Chapter 23
All the shops selling clothes and jewelry in Tang Town are on Tanghua Street. This street is also the place most frequented by the ladies in the town. Once you turn a corner, the colors of the street are different.
I saw colorful flags hanging outside the shops on both sides of the street, with the store names written in black and red on the flags.
There are also some tailor shops that sell ready-made clothes, which are directly displayed outside. The clothes are colorful and sway in the wind.
Lu Shang didn't know much about women's clothing, and the ancient styles made him dizzy. Just on this street, he couldn't tell which one was good and which one was bad.
After a while, he said helplessly: "A Ning, just pick what you like. I really can't tell."
Jiang Wanning originally thought that he was just talking about buying new clothes and jewelry, until she stood on Tanghua Street, she felt a little bit of reality in it, and at the same time, a little bit at a loss.
"I... I don't need to buy clothes." Jiang Wanning tightly grasped the small piece of silver she had just obtained, hesitated for a long time, and was still reluctant to spend the money on such an unimportant thing.
She said, "You'd better save the money for medicine and other things. You have to always have medicine at home. It's a big expense every time you get medicine. We can't always ask grandma to pay for it. Besides, we haven't made much money yet. If we spend it all, what if..."
The former is only secondary. Jiang Wanning is more worried that they will spend the money and not be able to make it back later, which will delay the business with Guanhelou.
Lu Shang clearly saw the worry in her eyes, and a warm feeling flowed through his heart.
He didn't have the habit of spending ahead of time. He suggested buying new clothes and jewelry only because he had promised Jiang Wanning before, and today he had successfully negotiated two cooperation deals in a row, so he was really happy.
His excitement was half gone when Jiang Wanning refused. After he took her to Jinxiufang, which had the most customers, he found out that the cheapest cloud shirt cost twenty-five taels of silver. His heart sank.
Being squeezed among the women, Lu Shang refused to give up and pointed: "Where is that pastel-colored cloth?"
The shop assistant clapped his hands and said, "Sir, you have good taste! That's fine brocade from the water town. The entire Jinxiu Shop only bought ten pieces. I see you really like it, so I'll give you one hundred and thirty taels per piece!"
"Puff--" Jiang Wanning couldn't help laughing when she saw Lu Shang's face suddenly turn pale.
Facing the two people's gazes, Jiang Wanning waved her hand: "It's okay, it's okay. My husband pointed at the wrong thing. We want the piece of cotton cloth next to it."
The clerk took one look and said, "Madam, you have good taste! That piece of cotton cloth is the best-selling piece in the store. The material is soft and comfortable, and the most important thing is that it is not expensive. Only eighteen cents a foot!"
Eighteen cents is not too cheap, but compared to the Wenjin that Lu Shang saw at first glance, it is indeed a good value for money.
Jiang Wanning said, "We want that. Can we pull it three feet?"
"Okay! Madam, please wait a moment!" The waiter responded, found a tape measure, pulled out the cloth skillfully, and rolled it up with a piece of scrap cloth.
Without waiting for Lu Shang to pay, Jiang Wanning handed over her small piece of silver. After deducting the money for the cloth, she returned twelve coins: "Madam, please keep this."
"Okay, thank you."
Although Lu Shang didn't know why Jiang Wanning changed her mind again, he was also happy to see her buying things. When he came out of Jinxiufang, he immediately stuffed another piece of silver into her pocket.
"What?" Jiang Wanning was stunned.
Lu Shang smiled and said, "Take it and see if you need anything else."
Jiang Wanning's eyes curved and she responded cheerfully.
But on the way thereafter, she would look at Lu Shang from time to time, carefully estimating his size from shoulders to waist and hips, and then thinking about what style to buy.
Moon white is a very standard color, suitable for both men's clothing and women's skirts.
Although the cotton cloth is not a top-grade material, it is still a very good material if brought back to Lujia Village. Even the uniforms of some of the better academies in the town are made of the same quality fabric.
Lu Shang had no idea what Jiang Wanning was thinking, and he just walked all the way to the end of Tanghua Street.
If you want to buy things for the women in your family, including rouge, powder, clothes, and jewelry, everything you can think of can be found on this street, both expensive and cheap.
Considering her family's financial situation, Jiang Wanning refused to choose any jewelry.
Even when Lu Shang wanted to buy her rouge and powder, she smiled and brushed it off: "Rouge is fine, but there are no women in the village who wear rouge and powder."
"If you like it, why do you care about others?" Lu Shang said without caring about others. He was just concerned about Jiang Wanning's mood, so he didn't force it.
He just didn't have money to buy jewelry and rouge, and in the end he didn't save any. He found a famous cream shop and bought a complete set of creams, including hand and face creams, and even tooth powder.
He asked the shopkeeper to pack up the things and gave them all to Jiang Wanning: "Take these. When you get back, send them directly back to your room. You can keep them for yourself."
"The store owner said that the hand ointment should be used frequently. Reapply it whenever it gets wet. If there's no major problem, just avoid getting wet. If you need any help, call me. Let's take care of your hands first."
"Use this set first, and I'll buy you another one when you're done."
These ointments cost a full two taels of silver. If Lu Shang hadn't gone to the bank and withdrawn five taels in advance, just a small box of hand ointment would have drained all the money they had.
Jiang Wanning held her arms full of things and nodded heavily after a long while: "Yes!"
After leaving Tanghua Street, the two had no other purpose.
Lu Shang originally wanted to look for a stall selling braised food, but now that all the braised food recipes have been released, there is naturally no need to observe and learn from them.
The two of them walked around in circles and took a lot of effort to finally reach the busiest market. Looking at the dazzling array of goods on the street, they had to spend three cents to buy a bamboo basket before making any purchases.
The cotton cloth that had been cut earlier was placed at the bottom of the bamboo basket, and then the ointment was placed on it and held in Lu Shang's hand.
The pens and paper she got from the bookstore were so precious that Jiang Wanning was afraid they would get dirty or wrinkled, so she had to keep holding them. Sometimes when the crowd was crowded, she had to go to the side to take shelter.
There are many stalls in this market, and the items sold are often repeated.
Others might be dazzled by the choices, but when it comes to Lu Shang, there is no doubt that he will compare prices from three different stores.
Just like the pork stall as soon as you enter the market, a pound of pork is sold for twelve cents, but if you walk further in, the same piece of meat only costs eleven cents.
"Well, I want three pounds of ribs and two pounds of fat. Boss, give me some discount." Lu Shang bargained skillfully, completely different from the aloof scholar he had been in previous years.
Jiang Wanning had never seen him as a scholar, but she had seen him with a gloomy and deathly aura. For a moment, she seemed to see another shadow on Lu Shang's body.
But before she could identify him clearly, Lu Shang had already turned around.
Under the bright sunshine, Lu Shang's smile was particularly brilliant. He raised his hand, revealing a large bag of oil-paper in his hand: "I added three cents, and the boss gave me a set of pig offal!"
"I'll make you some pork soup when we get back, and I'll add some seasoning..."
The two of them were talking and laughing, and from behind, they looked like a well-matched young couple.
In addition to pork, they also bought five pounds of white flour and three pounds of rice. There were people selling home-grown vegetables at the market, and they could get a large bunch for just three or five cents. The green leaves looked pleasing to the eye, and Lu Shang accidentally bought half a basket of them. If Jiang Wanning hadn't stopped him, he would have continued buying.
"These vegetables are available in the village, and they are sold cheaper among neighbors. Besides, my husband, if you buy so much, we won't be able to finish it at home and it will become stale."
Lu Shang touched his nose and said, "Then I won't buy it."
If you can’t buy vegetables, there are other things you can buy.
Vegetables and eggs are sold in the village, and soy products such as tofu and dried tofu can also be found. Only some rare daily necessities or small gadgets to make children happy are worth buying.
Just thinking of Lu Guangzong and Lu Yaozu's temper, Lu Shang curled his lips and said, "I won't buy it for them until they become obedient."
However, he turned around and hurriedly called Jiang Wanning over: "Take a look at this little bag and see if it can be used by Lu Xian's little girl. It will fit nicely around her neck when she eats."
Jiang Wanning took a look and said, "Yes, it's just what she needs. If my husband likes it, I'll make it for her."
"Can you do it?" Lu Shang discovered that Jiang Wanning could give him a different surprise every once in a while, which was even more exciting than doing business.
Jiang Wanning did some calculations in her mind and said, "There's still some left from the clothes I made from the piece of cloth I just tore off. It's just enough to make her two bibs."
"That's great." Lu Shang was very happy. "Then I won't buy it. I'll use the money I saved to buy you some candy."
Jiang Wanning subconsciously said no, but when the words were on the tip of her tongue, she inexplicably missed the sweet taste of candies. She was so greedy that she silently swallowed her refusal.
Lu Shang didn't notice her little thoughts, and he never broke his promises. Even though their schedule was tight, he bought two candies before leaving.
In addition, he also went to the pastry shop and bought a small bag of pastries, the cheapest kind.
Cooking spices are relatively expensive, but fortunately, not much is used, and the total cost is just that, which is still within the affordable range.
According to Jiang Wanning's idea, they'd better go to the clinic to get some more medicine, but Lu Shang was extremely confident in his fitness gymnastics and refused to waste the money no matter what.
After buying all these things, it was already late.
Jiang Wanning reminded him at the right time: "It's time to go back, otherwise I'm afraid I won't be able to get home before dark."
"Then let's go. I should be going to town quite often these days. If there's anything you need, I'll bring it back."
Thinking of Lu Shang's cooperation with Guanhe Tower, Jiang Wanning understood.
When the two men arrived outside the city gate with paper and pen and a backpack on their backs, the coachman Pang Da Ye was already waiting at the old place, and those who wanted to take the ox cart back to the village had basically returned.
Lu Shang happened to see Uncle Xu, whom he had greeted early in the morning. There was no prey left in his basket. Judging from the smile on his face, he must have sold it for a good price.
As Lu Shang and Jiang Wanning approached, everyone looked over.
When he saw the many things they brought back, his expression became even more complicated.
"Mr. Lu is back!" Uncle Pang was originally squatting beside the ox cart counting ants, but his expression changed immediately when he looked up. He enthusiastically helped them lift the bamboo basket onto the cart, and with a wave of his hand he refused the fare from both of them.
Grandpa Pang just confirmed again: "I'll take my grandson to your house tomorrow. Is morning okay?"
Lu Shang thought for a moment and said, "Let's wait until after noon to get the kids ready."
"Okay, okay, then I'll definitely send the child over on time after noon!"
After the last person returning to the village arrived, the ox cart slowly drove away from Tang Town.
After staying in Tang Town for a whole day, leaving aside the business with the bookstore and restaurant, the things Lu Shang and Jiang Wanning brought back alone made the people in the car envious.
"Is this the monthly salary from the government? No wonder everyone likes to send their children to school. If my child can pass the exam and become a scholar, I'll send him too!"
"Forget it. Among the three or four villages around here, only Lujia Village has produced a scholar named Lu. Your child is only seven or eight years old and is still rolling in the mud. How can he be a scholar?"
As the people on the ox cart chatted, they talked about sending their children to school.
But as Uncle Xu said, "Forget about studying. It's too expensive, and you won't learn anything even if you study for a long time. It's better to learn a skill as soon as possible. At least you won't waste all your money."
Even if you search the entire village, you may not be able to find a family willing to sell everything they have to support a scholar.
That is to say, Lu Shang was very smart since he was young. He passed every exam with ease and became a student at an early age. This gave his family hope, so they were willing to grit their teeth and support him.
Lu Shang just smiled and said nothing, but glanced at Jiang Wanning from time to time, looking at her in confusion. She looked at herself secretly, thinking that she had done something inappropriate.
In the evening, the ox cart finally returned to Lujia Village.
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