There was no moon or stars in the sky.

Every family has lit up a lantern, and the carriage can only illuminate a small area around it, and it is surrounded by darkness.

The howls of animals occasionally came from the surroundings, which scared Xiao Cao in the carriage and burrowed into the old lady’s arms.

Uncle Ma got out of the carriage and quickly adjusted the positions of several carts in the convoy.

The carriage he drove with Gu Zhang was at the head of the group, and the carriage that Gu Sanlang was driving with his uncle was at the end.

The Eldest Uncle was from the mountains and often goes hunting in the mountains.

Although he was a bit older, over fifty, he was courageous and experienced. He was at the last of the group and could respond to any emergencies in time.

After adjustment, they kept moving forward.

The people walking were clinging to the side of the cart at this time. The unknown darkness was terrifying.

If they walk quickly, they will arrive there in two-quarters of an hour.

But this group of people was very tired after walking for a day, and it took almost half an hour to reach the inn that Uncle Ma mentioned.

Everyone was overjoyed when they saw the light in the inn.

The inn was surrounded by a low wall, which just meant to surround the place.

Everyone rushed inside, and the waiter at the door shouted: “We are—”

The group of people had no experience of going out, and their carts were not unloaded, so they all rushed into the inn.

Mrs. Qian found a bench and slumped down on it.

Mrs. Li’s body was already weak. Although she rested in the carriage several times along the way, she was no better than Mrs. Qian. She leaned on a chair and panted.

Li Chunhua and Mrs. Chen were in good condition. They hurriedly unpacked their bags and got water to drink.

The men were all gathered in front of the counter. Uncle Ma was asking the shopkeeper: “How much is the room in the inn?”

The shopkeeper glanced at their clothes and saw that they were all countrymen. He said slowly: “The upper room cost 1 tael of silver, with four buckets of hot water. The rest of the room cost 500 cents a night, with one bucket of hot water. The open area room costs 20 cents per head. You have to take care of your luggage. If you want bedding, you have to pay extra money.”

“The fodder for the animals costs 5 cents a bundle. If you want it, go find the waiter and buy it yourself.”

The village chief frowned and said: “Shopkeeper, the room that cost 20 cents, doesn’t it provide even with a bowl of water?”

The shopkeeper raised an eyebrow and said: “It’s nice enough to have a shelter from the wind for 20 cents. Do you still want some water?”

“If you want to drink water, you can buy it separately, 100 cents a barrel. If you want to drink it, you can collect firewood and burn it yourself.”

Zhang Laoda shouted first: “Isn’t the water you sell too expensive?”

The shopkeeper shook his head: “Do you know where this water comes from? The water in the well has dried up! I hired people to pick it up from the Yangshizi River more than 10 miles away. I have to pay dozens of coins for a bucket of water. If you find it expensive, go pick it out from the river yourself.”

Everyone was silent, the drought was getting more and more serious.

When they came out this morning, they also brought half a bucket of water.

Uncle Ma didn’t say anything and looked at everyone. He only cared about the journey. As for how everyone wanted to stay in the inn, each family had their ideas and he couldn’t control it.

The village chief spoke first: “My family will all live in the open room. Our journey is still long, money will be spent anywhere.”

“We’ll buy another bucket of water, and we’ll boil it ourselves.”

Everyone also thought that it would be more cost-effective to live in the open room.

The village chief has a family of eight, including the elder couple, two sons, two daughters-in-law, a ten-year-old grandson, and a nine-year-old granddaughter.

The village chief took out the money bag from his sleeve, and while counting the copper coins, he said to the shopkeeper: “I have two children at home, so I don’t need to pay, right?”

The shopkeeper rolled his eyes and said: “Why not? Doesn’t your children also take up space when sleeping?”