Author: Long Baoyu

"Brother Pao is back."

"How about it?"

Zhao Lin and Liang Song greeted each other one after another.

"Speak inside."

Zhou Paotou grinned and closed the door.

Entering the main room, Zhou Paotou took off his hat and jacket, grabbed a kettle and drank a few gulps.

Seeing his arrogant expression, Zhao Lin knew that the matter was settled and was not in a hurry to ask. However, Liang Song couldn't help but asked: "How is the matter? Have you found a suitable buyer?"

"I'm so thirsty, let me take a couple more sips."

Zhou Paotou raised his neck and drank the water in one gulp. He wiped the water stains from his mouth and said, "I visited several counties and asked around. Songyuan County has the best market, and hunting goods can be sold at high prices."

"And it's not the territory of the Mountain Leopard, so shipping is safe."

Zhao Lin and Liang Song both said: "Brother Pao has worked hard."

Zhou Paotou said indifferently: "Yes, but you have to be careful when passing the checkpoint. I'm worried that there are bearded informants among the tax collectors."

"Let's pack up and leave tomorrow."

Zhao Lin shook his head gently, "Brother Pao, you stay at home while Liang Song and I go."

Zhou Paotou was startled, "What...means?"

Zhao Lin knew that he had misunderstood and explained: "Brother Pao, your appearance is so... strange that anyone who sees it will be impressed. If you go to the same place twice, it will easily arouse suspicion."

Liang Song spoke more bluntly: "Brother Pao, I will never forget your face once I see it."

In this era, except for warriors and business travelers, ordinary people rarely traveled hundreds of miles away from home. Zhao Lin's worries did have some truth.

Zhou Paotou touched his face and sighed: "You guys are right, I will tell you the name of the store in a moment. They are all old stores for decades, so there is no problem with their credibility."

After that, he told the two of them in detail the places that needed attention on the road and the names of the shops.

The three of them discussed for a while and started preparing for departure.

There is something important to do before departure: take care of the bear's gallbladder and Shehao's mane.

The taxation system of Dai Viet Dynasty was quite complete. Farmers paid land tax and fishing and hunting had to pay mountain tax.

Hunters do not need to pay extra taxes when they kill their prey and sell it locally, but if they cross the border to trade in other counties, they will be charged heavy taxes.

Songyuan County and Qinghe County are separated by Lushan County. If taxes are collected on commercial goods, at least 20% will be deducted. If you encounter ruthless tax collectors, the losses will be even greater.

When merchants have business references, the proportion of transactions is relatively low.

The reason is that the Dai Viet Dynasty, like the previous feudal dynasties of Zhao Lin, did not like the movement of people.

On the day he came back from the mountains, Zhou Paotou flattened the bear gallbladder between wooden boards and put it in lime to dry. Now it has basically dried, and it is difficult to detect it when stuffed into bacon.

Shehao's mane is hard to hide. It is thick and thick, weighing more than ten kilograms. It is very conspicuous when you carry it around.

But this didn't bother Zhou Paotou. He found an old sheepskin jacket, cut the mane into sections, and sewed them on the jacket.

"How about it? You can't tell that we are selling goods, right?" Zhou Paotou said with a proud look on his face.

Zhao Lin and Liang Song didn't expect this little tax avoidance trick, so they praised him very much.

Zhou Paotou handed the leather jacket to Zhao Lin, "We are about the same figure. You can try it on to see if it fits you."

Zhao Lin put on his leather jacket and jumped twice on the spot, "Okay, it's just a little heavy."

"It's a bit ugly." Liang Song joked from the side.

It was past noon, and the three of them agreed to leave tomorrow.

Zhao Lin went home and told his parents and brothers that he was going out for a few days. The three of them surprisingly didn't ask any questions. They just told him to pay attention to safety when he went out and not to cause trouble.

Now he can make money, he has the ability to bring his brother back, and his voice at home is becoming more and more important.

Early the next morning, Zhao Lin came to Zhou Paotou's house, put on his mane fur coat, took his bear gallbladder, and set off with Liang Song.

The two of them left the village and went straight to the carriage house at the north pier of the county town.

For a trip of more than 200 miles, it would be unrealistic to travel entirely on two legs. A carriage and horse trip would be equivalent to the long-distance buses of this era.

In addition to horse-drawn carriages, there are also ox-carts in the carriages, but the ox-carts move slowly and only cover short distances.

Carriages generally go back and forth between two counties, with different seating options such as two, four, and six seats.

Zhao Lin and Liang Song chose the cheapest six-seater carriage, which cost fifty cents per trip. The distance between the two counties was a hundred miles, which was equivalent to traveling two miles for one cent.

They paid a deposit and boarded a carriage with four people already seated.

Zhao Lin took a look inside the carriage before getting on the bus and saw an old man with two and a half young men, who seemed to be his grandfather and grandson, and a young man in blue. They didn't look like vicious and cunning people.

Feel free to get on the bus.

This was his first time traveling far away, so he took a few extra precautions.

"drive!"

The driver pulled a whip and shouted, and the carriage started to move.

"Ouch, why are your clothes so irritating?"

The carriage shook, and the young man in blue touched Zhao Lin and immediately gasped and screamed.

Shehao's mane was extremely sharp and hard, and when it was draped over his body, he basically looked like a human-shaped porcupine. No wonder this man couldn't stand it.

"I'm sorry for the offence."

Zhao Lin quickly apologized, took off his coat, rolled it up and put it on his lap.

"Don't pay attention to what you're wearing."

The young man in blue muttered and sat further to the side.

The passengers were unfamiliar with each other and it was somewhat awkward to sit facing each other, so the carriage was extremely quiet except for the sound of the wheels bumping on the road.

The carriage drove for half a day when suddenly there was a "clang", it sank and stopped.

The people in the car were swaying around, and the two children almost fell out. Zhao Lin and Liang Song had quick eyesight and quick hands, and each of them caught one, preventing them from getting hurt.

"Thank you both."

The old man thanked him profusely and hugged the two frightened children.

"Handle-style, how did you catch the car?" The young man in blue complained, covering his bruised forehead.

"The car is stuck in a pit and can't move." The coachman's voice came in.

Everyone got out of the car to look, and saw a big hole in the ground, and the wheels of the carriage were deeply sunk into it.

The coachman cracked his whip several times, and the two horses dragged and dragged him, and it took him a long time to pull the carriage out.

At this time, spring is approaching, and the snow has been melted by the sun, making the road very muddy. The wheels have been spinning in place, and they cannot pull out because they have no energy.

Zhao Lin stared at the mud pit for a while, feeling a little strange. Looking at the expression on the driver's face, he didn't feel panic at all, as if he had known it for a long time.

Liang Song also noticed it and whispered: "This coachman is weird. He doesn't know how to avoid such a big pit."

"Well, let's see what tricks he plays."

Zhao Lin was not too worried. This was an official road. No matter how bold the driver was, he would not dare to rob openly. Moreover, the people on the bus did not look like rich people.

"Why aren't you leaving?" the young man in blue shouted.

"Don't you see? The car is stuck." The driver waved his whip twice to show that he was helpless.

"Then what should we do? We have paid the fare, can we stop here?" the young man in blue asked angrily.

The coachman pointed at the carriage and raised his eyebrows, "How about you guys help lift it?"

The carriage was made of solid wood, covered with thick iron sheets, and weighed at least a thousand kilograms.

The young man in blue glanced at the old man and the two children and said, "How can we lift such a heavy car?"

The driver spread his hands and said, "Then there is nothing we can do."

Suddenly, as if he remembered something, he pointed to a village not far from the roadside and said, "There is a village over there. I'll call a few people to come and help."

"Why don't you go quickly?" the young man in blue urged.

The coachman stood still with a smile on his face, "They won't help us for free. They have to give us money to give instructions."
Chapter completed!