Stockpiling for an Exiled General Through My Store's Back Door

Chapter 191: Chapter 191: Drink It From Cupped Hands?

”But these two look so refined. How come they only brought this kind of stuff for their relatives? No gold, silver, or jewels? I’ve seen other families slip in a massive bag of Silver.”

”Exactly! Neither of them brought anything good. Tsk, tsk. Maybe they look down on them for being exiled.”

The villagers watched their retreating backs, hearts full of curiosity and doubt. They had no idea who these two people were or what they were doing here, so quite a few of them quietly trailed behind to see which household they were visiting.

Hua Buwan and Ling Qianjun walked side by side. Both knew perfectly well that a crowd of nosy villagers was tailing them from a short distance away. Yet, they acted completely oblivious, continuing forward without so much as a backward glance. After all, the items in their hands, while practical, were far from valuable.

This entire outing was a deliberate act. Their goal was to let these villagers see them so that, in the future, Hua Buwan could openly enter the village as Ling Qianjun’s cousin.

The villagers trailing them, however, weren’t going to let such a prime gossiping opportunity slip by. They whispered and gossiped the entire way. Some critiqued the traditional outfits the pair wore, trying to estimate their worth. A few even boldly guessed which wealthy family from the prefecture they belonged to.

Soon, Ling Qianjun and Hua Buwan arrived at the stone house of the Ling family. The villagers following them pretended to just be passing by, chatting with those next to them while gazing into the distance or up at the sky.

From afar, Xu Panqing, Ling Yunge, and Ling Qianfan had already spotted Ling Qianjun and Hua Buwan approaching. However, they hadn’t expected the pair to be followed by such a large crowd of gossipy villagers. The three of them were quite nervous, unsure if Hua Buwan’s disguise as their relative would successfully fool the village. When a KNOCK echoed at the door, they exchanged a glance and got up to answer it.

The door opened, and Ling Yunge spoke first. ”Qianjun, you’re back! Hurry and come in.” She covertly studied the crowd’s expressions, trying to glean any clues from their faces.

Ling Qianjun gave a slight nod. ”This is Buwan. We will all be living here from now on, Buwan, so you should familiarize yourself with the place and visit often.” He then turned his gaze to the villagers behind him. ”Everyone, let’s get acquainted as well.”

Hua Buwan smiled and nodded at everyone in greeting.

At this moment, a villager couldn’t hold back any longer and asked, ”Are you really the cousin of this family? And the one next to you is their second son?”

Ling Qianjun nodded in confirmation. ”I’m part of this family. I went out early this morning to pick up my cousin for a visit, so I left before I could bump into anyone or say hello. It’s completely normal that you all don’t recognize me.”

Hua Buwan answered with natural grace, ”I’ve been traveling with my family, and I came specifically to visit Aunt Panqing.” Her tone was firm, compelling everyone to believe her words.

Seeing this, Xu Panqing hurriedly and warmly invited everyone inside to sit. ”Yes, yes, this is the niece from my maiden family! Since you’re all here, why don’t you come in for a cup of tea?”

The villagers looked at one another. After a brief moment of hesitation, they waved their hands in refusal.

There was no way they were going to drink tea. Couldn’t they see that there wasn’t a single teacup on the table inside? How were they supposed to drink? Cup the water in their bare hands?