Chapter 37

Chapter 37

Jiang Chun stopped the mule cart in front of the carpenter's shop.

Since it was at a crossroads, pedestrians passed by from time to time, so she couldn't simply carry Song Shian down; instead, she reached out to help him down.

The two entered the shop and spent some time selecting wood, then confirmed the style and size with the owner, Carpenter Fang.

Jiang Chun thought that the mule cart had been used for about two years, so she chose average-quality wood and design, spending a total of four taels of silver.

A deposit of half a string of cash was required, but they would have to wait about half a month to collect it.

There was no other way around it, after all, in a small place like Hongye Town, not many families could afford a mule.

If villagers had extra money, they would rather buy an ox than a mule, as oxen could plow fields.

Therefore, Carpenter Fang couldn't possibly keep many finished mule carts in stock.

Leaving the carpenter's shop, Jiang Chun said to Carpenter Fang, who had come out to see them off, "Uncle Fang, I'll leave the mule cart at your shop's entrance. Could you please watch over it for me? My husband and I will be back shortly after a stroll."

Carpenter Fang smiled and said, "Just leave it here. Our town is very peaceful, there aren't many thieves around."

Even if there were thieves, none would dare steal the mule cart of the night patrolman, what difference would that make from courting death?

"Thank you, Uncle Fang," Jiang Chun thanked him, then turned and held Song Shian's hand, pulling him forward.

Song Shian looked down at their intertwined hands and pursed his lips.

After walking a dozen steps, he struggled to free his wrist and whispered, "Let go, it's improper to pull and tug on the street."

Jiang Chun tickled his palm with her finger and laughed, "What's there to fear? Everyone in Hongye Town knows my husband is frail. If I hold my weak husband's hand while we walk, others won't gossip; they'll only praise me for being considerate."

Song Shian: "..."

Not gossip? I think they just don't dare!

Seeing that he didn't respond, Jiang Chun turned to look at him and smiled, "Or would you prefer I support your arm? That's fine too."

Song Shian immediately replied, "No need."

He preferred holding hands to having her support his arm.

Of the two evils, holding hands was less conspicuous, and they wouldn't have to stand so close.

If she were to support him closely, who knew what mischief she might get up to?

He thought well, but he underestimated Jiang Chun's influence in Hongye Town.

As they walked hand in hand down the street, the shopkeepers, vendors, shoppers, hurried passersby, and idlers all turned to look.

Of course, to avoid angering Jiang Chun, they did so furtively, like thieves.

Song Shian keenly noticed this and his face flushed. Just as he was about to pull his hand away, she led him into a nearby shop.

It was a combined fabric and ready-made clothing store, also selling shoes, hats, socks, handkerchiefs, purses, and sweatbands.

Once inside, Jiang Chun released his hand, which relieved him.

He thought she was going to buy something for herself, so he didn't follow her in and sat down on a chair by the door.

However, just as he sat down, he saw Jiang Chun approach him, crouch in front of him, lift his foot, and measure the size of his shoes with her fingers.

Was she going to buy him shoes?

He quickly declined, "Father bought me two pairs of shoes recently, which should be enough. There's no need to buy more."

Jiang Chun looked up and rolled her eyes, "Father bought you single-layer shoes. Winter is coming soon; do you want to spend the winter in single-layer shoes?"

Shopkeeper Feng's wife walked over and, hearing this, laughed, "Sir, perhaps you don't know, but our winters are so cold that water turns to ice. Not to mention wearing single-layer shoes, even slightly thin cotton shoes can cause frostbite, making your feet itch terribly."

Song Shian fell silent.

Jiang Chun measured the size, went to the shoe section, found a pair of roughly the right size, and returned.

The original owner was skilled at making shoes, but it was quite troublesome in ancient times.

First, one had to paste layers of glue and fabric to form the sole, then stitch it together.

To ensure the shoes were durable and comfortable, the sole had to be thick enough, and the stitching had to be fine and dense.

This was known as a "thousand-layer sole."

The effort required was no less than using a sickle to harvest wheat in the fields.

After stitching the sole, another pot of glue was needed to paste layers of fabric between the upper and lining of the shoe.

This part was simpler, not requiring the thickness of a thousand-layer sole or stitching.

After pasting the inner layer, the upper, lining, and inner layer were cut according to the shoe pattern and assembled into the shoe upper.

Finally, the shoe upper was sewn onto the thousand-layer sole with hemp thread.

These were the steps for making single-layer shoes. For cotton shoes, the inner layer was replaced with cotton, with the rest remaining the same.

Her family of three needed two pairs of cotton shoes each, totaling six pairs.

Just thinking about it gave Jiang Chun a headache. It was not only labor-intensive but also time-consuming. She hadn't even finished making Song Shian's winter clothes and bedding yet, let alone shoes.

She decided to buy ready-made ones.

She had the skill to earn money and her family was financially comfortable, which allowed her to live such a carefree life.

The other women in Daliushu Village spent their days working in the fields, then came home to prepare meals, and at night they would sew shoes by the light of an oil lamp.

In households with many people, there could be over a dozen mouths to feed, all relying on one or two women to make shoes, averaging about ten pairs per person.

Often, before one round of shoes was even finished, the ones made earlier were already worn out...

It was truly terrifying!

She squatted down in front of Song Shian again, placed the new shoes on her lap, and reached out to take off his shoes.

Song Shian quickly pulled his feet back and said, "No need, I can do it myself."

In front of others, she didn't insist, smiling, "Alright, then my husband can do it himself."

Song Shian's lips twitched.

Why did that sound a bit off?

He glanced down at her, seeing her smile warmly, not looking like she was up to any mischief.

Could he be overthinking it?

Putting aside his doubts, he bent one leg and took off his shoe.

Just as he was about to reach for the new shoes, she grabbed his foot with one hand while holding the shoe with the other.

Song Shian was startled, "You..."

Although he washed his feet every night and had changed into a new pair of socks before leaving home, after walking for a while, they were inevitably a bit dirty...

But before he could struggle, the new cotton shoes were already on his feet.

Jiang Chun put Song Shian's feet on the ground, carefully pressing the toe of the shoe with her fingers, then said contentedly, "Perfect, neither too big nor too small, just right."

Madam Feng immediately chimed in, "This pair of shoes was made by Madam Zhuang from our town. Who doesn't know her skills within ten miles?

She's honest, and the cotton is packed tightly, all from this year's harvest.

Madam Jiang, you can buy with confidence; your husband will surely find them comfortable."

Jiang Chun didn't rush to haggle, standing up and asking Madam Feng, "Do you have any cotton boots here?"

Song Shian's constitution was weak, making winter difficult to endure. Ordinary cotton shoes left the ankles exposed, which, while convenient for walking, weren't as warm as high-top cotton boots.

If there were cotton boots, she would buy him a pair to wear during the coldest times, and use the ordinary cotton shoes on regular days.

Madam Feng's smile grew even warmer, "What a coincidence, Madam Zhuang just delivered three pairs of cotton boots yesterday, all roughly the same size as the pair your husband is wearing now, so they should fit."

Actually, the boots had been delivered over half a month ago, but most people in town had their shoes made by the women of their household. Those who bought shoes from outside were few, and those willing to pay twice as much for cotton boots were even fewer.

After saying this, Madam Feng quickly walked to the shoe counter and brought all three pairs to Song Shian.

Jiang Chun measured them with her hands, selecting one pair and asking Madam Feng to hold it for her. Then she squatted down again and reached to take off Song Shian's new cotton shoes.

Song Shian wanted to refuse, but with Madam Feng watching them intently, he didn't want to embarrass Jiang Chun, so he let her remove his new shoes and put on the new boots.

Jiang Chun pressed the toe of the boot with her fingers as usual, saying to Song Shian, "They fit perfectly. Anyone would think I had them specially made for you by Madam Zhuang."

Madam Feng immediately praised extravagantly, "It's all thanks to your husband's well-shaped feet. If they were too wide or too small, finding the right size in our shop would be difficult."

Jiang Chun loved hearing this and immediately agreed, "That's true, my husband's feet are indeed well-shaped, the best in the world!"

Song Shian: "..."

He closed his eyes, feeling utterly embarrassed by the exaggerated praise!

If he weren't wearing the new cotton boots from the shop, he would have walked out right then and there.

His face couldn't handle it.

Jiang Chun helped Song Shian change back into his old shoes and handed the cotton shoes and boots to Madam Feng, saying, "I'll take both pairs."

Just as Madam Feng was about to calculate the price, she saw Jiang Chun walk over to the shoe counter, her heart leaping with joy—was she going to buy more shoes?

Jiang Chun picked through a pile of cotton shoes, occasionally measuring the soles with her hands, and finally selected two pairs with dark black uppers.

These were for Jiang He. The original owner had made many shoes for him, so she remembered his size.

As for cotton clothes and quilts, Jiang He already had them, and they were from last year, so there was no need to buy new ones this year.

After all, no one in the village bought new cotton clothes and quilts every year; that would be too extravagant!

But Jiang He went to the countryside to collect pigs every day, which wore out his shoes quickly. His cotton shoes from last year were already worn out and wouldn't last through the entire winter.

She decided to buy him two pairs to avoid making him feel neglected, thinking she only cared about her husband and forgot about him.

Jiang Chun walked over to Madam Feng and handed her the two pairs of cotton shoes, saying, "I'll take these two as well, four pairs in total. Give me a discount, don't treat me like a fool."

Selling four pairs of shoes, including one hard-to-sell pair of cotton boots, made Madam Feng's face light up with joy. She laughed, "How could I ever treat you like a fool? I'll definitely give you a fair price."

She took out an abacus and began calculating in front of Jiang Chun, "Cotton shoes will be fifty coins each, three pairs make one hundred and fifty coins. Cotton boots will be one hundred coins each, totaling two hundred and fifty coins."

Jiang Chun's lips twitched. Fortunately, there was no term for "two hundred and fifty" in ancient times, or she might have suspected the woman was insulting her.

She haggled, "Fine for the cotton shoes, as people from our village have bought them from you before, and fifty coins is reasonable. But one hundred coins for the cotton boots is too high. Make it ninety coins, and that's fair."

Madam Feng immediately protested, "Oh, my dear, the amount of cotton used for one pair of boots is more than for two pairs of shoes, and they are much harder to make. Madam Zhuang charges a high price, and I barely make any profit selling them for one hundred coins. I'm only doing this as a favor to you."

Jiang Chun snorted with a laugh, "A merchant's mouth is as deceitful as a ghost's. Who would do business that doesn't make money?"

Just as she was about to continue haggling, Song Shian suddenly spoke up, "Hold on."

Jiang Chun looked up at him, puzzled, "What's wrong?"

Was he dissatisfied with her bargaining skills and wanted to lend a hand?

Why did she lack so much confidence in herself?

A young master like him, who even had servants carry his money pouch, would know how to haggle?

However, Song Shian's next words surprised her, "Are you only buying shoes for me and Father, not for yourself?"

The corners of Jiang Chun's mouth involuntarily curled up. She had forgotten that she needed to buy cotton shoes too, but he remembered.

This warmed her heart.

It seemed her kindness towards him wasn't in vain.

Jiang Chun joked, "I need to buy some too, but without my husband's permission, how dare I act on my own?"

Before Song Shian could respond, Feng Niangzi burst out laughing.

She quickly covered her mouth.

Song Shian's lips twitched, and he said sternly, "Pick out a couple for yourself too."

Jiang Chun immediately smiled and said, "Since my husband has spoken, I must buy them."

To make up for her awkward laughter, Feng Niangzi took the lead, "Madam, please follow me."

Jiang Chun chose two pairs of earth-brown cotton shoes for herself. After all, she set up her stall in town every day, and light colors didn't stay clean.

Song Shian glanced at the two pairs of old, earth-brown cotton shoes in her hands, the kind even his grandmother wouldn't wear, and his brows furrowed into a frown.

But he said nothing.

She was always busy inside and out, with a mountain of tasks to do, and indeed, such a color was more practical.

After a moment's thought, he asked Feng Niangzi, "Does your shop sell deer leather boots?"

Feng Niangzi laughed awkwardly, "Deer leather boots are such precious items; our small shop couldn't possibly have them. Even if we did, no one in town could afford them."

Song Shian fell silent for a moment, then feigned disappointment, "The other day, I heard that deer leather boots can keep out rain and snow. I was hoping to see something rare here, but it seems there are none."

He had been thinking that if there were deer leather boots, he would persuade Jiang Chun to buy a pair for herself. That way, after a winter snowfall, her shoes wouldn't get wet when she came to town.

In the Imperial City, deer leather boots were not uncommon, and almost every tailor's shop sold them. They couldn't be that expensive.

But he hadn't expected deer leather boots to be such a rare luxury in Hongye Town.

Given this, he decided to play along to avoid causing trouble for Jiang Chun.

Jiang Chun caught the tone and played along, scolding him, "You, don't be curious about things you shouldn't. Even if Feng Niangzi had deer leather boots, given our family's circumstances, we'd never be able to afford them!"

Feng Niangzi nodded in agreement.

The Jiang family used to be well-off; father and daughter slaughtered a pig every day without fail, earning several dozen taels of silver each year.

But Jiang Tu, lacking foresight, brought home a sickly son-in-law.

Everyone in Hongye Town knew that he spent three taels of silver on medicine alone each month.

All the money the Jiangs earned went into this bottomless pit, leaving them impoverished.

Otherwise, they might have been able to afford not just deer leather boots, but even tiger leather boots.