bookcurios Chapter 248 Station
Chapter 248 Station
You can't blame him.
He had lived for so many years, but he had never seen many female housekeepers.
What's more, the female manager who was following him on the trade route in the middle of the night was someone he had never seen before.
Seeing them standing behind the rickshaw driver, it is not natural to assume that they are the rickshaw driver's family.
He was feeling smug just now, thinking that if he had entertained the coachman's two wives well, perhaps the coachman would not mind their laziness.
Unexpectedly, he got into such a big trouble this time, mistaking the boss for the rickshaw driver's wife. Not only did he offend the rickshaw driver, but he also offended both bosses.
The old man was so sad that he had no tears. He had already thought about where he would find a job if he was kicked out of the post station.
Looking at the trembling old man, Zheng Yuan and Duan Minmin couldn't bear to say anything. Although being mistaken for someone else's wife was a little unpleasant, it was not a big deal.
"It's okay, old man, just take us in quickly." Duan Minmin tried to speak to the old man as gently as possible, for fear of scaring him.
The old man then dared to look up at the two of them, and was relieved to see that they really had no intention of blaming him.
"Okay, okay, boss, please come over here. I'll prepare food and tea for you." The old man wiped the sweat that had just appeared on his forehead and hurriedly led the two people inside.
After the three people entered, the old man wanted to lock the door again.
"Don't bolt the door, we have another car behind." The coachman stopped the old man.
Zheng Yuan and Duan Minmin then remembered that one of their carriages had not arrived yet.
Logically speaking, they are not carrying heavy cargo, so why hasn’t the car behind arrived yet? Did something happen on the road?
"Master, why hasn't the car behind arrived yet?" Zheng Yuan asked.
"Madam, we will pass by Yuanfeng County on the way, so Manager Ji asked the car behind to take Yuanfeng's goods as well, so as to avoid sending another car." The driver explained.
It turned out to be the case.
At that time, they were drinking tea in the hall and did not notice Aji's arrangements.
The two nodded and followed him inside.
The old man first opened the door and went in to light the candles in the hall, then busily wiped the tables and chairs.
"My two masters, please sit down for a while. I will prepare hot water and food for you. The room will be ready soon."
"Don't be in a hurry." The driver stopped the old man in a hurry and said, "Wake up the guys first and prepare two horses for us. When the next one arrives, replace the frame immediately."
The old man stopped and asked: "Are you going to travel overnight?"
"That's right, go and wake up the guy." The driver waved his hand.
"Okay." The old man said no more and turned to go to the backyard.
Zheng Yuan and Duan Minmin had not expected this way of traveling.
Although they didn't sleep well along the way, at least they rested for a few hours, which was enough to relieve some of the stress. However, the driver didn't close his eyes for even a second.
Do we have to travel for two days without sleep?
This won’t do. Driving while tired is not an option.
"Master, why don't we rest for a few hours? If we keep traveling like this, your body might not be able to take it." Duan Minmin suggested.
"Don't worry, ladies. Our two brothers are in the carriage behind. They have been resting along the way and they will replace us later. Manager Ji has already instructed that we must not waste too much time on the journey and must not delay the ladies' business." The coachman explained.
It turned out that everything had been arranged long ago, and they had worried about it in vain.
In that case, they just followed the arrangements. Zheng Yuan and Duan Minmin sat down with peace of mind.
After a while, I heard some noise in the backyard. I thought it was the guys getting up.
Although candles were lit in the hall, the illumination was too low. The two men could not see clearly the layout of the inn if they wanted to take a closer look.
One could only vaguely tell that they were now in a hall, which was not very spacious, with only four or five tables. It should be a place for passing motorcades to eat.
There is another floor above. Although I can't see it clearly, I can guess that it is the accommodation.
Considering the direction that the old man just went to call the waiter, the backyard should be where the waiters live and where there are living facilities such as kitchens and stables.
After sitting in the carriage for such a long time, they had a lot of waste accumulated in their stomachs. They thought the toilet should be in the backyard, so they stood up and walked in the direction the old man left.
The driver looked at the direction they were going and guessed that they were going to relieve themselves, so he didn't say much.
Zheng Yuan and Duan Minmin held hands and could barely see the road clearly, and finally stumbled to the backyard.
Fortunately, the old man was preparing food and hot water in the kitchen, so it was bright inside. With the light coming through the kitchen, the two of them went inside.
Seeing the two people come in, the old man became nervous again.
"Boss, I'm hungry. I must hurry."
"Uncle, we are not hungry. It's okay for you to take your time. We just came to ask where your toilet is?" Zheng Yuan asked.
The old man breathed a sigh of relief when he heard that they were just asking about the toilet.
"Boss, wait a moment."
The old man picked up a torch from the ground, put it into the stove hole and lit it, then held up the torch and motioned the two to follow him.
"It's right there." The old man pointed to the toilet and handed the torch to the two men.
"Thank you, uncle." Duan Minmin took the torch and nodded to the old man, then took Zheng Yuan's arm and hurried towards the toilet.
The old man had never met such a kind boss in his life. For a moment, he was stunned by the thank you and stayed in a daze for a while before returning to the kitchen.
Zheng Yuan and Duan Minmin found the toilet with the help of the light of the torches.
This ancient toilet was just like that, not much better than the one at home. Fortunately, it was a newly built post station, so the strawberry tower was not that scary.
After using the toilet and returning to the hall, the car behind me had already arrived, and there were indeed three drivers.
Seeing the two people, the three coachmen stood up and saluted them.
Zheng Yuan and Duan Minmin were really not used to bowing and greeting each other like this, so they were told not to be so formal.
After sitting down, Zheng Yuan asked them about their journey.
There was nothing special about it. They were just delayed for a while to unload the cargo, and were trying their best to catch up afterwards.
They chatted for a while, and the old man had already brought the food.
Time was tight and the old man only had time to make three or four dishes, but they were large in quantity and tasted pretty good.
I guess this is why they chose the old man to be in charge here.
After dinner, it’s time to set off again.
The guys at the post station had already put the frame back on and were waiting to see if they needed anything else.
Thinking about pulling someone out of his warm bed in the middle of the night, especially since the old man was so old, Zheng Yuan and Duan Minmin felt a little guilty.
After discussing it, the two men took out copper coins from their small purses and gave five cents each to the old man and the two servants.
Although it’s not much, it’s a token of their thoughtfulness.
The three people who originally thought they had neglected them did not expect to get a reward, and they were afraid to accept it.
It was only when Zheng Yuan and Duan Minmin handed the money directly to them that the three of them carefully accepted it and kept promising that such a situation would never happen again in the future.
The two of them didn't care, waved their hands, got on the carriage, and continued on their journey.
A new driver was used for this trip, and the previous one had already gone to the back car to rest.