu knew that his request was a bit unreasonable at this time, so he didn't ask for more. He would be content with two kilograms of rice.

Liu Wu frowned, feeling a little uncomfortable. Just as she was about to retort, Liu Er reached out and patted her shoulder, pulling her behind him.

Liu Wu pursed her pale pink lips, sat down on a chair beside her, and glared at Shopkeeper Wu angrily.

Shopkeeper Wu felt guilty after being glared at by Liu Wu, but he still gritted his teeth and refused to give in.

Liu Er was thinking about the profit margin he could get.

There is a severe shortage of rice and grain right now, and money plays a very small role in it. Along the way, many shopkeepers are bartering, and few people are willing to use money.

We don't need money here, but it can be very useful in other places, and it won't be a loss to exchange it for food, but this matter still needs the decision of our girl.

Shopkeeper Wu waited anxiously for Liu Er's reply, without urging him, nor did he dare to urge him.

After a long while, Liu Er finally spoke up, breaking the silence in the cloth shop.

"We have to go back and ask. I can't make the decision on this matter."

Liu Er said this lightly, which shattered the little hope that Manager Wu had in his heart.

I felt lost and desperate inside, and the smile on my lips seemed forced.

Forget it, forget it. After all, I have lived for so many years, so I don’t feel sorry for myself.

Shopkeeper Wu closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, the ripples in his eyes disappeared, leaving only calmness.

When Liu Er saw his change, he was startled. In the end, he said nothing and turned away.

Seeing this, Liu Wu hurriedly followed him out.

"Second brother, I feel like Manager Wu has suddenly become a different person. It's so strange." Liu Wu took a quick step forward and muttered in front of Liu Er.

Liu Er looked at Liu Wu's innocent face and did not respond to her. Instead, he sighed heavily and walked forward.

Seeing that Liu Er ignored him, Liu Wu snorted, rolled his eyes and followed behind him.

In the carriage not far away, Liu Qingcao lifted the curtain and saw this scene. He couldn't help but wonder what was going on between the two people.

When Liu Er and Liu Wu arrived in front of the carriage, Liu Qingcao got off the carriage and handed them the cloth bag that had been prepared in the carriage. Before the two of them could speak, she asked, "Are you guys having a quarrel?"

Liu Er was confused, while Liu Wu blushed.

Seeing the two of them like this, Liu Qingcao roughly guessed the reason and immediately changed the subject.

"How about it, is there any cloth left in the cloth shop?"

Liu Er didn't dwell on what Liu Qingcao had just said, and nodded and replied, "There are still some cloths, but the shopkeeper didn't want to accept money and wanted to exchange them for grains. I said I couldn't make the decision and asked him to wait for a moment.

Girl, shall we change?"

Liu Qingcao curled the corners of her lips, pointed at the bag in his hand, and nodded with a smile.

"Why not? A few kilograms of grain can buy most of the cloth in the cloth shop. This deal is very profitable."

"Okay, I'll go over and exchange it with the shopkeeper."

Liu Er curled the corners of his lips slightly and was about to walk towards the cloth shop with the cloth bag in his hand. Liu Qingcao hurriedly stopped him.

"Wait, I'll go with you."

Liu Er then stopped and waited until Liu Qingcao walked in front of him, then he started moving forward again.

When Liu Qingcao arrived at the door of the cloth shop, he was stunned by the scene inside. "Liu Er, hurry up, go and save the people." Liu Qingcao reacted very quickly and quickly ordered Liu Er to save people.

Liu Er quickly slipped into the room, and Liu Wu stood behind Liu Qingcao without moving a step.

In the cloth shop, Liu Er rescued Manager Wu who was dangling in the air. Fortunately, they arrived at the right time and Manager Wu only suffered some injuries to his neck and was not in serious danger of his life.

Manager Wu was placed on a stool by Liu Er. He started coughing violently as soon as he came into contact with the air. When he calmed down and took another breath, his throat hurt badly and he started coughing again and couldn't stop.

Looking at Manager Wu's red face from coughing, Liu Wu finally understood why Manager Wu had suddenly changed.

It turned out that when Manager Wu was rejected by Liu Er, he had given up. He knew that he could not survive the snowstorm and could not endure the pain brought by hunger, so he thought of tying himself to death with a rope.

Shopkeeper Wu never expected that he would be rescued at this time. He looked at Liu Er with complicated eyes, stammered for a long time, and didn't say a word.

"Manager Wu, do you have a grudge against us? If you die at this time, everyone will think that you have suffered a great injustice." Liu Wu couldn't bear it anymore and stepped forward to question with a dark face.

Shopkeeper Wu never expected this consequence, and his face, which had just relaxed a little, became even paler.

Although he is not a good person, he is not a villain who repays kindness with enmity.

"Young lady, you have misunderstood. Wu has absolutely no intention of blackmailing or framing me."

Liu Wu didn't listen to Manager Wu's explanation and kept rolling his eyes.

Liu Qingcao understood Liu Wu's personality and knew that she was upset, so she raised her hand and patted her hand comfortingly. Only then did Liu Wu pout and calm down.

Seeing the self-blaming and troubled look in Shopkeeper Wu's eyes, Liu Qingcao decided to give the cloth shop owner a chance. It was also a way for him to keep a slightly reliable person in Feichi City, where he was unfamiliar with the place.

Not to mention whether this man can be used by her after being rescued, it is not easy to keep Manager Wu in this crowded city. She needs to think of a foolproof plan.

"Manager Wu, we are truly sorry for offending you just now."

"Why do you say that, little girl? It is Mr. Wu who should apologize to you." Shopkeeper Wu has been running the cloth shop for many years and naturally has an extraordinary eye. He can tell at a glance that the girl, who is about twelve or thirteen years old, is the one who is responsible for those two people. Although she is not very old, she is a smart and capable girl.

Liu Qingcao smiled, turned to look at Liu Er, and motioned him to hand over the cloth bag.

Liu Er received Liu Qingcao's instructions, picked up the cloth bag that he had thrown aside when he rescued someone and walked over.

"Here are five pounds of grain in exchange for the cloth you have here."

"Five pounds!?" Shopkeeper Wu widened his half-closed eyelids and took the cloth bag from Liu Er with a look of disbelief and surprise.

He opened the cloth bag, which contained about four pounds of second-grade rice and flour and a few round objects that he had eaten but did not recognize.

Seeing that he was puzzled by the potatoes in the bag, Liu Er took the initiative to help him solve the puzzle, "This is a potato, it is the best for satisfying hunger, it can be boiled or roasted, you should know that this potato tastes good if you have eaten it before."

Although Shopkeeper Wu still didn't quite understand what this thing was, but after hearing that it was very hungry and he was fine so far, he didn't ask any more questions.

The five pounds of food in the cloth bag could last him for a while if he ate sparingly, and he might even be able to wait until the government provided aid.

Shopkeeper Wu's desperate eyes finally showed hope for survival. He carefully put away the cloth bag and smiled comfortably, "Thank you, little girl. This grain is enough to buy all the cotton and linen cloth in Wu's cloth shop. There are more than 20 pieces of cotton cloth in the backyard. Wu will go and get them out now."

Liu Qingcao nodded, "Shopkeeper Wu is really an honest shopkeeper."

After saying that, Liu Qingcao looked at Liu Er with a smile and ordered, "Liu Er, the cloth is not light, go and help Shopkeeper Wu."

Liu Er responded and left with Manager Wu, while Liu Wu moved the cloth in the cloth shop onto the sled.

The cloth that Manager Wu brought out from the backyard, plus the cloth displayed in the shop, totaled forty-seven pieces. Exchanging five kilograms of grain for so much cloth was indeed a profitable deal.

"Liu Er, Liu Wu, wait for me outside for half a quarter of an hour. I will come out after I have a few words with Shopkeeper Wu."

Liu Qingcao touched the cloth on the sled board and walked into the cloth shop with a smile.

Shopkeeper Wu didn't know why Liu Qingcao stayed, but he still politely invited him in.

As soon as he sat down, Liu Qingcao asked, "Manager Wu, when do you think the snow will stop?"

Shopkeeper Wu didn't expect Liu Qingcao to ask about this. He hesitated for a moment and answered uncertainly, "Winter lasts for April. In previous years, it snowed in the second half of the year, and the snow on the ground was only knee-deep. This year, as winter is approaching, the snow has fallen to the height of a person. It has not decreased much even after three months. I think it will snow for another two months."

What Manager Wu said made sense, and Liu Qingcao nodded in agreement.

She thinks the snow will not stop for another two months. After the snow stops, the temperature will drop sharply, and life will become even more difficult for many people.

I wonder how many people of Yu Dynasty will be left after this snowstorm.

When Liu Qingcao thought of this, she couldn't help feeling melancholy. It was such a difficult matter, and she only had so many people under her control, how could she handle it?

Things have already begun, and it is always in human hands. Holding the white piece, Liu Qingcao still hopes to review half of the game.

There is no need to worry about it. The most important thing to do now is to find a way to break the impasse.

Liu Qingcao hesitated for a moment, and without thinking about anything else, she smiled and said, "Manager Wu is right. This snow won't stop any time soon."

At this point, Liu Qingcao looked at Shopkeeper Wu, paused slightly, and continued, "Now that these five kilograms of food have run out, Shopkeeper Wu, do you have any way to get through the remaining heavy snow?"

Shopkeeper Wu shook his head, smiled bitterly and sighed, then suddenly his eyes lit up. He suppressed his inner excitement and asked tentatively, "If the little girl can save my life, I will work like a cow or a horse to repay your kindness."

Shopkeeper Wu stared at Liu Qingcao, hoping that things would go as he wished.

He wanted to die only because he was really forced into a desperate situation. Now he had a chance to survive. Even though he was not young anymore, he still wanted to live a few more days.

Liu Qingcao admired the shrewdness of Shopkeeper Wu, and did not keep him in suspense. He said directly, "Shopkeeper Wu, please remember what you said today. Don't take advantage of my young age and break your promise. If something goes wrong, you can't blame me for not reminding you."

Shopkeeper Wu got the answer he wanted, and his wrinkled face broke into a smile. He promised Liu Qingcao solemnly, "My life was saved by my benefactor. From now on, as long as my benefactor gives an order, I will never say no."

"I'll remember this. Don't call me benefactor next time you see me. Just call me girl."

"Yes, young lady." Shopkeeper Wu was surprised for a moment, and responded quickly, while in his heart he was quietly waiting for Liu Qingcao's promise to him.

"Manager Wu, please go down and have a nap first. There are so many people here, it's not convenient to bring the food over."

Shopkeeper Wu watched the man leave and without hesitation, turned and headed towards the backyard.

After leaving the cloth shop, Liu Qingcao, Liu Er and Liu Wu went to the grocery store and the ironware shop. The two shops were not far from each other, but their doors had been closed long ago. Liu Er and Liu Wu knocked on the door for a long time but no one answered.

Liu Qingcao looked around the shop carefully for a while, then stepped forward to stop the two people who were knocking on the door.

"Liu Er, Liu Wu, stop knocking. I have a way."

"Miss, are the people inside afraid that we are bandits coming down the mountain?" Liu Wu stopped helplessly. She noticed some movement inside before she knocked on the door. She knocked for a long time but no one came out. Apart from this reason, she couldn't think of any other reason that would make them hide from her like this.

"Liu Wu, many people don't have much food at home right now, so who wouldn't be afraid of being coveted if they had a little food stored at home?

Even our sleds have a lot of eyes secretly watching them. If it weren't for you guys' deterrence, these people would have rushed up and snatched them all." Liu Qingcao said as he knocked on the door.

After knocking three times, Liu Qingcao whispered a few words towards the crack in the door. After a while, a noise came from inside, and then a gap as wide as a palm opened in the door panel.

A pale and thin face appeared from the crack in the door. If it weren't for the tiny dent on the person's earlobe, Liu Qingcao would have had no idea whether the person was a man or a woman.

The woman inside the door held onto the door panel tightly with both hands, and looked at Liu Qingcao, Liu Er and Liu Wu nervously. Finally, a hoarse voice sounded in the ears of the three.

"Where's the stuff? We won't exchange it with you if you don't have anything."

"Of course we brought the things, but I want to see if the things I want are intact first. Sister-in-law, you may not believe us, and naturally we cannot completely believe your words.

Sister-in-law, what do you think?" Liu Qingcao talked to the woman calmly, and the woman did not have the upper hand in her words.

The woman gave a bitter smile at Liu Qingcao's words. She nodded without refutation, turned her head to the side and muttered a few words in a low voice. Then the sound of someone walking at the door was heard.

"Wait a moment, little girl. My husband will bring the things right away."

"It's okay." Liu Qingcao stared at the woman deeply for a moment, uttered two words in a calm voice, and then nodded to Liu Er beside him.

Liu Er received Liu Qingcao's signal and left in a flash, rushing towards the sled.

When the woman inside the door saw this scene, her pupils suddenly shrank, her lips turned pale, and her thin body trembled slightly. Liu Qingcao looked at the woman's abnormality with a smile, but did not ask.

The woman seemed to have been seen through. She pulled a smile that was uglier than crying and explained, "Little girl, don't get me wrong. We don't have any other ideas. We just want to test whether you are bad people."

Liu Qingcao said nothing, just stood at the door calmly and looked at the woman.