When Zhao Zhang saw Xu Jiang coming with a strange man, he was slightly stunned, then he went up to him with a smile and took the reins from Lou Yunchun.

Xu Jiang introduced him generously, "Brother Zhao, this is Lou Yunchun." Then she said to Lou Yunchun, "This is the stable manager, Zhao Zhang."

After the two men exchanged greetings, Zhao Zhang took the donkey out to drink water and feed it.

The donkey was very smart. It was obedient in Lou Yunchun's hands, but it acted stupidly in Zhao Zhang's hands and just ran towards a pile of hay.

While feeding the donkey, Zhao Zhang secretly looked at Lou Yunchun, feeling a little uncomfortable, but then he felt that a person like Madam Xu should be paired with a man of such talent and beauty.

After supplying the donkey, Lou Yunchun paid the money and drove Xu Jiang to the market.

Zhao Zhang accepted it without hesitation, not a penny less.

Xu Jiang sat on the donkey cart, feeling extremely relaxed. Today, with Lou Yunchun accompanying her to lead the donkey, she could also go for a stroll with nothing in her hands.

There's no need to buy rice; it's provided by Shopkeeper Wang. The wine and incense in the shop are all gone, so we need to stock up. We also need to buy some long-lasting fruits and vegetables, as well as fish, meat, and poultry. We can also stock up on mountain products. Winter Solstice is coming soon, so we can take them to Master Lin's house to make soup. We also need to add some of the five flavors, and sauce is even more indispensable. Sauce is the "chief"; without it, even the most delicious ingredients will seem bland.

In addition to food, paper, ink, and carving knives also need to be purchased. Although business has been slow since the beginning of winter, the store still has some stock. But she will need to repair the county annals and some other ancient books and scrolls later, and the stock in the store may not be enough.

She also planned to take advantage of the time when she was revising this set of county chronicles to clean up and repair the classics left by her master.

Those books came with her to the capital, but were never put on the shelves because she was reluctant to part with them. But even if she was reluctant, if she didn't spread his books, it would be a waste of his hard work day and night.

The winter solstice is coming soon. After the winter solstice, all things begin to sprout. It is time to sow the seeds she brought.

When I counted them carefully, there were so many things to buy that I'm afraid the car wouldn't be big enough to carry them all.

"Hey, stop here for a while." Xu Jiang came back to his senses after thinking about it. He almost missed the tofu stall and quickly called Lou Yunchun.

The tofu-selling lady saw a handsome man leading a donkey cart and could not help but take a few more glances. Her eyes swept over the smiling young lady on the donkey cart and she cried out "ouch" twice and rushed over.

"Little sister, I miss you so much." He came over and pinched her waist, then whispered in her ear, "Is this your lover? He's so handsome."

After asking, he saw Xu Jiang's face turn red, and he immediately understood. Then he gave her an ambiguous smile and asked, "Would you like to drink soy milk today?"

Xu Jiang saw Lou Yunchun staring at her, and knew that this sharp-eared man must have heard their whispers. A hint of shame suddenly appeared in her eyes. She looked away and said to the tofu lady, "Give me two bowls, one with more sugar."

"Okay." Mrs. Tofu looked Lou Yunchun over openly. "Hmm, he's worthy of her sister." Then she poured two bowls of steaming soy milk from the wooden barrel, adding a spoonful of sugar water to one bowl.

Xu Jiang took the soy milk and handed the sweet bowl to Lou Yunchun, and the two of them leaned against the donkey cart and drank it all in one gulp.

"Sister, your soy milk is still the best." Xu Jiang handed the bowl to the tofu lady and said, "Pack two more pieces of tofu."

"Okay." The tofu lady wrapped two more pieces of tofu neatly.

Lou Yunchun didn't drink enough of his bowl of soy milk, so Xu Jiang asked for another bowl for him. After he finished drinking it, the two of them paid the money, said goodbye to the tofu lady and continued shopping inside.

Seeing that Lou Yunchun hadn't said a word since he arrived, Tofu Lady thought he was a man of silent meditation. She stared at the backs of the two men as they left, muttering to herself, "This handsome guy is not bad. Although he can't speak, he is considerate. My little sister has good taste."

A customer called out, "Tofu lady, give me a piece of tofu, I want it to be tender."

She feigned anger and said, "What are you talking about? Is there any old tofu here?"

After saying that, he started to make tofu for this regular customer.

Along the way, many people greeted Xu Jiang. Lou Yunchun watched her chatting and laughing in the market, and suddenly felt that everyone's face in this noisy market came alive.

He had been to the West Market many times, but never before had he felt the joys and sorrows of the people's lives as he did now.

He didn't talk much, but he kept his mouth full all the way, having been fed a delicious feast by Xu Jiang. Seeing him frown at the salty bean paste brewed by his lover, Xu Jiang couldn't stop laughing.

I quickly took him to drink some sugar water.

The two of them ate and walked around until they had bought all the ingredients, and then went to the paper mill to buy paper.

The paper mill owner saw her coming and said with a smile, "Manager Xu, you haven't been here for a long time. I thought you went to buy from someone else."

Xu Jiang also laughed, "Your paper is so good and affordable, how could I bear to change it? I was too busy the past few days and it snowed heavily these past two days so I couldn't come."

"Shopkeeper Xu has such a clever tongue, why don't you just stay in my shop and help me attract customers?"

"Let me make it clear first, my wages are not cheap." After a few small talk, Xu Jiang asked, "Do you have any new paper recently?"

"Then you've asked the right question. I've been idle these days, so I've come up with a new kind of paper. I'm only selling it for twenty dollars. Would you like to take a look, Shopkeeper Xu?"

"Twenty dollars? What kind of rare treasure is that? Show it to me and let me open my eyes."

The owner of the paper mill went to the inner room to get some paper. Lou Yunchun tied the donkey at the door and asked the boy at the door to watch over it before he went into the paper mill to find Xu Jiang.

The monk came out holding the paper and saw him. He asked in surprise, "Master Lou?"

As he said this, he put down the paper and was about to come out to greet him, but Lou Yunchun bowed to him first and said, "I am traveling in private clothes today and not on any business. There is no need for you to be so polite, Master."

Xu Jiang's eyes moved between the two of them and asked, "Do you know each other?"

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