Chapter 2 The Moon of Yesteryear 2
Upon entering the town, Xie Ning immediately went to a tailor shop to buy clothes.
"Oh, the guests have arrived so early?"
Xie Ning nodded slightly and asked in a slightly lowered voice, "Does the boss have ready-made clothes? I'd like to buy a few sets."
"Yes, yes, look, these are all long gowns made of the finest materials, as well as short gowns, vests, and trousers. What style would you like, sir?"
The tailor shop owner didn't underestimate Xie Ning. He had a sharp eye. Despite Xie Ning's messy hair, malnourished appearance, and oddly dressed clothes, the fabric of his clothes was of excellent quality, better than any in his shop. The leather on the shoulders was genuine, and the needlework and craftsmanship were clearly those of a master tailor.
The family has plenty of food, yet he's gotten so thin. He must have been smoking too much opium. Tsk tsk.
The tailor shop owner secretly warned himself never to touch that thing that ruins one's health.
"Get me some trousers and a long coat. Those hats are nice, pick out a couple. And get me a few pairs of shoes too, leather shoes..."
Xie Ning picked and chose in the store and collected three sets of men's clothing. Then, under the pretext of buying clothes for relatives, she bought two cheongsams and two pairs of women's shoes.
Xie Ning changed her clothes inside the store before coming out. In this era, it was more convenient to wear men's clothing when going out. She wasn't afraid that anyone would recognize her, as not everyone has such sharp eyes. Moreover, although this body was thin, it was very tall, probably around 1.7 meters, half a head taller than the tailor shop owner from before.
The only problem was her Adam's apple. Xie Ning was a woman and didn't have the obvious Adam's apple that men have, so she wrapped a scarf around her neck. Fortunately, it was springtime and the weather was chilly, so no one thought it was strange.
Xie Ning didn't even take off her scarf while getting a haircut.
"Hey, sir, you don't have a single stubble on you," the shopkeeper teased, who was originally going to give Xie Ning a trim.
But the barber's words made Xie Ning's heart skip a beat; he had almost forgotten about it.
He could only feign annoyance and say, "Boss, please stop talking. I'm really worried about this. The doctor said I'm not in good health and it's hard for me to grow a beard. It's strange. What kind of illness can affect beard growth? I'm not manly at all without a beard. Sigh."
"Hahaha--"
There weren't many people in the barbershop, just one or two familiar faces who were also the shop's assistants. They all laughed when they heard this.
"I guess the gentleman is still young. He will naturally grow a beard when he grows up." Xie Ning looks to be under twenty years old, very young and naive.
Xie Ning was secretly thinking to herself that continuing to dress as a man was not a solution, and she had to think of another way. Moreover, there was still one major problem she hadn't solved, which was her household registration.
The original owner was a little beggar, a complete illegal immigrant.
It was a chaotic time, and many people didn't have identification. However, local governments still maintained basic household registration for the sake of management.
Although she was worried about the household registration issue, she still needed to solve the immediate problems of food, clothing, and shelter. She didn't have any silver dollars or paper money on her, but she had exchanged a lot of silver ingots when she bought things, which was enough for the time being. In fact, the silver ingots in her space were enough for her to live a life without worrying about food and clothing.
Before she knew it, she had arrived at the entrance of an alley. Xie Ning looked closely and realized that this was the alley that the original owner often frequented.
The reason I often come here is because once the original owner took shelter from the rain at the door of one of the houses, and then a kind-hearted old lady threw a cornbread at him. After that, the old lady was extorted. The original owner would come to help the old lady with her work from time to time, and after finishing the work, he would stare at the old lady longingly.
Luckily, the old lady was soft-hearted; otherwise, such a bratty behavior would definitely have gotten her kicked out.
Of course, the original owner also knew that the old lady's own life was not very good, so he would only come to the old lady for a bite to eat when he was starving.
Xie Ning hesitated for a long time before finally stepping forward.
Knock knock knock—
This is a little secret between the two of them; when the little beggar taps this, the old lady knows who has come.
However, this time, a long time has passed and the old lady has not come to open the door. There must be no one inside. The old lady usually makes a living by embroidery, and she is probably delivering her embroidery now.
Just as Xie Ning was about to leave, the woman from the house diagonally opposite opened her door with a basket on her shoulder. Seeing Xie Ning standing at the old lady's door, she smiled and asked, "Are you here to see Granny Liu, sir? She's sick and probably can't get out of bed to open the door for you."
Xie Ning pursed her lips and gave a gentle smile, even though the smile looked a little strange on her thin face. "I am a distant relative of Granny Liu. I was passing through Shangshui Town, so I came to see her."
At this moment, Xie Ning secretly rejoiced that he had just bought some food, which he originally planned to take to the hotel. Now it had become an excuse to visit someone, since no one who comes to visit does not bring a gift.
"Oh, I thought Grandma Liu had no relatives. She's lived with her neighbors for almost ten years, and no one has ever come to visit her."
The woman was clearly a little uncomfortable when she heard Xie Ning say that he was a distant relative of Granny Liu, but she quickly covered it up.
Xie Ning saw her, but couldn't immediately figure out why the woman wouldn't welcome him, this "distant relative." However, the meaning behind her words was quite clear: she was suspicious of Xie Ning's purpose for his sudden visit.
If Xie Ning hadn't been dressed well while Granny Liu was dirt poor, the women would have suspected that Xie Ning was there to freeload.
Xie Ning gave a wry smile. "Auntie, you flatter me. My family has gone through some misfortunes. I lost my younger sister when I was very young, and I've been living with my adoptive parents ever since. I only recently found my little sister, but because she's not well, I had someone send her back home first. Although I don't have many memories from my childhood, I do remember that one of my great-aunts is still alive. After asking around for a long time, I finally found this place."
When you're out in the world, you give yourself your own identity.
The woman's eyes showed pity. Seeing Xie Ning's thin body and malnutrition, she guessed that he must not have had a good life with his adoptive parents. However, he was polite and well-mannered, and he was wearing a long robe and a hat, so he was obviously a scholar. "I see. This Granny Liu is also pitiful... But it's good that you have come, sir. Granny Liu's good days are about to begin."
As he spoke, he walked to the door and called out towards her house, "Little one! Little one!"
"Hey—, Mother, what's wrong?"
A head popped out from the doorway. The boy, about eight or nine years old, had a round head and stared at Xie Ning with bright black eyes.
"Let's go see Granny Liu with Mother."
Xie Ning knew why the woman called him son; even though society had become more open now, the separation between men and women was still very important.
But the door is locked from the inside. How can someone on the outside open it? Climb over the wall?
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