Chapter 14: Zhao Feiyan has fallen into consumerism...
These past few days they've been acting separately. Song Wu Sao's interests are completely different from Zhao Feiyan and Yuwen Kai's, yet they share some similarities—besides staying home to learn about the current situation through their phones and books, they also have another important way of doing so: shopping.
The two were dazzled by the variety of shops and malls around them.
From a singer to an empress, Zhao Feiyan had always been exposed to the most exquisite and beautiful things in the world. Even during her final years guarding the imperial tombs, she lived a life better than most people. Having seen and experienced so much, she thought she would no longer be excited by material possessions. However, upon arriving two thousand years later, the abundance of material wealth created by modern industrial society suddenly overwhelmed her.
There are so many things in the world that I've never seen before!
"How can there be such an adorable little thing!" she exclaimed inwardly as she looked at the fluffy rabbit doll in front of her, which was about the size of her palm.
Even pinching this little rabbit makes it make a cute squeaking sound. Zhao Feiyan swore that if this thing were to reach the palace, all the little princesses would go crazy for it.
She bought the cute little thing for thirty-eight yuan, and then discovered that she only had a few hundred yuan left.
This terrified Zhao Feiyan.
She can now distinguish the value of the currency here. Lu Xiaoqi originally gave each of the three of them three thousand yuan, which was essentially pocket money, to help them buy their daily necessities.
What happened to the rest of the money? Where did it all go?
Sister-in-law Song Wu chuckled and reminded her, "You bought quite a lot of things yesterday too."
Some things were essential, like a change of clothes. At the time, Lu Xiaoqi had only bought them a simple tracksuit; everything else, from underwear to outerwear, needed to be bought from scratch. So, the first thing she did when she took them shopping was buy clothes, thus showing the ancients a glimpse of modern extravagance—
Aside from the bizarre designs, women's undergarments were brazenly displayed for sale in street-side shops; the semi-transparent lace was enough to make even prostitutes blush. And the large advertisements for underwear featuring male models hanging there were enough to make one gasp and quickly lower their head, unable to look any further...
However, both of them noticed that the other was looking up at them, and not just once. The moment their eyes met, they immediately looked away, their faces turning bright red.
The men and women passing by seemed to have become indifferent to these things, hurrying past as if it were commonplace.
Lu Xiaoqi, of course, noticed their embarrassment. Finding it quite amusing, she said with a smile, "Being attracted to men is human nature, there's no need to be ashamed. Nowadays, flaunting male beauty is a winning strategy for these brands."
Zhao Feiyan asked curiously, "Won't their men be angry?"
In her time, although women were very generous with their money, and many artisans would create all sorts of exquisite items to please them, it was actually the men behind them who were spending their money.
In the palace, if His Majesty says he doesn't like the scent of a particular incense, that incense will never be used again, even if he likes it very much.
Not to mention openly going to see other men!
“First of all, many women nowadays choose to live alone, and they don’t necessarily get married or even want to date. Secondly, of course they’re angry.” Lu Xiaoqi said dismissively, her eyes crinkling. “But those stupid and lazy ones will only rant online, while the smart ones have already gotten fit and are posting all sorts of videos.”
She secretly followed quite a few on her phone, haha.
Zhao Feiyan blinked, unsure of what to say for a moment, and could only slowly say, "That's interesting."
Lu Xiaoqi added, "If they get angry and do something rash, then that would indeed be illegal."
Song Wu Sao, having previously been a businesswoman, had a more detailed and extensive understanding of the world. After observing for two more days, she finally understood that this was because nowadays women could go out to work or control the family finances. They could freely dispose of money, so naturally everything would be based on their preferences.
And underwear is no exception.
She privately told Zhao Feiyan, "It's clear that when a person has money, they can be fearless."
Zhao Feiyan shook her head: "You need money and power to live comfortably."
Having money but no power is perhaps even more tragic. She has seen many such examples.
In her view, women today possess considerable power—power powerful enough to make the moral guardians she has encountered jump up and down, even faint.
Not only money, but women also have complete control over their own bodies. They can wear whatever they want, and no one will criticize their clothing, except for underage children.
Lu Xiaoqi: "Actually, there are some, but as long as you ignore them, it's fine. They only dare to say a few words. Anyway, as long as it's not illegal, you can wear whatever you want. Of course, not wearing anything is illegal."
Are there still people not wearing them?
Song Wu Sao and Zhao Feiyan were utterly astonished. What kind of world had they entered?
Lu Xiaoqi couldn't help but laugh out loud: "Don't worry, such people are extremely rare, they're just oddballs. Most people dress normally and have the freedom to dress as they please."
Women have the freedom to admire men, the freedom to earn money, and the freedom to dress as they please...
Zhao Feiyan felt as if the constraints on her body had been suddenly released, and this bizarre and dazzling world dazzled her. Her discomfort lasted only a day; after a short while, she quickly embraced it with ease.
At the same time, it embraced the captivating consumerism. In today's trendy terms, it fell into the consumerist trap created by capitalists.
Besides the necessary changes of clothes, she also bought a bunch of random little things. These included several plush dolls, as well as many decorative items such as hair clips and earrings.
Zhao Feiyan blinked, rubbed her forehead, her face full of worry, and murmured softly, "The temptations of the future are so many, and money disappears so quickly. What should I do?"
This is so frustrating!
The Empress, who hadn't been troubled by money for a long time, now clearly understood Lu Xiaoqi's feelings during this period.
Sister-in-law Song felt a pang of sympathy.
The shops she liked to visit were different from Zhao Feiyan's; she preferred the vegetable market and the supermarket. Song Wu Sao was no ordinary, unsophisticated woman. She was born in Bianliang, the capital of the Eastern Capital, a bustling city that never slept, filled with dazzling flowers and the sounds of flutes and drums. Later, she fled to Lin'an, a small city in a remote corner of China, where the city was still a place of peace and prosperity, with bustling trade day and night.
Having had such a life experience, Sister-in-law Song believed that she would not feel intimidated anywhere she went.
But this confidence vanished the moment they saw the supermarket shelves overflowing with goods and the rows of stalls in the farmers' market—fresh fruits and vegetables, spices and dried goods, everything imaginable, from animals to creatures. Some came from nearby counties and cities, while others were transported from thousands of miles away, even reportedly from across the ocean, and were then bought up by the daily shoppers, eventually cooked into delicacies and served on their tables.
"Let alone ordinary people, this is a life that even the nobles in Lin'an City couldn't afford before," she couldn't help but sigh.
As a former benefactor, Zhao Feiyan couldn't help but nod.
Having experienced both lifestyles, her commentary is more accurate: "In terms of luxury and extravagance, it lacks grandeur, but the common people certainly live extremely well, a sign of a prosperous era."
In ancient times, this would have been recorded and praised by historians. However, now that even the emperor is gone, I wonder if there are still historians? Zhao Feiyan has also developed a greater interest in history, and after her daily strolls, she begins to read the books that Lu Xiaoqi has given her.
Sister-in-law Song also had a new idea: "I see that there is a kitchen at home, and all the cooking utensils are available. Why don't we cook at home ourselves and save Xiaolu some money?"
She was itching to try her hand at cooking with the ingredients and utensils she had. She'd been eyeing the tools in the kitchen for a while now, itching to give them a go!
Zhao Feiyan wasn't particularly interested in food, but she felt it was good to save money.
Sister-in-law Song bought groceries with great enthusiasm and returned home, but hesitated when facing the kitchen. She looked at the gas stove as if facing a formidable enemy: "This... can you really light a fire without burning firewood?"
Lu Xiaoqi focused on training them on how to use kitchen appliances, including the gas stove, and warned them never to light any fires carelessly, as a fire caused by improper operation would be disastrous. She also cautiously bought two fire extinguishers and taught them how to use them. In short, she went to great lengths to help them.
They had learned the skills, but when the time came, they couldn't help but worry and looked at each other in bewilderment.
Sister-in-law Song Wu: "How about we find a shortcut first?"
"Wait, I have a solution." Zhao Feiyan quietly took out her phone from her pocket. "Let me ask it. If I follow its instructions, there shouldn't be any problems."
When in doubt, she would ask her phone; in just a few days, she had already developed this habit. In Song Wu's words, this little square box probably housed a little god who knew everything.
Having prepared a large bucket of water and taken the fire extinguisher to the kitchen just in case, Sister-in-law Song reached out and turned on the gas stove.
With a soft "whoosh," the blue flames quickly ignited.
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