Chapter 157: The Hairpin

Chapter 157: The Hairpin

Zhou Ye knew A Shu wasn't eager to marry him yet, but opinions could change. Perhaps one day, A Shu would suddenly come around, especially since... A Shu was quite taken with him.

He could prepare everything in advance. The moment A Shu nodded, he would marry her.

He also wanted A Shu's wedding to be grand—not to rival the prominent families in the capital, but at least to be the most splendid in these ten li of villages. All of this required money, and at that moment, Zhou Ye felt an urgent desire to earn and save.

Lin Shu had no idea he was already planning to save for a bride price. She was still happily celebrating the business deal she had just secured.

The Termitomyces sauce could be sold until September, still several months away. This sauce business alone would bring in a good income, not to mention Grandpa Gao's bamboo recliners and Aunt Lin's upcoming ice jelly venture.

In her previous life, Lin Shu had suffered enough from hunger, constantly slaying zombies to earn points for food. Points were currency, but as they weren't tangible cash, Lin Shu never truly grasped their value. Influenced by her past, she didn't have a strong obsession with money in this life either. However, the thought that money could buy food and all sorts of delicious things made her incredibly happy.

"A Ye, what if I convert all the money I earn into food? We don't lack anything at home, and money just sitting there doesn't grow. Why not turn it all into provisions? Do you want to eat white rice? Do you want glutinous rice balls? Shall we buy some polished rice and glutinous rice?"

Zhou Ye looked at her with doting indulgence. "A Shu, buy whatever you wish. Even if this weren't your own hard-earned money, Uncle and Auntie wouldn't stop you if you wanted to eat something. If the household money isn't enough, I'll find a way to earn more."

Lin Shu felt happy hearing this but, after a moment's thought, said, "It's better to buy coarse grains. Let's stock up on brown rice and beans—they're cheaper. The more we buy, the more we can eat. I know you still don't get your fill every day. In the future, half of what I earn will go to Mother, and the other half will buy coarse grains. I'll make sure you get larger portions!"

Zhou Ye felt a warmth in his heart hearing this, though a blush crept onto his face. As a man, how could he let his wife support him?

"A Shu, you don't need to worry about these things. Use the money you earn to buy whatever you want for yourself."

Lin Shu laughed. "Right now, I have food and clothing. There's nothing special I particularly want. I just want the people around me to be as well-fed and clothed as I am, at least not go hungry. A Ye, I can't bear to see people go hungry, especially those I care about."

Zhou Ye looked at her, speechless for a long time. Suddenly, he took her hand, his voice deeper and gentler than usual. "A Shu, let me lead you. It's crowded today; don't let anyone bump into you."

Lin Shu hummed in agreement and leaned closer to him. "A Ye, keep the money safe, don't let pickpockets get it."

Zhou Ye held Lin Shu's hand as they walked, stopping now and then at stalls that caught their interest.

"Sir, your lady is so beautiful. Why not buy her a hairpin?" A vendor selling hairpins by the roadside spotted them and didn't miss the chance to pitch to these potential customers. "Look at these hairpins—they're the most popular styles nowadays, all the way from the county seat. They're not expensive, just around a hundred coins. Look at the craftsmanship, the crystal beads on them."

Zhou Ye's gaze shifted to the hairpins. Lin Shu also took a look but showed no intention of buying.

For ordinary folk like them, having enough to eat was already a blessing. Who would spend a hundred coins on a hairpin?

The vendor, noticing their simple clothes, realized a hundred coins might be too much for them and started promoting other items. "The hundred-coin ones are made of copper with one to three glass beads. There are cheaper options too. Miss, take a look at these wooden hairpins. They sell well too, with ceramic beads. Three beads cost fifty coins, two beads thirty-five, and just one bead is only twenty coins! A young lady as beautiful as you, without even a hairpin—what a pity…"

This vendor was quite the smooth talker. If it were any other young lady, she might have been convinced to buy one—if not the expensive one, then at least the cheapest hairpin. But Lin Shu remained unfazed. After hearing the vendor's flattering praises, she simply smiled and replied, "If I'm already as beautiful as you say, why would I need such external adornments? A Ye, let's go."

"A Shu, do you really not like those?" Zhou Ye asked, his eyes glancing at her hair.

In his eyes, A Shu was beautiful no matter what, but the vendor wasn't entirely wrong—if she added a little decoration, she would surely look even more stunning.

"Those hairpins are clearly cheap imitations, not worth the money. I'd rather buy several measures of grain." It wasn't that Lin Shu didn't care about beauty—what girl didn't? If she didn't, she wouldn't comb her long hair every night before bed or tie it up with the silk scarf Third Aunt had given her. It was just that these hairpins weren't worth the price. Plucking a wildflower from the fields and wearing a different one every day would be a hundred times prettier than these hairpins.

Hearing this, Zhou Ye felt an inexplicable heaviness in his heart. A Shu had grown up in a noble household and had seen countless jade hairpins and pearl accessories, so naturally, these street vendor goods couldn't catch her eye. He knew A Shu didn’t mind these things since she was willing to return to Sweetwater Village, but the thought that she used to be a pampered young lady—perhaps her daily worries were just which beautiful dress to wear, which hairpin to use, which earrings or hair pendants to put on—and now she didn’t even spare a second glance for these hairpins made him ache.

He was just a country bumpkin with no particular skills, only brute strength. He might never be able to give A Shu the life she once had.

"A Ye, there's a stall selling wooden hairpins ahead. Let's take a look! With wooden hairpins, there's no such thing as cheap materials—it all depends on the wood and craftsmanship. If there are pretty ones, I'll buy one for myself and one for Mother!"

Zhou Ye studied her lively, excited face, and his low spirits lifted a little. "Okay."

Two young women were already picking out hairpins at the stall. Lin Shu joined them and felt a pleasant surprise.

The wooden hairpins were quite nice. The carved patterns on the ends were smooth and beautiful—there were designs like auspicious clouds, waves, as well as plum blossoms, peach blossoms, vines, and various other floral patterns. It was an impressive variety.

There were also plain wooden hairpins with no carvings, just smoothly polished ends.

Lin Shu asked and learned that the cheapest plain hairpins cost only eight coins and were made of peach or poplar wood. There were also ones made of harder woods like jujube or sandalwood, which were more expensive, ranging from over ten to several dozen coins. The painted ones with carved designs were even pricier, with the most expensive costing over a hundred coins.

Lin Shu had just received money from the Termitomyces sauce sale and, finding wooden hairpins she liked, decided to treat herself. She picked two sandalwood hairpins—one with an auspicious cloud design and one with a peach blossom design.

"A Ye, help me see—does this look good on me?" Lin Shu held the peach blossom hairpin against her hair.

"It looks beautiful," Zhou Ye said, gazing at her.

"The peach blossom one is for me, and the auspicious cloud one is for Mother." Lin Shu smiled. After some haggling with the vendor, she managed to buy both hairpins for eighty coins instead of the original hundred.

Lin Shu happily tucked the two hairpins into her pouch. "It's crowded today, so vendors aren't hurting for customers. On slower days, I could've haggled another ten coins off."

Vendors selling hairpins and trinkets were different from farmers selling vegetables and fruits—they made a profit from the price difference, earning more but also bearing the risk of unsold inventory. So when business was slow, it was easy to get even cheaper prices.

Zhou Ye felt happy seeing her delight, though he regretted not being the one to pay for the hairpins.

"A Shu, I'm thinking of going into the mountains in a couple of days," he suddenly said.

Lin Shu paused. "We're not short on money at home now. Why go to the mountains?"

Zhou Ye turned to look at her. "I don't have any money. I want to save up for a bride price."

Lin Shu laughed and, taking advantage of the bustling crowd where no one was paying them attention, gently stepped on Zhou Ye's foot. "So eager to marry me, are you? Isn't how we are now good enough? Do we really need to go through all that formality?"

Zhou Ye held her hand, pulling her closer to shield her from the crowd, and said in a low voice, "A Shu, it's different."

"How is it different?" Lin Shu blinked, looking innocent and naive.

Zhou Ye's ears turned red. "After we marry, we can do many things we can't do now."

"What kind of things? Making babies? But I don't want to make babies for the next five years." Lin Shu said this very seriously, like a naive young girl.

At this, Zhou Ye, thinking of something, flushed instantly and whispered very softly, "A Shu, do you know how to make babies?"

Lin Shu looked at him—so innocent yet thinking she was even more innocent and trying to explain things to her—and couldn't hold back a burst of laughter. "Silly A Ye, ladies of noble households know a lot more than you think. Did you really take me for some clueless, innocent little girl?"

A Ye was probably the type who thought he knew everything but would just stick to one position, working hard until the end, wasn't he?

"Then... do you want to, A Shu?" Zhou Ye asked, his eyes dark and gleaming as he stared at Lin Shu, like a gentle beast.

Lin Shu's eyes widened slightly, and she pinched his thumb hard with the hand he was holding. "A Ye, you're so shameless! We're on the street, and you're asking me this!"

Though she said this, there was a mischievous smile in her eyes.

Ah, A Ye, this honest man, was becoming more and more open.

Zhou Ye would never have done such a thing before, but Lin Shu had made him bolder. The streets were crowded, but holding A Shu's hand, hidden among the people, no one knew them. They could whisper the most intimate words in the busiest places, and this gave him a unique sense of satisfaction.

"A Shu, I won't say anymore. We'll talk when we get back." Zhou Ye let go of Lin Shu's hand, wiped the sweat from his palm on his pants, and then took hold of that smooth, jade-like hand again.

Unexpectedly, Lin Shu suddenly replied, "A Ye, I want to too."

Zhou Ye was stunned for a moment before realizing A Shu was responding to his earlier question. The corners of his mouth lifted uncontrollably.

He didn't try to suppress the sweetness and joy in his heart. His eyes overflowed with laughter, his brows curved downward with happiness, and his entire being seemed bathed in sweetness.