Chapter 127

Chapter 127

Lord Liu had merely tossed out that comment casually, but Mrs. Liu took it to heart. At the first opportunity, she pulled her son aside and asked, "Among those Chen family children, are there any girls or suitable young men?"

Liu Changyi's face flushed crimson at his mother's question. "How should I know?"

"Then ask them!"

"That... wouldn't it be too sudden and rude to ask something like that?"

"You silly boy!" It was truly a case of the emperor not worrying but his eunuchs fretting. His parents had long been anxious about their son's marriage, yet he acted as if it were no concern of his.

It wasn't that there were no suitable young ladies in the prefectural city—several matches had been proposed, but he rejected them all. The couple didn't want to force their son into a marriage with someone he didn't like, so the matter kept getting postponed.

"If this drags on for a few more years, you'll become an old bachelor! Let's see which family's daughter or young man would want you then!"

"Then I'll just become a monk."

Mrs. Liu grabbed a feather duster from nearby and swatted at him. "How dare you! Become a monk? I'll beat you into a wooden fish first!"

Liu Changyi dashed away, locking himself in his study to escape. But his mother's words did leave some impression on him.

Brother Qing Yan already had a two-year-old child. He himself was only three years younger than Qing Yan—it was indeed time to consider marriage.

However, he genuinely disliked those young ladies from good families the matchmakers introduced. He wouldn't even meet them face-to-face, only speaking through a screen.

Even when they did talk, he would say ten sentences while the other party barely managed one in return, often becoming too shy to speak further. This left him completely frustrated, so he simply rejected them all. He'd rather stay home reading—it was much more comfortable.

*

Meanwhile, Wang's Vegetable Shop had reopened. Before dawn, Wang Ying and Chen Qingyan were already up, moving vegetables from the experimental field onto a cart. Uncle Chen drove the cart, making a detour from outside the city walls to bring the produce back.

Since they hadn't sold vegetables for a long time, many in the experimental field had grown old. Wang Ying exchanged some nearly spoiled vegetables for experience, losing a significant amount of money in the process.

Now that they were back, all the vegetables stockpiled in the experimental field were brought out. Those fit for sale were sold, those with poor appearance were kept for their own consumption, and whatever they couldn't finish was given to neighbors to enjoy.

As soon as the shop opened in the morning, many regular customers came upon hearing the news.

The husband from the Yang trading company across the street came and bought three strings of cash worth of vegetables.

Wang Ying said with a smile, "Master Yang, no need to worry—we'll be open again tomorrow."

The Yang gentleman replied, "That won't do. Buying more puts my mind at ease. During the two months you were away, we ate nothing but cabbage and radishes every day. I've been craving fresh vegetables."

After payment, Wang Ying gave him four extra tomatoes. "These are fresh, just with some minor bruises. Please don't mind them."

"Who would mind such good things? I've been worried I couldn't buy them!" Master Yang happily left with his servant.

Lin Sui quickly rearranged the vegetables that customers had disturbed during selection, placing the freshest ones on top and those with poorer appearance to the side. His sister-in-law said they would take those home to eat later.

Soon another regular customer arrived. Wang Ying stepped forward with a smile. "Madam, welcome."

It was none other than Liu Changyi's mother. Although she had often come with servants to buy vegetables before, she had never really chatted much with Wang Ying.

After learning that this vegetable shop was run by Chen Qingyan's husband, Mrs. Liu became quite curious. "I heard the shop had reopened, so I hurried over to buy some vegetables."

Wang Ying smilingly explained why they had been closed for so long.

Mrs. Liu said, "I know—your husband and his brothers came to our house yesterday and told us everything."

Wang Ying was momentarily surprised, then quickly said, "You must be the mother of Qing Yan's classmate?"

Mrs. Liu nodded with a smile. "That's right."

"Your fried yuanzi are absolutely delicious! We brought so many back yesterday, and they were all shared and eaten!"

Mrs. Liu had no particular hobbies except enjoying cooking. Hearing Wang Ying praise her cooking made her beam with delight. "Next time they visit, I'll make more."

"That would be too much trouble!" Wang Ying quickly filled the basket of the servant behind her with vegetables, selecting the freshest ones and adding generous portions of each type.

When Mrs. Liu tried to pay, Wang Ying hurriedly stopped her. "Madam, if you pay, it would seem too distant. Qing Yan said he and your son hit it off immediately, like biological brothers. How could we accept money for some vegetables?"

"That won't do. This is still a business—there's no reason to take things for free." After much back-and-forth, Mrs. Liu insisted that her servant leave two strings of cash.

Wang Ying had no choice but to add more vegetables to her basket. After chatting for a while, he walked her to the door.

As she was leaving, Qing Yun happened to arrive with lunch. Chen Qingyun looked so much like her two brothers that one could immediately guess her relation to the Chen family brothers.

Mrs. Liu couldn't help but give her a careful look. Noticing her gaze, Chen Qingyun didn't act shy but instead smiled openly and nodded, then went inside to bring the meal to her sister-in-law and cousin.

"Aunt Chen stewed soybean pork knuckles today. Yuanbao ate a big bowl of rice."

Wang Ying took two cucumbers, washed and sliced them, and began eating with his meal. "Aunt Chen's stewed pork knuckles are delicious—tender, flavorful, not greasy or gamey at all. Brother Sui, you should try some too."

"Alright."

Chen Qingyun had already eaten at home. She took out the money box and began skillfully counting and stringing coins.

Wang Ying asked, "Did you see that lady just now?"

"The plump well-dressed lady?"

Wang Ying nodded. "She made those fried sugar yuanzi we ate yesterday. She's Liu Changyi's mother."

"Wow, what a coincidence! I remember she came to our shop to buy vegetables before."

"Yes, we just didn't know each other back then. Now that we're acquainted, if we see her again, we should give her a discount."

"Okay, I'll remember that."

After the meal, Qing Yun cleaned the dishes and returned home, while Wang Ying stayed with Lin Sui to watch the shop.

By mid-afternoon, the shop's vegetables were nearly sold out. The remaining wilted ones were sold at a discount. It had been a highly profitable day—the money box was full, estimated to be at least fifteen strings of cash.

The fresh vegetables in the experimental field could last for another month at most. As the weather warmed, once local harvests came in, business would become more difficult.

Taking advantage of the remaining daylight, the two tidied the shop. Wang Ying locked the main door and took Lin Sui out onto the streets.

"Sister-in-law, aren't we going home?" Lin Sui followed behind him, asking curiously.

"Taking you out for a stroll. We haven't properly explored the city since arriving."

Lin Sui nodded happily. After all, he was still young—in his previous life, children his age would have just entered high school, yet Lin Sui had already been through a divorce and lost a child...

Zhengyang Street was bustling with activity. Everywhere you looked, there were peddlers carrying poles and hawking their wares. The shops lining both sides of the street offered such a wide variety of goods that it was almost overwhelming.

Lin Sui followed nervously behind Wang Ying until they stopped in front of a clothing shop.

The weather was growing warmer day by day. Recently, heavy coats had become unbearable—at noon, a single layer was enough.

Wang Ying planned to buy Lin Sui two sets of nice new clothes. What he wore now were still the clothes made for his wedding at the Huang family—not only was the fabric rough, but the colors were drab and old-fashioned, making him appear dull and lifeless.

His originally flower-like appearance seemed battered by a hailstorm—this wouldn't do. To live a better life, he had to change his mindset, and the first step began with transforming his outward appearance.

As soon as they entered the shop, a shop assistant came over to greet them. "May I ask if you’re here to have clothes tailored or to buy ready-to-wear clothes?"

Wang Ying pointed to Lin Sui and said, "Pick some brightly colored, fashionable clothes in his size, all made from fine cloth."

"Right away, I’ll find some for you."

Lin Sui nervously grabbed Wang Ying’s sleeve and said, "Sis, I have enough clothes to wear. There’s no need to buy more..."

"They're just clothes—it won’t cost much."

Lin Sui still shook his head. Before leaving home, his mother had reminded him not to cause trouble for his aunt, cousin, or sister-in-law. Besides, he already had plenty of clothes, with several pieces in his trunk barely worn.

Before long, the attendant brought over four brightly colored robes, all in the latest styles popular among young men—two with slant-collared fronts and two round-neck long gowns.

"There’s a room inside where you can try them on. If anything doesn’t fit, our seamstress can alter them right away."

Wang Ying handed him the clothes and said, "Go ahead and try them and don’t overthink it. You’re still young—to me, you’re like Qingsong, like a younger brother. Spending a little money on you is no trouble at all."

Lin Sui’s nose stung with emotion. Holding the clothes, he nodded and went into the inner room to try them on.

All the clothes fit well, with sleeves that seemed as though they were custom-made.

The shop assistant poured on compliments, praising him until Lin Sui’s cheeks flushed red. Yet, his spirit already seemed entirely different from before.

Originally, Wang Ying had planned to buy all the clothes, but when Lin Sui heard the price, he quickly refused in alarm. In the end, they bought just two.

One was grass-green, one vermilion. With Lin Sui’s handsome, well-defined features, the two outfits suited him perfectly, making him look handsome and sharp.

Wang Ying also bought two pairs of pants for himself. As for Chen Qingyan and Yuanbao, he never had to worry about their clothes—his mother-in-law took care of that.

After leaving the clothing store, Wang Ying took Lin Sui to a nearby bakeshop and bought two boxes of treats. Ancient pastries came in many varieties: white-skinned pastries, fried dough twists, sweet crisps, mung bean cakes, red bean cakes, pea flour jelly, and more.

These traditional pastries shared one common trait: they were extremely sweet. Likely because sugar was expensive and most people could only afford it a few times a year, customers tended to choose the sweetest pastries to feel they were getting their money’s worth.

Wang Ying wasn’t particularly fond of sweets. In his previous life, the pastry he ate most often was probably the pull-apart bread sold at his school store. It was a pity he didn’t know how to bake—otherwise, introducing Western pastries here might have been a good business opportunity.

When they returned home, they noticed an extra carriage in the courtyard. Wang Ying immediately guessed that Old Liang had returned. He hurried inside and, sure enough, there was Liang Boqing, holding Yuanbao and teaching him to read the Thousand-Character Classic.

"Master, you’re back!"

Liang Boqing smiled warmly. "I just returned around noon."

"You must be exhausted from the journey. Have you eaten? I’ll have the kitchen prepare some noodle soup for you."

"No need to trouble yourself—I’ve already eaten."

Wang Ying waved Yuanbao over. "Go play with Chunsheng and Mutou. Don't disturb Grandpa Liang."

Yuanbao obediently ran outside.

Liang Boqing rubbed his neck and said, "I waited for you to return because I have something to discuss."

Wang Ying immediately straightened up, waiting for him to continue.

"Do you remember the wheat seeds we sent to the capital the year before last?"

"I remember."

"Word has come from the capital. Since they couldn’t find your address, the letter was sent to my son in Changting County."

Liang Boqing paused. "The wheat seeds sent to the capital yielded an exceptionally high harvest. The Department of Agriculture is asking if you have any other high-yielding crop seeds available?"