Chapter 1050 Qi Heng is fooled
"Miss Zhang, have some melon seeds."
Seeing that Zhang Qing'er remained silent, Hu Mian pushed a plate of melon seeds over to her. He stammered, unsure of what to say.
"Do you spend your days in the village just studying?"
Last night, Zhang Qing'er carefully examined Hu Mian's paintings. His control over details was quite precise, and his skill level was no less than that of so-called masters.
"yes."
Speaking of reading, Hu Mian felt ashamed. He had been so engrossed in it that he had burdened his parents, elder brother, and sister-in-law with too much.
Although he passed the county-level imperial examination, he did not plan to continue taking the imperial examinations for the time being, but instead wanted to earn enough money for his travel expenses first.
"So, do you have plans to get married?"
Zhang Qing'er asked quite directly: studying and getting married and having children are not mutually exclusive.
"It didn't exist before, but it does now."
Hu Mian answered honestly, not daring to look up at Zhang Qing'er.
The girl in front of him was very bold, which overturned his understanding. He had never seen anyone act as a matchmaker for themselves before.
Hu Mian came from an ordinary family and had nothing of value. He didn't know what Zhang Qing'er saw in him.
If the two get married, he should be given half a year to earn money so that the wedding can be held in a grand manner and the necessary betrothal gifts cannot be omitted.
"The reason I acted as a matchmaker for myself is because I had previously broken off a engagement."
The other party would find out about these things sooner or later, so Zhang Qing'er didn't hide it from them.
The moment she saw Hu Mian, she felt a surge of joy, a feeling completely different from when she faced Lin Qian.
Zhang Qing'er was very calm. Although she felt inferior because of being rejected by her fiancé, she did not think it was her fault.
Why?
Hu Mian paused as he poured the tea, then quickly asked what was wrong.
Do you have a problem with women who break off engagements?
Zhang Qing'er smiled wryly. Actually, Hu Mian had his opinion on this, which she could accept.
When Zhang Qing'er broke off her engagement with Lin Qian, many people in the capital knew about it. This matter did not affect Lin Qian; at most, people would say he was a womanizer. However, Zhang Qing'er found it difficult to find a husband again.
As she grew older, from the north to the south, even though she was the daughter of an official, she couldn't help but be disliked.
That's not what I meant.
Last year, a woman in Hujia Village was rejected by her fiancé. Devastated, she hanged herself at the village entrance in the middle of the night.
Hu Mian simply felt it was unfair. The broken engagement was a matter between the two families, so why should the woman bear all the blame, which only damaged her reputation?
Zhang Qing'er didn't hide anything. Her relationship with Lin Qian couldn't be explained in a few words, so she simply stated the key points.
"Miss Zhang, you don't need to worry about that."
Hu Mian's parents are not old-fashioned and wouldn't care about this.
Given his family's current circumstances, Zhang Qing'er might be at a disadvantage if she marries into the family.
"If you don't mind that I was rejected by my fiancé, why should I mind that you're poor?"
Zhang Qing'er simply spoke frankly, saying that she didn't like romantic tales and just wanted more down-to-earth living.
The family she wants to marry into is simple, with a comfortable life of coarse food and simple meals, without much intrigue or drama.
Before coming to the fishing village, Zhang Qing'er also thought that she would marry into a wealthy family and become a well-behaved wife, serving her husband and mother-in-law and accumulating strength to fight against the concubines.
Upon arriving in the fishing village, she realized that this was not the life she wanted.
In the fishing village, there was unity and harmony, and the life was simple yet full of warmth and life. She lived each day to the fullest and with joy.
It doesn't matter if Hu Mian is poor, Zhang Qing'er is rich. However, if she marries into the family, she can help in times of emergency, but not in times of poverty. Wealth should be earned through one's own hard work, not given or given by others.
...
The sun was already setting in the west, and Qi Heng had been wandering around the market for quite some time.
With Lunar New Year's Eve just around the corner, he still hadn't decided on a gift for his wife.
What should I give as a gift? Clothes, jewelry, or something different and creative?
Qi Heng's plans were meticulously crafted, but whenever he had to give Lin Yuesha a gift, he would struggle, feel conflicted, rack his brains, and even stay up all night.
Thinking of the enchanting moments of last night, Qi Heng touched his face; he had done something wrong.
Feeling guilty, the wife didn't notice anything amiss, thinking it was just a red mark left from a sore mouth.
He was being very careful, but he still left some clues.
"The finest rouge and face powder can miraculously conceal blemishes!"
A peddler carrying a load on his shoulder pole passed by and called out, and immediately many women gathered around him, picking out their novel trinkets.
The peddler came from the south, bringing not many things, but all of them were of high quality, and he was waiting to make a fortune before the New Year.
Qi Heng stopped in his tracks as he passed the peddler's stall, hesitating for a moment.
There are scented powders that have amazing concealing effects; why not buy a box for your wife?
This way, Lin Yuesha wouldn't suspect anything if the red mark around her mouth was concealed.
"Hey bro, wanna come check out the perfume?"
The peddler sniffed and smelled the aroma of a fat sheep.
Most of the people who come to the stall are women. If a man comes, it must be for his sweetheart.
Judging from the man's attire, the peddler quickly located Qi Heng.
"I've never seen this kind of face powder before in the North. It can easily cover up the freckles on my face!"
A girl in a floral-patterned jacket asked, "How much is this box of face powder?"
"Fifty taels of silver."
The peddler looked somber; this was the most valuable item he had brought.
"What? It's so expensive?"
The woman who asked the price was shocked and it took her a long time to realize that she couldn't afford it.
"If you can't afford it, don't bother trying it out. Why try to get a free trial?"
The peddler snatched the box of incense powder. He had traveled from the north to the south to buy the goods, and the round-trip fare cost him more than thirty taels of silver. He was a hard-working man who slept on a shared bed at night and could make do with steamed buns for a meal.
The money for the travel expenses will definitely be added to the price of the goods.
Things from the south are exquisite, and there are many women who like them. He keeps the more valuable ones to sell to wealthy families.
Soon, the woman at the stall showed an expression of liking it but not being able to afford it.
What is face powder made of?
Qi Heng stopped and asked the peddler with a stern face.
Qi Heng felt very uncomfortable surrounded by women, but he had to buy perfume to please his wife.
Zhang Qing'er mentioned that the rouge and face powder from the south were more delicate, but Qi Heng didn't understand and simply believed her.
"Rice powder mixed with pearl powder, applied with a smooth and natural finish."
Seeing that the fat sheep didn't understand, the peddler casually made up a lie, "In our northern lands, there are unscrupulous merchants who mix lead powder into face powder. It looks nice when applied, but if you use it for a long time, it will cause spots on your face. It's not worth it."
You get what you pay for; the expensive face powder he sells is for a reason.
"I want it."
Qi Heng listened and felt that the peddler's words made sense. He immediately threw out a silver note, carefully wrapped the perfume powder and put it in his sleeve pocket. Under the "envious, jealous and hateful" eyes of the women, he hurried away.
As soon as the people left, the peddler quickly packed up his things.
"Brother, do you stand by what you just said?"
The woman who first tried the face powder curled her lip, never expecting that there would actually be someone so foolish and rich, giving away fifty taels of silver without even haggling.
The peddler's face powder was alright, worth at most two hundred coins, and it wasn't from the south.
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