In the end, Han Xiuxiu chose a purple jasmine velvet flower ornament and a wooden comb. She bought Han Xiaoxiao two colorful hair ribbons and a pair of red plum blossom silk flowers. While she was at it, she also picked up some cotton thread and a few sewing needles. They were all things the household could use, though they still cost quite a few copper coins.
Lu Yunfei paid without hesitation. Leaning closer, he asked, “I still think the peony looks prettier. Aren’t you buying it?”
Han Xiuxiu rolled her eyes at him as she helped Han Xiaoxiao put on the flowers.
The little girl blushed with excitement and kept asking, “Big Sister, do I look pretty?”
“You do! Our Xiaoxiao looks beautiful wearing silk flowers.”
Han Xiaoxiao couldn’t stop touching the flowers in her hair, smiling from ear to ear. Today felt like a dream. Braised pork noodles, chestnut cakes, velvet flowers, colorful ribbons…
She would remember every single thing so she could tell all her little friends when she got home. They would definitely be green with envy.
Hadn’t Mother said that Big Sister would suffer poverty and hunger after marrying Brother-in-law?
She was going to tell her otherwise.
Big Sister was living very well!
Although Brother-in-law looked fierce, he treated both her and Big Sister kindly and was very generous.
Han Xiuxiu had noticed something today as well.
No wonder Lu Yunfei had once said he didn’t want to marry and preferred living alone. Most people in these times wished they could split one coin into two just to make ends meet, but Lu Yunfei spent money freely. As long as she or Xiaoxiao looked at something for more than a moment, he would immediately reach for his purse. After strolling through several streets, they had bought food, daily necessities, and accessories alike.
His taste in aesthetics certainly needed improvement, but at least the two of them would never quarrel over a few copper coins while making a life together.
Han Xiuxiu was quite satisfied with that.
She herself wasn’t someone who cared excessively about wealth. As long as they had enough to get by, that was sufficient. What she disliked were people who were overly stingy. Living with someone like that would make life exhausting.
Besides, half of today’s earnings belonged to her anyway. It was only right that she and Han Xiaoxiao spent some of it.
Passing a cloth shop, Han Xiuxiu pulled Lu Yunfei inside.
Although she’d received several new outfits when she got married, they were all outer garments. Her underclothes were old and had become a little too small. She planned to buy half a bolt of cotton cloth to make two sets of undergarments she could alternate between.
Cloth wasn’t cheap these days.
Some families grew hemp and wove their own fabric, and many people on the streets wore hemp clothing. Cotton was considered a luxury for country folk. One full bolt cost six hundred copper coins, and dyed or patterned fabric cost even more.
Han Xiuxiu picked out a pale yellow bolt of cotton. It felt wonderfully soft.
Seeing how much she liked it, the shopkeeper smiled.
“Young Madam has a good eye. This is top-quality cloth. It’s absorbent and breathable—perfect for summer clothes. We also have a pink one. Let me bring it out for you.”
The pink was delicate and charming, while the pale yellow was gentle and elegant. Both were lovely.
In the end, Han Xiuxiu chose the pale yellow because both men and women could wear it.
Lu Yunfei asked, “Why not the pink one?”
Keeping her voice low, Han Xiuxiu replied, “I want to use this cloth to make each of us a set of underclothes.”
Lu Yunfei’s lips immediately curled into a smile.
“You can just make yours,” he said. “I’m not that particular.”
As a hunter who spent most of his time in the mountains, durable hemp clothing suited him better. Still, hearing that his wife was thinking of him made him genuinely happy.
As a grown man, he obviously couldn’t wear pink.
But his wife…
She would surely look beautiful in it.
“Shopkeeper,” he called, “give us half a bolt of each.”
“Right away!” the shopkeeper replied cheerfully.
Han Xiuxiu pursed her lips into a smile.
She liked the pink cloth too, but she’d been reluctant to spend the extra money. Since Lu Yunfei wanted to buy it, however, she certainly wasn’t going to stop him.
By now it was getting late.
They had bought everything they needed and headed to the grain shop.
Premium white rice cost fifty copper coins per dou, while older rice sold for thirty. One dou weighed about ten jin.
Thrifty villagers often sold their freshly harvested grain and bought older rice to eat instead. That way they could keep some silver while still having food.
Lu Yunfei, however, bought five dou of premium rice.
He also bought white flour, mixed grains, and even a sack of rice bran to feed the two chickens at home.
Altogether, they spent nearly one tael of silver.
Lu Yunfei had long been accustomed to living this way.
Being a hunter was hard work. Without eating well, there was no strength to roam the mountains. You had to invest if you wanted worthwhile returns. One good hunt could provide enough money to live comfortably for months—far better than farming.
Han Xiuxiu didn’t think the spending was wasteful at all.
Instead, she was wondering whether she could accompany Lu Yunfei into the mountains. She was confident she could earn back everything they’d spent today.
So she didn’t object.
She even stopped by the neighboring general store to buy a jin of brown sugar.
Calculating the days, her monthly period was due soon. Last month had been especially painful. They had homegrown ginger, so when the time came, she could make brown sugar ginger tea. It would at least ease the discomfort.
Money came quickly—and went just as quickly.
Aside from the ten taels Lu Yunfei kept hidden on his person, nearly everything else in his money pouch had been spent.
The sun had climbed higher, and fewer people remained on the streets.
The three of them finally started the journey home.
They had arrived carrying plenty of things.
Now they were carrying even more.
With more than ten li still to walk, it would be no easy trip.
Lu Yunfei carried all the heavy loads, while Han Xiuxiu and Han Xiaoxiao each took the lighter bundles.
At first the walk wasn’t bad.
Gradually, though, their pace slowed until they had to stop by the roadside to rest.
Seeing other villagers driving ox carts, leading donkeys and mules, and occasionally passing horse-drawn carriages, Han Xiuxiu couldn’t help feeling envious.
Traveling was certainly much easier than relying on two legs.
Lu Yunfei said, “We used to have a horse. It died of old age last year. I’d been saving up to buy another one…”
As a hunter constantly traveling through the mountains, he needed a horse or mule to transport game quickly to town.
Han Xiuxiu asked, “Did the money end up becoming my bride price?”
Lu Yunfei had begun saving after the old horse died.
He had finally managed to save nearly thirty taels.
But after paying Han Xiuxiu’s bride price and covering the wedding expenses, almost all of it was gone.
He nodded.
Han Xiuxiu asked curiously, “When my father came to see you, didn’t he say you didn’t have to pay any bride price?”
She had always wondered about that and finally had the chance to ask.
Lu Yunfei immediately became serious.
“Your father said he didn’t want a bride price. He only wanted me to marry you. But how could I agree to that? If word got out, people would think I was repaying a favor by taking advantage of your family. Since I agreed to marry you, I naturally wanted to give you a proper wedding and bring you home with honor. I wasn’t going to let people gossip.”
*His pride as a man is pretty strong,* Han Xiuxiu thought with amusement.
“How much does a horse cost?” she asked.
Lu Yunfei grinned.
“Even the cheapest horse costs around fifty taels. A mule is cheaper—about thirty taels. Donkeys cost even less.”
Han Xiuxiu thought about it.
That wasn’t actually too expensive. In ancient times, livestock like horses and oxen were essentially valuable family assets.
“Then let’s save up together.”
Lu Yunfei stood up.
“All right. We’ll save together.”
Along the road they met several villagers returning from town.
Seeing the mountain of goods on Lu Yunfei’s back, the villagers couldn’t hide their envy and casually asked what they’d bought.
“You bought so much! That must’ve cost quite a bit.”
“Our rice jar was empty,” Lu Yunfei replied. “We bought some grain. We don’t own any fields, so whatever silver we earn disappears as soon as we spend it.”
“Still better than us. You hunters can earn money whenever you head into the mountains. Our whole family depends on Heaven’s mercy and whatever grows in the fields. Hunters really have it good.”
Han Xiuxiu smiled politely.
“You’re too kind, Auntie. We never know where our next meal is coming from. Your lives are much steadier than ours.”
She understood perfectly that wealth should never be flaunted.
By speaking humbly and praising others, the group chatted pleasantly all the way home, making the long journey feel much less tiring.
When they finally reached the village entrance, many women were washing clothes by the river.
Among them was Li Shi.
One of the women nudged her.
“Hey, isn’t that Xiuxiu and Xiaoxiao?”
Li Shi looked up.
Sure enough, there were her two “money-losing girls,” along with her hunter son-in-law.
Han Xiuxiu looked carefree, while Han Xiaoxiao wore flowers in her hair and smiled brightly.
The sight of their happy faces irritated her no matter how she looked at them.
Han Xiuxiu had already married out.
At home, Han Xiaoxiao had at least been useful for chores.
Yet the girl had disappeared for several days, leaving Li Shi to work herself to exhaustion.
And now the two sisters had even gone shopping in town.
Her anger flared instantly.
“Oh? So it’s Xiuxiu and my son-in-law.”
The three of them hurried over to greet her respectfully.
Lu Yunfei even addressed her as “Mother-in-law.”
Li Shi barely kept up appearances before raising her voice.
“Xiaoxiao, you wretched girl! You’ve been fooling around for days without coming home. Where have you been wandering now?”
Han Xiaoxiao hadn’t expected to run into her mother.
All the liveliness vanished instantly.
Like a frightened quail, she hid behind Han Xiuxiu.
Han Xiuxiu frowned.
“Mother, what are you saying? Xiaoxiao is my younger sister. Can’t she stay at my house for a few days?”
“So now a mother can’t even scold her own daughter?”
Li Shi’s voice turned shrill.
“You little brat! If you don’t come home today, don’t ever step foot in the Han family again!”
Han Xiaoxiao flinched.
Her eyes filled with tears.
“Sister… I’m going home.”
Afraid she’d burst into tears if she stayed any longer, she turned and ran before finishing her sentence.
Lu Yunfei frowned.
Other mothers-in-law usually treated their sons-in-law warmly.
His own mother-in-law, however, had given him nothing but cold looks every time they’d met.
She truly wasn’t easy to get along with.
He gently held Han Xiuxiu’s arm.
“In a few days, we’ll bring Xiaoxiao over to visit again.”
Han Xiuxiu sighed as she watched her sister run away.
An occasional visit was fine.
But Xiaoxiao couldn’t live with them permanently.
As long as her parents were alive, there was no proper justification for a younger sister to live with her married elder sister. People would criticize the Han family behind their backs.
Her father, Han Daliang, would never allow it.
Meanwhile, the women washing clothes nearby watched with amused expressions, clearly enjoying the spectacle.
“Hey, Mrs. Han, your son-in-law’s carrying quite a load. Has he struck it rich?”
Li Shi forced a smile.
“He’s just a hunter. What fortune could he possibly have? He’s no wealthy landlord.”
Another woman laughed.
“Your Xiuxiu was originally supposed to marry a rich man. Since she refused, that Li family’s girl picked up the opportunity instead. She’s getting married the day after tomorrow.”