Chapter 2211 Comfort
In addition to those selling various small items, there were also many people bringing out cloth. There was an oilcloth spread on the ground, and on it were pieces of cloth with particularly bright colors.
There were all kinds of strange patterns on it. Manbao couldn't help but look at it again and again. Baishan simply took her hand and went forward to take a look.
The vendor excitedly opened a piece of cloth to show them the pattern. "Look, isn't the color of this cloth really bright? We carefully traced the pattern. It's made of top-quality material."
Manbao reached out and touched it. The color was beautiful and the pattern was gorgeous, but the material was a bit rough. It couldn't even compare to the feel of fine cotton, let alone satin.
Wearing this kind of fabric in such hot weather is actually a bit non-breathable.
Bai Shan also thought that the material was average, but it was still okay to wear, so he asked the price.
The vendor had just witnessed them asking for the price of the stone, so he thought for a moment and offered a price: "One ounce of silver."
Bai Shan: ...Do they really look like stupid people with a lot of money?
He glanced at the other person, considered the price of inferior fine cotton, and said, "Three hundred coins a piece, will you sell it?"
The vendor opened his mouth, but seeing both of them staring at him with wide eyes, he suspected that if he raised the price again, the other party might walk away as ruthlessly as they had just treated the vendor. So, after a moment's hesitation, he nodded, "Sell."
So Bai Shan bought a piece of cloth for three hundred coins.
Seeing that they had made a deal, the vendors nearby started to sell their goods even more enthusiastically. Many people put out the fruits and vegetables that they could not finish at home. It was a pity that Manbao and his friends had already eaten them this afternoon. Melon is cold in nature and hurts the stomach, so Manbao had warned them not to eat too much.
So everyone's eyes lingered on the fruits and vegetables, but they didn't say they wanted to buy them. They just asked about the price and decided to check the price tomorrow.
The group withdrew their hands with regret, then turned back, whispering, "Didn't they say no one buys the fruits here? Why are they even more expensive than those in the capital?"
Manbao said, "I'll look around tomorrow. Maybe there's something cheaper somewhere else. But this place is really good. There's a stall right at the door. It's so convenient."
Bai Shan didn't know that these stalls were set up temporarily for them, so he nodded and said, "The town looks quite prosperous. Even if there are fewer customers outside, they are still very lively."
The vendors watched helplessly as they walked into the house and were very upset. Fortunately, the soldiers who came with them also came out to join in the fun after having dinner and taking a bath. Although not many people bought things, some transactions were made. The most important thing was that there was popularity.
Since April this year, the merchants who were supposed to come have not come and the town has been quiet for two months.
Normally, this time of year is the busiest time for the town. Whether it is merchants from the Central Plains going to the Western Regions or merchants from the Western Regions going to the Central Plains, most of them have to pass through here, otherwise their town would not be built so well.
Generally speaking, from June to September is the peak period for visitors to their town, and the money they earn in these four months is more than what they earn in a year from grazing and planting.
Bai Shan and the others didn't know this at first, but they found out after a few days.
Lieutenant General Nie disciplined his men, allowing them to wander the town and perhaps go hunting on horseback, but forbidding them from clashing with the locals. He declared, "Anyone who bullies the locals and causes trouble will be dealt with according to military law."
So at the beginning the soldiers did not dare to go far. After getting up every day, they would train in the yard and then go to sleep.
They had been on the road all this time, and even went up the mountain to kill horse bandits a few days ago. It was impossible for them not to be tired. They were sleep-deprived at that time, so they did nothing for the first two days and just stayed in the house to sleep.
Manbao and the others were just the opposite. Early in the morning, the morning light shone into the house through the window, and Manbao opened her eyes in the sunlight. Then she blinked, and after waking up, she happily jumped up from the bed.
After a good sleep, her body felt relaxed. She stretched hard, turned around, opened the window and took a look outside.
I saw that it was already bustling outside. There were not many people hawking their wares, but there were quite a few people busy by the lake. Some were washing clothes, and some were washing vegetables and rice, but they were just in different places.
Manbao leaned her chin on the windowsill and looked out. It was a large lake, and extending from the lake was a dense forest. If she hadn't looked far away and seen the yellow desert on both sides, she would have almost thought this was a place with abundant water resources like Yizhou.
Zhou Liru, who was separated from her by a screen, seemed to be awakened by her. She yawned and stood up, peeking in from behind the screen. Seeing her aunt's eyes sparkling, she shrank back, pulled up the quilt to cover herself completely, and yawned, "I'm not going anywhere today..."
Manbao was a little disappointed, "Okay, then I'll get up by myself."
Like Zhou Liru, there were many people who chose to stay in bed the next day. The only ones who could get up at this time were Mr. Zhuang and Bai Shan.
When the three masters and apprentices met in the courtyard, Mr. Zhuang nodded with satisfaction and said to the two of them, "Don't worry about them. Let's go out for breakfast."
So the master and his two disciples went out with Daji and two guards.
The guards sleeping in the east and west wings stuck their heads out to take a look and then continued to lie there motionless. There were four carriages parked in the yard, two of which were empty blue cloth carriages, and the other two were loaded with a lot of luggage. Yesterday they only unloaded the luggage for the masters' daily use. Things like gold, silver, jewelry, and cloth were still in the boxes. It was estimated that they would be packed out and put in the room in the afternoon, so they had to be careful at this time and must not let anyone sneak in and steal things.
Bai Shan and the others went out, and the guard closed the door and looked at his master.
Bai Shan and Man Bao pointed out: "Sir, we walked past that place yesterday. There are many shops there, including a restaurant."
Having already eaten at the inn in Ale last night, they planned to eat at a different place today.
Mr. Zhuang took a look and turned around and said, "Let's go and take a look."
People here mostly eat pancakes in the morning, and even noodles are rarely eaten, let alone porridge.
But there is plenty of goat milk here, one cent a bowl, and boiled goat milk with tea leaves is three cents a bowl.
Yes, goat milk is not expensive, what is expensive is tea, which is exactly the opposite of the Central Plains.
Bai Shan tried a bowl of goat milk without tea leaves, took a bite, put it aside, and ordered goat milk with tea leaves again.
The master and his two apprentices ate with gusto, taking a bite of cake and sip of milk.
The guards on the side also had good appetites. They would not feel relaxed as long as they were on the road, especially after experiencing bandit suppression and treasure hunting in the past few days, which made them even more nervous. Now they were completely relaxed, even the guards felt a little lazy.
In the eyes of the town residents, these new guests were very friendly, and even the guards looked silly and naive, looking easy to deceive. It was a pity that these young men and women did not seem to have much money, so they were very stingy and would not buy anything if it was a little expensive. They were also very picky.
See you at 6pm
(End of this chapter)
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