Chapter 716: Chapter 718: Preparations

Gu Wenheng didn’t believe a word of it. Even though he had repeatedly emphasized that Gu Benluo needed to do everything himself, the subordinates were always carefully guarding him. Even those boys from the Gu family revolved around him. This wasn’t what Gu Wenheng wanted to see. If Luo Luo was to grow, he truly had to break away from the people around him.

Jiang Milie helped lay out the bedding in the carriage. "Sir, would you like to rest for a while?"

These past few days, he had been working non-stop at the county government. Not only did he have to review old case files, but he also had to visit surrounding villages to inspect the land reclamation. Even though Gu Wenheng exercised occasionally, his body was struggling to keep up. Forcing himself to ride horseback outside with Luo Luo just now had been his absolute limit.

Serving as his close attendant, Jiang Milie had long noticed the exhaustion in his master’s eyes. Once Gu Wenheng lay down, Jiang Milie quickly tucked him in, then stepped out to sit with the driver.

「Meanwhile.」

That day, Lai San carried his hunted game into the city as usual. The moment he reached the city gates, he immediately sensed that something was wrong.

Normally, only two constables guarded the gate, but today, over ten stood watch. The roadsides, usually unkempt, were exceptionally tidy today. They had even sprinkled a thin layer of water to prevent the dust from flying up. Carrying his woven basket, he walked past without daring to greet anyone, keeping his head down as he hurried into the city.

Inside the county town was no different from the outside. The entire street had been specially spruced up, and even the Shopkeepers of every store were sweeping their fronts. The street was eerily quiet, making Lai San inexplicably nervous.

Seeing Doctor Qian sitting in his clinic, he took a deep breath and walked in. "Doctor Qian, no house calls today?"

Doctor Qian looked up at him. "Isn’t that obvious? If I were out seeing patients, would you be seeing me here?

"Did you pick more herbs? Put them over here, I’ll calculate the price for you."

Lai San smiled and walked over, placing his basket on the counter. He picked out the medicinal herbs from the top and set them down.

Doctor Qian glanced at the game in his basket. "Don’t bother setting these up at the market. Take them to the tavern up ahead; they’ll buy them."

"The tavern will buy them?" Lai San asked uncertainly. They had asked before, but the taverns had always turned them away. Since they had their own regular hunters, they generally didn’t accept game unless it was something rare.

"In the past, they definitely wouldn’t, but things are different now. They are stockpiling supplies. If you take them over now, you might even get a good price." Doctor Qian only bothered to give him this tip because he knew they had it hard; had it been anyone else, he wouldn’t have troubled himself.

Lai San asked nervously, "Is something about to happen in the county town? I felt something was off as soon as I came in."

"What could possibly happen?" Doctor Qian said dismissively. "Those officials just love to make a fuss. It’s just a routine inspection tour, yet they’ve created such a huge spectacle.

"If they truly cared about the common folk, they’d offer something more practical."

"Master, you’re talking too much again," the attendant pounding medicine nearby looked up and said. "Master’s wife will be upset with you later."

"Xiao Mao, you little brat. If you don’t say anything, how will she know?" Doctor Qian glared at the little medicine boy. "Hurry up and finish your work, then clean the front entrance again later."

"Master, didn’t you just tell me not to clean it?"

Doctor Qian snorted. "Do you want us to be the only messy spot when everything around us is spotless? Does that make you look capable?

"I’m just complaining a bit. Truth be told, this Inspector General has done some good.

"It’s just that the Lord County Magistrate is going to unnecessary lengths. Making such a huge fuss... the man is only passing through. Does he really think he’ll stay here long-term?"

Lai San only half-understood. "So a big shot is coming. No wonder the county town feels so different today."

In his experience, the most powerful person he had ever met was Chief Chen. They had never even had the chance to see the County Magistrate.

"What kind of official is an Inspector General?"

Doctor Qian opened his hand and counted on his fingers, but couldn’t quite figure it out. "Anyway, he’s many ranks higher than the County Magistrate. These herbs are fresh, so I still have to process them. I’ll give you sixty copper coins."

Lai San nodded happily. "Thank you, Doctor Qian. If I gather more next time, will you still want them?"

"Yes. With you helping to gather herbs, it saves me from running up the mountain every time.

"As long as it’s the medicinal herbs I told you about before, just bring them to me if you find them. I won’t shortchange you on the price."

Having made so many trips to the county town, Lai San already knew Doctor Qian’s character and naturally agreed without hesitation.

Doctor Qian offered a few more instructions. Lai San then carried his game to the tavern. Hoping to just try his luck, he didn’t expect them to actually buy it—and at a good price, too. When he was leaving, they specifically told him to bring any game he caught in the coming days, promising to buy whatever he had.

Upon returning to the village, Lai San immediately shared the news with everyone.

"Let’s head deeper into the mountains and dig a few more traps," someone immediately suggested. "Maybe we can actually have a good New Year this time."

Selling to the tavern fetched a price significantly higher than what they made from setting up a stall. Such a good deal was rare, and everyone was tempted.

"Should we tell Yu Laoda and his men?" Zeng Dawang asked softly. "Or should we quietly make a fortune first?"

"There’s so much game in the mountains, we can’t possibly hunt it all ourselves," Lai San replied. "Besides, the Shopkeeper said he would buy whatever we bring."

Wu Xiaoliu immediately made a decision. "We’re all people of the same village now. Since a good opportunity like this won’t negatively impact us, why not do them a favor?"

The others were used to following Wu Xiaoliu’s orders, and since it didn’t really affect their own profits, they naturally agreed.

Each group left a few people behind to guard the village, while the rest shouldered their gear, ready to go all out.

Gu Letian’s thoughts, however, were elsewhere. An official from Shangjing would definitely have a large entourage. He wondered if he could get a little information from them to give himself more hope. Feeling the Silver Coins he had earned these past few days in his pocket, he made a secret decision.

"Le Tian, don’t just space out there. Hurry up and sharpen your blades. If we get lucky this time, maybe we can even afford to get wives and have children next year."

"Boss, if you say that, I’m full of motivation," Mu Xi said, sitting opposite Gu Letian. He lifted his blade to inspect the nicks on it. "It’s just that we’ve used these knives for so many years. Shouldn’t we find a blacksmith to reforge them?"

If they really encountered a large beast and their blades weren’t sharp, it would be dangerous.

"Once we earn the Silver from this trip, we’ll go forge some new blades," Yu Laoda said readily, patting his chest. "Let’s sharpen them first. We can’t afford to have them fail us at a crucial moment."

Bending over to sharpen his knife, Mu Xi agreed. "That’s for sure. Our lives depend entirely on these tools."

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