Fang Cheng was a young man of few words. After Jiang Ning and Liu Ming'an boarded the carriage, he only said, "We've now left the boundaries of Lingshan Town" at dusk, and nothing more.
As darkness fell, the carriage traveled along a deserted road. No villages or fields could be seen around them, as if they had entered an uncultivated wasteland.
Liu Ming'an peered out the window and politely asked, "Young Brother Fang Cheng, aren't we going to rest tonight?"
A reply came promptly from outside the carriage: "Young Master, we will rest. The horses have been running half the day and need water and food. In about two hours, we'll reach a riverbank where we'll spend the night."
Liu Ming'an responded with a simple "Alright."
Sure enough, two hours later, the carriage stopped at a riverbank lush with wild grass.
Jiang Ning, who had been sitting in the carriage for half a day on a hard bench without a backrest, was already quite uncomfortable. As soon as the carriage stopped, she immediately climbed out of the compartment, pushed off the shaft with her hand, and jumped down from the carriage.
Jiang Ning had removed her veil after boarding the carriage. Having left Lingshan Town, she no longer needed to worry about encountering people from Lotus Flower Village, so there was no need to wear it anymore.
By the time Liu Ming'an gracefully descended from the carriage, supporting himself against the carriage wall, Jiang Ning had already run to the riverside to wash her hands.
When Jiang Ning alighted from the carriage, Fang Cheng caught a clear view of her face and his eyes flashed with amazement. He had assumed this woman was covering her face because of disfigurement or extreme ugliness, but he never expected her to be so strikingly beautiful.
However, upon seeing Liu Ming'an emerge next, with his dignified appearance and upright posture, Fang Cheng thought that the two indeed made a well-matched pair.
"Young Master, please wait here while I take the horse to water," Fang Cheng said as he began to undo the harness and reins from the horse. Seeing this, Liu Ming'an immediately went over to help.
"We're resting here tonight, right? Should we build a fire?" Liu Ming'an asked.
Liu Ming'an's friendly demeanor and gentle voice put Fang Cheng at ease, making him less formal than before. He smiled and said, "I used to build fires when I was alone. Young Master, please wait until I've watered the horse."
Liu Ming'an helped Fang Cheng remove the carriage frame from the horse, then watched as he led the animal to the riverside. After the horse lowered its head to drink, Fang Cheng lengthened the reins and tied them to a tree by the river, allowing the horse to graze freely.
Liu Ming'an suddenly realized he hadn't seen Jiang Ning for a while. Hearing a rustling sound behind him, he turned to see Jiang Ning dragging several dry tree branches.
"Madam, why are you gathering firewood?" Fang Cheng asked, quite surprised, as he returned from tethering the horse.
"It's no trouble, we're all the same here," Jiang Ning replied casually.
The branches were too long, so Jiang Ning grasped one end and snapped them against her knee. With a crisp "crack," the branches as thick as two fingers broke easily. In no time, she had broken the branches into suitable lengths for firewood.
"You can light the fire now," Jiang Ning said to Fang Cheng, who nodded eagerly, inwardly feeling relieved.
Earlier, when Fang Cheng heard from his boss that he would be giving two people a ride to Wine Selling Town, he had been quite annoyed. He had experienced similar situations before, where the passengers treated him like a servant, ordering him around and making the journey unpleasant.
This time, when his boss told him to take two people along, Fang Cheng could only curse the "beast" in his heart and nod in agreement.
However, to Fang Cheng's surprise, this couple was completely different from his previous passengers. The man was courteous, and the woman was quiet but capable. Neither of them caused any trouble; in fact, they even made things easier for him.
Finally, I've met some good people, Fang Cheng thought.
After lighting the fire, Fang Cheng watched the couple nibble on their dry biscuits and decided to share some of the braised beef his wife had made.
"Young Master, Madam, please have some of this with your food. My wife made it, and it's delicious!" Fang Cheng said, opening a greased paper package containing strips of beef.
Appreciating his kindness, Liu Ming'an smiled and took two pieces along with Jiang Ning. They wrapped the beef in their dry biscuits, which was indeed much better than eating the biscuits alone.
"Thank you, Young Brother!" Liu Ming'an said sincerely.
Fang Cheng, being straightforward, replied, "Oh, Young Master, no need for thanks! I'm only doing this because I like you two. I never bother with the others I've transported before."
Liu Ming'an was taken aback for a moment, then smiled.
The act of sharing food brought the three closer together. With the long night ahead, they began to chat about various topics. Of course, it was mostly Liu Ming'an and Fang Cheng talking, while Jiang Ning listened without interjecting.
It turned out that Fang Cheng wasn't actually a man of few words; on the contrary, he was quite talkative.
By the time night had deepened and Fang Cheng bid them goodnight before lying down to sleep, he had clearly come to regard Liu Ming'an as a friend.
Fang Cheng slept fully clothed near the fire. Liu Ming'an turned to look at Jiang Ning beside him and found her staring absently into the flames.
"What's wrong? Are you tired? Why don't you lean on me and sleep?" Liu Ming'an asked Jiang Ning in a soft voice, careful not to disturb Fang Cheng.
Hearing this, Jiang Ning moved closer, and the two leaned against each other, spending the night sleeping under the open sky.
When they set off again the next day, Fang Cheng had become much more familiar with the couple. As he drove the carriage, he would occasionally introduce them to the names of places they passed and share interesting local stories and rumors.
The three arrived at Wine Selling Town on the third day.
Shortly after entering the town, Liu Ming'an and Jiang Ning noticed that almost every household had several large wine jars displayed in their courtyards. A faint smell of alcohol permeated the air, and they frequently saw people drinking as casually as if it were water. They even spotted seven or eight-year-old children hugging wine jars, their faces flushed red from drinking.
Liu Ming'an watched in amazement and couldn't help but ask Fang Cheng, "Do even the children in Wine Selling Town love to drink?"
Fang Cheng laughed heartily. "Young Master, the reputation of Great Liang Country's wine country is not undeserved! Everyone in Wine Selling Town grows up soaked in wine jars. Don't be fooled by their age – these seven or eight-year-olds could easily outdrink five men like you!"
As the carriage reached the main street, Fang Cheng suddenly exclaimed, "Oh!" and turned to the couple, saying, "If you're not in a hurry to continue your journey, you could stay in Wine Selling Town for a couple more days and enjoy the wine festival."
"Wine festival?" Liu Ming'an had never heard of such a thing.
"The wine festival is a unique holiday in Wine Selling Town, considered even more important than the New Year. Most families here make their living by selling wine. Every year on the fifth day of the tenth month, the local government organizes a wine festival, inviting guests from all over to taste wine and enjoy themselves. It's mainly to promote the local wines. Of course, with hundreds of wines and flavors, the festival is also an opportunity for winemakers to showcase their products, exchange ideas, recognize their own shortcomings, make timely improvements, and progress together."
"That sounds interesting," Jiang Ning said, her curiosity piqued. She turned to look at Liu Ming'an and saw that he too looked intrigued.
"Then let's stay for a couple more days and join in the festivities," Liu Ming'an said with a smile, looking at her.