Chapter 271: Shelter

Chapter 271: Shelter
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
As night approached, darkness fell unusually early. A strong wind began to blow, and the few scattered leaves on the trees were blown off. Then, a few raindrops started to fall from the sky, gradually turning into a heavy downpour.
“It’s actually raining!”
Su Zhen was awakened by the rain. The three women beside him were using their hands to shield themselves from the rain, but he was oblivious, excitedly sitting up and catching raindrops with his mouth.
It’s no wonder he was so excited. Several provinces nearby hadn’t seen rain for a year. He had almost forgotten what rain felt like.
Jiang Chuan saw that the rain was getting heavier, and he hurriedly urged the horse forward.
There were no villages in sight, and finding an hotel for the night seemed unlikely. They could only hope to find shelter along the road.
Fortunately, their luck was good. In the middle of nowhere, they found a dilapidated thatched hut. The hut was empty, with broken doors and windows, but the roof was intact. It couldn’t block the wind but could shield them from the rain.
Jiang Chuan and Su Zhen gathered the dry hay inside, laying it against a sturdy wall to block the wind. Zhou Lan spread out an old quilt they brought for appearances, making the place look somewhat livable.
Su Zhen used to have the habit of bringing a raincoat when he went out, but it had not rained for a year. Bringing a raincoat took up space, so he went out empty-handed.
Every time he went out, he would go to the town to find a hotel at night. He had never lived in the wild like today.
Feeling embarrassed, Su Zhen said to Jiang Chuan, “Brother Jiang, I’m sorry. I wanted to make things easier for you, but it seems I’ve caused more trouble.” Jiang Chuan verbally reassured that everything was okay, but deep down he thought, if they hadn’t traveled with Su Zhen, they could have driven throughout the journey. Even if they ended up in such a shabby little house, they could at least take out the silk quilt from the car to cover themselves.
It was almost winter, and the temperature at night was getting lower and lower. It was warm for a group of people to squeeze together, but without a blanket, they would definitely fall sick the next day.
Of course, while Jiang Chuan had these thoughts, he didn’t resent Su Zhen. On the contrary, he felt quite fond of him.
Su Zhen was a businessman. Not only did he earn money for himself, but he also remembered the villagers around him. He generously distributed a lot of food to them. This was not only due to his kind-hearted nature but also because he had ample funds.
In the neighboring villages, there were roughly two hundred households. If each household were given five catties of grain, he would distribute a total of one thousand catties. And this wasn’t coarse grain mixed with sorghum rice, but pure wheat flour.
For those who might not have a clear idea of how much money Su Zhen had, a simple conversion would clarify.
One thousand catties of grain was equivalent to a hundred coins. Jiang Chuan had to sell fish for two days just to barely earn a hundred coins. After deducting the expenses of these two days, he probably had only twenty to thirty coins in his pocket.
Furthermore, Su Zhen paid for their lunch that afternoon. He handed the waiter five coins directly, without needing any change, leaving the rest as a tip. The waiter was overjoyed.
Su Zhen spent money without batting an eye. Clearly, he earned enough to spend generously and could casually donate a hundred coins for charity.
This intrigued Jiang Chuan. Just by buying wild animals meat from mountain hunters, could one earn that much? Jiang Chuan didn’t buy it. He believed Su Zhen had other businesses he hadn’t mentioned. He intended to ask him about it during their journey today, but Su Zhen, having drunk too much, had slept through. Jiang Chuan could only hope to inquire the next day.
Interestingly, while Jiang Chuan was curious about Su Zhen, Su Zhen was equally interested in Jiang Chuan.
Being in business, Su Zhen wasn’t just limited to buying wild animal meat from the mountains. He had already received insider information that the government’s policy would soon be implemented, requiring all mountain hunters to move down and settle in the villages.
When there would be no hunters on Grand Cloud Mountain, where would Su Zhen go to buy game? Of course, he’d have to rely on other businesses to make money..