Chapter 21 The Kind Young Shop Assistant

The next day, Liu Ye and Bai Zilin woke up early. Their dilapidated house was at the entrance of the village. Villagers going to town had to pass by the door of the dilapidated house, and everyone who passed by would peek into the yard.

Because they had also heard that Bai Zilin had gone there with the idiot. One was crippled and the other was an idiot; they would surely starve to death long ago.

Liu Ye was worried that Bai Zilin would be bullied by his parents if he stayed home alone, so she decided not to go up the mountain today. She took two apples from her basket and handed one to Bai Zilin: "Brother Bai, have an apple. Have all the villagers gone to town?"

Bai Zilin took the apple, snapped it in half, and put the other half in his pocket: "They must be going to buy grain. Do you want to go? If you want to go, then go. The town isn't far from our village, just two villages away. I'll give you some silver. If you can carry it, you can buy grain and clothes while you're at it. I reckon grain is more expensive now."

Liu Ye nodded without hesitation. She really wanted to go to town to take a look, which would also fulfill the silly girl's dream: "I'll go, I'll buy the grain too, and the water pouch. Oh right, hehehe, I climbed over the wall yesterday and got your bow and arrows back. I hid them in my basket."

Bai Zilin was quite surprised to hear this, not expecting her to help him retrieve the bow and arrows: "Thank you, I was also thinking of going to get them back sometime, buying a bow and arrows costs quite a bit of money."

Bai Zilin took out a money pouch from his pocket, took out three taels of silver and handed it to Liu Ye: "This is three taels of silver. After you buy your clothes, shoes and water bag, use the rest of the money to buy food. No one will pay attention to you when you go, but you have to be careful when you come back. People will think you are a fool... and they will try to steal your things. You... you have to be careful."

Bai Zilin's face suddenly turned red after he finished speaking. Liu Ye scratched her messy hair a couple of times. It wasn't that she had a habit of scratching her head, but her head was itchy, as if she had lice on it. She took the silver and put it in her pocket: "I understand."

After she finished eating the apple, she took a bag from her basket and followed the villagers toward the town. The gossipy old women gathered around Liu Ye in groups of three or five, walking alongside her.

Aunt Wu, the neighbor to the east of the Liu family, was the most gossipy person. She looked at Liu Ye with a smile and asked, "Silly girl Liu, you're living with Bai Zilin now? Hehehe, what have you two been doing? Did he touch you? Did he lie on top of you?"

The old women surrounding Liu Ye all pricked up their ears to listen. Liu Ye, you stinking old woman, touch your grandma's ball! You're talking nonsense, you seem to be from the "son-obsessed" association. You're the one who got pinned down by Boss Liu. She saw from the silly girl's memory that the silly girl's father had an affair with her. Once, the two of them were pulling radishes in the mountains when the silly girl saw them. The silly girl wasn't stupid, so she didn't know what they were doing with their bare bottoms, so she went over to take a look. As a result, her father slapped her hard and kicked her, making her run away.

Aunt Wu's question made the women around her burst into laughter, and the men chuckled to themselves. "Hahaha, Aunt Wu, you're something else! Hahaha, have you forgotten that she's a fool? Have you ever seen her speak? Hahaha, why don't you go and see her tonight? Hahaha, hahaha."

Liu Ye pursed her lips and quickened her pace, quickly leaving the group of silly women far behind. She passed through two villages and arrived at the town ahead. It was a very quaint little town with clean and tidy cobblestone streets. There wasn't much trash, just some leaves. Shops lined both sides of the street, but few were open. The pedestrians on the street were also in a hurry, all with miserable faces, sweating profusely from the heat.

Liu Ye went straight into an open fabric shop. The shop assistant thought she was a beggar and was about to tell her to leave when Liu Ye's soft, sweet voice warmed his heart: "Big brother, I want to buy ready-made clothes. Do you have any in your shop?"

The young shop assistant walked up to Liu Ye with a smile and said gently, "Yes, we have a lot of ready-made clothes in our store, for men, women, the elderly, and children. Are you looking to buy something for yourself?"

Liu Ye nodded and said, "Big brother, I want to buy two sets of clothes for myself and two sets of clothes for my brother. My brother is tall and broad-shouldered. I also want to buy two pairs of shoes for my brother and two pairs of shoes for me. My brother's feet are so big."

Liu Ye gestured with her hand, then raised her feet: "My feet are so big, big brother, can you help me choose? I'm not very good at it..."

The young shop assistant nodded: "I understand. Big brother will help you choose. I guess your family is also fleeing famine, right? I'll pick out two sturdy outfits for you. They won't cost much. Wait a moment, I'll go get them for you."

Liu Ye nodded obediently and stood aside to wait, watching the young shop assistant busy in the house. He would go to find clothes, then get shoes, and then pack clothes. Finally, the young shop assistant went to the backyard and brought out a large package: "Little sister, the scraps of cloth in this package are for you. They are all large pieces of cloth that I secretly hid. You can have them all."

"These are two sets of clothes for your brother and two sets for you. They're both made of coarse linen, which is sturdy and durable. The four pairs of shoes for you and your brother are also made of coarse linen. I've also stuffed two pairs of socks into your shoes as a bonus. These days, the cloth shop isn't doing well, and the owner is sick. He hasn't been here for quite some time. Hehehe, I've packed a small bag for you so it'll be easier for you to carry."

Liu Ye was stunned. She didn't expect the young waiter to be so nice to her. Looking at the waiter's chapped lips, she softened. Okay, she'll throw him two apples when she leaves. She has a problem: she can't stand it when others are nice to her.

"Thank you, big brother. How much silver is it?"

The young shop assistant smiled and said, "Just give me 200 coins."

Liu Ye took out a tael of silver from her bosom and handed it to the shop assistant. The shop assistant took the silver, poured 800 copper coins into a new purse for Liu Ye, and handed it to her: "You can't carry silver without a purse. Here's one for you. Be careful on your journey. The town is chaotic. Some daring people will rob you in broad daylight."

Liu Ye took the purse and put it in her bosom. She then reached into the cloth bag, pulled out two large apples, and stuffed them into the young man's arms: "Big brother, these are apples I picked from the mountains. They'll quench your thirst. I'll be going now."

After Liu Ye finished speaking, she picked up the two packages on the ground, carried them out of the cloth shop, and stared blankly at the two apples in her arms, speechless with surprise for a long time. Good heavens! In this day and age, there are still people who give away food. This little girl... He quickly hid the apples in his arms and ran to the backyard.

Liu Ye left the cloth shop, turned around and went into an empty alley. She put away a large bag of cloth scraps. The shop assistant was really nice; he actually gave her such a big bag of cloth scraps. It seems there are still many good people in the world.