Chapter 24 Chapter 24 He couldn't help but be greedy.
When the garden work is over and they receive their wages, they no longer have to work here.
Qin Fang and the other two resumed their wandering life, pawning their folding fans and sleeping in hotels. This time, however, they stayed near the courtyard rented by Xue Yuanyin and Zhang Jingxuan, with Shen Lu leading the research on how to make a small compass. The next day, Xue Yuanyin slept until noon and leisurely ate lunch. She glanced up and saw Zhang Jingxuan, who had finished a painting and was sitting at the table waiting for her to finish.
I never realized he was so energetic before.
Xue Yuanyin muttered to himself and said to him:
"I'm ready. Didn't you say you wanted to buy some clothes? Let's go."
After packing up all their savings and the folding fan in Zhang Zimo's bag, the two of them left the courtyard.
Xue Yuanyin hadn't lived this kind of life for a long time, and had already adapted to the life of the poor. For a moment, he didn't know where to buy luxurious clothes. Standing on the busy street, he was completely in the dark and asked:
"Should we go to the cloth and silk shops to buy some cloth and satin, and then ask the embroiderers at the tailor shop to make clothes for us?"
"It's too troublesome. It will take the embroiderer at least a month to make the clothes. We don't have enough time."
After some thought, Jing Xuan said, "Since we need to quickly acquire a suit that will not arouse suspicion of wealth, we might as well go to the most luxurious shop in the market. They should have ready-made clothes for sale."
Xue Yuanyin thought that this was the only way now, so the two of them walked around the market and chose a clothing store that looked luxurious and extravagant.
He felt the silver in his pocket. Although it wasn't much, it wasn't too little either. Seeing Zhang Jingxuan calmly pull aside the curtain and walk in, Xue Yuanyin let out a breath, straightened her back, and followed him in.
-
The Brocade Pavilion is the largest and most luxurious clothing store in the county. Since its opening, it has been selling luxury goods and serving the rich, young and old, and wives of officials.
Naturally, the business is not based on quantity, but on exquisiteness and elegance, with small quantities sold at high prices.
Normally, there is not much business coming to the store. Most of the time, the embroiderers in the shop take the initiative to go to the courtyards of officials to take measurements for the ladies and girls, or they take the initiative to deliver new goods to the officials for selection.
At noon that day, the wind chimes under the eaves at the door made crisp tinkling sounds as the curtains were pushed.
The shopkeeper woke up from his doze, put on a smile and greeted him, thinking that another business had come. He wondered which distinguished customer came to order clothes this time.
When I walked forward and looked carefully, there were two completely unfamiliar faces at the door, a man and a woman. The man was tall, handsome and gentle, while the woman was smart and pretty, and looked more lively than the man.
Both of them had superior looks and demeanor. At first glance, the clothes they wore were made of ordinary material, and the woman's arms and ankles were tanned black. She didn't look like a well-educated rich kid at all.
But upon closer inspection, although the clothes were crude, they made the person look elegant and graceful, as if they were wrapped in brocade.
The shopkeeper's many years of education prevented him from showing contempt and disdain, but he did show a certain amount of surprise.
Watching the two of them swagger into the shop, dressed in shabby clothes, yet calmly and confidently examining the dazzling array of beautiful ready-made clothes, he hesitantly asked:
"May I know your names? I came to our shop to..."
Xue Yuanyin answered, "Buy ready-made clothes," but she hadn't decided what kind of clothes she wanted. Considering that most of the money in her pocket came from Zhang Jingxuan's paintings, she generously decided to ask him what he thought first:
"What kind of clothes do you think would be more suitable for us to wear?"
The clothing store sells both men's robes and women's skirts. Xue Yuanyin used to wear a long shirt in school, and wore coarse linen clothes when she came to Quanyang County. In recent years, except for occasionally showing off in her own yard by wearing skirts and wearing jewelry for Fuzhu to see, the rest of the time she basically wears clothes for convenience when walking outside.
Since her brother's death, she could no longer be a lady in the boudoir as she wished. Other girls were pretty and charming with pearl hairpins and gorgeous clothes, and talked about cakes, nail polish, pearls and jade, and silks and satins, but she had to work hard and make progress, to support the family in place of her dead brother, and she could not be weak or pretend to be coquettish.
Naturally, I was reluctant at first and even secretly put my skirt back on and ran out to relax, but I gradually got used to it over the years.
Thinking that she was going to a brothel this time, she would have to disguise herself as a man to get in. Therefore, she did not look at the dazzling array of exquisite women's dresses, but went straight to the men's robes, pointing at several pieces of brocade and satin ribbons of different styles and said:
"Those? Should we buy two?"
Zhang Jingxuan looked up at the man's robe above him, then his gaze returned to her. He paused, and unexpectedly did not answer immediately.
Looking at her fair, blank, unaware, yet still fresh and childish face, Zhang Jingxuan hesitated for a rare moment, lowered his eyes and said:
"Let me think about it."
Xue Yuanyin:?
She doesn't understand what else to think about?
Oh, that's right. This young man is very particular. He must have chosen a style carefully and dressed himself up as a fancy rooster.
Xue Yuanyin didn't care about that. She sat down at the table, propped up her chin and yawned:
"Then pick out what you like first. It's so hard to buy a brocade robe, so you have to take your time choosing."
Zhang Jingxuan thought about it and nodded, "That's fine."
As for Xue Yuanyin's clothes, after a moment of hesitation, he had a preferred answer in his heart.
Zhang Jingxuan was very quick in picking out clothes. Having grown up in luxury and nobility, he was used to seeing good things and had unusually high standards.
With just a glance, he knew which materials and styles were suitable for the store, and picked out a dark blue brocade robe with cloud patterns in the shop.
Xue Yuanyin looked at him and offered a suggestion:
"You only came of age in autumn, you're still young, and you're not an official in the court. Why do you always wear such old-fashioned colors?"
Zhang Jingxuan raised his eyes and asked, "Do you think crow blue is old-fashioned?"
Xue Yuanyin felt as if she could faintly hear a sense of settling accounts, and nodded confidently.
Zhang Jingxuan said with a half-smile:
"I remember someone once told me that I look best in crow-blue. It makes me look cool and calm, like a slender bamboo, and I look noble."
Xue Yuanyin: “…”
Did she actually say such things when she was young and ignorant?
She coughed lightly and said:
"You're too reserved now, and you're old. I think bright colors look better."
She looked around among the pile of gorgeous clothes and saw the only ochre-red brocade robe among the moon-white, pine-green and crow-blue ones. Her eyes lit up and she said:
"I've never seen you in red before, why not try it?"
Zhang Jingxuan took a look and frowned slightly: "Too ostentatious and flashy."
Xue Yuanyin didn't think it was a big deal:
"Weren't you ostentatious before? What about those styles back then wasn't flashy?"
Zhang Jingxuan pondered for a moment, turned to look at her, and said:
"You want me to wear bright colors?"
Xue Yuanyin was stunned and nodded in confusion.
She simply felt that Zhang Jingxuan was too reserved now, with a cold white complexion, and might look good in cinnabar red.
Zhang Jingxuan finally put down the crow-blue suit, pointed at the ochre-red suit and said:
"Then we'll take this one. Please help me get a forehead band of the same color."
The shopkeeper responded quickly and took out the forehead bands from the box for selection.
Xue Yuanyin watched Zhang Jingxuan picking up the forehead band, and suddenly remembered that she rarely saw other noble children wearing it, so she said:
"Why do you wear a forehead band? Don't you feel self-conscious?"
Zhang Jingxuan glanced at her and said:
"In my family, the eldest sons all wear forehead bands, and are required to be self-disciplined, prudent, well-mannered, and well-mannered. They must respect the elderly, be kind to the weak and orphans, and show sympathy to the widows and orphans. When meeting the emperor, they must perform formalities. This is the proper course for the eldest son of the family."*
Xue Yuanyin felt dizzy when she heard what he said and quickly waved her hands:
"I know, I know. You guys have the most rules."
For her, this is just for show, and its biggest purpose is to look handsome and charm more girls.
Can a forehead band restrain one's speech and behavior? That's nonsense.
Zhang Jingxuan gave the clothes to the shopkeeper. When the shopkeeper saw the man's eye for choosing clothes, he immediately knew that he had met an expert.
The inherent nobility in a person cannot be concealed. Although he was curious about why he was wearing a coarse cloth, he tactfully did not ask any further questions and said with a smile:
"Sir, would you like to try it on? There's a private room inside."
Zhang Jingxuan shook his head, pointed at Xue Yuanyin, who was sitting at the table with his chin in his hand, and said calmly:
"Pick her out a nice dress from your shop."
After a moment's thought, he added, "Don't be perfunctory. Make it suitable for her."
The shopkeeper looked at Xue Yuanyin and said hesitantly, "Uh... excuse me, who is this young lady to you?"
Only after asking clearly can he choose clothes.
Zhang Jingxuan paused and said, "My good friend's sister."
The shopkeeper immediately understood that he had to pick out some pretty and bright dresses.
These two people looked shabby, but they had excellent taste and chose expensive items. Perhaps they were big customers! He rubbed his hands excitedly and turned to pick up the latest styles in the shop.
As soon as the shopkeeper left, Xue Yuanyin came back to her senses from her disbelief, and said with wide eyes:
"Buy a dress? For me?! How can you enter a brothel if you buy a dress?! Do you have so much money to spare? Are you crazy?!"
Xue Yuanyin saw that he looked calm, and it didn't seem like she was hallucinating. She wanted to pry open his head to see what he was thinking!
Zhang Jingxuan did not answer, but looked at her intently.
The girl is currently dressed as a boy, but it is not difficult to see that she has fair skin, lively facial features, and delicate eyebrows and eyes. Rather than looking like a boy, it is more like a girl stuffed into a boy's clothes.
It can't be said to be incongruous, but I feel that those androgynous clothes are a bit glaring on her.
Zhang Jingxuan asked, "Do you like wearing men's clothes?"
Xue Yuanyin was stunned for a moment. For some reason, she felt a little uneasy under his gaze. She said hesitantly, "What does this have to do with whether I like you or not? Don't I have an errand to do..."
Zhang Jingxuan said calmly, "Although there are two of us, we don't have to buy two sets of luxurious men's clothing. You can pretend to be an attendant and follow me in."
Xue Yuanyin's attention was diverted, and she accused him in disbelief, "You wear gorgeous clothes yourself, but you let me wear a servant's clothes and follow you in? Don't be so arrogant!"
Zhang Jingxuan was speechless for a rare moment. He rubbed his forehead and said helplessly:
"I remember you used to have a lot of dresses and jewelry, but I haven't seen you wear them in recent years. The temple fair is on August 15th, which happens to be the Mid-Autumn Festival. There will be a lantern viewing and riddle-guessing event in the evening, so this time I want to buy you a dress and jewelry. I want you to wear them on Mid-Autumn Festival. Do you understand? You have to listen to me explain it so clearly?"
Xue Yuanyin completely understood what he meant this time. She had actually forgotten that August 15th was the Mid-Autumn Festival. As they were strangers in a foreign land, they could only celebrate the festival by themselves, so naturally they had to make it grand.
She was stunned for a moment, not knowing how to react, whether to play dumb or be happy, but her heart was pounding rapidly.
So...she should be happy.
Seeing that Xue Yuanyin didn't answer, Zhang Jingxuan said with a smile: "Why, you don't like it? You just like wearing men's clothes?"
Xue Yuanyin quickly shook her head, then realized that she was too frank, and felt a little overwhelmed. She pursed her lips and said:
"How could you possibly think of buying me a dress and jewelry... Do we have enough money?"
Zhang Jingxuan said, "I sold the paintings I've been working on for the past few days to the bookshop. I got four taels of silver, which is enough to buy you a dress. As for why I want to buy you a dress and jewelry..."
After a pause, he looked at her, chuckled, and said casually, "Maybe I think you're cute. Is this an excuse, young lady?"
Xue Yuanyin felt that she must be deaf. Looking at the shabby outfit, her ears felt hot. She couldn't believe that he would make such a comment.
But his tone didn't sound sarcastic, and her cheeks felt a little hot again. She said:
"You, you, you are blind!"
Zhang Jingxuan suppressed his smile and said lightly, "If you want to buy it, then buy it."
Seeing the shopkeeper bring over some exquisite and beautiful dresses, the two stopped talking.
Xue Yuanyin walked over and looked at the dazzling array of bright and beautiful dresses in front of her, and a secret joy slowly rose in her heart.
Compared to men's clothing, she did like dresses more, but it had been a long time since she had chosen them so carefully.
Zhang Jingxuan accidentally fulfilled a little wish that she had been longing for.
The clothes each have their own merits, and when put together they look very beautiful, making it dizzying and difficult to choose.
Xue Yuanyin finally took a fancy to the white silk shirt and the apricot-yellow silk skirt embroidered with scarlet floral patterns placed in the middle.
Vermilion floral patterns dotted the apricot-yellow hem like blooming stamens. Soft light filtered in through the window lattice, illuminating the patterns with a fiery crimson, shimmering slightly as the hem moved. A string of vermilion bells adorned her waist, looking bright and cheerful.
Xue Yuanyin gently picked up the skirt, thought of something, and slightly pursed the corners of her lips, hesitating for a moment.
Before her brother died, she was a carefree young lady who loved to wear bright colors and wear beads or bells around her waist or wrists. Because she was young, her skin looked white, and when she ran, the bells made a crisp tinkling sound that was very pleasant to the ear.
But now she is sixteen years old and no longer as young as before. Wouldn’t it make her look too cute if she wore bright skirts?
Her eyes lingered on it for a few seconds, and she finally pointed to the light blue skirt next to her and said:
"Well, keep it low-key."
The shopkeeper was a little surprised to see that she had finally changed her mind. The blue was really too light. He thought the one she had just picked was more suitable for her.
Graceful and graceful, bright and beautiful like spring flowers, this is the color that a little girl with fair skin and black eyes should wear.
He asked hesitantly, "Are you sure, girl?"
Xue Yuanyin became uncertain after being asked this question. She turned her head to look at Zhang Jingxuan next to her, but she guessed that he might not understand women's clothing. When she was about to look away, she saw Zhang Jingxuan raised his hand and pointed at the bright-colored dress from a distance.
He said without hesitation: "That one, it suits you."
Seeing Xue Yuanyin looking at him, he looked calm, but his tone was filled with a hint of ridicule:
"Don't you like it? It suits your nickname quite well."
Xue Yuanyin's face suddenly turned red. She was angry and a little embarrassed, and glared at him hard.
Why did he mention her nickname again at this time? He knew she didn't like to hear it, but he still kept mentioning it!
How awful!!!
She ignored him and picked up the dress to try it on her body. The material was soft and delicate, and the pattern was bright and beautiful. It was so pretty. She didn't want to be stared at by Zhang Jingxuan behind her, so she quickly handed it to the steward and said:
"No need to try it on, it fits me well, let's take this one. Sorry for bothering you, boss."
The shopkeeper nodded in agreement, and went to pack up the two clothes with a smile. He also brought out a pair of pearl embroidered shoes to match the clothes.
After choosing the clothes, it's time to pay.
The shopkeeper calculated the bill with a smile. After Xue Yuanyin heard "six taels and six hundred wen", her excited mood quickly dropped. She then covered her purse with her hands, feeling a pain in her heart!
She didn't want to show her weakness in front of the shopkeeper, but she was reluctant to spend the money. She turned to look at Zhang Jingxuan and said hesitantly, "How about..."
Zhang Jingxuan glanced at her and said with a tut, "Look at what you've accomplished."
He took the purse from her hand. Xue Yuanyin quickly blocked his hand that was about to take out the money and said to the shopkeeper:
"We bought two at once this time. Can the shopkeeper give us a discount?"
…
After bargaining down to six taels and five hundred coins, Xue Yuanyin finally felt less heartbroken and paid with silver after saving a hundred coins.
After leaving the Brocade Pavilion with luxurious new clothes, Zhang Jingxuan's outfit as a rich young man was almost complete.
But if Xue Yuanyin wanted to wear such a bright girl's dress, she would have to accessorize it with pearl hairpins, jewelry, earrings, bracelets, etc.
Xue Yuanyin was heartbroken and thought about not buying it, but Zhang Jingxuan ridiculed her for being useless and said that she didn't need the money for the jewelry.
So he finally spent all his remaining money and went to another shop to buy Xue Yuanyin a set of goldfinch and pearl inlaid headdress, including hairpins, step-shakes, hairpins and combs, as well as a pair of agate earrings and a gold-gilt pearl necklace.
It sounds complicated, but it is nothing special when worn between the raven-black hair and around the neck. It is the usual dress that young ladies from wealthy families wear when they go out for fun together.
As the heir of the family, Xue Yuanyin was accustomed to by outsiders. Over time, they even overlooked the fact that she was born in a marquis's mansion and was a young lady of the marquis's mansion, a real noble lady.
When Xue Yuanyin returned clutching her clothes and a pile of jewelry, she still felt it was unreal and asked Zhang Jingxuan:
"You worked so hard to earn so much money, and in the end you bought me clothes and jewelry? Don't you feel like you're losing out?"
Zhang Jingxuan said calmly, "Why would you feel like you're losing out by buying you a skirt?"
Xue Yuanyin felt a bit uncomfortable and said awkwardly, "You're just being so nice to me all of a sudden... Didn't you quarrel with me every day before?"
Zhang Jingxuan found this amusing and said, "When have I ever quarreled with you? It's you who always quarrels with me."
Xue Yuanyin felt that Zhang Jingxuan was lying with his eyes open. When had he ever been nicer to her?
But this time she spent his money, and she felt obligated not to do so, so she stopped arguing with him.
Ahead was the courtyard gate. Xue Yuanyin paused, then ran into the house first, pretending to be calm and saying:
"I love the clothes and jewelry! Thank you so much!"
Then he slammed the door.
Zhang Jingxuan heard the faint sound of bells tinkling from behind a door, and suddenly scenes from the past flashed before his eyes.
My best friend’s sister, childhood sweetheart, we had a deep friendship. Although it seems like a lifetime ago, they both really existed.
The girl who once wore a bright dress was lively and bright, with pearl hairpins swirling in her black hair. Taking advantage of being three years younger than him, she appeared in various places in his yard without restraint, always annoying him. Seeing his helpless look at her, she smiled and said proudly:
"Zhang Qu, you were distracted twice while working at your desk just now. You've lost our bet again!"
At that time, he thought it was just an ordinary thing, but he never thought that it would become a vivid memory in the future.
Thinking about it from time to time always stung his eyes.
Childhood sweethearts, no suspicion between them. This is how it should be for him and her.
Zhang Jingxuan stood in the yard for a moment, his thoughts wandering. After a while, he heard Grandma Chen say, "Dinner is ready," and he finally came back to his senses.
Realizing what he was thinking, he pulled the corner of his lip, scoffed softly, and lowered his eyes to hide his emotions.
After staying in Peach Blossom Spring for some time, away from the turmoil of the capital, even a sober and calm person like him could not help but feel greedy.
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The author has something to say: *References are made to The Analects, Zhang Zai's Western Inscription, and Fan Zhongyan's Hundred-Character Inscription on the Family Instructions of Fan Wenzhenggong.
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