The shopkeeper said this, but in his heart he was thinking, "This silver jewelry was made by the Qilin Silver House in Wucheng, Jiangnan. The original price should be more than fifteen taels of silver. Although the pattern is a bit outdated, the workmanship is exquisite and the style is beautiful. After cleaning it, it can be sold for at least thirteen taels of silver. I wonder where this village girl got it..."
Xu Lanyin knew that merchants would lower prices to make money, but this shopkeeper who lowered prices so much was a profiteer. She shook her head and said, "The price the shopkeeper offered is too low. My father bought this set of jewelry at the Qilin Silver Shop in Wucheng a few years ago. It's exquisitely crafted and beautifully designed, and it cost sixteen taels of silver. If the shopkeeper offers twelve taels of silver, I'll sell it. If not, I'll go to another silver shop."
The shopkeeper didn't expect that this village girl knew as much as he did. He laughed and said, "Young lady, you have to let us make some money too. Ten taels is not enough..."
After some bargaining, the price was settled at nine taels and five cents of silver. Xu Lan knew that she was being ripped off and there was nothing she could do. She was afraid that if she talked about it for too long, it would attract thieves and scoundrels.
Xu Lanyin put the silver in her pocket and went to the county's largest restaurant, pastry shop, and embroidery workshop to look around. The waiters ignored her. Her attire and wardrobe didn't look like she could afford to eat or buy things there, but she still had the nerve to look around carefully.
The waiter in the embroidery workshop, in particular, disliked her the most. There were also young ladies from poor families who came here to sell their embroidery, and no matter how shabby their clothes were, they were always neatly dressed, making them look comfortable. Unlike this young lady, half her head was wrapped in a piece of rag, probably because her hair was too dirty to show to others. It was really disgusting. There are no ugly women in this world, only lazy ones. It really is.
Xu Lanyin hadn't heard the waiter's inner thoughts, otherwise she would have given him a thumbs-up. It was remarkable that a waiter in ancient times had grasped the modern idea of ​​reminding women to treat themselves well.
The embroidery workshop dazzled her; the pieces were even more exquisite than paintings. Xu Lanyin, who in her previous life could only sew buttons, and whose hands were also less dexterous in this life, had to wait for Qin's recovery. She then drew designs unheard of in her time for Qin to embroider. Although she hadn't been able to major in fine arts as she had hoped in her previous life, she had studied painting since the age of four, and after work, she had developed a love for photography, leaving her with a wealth of exquisite images. Being a painter wasn't an option, but she could create unique designs.
In the restaurant, Xu Lanyin looked at the dishes on the table and then at the menu hanging on the wall. The names of the dishes were very elegant, and she didn't know what many of them were.
There was a dazzling array of dim sum, a wide variety of them, all traditional pastries from the past, mostly shortbread and cakes. Cakes were made from various flowers or plants, like osmanthus cake, rose cake, poria cake, red bean cake, and even, surprisingly, trough cake. It was somewhat similar to cakes from the past, but made differently, making it lighter, softer, and more delicate.
Xu Lanyin wasn't very confident selling recipes, but she might have a few Western-style pastry recipes. She'd go home and think about what kind of pastries to make. However, making pastries required buying ingredients, which involved money, and Qin and Xu Lanzhou certainly didn't want her to "spend money" again.
After a full circle, it was already early afternoon. Hungry, Xu Lan bought a bowl of sweet potato noodles from a stall for ten cents. She didn't know if it was because the original owner hadn't eaten meat in ages, or if the woman running the stall was truly skilled, but the aroma was so heavenly it made her feel like she was in heaven. It also made her feel that her cooking skills couldn't even compare to those of the vendors, let alone those at the big restaurants.
Xu Lanyin was eating noodles when a woman in her thirties carrying a bamboo basket came over to another table and sat down. She said with a smile, "Auntie He, give me a big bowl of sweet potato noodles with a poached egg. Oh, I'm starving."
Aunt He was beating the eggs skillfully. She turned her head and chatted with the woman, "Sister, you are a popular figure in the county magistrate's mansion. What has happened to you that has exhausted you so much? You should let those boys and girls run errands."
The woman looked around and saw that besides Aunt He, she and a country girl were the only ones there. She smiled and said, "To be honest, Aunt He, I'm out shopping for my daughter. She fell a while ago, and the doctor said she needs to rest for three months. She's only eleven, so how can she rest? Needlework gets boring after a while, so Madam asked me to come out and buy some toys for her. I've been all over the county, and I've only found the same few things."
The housekeeper rummaged through the basket again, taking out one thing after another. "A small purse, a doll, a nine-linked ring, a Luban lock, a tangram, and a Lubo chess set. We have several sets of Go at home, but I didn't buy any today. I don't have the patience to play that kind of chess..."
Xu Lan, who was quite interested in ancient toys, turned around and took a look. They were all very delicately crafted. The Lu Bo chess was somewhat similar to the military chess of her past life, but much simpler.
She finished her noodles, paid for it and left.
There were butcher shops in Xinghua Village, and they were cheaper than in the county town. But she didn't want to go to Xinghua Village, so she bought half a pound of pork liver and two pounds of lard from a butcher stall in the county town.
She went to the grain store and bought three pounds of flour, two pounds of red dates, a small bag of winter melon candy, two pieces of dried tofu, and a small can of lamp oil before hurriedly heading back. She had wanted to buy more seasoning, but thinking of the previous owner's squandering and the public outrage, she held back. The more she did now, the more mistakes she would make. She wanted to give all the money from the dowry to Qin. She had to at least return the forty-five taels of silver the previous owner had squandered, to give Qin and Xu Lanzhou some peace of mind, and to give her a say in the family.
It was almost dusk when we returned to Xiaozao Village. Many children were playing in the village, a few women were gossiping, and there were farmers walking home from the fields.
Xu Lanyin could have taken the path in front of the village home, but she went through the village and took the path that passed by Gu's house, carrying the pig liver and lard in the basket. Buying so many things in the countryside would have been very conspicuous.
Old Lady Gu stood at the door, eagerly waiting. Although Xu Lanyin had scolded her that day, she felt it must have been Old Lady Xu who had instigated it. That silly girl, always dreaming of becoming a juren's wife, would still find ways to curry favor with her once she figured it out. She was probably selling herbs today just to make a quick buck and cheer herself up.
Finally, Xu Lanyin arrived, and seeing her walking towards them with a straw rope tied with pig liver and lard, Gu Pozi's face was full of smiles. She must be coming from home to deliver meat if she took this route.
Old Wife stepped forward, offering her hand for the liver and lard, and said with a smile, "Yin girl, I've cooled the sourberry soup for you. Come home and have some. Oh, I haven't had meat in days. You're such a filial child. As soon as you sell your medicine, you buy me some meat to satisfy my craving." Then she whispered, "Tomorrow, go to Xu Lizheng's house and get me some pears. That would be even better."
She said "get it" instead of "buy it." She thought to herself, "If I buy all this meat secretly, I'm sure I won't have any money left. Better to steal it. That way, my son and you will be separated even if we can't leave each other."
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