Transmigrated as a Stepmother: Time to Bring the Family to Prosper!-Chapter 230 - 229: The Divide

Qin Yao handed three maces of silver to Liu Ji, "Go get eight bowls of noodles and tell the waiter to add more vegetables, and six fried eggs."

Usually, a fried egg costs at most two coins, but now it has increased four to five times, and even these three maces of silver might not be enough.

Half the journey is over, and today we’re both tired and hungry. Only after a good meal will we have the mood to continue tomorrow’s journey.

Normally, as long as he wasn’t spending his own money, Liu Ji didn’t feel the slightest pinch.

But this time, when Qin Yao handed him the money, he hesitated for a moment in pain, before calling Da Lang, Second Lang, and Sanlang to go to the front hall to order food.

Eight bowls of noodles, how can one person carry them back with two hands? Of course, three more people are needed.

Liu Ji spent all three maces of silver, bringing back eight bowls of plain noodles and six fried eggs.

Even though they asked for more vegetables, only a few extra were added. It’s not just rice and noodles that are scarce; as long as it’s edible, except for the rice that isn’t ripe yet in the fields, even wild vegetables aren’t overlooked.

The price of eggs indeed went up significantly. A single egg for ten coins was only negotiated down because Liu Ji insisted on frying it himself in the kitchen.

Usually, when pouring oil at home, one has the habit of pouring a little more. By accident used just a bit extra oil, really just a little bit! He almost got half-scolded to death by the kitchen lady.

But this dinner left all six family members very satisfied. Qin Yao, as the head of the household, also showed sincere approval with an empty plate, making it worthwhile.

At night, the whole family squeezed into the small guest room. Exhausted from traveling during the day, Liu Ji snored loudly in his sleep.

In the middle of the night, Qin Yao gave him a shadowless kick, prompting him to turn over and stop snoring.

Overall, Qin Yao slept quite well that night.

But when they came to the inn’s lobby the next morning to buy some food for the journey, they found that everything on the menu had gone up another five coins.

Liu Ji’s hand, which had reached out, quickly recoiled in fright, clutching the money tightly.

He even felt a bit thankful that Qin Yao generously ordered noodles and fried eggs for them the night before; otherwise, they wouldn’t be able to afford noodles and eggs at such prices today.

"Ten pounds of wet noodles, please." Qin Yao still made the purchase, at thirty coins per pound, totaling three hundred coins for ten pounds.

Ten pounds of wet noodles plus the dry food bought yesterday would be enough to last them two days, nearly reaching the Prefecture. By then, they could use the small stove to boil water for the noodles, and the whole family would have hot soup.

Liu Ji widened his eyes in disbelief, "Really buying?"

Don’t they still have fifty pounds of flour in the cart? At worst, they could use some of that.

Qin Yao shook her head, forbidding him from considering touching the fifty pounds of flour, which was specifically reserved for the return trip. In the event of a famine on the way back, it would be their lifesaver.

If used now, what would they survive on when returning?

Certainly, they could buy more, but with the current food prices so inflated, by the time they returned, it might be unaffordable even for her.

The government promised that surplus grain supplies were sufficient, yet strangely, nothing had been released to stabilize the situation.

If it continued unchecked, things would definitely become chaotic once the provincial exam concluded.

Unfortunately, ordinary citizens like them had no right to know what was happening, and could only hope heaven would open its eyes.

Perhaps the government had their considerations, but Qin Yao couldn’t care less about them. What she could do was figure out how to reach the Prefecture, and then how to return to Liu Family Village.

"Buy!" Qin Yao said with indisputable determination, signaling Liu Ji to pay and settle the bill.

Having purchased the noodles, the family of four ate the dry cakes they had bought the day before for breakfast, requesting a bowl of egg soup from the kitchen, leaving both adults and children very satisfied.

Liu Li, learning by example, seeing Qin Yao buy noodles, restrained himself and spent the high price for Da Zhuang to purchase enough for two days, planning to cook for themselves.

They ate two meals a day, snacking on something light at noon, unlike Qin Yao’s family who insisted on three meals a day, thus consuming less grain; three pounds would suffice.

Before leaving home, Liu Dafu had prepared twenty pounds of fine flour as a precaution, so they weren’t particularly worried.

The sun rose as they left the inn.

Da Lang and Second Lang hung the clothes that hadn’t fully dried from the previous night on the bamboo pole used to hang lanterns at the front of the cart to dry.

Liu Li, leading the way today, looked back and couldn’t help but shake his head. Amidst the tense atmosphere, this family seemed as if they were out for a leisurely trip, and he couldn’t help but envy their mindset.

Liu Ji, without saying, the sky could fall on him and he would just lie down—such was his attitude. Liu Li truly envied Da Lang Brothers and Sisters.

To have such a memorable journey at such a young age would surely be remembered fondly in the future.

As for him, at over twenty years of age, this was his first time leaving the confines of Kaiyang County.

The road was gradually becoming crowded, all heading in the same direction, easily recognizable as scholars en route to the Prefecture for exams.

Their ages varied, with one appearing to be only about ten years old, leaving Liu Li and Liu Ji astounded.

"Is that a prodigy?" Liu Ji murmured in shock.

The other party’s carriage was extremely luxurious, with numerous guards and servants. They had to pull over to let them pass.

Liu Ji’s murmur of amazement was overheard by the other party.

The child on horseback, surrounded by guards, turned to look in their direction, his brocade clothes reflecting colorful light under the sun, almost blinding Liu Ji.

Too bad the child turned back too quickly, and by the time Liu Ji recomposed himself and tried to get a good look at this prodigy from a noble family, they had already ridden away.

But that one glance burned in Liu Ji’s mind, leaving him restless for a long time.

The child’s presence was an all-round blow to him, even unsettling Liu Li’s mindset, unable to focus on reading while sitting in the cart.

With such a rival, did they stand a chance?

Previously, just receiving a few words of praise from teachers at the small academy in Kaiyang County made them feel like exceptional talents.

But now, outside, compared to the real prodigies, what were they?

Absolutely nothing!

During lunch at a roadside shelter, Liu Ji and Liu Li exchanged glances and sighed in unison.

Unfortunately, reality offered them little time to adjust. Liu Ji enviously glanced at Da Zhuang napping by the cart door, took the firewood brought by Yao Niang, started a fire, and boiled water to cook noodles.

Absent-mindedly, he almost placed his hand with the noodles into the boiling water, if not for Qin Yao’s timely intervention, grabbing his hand, the prefectural exam might be out of the question this year.

"What’s wrong with you? So distracted?" Qin Yao questioned displeasedly.

Liu Ji only then became aware, looking at the boiled noodles in the pot with a small sense of fear.

But emotionally, he needed to vent, letting out a sigh, muttering, "These examinees have fine horses, guards, and attendants...I certainly won’t pass, maybe we should just give up, besides food prices are so high here, maybe we should just go home..."

His voice trailed off, eyes on the vast sky, feeling smaller than a speck of dust.