Liang Lao Er runs a slaughtering business, unlike most people in the village. He doesn't have to rely on the weather for his livelihood. As for farming, he only grows fruits, vegetables and grains to be self-sufficient. Liang Lao Er's family doesn't have to stay in the fields all year round. Their skin is much fairer than most women in the village. In addition, their family is well-off and they don't have to worry about firewood, rice and oil. Naturally, they can spare some time to eat, dress and dress up.

“Aunt Liang, these colors don’t suit you. Listen to me, we women dress up for ourselves, not for others. If you worry about those things, you’ll miss out on so much fun in life. Besides, I’m just changing the color for you. The style of the clothes is still quite traditional. Miao’er knows what’s going on.”

When Sun Miao'er arrived at Liang Lao Er's house, she found a soft measuring tape and began to measure the dimensions of Liang Lao Er's house. When her predecessor was alive, thinness was considered beautiful. The models in her Taobao store were all incredibly thin, like bamboo poles that looked as if they would fall over in the wind.

But it wasn't until she arrived in Fushui Village that Sun Miao'er realized that a plump and healthy figure was true beauty. Just like Aunt Liang in front of her, she was much prettier than those withered women. Looking at herself, she was also someone whose body was so thin that she could barely feel any flesh.

"Aunt Liang has such a great figure!" Sun Miao'er praised as she noted down the measurements.

Hearing this, Liang Lao Er's wife's ears turned red. "You're all getting on in years. What you're saying, niece, doesn't matter whether you look good or not. You're the ones who are young and unmarried. You should dress yourselves up."

“Aunt Liang, you’re wrong. Good looks are good regardless of age. How can you look down on yourself just because you’re a few years older? No one is immune to aging,” Sun Miao’er explained, having figured out Aunt Liang’s perspective, and her own thoughts began to take shape.

In the bronze mirror, the woman's hair was styled in a large bun, her face was like a full moon, plump and smooth, and her fair face was without a single wrinkle, which made her broad forehead and big eyes look very spirited.

“My dear niece, you are so skillful, unlike me, who does manual labor. Whoever marries you will be very lucky.”

Sun Miao'er wrote down several dimensions on a small piece of paper. Liang Lao Er's wife took out a small money bag from the cabinet, which turned out to be a gleaming silver ingot. "Niece, don't be polite with your aunt. We're all family. Please keep this for now."

"Auntie, you mustn't. If you like this dress, I'll make you one. It would be too much to ask for money," Sun Miao'er declined, but in her heart she was certain that the deal was done.

Liang Lao Er's wife objected, "Money given away is like water spilled; if you continue like this, your aunt won't come to you again!"

"Hey! Auntie, I'll take it!" Sun Miao'er accepted the favor and put the silver ingot into her pocket. "Don't worry, Auntie, I'll make one for you just like mine. I guarantee it will be even more outstanding than what I'm wearing!"

Seeing her first deal completed, Sun Miao'er was overjoyed. Holding the silver ingot in her hand, she had never seen such a large sum before. This was no small amount. If she saved up a little more, she could send Xiaoman to study at a scholar's house.

Since he had taken the money, he had to do the business properly and openly. Unfortunately, the fabrics available from the peddler's shop were too ordinary, consisting only of coarse linen. If he wanted to find some slightly better quality fabrics, he would have to go to the shops in the city.

"Xiaoman, I'll take you to town first thing tomorrow morning. I made a little money today!" Sun Miao'er shook the silver ingots in her money bag. They felt so heavy in her hand, it was so different from holding copper coins. It felt so good to have money in her hand.

Xiaoman immediately perked up, "Li Zuo Kui always used to show off his jujube paste pastries in front of Er Ya and me. Er Ya said they were pastries only available in city shops, and they were so delicious!"

"Sister will buy you jujube paste pastries and candied hawthorns tomorrow, okay?" Sun Miao'er took out ten coins from her purse and secretly slipped them under Grandma Sun's pillow when she wasn't around.

Before the rooster crowed the next day, Sun Miao'er dragged Xiaoman out of bed. Pingnan City was far from Fushui Village, and it would take a whole morning to get there by oxcart from the main road. Fortunately, there were oxcarts from the village that went to the city to collect swill every day. As long as you paid a few copper coins, the driver would take you there.

Sitting on the swill cart, which seemed to have absorbed the smell of pickling, and with it being summer, the odor was intense. Sun Miao'er and Xiaoman sat in the back of the cart, and although the swill buckets next to them were empty, it was still hard to breathe. The two siblings could only cover their noses and talk.

They finally arrived outside Pingnan City around noon. Sun Miao'er could see the city walls in the distance. It was her first time entering the city. "Xiaoman, hold your sister's hand. There are a lot of people in the city, so don't get lost."

Several soldiers guarding the city stood at the gate, their spirits dampened by the sun, dozing off under the gate. "When will this oxcart return?"

The driver held a whip in his hand and a piece of grass for picking his teeth in his mouth. He looked up at the sky and said, "The sun is long now. It will be late afternoon at the earliest and late afternoon at the latest."

“Alright, I’ll wait for you here then.” Sun Miao’er handed over two copper coins, led Xiaoman off the oxcart, and it took a long time for the smell of swill on her to dissipate completely.

Pingnan City wasn't exactly bustling, but it was still quite prosperous. Peddlers and laborers could be seen everywhere, along with various small stalls hawking their wares. The waiter at the noodle stall next to her was enthusiastically calling out his wares. Sun Miao'er was so focused on getting on her way that she only realized her stomach was empty at that moment.

"Waiter, two bowls of vegetarian noodles, please."

Before long, the waiter brought over two bowls of thin noodles, steaming hot. Xiaoman couldn't wait to pick up her chopsticks and said, "Hmm... not as good as the noodles my sister makes!"

"Shh, keep your voice down. This is someone else's stall. We can't ruin their reputation!" Sun Miao'er made a gesture, picked up her chopsticks, and took a couple of bites.

It's definitely not as good as my own skills. If I were to open a shop here, this place would probably have to close down.

Across the street, a small stall had a sign that read "Fragrant Drinks" in large characters. After finishing her noodles, Sun Miao'er went over and found it was a beverage stall. "Shopkeeper, how much is this?"

"Dried hay and cold water, two coins; icy osmanthus, three coins." The stall owner lazily looked up from under the parasol.

Xiaoman exclaimed inwardly, "So expensive! That's enough to buy several candied hawthorn skewers!"

Sun Miao'er ordered the Iced Osmanthus and gave Xiaoman a sip first. Because it contained crushed ice, and with the scorching heat outside, Xiaoman tilted her head back and swallowed it, feeling a cool sensation rush out of her throat, instantly feeling refreshed.

Sun Miao'er took a sip; the fragrance of osmanthus filled the air. This rock sugar osmanthus drink was a cold beverage made by mixing crushed ice and dried osmanthus blossoms into a sweet syrup. It was very popular in the city, especially in the sweltering summer; the stall owner said they couldn't keep up with demand. However, in Fushui Village, let alone tasting it, even seeing it was a rare treat. Three copper coins—in the past, that would have been enough for Sun Miao'er's family to eat for half a day.