Rest day to cultivate relationships
Shi Yanqing and the other person were buying clothes upstairs, while Zhou Hanzhang was downstairs alone with the shopkeeper. He didn't bring Shi'an with him this time, and there was no one to talk to, so he felt bored.
So she went to the jewelry store next door and wanted to buy a pearl hairpin and earring pendant for Shi Yanqing.
When he entered, there were two women in the shop choosing jewelry, and the shopkeeper was introducing them.
Besides these, there were two other shop assistants, one about seventeen or eighteen years old, the other in his twenties.
Seeing Zhou Hanzhang, the guy in his twenties came forward to greet him.
"Sir, do you want to pick out some jewelry for your wife?" the waiter asked considerately.
Zhou Hanzhang nodded: "Let's take a look at the pearl hairpins first. Take out all the styles you have."
He had never been to a jewelry store before and didn't know much about these things, so he could only look at them all and choose the ones that caught his eye to buy.
Soon, the clerk took out all the styles of pearl hairpins in the shop.
The simple and cheap pearl hairpin was placed directly in the wooden tray. Zhou Hanzhang glanced at it and shook his head in dissatisfaction.
The novel and exquisite pearl hairpins are placed in a separate small wooden box with a layer of soft cotton cloth at the bottom.
Zhou Hanzhang looked at them one by one again this time. Just when he thought he still hadn't found the hairpin he liked and was about to ask the clerk to bring out some other jewelry, a gilded white jade pear blossom hairpin appeared in his sight. It was elegant and simple, with a gold thread outline and white jade as the main part. It was gorgeous yet elegant.
He fell in love with it at first sight, and even imagined what Shi Yanqing would look like wearing this hairpin, and his heart was moved.
"This is it, wrap it up for me." Zhou Hanzhang said without hesitation.
The waiter smiled brightly upon hearing this: "Okay. Please wait a moment, sir. I'll wrap it up for you right away."
After saying that, the waiter took the wooden box to the counter, took out the hairpin inside, and put it in an exquisitely carved sandalwood box.
"Sir, a total of ten taels of silver."
Finally, Zhou Hanzhang left the jewelry store with a wooden box and two small wooden boxes in his sleeves and returned to the clothing store next door.
As soon as he entered, he saw Shi Yanqing and Dan Ye talking to the shopkeeper with faint smiles on their faces.
Hearing footsteps, Shi Yanqing turned his head to look at the door and saw Zhou Hanzhang, who had gone somewhere unknown, and said, "You're back."
Zhou Hanzhang nodded and walked quickly to stand beside Shi Yanqing.
She did not explain where she had just been, and planned to give the jewelry she bought to Shi Yanqing after returning home.
Shi Yanqing didn't seem to care where he went. When he saw him coming, he turned around and continued talking to the shopkeeper.
"Since this coat and skirt is custom-made, is it okay to sell it to me as is?"
The shopkeeper assured her, "Don't worry, ma'am. Due to some circumstances, the lady who ordered this coat and skirt decided not to have it anymore. So it's been sitting in the shop with the intention of being sold."
"It will never get into any trouble."
Seeing the shopkeeper's solemn promise, Shi Yanqing finally felt relieved.
"Then please, boss, settle the bill for the clothes we like."
Shi Yanqing picked out four ready-made clothes for Zhou Hanzhang, four for herself, and three for Dan Ye.
Because the fabrics for the clothes were both expensive and cheap, plus the labor costs for embroidery, beading, etc., the final cost was nearly sixty taels of silver.
Shi Yanqing only had fifty taels of silver with him on this trip, which was not enough. Zhou Hanzhang had just spent ten taels of silver and had no more money left.
As for Tan Ye, she only brought three taels of silver, which would be a drop in the bucket.
In the end, Yan Qing had no choice but to ask the clerk to deliver the goods to his door and then pay the remaining money.
The shopkeeper was a man of insight and had long noticed that the material used in their clothes was much better than the most expensive fabric in Yunshui County.
In addition, the rich ladies and young ladies in the county usually used this method when they came to buy clothes but didn't bring enough money, so she agreed without much thought.
When we left the clothing store, it was already noon and time for lunch.
Shi Yanqing thought that if he went back now, he would have to ask Liu Niang to cook for him, so he suggested eating outside.
The remaining two people did not object.
So the three of them walked for another quarter of an hour and arrived at Zhuiyuelou, the largest restaurant in the county.
The last time Shi Yanqing came here with Zhou Hanzhang, although she was not very happy with the meal because of Liu Anan's matter, she was still full in the end. The food in Zhuiyue Tower tasted very good.
When they arrived at Zhuiyue Tower, all the tables on the first floor were full.
The waiter came forward enthusiastically: "Three gentlemen, do you have an appointment?"
Shi Yanqing said, "I don't have an appointment. Is there any seat here?"
The waiter was still enthusiastic: "There are still a few empty seats on the second floor. I will take you three there right away."
The elegant seats on the second floor were separated by a screen. The window on the inner side was very large and was now open. You could see the lake in the distance, which was blocked by low mountains and was shaped like a crescent moon.
The waiter took the three of them to sit by the window. Shi Yanqing ordered a few dishes that the three of them liked and also ordered a bottle of fruit drink.
The waiter memorized the dishes and hurried to the kitchen to report the dishes ordered by the customers to the apprentice who was responsible for counting the dishes.
Then he went to where the drinks were kept and took out a bottle of orange fruit drink and handed it over.
The sun is warm and the breeze is blowing.
Shi Yanqing sat on the inside, she put her hands on the windowsill and looked at the scenery in the distance.
The street was like a branch, with people coming and going like tiny ants. The houses on both sides were very neatly arranged, with different flowers, plants and trees inside, adding a bit of style.
"This is the first time I have seen Yunshui County from this perspective." Shi Yanqing said with emotion.
"Me too." Zhou Hanzhang responded.
"Qi Jin should be back in a few days. I wonder what kind of news he'll bring." Shi Yanqing suddenly changed the subject and sighed softly, "Although I know my younger brother's martial arts skills are pretty good and he's capable of protecting himself, I'm still worried about him studying alone away from home."
Seeing how much she cared about Zhou Hangui, Zhou Hanzhang's eyes softened and he smiled slightly.
"Han Gui has been studying away from home since he was young, and he has Qi Jin by his side, so nothing will happen to him. Besides, Queshan is not far from here, so if anything does happen, we can rush there in time."
"I'm worried that the person in the dark might strike again if their first attack misses." Shi Yanqing turned and whispered to Zhou Hanzhang, "It wasn't that long ago that the last incident happened. Have you found any clues?"
When Zhou Hanzhang mentioned this, his gentle expression faded, a dark hue flashed across his eyes. He shook his head gently, "There are so many people out there, I'll tell you about this when I get back."
It seemed that he had found out something. Shi Yanqing had the answer in his mind and stopped asking questions. He just waited for the food to be served and then concentrated on eating.
It was already afternoon when I returned home.
Shi Yanqing and Zhou Hangui both looked a little tired at this time. They just washed up quickly, changed into underwear and went to bed for a nap.
After Dan Ye closed the bedroom door, the other servants finished their work and went back to their rooms to take a rest.
This is what Shi Yanqing said. After all, only if you get enough sleep in the afternoon will you have the energy to do your work in the afternoon.
Three wooden boxes of different sizes were placed on the dressing table at some point.
Shi Yanqing put on his coat and sat down at the dressing table to comb his messy hair.
Her eyes fell on the three sandalwood boxes, and she looked at Dan Ye puzzledly, wanting to get an answer from her.
Dan Ye naturally didn't know, but not many people could enter the bedroom, so she knew who it was after thinking for a moment.
A smile appeared on his face: "Madam, this may be a gift from the master."
Was it given by Zhou Hanzhang?
Shi Yanqing's heart beat faster and she felt a little surprised. She reached out to open the tightly closed wooden box, revealing the exquisite pearl hairpin inside.
"How is it? Do you like it?" Zhou Hanzhang's voice rang out.
He was sitting on the edge of the bed at this time, with only a green coat on his upper body, his hair loose and hanging behind him, a few strands of hair covering his eyebrows, giving him a different kind of handsomeness.
Shi Yanqing looked at the person in the mirror and smiled at him, "I like it. But why did you suddenly give me jewelry? Did you buy it today?"
"It's not that sudden. I was on the road all the time, and since I got here I've been in the government office. I usually leave early and come back late. Today is my day off, so I have time to go to the shop and buy some jewelry for you."
As Zhou Hanzhang spoke, he stood up, put on his clothes, and hung the white jade plaque on the small table beside the bed on the belt around his waist.
"These two small boxes contain earrings. Take a look and see if you like them."
Shi Yanqing followed his instructions and opened the two small wooden boxes. One pair contained long pendants with tassels, and the other pair contained short pendants made of pearls. Both were exquisite and suited her taste.
"I like both."
"Danye, just wear a simple bun and this hairpin and pearl earrings."
Dan Ye has been combing Shi Yanqing's hair since she was a child and has superb skills. With a little thought, she gathered her hair together and fixed it with a hairpin, which was simple and beautiful.
Shi Yanqing praised: "It's really beautiful."
Dan Ye pursed her lips and smiled: "As long as Madam likes it."
Then she went out and washed the new clothes she had bought today with Liu Niang by the well.
Inside the house, Shi Yanqing stood up and walked to the desk in the outer room on the right. He said with a smile, "Hanzhang, do you still remember what you promised me this morning?"
"Of course I remember."
Zhou Hanzhang also came over and sat down in front of the desk with a straight posture.
"Just look at this herbal book and start by drawing some common herbs." Shi Yanqing turned around and took out a book from the bookcase behind him, and then took out a few blank drawing papers from the porcelain jar in the corner.
Spread them out one by one on the table and press them down with a paperweight.
Zhou Hanzhang's paintings are not exquisite, but they can be considered excellent.
With just a few strokes, he sketched out the shape of Panax notoginseng, and wrote its name and growth habits in the blank space below.
Shi Yanqing did not say anything during this period, but watched him paint quietly.
Unconsciously, her gaze shifted from the herbal diagram on the drawing paper to Zhou Hanzhang's fingers holding the pen. His fingers were slender, white, with distinct joints, and looked very beautiful.
Shi Yanqing usually didn't pay attention to other people's hands, but at this moment she felt that Zhou Hanzhang's hands were the most beautiful hands she had ever seen.
She blinked and returned her attention to the drawing paper.
But he didn't notice that Zhou Hanzhang quietly breathed a sigh of relief and his slightly tense fingertips relaxed.
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