Chapter 45

Chapter 45

Upon entering the city, Lu Yuan made a mental note of the locations of cloth shops and restaurants, so she knew exactly where she was headed.

She had made a point to wear the new clothes Old Lady He had helped her make for her trip to the city today, the same ones she'd worn when she married Qi Cheng. She also specifically asked Old Lady He to put her hair up in a more elaborate style.

Even Su Liniang couldn't manage complex hairstyles, much less Lu Yuan herself. Even if she knew how, her hands weren't skilled enough.

Old Lady He styled her hair into a high bun and pinned a few silk flowers into it that matched her dress.

After all, she was going to the city to sell handkerchiefs and dried mushrooms, so she needed to dress presentably. Otherwise, they might not even let her in the door.

She didn't want to be stared at while arguing with a shop assistant about why she wasn't allowed entry.

Lu Yuan entered the cloth shop, and the shopkeeper's wife greeted her warmly: "Ma'am, Sir, what fabrics are you looking to buy?"

The shopkeeper's wife took a few extra glances at the handsome gentleman before turning her smile to the lady who entered with him.

Lu Yuan let go of Qi Cheng's arm, took a cloth bundle from her basket, and handed it over.

"Shopkeeper's wife, please take a look at these handkerchiefs."

The shopkeeper's wife took them, examined the handkerchiefs, and said with delight, "Oh, the embroidery on these handkerchiefs is exquisite, and the patterns are lovely. It's just that the fabric quality is a bit poor."

Lu Yuan said, "If you're willing to accept them, Shopkeeper's wife, please tell me what you think they're worth."

The shopkeeper's wife smiled, "The embroidery is exquisite, but the fabric is inferior, so they can't command a high price. I can only give you twelve coins per handkerchief."

This was the same price Lu Yuan got for them at the market. Of course, the shop needed to make a profit, too, so the price was reasonable.

The shopkeeper's wife continued, "How about you take some fabric from me? Leave a deposit on the fabric. When you deliver the finished handkerchiefs, if the embroidery is of the same quality, I'll deduct the fabric cost. I'll give you thirteen for cotton and fifteen for silk. How about that?"

Lu Yuan was about to agree but then thought of how slowly Old Lady He worked. She said, "The person making these handkerchiefs is elderly. She works at a slow pace; it probably takes her about three days to finish one."

The shopkeeper's wife thought for a moment, "That's alright. Scarcity drives up the value; if there are too many, they lose their uniqueness."

"How about this: supply five handkerchiefs per month. When spring comes next year, you can also embroider round fan patterns. If they sell well then, I'll give you a suitable raise in price. Is that acceptable?"

Lu Yuan smiled and nodded, "Alright."

The shopkeeper's wife brought out some better-quality cotton and silk fabric, saying, "Cotton is twenty coins per foot normally, silk forty coins. I won't charge you the market price; just fifteen for cotton and twenty-five for silk. If you leave a deposit, I'll be happy to take your handkerchiefs."

Lu Yuan agreed, "Of course, I'll leave a deposit. What if I took the fabric and never came back? You'd be out the money, Shopkeeper's wife."

The shopkeeper's wife laughed, "You understand how business works."

Lu Yuan said, "Then I'll take a foot of each, please, Shopkeeper's wife."

"Sure thing." The shopkeeper's wife skillfully cut the fabric.

Lu Yuan asked further, "Shopkeeper's wife, do you have any spare dark strips of cloth? My husband has a problem with his eyes. The doctor said he needs to cover his eyes with cloth and avoid light."

Hearing this, the shopkeeper's wife looked with surprise at the gentleman standing quietly beside his wife without speaking.

A quick look confirmed that his handsome, upturned eyes were indeed sightless, and her expression immediately turned pitying.

Such a handsome gentleman, yet he had afflictions of the eyes.

"Wait a moment." She found a black cloth strip among some fabric scraps. "How about this one?"

Lu Yuan took it and asked, "How much for this cloth strip?"

The shopkeeper's wife waved her hand, "It's just a useless scrap. No charge."

Lu Yuan smiled and thanked her, "Thank you, Shopkeeper's wife."

She turned and said, "Husband, lower your head."

Qi Cheng lowered his head towards her. A few moments later, her hands reached around the back of his head.

Qi Cheng felt a slight itch on the tip of his nose, followed by the lingering scent of soapbeans and beans around his nostrils.

Lu Yuan tied a bow at the back of his head, stepped back, and looked him over carefully.

His nose bridge was already straight; with the cloth strip tied, it appeared even straighter, and his thin lips looked quite handsome too.

If she took off that ugly servant's hat he wore, covered his eyes, and paired it with his medium-length hair, he'd look incredibly ascetic.

The shopkeeper's wife also looked him over and sighed, "You're a lucky young lady."

Lu Yuan turned and shared a knowing smile with the shopkeeper's wife.

The shopkeeper's wife gave her the remaining eight coins.

Lu Yuan mustered her courage and asked, "Shopkeeper's wife, do you have any flawed cotton fabric sold cheaply here?"

The shopkeeper's wife said, "You ask at just the right time. There was a heavy rain recently, right? The warehouse storing seconds got flooded, and some flawed fabric got soaked. I was planning to keep it for acquaintances, but since you asked, I'll sell some to you."

Saying this, she called a worker to bring out the goods.

Shortly after, the worker carried out a basket. She said, "This fabric originally sold for eight coins per foot. But because some parts are moth-eaten or have stains that won't wash out, it's now four coins per foot."

Hemp cloth costs six coins per foot. Cotton is warmer than hemp, so even with stains and moth holes, it's worth having.

Lu Yuan picked up a lotus-root-colored cotton piece and spread it out. It was about seven or eight feet long, with small holes here and there. If she patched the holes with small floral fabric patches, the damage wouldn't be noticeable.

She also took a bluish-green piece with uneven dye, about five or six feet long, enough to make a set of clothes for Chun Hua.

Lu Yuan selected several longer pieces of fabric, mentally calculating they totaled about twenty feet.

She gave them to the shopkeeper's wife to measure.

It measured just under twenty-one feet, so the shopkeeper's wife charged her for twenty feet.

The total was eighty coins.

After leaving the cloth shop, Lu Yuan asked Qi Cheng, "Do you think I'm not taking your eye treatment seriously and spending money recklessly?"

Qi Cheng found it amusing, "Why would you think that?"

Lu Yuan: "After all, I just spent eighty coins in one go. Treating your eyes later will cost a lot of money."

Qi Cheng sighed lightly and said, "I'm not that narrow-minded. Besides, it's money you earned. Moreover, we can't let you and the child go without winter clothes just because of my eye treatment."

"Even in Lingnan, where winters are as warm as spring, many children and elderly still freeze to death in winter. So, preparing for winter and treating my eye condition are equally important; neither is more critical than the other."

Lu Yuan smiled lightly, "Alright, I was just testing you. If you said you minded, I'd definitely leave you behind."

"Your eye treatment doesn't require all the money at once. Next time I set up my stall, I can easily earn over a hundred coins no matter what."

Qi Sheng said, "You only say that; you wouldn't really abandon me."

Lu Yi teased, "Why don't you try and see if I'll really leave you behind?"

Qi Sheng took her wrist in response. "Don't worry, I won't give you that chance."

Then he added, "Should we go sell your dried mushrooms at the restaurants and taverns now?"

Lu Yi replied, "No rush, let's check the going rates at the dry goods store first."

"I noticed earlier that there's a dry goods store not far from the fabric shop."

Lu Yi took his hand and headed toward the dry goods store.

Earlier, their close behavior had drawn attention, but now that Qi Sheng had a blindfold on, making clear he was blind, no one found their closeness odd anymore.

They found the dry goods store.

Inside, they stated their business, and the shopkeeper said he needed to see the goods first. Lu Yi had no choice but to show him.

"Big Red mushrooms and chanterelles are four wen per liang, other mixed mushrooms are two wen per liang."

Lu Yi was surprised by the price—it was much higher than what she could fetch in town!

The shopkeeper looked up at her and said, "If you take them to restaurants or taverns, the owners there won't be able to tell which are poisonous and which aren't, so they definitely won't buy from you."

With that one sentence, he ruined the idea she had.

Thinking it over carefully, it really made sense.

Not many people can distinguish edible mushrooms from poisonous ones. Huang Lan could only gather so many mushrooms because she knew how to tell them apart—others might not.

The shopkeeper looked up and asked, "Want to sell them?"

Lu Yi smiled. "Of course, I do."

Huang Lan sold her mushrooms for twenty wen per jin, regardless of the type. Selling these now, Lu Yi would make a big profit!

Since it was such a good deal, she didn't need to go through the trouble of promoting them elsewhere.

The over four jin of mushrooms sold for a hundred and seventy-four wen!

Even if she gave Huang Lan sixty or seventy wen, she'd still have around a hundred wen left.

It was truly an unexpected windfall!

Lu Yi's money pouch felt heavier again, and she was overjoyed, though she kept her composure while still in the shop.

But as soon as they stepped out, she grew excited and told Qi Sheng, "We've made back all we just spent!"

Qi Sheng caught her excitement and smiled. "I think you're even better at making money than I am."

Though pleased by the compliment, Lu Yi didn't let it go to her head.

She said, "Don't flatter me. Back when you hunted, a single wolf could fetch a lot of silver. I've been hustling all month and only have a few hundred wen to my name. Even the decent clothes I wear were bought by the old lady herself."

She hefted the money pouch and added philosophically, "But nothing happens overnight. Our life is slowly getting better, isn't it?"

The words "our life" sounded especially pleasing to Qi Sheng, and the smile on his lips deepened unconsciously.

"Yes, our family's life is gradually improving."

He repeated "our" with extra emphasis.

As if without a care in the world, Lu Yi held his hand, her mood bright and cheerful. She said with a beaming smile, "Let's go, let's meet up with the village chief."