Chapter 26
The quarrel that day seemed to be just a small interlude. Once it was over, it was over. Neither of them took it to heart.
Shen Xizhi was as clingy and charming as ever, very endearing. Song Yugui couldn’t help but want to treat her better, to dote on her. By the middle of the month, thinking that the next payday was not far off, she took her to the street and bought her a new set of clothes.
The young woman was beautiful, her skin naturally snowy white and translucent, her eyes round and doe-like, pitifully charming, always with a moist sheen.
One look at such a beauty made her want to spend money on her. If it weren’t for the fact that her funds were a little tight…
When Shen Xizhi was taken to the street, she hadn’t expected to be buying something so expensive. She bit her tender pink lip and stood outside the clothing store, refusing to go in, her face flushed. “My clothes are enough to wear. I… I don’t need to buy any.”
After working as a waiter for a while, Song Yugui’s strength seemed to have increased a lot. She easily pulled her into the store, regardless of whether the young woman was willing or not, and began to pick out clothes for her.
Shen Xizhi was so anxious she was running around her in circles. “No need to buy, really no need to buy. I have enough clothes to wear.”
“Wife, Wife!”
“Song Yugui!”
The other day, she had told Shen Xizhi to call her by her name. Shen Xizhi had been coy and refused for a long time, always calling her as she used to. But when she was angry or under duress, she would call her by her name.
Today, she was anxious.
“Do you like white or green?”
As she spoke, Song Yugui had her eye on two sets of winter clothes. The style of the women’s skirts was very beautiful, with a white fur collar that looked warm. The weather was already very cold. Once, she had seen Xizhi cooking at the stove, her small hands red from the cold.
It was time to buy her a warm set of clothes.
Shen Xizhi stomped her foot in anger. “Aiya, I don’t want it! I don’t want white or green! I have enough clothes to wear. Why must you come here and waste money?”
How much had she earned? Why, why was she doing this… She wouldn’t freeze to death. She had survived so many winters; she was very resistant to the cold.
But Song Yugui didn’t listen to her at all and made her own decision. “Then let’s go with white. It complements your skin tone. Owner, how much is this one?”
The owner came over with a smile. Seeing the two of them in coarse linen clothes, she didn’t show any contempt. She rested her arm, which was adorned with a silver bracelet, on the counter. “Little girl, your sister is so good to you. Why must you let her down?”
When Shen Xizhi saw someone coming, her hand, which had been pulling at Song Yugui, instinctively withdrew and curled up at her side. She ignored her, her cheeks puffed out, a little unhappy. What sister? She’s not my sister.
Song Yugui also explained faintly, “This is my wife.”
“Wife?”
The owner was surprised for a moment, then quickly recovered, a smile in her eyes. “So it’s madam. Does miss like this set?”
“Mmm, may I ask how much this one is?”
She was genuinely trying to buy it, and her question was exceptionally serious. The young woman panicked. She looked at the snowy white skirt, then at her wife who was discussing the price with the other, gritted her teeth, and pulled at her again. “No, not this one. I don’t like white.”
Even if she had to buy one, she shouldn’t buy white.
White got dirty easily, and it was inconvenient to wear for anything. She would have to be extremely careful.
“Then what color do you like?”
Hearing her say she didn’t like white, Song Yugui finally changed her attitude of ignoring her and lowered her head to gently ask for her opinion again.
Shen Xizhi knew she was doing it on purpose and glared at her reproachfully. Then she hesitantly looked around and finally pointed reluctantly at the clothes inside. “This cyan is prettier than white.”
Cyan?
Song Yugui followed her gaze and saw a dark cyan long skirt hanging on the wall. The style was beautiful, with a few small pink flowers embroidered on the cuffs. When she reached out to touch it, it was also quite thick. It was pretty.
She knew what the young woman was thinking. White was not resistant to dirt. Instead of forcing her to buy white and making her wear it so carefully, cyan was also very good. When she had money in the future and was no longer so tight on funds, she would buy her a white skirt.
“Mmm, then that cyan one. How much is that one?”
The owner glanced at it and said with a smile, “It was originally one hundred wen, but I feel a connection with miss, and miss looks kind, so I’ll give you a discount of ten wen. How about just ninety wen?”
Shen Xizhi took a deep breath and covered her small mouth, the reluctance in her watery eyes growing stronger.
Ninety wen!
If she dared to buy it, she wouldn’t be going back today!
The young woman glared fiercely at her wife.
Song Yugui also frowned and shook her head. “No, fifty wen.”
She was well aware that most of these shops had inflated prices, so she cut it down by almost half in one go.
Both the owner and her wife were shocked. “Ah, m-miss, this…”
She widened her eyes, finally realizing that the other was not someone to be trifled with. She stood up a little straighter, her expression becoming serious. “Fifty wen won’t even cover the embroiderer’s wages. Miss must be joking.”
“An embroiderer gets fifty wen for one piece of clothing? Where can I find such a good thing? To be honest with you, my wife has excellent embroidery skills. You see…”
Owner: …
“But I really can’t sell it for fifty wen.”
“Then how about fifty-five? Sister, our parents are both dead, and we, as a couple, depend on each other. We really don’t have that much money.”
Shen Xizhi: …
She lowered her head guiltily. Her parents weren’t dead yet, but… but since her wife said they were dead, then they must be dead!
Hearing her pleading words, the owner hesitated. She looked up at her, then at the clothes, and after a long moment, she said, “The lowest is seventy wen. Otherwise, I won’t be able to explain myself.”
Seventy wen, twenty less than ninety. Seeing the owner’s genuinely troubled expression, Song Yugui knew she had really bargained her down to the bottom. She also had a better idea of the price of clothes in ancient times. She nodded and smiled slightly. “Alright, seventy it is. Thank you, sister. We’ll be back next time.”
“Then I’ll just count it as earning a repeat customer.”
After having Shen Xizhi try on a set that fit, Song Yugui paid and left with the person and the clothes. Shen Xizhi’s expression was coy, both happy and worried.
She’s the first person to buy me clothes. Since I was little, I’ve only worn clothes that my mother didn’t want or that other families didn’t want. This is my first new set of clothes…
But… it cost seventy wen. How much money did her wife have? Seventy wen gone in an instant. Her heart ached.
Song Yugui noticed the person behind her walking slowly, looking as if she had something on her mind. She casually pulled her to her side and squeezed her soft, tender face. “What are you worried about? I’ve got everything under control, hmm?”
The pig was fat and ready to be slaughtered.
The villagers would probably be willing to buy their home-raised pig. Her butchering skills might not be good, so she could sell it for cheaper than the market price.
This was also a source of income, which could make up for the loss. Life would only get better and better. Look at how worried the little lady was.
Shen Xizhi’s face was rubbed red, her whole face wrinkled up, feigning distress. Her eyes were lowered, but in her heart, an irrepressible sweetness welled up.
She only has this little bit of money, and she used it to buy me a new set of clothes.
If only it could always be this good…
That day, when Song Yugui returned from the restaurant and had just entered the village, she was stopped by a man in plain clothes who had appeared out of nowhere. The other had a foxtail grass in his mouth and came up to pat her on the shoulder. “Song Yugui, I heard you found a job in town recently? No wonder you don’t hang out with us brothers anymore.”
Song Yugui was greatly surprised and frowned, stepping aside to avoid his hand. Who is this? she thought. Coming up and touching me like that, so rude. Men and women should keep their distance. As an ancient person, doesn’t he know this rule?
Seeing her dodge, the other was also unhappy. “What are you dodging for? Since you like women, you’re just like us men. We men are all like this, with our arms around each other’s shoulders!”
Song Yugui: Outrageous statement.
She instantly disliked the man in front of her, but he seemed to be familiar with the original owner, and she didn’t want to reveal too many flaws.
She could only manage to say her first sentence, “Men and women are different. A woman is a woman. Even if I like… women, I shouldn’t be too close to men.”
As she spoke, she silently took another small step back.
The other also saw her reluctance and jumped up and down comically. He said strangely, “What’s wrong with you today? You seem a little different from before.”
Song Yugui’s heart skipped a beat, but she maintained a calm and composed expression. “Do I?”
The man said emphatically, “Yes! Why did you go to town to find a job? Didn’t you say you were going to cling to the village belle like a ghost until she agreed to marry you?”
Song Yugui: ?
Who? Clinging to who?
She had guessed that the original owner might have had someone in her heart, but she hadn’t expected it to be the village belle. Her standards were quite high. But who was the village belle?
She hadn’t seen her. Wasn’t the most beautiful girl in the village Shen Xizhi?
Song Yugui lowered her head to hide the fleeting confusion in her eyes and cursed the original owner again. If you like the village belle, then go and marry the village belle. Why torment others?
She has a screw loose.
“I don’t like the village belle anymore.”
She didn’t know when she would go back, or if she ever would, so she naturally had to clear her own name.
It was the original owner who liked the village belle. What did that have to do with her?
“Ah, you don’t like her anymore? Didn’t you say you wouldn’t touch any woman in this life if you couldn’t marry the village belle?”
Song Yugui: …
Bastard.
Thinking of the mess the original owner had left behind, she became a little impatient. “I said I don’t like her, so I don’t. My wife is still waiting for me at home, so I’ll go back first.”
Hearing her mention her wife, the man’s eyes lit up. He quickly stopped her again, grinning from ear to ear. “Wait, I’ll go to your house too. I have something to tell you, something huge.”
Song Yugui slowly formed a question mark. “What is it?”
“It’s about your family. Let’s go first. I’ll tell you when we get there. It’s definitely good news.”
The woman’s heart skipped a beat, her eyes widening slightly. Something about my family… but as far as I know, the original owner’s only real family member is Shen Xizhi, right?
Since it concerned the villain, whether it was true or not, her eyes became more probing and serious.
Shen Xizhi was sitting in the courtyard, mending clothes and waiting for her wife to come back. When she finally heard her wife call her name, she looked up to see Song Yugui bringing a man back from outside!
She frowned and was about to approach, but when she saw the man’s shifty-eyed appearance, her small face instantly turned pale. At that moment, she truly understood what it meant to be chilled to the bone, as if she had fallen into an ice cave.
Why had Song Yugui been so good to her these past few days, buying her new clothes, and even specifically telling her to change into them before she left today?
She had thought it was because she wanted to see her in them. Who knew… she actually wanted to sell her!
To sell her for a good price!
Shen Xizhi stood up abruptly, her budding spring heart shattering into pieces. She glared at the two of them with teary eyes, then turned and ran into the house, large teardrops falling one by one as she ran, her voice a choked sob.
Song Yugui didn’t understand why Shen Xizhi had turned and run the moment she saw them. She scratched the back of her head helplessly. Does she not like me bringing people home? Alright, she hadn’t discussed it with her, so that was her fault.
She just wouldn’t bring anyone next time. Why was she so angry?
She knew she would have to coax her tonight, and her hair was about to fall out from the worry.
But the man still came over furtively and said to her, “Why are you really living with her? Didn’t you say she was just someone you married to spite the village belle?”
Song Yugui was surprised. She looked down.
The unsolved mystery was solved. No wonder she had married Xizhi. It was to spite that so-called village belle.
Hah. To involve an innocent woman in such a matter was simply shameless.
Her anger was suppressed with great effort. Her long, beautiful fingers tapped on the table, making a crisp sound. Her voice was inexplicably much deeper. “Didn’t you say you had something huge to tell me?”
She had tried to ask him on the way, but he had refused to say, insisting on telling her here. Considering that the neighbors were all at home, and she wanted to know what other trouble the original owner had left for her, she had let him come over.
The man inexplicably looked up at the inner room, a lewd smile on his lips. He suddenly leaned closer. “Don’t you think Shen Xizhi is getting prettier and prettier? I have someone here who wants to have some fun with a beauty recently. He’s willing to offer this much, more than the betrothal gift you gave back then. You said that if you could really sell her for a good price, you would give me a cut.”
Song Yugui: !
The thread of her sanity snapped.
