"Is Madam planning to head south?" His family also had a business in the south, and his eldest son was the second manager of the Jiangzhou Trading Company.
"To be honest, things have fallen apart back home, and we really can't stay there any longer. The whole family is planning to move south. This trip to the city is just to replenish our supplies. Does the shopkeeper know which city in the south is suitable for relocation?"
Although all merchants are cunning, Manager Liu is still considered a kind and honest person.
After a moment's thought, Manager Liu said carefully, "It's safer to go south after passing Dingyuan Pass. The south is prosperous, and Jiangnan City, Jiangzhou City, and Lin'an City are all options. My eldest son is in Jiangzhou, and if Luzhou City falls into chaos, my wife and I plan to move there as well."
He planned to travel with his employer, who was a large and powerful family with his own guard, making the journey relatively safe. Those bandits and outlaws wouldn't dare cause trouble. Without this protection, he would have left long ago.
After making her decision, Qin San Niang thanked the shopkeeper, inquired about the location of the clothing store, and hurried out to find Fatty, otherwise the girl would be getting impatient.
Manager Liu simply said goodbye and told her to be careful, as it was really unsafe for a woman to travel alone with so much silver. He also told her that his eldest son owned the Sihai Goods Store in Jiangzhou, and that she could consider doing business with him, as he could ensure she would be treated fairly.
After seeing off Qin San Niang, Manager Liu carefully wrapped the collected items in a wooden box and hurried off to find his employer. He could already imagine the employer's expression when he saw these things.
"Fatty, have you been waiting long?"
I climbed onto the mule cart in a few steps and put my basket in the carriage. The carriage was quite nice; there was a hidden compartment under the seat that could be locked.
Hearing Third Aunt's voice, Fatty's squinty eyes lit up. "Auntie, you're finally back! Shall we go back and find Anan and the others?"
Qin Sanniang had been gone for more than half an hour, and if she didn't come out soon, Pangya was about to go in and look for her. But she didn't dare leave the mule cart there. What if it was stolen? That was ten taels of silver! She wouldn't be worth that much even if she were sold! A while ago, Alan from the village was sold by her grandmother. She said that her family couldn't afford to eat, and she was only sold for three taels of silver!
Unaware of what Fatty was thinking, Qin San Niang also felt that it was indeed getting late. However, now that they had a mule cart, it wouldn't matter if they waited another day; they still needed to buy everything they needed.
She figured she had plenty of food; what didn't the supermarket have? But she still needed to buy some dark flour, millet, and sorghum, which were common in this era. Firstly, it would be for cover, and secondly, the millet and other grains at that time were still quite natural, and for Qin San Niang, who was used to refined grains, they had a unique flavor.
Most importantly, she needed to buy some clothes and fabric, as well as shoes. These straw sandals were really uncomfortable, and the road wasn't easy to walk on. She kept groaning when she accidentally bumped into a stone. If all else failed, she needed to buy some fabric; she remembered that Liu Shi should know how to sew shoe soles. She also needed to buy some oil, salt, sugar, and some meat and eggs…
In short, there are quite a lot of things to buy.
Most importantly, we should take Liu to a clinic or pharmacy to have her leg checked, and buy some medicinal herbs along the way.
We've been braving the elements on this journey, and with a young child at home, I really can't afford to get sick. But we're all just flesh and blood; who can escape birth, aging, sickness, and death? And then I realize it's almost September in the lunar calendar, and the nights are getting cooler. Who knows, it might get even colder in a month or two. We don't even have a decent winter coat or blanket in our baskets. Cotton needs to be added to our shopping list, but I don't even know if they sell it anymore…
Forget it, I can't think about it anymore, I should just buy it now.
"Fatty, let's go to the cloth market in the West Market." Now I own a car, even though I can't drive. But that's fine, I can just sit and relax.
"Alright, Auntie San Niang, you're all set!" Fatty waved her whip, and the mule cart started clattering along at a moderate speed. Auntie San Niang felt the speed was just right, and the ride was stable, which proved that Fatty's driving skills were quite good.
Luzhou City has two main streets running east, west, north, and south. In the middle of the streets is an open space resembling a square, where a large archway stands, with the directions of the four markets marked in large vermilion lacquer, making it easy for people not to get lost.
Qin San Niang couldn't help but admire the wisdom of the ancients. This architectural style was already very similar to the signage of later generations. It would be even better if it could indicate the main sales areas of the four cities in the east, west, south, and north.
Actually, this doesn't need to be marked; it's just a matter of convention. It's just that Qin San Niang, being an outsider, didn't know it.
There are many cloth shops in the West Market, but very few ready-made clothing stores. This is understandable, as this era is mainly characterized by a self-sufficient small-scale agricultural economy. Even locals living in the state capital would not be willing to buy ready-made clothes directly; most would still buy cloth and make their own.
However, she discovered that some fabric shops also offer tailoring services, which can be considered a prototype of personal customization.
Qin San Niang certainly didn't plan to have the clothes made by order, as that would take too much time. Fortunately, now that they had a mule cart, Liu and the others could make the clothes in the cart.
Fatty's mother can embroider, so making clothes is probably no problem for her. We'll get her and her mother a couple of outfits as payment. As for clothes for her own children, she'd be running out of time by now, especially since she really can't make them.
Fatty knew that Auntie San was going to buy cloth, but she was still surprised when she heard that she was allowed to go in and choose the cloth. She refused to go in no matter what. Her mother had said that she should not accept gifts from others casually. Although Auntie San meant well, she knew that it was wrong.
"Auntie, I won't go in. What if the mule cart gets stolen?" Fatty held firm to the mule cart!
"Don't worry about that, there's parking in the back of our shop. You won't get stolen!" the waiter said enthusiastically. Although the two men weren't dressed very well, and even wore straw sandals, the mule cart was a genuine one.
"Did you hear that, Fatty? Park the car in the back. You need to help me get my things!"
Thinking of Aunt San's small stature, Fatty felt that this reason was very valid. So she went around to the back of the house along the path next to the cloth market. Sure enough, there were several carts parked there, as well as a special straw shed. To her surprise, there was also some hay for the livestock to eat.
Fatty quickly plucked a handful of grass for the mule to eat, and then used a gourd ladle to scoop water into the stone trough, making sure the mule was full before following Qin San Niang to the front yard.
This cloth shop was very large. The cabinets in the front hall were filled with bolts of linen and cotton cloth, and even silk cloth was hanging on the walls. Moreover, the silk cloth was in a variety of colors, which was quite beautiful.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com