"Brother Pao's back."
"How did it go?"
Zhao Lin and Liang Song greeted him in turn.
"Let's talk inside."
Zhou Pao grinned, closing the door behind him.
Stepping into the main room, Zhou Pao took off his hat and coat, grabbed the water jug, and took several big gulps. GULP, GULP.
Zhao Lin could tell from his expression and demeanor that things had gone well, so he wasn't in a hurry to ask. Liang Song, however, couldn't hold back. "So, how did it go? Did you find a suitable buyer?"
"I'm dying of thirst. Let me have a couple more sips."
Zhou Pao threw his head back and drained the jug in one go. Wiping the water from his mouth, he said, "I went to a few county towns and asked around. Songyuan County has the best market; our hunting goods will fetch a good price there."
"Besides, it's not Drilling Mountain Leopard's territory, so it's safer to sell our goods there."
"We appreciate the effort, Brother Pao," Zhao Lin and Liang Song both said.
Zhou Pao waved it off. "It was nothing. But be careful when you pass through the checkpoints. I'm worried there are spies for the bandits among the tax collectors."
"We'll pack up and leave tomorrow, then."
Zhao Lin gently shook his head. "Brother Pao, you stay here. Liang Song and I will go."
Zhou Pao was taken aback. "What... do you mean?"
Zhao Lin knew he had misunderstood and explained, "Brother Pao, your looks are just too... unique. Anyone who sees you will remember you. If you show up in the same place twice, it could easily arouse suspicion."
Liang Song was more blunt. "Brother Pao, once someone sees your face, they'll never forget it."
In this era, apart from martial artists and traveling merchants, common people rarely traveled more than a hundred *li* from their homes. Zhao Lin's concern was indeed justified.
Zhou Pao touched his face and sighed. "You're right. I'll give you the shop names in a bit. They're all old shops that have been around for decades, so their reputations are solid."
He then went on to tell the two of them in detail about what to watch out for on the road and the names of the shops.
The three of them discussed for a while and then started preparing for the journey.
There was one important thing to do before they left: process the bear gall and the porcupine quills.
The Great Yue Dynasty's tax system was quite comprehensive. Farmers paid land taxes, and those who fished or hunted had to pay a mountain and marsh tax.
Hunters who sold their catch locally didn't have to pay extra taxes, but if they crossed the border to trade in another county town, they would be heavily taxed.
Songyuan County and Qinghe County were separated by Lushan County. If their goods were taxed as commercial wares, they would lose at least twenty percent. If they ran into a ruthless tax collector, the loss would be even greater.
Merchants had business licenses, so they actually paid a lower percentage.
The underlying reason was that the Great Yue Dynasty, much like the feudal dynasties of Zhao Lin's previous life, discouraged the free movement of people.
The day they returned from the deep mountains, Zhou Pao had pressed the bear gall flat between wooden boards and dried it in lime. It was now almost completely dry. Tucked inside cured meat, it would be very difficult to discover.
The porcupine quills, however, were not so easy to hide. They were coarse, stiff, and heavy—a single bundle weighed over ten *jin*—and would be very conspicuous if carried.
But this wasn't enough to stump Zhou Pao. He found an old sheepskin coat, cut the quills into sections, and sewed them onto it.
"So? You can't tell we're here to sell goods, can you?" Zhou Pao said with a smug look on his face.
Zhao Lin and Liang Song hadn't expected such a clever little trick to avoid taxes. They praised him profusely.
Zhou Pao handed the coat to Zhao Lin. "We're about the same build. You try it on, see if it fits."
Zhao Lin slipped on the coat and jumped in place twice. "It's fine, just a little heavy."
"And a little ugly," Liang Song quipped from the side.
It was already past noon. The three agreed to set out the next day.
Zhao Lin went home and told his parents and older brother that he would be away for a few days. The three of them, surprisingly, didn't ask many questions. They just told him to be careful and stay out of trouble while he was away.
Now that he could earn money and had even managed to bring his brother back home, his words carried more and more weight in the family.
Early the next morning, Zhao Lin went to Zhou Pao's house, changed into the quill-lined coat, took the bear gall, and set off with Liang Song.
The two of them left the village and headed straight for the carriage depot at the county town's north dock.
The journey was over two hundred *li*. Walking the whole way on their own two feet was unrealistic. The carriage depot was this era's equivalent of a long-distance bus station.
Besides horse-drawn carriages, the depot also had ox-carts, but oxen were slow and only used for short distances.
The horse-drawn carriages usually ran back and forth between two county towns, with options for two, four, or six seats.
Zhao Lin and Liang Song chose the cheapest option: a six-seat carriage. It cost fifty *wen* for the trip. The distance between the two counties was a hundred *li*, which worked out to one *wen* for every two *li*.
They paid a deposit and boarded a carriage that already had four people in it.
Before getting on, Zhao Lin glanced into the carriage. He saw an old man with two young boys—likely a grandfather and his grandsons—and a young man in blue clothes. None of them looked like vicious or cunning people, so he boarded with his mind at ease.
This was his first time traveling far from home, so he was being extra cautious.
"Giddy-up!"
The driver cracked his whip with a flourish, shouted, and the carriage started to move.
"Ouch! Why is your coat so prickly?"
As the carriage swayed, the young man in blue bumped into Zhao Lin and immediately cried out, sucking in a breath.
The porcupine quills were incredibly sharp and stiff. Wearing the coat basically turned him into a human porcupine; it was no wonder the man couldn't stand it.
"My apologies, please forgive me."
Zhao Lin quickly apologized, took off the coat, and rolled it up inside-out on his lap.
"What in the world are you wearing? You should be more careful."
The young man in blue grumbled, scooting farther away.
The passengers were all strangers, and sitting face-to-face was somewhat awkward. Thus, the carriage was completely silent, filled only with the sound of the wheels bumping along the road.
The carriage had been traveling for half a day when suddenly, with a loud THUD, it sank downwards and lurched to a halt.
The people inside were thrown about. The two children nearly fell out, but Zhao Lin and Liang Song were quick-eyed and swift-handed, each grabbing one to keep them from getting hurt.
"Thank you, both of you."
The old man thanked them repeatedly, pulling the two frightened children into his arms.
"Driver, what kind of driving is that?" the young man in blue complained, clutching his scraped forehead.
"The carriage is stuck in a hole! We can't move!" the driver's voice came from outside.
Everyone got out to look. They saw a large pit in the ground, and the carriage wheel was sunk deep inside it.
The driver cracked his whip a few times. The two horses strained and pulled, but they couldn't get the carriage out.
With spring approaching, the melting snow had been turned to slush by the sun, making the road incredibly muddy. The wheel was just spinning in place, unable to get any traction, which was why it couldn't be pulled out.
Zhao Lin stared at the muddy pit for a moment. 'Something feels off,' he thought. He glanced at the driver, who didn't seem flustered at all, as if he had known this would happen.
Liang Song noticed it too and whispered, "This driver is strange. How could he not avoid such a big pit?"
"Mmm. Let's see what kind of trick he's trying to pull."
Zhao Lin wasn't too worried. 'This is a public road; he wouldn't dare rob us in broad daylight, no matter how bold he is. Besides, none of the passengers look wealthy.'
"Why aren't we moving yet?" the young man in blue shouted.
"Can't you see? The carriage is stuck," the driver said, cracking his whip in the air a couple of times to show he was helpless.
"Then what are we going to do? We paid our fare! Are we just going to stay stuck here?" the young man in blue said irritably.
The driver pointed at the carriage and raised his eyebrows. "How about you all help lift it?"
The carriage was made of solid wood and wrapped in thick iron sheets. It had to weigh at least a thousand *jin*.
The young man in blue glanced at the old man and the two children. "This carriage is so heavy. How are the few of us supposed to lift it?"
The driver spread his hands. "Well, then there's nothing to be done."
Then, as if suddenly remembering something, he pointed to a village not far from the road and said, "There's a village over there. I'll get a few people to help."
"Then what are you waiting for? Go!" the young man in blue urged.
The driver didn't move. A smile spread across his face. "Well, they're not going to help us for free. We'll have to pay them to get them to move."