Lu Amian can be so infuriating at times.

Throughout the journey, everyone in the academy gossiped about her, both openly and secretly, but she acted as if nothing was wrong, shamelessly insisting on staying with the group. This was because she was afraid of being alone and in danger, and that someone might steal her money.

Whenever she went off to do business, they would rest nearby, and to outsiders they would appear as her bodyguards.

Seeing that she had many people, and that they were all scholars, even the village scoundrels who often came to cause trouble and argue became less frequent.

That's fine.

Ji Hengzhi was furious. She knew perfectly well what they had said about her doing business, and now she was actually selling goods to them! She probably had this planned all along.

It feels like you've exhausted yourself kicking and punching a ball of cotton, only to have the cotton float by and ask if you want to buy an umbrella because it's going to rain soon.

"Dream on! On such a long journey, what servant wouldn't know to bring an umbrella for his master? Let's see who you sell it to!"

Ji Hengzhi scoffed. If only A-Mian were his wife (not because he was in love with A-Mian), but because he could give A-Mian a good beating.

Moreover, she was to be confined to a small courtyard and guarded day and night by two or three guards.

To appease her, it wouldn't be unreasonable to give her some gold, silver, jewelry, or fine clothes.

Swish—

The pageboy forcefully opened the extremely luxurious and exquisite silk umbrella he had brought. This kind of umbrella was coated with a layer of tung oil, which was supposed to protect against light rain, but now it had been torn with a large hole and had become a broken and tattered umbrella.

“This…this…” The pageboy cried with a mournful face.

When we set off, the sun was shining brightly, and most people brought umbrellas or raincoats. However, there were always a few people who forgot or thought, "It definitely won't rain," and didn't bring any.

Right now, with no village in sight and no land to be seen, those who didn't bring umbrellas can only take shelter under trees to avoid the rain.

Ah Mian held up the sandalwood umbrella and showed it off to the young ladies, saying, "This is made of the finest sandalwood, the patterns are so exquisite, and there's only one of its kind!"

The young ladies all brought umbrellas, but they thought this umbrella was really pretty and very lightweight. Since it was raining and they had nothing else to do, they asked, "How much does this cost?"

"If you want it, write a price and your name on this piece of paper, and I'll hand it to you. Who knows, it might be yours!" Ah Mian didn't know how to price it properly, so she came up with a solution: "The highest bidder wins. If no one else wants it, you might just snag a bargain!"

The women exchanged glances, and several of them covered their mouths and burst out laughing.

"Okay, if you lose money, don't blame us."

"That's right, that's right. I'll write down two coins on this piece of paper. If you get this umbrella, it'll probably be more than you've earned from your hard work these past few days."

They were discerning and thought that it wouldn't be unreasonable to spend an ounce or two of silver on this umbrella if it were bought on a regular day.

After explaining the rules to the young ladies, Ah Mian cut the paper into small strips and handed them out to those who wanted to fill in the price. The scholars without umbrellas, seeing this, asked in confusion how much the umbrellas were priced, so Ah Mian repeated the rules again.

"Isn't this just a 'bidding war'? Why not just let everyone verbally bid, and the highest bidder wins?"

Ah Mian's face was filled with righteous indignation: "I'm not doing this to make money off my classmates, but simply to let someone who appreciates this fine umbrella have it. Even if the price is higher if I ask for it publicly, I don't want to hurt our relationship. 'A gentleman loves money, but he acquires it in a proper way.'"

There are too many variables in a public auction. What can A-Mian do if Ji Hengzhi or some scholar makes a rash bid and causes trouble?

Besides, it's just a note; everyone's thinking, what if they manage to snag a bargain?

If everyone else writes ten or twenty coins, and you write fifty coins, you can get a sandalwood umbrella that is quite valuable!

Ah Mian appeared calm, but only the person holding another bamboo umbrella behind her could notice that her legs were trembling slightly.

If the highest bid is below 800 coins, she will lose money. But if she sets a reserve price (800 coins), most people will probably be too lazy to participate.

"Go, get me a piece of paper too." Ji Hengzhi patted the pageboy. He was a man of wide experience and couldn't bear to miss such a lively event.

The rain had not yet started; the sky was low and the clouds were dark, making the air feel very stuffy.

Among those filling out the slips of paper, some looked around, trying to peek at other people's prices; some were simple-minded and happily filled in a few coins; others secretly analyzed their classmates' family circumstances, guessed how much money others would contribute, and added a hundred coins to that.

Among the young ladies, there were also some with exceptional intelligence. After careful consideration, they filled in 900 coins (any higher and it wouldn't be considered a bargain, any lower and they might not be able to compete with others).

Seeing how enthusiastically these ants were writing, Ji Hengzhi twisted his neck a few times and wrote down three taels of silver on the paper.

This umbrella is already his, and besides, it's the only one he owns in the entire academy. He'll just throw the silver at A-Mian's feet and tell her to pick it up.

After a short while, Ah Mian collected all the notes, and a light rain began to fall from the sky.

Everyone held their breath, watching her intently, awaiting the outcome. A-Mian gradually relaxed, handing the umbrella to one of the scholars who hadn't brought one, saying, "Congratulations on obtaining this precious umbrella; it's yours now!"

"How is that possible!" Ji Hengzhi slapped his thigh.

Ah Mian said, "He offered the highest price, twenty coins more than you."

The scholar was so fond of the umbrella that he opened it under the watchful eyes of everyone present and said modestly, "It was just a lucky break."

The rain intensified, and Ah Mian decided not to sell the other bamboo-ribbed umbrella, but to keep it for her own use.

"You, you, you only sell one umbrella, why didn't you bring two more!" At this moment, even those without umbrellas under the tree were soaked to the bone and looked extremely disheveled.

For a young man in the prime of his youth, being embarrassed in front of a group of young ladies is more painful than anything else.

Moreover, it was still quite cold at the time. With wet clothes clinging to their bodies and feet soaked in water-filled shoes and socks, a gust of wind could easily cause them to catch a cold, and seeing a doctor and taking medicine would probably cost a lot of money.

Ji Hengzhi was filled with regret; he should have just paid five taels of silver.

On the other side, Ah Mian turned her back to everyone and asked Meng Chijian to block her way, then carefully hid the silver she had received on her body.

Wang Zixuan didn't have an umbrella, but somehow he spread his arms wide and stood in the rain for a long time...

Seeing that the rain had not stopped for a long time, and that their original itinerary would be delayed if it continued, the teachers decided to hurry on their way after the rain subsided a little, and reach the city before it got dark.

"Come up."

"Huh? Oh."

Amian's basket now contained only some mosquito repellent sachets and tea bags. She leaned on Meng Chijian's back, mounted the donkey, wrapped her right arm around his neck, and held up an oil-paper umbrella with her other hand.

Meng Chijian was already carrying a shoulder pole, but with A Mian added to the load, it was still effortless for him.

Traveling in the rain, the road was muddy and everyone was having a hard time. Looking at the two of them, everyone was filled with mixed feelings.

A-Mian patted Meng Chijian's big head and suddenly whispered in his ear, "Don't worry, I will be good to you for the rest of my life and will never let you down."

"……Um."