Chapter 84 Farewell
Meng Guanqi remained silent for a long time in front of Li Xiaoxiao before finally saying, "Remember to write to me."
She was startled as soon as she finished speaking, her fair face quickly turning red. She hurriedly explained, "What I mean is, even if I'm not home, you must continue your studies and not neglect your education. If you write to me, I can still help you with some guidance."
Li Xiaoxiao said dejectedly, "You're not even home, how am I supposed to study? I can already read."
Meng Guanqi said, "What's the use of just knowing how to read? It's always true that you only realize how little you know when you need it. Who ever complains about having too much knowledge? If you're not interested in other books, why not read history books? You can learn about the rise and fall of dynasties, understand gains and losses. Once you truly understand the principles, you won't keep saying your ideal is just to live a life of leisure and idleness."
Li Xiaoxiao sighed, "To be able to live a life of leisure and wait for death is such a high level of life. You're still young, you don't understand."
Meng Guanqi felt a twitch on his forehead, and a crossroads appeared in his eyes: "How old are you this year? How come you're already thinking about just loafing around and waiting to die? Besides, what kind of family can afford for you to start loafing around and waiting to die right now?"
Li Xiaoxiao sighed, "Isn't this all I'm hoping you'll pass the imperial examination this year and help me succeed?"
Meng Guanqi's heart was immediately filled with emotion, and he could hardly suppress the ever-upturned corners of his mouth. After a long while, he finally said, "Even if I pass the provincial examination this year, I still have to take the imperial examination. It's a long and arduous journey. I will work hard, and you shouldn't slack off either. You have to stay with me, understand?"
Li Xiaoxiao nodded haphazardly, her attention already shifted to the Wanshan Academy in front of her. It was already January 12th, and the snow on the mountaintop had not melted at all. The temperature was much colder than on the plains. Meng Guanqi would be spending nearly eight months here.
Recalling the scene she saw before the Lunar New Year of students carrying firewood and food up the mountain, she patted Meng Guanqi on the shoulder: "You have to hang in there! Don't cry."
The boy in the palm was slender and thin, with baby fat still lingering on his face, but he was already brimming with vitality, like a bamboo shoot just sprouting.
Meng Guanqi ignored her and turned to look at the path leading down the mountain behind her.
If others can do it, he certainly can too.
After sending Meng Guanqi to the academy, Li Xiaoxiao and Zhao Jian drove back to Biyang County.
When passing through Luzhou Prefecture, Zhao Jian hesitated for a moment and said shyly, "Xiaoxiao, I want to go to the prefecture to bring some things for your sister-in-law. Would you like to come with me?"
Li Xiaoxiao's eyes lit up: "Okay, okay, let's go!"
This was like a godsend! She had just received two hundred taels of silver and hadn't even figured out how to spend it when Zhao Jian actually wanted to take her shopping. Wow, delicious food! Here she comes!
Zhao Jian parked the carriage at the horse-watching pavilion at the city gate of Luzhou, paid for someone to watch over it, took the token, and then led Li Xiaoxiao into the city.
As soon as they entered the city gate, Li Xiaoxiao exclaimed, "Wow! This place looks even more lively than Lin'an Prefecture!"
Zhao Jian said, “I once heard an elder say that the land in Luzhou City is very suitable for growing mulberry and hemp, so there are many families that raise silkworms. Every woman in the family knows how to raise silkworms, reel silk, hemp and weave cloth. The model of men farming and women weaving is popular, but women earn more money than men. There are also rivers in the city that can connect to other states, so the flow of goods is convenient. Therefore, the people here live very well. Our Lin'an Prefecture is indeed quite lacking.”
It was precisely because this place was rich in various fabrics that Zhao Jian, who was already married, thought of buying fabrics here. Not only were there many varieties available locally, but the prices were also much cheaper.
Li Xiaoxiao followed behind Zhao Jian, looking around. There were so many cloth shops here! There was one every few meters on the main street, some big and some small, selling all kinds of cloth. There were even quite a few women in their forties and fifties carrying their own handwoven cloth in baskets to sell on the street.
Zhao Jian visited several shops, compared prices, and found a shop of medium size where he began to select fabrics.
Li Xiaoxiao touched this and that, intending to buy a few bolts of cloth to take home.
The darker colors were given to Madam Mao and Granny Qi, the lighter colors to Liu Zhi, Mei Xiang, and Xing Ge, the brighter colors to Madam, and the more elegant colors to Miss and Aunt Luo…
Her hand stopped on a piece of light blue fabric printed with dark green bamboo leaf patterns. She pictured Meng Guanqi wearing it, looking like a lush bamboo forest. This is good!
She happily picked up several bolts of cloth and went to find Zhao Jian.
When the waiter saw that she was carrying so much cloth, he quickly brought her a large basket and told her to put all the cloth in it.
Zhao Jian held a piece of soft cloth in his hand, selecting it again and again, reluctant to put it down. The fine hemp fibers were interspersed with silk, and the texture was almost like a silk handkerchief.
The waiter said, "Sir, this fabric is our new material. It's very soft and gentle on the skin. It would be perfect for making baby clothes or diapers..."
A blush rose on Zhao Jian's dark face: "This one will do. Do you have any other fabric suitable for making a swaddle blanket?"
The waiter said, "Yes, yes, yes. How old is your child? Do you want a thick or thin one?"
Zhao Jian whispered, "It's not even born yet~"
The waiter immediately said, "If it's not born yet, then it's summer or autumn. Just buy one of moderate thickness. Take this thin one..." As he spoke, he recommended a fabric of moderate thickness.
Li Xiaoxiao asked in surprise, "Brother Jian, when did you have a child?"
Zhao Jian's face turned even redder, and he stammered, "It's only been two months, I haven't, I haven't told anyone..."
Li Xiaoxiao's eyes widened: "Wow, congratulations! Our family is finally going to have a baby!"
Zhao Jian wore a shy smile. The household was now small; the young master and young lady were all grown up, and the remaining maids were not yet of marriageable age. Xiu Mei's pregnancy was perfectly timed; she would give birth in September, when the weather would be just right—neither too hot nor too cold…
Li Xiaoxiao said, "Since Xiumei is pregnant, why didn't you tell Madam? She's still working for Aunt Luo right now."
Zhao Jian quickly said, "It's alright, Aunt Luo and Xiumei are on good terms, and she won't ask her to do any heavy work. If she needs to carry water, she asks Xingge and Meixiang to help..."
Zhao Jian was completely focused on his pregnant wife and unborn child. When he went to pay, he was surprised to find that Li Xiaoxiao had bought a lot of fabric. "Why did you buy so much?" he asked.
Li smiled and said, "It's a rare opportunity to see such fine fabric, let's buy it and make clothes for everyone!"
She had just received a reward of two hundred taels of silver, and of course she wanted to share this good fortune with her family.
When she went to pay, she saw a small basket on the counter containing some hair ornaments: "Oh, you have hair ornaments here? It's a pity they're not as pretty as the ones from Biyang County."
The shopkeeper overheard this and said defiantly, "Young man, I'm not bragging, but the hair ornaments from Luzhou are the best. The colors are bright and exquisite. You can't find such good colors anywhere else. Don't underestimate this little hair ornament; it's not cheap. It costs thirty-five coins a piece. But since you bought a lot of material, I can give you one for free so you can take it home and wear it for your sister."
Li Xiaoxiao's heart skipped a beat: "You're saying this hair ornament sells for thirty-five coins a piece? Really?"
The shopkeeper proudly raised his head: "Of course."
Li Xiaoxiao thought for a moment, then took out a pale yellow apricot blossom hairpin from her bundle: "Which do you think is prettier, this one or the one you have here?"
This hair ornament was given to Meng Liniang by Liu Shi when she attended Madam Zheng's birthday banquet last summer. Each maid who went with her was given one as a gift. There were twin lotus flowers, peach blossoms, apricot blossoms, and the most beautiful one, a sparrow carrying a plum blossom, was placed in Meng Liniang's hair.
Because she was tanned, she rarely wore this flower in her hair, but after half a year, its color had not faded, and the craftsmanship was exquisite, making it look lifelike.
The shopkeeper carefully took the apricot blossom from her hand and exclaimed, "Excellent craftsmanship and beautiful color! May I ask where you bought this hairpin, young man? If you have any, I'd be willing to buy it from you for twenty coins a branch."
Li smiled and said, "You're selling them for such a high price, and you're only charging twenty coins a branch?"
The shopkeeper chuckled, "This is retail. If there's no profit to be made, how can my shop stay open? Do you have any stock on hand, young man?"
Li Xiaoxiao said, "I don't have any, but we have them in Biyang County. And it's not just apricot blossoms, but also plum blossoms, peach blossoms, lotus blossoms, and all kinds of other flowers."
The shopkeeper's heart skipped a beat: "Biyang County?"
Li Xiaoxiao said, "That's right, I'm from the family of the magistrate of Biyang County. My name is Li Xiaoxiao, and I'm the shopkeeper. If you're interested in the hair ornaments from our county, you can come to our county town to buy them!"
The shopkeeper hesitated for a moment: "Biyang County is 500 li away from our Luzhou City. It will take four or five days just to get there..."
Li smiled and said, "If you think the travel expenses are too high, you can buy more. Anyway, I think the hairpins in our county are much better made than those here. Just the color alone is much better. You know, I bought this apricot blossom half a year ago..."
The shopkeeper's eyes lit up: "Bought it six months ago?"
Li Xiaoxiao said, "Yes, this was a gift from our madam. But I'm not used to wearing flowers, so I haven't worn it much for half a year. The ladies in our household wear them in their hair every day, and the color hasn't faded much at all!"
"Did the lady give it to him to wear?" The shopkeeper was about to ask him why a grown man would wear a hair ornament, but upon closer inspection, he realized it was actually a young woman dressed as a man.
His mind was stirred. He reached out and squeezed the apricot blossom petals hard, but they didn't bleed color or get stained.
Indeed, it's a beautiful color and a skillful dyeing technique.
The shopkeeper hesitated for a moment: "Let me go back and ask my boss, are you sure all the hair ornaments in Biyang County are of this quality?"
Li smiled and said, "There are even prettier ones! Our young lady looks beautiful in them."
The shopkeeper was intrigued: "Do you have a lot of goods? Approximately how much?"
Li smiled and said, "I'm not sure about that, but our county has a small population, so we probably won't make too many if there are no orders. But if the shopkeeper places an order, we'll definitely make as many as we want..."
The shopkeeper thought for a moment and wrote down Li Xiaoxiao's name: "I'll discuss it with the boss first. If there's a real opportunity to go to Biyang County, then I'll ask the young lady for an introduction."
Li Xiaoxiao hugged the cloth and said goodbye to the shopkeeper.
After leaving the cloth shop, Li Xiaoxiao grabbed Zhao Jian and refused to leave, insisting on going to a restaurant to eat some local delicacies. Zhao Jian tried to dissuade her, telling her that eating at a roadside food stall would be just as good, but she wouldn't listen.
In the end, I couldn't resist her insistence, so we went to a restaurant and had a meal of local specialties, which cost more than four taels of silver.
Zhao Jian had long heard about Li Xiaoxiao's habit of not keeping food overnight, but hearing about it was one thing, seeing it with his own eyes was another.
He expressed his exhaustion: "Xiaoxiao, we servants can't afford to spend all our monthly allowance and the master's bonus. What if we ever need it urgently?"
Li smiled and said, "I didn't spend it all; I only spent a little over twenty taels."
Zhao Jian covered his head; he was rather clumsy with words and didn't know how to comfort Li Xiaoxiao.
At least the eldest son never tried to persuade her. He even felt a little guilty that the monthly allowance his family could give her was too low, so Li Xiaoxiao was always short of money. He would only say that she didn't study hard enough, and never scolded her for wasting money.
After buying their purchases, the two took turns driving away from Luzhou Prefecture towards Biyang County.
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