bayedsolid Chapter 210 Check-out
Chapter 210 Check-out
"Madam, we've finished packing," Shang Xiaoxiao replied.
Zhou Dayong and the others had already harnessed the carriages and were waiting outside the courtyard. Mu Xue had boarded the carriage with everyone's escort. Everyone knew that time was of the essence, so they only packed their valuables and a change of clothes and did not waste too much time. Now they were just waiting for Song Jiaojiao to get on the carriage before they could set off.
"Okay, Tang Yu, thank you for informing us. You should go back now; we'll set off immediately."
"Alright, may you have a safe journey, Madam." Tang Yu said, then turned and left. Only her grandmother was at home; she had been away for so long, and she was afraid her grandmother would be worried.
Sure enough, when Tang Yu returned home, she saw Grandma Tang looking around at the gate of the courtyard. The wind was blowing her silver hair in disarray, and her clothes were clinging to her body. Fortunately, it hadn't rained yet.
Song Jiaojiao and her group braved the strong winds and headed towards the prefectural government. The strong winds affected their speed, and the sudden downpour on the way further hampered their journey. Fortunately, they managed to arrive in Quanzhou Prefecture before the typhoon hit. Although everyone was in a sorry state, they arrived safely.
All the inns in the county were fully booked. People who usually lived on boats were all staying in the inns, which is why there were no vacant rooms.
Having no other choice, Song Jiaojiao went to the Sifang Inn, revealed her identity, and finally settled everyone in.
"Madam Song, there are indeed no vacant rooms in the shop. This room is not open to the public; it is reserved for the young master. Please make do with it, Madam Song."
The innkeeper said with a forced smile.
"We are sorry to have troubled you, shopkeeper. Thank you for arranging accommodations for us."
"Madam Song, you flatter me. The young master sent word long ago that he knew you would be coming and prepared a room for you. However, due to the sudden typhoon, there were too many people coming, so we had to rent out the room that was prepared for you."
The shopkeeper explained with a smile that he had been told long ago that he should make things convenient for Madam Song and her party. Moreover, his nephew, who worked at the General's Mansion, had also written to him, saying that Madam Song was probably closely related to the General's Mansion. Thinking of this, the shopkeeper lowered his waist a little further.
Song Jiaojiao looked at the shopkeeper bowing and scraping in front of her. Although she didn't understand what was going on, she told him to leave.
"Mom, the wind outside is so strong! I've never seen such a strong wind before," Mu Xue said, still shaken. When she was discharged from the hospital at Moon Bay, she probably would have been blown away if it weren't for Uncle Dandan protecting her.
"Yes, judging from the current situation, this typhoon is probably quite strong. People living by the sea often experience this kind of thing."
"Ah, those people who live by the sea are so pitiful, having to go through such terrible things so often," Mu Xue said with a frown.
"So we must have reverence for nature and protect the environment. Okay, go and rest now." Song Jiaojiao smiled and patted Mu Xue's head.
This is a suite with only three rooms, plus a reception hall. Song Jiaojiao, Mu Xue, and Shang Xiaoxiao stayed in the master bedroom at the very end. The room had a bed and a soft couch. Shang Xiaoxiao slept alone on the soft couch. Song Jiaojiao let them allocate the other two rooms themselves. However, there were too many people, so Zhou Dayong and the others slept on the floor in the reception hall.
The innkeeper knew there weren't enough rooms inside, so he would definitely have to sleep on the floor. After going downstairs, he had the waiter bring up a lot of blankets.
The strong winds blew for three days, with the winds being the strongest on the third day. The innkeeper told us that this typhoon was the strongest in nearly ten years, and many houses were destroyed. Because the winds were strongest at night, many people were also killed by falling debris.
Now that the wind has stopped, the sky is sunny again, and vendors are starting to set up stalls on the streets again. Many fishing boats in the port have been damaged, and quite a few have been blown into the water and sunk.
Along the harbor shore, you could see families kneeling in agony every so often. Even on a bright sunny day, such a scene sent chills down your spine.
After the wind stopped, Song Jiaojiao and Zhou Dayong bought a lot of grain and donated it to the government to do their part. They heard that several coastal villages had been flooded and many people had died in their sleep.
After donating the grain, Song Jiaojiao led Zhou Dayong and the others back to Moon Bay.
Moon Bay is situated at a higher elevation, and with mountains blocking the view from the sea, there wasn't much damage. Only a few poor families had their houses collapse, and some small courtyards by the sea were damaged by the waves.
When Song Jiaojiao arrived at the courtyard, the wooden gate was gone, presumably washed away. Apart from the bed, all the furniture in the house was scattered everywhere, not to mention clothes and blankets, which were all strewn about.
It looks like it won't be habitable for a while.
"Refund!" An excited voice came from the courtyard next door. This family of three had moved in a couple of days ago. They were businessmen. They had heard that there were many foreign goods coming from the port and wanted to see if they could get some to sell back home. They also wanted to bring their child out to broaden their horizons.
The woman continued excitedly, "All the clothes we brought were damaged. And looking at this yard, how can anyone live here? Even if it's fixed, who can guarantee that this kind of damage won't happen again next time?"
The woman was carrying wet clothes, which were covered in sand and were clearly no longer usable.
Village Chief Ge stood by, bowing and scraping, leading many villagers to clean the courtyard. He was helpless in the face of this situation. There had been typhoons before, but most of them had passed peacefully. Who would have thought that this one would be a typhoon that only comes around once every ten years?
"Sir, there's nothing I can do about this natural disaster! Here's what I'll do: I promise to clean the room today," Village Chief Ge said with a worried expression.
"No, don't give me that. You people who live by the sea all year round don't know the dangers of typhoons. I think you're just doing this to make money, and now that something's happened, you don't want to take responsibility? That's ridiculous. I've already been lenient by not making you compensate me for my clothes. Do you know what kind of fabric this is made of? It's made of Shu brocade, which is worth an ounce and a foot."
Looking at the clothes in the woman's hands, Song Jiaojiao realized they were indeed made of Shu brocade, and it was a real pity to ruin them like this.
"Besides, the room rate here isn't low, it's 500 coins a day. I've only stayed for two days and this has already happened. I definitely won't dare to stay here again." The woman's voice grew louder and louder. As more and more people gathered around, Village Chief Ge silently accepted the situation.
Seeing that the woman had refunded her room fee, many other guests also cancelled their bookings. Village Chief Ge had no choice but to process their cancellations.
Few of the people who can afford to travel are from poor families; these people are far beyond what their small village can compete with.
After everyone left, Song Jiaojiao stepped forward, and Village Chief Ge saw her coming and spoke.
"Is Mrs. Song also here to check out?"
"No, the courtyard is quite messy, it will probably take a long time to clean it up." Before Song Jiaojiao could finish speaking, she heard Village Chief Ge say.
"I'll bring people to pack up right away, and I guarantee it'll be done in two days," Village Chief Ge interrupted Song Jiaojiao excitedly when he heard that she wasn't there to check out.