When he climbed into the back of the cart and saw that she wasn’t sitting up front at the driver’s seat, but had actually climbed into the back with him, she was practically about to write the words “impatient as a monkey” on her face.
So he deliberately teased her: “He said we can’t consummate for the entire year.”
“Impossible!” Jiang Chun flatly refused to believe it. It was only halfway through the year—what kind of medicinal herbs had such strong properties that it would take six months of stopping the medicine to lose their effect?
Song Shi’an leaned back against the cart’s sideboard, and said lightly: “If you don’t believe it, go ask Physician Cao yourself.”
Jiang Chun wasn’t going to ask. She coldly snorted and threatened: “If you don’t tell the truth, tonight I’ll consummate with you whether you agree or not. I can do a forced-bridal-mount-the-bow.” [霸王硬上弓 – a phrase meaning “to forcefully have sexual relations without consent”]
Song Shi’an: “…”
To even say “forced-bridal-mount-the-bow”—truly worthy of being you, Jiang Chun, acting every bit like a female mountain bandit.
He sighed helplessly, and admitted truthfully: “Physician Cao said that after stopping the medicine for seven days, we can consummate.”
“Really?” Jiang Chun immediately brightened up with joy. If it weren’t on a bustling street filled with people, she would definitely have hugged Song Shi’an and planted a loud “muah” on his lips.
Song Shi’an cast a sideways glance at her radiant, flower-like smile, and let out a light snort: “Keep it down, will you? People who don’t know might think you just picked up a hundred taels of silver on the street—your cheeks are about to grin up to your ears.”
Jiang Chun scooted closer to him, lowered her voice, and laughed: “Picking up silver is nowhere near as delightful as consummating with my husband. A treasure like my husband—even if you gave me ten thousand taels of gold, I wouldn’t trade.”
“Sweet talker.” Song Shi’an gave a laughing snort, but the corners of his mouth couldn’t help but curve up.
And when Jiang Chun stopped the mule cart in front of a jewelry shop, saying she wanted to buy him a birthday present, the curve of Song Shi’an’s mouth couldn’t be suppressed no matter how much he tried.
Of course, he still verbally declined: “Buying what birthday gift? It’s not a major milestone birthday, no need to waste silver.”
Jiang Chun laughed: “Buying a gift for my husband doesn’t count as wasting silver. This is called ‘a fine horse deserves a fine saddle!’”
Song Shi’an: “…”
Fine, he’d just consider it as her praising how good-looking he was.
[Ding! Check-in at 【Hongye County Jewelry Shop】successful. Obtained: 1 gilded hair comb, 1 jade pendant, 1 silver ring.]
After checking in at the jewelry shop, Jiang Chun pulled Song Shi’an’s hand and walked with him into this largest Liao Family Silver House in Hongye County.
Jiang Chun liked to see Song Shi’an wearing hairpins with dangling pendants—every time she saw the little gourd swaying back and forth with his movements, her heart would tremble along with it.
This time, she was planning to gift him another similar hairpin as a birthday present.
A gold hairpin or jade hairpin—she couldn’t afford those, and they weren’t suitable to wear in the countryside either.
After all, a hairpin, once pinned onto the hair bun, he himself wouldn’t be able to see it. Of course, it should be something that she, who could see it, found pleasing to the eye.
So upon entering the shop, she, as if familiar with the place, pulled him straight toward the counter displaying silver hairpins.
As luck would have it, right in front of the silver hairpin counter, they bumped into Wang Yin’er’s former master, Second Miss Liu.
Jiang Chun didn’t know Second Miss Liu, but last month, when she went to the Wang family to deliver Dragon Boat Festival gifts to her aunt, she happened to meet Second Miss Liu, who had come to visit Wang Yin’er. They had exchanged greetings then.
“Second Miss Liu.” Jiang Chun nodded at her.
She, a rural village woman, naturally didn’t know how to perform any “fu shen” salute1Fu shen salute [福身礼] – a formal bow with hands folded in front, customary for women in ancient China.
Second Miss Liu, however, performed a proper fu shen salute and politely greeted: “Jiang Niangzi.”
As she rose, her gaze swept over to Song Shi’an standing beside Jiang Chun, and she was instantly startled by his stunningly handsome face—her pupils involuntarily widened slightly.
So this was the live-in son-in-law that Wang Yin’er’s cousin had taken in—how could he be so good-looking?
And not just good-looking—his figure was tall and upright, like a green pine or a bamboo stalk, his temperament was clear and cool, not like a merchant’s son at all, but rather like a scholar from a family of literary refinement like theirs.
But she only froze for a moment before quickly schooling her expression.
She bid farewell to Jiang Chun: “Jiang Niangzi, please take your time browsing. I shall take my leave first.”
“Second Miss Liu, take care.” Jiang Chun nodded again, watching as Second Miss Liu, flanked by five or six maidservants and five or six older female servants, departed in a grand procession towards the door.
After the figures had disappeared from view, she finally turned to the approaching Shopkeeper Li and asked, seemingly casually: “Someone like Second Miss Liu, she wouldn’t wear silver hairpins or silver ornaments, right?”
Shopkeeper Li, who did business in town and frequently dealt with the womenfolk of wealthy families, was better informed than Jiang Chun.
He immediately started rattling off information: “The Liu family’s Old Master has arranged a good marriage in the capital forSecond Miss Liu. Next month, the groom’s family will send someone to escort her over. Second Miss Liu came herself to pick out the meeting gifts for the in-laws. I heard that these big families have strict rules—not only do you have to prepare meeting gifts for the main family members, but also for the important servants who hold positions around the masters. Even if these people are somewhat esteemed, they’re still just servants at the end of the day. How could they deserve gifts made of gold or jade? Naturally, you have to choose silver ones.”
Jiang Chun frowned slightly.
Coming to escort her next month? So rushed?
Back when she delivered the Dragon Boat Festival gifts, Wang Yin’er had secretly told her that the Liu family was still picking a husband for Second Miss Liu. It had only been a month and a half, and she was already getting married.
There was no such thing as “flash marriages” in ancient times. For wealthy families, from the proposal to the wedding, even at the fastest, it would take at least a year.
Not only was there a pile of cumbersome ceremonial processes to go through, the groom’s side also needed time to prepare the betrothal gifts and set up the wedding house, while the bride’s side needed time to prepare the dowry.
Rushed marriages weren’t unheard of—mostly when an elder in the family passed away, or one or both sides’ age was getting on and they couldn’t afford to delay, so they’d marry quickly during the mourning period.
Or, when the groom was gravely ill, and they rushed the wedding to bring him a bit of good fortune…
Given the level of affection the Liu family’s Old Master and Old Madam had for Second Miss Liu, it was unlikely they were marrying her off for a fortune-bringing wedding. It was probably the former reason.
“I see.” Jiang Chun nodded.
She then took a few steps forward, leaned onto the counter, and carefully examined the silver hairpins inside.
Suddenly, her eyes lit up.
She pointed at a silver hairpin shaped like a lotus flower at the top, with a pair of lotus seeds dangling below, and said: “Shopkeeper Li, take that silver hairpin out for me to see.”
Shopkeeper Li immediately circled around behind the counter, lifted the wooden board on one side, took out the silver hairpin, and handed it to Jiang Chun.
This silver hairpin had fine craftsmanship; the lotus flower at the top and the lotus seeds dangling below were both very lifelike and vivid. The more she looked at it, the more she liked it.
Shopkeeper Li put the wooden board back down, turned around, and chuckled as he introduced: “This silver hairpin was made by our silver shop’s master craftsman. The craftsmanship is much better than those done by apprentices. Jiang Niangzi truly has a good eye—when you wear it, I guarantee you’ll look beautiful.”
Jiang Chun turned her head, tiptoed up, and reached out to pull the hairpin from Song Shi’an’s hair bun, then pinned the one in her hand onto his hair.
Shopkeeper Li: “…”
So it was meant for her live-in son-in-law husband?
That compliment of his just now had clearly flattered the wrong person.
Looking closer—good heavens, the silver hairpin with the little gourd dangling from it that was originally on his head also came from their shop’s women’s hairpin collection.
Jiang Niangzi’s taste…
Was truly a bit unique.
He immediately changed his tune and said: “Langjun’s skin is fair, and his hair is black and shiny—there’s no one more suited to wear this lotus flower hairpin than Langjun!”
Jiang Chun tilted her head and sized it up, feeling it was very nice, and nodded with satisfaction.
Only then did she remember to ask the opinion of the person in question: “Husband, what do you think of this silver hairpin?”
What could Song Shi’an possibly think?
Since when did anyone in this family ever get to voice their opinion?
He said lightly: “As long as my wife likes it.”
Jiang Chun believed herself quite good at picking up on his tone. Since he wasn’t expressing dislike, that meant he liked it. So she decisively asked for the price: “Shopkeeper Li, how much for this silver hairpin? You’d better give me an honest price—don’t you dare quote an inflated one.”
Shopkeeper Li laughed and said: “Jiang Niangzi isn’t new to shopping at our silver shop. How could you not know that our prices here are clearly marked, never inflated? Just so you know, this lotus hairpin is four taels and eight qian of silver.”
Jiang Chun shook the little gourd silver hairpin in her hand, snorted, and said: “Shopkeeper Li, you do love to joke. What clearly marked prices? Last time I bought this silver hairpin, you quoted three taels and eight qian, but didn’t you end up selling it to me for three taels and six qian?”
Shopkeeper Li gave an awkward laugh: “That was because Jiang Niangzi is too good at bargaining. This old man truly couldn’t hold his ground.”
Jiang Chun waved her hand impatiently and said: “Alright, alright, stop rambling. Be quick about it—give me an honest price. I’ll buy it and be on my way! It’s not easy for me to come into town, I’ve got a bunch of other things to buy, and I don’t have time to waste at your place.”
Shopkeeper Li thought for a moment, then gritted his teeth and said: “Four taels and six qian silver. That’s already my rock-bottom price. If you want it any cheaper, Jiang Niangzi, you’ll have to go talk to our boss.”
Cutting off two qian silver was equivalent to a discount of 200 wen.
Jiang Chun nodded reluctantly: “I won’t make things hard for you, then. Four taels and six qian silver it is. Next time I come, you better give me a bigger discount.”
Shopkeeper Li nodded like pounding garlic: “Of course, of course.”
Jiang Chun once again tiptoed, pulled out the hairpin from Song Shi’an’s hair, and put the old one back in. Then she handed the lotus hairpin to Shopkeeper Li and asked him to wrap it up.
After leaving the jewelry shop, they also made a trip to the book and painting shop to sell the eight copies of the Analects that Song Shi’an had copied over the past three months.
[Ding! Check-in at 【Hongye County Bookstore】successful. Obtained: 6 reams of xuan paper, 2 lake brushes, 2 ink sticks.]
Since there were no other errands to run, and nothing much left to buy, they headed back home.
Along the way, as they passed each shop, Jiang Chun checked in one by one.
[Ding! Check-in at 【Hongye County Cloth Shop】successful. Obtained: 3 bolts of fine hemp cloth, 3 bolts of gauze, 3 bolts of silk gauze.]
[Ding! Check-in at 【Hongye County Pawn Shop】successful. Obtained: 1 pair of silver bowls, 1 rosewood imperial concubine couch.]
[Ding! Check-in at 【Hongye County Money Exchange】successful. Obtained: 4 taels of silver.]
[Ding! Check-in at 【Hongye County Pharmacy】successful. Obtained: 6 taels of snow fungus, 1 jin of poria powder, 8 taels of honeysuckle.]
[Ding! Check-in at 【Hongye County Blacksmith Shop】successful. Obtained: 1 iron axe, 1 iron basin, 1 iron shovel.]
On the way back, Jiang Chun chatted idly with Song Shi’an: “Tomorrow is your twenty-third birthday, do you have any wishes?”
Song Shi’an was taken aback by the question.
To be honest, he had never thought about this question, after all, for him, the future was already predetermined. All he needed to do was redeem his cousin sister in advance, then quietly wait.
The only exception in his life—was her.
The future with her was something new to him, but also something unknown.
The unknown meant infinite possibilities, which could be good, but could also be bad.
Every time he thought of this, a faint panic would rise in his heart.
Afraid that one day, he would wake up, and she would have turned back into the Jiang Chun of his previous life.
Everything they had experienced together would become nothing but an illusion.
So even if she complained it was too hot and was unwilling to sleep while hugging, he would still shamelessly cling to her and sleep.
As if, by holding her a little tighter, she wouldn’t be able to leave.
He closed his eyes, sighed, and said: “If I say my wish out loud, it won’t come true.”
His wish was that she could stay by his side forever, not abandoning him and leaving him behind.