Seeing Tian Shu's hesitant and conflicted expression, Hong Xiaoduo knew that this child was very sensible. There must be something he wanted, but he was too embarrassed to ask.
"Mom, just buy the cheapest cotton-padded coat. I just squeezed it, and the cotton-padded coat is quite thick. The cotton stuffing inside should be the same as the ones we're picking out now. The only difference is the outer fabric."
"A cotton coat is enough to keep us warm. If we dress too nicely, people will notice us when we walk around outside, and it would be a shame if we accidentally scratched it. Besides, the prices are quite different." Tian Shu said very seriously.
So, is this to help her save money? Or is it because they're afraid she'll run out of money and everyone will go hungry again?
Hong Xiaoduo almost said, "How about I just leave all the money to you? You can handle the daily expenses from now on?"
However, Hong Xiaoduo was somewhat inspired by Tian Shu's words.
"Alright, I know, but look, they've been busy all day and have almost finished choosing. How about we leave it at that this time?" She said, gesturing for Tian Shu to look over.
Tian Shu looked at the shopkeeper and his wife patiently helping their younger siblings try on and choose cotton-padded clothes, and could only nod in agreement.
He could naturally distinguish between good and bad, and he didn't think the other party was doing this for the sake of his shop's business.
Otherwise, I wouldn't have gone through the trouble of making hats for them.
My mother brought them here as they passed through, and they will not settle here. After leaving, they are unlikely to come back to this place. Therefore, there is no question of working hard to make hats in order to pave the way for so-called repeat customers.
Seeing the shopkeeper beckoning to him, Tian Shu quickly walked over and started trying on the clothes.
The auntie at the clothing store didn't need Hong Xiaoduo to ask; she just picked out a style that she thought was suitable for her.
When it came time to pay the bill, Hong Xiaoduo thought that since the autumn clothes cost more than three taels of silver, the winter clothes must cost at least ten taels.
So, it amounted to five taels and eight mace of silver?
Tian Shu felt a pang of heartache watching her pay the money. If she had bought the most ordinary cotton cloth, she could have saved at least half the money.
Looking at the expression on Tian Shu's face, Hong Xiaoduo wanted to laugh but couldn't. He was an insecure child who had suffered all kinds of hardships!
While my aunt was helping the little ones pack their new cotton-padded clothes and shoes and tying them to their backs, I asked the shopkeeper about the price of donkey carts.
After finding out the price, we took the children straight to the carriage shop, located at the northernmost part of town.
The carriage shop was deserted, with not a single buyer in sight. The shopkeeper was dozing off in his recliner.
Hearing Hong Xiaoduo call out, he sat up straight with a start: "Young lady, are you hiring a carriage or buying one?"
"I want to buy a donkey cart, but the carriage should be a bit bigger than that. Do you have any in stock?" After learning about the market, Hong Xiaoduo went into the carriage shop and, without looking at the horse-drawn carriages or oxcarts, pointed directly at the donkey cart and said.
"A bigger carriage?" The shopkeeper then noticed the group of children around her.
He stood up and said with a smile, "Then I suggest that you buy a carriage, young lady. It's bigger and more spacious, and you won't feel cramped."
"My mother said she'd buy a donkey cart, it has to be a donkey cart." Before Hong Xiaoduo could even speak, Tian Shu hurriedly emphasized.
“Yes, my mother said she’s going to buy a donkey cart,” Kaiyang repeated.
That wasn't all; the other five children repeated it in unison.
The manager of the carriage shop looked to be under fifty years old. I was just offering a suggestion, and judging from their clothes, they could probably afford a carriage. Besides, the group of one adult and seven children were all carrying bundles, so a carriage was definitely more suitable for them.
But these children, one by one, seemed to be trying to trick their mothers and make more money off them.
Oh my god, wait, how old does this young lady look? Is she already of marriageable age?
One, two, three... seven, that's a mother of seven children?
Seeing the shopkeeper's complicated expression and the way he was looking at her, Hong Xiaoduo no longer felt embarrassed: "Could you please put together a set for me? I really want to buy it."
On one side of the courtyard, there were one horse-drawn carriage, one oxcart, and one donkey cart, all ready to be harnessed.
Then, in the other shed, there was a row of carriages, high-end, mid-range, and low-end, two-wheeled and four-wheeled.
"Young lady, come over here and take a look. These are all for donkeys. I wonder what kind of wood you would like?" the shopkeeper beckoned, inviting her to the shed.
The seven children followed each other, whispering, "Is Mother really going to buy a donkey cart?" Tian Shu nodded, giving them the answer.
Oh, really? That's wonderful! The six little ones are so excited!
While looking at the carriages, Hong Xiaoduo replied, "The sturdiest one and the cheapest one will do."
The shopkeeper introduced that there were beech, pine, and elm wood available, but the only ones that met her requirements were pine and elm. Hong Xiaoduo didn't know much about it, so she stepped forward and tapped the side of the carriage to check if the wheels were sturdy, and then chose the elm wood one.
They selected a strong, mature donkey, which the shopkeeper said was docile, and harnessed it to the carriage they had just chosen. Hong Xiaoduo stepped back a little and walked around to look at it, quite satisfied.
Because she had first inquired about market prices from the clothing store owner, Hong Xiaoduo now had a better idea of the price to offer.
The final price for the donkey was 2.5 taels, and the price for the cart was 1.2 taels, for a total of 3.7 taels.
Hong Xiaoduo asked him to apply some more, but the shopkeeper refused, saying that business was bad and he had already given her the lowest price.
Hearing him say that, Hong Xiaoduo didn't give up and asked him for a few soft cushions for the backrest.
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