Chapter 53: Living

The only duck down jacket was finally given to Mrs. Wen, whose figure was similar to Wen Zhirou's, and the others prepared for the winter with cotton jackets.

Chen Shiyi asked the owner of the clothing store to make two more sets of clothes for her. She wanted to buy winter cotton-padded clothes for the mother and son of the Pei family.

Pei Luoshu came to Changning Street early every day, no matter it was windy or rainy, or no matter how cold the weather was.

He was afraid that Chen Shiyi would not be able to find him when she came, and he was also afraid that he would miss the opportunity to meet her.

Whenever he heard any movement on Changning Street, he would look to the end to see if she was coming.

Occasionally, I would also see Aunt Zhao busy beside me, happily using Chen Shiyi's previous items.

Once, Xue Lianxing came to see him.

In the bundle were several books to be copied and two sets of winter cotton-padded clothes.

"These books are needed urgently. You have to copy them quickly."

Pei Luoshu stroked two cotton coats with his palm.

"Who sent this?"

Xue Lianxing blinked.

"This is a benefit from the Moxiang Bookstore. The shopkeeper is nice and likes your calligraphy. He specifically told me to deliver it to you."

Pei Luoshu whispered.

"Really?"

Xue Lianxing shook his head.

"You keep it first, I'm leaving now!"

Pei Luoshu quickly grabbed Xue Lianxing.

"Have you seen Eleven recently?"

Xue Lianxing looked embarrassed.

"I haven't seen her for a long time, and I don't know what she's been doing lately."

Pei Luoshu then let go of his hand awkwardly.

"Will Brother Xue always help me deliver the copied books from now on?"

"Yes, I will send them to you from now on."

"Thank you for your hard work, Brother Xue."

"Why should I be so tired? It's just a few steps, and..."

Xue Lianxing realized that he had said the wrong thing, and quickly ran out of Changning Street.

Pei Luoshu was silent for a moment, then followed Xue Lianxing's steps and caught up.

At the corner, he saw a white figure walking shoulder to shoulder with Xue Lianxing.

"Brother Xue, has it been sent out?"

There was a hint of impatience between Xue Lianxing's brows.

"You can just send it there yourself later. Why are you pulling me along on the raft?"

Chen Shiyi smiled happily.

"Well, Brother Xue is the kindest person. How can you just stand by and watch my sister help me?"

Xue Lianxing sighed.

"What can I do to you? Your sister-in-law keeps saying that if I don't do what you want, she'll break a few of the iron spatulas in the house."

Chen Shiyi burst into laughter when he heard this.

"Sister-in-law is really interesting."

She was silent for a while and then asked again.

"How is Hao'er's illness?"

"I take medicine every day, but there is no improvement. It's really worrying."

"How about taking Hao'er to the capital to find a good doctor?"

"Once Hao'er got sick, all the money I've saved over the years has gone into his medicine jars. I'm afraid it's going to be hard in the city!"

Chen Shiyi took out ten taels of silver from the purse on his sleeve.

"I only have this much cash now. Let's take Hao'er to the capital to see a doctor first. If the money is still not enough, we can think of another way."

Xue Lianxing looked really confused.

"Where did you get so much silver?"

Chen Shiyi smiled.

"It was earned, how could it be stolen?"

Xue Lianxing was helpless.

"Forget it, keep the money for yourself. Besides, your whole family depends on you for support, and it's not easy for you."

"I still have money, and I know my limits. I can take care of things at home."

Xue Lianxing finally took the silver and asked solemnly.

"Eleven, do you like Pei Xiucai?"

Chen Shiyi was silent for a long time, with regret in his eyes.

"I like him. I like him very much, but what can I do? With my status, I have to live like this for the rest of my life. I can't make my own decisions. I'd better not let others get involved."

Xue Lianxing nodded.

"You are right. Pei Xiucai is a good young man. Your indenture is in someone else's hands. Besides, you are already someone else's maid, so you cannot look for a man other than your master's."

Chen Shiyi smiled bitterly.

"Okay, let's not talk about this. I came here today to ask you something."

"What?"

"Let's make a living together."

Pei Luoshu, who had been hiding at the entrance of the alley, heard everything they said.

He leaned against the dark blue brick wall, the scorching midday sun shone on his azure blue robe, the hazy light reflected on his calm cheeks, his eyes slightly lowered.

Her robe fluttered and her hair fluttered.

She said she liked it, she said she liked it very much...

He should do something for her liking!

When he got home, he dug out a box from under the bed. The box was old and covered with dust.

He wiped off the dust and opened the box. Inside were the scientific research books that his mother had always thought had been sold.

He carefully and solemnly took out the books one by one.

It was placed on the neatly arranged desk, and the pen given by Chen Shiyi hung on the pen holder next to it.

Pei's mother was deeply relieved when she heard Pei Luoshu's low voice of reading.

It's better this way, so that when she goes to the underworld to meet his father, she will have an explanation.

"Mom, this is the winter clothing that Eleven prepared for us. Try it on and see if it fits you."

Not long after Pei's mother saw Pei Luoshu entering the house, he held the clothes and handed them to her like he was giving a treasure.

"Okay, Eleven is thoughtful."

Pei Luoshu spoke softly.

"Mother, this year's autumn examination is over. I want to take part in the provincial examination three years later."

Mother Pei's eyes turned red.

"Luo'er, it's good that you figured it out!"

"Mom, I will copy books and study at the same time. When I save enough money, I will hire an aunt to take care of you. Otherwise, I will be worried when I go to take the exam!"

Pei's mother responded.

"Okay, just go ahead, don't worry about me."

Chen Shiyi didn't even know that Pei Luoshu had heard his conversation with Xue Lianxing. He only knew that he was talking to Xue Lianxing about what they were going to do.

"I have contacted several cloth shops recently. They are very interested in the price we offer and have agreed that as long as we ship the cloth to them, they will share whatever we have."

Xue Lianxing pondered for a while and said in confusion.

"Eleven, let's not talk about other things. The money we have on us is not enough to carry much goods. Moreover, we need to hire two drivers to transport the goods. In addition, the road is not safe. If a robber comes, we will not be able to save our lives."

Chen Shiyi nodded.

"Brother Xue, the things you are considering are exactly what I have been trying to solve."

"It's our first time getting goods, so of course we can't be greedy. This is just a test. If we get ten rolls of coarse cotton cloth from Qianfu Cloth Shop, we can transport it back from the county town by ourselves. It only costs the money to rent a car. Our cost is 65 wen per roll of coarse cotton cloth, so 10 rolls is 650 wen. The car rental is 30 wen a day, so our total cost is 680 wen. We sell it for 75 wen per roll, so we can make 70 wen for 10 rolls. This is much better than our previous work as sand carriers."

Xue Lianxing frowned.

"This is a business with high costs, high risks and very little profit."