Transmigrated as a Stepmother: Time to Bring the Family to Prosper!-Chapter 292 - 291: Road Safety Comes First

According to Gao Yicheng himself, he retired from the army and has a slight limp. A fellow officer from his hometown felt sorry for him and arranged this job for him.

When Qin Yao and her group camped near the post station, the new posthouse manager even lent them the kitchen to use; he was a very warm-hearted person.

Before leaving the Bamboo Forest Post Station, Qin Yao completed a small transaction with the new posthouse manager.

Since the caravan would continue traveling on this route in the future, she hoped the team members could have a safe resting point.

So they reached a verbal agreement with the new posthouse manager: whenever the caravan arrived at the post station, if no officials were residing there, they could let the caravan rest for a night or borrow the kitchen, or have some hot water, for convenience.

Qin Yao was willing to pay a hundred cents per month, delivered privately to the posthouse manager.

The monthly salary for the posthouse manager wasn’t actually high, just about two or three maces of silver, plus some welfare given by the local government, along with his minor authority.

Therefore, when it came to offering convenience to the caravan, as long as it didn’t impact the normal operations of the posthouse, the posthouse manager was more or less willing to oblige.

Everyone needed to support their family, who wouldn’t want more silver in their hands?

Besides, it was only a verbal agreement, so there was no risk of leaving any evidence. The posthouse manager gladly agreed.

With this successful case, Qin Yao later negotiated two more such resting spots, but not everyone was as easy-going as Gao Cheng. They were all seasoned veterans and didn’t care for such a small hundred cents, demanding two hundred cents a month, and not allowing accommodation in empty rooms, only agreeing to lend an empty space for parking.

But that was already quite good, with the shelter of a government posthouse, they could avoid a lot of troubles along the way.

This ancient world was not like the modern times; there weren’t various well-equipped service areas on the roads, and villages and towns were far apart. Sometimes, one could walk an entire day without finding a place to borrow water.

With the posthouse, at least the caravan members could have a place to rest peacefully.

Liu Bai watched Qin Yao hand over half a tael of silver without writing any notes, still advising him, the team leader, to do the same next time. He felt a twinge of pain in his heart.

"Actually, there’s no need to find a posthouse. The whole caravan is full of grown men; we could just make do," he said.

On the first night in the Prefecture, Liu Bai didn’t have a chance to see the bustling city. He hurriedly went to find Qin Yao to discuss this matter of half a tael of silver.

Earlier, all the drivers were together, so he didn’t speak up, but now it was just their family, and he dragged Liu Fei, who was about to leave, to find Qin Yao.

Qin Yao had just accepted Jiang Wen’s dinner invitation and was busy heading out, inviting the brothers along while asking as she walked:

"What’s the first rule of the caravan code?"

Liu Bai paused for a moment. It was clear that he wasn’t good at school. During training, he could barely memorize it, and after just four days without review, his memory was fuzzy.

It was Liu Fei, young and sharp, who answered, "The first rule of the caravan code: Put road safety first, or you’ll make your family regret it!"

Qin Yao looked at Liu Bai: "Safety first. Everyone has a family. If they follow us out and can’t return safely, how do I explain it to their families?"

If Sheng Country had insurance, she would buy accidental insurance for everyone every year.

Liu Bai somewhat understood, scratching the back of his head sheepishly, "It’s all the fault of Old Two, always calculating in front of me. My head’s filled with saving money for these things."

Liu Fei glanced at his brother with amusement, quickened his steps to catch up with Qin Yao, and asked, while looking at the colorful lanterns ahead, "Sister-in-law, where are you taking us?"

"To meet our big client, namely Jiang Wen, the second shopkeeper of Fulong Trading Company who collaborates with us on book boxes. He’s treating us to dinner today. I’m taking you over, so you and your brother will handle coordination with Fulong Trading Company from now on. I won’t come next time."

At this, Qin Yao suddenly remembered Shunzi and thought she should bring him along. Liu Bai and Liu Fei could easily mingle with village folks, but in formal settings, their mouths seemed sewn shut.

Liu Ji, on the other hand, was exceptionally good at speaking—he could even talk to ghosts!

Hearing about meeting a big client, both brothers felt a wave of nervousness.

Although they had dealt with people in the county before, those small vendors were nothing compared to the famous Fulong Trading Company.

"Why not take Fourth with you? I just remembered I need to go back to feed the horses!" Liu Bai said nervously.

Qin Yao gestured for Liu Fei to catch him, "I’ve already instructed the waiter to feed the horses, no need for you to worry about it."

Seeing their worries, Qin Yao reassured them, "Don’t panic. Although Fulong Trading Company has a big name, our Liu Family Village won’t have a small name in the future either. We’re all common folk; don’t see yourself too low.

We’re in a partnership, mutually beneficial, not charity from them. Equality is important, not just for us, but for the trading company as well. Nobody wants their partner to appear unconfident."

Qin Yao wouldn’t educate the elder brother, so she grabbed Liu Fei and brought him closer, scaring the young man into swallowing his breath hard, "Sister-in-law, just tell me how much I need to drink, I’ll give it my all!"

With a smile, Qin Yao patted his arm, "What are you talking about, who asked you to drink? How old are you? Are you eighteen yet?"

Liu Fei shook his head, "Sixteen... not, not too young either."

"Don’t worry, you don’t have to drink. With me here, no one will dare force you to drink. If we don’t want to drink, we just don’t drink," Qin Yao said with a confident smile.

The brothers felt a weight lift off their hearts.

Before entering Dengyun Building, Qin Yao signaled for them to bring out their spirits, raise their heads, and stand tall, not to be timid.

The two did as told, but when they saw the well-dressed, lively guests around them, their eyes still showed some apprehension.

Take it slow; wasn’t everyone like this the first time?

Once they saw enough, understood what these fancy things were, they’d naturally gain confidence.

Tonight was a private gathering between the parties. Jiang Wen didn’t invite anyone else, only called Manager Fang, a timber merchant familiar to the two, as the team needed to go to the warehouse for timber tomorrow, and Liu Bai and Liu Fei could discuss it with Manager Fang in advance.

Jiang Wen had encountered Qin Yao’s temper before and asked if she wanted a drink upon seeing her. When she refused, he swapped it for a cold beverage.

The meeting started amicably. In the middle, Jiang Wen inquired about the production progress, and upon learning that the July delivery could be made on time, he rested assured.

However, Qin Yao had previously calculated that the caravan always transported timber back and returned empty, wasting transportation capacity. When Jiang Wen mentioned the delivery, she also had an idea to discuss with him.

"Second shopkeeper, do you have any vacant warehouses at the dock?"

As soon as Qin Yao asked this, Jiang Wen realized her intention, testing, "Does Miss Qin want to store the finished book boxes in the warehouse first?"