Quick Transmigration: Underdog Turns out to be Untouchable

Chapter 65: Chapter 65: The Sin of Gender 65

The small leader led two soldiers guarding the city gate, circling around a few ox carts in the caravan, especially around Uncle He’s cart, because there was a big wild boar on it!

The more the small leader looked at the wild boar, the more he coveted it. He couldn’t help but glance sideways at everyone before coughing.

In a long, drawn-out tone, he said, ”You have so much stuff on your carts, you’ll need to pay an entry tax. Seeing as you’re outsiders and don’t know our local customs, I’ll kindly inform you: everyone has to pay a tax to enter the city. For such large carts like yours, each should pay at least a hundred coins to get in.”

One hundred coins per cart, with fourteen ox carts in total, meant one thousand four hundred coins, a small tael and a half of silver! How could the entry tax be so expensive? It was practically daylight robbery!

For a moment, everyone was indignant, but the mighty dragon cannot suppress the local snake. They couldn’t do anything against the small leader trying to extort them, and they certainly couldn’t skip entering the city. They still needed to pass through the county to reach the border city.

However, if they actually gave them money, while not impossible to afford, the thought of it was infuriating. They’ve passed through major state mansions and county cities before, never having to pay a tax, and even receiving the court’s grain allocated to them as common people willingly going to the border city!

They weren’t willing to give money, yet couldn’t proceed without paying, leaving everyone at a loss for a solution, stuck facing the city gate. The small leader, having done such things many times, wasn’t in a hurry, swaggering while waiting for them to compromise.

Initially not planning to get involved, Qin Shuangshuang, seeing the situation, could only step forward. They couldn’t actually spend a tael and a half of silver just to enter a city! In her past life, Qin Shuangshuang had traveled around with various masters and had seen such things before.

She stepped forward, first gently picking up the wild boar and tossing it aside onto an empty space. With a thud, it seemed the ground trembled, then she drew a sickle, easily slicing off the boar’s massive head as if reaping wheat!

Qin Shuangshuang, holding the boar’s head in one hand and the sickle that gleamed with a sharp light for slicing the boar’s head in the other, approached the small leader, smiled slightly, and said, ”Brother, we are disaster-stricken people relocated to the border. We spent all our silver during the calamities back at home, and we truly have no money to pay the entry tax. To be frank, these ox carts were gifted by our County Magistrate when we left, and the grain on the road was provided by passing state mansions and county cities. Fortunately, my master and I have some strength to hunt game for supplementing, or we wouldn’t have made it this far.”

As she spoke, she moved the boar’s head forward, continuing to smile, ”This boar head is a gift for you to enjoy with your wine. Please, brother, do us a favor, let us enter the city to retrieve the grain, so we can continue to the border city. If there is truly no room for leeway, we’ll have to take a detour, but that’s a long way and too hard on some of the elderly with us who can’t withstand such hardship!”

Qin Shuangshuang’s demeanor balanced firmness with gentleness, first using Martial Power to intimidate, followed by pleasantries to avoid deeply offending the other party, and then proceeded with a threat!

The Emperor is keeping a close eye on border resettlements right now. If Qin Shuangshuang and her group had to detour because they couldn’t enter the city, the County Magistrate in the city would undoubtedly bear the consequences! The first one he wouldn’t forgive is that small leader!

The moment Qin Shuangshuang casually lifted the wild boar and threw it to the ground, then nonchalantly chopped off the boar’s head, that small leader was already shocked witless!

Now, seeing Qin Shuangshuang speaking with both soft and hard elements, giving him a way out while subtly threatening, the small leader could only awkwardly smile as he took the boar’s head and waved them through! He didn’t mention the entry tax again!

After Qin Shuangshuang and the others entered the city, the small leader sighed to his two subordinates, ”This little girl looks about ten years old, yet she’s frighteningly shrewd. I wonder what kind of family raised such a formidable girl!”

After sighing, he looked at the boar’s head in his hands, feeling joyful again. Although he didn’t get any silver, obtaining a hefty wild boar head weighing more than ten pounds was a substantial gain. He said to his few subordinates, ”Brothers, come to my place tonight. Let your sister-in-law cook this boar head, and we can have a feast!”

Hearing this, a cheer went up at the city gate. Although these guards earn salaries, getting to eat meat isn’t easy!

Once Qin Shuangshuang entered the city, they went to collect the grain. This time, no one gave them a hard time; the grain was handed out smoothly! They entered the city, got the grain, and next up was to quickly cook, eat, and then leave the city before dark, covering a few more miles and finding a place to set up camp!

There were too many of them; passing through the city was permissible, but staying wasn’t possible, as there weren’t any places large enough for them to reside in.

Moreover, in the eyes of city folks, these settlers were akin to vagrants. If they truly stayed overnight in the city, likely no one in the city would get any sleep! The County Magistrate wouldn’t permit them to linger within the walls either!

The group found a patch of empty land. A few men carried buckets slung from poles to fetch several loads of water from a well. The rest prepared dry wood and branches to light a bonfire, set up a pot, and the women and children took out the wild vegetables they had previously gathered. Soon, the water was fetched, and the pot was set.

They boiled water, removed the pig’s bristles, and cleaned it before cooking the meat. They filled the clean pig intestines with pig’s blood to make blood sausages, but not long after the blood sausages were in the pot, Qin Sheng was seen poking holes in each one with a needle.

The children surrounded the pot, drooling at the sight of the meat. Curiously, they asked Uncle Qin Sheng why he was poking holes with a needle. Qin Sheng explained that it was to prevent the casing from bursting, to let out steam. The children seemed to understand and waited patiently.

The fresh wild boar meat, when cooked, smelled so good that children from the county couldn’t help peeking from afar.

Everyone had a delicious meal and fed the hardworking oxen something good. Afterward, they leisurely drove the carts out the city gate, continuing their journey.

They took the official road after leaving the city. It was smooth and easy to walk on. As they traveled, they chatted, mostly fantasizing about building a new home and living a good life at the border city!

Qin Shuangshuang felt quite cheerful. In her previous life, she’d traveled from south to north, and journeying was ordinary, yet it was her first time on such a laid-back journey, prompting her to observe the travelers along the way.

There were people walking, riding donkeys, and sitting on ox carts, those riding big mules. She even saw a wealthy family traveling on the main road in a fast-moving cart pulled by two big mules, sparking her interest. Qin Shuangshuang thought about buying two mules and a nice cart when they reached the border city, to take her mother and Qin Miao Fang Yao out for fun. It seemed so delightful just thinking about it!

While Qin Shuangshuang was pondering where to take her mother, she heard a commotion ahead. Frowning, she looked over, seeing a large crowd gathered together for some unknown reason.

Taking a few steps forward, Qin Shuangshuang saw a Middle-aged man lying unconscious in front of Uncle He’s leading ox cart!