The two of them made their way down the mountain, and as they turned the corner of the street, there were gradually more people around. A woman carrying a vegetable basket hurried past with her child, occasionally sneaking glances at the two people on the chestnut horse.
The child couldn’t help it and pointed at Zang Liujiang’s shiny-furred horse, shouting, “Mom! I want to ride a horse too!”
“Shh!” The woman immediately pulled the child hard, glanced nervously at Zang Liujiang, picked up the child, and ran forward, “Quiet, those are bandits!”
Yu Huishui frowned slightly, feeling something strange. The villagers on the mountain were always friendly and reasonable with the bandits, but the people down here were terrified at the sight of them.
Zang Liujiang didn’t mind, he whipped the horse, and the chestnut horse sped past the mother and child, heading towards the market.
“Don’t worry about it, it’s all just rumors,” Zang Liujiang said with an expressionless face, as if he was used to such differences in attitude.
Riding a horse through the market was too conspicuous, so the two of them dismounted as they approached the crowd, leading the horse and moving slowly with the flow of people.
Yu Huishui rarely had the chance to stroll through the market, and the doubts in his heart quickly faded as his eyes were captivated by the novel items on the stalls.
The things on the stalls were truly peculiar: half-human-tall lingzhi mushrooms, animal skins with unknown names, whole wild deer, rows of wild chickens and birds, and all sorts of snacks, grains, and groceries. It was bustling with activity.
Zang Liujiang stopped in front of a stall and picked up two wild chickens with red crests and long feathers. After paying, he hung them on the saddle and walked alongside Yu Huishui.
The hunter selling the goods seemed to recognize Zang Liujiang and whispered to the vendor next to him, flipping the copper coins in his palm, “Look, even the bandit leader has some face, he paid.”
The vendor glanced at the backs of Yu Huishui and Zang Liujiang, complaining bitterly, “You’re lucky, last time they took half a box of my goods and didn’t give me a penny.”
In front of the bookstore, a few children were gathered around an old scholar, who was holding a well-worn book and telling a story with great enthusiasm.
When they saw Zang Liujiang bringing Yu Huishui over, the children scattered, chasing each other and shouting things like “The bandits are coming to catch people!” “Run! Run!” causing quite a scene.
Yu Huishui frowned even more deeply, but Zang Liujiang comforted him, “Don’t be angry, wife. Go inside and see if there’s anything you need, just take it.”
The trip down the mountain was to buy books, so Yu Huishui agreed and went into the bookstore, leaving Zang Liujiang to stand guard outside.
Fu Cong’s servant limped out of the medical hall. He hadn’t spent all his money and had come to the market to buy two sets of medicine patches.
Following a good master really was different. Ordinary masters wouldn’t spend money on their servants’ illnesses.
The servant was considering whether to spend a copper coin on two steaming buns when he heard a horse neighing from the market. A horse had been startled.
The servant turned to look and saw a tall chestnut horse being held down by someone, the terrifying neighing coming from there.
“Tsk tsk.” The servant shook his head, handed a copper coin to the bun vendor, and exchanged it for two buns.
These rich people were really carefree, riding a horse in such a crowded place. What if the horse really bolted and hurt someone?
He took a bite of the bun, but before he could savor the taste, he was so scared that he dropped it.
He recognized the person holding down the horse—it was the bandit who had kidnapped Yu Huishui in broad daylight!
“Hey!!” The servant exclaimed, catching the attention of the bun vendor, who followed the servant’s gaze and saw Zang Liujiang standing at the end of the street.
“What’s wrong, young man?” The vendor, feeling chatty, called the servant over, “You look unfamiliar, are you from out of town? Do you know him too?”
The servant didn’t dare make a sound, let alone confront Zang Liujiang. Startled by the vendor’s call, he shrank into the bun shop, trembling, “Isn’t that man a bandit?”
The vendor watched as Zang Liujiang calmed the horse and shouted a few words into the bookstore before replying to the servant, “Yes, these bandits running around the streets are really a hardship for us common folk.”
“Hey, you can’t say that,” a cart driver eating a bun nearby couldn’t help but retort, “I’ve delivered vegetables to their mountain, and they paid properly. Unlike you, who always uses these lousy buns to offset my labor costs.”
The vendor snorted and scolded the driver, “I’m not wronging them. It’s not just my family that’s suffered from the bandits. Go ask around, see how many troubles there are in this village.”
He turned his head and saw the servant peeking from behind the bun shop, so he called out, “Young man! Did your family suffer too?”
“My, my family…” The servant was timid, and with so many people in the bun shop, he didn’t dare tell the truth. Instead, he asked the vendor, “Are these bandits really that hard to deal with?”
“Of course!” The vendor clapped his hands, filled with righteous indignation, “Just a few days ago, they held a big wedding on the mountain, saying they kidnapped a rich family’s daughter to marry!”
“They say it was love at first sight, and they decided to marry as soon as they met!” The cart driver, still unwilling to give up, shouted while waving his bun.
“Nonsense!” The vendor spat, “They must have kidnapped her from some family. What rich family’s daughter would fall in love with a bandit at first sight?”
The two of them started arguing, not noticing the servant limping away.
Yu Huishui heard the horse’s neighing and looked up to see a child pulling the tail of the chestnut horse. The horse reared up, and the child was frozen in fear.
If Zang Liujiang hadn’t subdued the horse in time, it could have been a disaster.
This horse really wasn’t as steady as Da Hei. In the future, if there’s anything, it’s better to bring Da Hei along.
Zang Liujiang calmed the chestnut horse and looked down at the child who had caused the trouble. A woman immediately rushed out of the crowd and hugged the child tightly.
“You little rascal, you dare pull a horse’s tail! Do you have a death wish?!”
The woman’s face was pale, scolding the child while checking for injuries, clearly terrified.
“The child should be fine, but don’t pull things randomly in the future,” Zang Liujiang advised, catching Yu Huishui’s worried expression from the corner of his eye and quickly signaling that everything was okay.
“Okay, okay, thank you…” The woman checked the child and, finding no injuries, replied with a trembling voice, her eyes showing a hint of gratitude.
Zang Liujiang nodded slightly and turned his attention back to the bookstore.
After a while, Yu Huishui came out with a thick stack of books. Zang Liujiang paid and helped him stack the books on the horse.
“Da Hei will be secretly happy at home,” Zang Liujiang joked, patting the books, “Being able to read so many books, wife, you’re truly amazing.”
“Stop talking nonsense,” Yu Huishui frowned, being nudged along by Zang Liujiang.
“I’m not talking nonsense,” Zang Liujiang secretly reached for Yu Huishui’s hand, gently scratching his palm with his fingernail, “Let’s go buy some clothes.”
The cloth shop was a two-story building with gray walls and black tiles, decorated with a few pieces of fine fabric hanging from the eaves, making it look bright and attractive.
There weren’t many people in front of the cloth shop, but the service was excellent. As soon as the two of them approached, a shop assistant hurriedly greeted them, taking the reins of the chestnut horse and skillfully leading it to the back to tie it up.
“Please come in, esteemed guests,” the shop assistant said, leading them inside while asking, “Are we cutting fabric or buying clothes?”
“Let’s just pick out some clothes,” Zang Liujiang waved his hand, and they turned into a side room where various clothes were hung in two rows against the walls, including long robes, short jackets, fur coats, and cotton-padded clothes.
“Esteemed guests, please choose a style you like, and once you’ve decided, give us your measurements. We’ll tailor the clothes for you, and you can come pick them up when they’re ready,” the shop assistant said, rubbing his hands and eagerly displaying the clothes for them.
“These are the latest styles, with fine stitching and exquisite patterns, perfect for this…”
The shop assistant gestured towards Yu Huishui, intending to say it was perfect for this person, but seeing the beautiful face above the two layers of black velvet clothing, he hesitated.
“Perfect for this esteemed guest.”
The shop assistant decided not to make a mistake and risk offending anyone.
The cloth shop was warm and cozy, with burning incense adding to the comfort, making people feel a bit lazy.
Yu Huishui flipped through a few sets of clothes, having the shop assistant lay them out on the counter. Most of the clothes he chose were in light colors, except for two brightly colored dresses, one pink and one yellow.
“Miss, you have a great eye!”
The shop assistant clapped his hands, confidently calling him “Miss.”
Ordinary men wouldn’t pick out two dresses, right?
“…Give your measurements, and we’ll get started,” Yu Huishui frowned, ignoring the shop assistant’s flattery, quickly writing down a few numbers in the ledger, and then hiding behind Zang Liujiang, not speaking anymore.
Do I really look that much like a woman? Yu Huishui rubbed his face in frustration, full of doubt.
Zang Liujiang knew he was embarrassed, so he secretly nudged Yu Huishui, mischievously whispering “Miss” in his ear, only to receive a loud slap on the back from Yu Huishui.
After paying and arranging to pick up the clothes in two days, Zang Liujiang also wrapped up two thick velvet jackets, which were just the right size, to take back for Yu Huishui to wear.
“Did you really see him?!” Having just sent Fu Cong to the capital, Fu Ming heard the servant report that he had seen the bandit who kidnapped Huishui in the market.
“I saw him clearly!” The servant, having run all the way back, panted as he assured, “It was definitely that bandit, no mistake!”
“Did you see Huishui?” Fu Ming asked urgently.
“No!” The servant shook his head like a rattle, “He was alone, and the horse he was leading was acting up, causing quite a commotion!”
“No…” Fu Ming felt a bit deflated, lightly tapping the desk beside him, “Alright, you can go now…”
Without receiving a reward, the servant was a bit unwilling, quickly telling Fu Ming, “I also heard that the bandits held a wedding on the mountain a few days ago, saying they married a rich family’s daughter.”
“A rich family’s daughter?” Fu Ming’s face darkened immediately, slamming his fist on the tea table, causing the teacup to topple and tea to spill everywhere.
“This is outrageous! How can they do such despicable things!”
Helping Yu Huishui onto the horse, Zang Liujiang sneezed twice, puzzled as he touched himself, thinking, I’m wearing quite a bit, how could I catch a cold?