After Ming Shu and the other two came out of the warehouse, they began to worry. The two carts of supplies were not that much, but they could not possibly rely solely on manpower to haul them back.
They would have to hire people and rent oxen and horses to pull the carts.
They first found a place to store the two carts of supplies. Chong Li said she could stay behind and guard them.
Ming Shu and Little Zhao went to look for a broker in the city and find people to transport them.
When they arrived at the broker's, they discovered that everyone waiting for work had already been hired. The inside and outside of the building were deserted, with only two gatekeepers remaining.
After asking around, they learned that the Yan Prefecture Princess had hired them all and sent them outside the city to help her household with some task.
There was nothing they could do. Little Zhao stuffed a few more copper coins into the two men's hands and asked, "Do you know of any nearby families willing to bring their oxen and horses to help haul the carts?"
The two men had no good recommendations. The laborers nearby had all been called away, and if they went to ask now, they probably would not find anyone free to take the job.
Ming Shu was puzzled. When they had entered the city, they had not noticed anything wrong outside the city.
The two of them wandered around the city and ran into the Yan Prefecture Princess's black carriage from before. It turned out that people from the carriage had been continually hiring workers in the city and sending them out to work.
There were also constables guarding it. They had probably already informed Li Jixu, the