Chapter 368 Pingshi Town
We set out from Zhangzhou Prefecture early in the morning and walked for a whole day, but we still hadn’t reached the Gonghe Street Pier in Pingshi Town, nor the starting point of the Guangdong-Hunan Ancient Road.
The arrangements of the escort team are very regular, with clear plans on where to resupply, where to rest, and where to camp overnight.
The owner of Guangsheng Escort Agency is named Zhan, and the leader of the escort team this time is also named Zhan.
Sun Shan didn't know the exact origins of the Zhan family. He only heard that the escort agency was quite large and its headquarters was in Guangzhou.
There are over a hundred escorts in this escort team, and with the passengers the number reaches over two hundred.
Starting from Guangzhou Prefecture, we passed through Zhangzhou Prefecture on the way, picked up Sun Shan and other passengers heading north, and then continued on our journey.
Traveling with the escort team is like taking a long-distance bus. They pick up passengers at several fixed points, and some get on and some get off along the way. The price varies depending on the destination.
Sun Shan's destination this time is Changsha Prefecture. After arriving at the Chenzhou Prefecture distribution center, he will change from land to water and take a boat along the Xiangjiang River system to reach his destination, Changsha.
As for how to get on the boat, just follow the escort team, they will make all the arrangements clear.
Sun Shan thought that it would be impossible to travel alone. Not only would it be dangerous, he wouldn't even know the direction. So he had to pay a professional to take him there.
When we rested at night, Zhan Biaotou designated an inn for us to stay in. The price was reasonable and we could choose different room types.
Sun Boming chose a large room and the five members of the Sun family lived together.
Since it is spring and summer, the weather is quite comfortable, neither too cold nor too hot.
Sun Bomin spent money to buy five meals, each costing about 10 cents, which was not expensive.
It was cheaper than the farmhouse inn on the way from Huangyang County to Guangzhou Prefecture. A portion had a few slices of meat, a vegetable, sweet potato rice, and a bowl of boiling soup.
They took out the pickled side dishes brought by Sunjiacun from the package and shared them among everyone.
Since we are all family, no one has any objection if the food is simpler.
What's more, there is meat, vegetables and soup, and the portion is large, not worse than that in Sunjia Village.
Sun Shan had been sitting in the car for a whole day. His butt was sore, his whole body felt weak and he had no appetite.
After taking a few bites of the rice, he couldn't eat any more and shared the food with Gui Ge'er.
Sun Bomin asked worriedly, "Shanzi, how can you eat so little?"
Sun Shan didn't want to eat so little, but he really couldn't eat any more. He shook his head and said, "Dad, I had some pancakes this afternoon, so I'm still full. After I finished the soup, I really can't eat any more."
Sun Bomin was anxious but there was nothing he could do; Sun Shan simply couldn't eat.
As for Sun Dali, Gui Ge'er and Sun Dingnan, they enjoyed everything they ate and thought the food in the inn was good, better than what their wives cooked at home.
After Sun Dingnan had eaten and drunk his fill, he rubbed his stomach and whispered, "Many people in the team today are traders. It must be difficult for them to travel north. No wonder the merchants can make so much money."
Most of the passengers in this escort team were merchants, selling goods from Guangzhou Prefecture to Chenzhou or Changsha Prefecture. They carried large and small bags, boxes after boxes, which surprised the Sun family.
Although Sun Dali looks big and strong, he is just a country boy, just like country boys who go on a long journey for the first time, knowing nothing and being timid.
When riding in the car, he sat closely next to Sun Boming, and did not dare to ask questions or chat with others. When eating, he took whatever others gave him, and followed Sun Shan quietly.
Only when I arrived at the accommodation room and saw that it was full of acquaintances from the Sun family did I dare to relax.
He said to everyone: "This is the first time I have seen so many goods and so many dealers."
After a pause, he continued, "When they heard that Shanzi was a scholar, they all looked at him in surprise."
At this point, Sun Bomin said proudly: "Hehe, our Shanzi is a scholar, and Zhan Biaotou is quite polite to us. It seems that it is better to be a scholar, and people will look up to you wherever you go."
Sun Shan smiled when he heard what his fellow villagers said.
Zhan Biaotou has been a escort for many years and has met many different kinds of people.
In fact, he was polite not only to Sun Shan, but also to any traveler. It's just that Sun Shan was a scholar, so Zhan Biaotou showed a few more concerns about him. Such a simple action made Sun Boming and others feel that they were respected, and Zhan Biaotou was also a talent.
When you are out, make friends if you can, and if you can’t, at least don’t make enemies.
Especially since Guangsheng Escort Agency travels all over the country, it needs to build good relationships with people.
Sun Shan is a scholar and even more so a scholar. No matter how you look at it, his status is higher than anyone present, and the Zhan Escort Agency will definitely not offend him easily.
After dinner and a shower, Sun Dingnan took Sun Dali outside to check the situation before returning to the room to blow out the lights and go to bed.
Today’s journey was not tiring, or rather it was quite relaxing, because most of the time was spent in the car and everyone just felt a little tired from sitting there.
Sun Shan did not read the book in the car, nor did he read the book in the inn. It was not that he did not want to read, but that he did not have the energy to read.
Thinking that I have been studying for so many years, a few more days won’t make a difference. I might as well stop studying, completely relax, and just treat it as a trip.
The next morning, after breakfast, the escort team set out early.
Before resting yesterday, Team Leader Zhan had already informed us what time to get up and where to gather.
If some big shots fail to show up in time, Zhan Biaotou will arrange people to look for them.
Sun Shan was quite satisfied with the service of Guangsheng Escort Agency. Although the charges were a bit expensive, at least it gave people a very real feeling.
The group continued walking north along the official road, and at noon they finally arrived at the legendary Gonghe Street Pier in Pingshi Town.
Pingshi Town is known as "the first town in Lingnan and the northern gate of Guangnan". It is a triangular area where Guangnan Province, Huguang Province and Yuzhang Province meet. It is one of the commodity distribution centers of the three provinces and undertakes one of the main functions of human and logistics.
This is the intersection of three provinces, with people going north, south, and also transshipping goods.
Sun Shan and his companions were dazzled by the endless stream of merchants and the dazzling array of goods. They never thought that such a remote town could be so prosperous.
Sun Shan looked carefully and found a particularly magnificent building not far away. He asked the accompanying escort and was told that it was the "Guangtong Guild Hall."
When he heard the word "guild hall", Sun Shan understood what it was.
In fact, it is a hometown association, an organization that develops naturally for people to maintain the friendship and interests of fellow townsmen and colleagues, communicate about market conditions, and participate in business competition.
Escort leader Zhan arranged for Sun Shan and others to rest on one side of the dock. After that, no one knew where they went. When they came back, more than ten or twenty people joined the escort team, and the team became stronger again.
Escort Captain Zhan arranged for the escorts to check the number of people and the goods again. After making sure that all the people and goods were present, he led everyone to continue on their journey.
I don’t know how long I walked, but I walked out of the noisy town and into the vast mountains, and was about to enter the Nanling Mountains that run from west to east.