Chapter 730 Ready
He rubbed his hands diligently and glanced at the slightly bulging purse on Wang Jianguo's waist.
Wang Jianguo helped Yang Huaixi around the muddy horse trough, and the soles of his boots made a crackling sound as they rolled over the gravel.
Yang Huaixi groaned with every step he took, and cold sweat dripped down his chin onto his faded collar.
Deep in the carriage shop, a maroon two-horse carriage was shining brightly in the twilight. Faded blue curtains hung at the corners of the elm shed, and the brass shafts were polished to a shine.
“This one.”
Wang Jianguo's fingertips stroked the exquisite carvings on the shaft of the carriage, and the dark red wood texture underneath was revealed where the paint had peeled off.
He remembered that just now in the black market, Yang Huaixi was curled up in a haystack with a high fever, and the stench of the wound mixed with the moldy smell was nauseating.
If we had this covered carriage, at least we could shelter from the wind and rain.
"Good eyesight, sir!"
The guy's eyes lit up.
"This is a second-hand item that Boss Zhang bought from Beijing. The shock-absorbing cowhide springs are all original! If you want to rent it, it's five dollars a day. If you want to buy it..."
He deliberately dragged out the last word and raised three fingers in the halo of the lantern.
"Thirty dollars in cash, one price!"
Wang Jianguo took out the banknotes wrapped in oil paper and counted to the twentieth one with his thumb dipped in saliva when Yang Huaixi suddenly grabbed his wrist.
The young man's palms were cold, and the blood seeping from under the bandages had turned his cuffs dark red:
“Brother Jianguo, this… this is too expensive.”
He was breathing heavily, and the veins on his forehead were throbbing.
"We can just rent an ordinary convertible and tie up a tarpaulin to block the wind. The money saved will be enough to buy food for half a month."
Wang Jianguo looked at the waiter's face which suddenly turned cold, then lowered his head to look at Yang Huaixi's lips which were bluish-gray.
The sound of clappers could be heard in the distance, and the night watchman's long-drawn shouting "Be careful with fire!" sounded particularly harsh in the quiet alley.
He gently pried open Yang Huaixi's fingers and stuffed the bill into the clerk's palm:
“Just buy this one.”
He turned to his brother who seemed to be hesitant to speak, and spoke in a very low voice.
"The night you were unconscious, I touched your hot body and swore that I would never let you suffer again."
The dim oil lamp in the carriage shop swayed in the wind. Wang Jianguo loosened his grip on the shaft of the carriage, and beads of sweat appeared on his palms.
When he turned around, the light from the lantern stretched Yang Huaixi's shadow very long, casting it obliquely on the mottled earth wall, like a crumbling crack.
There was still tidal sweat on the young man's pale face, and the blood stains oozing from the edge of the bandage had almost turned black in the night.
"Brother Yang, the journey to the Great Northern Wilderness is long."
Wang Jianguo's voice was very low, but it carried an unquestionable weight. He reached out and patted the thick elm wood shed of the carriage, making a dull sound?
"If we rent a carriage, in addition to the round-trip fare, we also have to pay for the driver's return trip."
"Just think about it. How much difference does this round trip make compared to the money I spent on buying the car?"
As he spoke, he pulled out a crumpled map from his pocket, spread it out on the edge of the carriage, and ran his dry branch-like fingers across the crooked lines on it.
"We had to climb three mountains and cross five rivers along the way. It was all in a deserted area and there was no place to change cars."
Yang Huaixi opened his mouth to refute, but was interrupted by a violent cough.
Upon seeing this, Wang Jianguo hurriedly took out the kettle from his waist and handed it to him. Looking at the veins bulging on his brother's neck as he drank from it, his heart couldn't help but tremble.
After Yang Huaixi calmed down a little, he continued:
"As the old saying goes, a poor family makes a rich journey. We'd rather have some extra money on the road than be helpless in a pinch."
He paused, looking out at the dark night sky outside the car shop. In the distance, there was a faint wolf howl, which was particularly creepy in the silent night.
"Besides, you don't know the Great Northern Wilderness."
He lowered his voice even more, as if he was talking to himself.
"Even though it's spring here, the nights there are so cold that they can freeze your bones."
As he spoke, he lifted the curtain of the carriage, revealing the remaining wool felt pad inside.
"We have a carriage with a covered carriage, which can at least protect us from the wind and snow. We can take turns driving the carriage, and we can lie down and rest when we are tired. If we rent a convertible..."
He didn't continue speaking, but just looked at Yang Huaixi's wound meaningfully.
Yang Huaixi was silent for a long time, his Adam's apple moved, and he finally swallowed back the words that were about to come out of his mouth.
He reached out and touched the smooth shaft of the carriage, his fingertips touched the depression in the carvings, and suddenly he remembered the way Wang Jianguo stuffed the last half of the biscuit into his hand.
The night wind blew sand and dust into the car park, making the lanterns crackle, but it could not blow away the warmth between the two people.
"Okay, I'll listen to you."
Yang Huaixi pulled the corners of his mouth, revealing a smile that was uglier than crying.
"When we get to the Great Northern Wilderness, we can sell this car and maybe even get a few acres of land in exchange."
As he spoke, he suddenly staggered. Wang Jianguo quickly supported him. The shadows of the two overlapped on the ground, like an old tree with tangled roots.
When the waiter nearby saw that the deal was done, he immediately came up with a smile on his face, rubbing his hands and asking if he wanted some more fodder.
Wang Jianguo waved his hand, took out the remaining bills from his pocket, counted them carefully and handed them to the other party.
When he took the reins on the shaft, he felt the rough touch of leather on his palms, as if he was holding hope leading to the unknown.
Wang Jianguo squatted beside the carriage and carefully checked the axle with the help of the lantern handed to him by the waiter.
The smell of rust mixed with horse sweat hit him in the face. His fingertips brushed over the worn wooden spokes and his brows were twisted into knots.
Yang Huaixi leaned against the shaft of the cart, and blood from the bandage dripped onto the bluestone slabs, forming dark red dots.
"Five more."
Wang Jianguo raised his chin towards the car dealership owner without even turning his head.
"Put on the thickest quilts in your warehouse, enough to cover the entire carriage."
The boss rubbed his greasy palms together and smiled, with vegetable leaves stuck to his back teeth:
"Sir, be open-minded!"
When he turned around, the hem of his coarse shirt brushed across Wang Jianguo's shoulders, bringing with it a smell of cheap tobacco leaves.
Soon, three guys came out carrying oilcloth and quilts. The coarse cotton wool looked grayish under the light.
Wang Jianguo personally climbed onto the carriage, stacked the quilts layer by layer on the straw, and carefully nailed the oilcloth to the four corners of the shed until not a breath of wind could get through the gaps.
The sound of a clapper broke the night sky, it was already three o'clock in the morning. In the distance, dogs barked, coming closer and closer, startling the chestnut horse pulling the cart and paddling its hooves restlessly.
Wang Jianguo took out his pocket watch and looked at it. The bloodshot in his eyes was reflected on the copper surface.
Just then, hurried footsteps were heard from the alley entrance. Douzi came stumbling over, holding some dry food wrapped in oil paper. There was white frost on the front of his cotton-padded jacket, and it was obvious that he was traveling in the snow.
“Brother Wang!”
The boy was breathing heavily, with ice crystals on his eyelashes.
"I bought compressed biscuits and bacon, and filled four bottles of salt water!"