In years of famine and drought, their village even rejected fatty meat.

Chapter 491 A Village That Is Different From Others

That day, Tian Yu and the former prime minister talked for a long time. They talked about the barbarians beyond the Great Wall, their cruelty, and the hardships of the Great Wall army...

The former prime minister, having stepped down from his position, chatted with Tian Yu like an ordinary elder, as if they were old friends who had known each other for many years.

They talked about everything under the sun, from the Great Wall Army to the imperial court...

Those were the most relaxed days for Tian Yu. As the commander of the Great Wall Army, he held a high position and great power, and it was difficult for him to have a friend with whom he could talk about anything. However, the former prime minister was regarded by him as one of the friends with whom he could talk about anything.

In front of the former prime minister, Tian Yu no longer needed to wear a mask and could freely express his inner emotions.

However, happy times are always short-lived. After staying at the Great Wall for less than a day, the former prime minister bid farewell to Tian Yu. Tian Yu was naturally reluctant to part with him and asked him why he was in such a hurry.

The old man simply replied that he wanted to spend the last days of his life looking at the land of Kyushu, the land he had once governed, and the people living on this land.

Then, he left the Great Wall with his servants. As for his next destination, perhaps the old man himself did not know.

"If only he could continue to serve as prime minister."

Watching the old man leave, Tian Yu sighed softly. The old man truly had the will to change the world, but...

One person's strength is ultimately insignificant; one person alone is simply not enough to change this corrupt world.

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Two days later.

The entrance to Chenjia Village.

Yin Xiaoniang and her husband stood on the blue brick road, a look of bewilderment flashing in their eyes.

This is the instinctive reaction of humans as social animals when faced with unfamiliar environments.

The two men, who had walked from a small village outside the county town to Chenjia Village on their own two feet while eating barely edible dry rations, stepped into the territory of Chenjia Village.

The hard, smooth road beneath their feet, the bustling streets, and the dazzling array of shops gave Yin Xiaoniang and her husband a dreamlike feeling, as if they had stepped into a bustling city rather than a village.

"So many people!"

Compared to the two adults, the ignorant and fearless child behaved much better. Cao Yun looked at the pedestrians who passed by from time to time with curiosity in his eyes.

I was curious why this village called Chenjia Village was so clean and tidy, and even more curious why there was such a big difference between this village and the village where I grew up.

The village where I grew up had bumpy dirt roads, and apart from houses, there were no shops in the village.

Chenjia Village not only has smooth brick roads, but also all kinds of shops. In addition, Cao Yun saw many street vendors, and many children his age were either in groups of three or five, or led by adults, buying snacks and toys from the vendors.

"Mother, is this Chenjia Village?"

Cao Zhu, who is a bit older and more reserved, held her mother's hand, looking somewhat restrained.

Just like the migrant workers from China who came to the city to work in the early 20th century, when they stepped into the big city from the remote village, their first reaction was to marvel at the prosperity of the city, and then a little fear would arise in their hearts, feeling that compared with the glamorous and well-dressed people in the city, they were completely a country bumpkin.

"probably?"

Yin Xiaoniang answered uncertainly, explaining that she was certain this was Chenjia Village because she had asked for directions in Taiping County and arrived at Chenjia Village following the directions given by the passersby.

What made her uncertain was that... this place was so different from the village she remembered that she couldn't possibly consider it a village at all.

"Then how do we find our older brother?"

Cao Yun asked, swallowing hard as he looked at the snacks sold at the roadside stalls.

On the road, the family ate the simplest dry rations. In those days, the dry rations that ordinary people ate were almost tasteless, except for filling their stomachs.

Therefore, when Cao Yun smelled the aroma of food wafting from the roadside food stalls, his appetite was whetted.

"Shui-ge'er said in his letter that after we arrive at Chenjia Village, we can go to a shop called Qiaoshou Furniture Shop to find him. I wonder where Qiaoshou Furniture Shop is?"

Cao Qiang thought for a moment, then stopped a young man passing by and asked, "Excuse me, how do I get to Qiaoshou Furniture Shop?"

You guys don't know about Qiaoshou Furniture Shop?

The young man looked at Cao Qiang in surprise, then smiled and asked, "Is this your first time visiting Chenjia Village?"

"Yes, we've come to stay with relatives."

Cao Yun nodded.

Upon seeing this, the young man said enthusiastically, "No wonder you don't know Qiaoshou Furniture Shop. Qiaoshou Furniture Shop is one of the most famous furniture shops in Chenjia Village."

After saying this, the young man pointed ahead and said, "If you follow this road, you will soon see the Qiaoshou Furniture Shop."

"Okay, thank you, young man."

"You're welcome! Do you need me to show you the way?"

"no need."

After politely declining the young man's offer, Cao Yun led her family forward.

The further they walked, the more astonished the family became. The numerous shops lining the street were dazzling, and the well-dressed pedestrians passing by made them feel ashamed of themselves.

Compared to the well-dressed and neatly dressed villagers and workers of Chenjia Village, this family, who had traveled a long way, had dirty faces, and clothes patched up, looked almost like beggars.

At this moment, Yin Xiaoniang and Cao Qiang finally believed Cao Shuixin's description of Chenjia Village. Chenjia Village was indeed a fairyland, where everyone had a healthy complexion, food to eat, and new clothes to wear.

However, what they couldn't understand was why their village was so poor while Chenjia Village was so rich.

Obviously, no one could answer this question for them, so they took it with them to the door of the Qiaoshou Furniture Shop.

Qiaoshou Furniture Shop is no longer the only furniture shop in Chenjia Village, but it is the largest and most famous furniture shop in the entire village.

There weren't many customers in the furniture shop at the moment. One of the idle shop assistants saw Cao Qiang and his group of four outside the door and greeted them warmly, "Sir, would you like to buy some furniture?"

The man was very friendly and did not look down on Cao Qiang and his companions because of their shabby clothes. In fact, although the villagers and workers of Chenjia Village often showed a proud attitude towards outsiders, it was extremely rare for them to look down on others.