Chapter 23: Zhang Family Silk was incompetent and failed to keep up.
Linghe County is not as prosperous as the central provincial capital.
But its busiest street is also lined with shops.
Various signboards swayed in the wind, and mule-drawn carts and sedan chairs passed by each other, and the mud they picked up was brought to the stone road, leaving black marks.
"Selling tea cakes—roasted sweet potatoes."
This is a peddler shouting, with things hanging on both ends of his shoulder pole, and he can walk through the streets with a lift of his shoulders.
"Suxin Wintersweet, Golden Bellsweet—take your pick!"
The flower girl spoke in a delicate voice, blinked her big eyes, and spoke in a soft tone.
But Guizhier just smiled and passed it by.
The petals of the Suxin Wintersweet are pure yellow, with a white center, and it is a relatively rare variety. The Golden Bellsweet has its petals open downwards, resembling a "hanging golden bell".
The flowers in the flower girl's hands were just picked randomly from the foothills of Meishan Mountain.
The flower girl stopped in front of a silk shop.
She coquettishly called out into the store, "Bride, would you like to buy some flowers?"
The shop was a two-story building with a long wooden sign with the store name hanging under the eaves, and a colorful forged cloth strip hanging below the sign.
Upstairs is a wide green railing, and several garment samples are hung on the corridor.
It was Zhang’s silk shop.
"How much is one plant?" a gentle female voice answered.
Seeing that there was business, the flower girl walked into the store in high spirits. After a while, half of the wintersweets in her hand were gone, and she left satisfied.
Guizhier seized the opportunity and stepped into the store.
Facing me was a young girl with an oval face, long and thin eyebrows, and the cherry-like small mouth that is popular nowadays.
I guess this is the new daughter-in-law of the Zhang family.
She was inserting the wintersweets into the vase one by one, fiddling with them with her slender fingers, just like an elegant lotus emerging from the water.
"Boss, I want to make a cotton-padded jacket before the end of the year." Guizhier greeted.
"Sir, please take a seat. I'll pick out some patterns for you." The bride was clearly unfamiliar with the process. She took out her measuring tape and then asked, "Do you want it made to measure, or do you want it altered?"
"How many days will it take to cut it?" asked Guizhier.
"A simple suit will take at most five days." The real boss, Zhang Dashan, lifted the curtain and walked out of the tailor's room.
The bride's face flushed instantly, and she shyly gave the main stage to her husband.
The two looked like newlyweds, and it didn't seem like they were faking it.
"I want a cotton jacket with a wide collar and narrow sleeves, and the color should be this pure light blue." Guizhier fell in love with the silky fabric at first sight.
She pinched it to test its flexibility and asked, "How do you fill the inner layer?"
"The stuffing in our shop is all made of silk wadding, which is both light and warm." Zhang Dashan gave a thumbs up. "I'm not bragging, but it's definitely the best in the county."
"Then add a silver-gray cape with a fur collar." Gui Zhier said with a smile, "Boss, please name the price."
"Okay, please wait a moment." The couple were very happy to receive such a big order.
Before the New Year, every household makes new clothes, which is a good time to do business.
The bride was in charge of measuring the size, while Zhang Dashan was in charge of directing the work.
Gui Zhier took the opportunity to say, "Just now I heard the flower girl calling the bride, what are you doing..."
"The ceremony was held on the seventh day of the first lunar month." Zhang Dashan answered happily, his eyes narrowed into slits with a smile, and the corners of his mouth rose sharply.
The bride gave him a reproachful look, feeling very shy.
"Congratulations on your marriage, and may you two live happily ever after." Guizhier saw this and felt so touched that the atmosphere around them became sweet.
However, she did not forget her business and continued to ask, "I came from the central city. There are also weddings in our neighborhood on the sixth and eighth days of the lunar year. They all say that they are auspicious days."
"We businessmen count, too."
Zhang Dashan nodded: "Avoiding the conflict between the zodiac and the year, the fortune of the seventh day is just right for wealth, and marrying a wife who is the God of Wealth!"
"Don't listen to his nonsense." The bride was amused.
"So there is such a thing as this, it can bring in wealth and treasure." Guizhi'er was at a loss whether to laugh or cry.
Although he has not been completely cleared of suspicion, it seems that Zhang Dashan's family is happy and his shop is thriving, so he really has no motive to take the risk and commit a crime.
Guizhier paid the deposit and turned around to go to the training ground to borrow a horse from Luan Shuangbai.
"Wheeze, whimper." Baiju Xueying raised his hoof in dissatisfaction and sneezed loudly, trying to get rid of Guizhier.
"Xueying, be obedient. I'll feed you the fairy grass." Guizhier patted the horse's mane and bribed it with the old trick.
"Can you go on the road alone?" Luan Shuangbai had just finished training, his chest was breathing heavily, and his muscles were tighter.
He raised his hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead and walked away.
I was afraid that if there was a smell of sweat, Miss Gui would not like it.
"How could it be just one person?" Gui Zhier pointed behind her and said, "Look, the henchmen sent by the prefect are still watching."
An attendant in a camel-colored cotton robe followed closely behind.
If you don't pay attention, you won't notice it.
"Young General's wife, can you treat us to some delicious food?" The fourth-line sergeant was sharp-eyed and shouted from a distance, risking a beating.
"Hahaha, wait for me to come back." Guizhier jumped onto the horse swiftly, "I'll invite whoever is good at fighting."
"Ah, aah." The crowd that had secretly been watching dispersed and went back to practice. "Hey, I really didn't say that." Luan Shuangbai looked at the dust raised by the horses' hooves, and his explanation turned into mumbling.
Guizhier carried the green sign and left the city, taking the northwest route.
The white colt went from being reluctant at first to running wildly with its hooves spread out. It was obvious that it had been pent up in the training ground and had no chance to indulge itself.
"Whee, whee." It was so happy that it almost rolled over.
The destination of this trip is Longsha Town. It is said that the desert there is golden in color, and it is as hot as a steamer during the day and as cold as an ice cellar at night.
It is a place not suitable for human survival.
It is also the hometown of the suspect Sha Jingtian.
Guizhier was moving very fast. She didn't use the reins to tie up the white horse, even though her butt was numb from the shaking.
"Run a few steps quickly and try to get to the Twelve Castles to stay overnight."
Guizhi was blowing the cool wind happily.
When she looked back, the camel-colored cotton-robed attendant had already been thrown away by her and disappeared.
"Reporting to the Lord, Miss Gui borrowed General Luan's horse to leave the city. I was incompetent and failed to follow her."
At Chunhe Jingming Inn, the waiter received the instructions, wrote a note, and walked towards the backyard.
After a while, a white pigeon flapped its wings and flew high.
An inconspicuous fuse was tied to its legs, and its wings drew a graceful arc in the air.
"This is bad. I don't know where Miss Gui has gone and whether she will come back."
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