Chapter 240 - 240 Jiang Danhe's Considerations
240 Jiang Danhe’s Considerations
She had thought that it was a kitten, but it turned out to be a big tiger…
Zhuang Zhuang carefully tugged at Xiaoguo’s arm and asked, “Mother, are we going in?”
“We’re already in…” Xiaoguo swallowed. The pressure was overwhelming. She felt inexplicably nervous. It didn’t feel right, coming to this place to deliver personal letters…
This was the first time she had encountered something like this. She might have been influenced by the appearance of the building. If it had been a run-down building or a small inn, she would have just posted the letter and gone home.
But it was too late to leave, because someone had discovered her and was walking towards her…
“You’re here.”
The voice sounded a little familiar. Xiaoguo looked at the person. “It’s you!”
The person who walked over was the courier who often delivered letters to Xiaoguo. He had nothing to do today, so he stayed at the courier station to help. Coincidentally, he saw a familiar figure in the courtyard. When he walked closer, he saw that he was right.
Xiaoguo was relieved to see someone she knew. Being in an unfamiliar place, she felt more at ease to see someone that she was acquainted with.
“Are you here to post a letter?”
The courier was guessing why Xiaoguo was here. In fact, he could tell from the day she asked for his address, that she might have a letter to deliver.
After Xiaoguo nodded, the courier led her into the hall.
“Will my donkey cart be in the way?”
Just in case, she still parked the donkey cart in a corner. However, she was still afraid that her cart would block the way of the carriages.
The courier took a look and shook his head. “It’s okay. You can leave it there.”
Xiaoguo was relieved. The oppressiveness of the place made her become overly cautious.
Zhuang Zhuang was not as reserved as Xiaoguo. When he just entered, he was a little nervous. But gradually, he became more relaxed. If Xiaoguo wasn’t holding his hand, he would have started exploring the place.
Xiaoguo pulled Zhuang Zhuang closer. It was better not to run around blindly in this place. It would be terrible if he bumped into something. He should just stay by her side obediently. They would leave right after delivering the letter.
The person-in-charge of registration was not in the lobby, so they could only wait inside.
She started to feel less reserved after a while. At least she was able to start gathering information from the courier.
“Madam, is this your first time here?” The courier was sharp-eyed. He could tell at a glance that she had never visited the place before.
Xiaoguo smiled and nodded. “This place is much bigger than I imagined.”
“Of course. Although we can’t compare to those post stations in Suzhou, we’re the only one of this scale within a hundred-mile radius in this region.” The pride in the courier’s tone was obvious.
Xiaoguo listened attentively and analyzed what he meant. There was one post station every 30 miles. So in actual fact, there were actually many other post stations around here. The size of this relay station was medium-sized, and those around here were mainly small ones.
If a medium-sized station already looked like this, then what does a large one look like?
Xiaoguo was a little curious. Since there was a post station, why didn’t they stay at one the last time they went to the capital? Why did they have to stay in an inn within the county?
Were they trying to save the country’s resources…
The more she thought about it, the more likely it seemed. Xiaoguo shook her head and pulled herself back from her thoughts. Just as she was about to ask something, she was attracted by the sounds of horses neighing outside. The courier rushed out the moment he heard the commotion.
Startled, Xiaoguo pulled Zhuang Zhuang closer and put away the letter for Jiang Danhe.
Zhuang Zhuang was very curious. When he heard the commotion, he wanted to pull her out to watch the commotion.
Xiaoguo was actually a little curious as well, so she followed his lead and went out.
As soon as she went out, she saw the main entrance. The gatekeeper, who wasn’t there earlier, was now standing at the door and controlling the traffic at the entrance. It was too far to tell the exact number of people standing there. In any case, there were about three to four visible faces.
The few men led the horses and handed the gatekeeper something that looked like a token. Xiaoguo narrowed her eyes and continued to watch. The gatekeeper glanced at the token before letting them in.
Xiaoguo was a little surprised. She did not go through this check when she came in earlier. Would she have problems going out later…?
Zhuang Zhuang was not as worried as Xiaoguo. When he saw the big horses rushing towards the backyard, he was itching to follow them so that he could check out the stables.
Xiaoguo tightened her grip on Zhuang Zhuang. Seeing that he was about to go out again, she pulled him back.
At this moment, the courier came in. He was accompanied by the officer-in-charge of registration.
When this person saw Xiaoguo, he immediately wanted to bow. This gave her a fright and she quickly pulled Zhuang Zhuang away. She didn’t like these formalities.
“Please forgive me for not coming out to welcome you, Madam.”
“Don’t…” Xiaoguo paused. How did he know that she was the general’s wife? She changed the subject. “It’s okay.”
Since he had already called her Madam, she could not embarrass Jiang Danhe. She could only acknowledge him.
“I must have startled you just now, Madam. I really deserve to die!”
Xiaoguo sized up the unattractive little old man and nodded at his introduction. So he was the supervisor here. She had thought that he was a courier in charge of registration.
“This is our postmaster.”
The courier behind the old man introduced Xiaoguo again.
“Hello, hello.” Xiaoguo smiled and said, “I wasn’t startled.”
Hearing her words, the two of them were relieved. It was good that they had not frightened the mother and child. The general had instructed them specifically…
The postmaster then explained the commotion earlier. There was an urgent letter that had to be sent to the capital. The few men had come in to change horses midway. As it was an urgent matter, it was inevitable that there would be a commotion.
Xiaoguo nodded in understanding. “I see.”
Then, she handed the letter and a small package to them. She also gave them the address in detail. To the people in the courier station, this was just going through the motions. After all, everyone in the post station knew the general’s wife. Naturally, the posting address would be the general’s residence.
Xiaoguo prepared to make the payment. After all, her letter was not some official correspondence. They shouldn’t exploit public resources, so she would feel better if she paid for the service.
Unexpectedly, when they saw the money, they exaggeratedly said that it was their honor to send letters for her. If they were to collect money, it would be as good as committing a crime.
They said that it was alright, but Xiaoguo had goosebumps when she heard that. This was the first time she had truly felt the weight of Jiang Danhe’s identity. There were really special privileges…
In fact, the privileges could be seen from the moment she entered the post station. For example, she didn’t need a token to enter or leave the place. She was also the first commoner to enter this place to send out family correspondence. The postmaster even attended to her personally.
During this time, because Zhuang Zhuang had accidentally revealed his curiosity about this place, the sharp-eyed postmaster saw him and quickly called for someone to show him around.
When Xiaoguo was leaving the courier station with the donkey cart, she received a personal farewell from the courier. He was so enthusiastic that Xiaoguo would think twice about coming back the next time.
Even after Xiaoguo had walked far away, she still couldn’t figure out how they knew that she was Jiang Danhe’s wife.
At the courier station, not long after Xiaoguo left, the postmaster had already assigned someone to quickly send the letter to Jiang Danhe.
As for why they knew the general’s wife, it was because Jiang Danhe had sent someone to introduce her some time back.
He had even visited the station personally two months ago. At first, they did not believe that it was Jiang Danhe that they were seeing. The general should be in the capital at this moment. How could he possibly appear at this place? It was only when he showed them the token that they were convinced.
What Jiang Danhe meant was for them to pay attention. He even showed them Xiaoguo’s portrait and told them to grant her access if she came. If she wished to send a letter to him, then they should make arrangements and send someone to deliver it.
Ever since that day, everyone has had a portrait of Xiaoguo. What they did every day was to look at her portrait to remember her face. By now, everyone could not forget her face even if they wanted to.