From Hoarding to Time-Travel: My Supplies Saved Him

Chapter 424: Chapter 425: Useless Teammates

Yu Lu’s interest was piqued as well. She had once been fortunate enough to taste the He Family’s secret brew from Hua City at a gathering, and she still savored the memory.

However, everyone knew the wine’s annual production was low. Even the He Family only served it at a few banquets each year. No matter how much she craved it, she couldn’t bring herself to ask for any.

Now, watching Jin Qianqian’s little performance, she couldn’t help but feel a flicker of hope.

Yang Wenlan said, "You have the gall to bring this up? That blockhead of a husband of mine already sent our entire stock over to Mr. Gu. Don’t tell me you’ve finished it all already?"

Jin Qianqian put on an innocent smile. "How can one ever have too much of a good thing? And because Mr. He provided such excellent wine, the number of guests looking for a free meal at my place has skyrocketed lately. Naturally, we had to have a few drinks. If you don’t believe me, you can ask Mr. He when you get home. I always treat him to the best food and wine."

Yang Wenlan couldn’t help but laugh, playfully tapping Jin Qianqian’s forehead. "I’ve never met anyone as shameless as you! So you’re telling me that when my husband is a guest at your house, I’m the one supplying the good wine.

But Mr. Gu isn’t in Shangjing anymore, so you can save on all that food and wine."

Jin Qianqian replied, "Sister Yang, that’s where you’re wrong. Even though my husband has traveled far for his new post, we mustn’t neglect ourselves. An occasional drink under the bright moon might even inspire a bout of poetic creativity."

Yang Wenlan said, "Just admit you’re thirsty. No need to put on such elegant airs. But no matter what you say, this year’s batch hasn’t even left the cellar, so I definitely don’t have any for you.

And there’s no use playing pitiful with me. Your big sister won’t short you when it’s ready."

She remembered how Jin Qianqian and her husband had prepared all the necessary ingredients themselves, so the wine brewer had set aside a special batch for them this year.

Jin Qianqian sighed. "I was hoping to satisfy my craving before I leave the capital. Sister Yang, please remember to save some for me."

Yang Wenlan and Yu Lu’s expressions grew solemn. "You’re going to follow him to Lu City? Are you mad? Do you know what it’s like there now?"

"You’ve misunderstood, my dear sisters," Jin Qianqian said. "I’m just returning to Fu County in a few days. As for Lu City, won’t he have to wait until spring to travel there?

The roads are likely blocked by ice and snow by now. I have no idea how far my husband has even managed to travel."

***

Gu Wenheng sat speechlessly in his carriage, watching the three other carriages struggling to advance behind him.

’These must be what they call ’dead-weight teammates,’’ he thought.

The road was completely iced over. He had told them ages ago to prepare straw mats, but they hadn’t paid him any mind. Now, here they were. With the carriages on a slick sheet of ice and no mats on the wheels for traction, how could they possibly move steadily?

Besides, there were only a handful of them. Even with the Attendant Students and guards out pushing the carriages, how much speed could they possibly gain?

Everyone was already exhausted from the continuous journey, yet these men still refused to listen to reason. Gu Wenheng had half a mind to wash his hands of the whole affair and proceed to the next town to wait for them.

They had been struggling on this small slope for nearly a quarter of an hour. ’But these men are really something else,’ he thought. ’Still too proud to ask for help. So why should I be the one to offer?’

Inside their respective carriages, the three other officials were each secretly hoping one of the others would be the first to speak.

Back at the previous posthouse, Mr. Gu had advised them to prepare straw mats. The Posthouse Minister had reminded them as well. But seeing the sun high in the sky, they dismissed it as needless worry. They had agreed in words but had taken no action.

Who would have thought the winter weather could be so fickle? The morning sun had been wonderfully warm, but then the temperature had plummeted in an instant.

A carriage gave another lurching slide. This time, He Gaofei dared not remain inside. Tearing open the carriage curtain, he yelled, "Let me out!"

He hated the biting cold, but his life was more important. Even though the slope wasn’t steep and was lined with trees, if the carriage were to flip, his mortal body would not survive unscathed.

The other two officials had been holding out, but seeing someone else make the first move, they quickly followed suit and exited their carriages.

The three of them stood there, watching the carriage that was already up the slope, all clenching their fists. ’He has so many guards with him, yet he can’t even be bothered to send one over to help.’

He Gaofei watched his horses struggle to pull the carriage forward, only to immediately slide back down. He was once again relieved he had made the choice to get out.

He knew the carriage was too heavily laden. Even with the guards’ horses helping to pull, they still couldn’t get it up the slope. Gritting his teeth, he said, "Unload some of the cargo. We need to get the carriage up the hill first.

Otherwise, we won’t reach the next town before nightfall."

A guard beside him whispered, "My lord, the contents of the carriage are too numerous and scattered. Even if we unload everything, we might not make it up."

He Gaofei snapped, "I know you’re all just looking for an excuse to be lazy! A whole group of grown men, and you can’t push a single carriage up a hill? Are you just waiting for others to do your work for you?

You can forget about that idea right now. Do you not understand the circumstances of our family? I expect every one of you to work like ten men!"

At his words, even his own guards were left speechless. They could only lower their heads and join the others in hastily unloading the carriage.

Wu Yichen said, "Mr. He, to be fair, this is our own fault for not heeding the advice we were given. I suppose we deserve this lesson.

Let’s just focus on finding a way to get through this."

He Gaofei shot him a look. "And what happens after we get through this? We’ve barely begun our journey and it’s already this hard. We still have thousands of miles ahead of us. Don’t you realize things will only get more difficult?"

This was the source of his mounting frustration. He would rather give up this "opportunity" and just stay idle in Shangjing until his honorable retirement.

Lu Shenggen chimed in, "We’ve been so preoccupied with making haste that we’ve forgotten to build a rapport with Mr. Gu. We’ll all be working together from now on; it’s best if we’re not on such stiff terms."

Everyone present knew he was right. But they were from old, aristocratic families and had navigated the currents of officialdom for years. It was only natural they’d feel resentful being placed under the authority of a young upstart.

Throughout the journey, they had maintained a facade of respect, but in truth, they looked down on him. The three of them had stuck together, never imagining they would end up being the butt of his joke.

"Mr. Lu has a point," Wu Yichen, who was no fool, immediately chimed in.

"Don’t underestimate this Mr. Gu," He Gaofei said, still feeling defiant. "For someone to get promoted so quickly... who knows what sort of connections he’s pulled?"

"Mr. He, be careful what you say," Lu Shenggen cautioned. "For now, let’s just figure out how to get these carriages up the slope."

He Gaofei snorted, then took the lead by moving his own bags. As he reached for a sack of grain, the nearby guard, not daring to stand by idly, quickly ushered him aside and took over the task.