My Promotion Story Through Time Travel

Chapter 48 Found

"Hey, who are you?"

As Lin Ziping and his companions were about to walk through the alley, a woman's voice came from behind them.

The group turned around and saw a woman who looked to be about thirty or forty years old, with her hair in a bun, wearing faded clothes, and carrying a large basin of clothes.

Lin Ziping quickly stepped forward to help, preparing to lift the other side of the basin.

The woman stepped aside, warily looking the group up and down, and repeated, "Who are you?"

Lin Ziping reluctantly lowered his hand and said, "Sister, we're here to find someone. Do you know Tao Ju'an?"

The woman did not speak.

Upon seeing this, Ji Xun stepped forward, followed by two yamen runners: "Are there any families with the surname Tao around here?"

The woman showed obvious fear upon seeing the constables. She put down the basin containing the clothes, wiped her hands on the clothes, and curtsied, saying, "Greetings, Your Excellencies."

Fang Zhili stepped forward and asked, "Are there any families with the surname Tao around here?"

The woman pondered for a moment and said, "There's no one around here with the surname Tao."

Zhao Xiancheng slipped a few copper coins into the woman's hand: "Really no?"

The woman repeatedly refused, saying, "Sir, I've lived here for several years, and there's really no one with the surname Tao here."

The commotion attracted people from the surrounding area, and they gradually gathered around.

"You must be students of the academy," an old man in the crowd said.

The group exchanged glances and bowed to the crowd. Lin Ziping said, "We are students of Moshan Academy, and we have come here to find our classmates."

"Are there any families with the surname Tao around here?" Ji Xun asked.

The old man who had spoken earlier stepped forward and said, "There are no families with the surname Tao here, but I remember that the third son's family has the surname Tao. He has a nephew who is studying at some academy and has been staying at his house for the past few years. Gouwazi, go and call your third uncle over."

The person who stayed there must have been Tao Ju'an.

Several people bowed to the old man, and the crowd gradually dispersed. A few children hid behind the alley, peeking out.

"Gentlemen, would you like to rest at my home for a while?" The old man asked Ji Xun, seeing the two constables following behind him.

Ji Xun cupped his hands and said, "Father-in-law, we are here to find our classmates, so it would be inconvenient to bother you too much."

The old man sighed: "You scholars still have the deepest sense of friendship."

Before long, the boy named Gouwazi came over with a man who was a little younger than the old man.

The old man saw the visitors and said, "Where is the third son who was staying at your house? These young adults are probably here to see him. Quickly call him out."

The man glanced at them, bowed to the group, and said, "That's my wife's child. She lives in Taojia Village and studies at Moshan Academy. She failed the prefectural exam recently and went home. Sigh, I thought she was going to be successful, but who knew..."

"Third brother." The old man interrupted the man and said to Ji Xun and the others, "Presumably, the person you young masters are looking for is in Tao Family Village."

The group looked at Lin Ziping, who nodded. The information matched, so Tao Ju'an must be from Taojia Village.

Ji Xun bowed to the old man and the man and said, "I suppose that is the person we are looking for. We would appreciate it if you could give us an address, father-in-law and uncle."

The old man nodded: "Third brother, give the address of Tao Family Village to the young masters."

The man nervously fidgeted with the hem of his clothes: "Alright, brother, I'll go and call my wife over so I can explain things to the young masters in detail."

Upon hearing this, the two constables thought for a moment and whispered something to Ji Xun.

Ji Xun gave an address and asked, "Is it this Taojia Village?"

The man nodded: "Yes, this is the place, about twenty miles from the city."

“We understand. Thank you, father-in-law. It’s getting late, so I’ll take my leave.” Ji Xun bowed to the old man and said goodbye.

Lin Ziping silently repeated the address that Ji Xun had mentioned to himself several times, preparing to go back and ask Butler Tao.

After the group left the north of the city, He Jinbao looked at his clothes with heartache: "The academy clothes are all covered in a layer of dust."

"Go back and wash up. Lin Ziping, are you going to Taojia Village?" Zhao Xiancheng asked.

Lin Ziping nodded: "I plan to take a break and go check it out."

“I’ll go with you. I’m on my day off anyway, so what are you guys doing?” Ji Xun asked the others.

Fang Zhili thought for a moment and said, "Go ahead, consider it a trip."

Zhang Mo and He Jinbao looked at each other, then nodded to the others: "Let's go."

The group turned their attention to Zhao Xiancheng.

"Why are you looking at me? If you all go, of course I'll go too. Aren't we brothers who go to brothels together and get punished together?"

"Don't say the word 'brother'."

"Lin Ziping was not punished along with us."

“It’s your business if your family punishes you, but it’s my fault if my uncle doesn’t punish me.”

……

The group chatted and laughed as they walked home in the afterglow of the setting sun.

During his day off, Lin Ziping reported his plan to visit Taojia Village to Lin Zhong. Lin Zhong expressed his support and arranged for the guard, Master Li, to accompany him. Granny Liao prepared several boxes of pastries, and Steward Tao packed some pork as a gift for their visit to the Tao family.

The group of twelve people rode in two carriages, each with a guard. After meeting at the city gate, they set off for Taojia Village.

After passing the county town, the road surface was not paved with gravel, revealing the underlying mud and deep ruts.

Having been in this era for almost a year, this was the first time Lin Ziping had ridden in a carriage on such a road. The carriage had no shock absorbers and was extremely bumpy, giving Lin Ziping a feeling of his soul leaving his body.

After an unknown amount of time, Master Li announced that they had arrived, and the group disembarked from the carriage.

Lin Ziping imagined seeing wisps of smoke rising from chimneys, picturesque scenery, farmers driving oxcarts along country lanes, and children running and playing on the roads.

But what they saw was indeed a scene of rising smoke and picturesque scenery, but not the warm and cozy one they had imagined. The road was littered with excrement and urine, and a group of children with long snot hanging from their noses stared at their carriage, their skinny bodies staring at them. The adults watched the carriage from the side and whispered among themselves.

Lin Ziping mocked himself for being foolish. He was also from a rural area, and it was only in recent years that roads had been built to connect every village, and the appearance of villages had changed dramatically. After seeing the beautiful new rural areas of the past, he unconsciously projected himself onto this era, fantasizing about seeing the idyllic paradise described by Tao Yuanming. But in this era of low productivity, even in the city there were "urban villages" in the north of the city, so it was normal for the countryside to be in such a situation.

Apart from He Jinbao, who looked somewhat surprised, the others remained largely unchanged.

"Is this Tao Family Village?" Ji Xun asked.

“Yes, young master,” Ji Xun’s guard replied.

"Let's go, don't just stand there. Find someone and ask where Tao Ju'an's house is, then we'll go together," Ji Xun said, patting Lin Ziping on the shoulder. He then instructed a guard to ask for directions.

Before long, the guards brought back a man, saying he was the village head of Taojia Village.

The group explained their purpose to the village head, who then led them toward Tao Ju'an's home.

Lin Ziping sighed with emotion, "After searching and searching, I have finally found it."