Chapter 13 Chapter 13 The streets were deserted...
The street was deserted with few people to be seen. Before Hezhou could explain, the owner of the clothing store came out, wearing a plain black robe and standing respectfully in front of the door.
"Sir, come in and take a look!"
"Well..." Hezhou scratched his head awkwardly and looked at the people around him, not knowing whether the boss heard what he said.
Xie Xunzhi raised the corner of his mouth and raised his eyebrows at him, then strode in.
He followed behind, wondering, "Hasn't the place we've been eating at also belong to the Chen family? It doesn't seem to be anything fancy."
Just as he imagined, the inside looked like a storage room, completely sealed with wooden boards on all sides, with no windows, and all kinds of clothes crammed together.
Hezhou picked up a light blue dress at random. The hem was embroidered with bamboo leaves. The material felt silky, thin and opaque.
"This one... is really comfortable!"
He took the clothes and put them in front of Xie Xunzhi. It seemed to fit him well. The light blue color made Xie Xunzhi look more elegant, and he looked like a young master who had just run away.
The only flaw was that it was too small. The clothes only reached Xie Xunzhi's knees, and the sleeves were missing a part.
"Sir...is this the young master choosing clothes?" The boss asked with a smile, bending over and standing aside.
Hezhou hung up the clothes and looked at him. "Take a look and see if there's anything suitable. Can you recommend something?"
"Young master is so handsome, he looks good in anything he wears." The boss sighed and picked up a piece of clothing from the rack beside him.
"Looking at your figure, I think you can try this jade-colored brocade. It's just perfect for autumn now."
Hezhou took it and touched it. Although it was not as light, thin and breathable as the previous one, it was also comfortable and smooth to the touch, and the collar was specially made of soft material.
He picked up the clothes again and put them in front of Xie Xunzhi to compare. It was indeed just right.
Xie Xunzhi's eyes flickered slightly, his black pupils reflecting him, and his voice was gentle, "How is it?"
"Not bad." Hezhou said this, but he was really thinking about buying it. He turned over the bottom of the clothes to see if there was a price tag.
The boss standing by handed over the wooden sign. Xie Xunzhi took a look at it and took it.
"Don't ordinary summer clothes cost thirty cents?"
Hezhou stopped and tilted his head to look at the wooden sign. He recognized the capital letter "Nine" and pursed his lips after reading it.
The boss lowered his head and smiled bitterly, "Young Master, you don't know, these are goods imported from Shangjing. They used to start at 100 coins, but they were suppressed for a few years..."
The boss paused and looked at Hezhou again. "Since you are from a big city, you should know that the clothing store in front only sells some linen clothes. If you want to buy something like what you are wearing, I am the only one who can buy it."
"I see. Let's take a look." He Zhou said with a cold face, but he kept holding the clothes in his hands. He bent down and whispered in Xie Xunzhi's ear, "I feel okay, what do you think?"
Xie Xunzhi turned his head away and touched his ear. "The fabric is okay, and the price is reasonable. I just don't know why it's been on hold for a few years. Could it be that the shopkeeper wants to raise the price?"
"Ouch!" The boss waved his hands in pain. "That's wrong! Whatever can be sold has already been sold. In the past, people still bought it... Now, who has spare money?"
Xie Xunzhi took the clothes from Hezhou's hand, shook them and looked at the stitches carefully.
Hezhou stared at Xie Xunzhi's movements and took the opportunity to fan the flames. "I just saw it. The workmanship is very detailed. Look at the embroidery...tsk tsk tsk!"
Then Xie Xunzhi gave him a sidelong glance, and he stood aside without saying anything. The room was indeed small, and even he couldn't move around awkwardly.
He stood aside, looking around and listening attentively to Xie Xunzhi's reaction.
"The price is still too high, and it has been pressed for several years. It will be troublesome if the threads break after wearing it for a few days." Xie Xunzhi said as he handed the clothes to the shopkeeper.
"Sir, I can only give you the lowest price I can. How about a lucky number of sixty-six?" The boss gestured to the number six and looked at him as he continued, "Don't worry, this dress has been well-preserved. It's just been empty for three years, so you won't be able to wear it for more than two years. Come find me!"
Hezhou looked through the clothes and picked them up again. No matter how he looked at them, he felt that this set of clothes was exactly what he wanted. "Boss, do you have any winter clothes?"
"Yes, yes." The boss turned to look for it, and after a round he came back, "Sir, I'm really sorry, but we don't have many winter clothes, and we don't have your size yet. Why don't you choose some satin first..."
Xie Xunzhi walked around the table with ornaments placed against the wall in the small room. "Do you have any dark clothes? Light ones look good but they don't last long."
"Yes! Yes! Yes!" The boss held a pole in his hand and tilted his head back to flip through the clothes one by one.
Hezhou put down the clothes in his hand and walked to Xie Xunzhi's side, and saw the other party raise his hand and knock on the wall, which was a hollow wooden board.
"Were this wooden board and the outer door installed later?" Xie Xunzhi lowered his eyes, looking at the things on the table, his tone still indifferent.
The boss paused, "Yes, it used to be a big shop, but when business got slow, they sold it to the Chen family. Sir, take a look at this one?"
Hezhou was a little curious. "Hey, boss, you were able to go to Beijing to purchase goods a few years ago. How come you ended up selling your shop?"
"Shelan's economy was doing well in the past few years. Didn't you read the documents before you came? There has been a severe drought for three years. Those who are capable have already left, and people like us are left to rely on for survival."
Hezhou smiled with difficulty. When he got the things, his mind was in a mess. He hadn't thought about it so much at all. He also didn't think about what would happen if he hadn't met Xie Xunzhi...
Xie Xunzhi looked at the boss and said, "I'm just curious. Wen County next door is only a day's walk from us, so why didn't they have a three-year drought?"
The boss said nothing, picked up the black clothes and handed them to him. "Sir, would you like to try this one? But it might be a bit expensive."
Hezhou touched his chin, his eyes wandering. "So what do I do to make money now?"
"There's no money to be made there. It's just enough to have enough food and clothing. Those who have the strength can farm, while those who are capable can set up small stalls and sell things from street to street." The boss walked to the counter, calculating on an abacus.
Xie Xunzhi took the two pieces of clothing and put them on the counter. "I want both. Pack them up. Come back in a few days to choose the material and cotton for the winter clothes."
"Why!"
Xie Xunzhi took out his purse to pay.
Hezhou followed behind carrying clothes. When he thought that Xie Xunzhi had new clothes to wear, he felt relieved. The thing he had been thinking about was finally solved.
However, I also discovered a problem today, which is that it is really frustrating to have no money. Now the money spent by the two of us must be accounted for by Xie Xunzhi.
Hezhou was so engrossed in his thoughts that he didn't notice Xie Xunzhi stopped and bumped into him. Fortunately, he was quick enough to grab the man.
"What's wrong?" He pulled Xie Xunzhi and looked around, but the streets were still empty.
Xie Xunzhi stood aside with a worried look on his face. "I just asked if we should go buy some cold dishes. I saw you liked eating. What are you thinking about? You're so engrossed."
Hezhou freed his hands to hold the clothes. "I was wondering if you knew, if it's wasteland, who will own the crops I plant?"
"The property is yours, and the policy supports it. If it's truly wasteland, you can get three years of rent-free."
"So the land is considered to be rented by me from the government, but the things are mine, and I don't have to pay rent for three years. That's a good thing." Hezhou was thinking about what to focus on when he heard Xie Xunzhi pour cold water on him.
"Not all land is wasteland. Besides, wasteland can only be cultivated for three to five years." Xie Xunzhi patted him. "Brother He, why don't you learn about city management first, and then consider other things?"
Hezhou nodded confidently, smiling with his eyes curved. "Xunzhi, what kind of cold dishes do you want to buy?"
"Let's go take a look. I also need to buy some groceries and go look at some shoes at the shoe store. I'll have Chun Juan and He Hua come over in the afternoon."
Hezhou can finally show his skills. He is familiar with selecting vegetables. He knows clearly which vegetables are tender and good and which are inferior ones.
He selected two baskets and had them delivered to his house. He looked at Xie Xunzhi with some curiosity and asked, "Xunzhi, are you going to cook in the future?"
Xie Xunzhi agreed with a smile, "I can't eat out every day. I'm not a good cook, so I bought some extra ingredients to make it more flavorful. I'll find time to ask someone to teach me, so cherish this cold dish."
Hezhou thought about the few times Xie Xunxia cooked, and except for the light taste, everything else was okay, at least his knife skills were okay.
It would not be impossible to eat like this in the future. He even had a little expectation in his heart.
"Xunzhi, actually I can cook, but I'm not very good at controlling the heat."
Xie Xunzhi smiled but said nothing. The two of them walked side by side. He was holding a cold dish in his hand and asked, "Are you really going to reclaim the wasteland?"
Hezhou stared at him seriously and said, "I'm considering it, so I wanted to ask for your opinion."
"That's not so bad, but aren't you afraid of another three years of drought?"
"Three years of severe drought? Not afraid." Hezhou smiled and shook his head. He still thought so. It would be fine to stay or leave. It would be even better if he could return to the modern era by chance.
The two returned home when the sun was at its hottest. The yard was brand new and the rooms in the front half had been tidied up.
Hehua ran around without stopping for a moment. When Hezhou came in and put down his things, he asked them to wash their hands and eat. After calling him twice, he followed Xie Xunzhi to the kitchen to wash rice and cook.
You wouldn't know unless you went there. When you went there, you saw this book "The Whisper of the Jianghu: The Escape of the Young Master", which was torn up by Xie Xunzhi and used as fire starter for burning firewood.
He leaned his head over to take a look. As expected of an illustrated version, it did have some comic elements in it. He could understand most of it by glancing at a paragraph.
Xie Xunzhi leaned over to block his view, the firelight reflected on his face, and it was unclear whether it was intentional.
Hezhou naturally understood. He coughed lightly and turned around to see Chunjuan coming in with a visiting card.
Chun Juan hesitated for a moment and handed him the invitation. "Sir, the housekeeper of the Chen Mansion just delivered a visiting card. He said that Master Chen's fourth daughter is having her first full moon celebration that evening and he wants you to attend the banquet."
"Got it. Wash your hands and get ready for dinner." Hezhou took the note and handed it to Xie Xunzhi.
Hezhou held a fire poker in his hand and threw the post onto the stove. "I guess we've been watched all the way."
"I think so too. So are we still going?"
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