Although the weather in late autumn is much colder, it is still sunny and the city is bustling with people. There are actually many more people than in the hot summer. The young men and women from the wealthy families in the city go out to enjoy the autumn. They can stay outside all day long and don’t feel the scorching sun. The autumn days that are neither too cold nor too hot are the best.
If it is delayed by another month or half, the weather will become cold after winter. Even if you wrap yourself in a thick cloak or fur coat, it still feels uncomfortable to go out. Not only will the cold wind make your face dry and flaky, but your clothes will also make it inconvenient to move. Autumn is the best season, the clothes are just right, and the weather is clear and cool, which is the best time to go out for fun.
This business in the city is also good. Cloth shops have stocked up on new winter cloth in advance, and merchants from other counties and big cities come to sell the best materials. The restaurants and entertainment places are also bustling. After the boat cruise or poetry gathering, the wealthy people will go out for a walk together, eat something and stroll around the streets.
Tianjie has regained its former bustle, and Zhang Fangyuan and Xu He's Linglong Toothbrush Shop is also booming.
When the shop first opened, it encountered lingering early autumn rains. Occasionally, customers would bring back customers. After the weather became sunny and nice, it really came true. Customers flocked into the shop like flowers blooming in spring, and the shop was always full of customers.
Zhang Fangyuan and Xu He were extremely busy and their mouths were dry every day, but fortunately, time had passed and the guests arrived without the need for them to introduce themselves.
With many customers, the goods were consumed quickly. Zhang Fangyuan produced 200 new toothbrushes in two months and added a lot of tooth powder. The business is so prosperous because of those scholars who pretend to be cultured. They brag about their shop everywhere and attract many people.
"I bought two pieces of pearwood and sent them to Mr. He, the carpenter. He carved six toothbrushes and they have been delivered."
Zhang Fangyuan divided several exquisite toothbrushes that were better than any other in the shop into three brocade boxes. He also put the best tooth powder in the shop, which was made from herbs and added the precious spice borneol, into each brocade box padded with red silk.
He closed the three boxes one by one: "One is for Master An in the east city, one is for Master Yong in the north city. The other one is for Master Xian."
When Xu He knew about the two orders, he immediately paid the 300-wen deposit that the servant of the wealthy master had given when he came to make the arrangements. The whole set would cost 1,200 wen. During this period, he also saw many wealthy families who were very generous in their spending. They not only bought for themselves, but also bought for their many children and elders. One family had more than twenty people from three generations, including grandfather, children and grandchildren, and everyone bought one. One order could earn them several thousand coins.
The money he received in the past two months almost made him dizzy.
After the shop's reputation spread, Zhang Fangyuan rarely stayed in the shop. He had to go out to collect raw materials for making toothpowder and toothbrushes. Today he went to the horse-drawn business, and tomorrow he went to the herbal medicine shop. Relying solely on purchasing raw materials from the tea shed, many of them were completely in short supply. In order to ensure a continuous supply, Zhang Fangyuan had to spend a little more.
A few days ago, I went to the horse shop where I bought Xiao Hei, and found the young man who sold the horse to me. He said he wanted to buy horse hair. I went to negotiate with the owner of the horse shop, and heard that he offered 180 cents. Today, I received a reply, saying that he was willing to provide horse hair.
More than ten kilograms of horse hair were also delivered. I smiled and said to him that it was difficult to get the hair from a dead horse, so these were picked and cut from the young horses and horses of poor quality in the horse market.
Zhang Fangyuan knew that it was not easy to collect horse hair, so he paid for the horse hair and also gave Xiaosheng a hundred dollars to thank him for helping him run errands. When he originally collected horse hair in the countryside, he asked for 120 wen, but now the price has been raised to 60 wen, which is still unacceptable.
Once this batch of horsehair toothbrushes are finished, he plans to raise the price.
"I'll deliver it myself. It might take some time to travel between the east and north of the city. You don't have to worry me."
Xu He responded and watched Zhang Fangyuan carry the box out.
It is just past noon, and it is time for a nap. Except for the restaurants and food stalls which have better business, the business of other shops is average.
Xu He let the two girls in the shop look at the toothpaste and brush their teeth on their own. He saw a peddler selling sour plum juice on the street, and asked the man to spend two cents to buy a cup of sour plum juice. At this time of year, bayberries are almost out of season and not as sweet as when they are in season, but Xu He loves the taste now.
As the month progressed, he started to have some morning sickness, and he would feel much better if he ate or drank something sour.
As the saying goes: sour boy, spicy girl. But Xu He found that he liked both sour and spicy food, so he thought that this statement was not entirely credible and was just something people said to fool everyone.
As he looked at the bright red sour plum juice, he couldn't help thinking that he was now a person who would spend money to buy snacks casually, and he didn't even blink when given copper coins. It was really because the shop had a lot of business, and he handled hundreds and thousands of copper coins every day, so he felt a little numb.
After a few individual customers left, the shop became unusually quiet. Xu He sat in front of the counter, his face supported by his arms, feeling a little drowsy. Even though he had enough sleep at night, he still felt a little sleepy during the day.
When he blinked sleepily, he opened his eyes and his pupils dilated inadvertently, and he subconsciously stepped back a little. At some point a beautiful woman with a graceful figure came into the shop, and was standing in front of the counter, watching him doze off with her chin in her hand.
Xu He quickly tidied up and said, "Miss, feel free to look around if you want to buy something."
"Why, isn't Brother Zhang in the shop?"
Xu He was slightly surprised when he heard that, and couldn't help but take a closer look at the woman in the shop. She was swaying in her posture, and her words and laughter were full of charm. He had never seen such a woman in the village, and even though there were people coming and going in the shop every day, he had never met one.
"He went out on business."
"I'm Yin Jiuniang from Yunliang Pavilion. The boss must have heard of me, right?" Yin Jiuniang looked at Xu He who had just woken up from a nap. His big eyes were not very clear and he looked a little dazed. She raised her red lips and said, "Ah! It's Brother Zhang's old lover. Didn't Brother Zhang mention me to you?"
Xu He blushed. He really hadn't mentioned it. He only mentioned the matter of the top courtesan, but he had never told him in detail what the courtesan's name was. But when Xu He saw the appearance of the person in front of him, he thought she was the oiran.
The words "old lover" replayed in his mind: "I did say that I have some friendship with Miss Yin."
"Just talking about friendship? Brother Zhang is not like that. He calls people affectionately in the courtyard, but he doesn't dare to say it in front of people in the house." Yin Jiuniang shook her head: "Forget it, most men in the world are like this, unfeeling and ungrateful."
Xu He frowned and stood up with his back slightly supported.
Only then did Yin Jiuniang notice that the little boy was pregnant. The little boy didn't show his pregnancy very much, but now she could tell at a glance that he was pregnant, so she guessed that he was already quite some time old. Suddenly she felt a little regretful for telling such a joke. What if it hurt someone or even upset the fetus?
Just as she was about to explain, she heard the boy say, "Miss Yin, what kind of toothbrush and tooth powder do you want? I'll choose for you. If Brother Zhang were at home, he would also choose for you and give you a good deal."
Yin Jiuniang suddenly laughed. She realized that the boy had not listened to her words at all. Instead, he wanted to get closer to her: "Don't you know what Brother Zhang did before?"
Xu He saw Yin Jiuniang's teeth were white and intact when she spoke, so he took out a horsetail toothbrush and said, "How could I not know? We are from the same village."
"So you still don't believe what I said?"
Xu He looked at Yin Jiuniang helplessly: "Even if there really was something, it's in the past."
"Look at the present." Xu He raised his eyes and motioned Yin Jiuniang to look at the shop, and then said: "You are ruining your future by always talking about the past."
Yin Jiuniang took the toothbrush and raised her eyebrows. This was probably the meaning of "being well aware of the righteousness". She asked Xu He's name and felt that he must have something extraordinary to be favored by a strange man like Zhang Fangyuan.
She didn't joke about what happened between her and Zhang Fangyuan. Instead, she stuck to Xu He and asked him about what was going on between them.
"There is something that has puzzled me for years. Brother Zhang used to eat neither meat nor vegetables in Yunliang Pavilion, but is there any unspeakable secret?" Yin Jiuniang raised an eyebrow at Xu He.
Xu He was not a young man at home. He knew what the meaningful smile on the man's face meant, but he was too embarrassed to explain it in detail. He just put out his hands to protect his stomach.
Yin Jiuniang understood immediately: "Yes, the child is also four or five months old."
"Zhang Fangyuan is a big man. When he was guarding Yunliang Pavilion, he could beat back a dozen troublemakers by himself. I don't know how many girls in the building he won their hearts. Many people wanted to have a romantic encounter with him." Yin Jiuniang asked again, "He is so strong, is he powerful?"
Xu He was totally unable to withstand such questioning. He felt that Yin Jiuniang, though so young, was just like those women in the village who washed clothes by the river, saying things that made him blush. He turned his head away to avoid Yin Jiuniang's burning gaze.
"Tell me quickly! Please! If I can't try it myself, can't I ask the girls and boys in the building how they feel? Is it just average or exhilarating? Please give me an answer."
Xu He was so anxious that his ears were about to be cooked: "Whatever you think is what it is."
"Oh! Don't be shy, this kind of good fortune is not only for men, but also for girls and boys. Tell us about it and make us all happy."
"I have no idea."
Yin Jiuniang sighed and said, "Then it seems to be very ordinary. Alas, we have waited for nothing and failed everyone's expectations."
Xu He couldn't bear to see others say bad things about Zhang Fangyuan, so she said, "I'm pregnant."
"Oh~" Yin Jiuniang turned around and said with a smile: "That's right, you can't have sex after you get pregnant. It's normal to forget some feelings after not having sex for too long. But don't waste your good years, brother. If your man is not at home, you have to go out. You can have sex as long as the first three months are over."
"But it's hard to say what's going on in Zhang Fangyuan's mind. Although he used to be a decent man, it's hard to say now that he's had sex. We can't generalize."
Xu He raised his eyelids slightly, wanting to say something but stopping himself.
"I really won't tease you."
“Will the baby be fine after the first three months?”
"This is natural. If you don't believe me, you can ask the doctor. But don't make it too intense."
Xu He blushed and nodded.
When Zhang Fangyuan came back after delivering the things, he saw Yin Jiuniang, like a water snake, entangled on the waist cabinet, and it was unknown what she was saying to Xu He.
Seeing He Ge'er lowering his head with an abnormal expression, and the crazy woman still talking, he rushed in quickly: "Why are you here?"
The two were frightened by the sudden roar. Xu He looked at Zhang Fangyuan and quickly shut his mouth, as if he had been caught doing something bad.
Yin Jiuniang, on the other hand, switched roles very smoothly, and immediately acted like a prostitute. Knowing that Xu He didn't believe that they had much relationship, she teased Zhang Fangyuan to make him anxious, and said coquettishly, "Brother Zhang, why are you so fierce? You scared me. In this Siyang City, who treats your old lover like you~"
"Who? Who is your old lover? Don't come here and talk nonsense." Zhang Fangyuan's pupils dilated, and he subconsciously argued, looking at Xu He and said in a weak tone: "That's not true."
Xu He did not answer, but turned around to pack the tooth powder and toothbrush that Yin Jiuniang had chosen.
Yin Jiuniang looked at Zhang Fangyuan, who was as angry as a red-eyed bull, and raised the handkerchief with the scent of rose water over him: "Brother Zhang, are you going to give me the most honest price?"
"Five hundred coins!"
Yin Jiu Niang straightened her twisted waist immediately after hearing this, and her voice became clear and normal, even a little rough: "Five hundred! This best horsetail brush is only eighty cents, and the tooth powder is only one hundred and twenty cents of herbal medicine. You are cheating me out of my money!"
"I can't raise the price temporarily!"
"Bah! Black marketeer!"
Seeing that the two were about to fight, Xu He hurried forward to persuade them to stop: "Miss Yin, just give 180 coins."
"Look, this is how to do business." Yin Jiuniang glanced at Zhang Fangyuan. She was so arrogant in front of his wife. He was so happy to have Xu He around. He took out the money and said, "I'll ask the girls in the building to buy some other day."
"Thanks."
When Yin Jiuniang turned to look at Zhang Fangyuan, she glared at him again and turned away.
"You should say..."
Xu He looked at Zhang Fangyuan who was so angry that he didn't know what to do: "What's wrong? Are you still going to chase your old lover out?"
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