“Nangong An, did you come to Nanling City specifically to handle the marriage certificate?”
Yunxi hadn’t actually been sleeping soundly in the carriage. She had heard his conversation with the others.
Whether in modern times or ancient times, two people without official documentation were not protected by the law.
He said he didn’t want others to think she was a frivolous woman, having an affair with a man before marriage. He wanted her to be his Nangong wife openly and legitimately, living happily and honorably.
That moved her deeply. Now that the marriage certificate was done and the betrothal gifts had been given, whether there was a wedding ceremony or not didn’t really matter.
Life was lived by two people. There was no need to wrong oneself just to please others.
Yunxi knew that in ancient times, many couples were not protected by the law at all. They only held a ceremony, and because they found it troublesome, they never went to the authorities to register their marriage.
Nangong An looked at the little woman eating with her face covered in oil. He really couldn’t figure out what was going on in her small head—her thoughts changed every moment.
“Xi’er, I love you and don’t want you to suffer even the slightest grievance.”
As he spoke, he bent down and kissed her red lips, which still carried the taste of chicken.
The next day, Yunxi slept until nearly noon again. She held her waist, which felt like it was about to break, and silently cursed Nangong An, that hungry wolf.
She quickly flashed into the space, took off her clothes, and soaked herself in the water.
As the warm water enveloped her, she felt the fatigue and discomfort in her body ease significantly.
Looking at the water in the pool, she muttered to herself—could it be that the stream water in her space was spiritual spring water?
She pressed the totem on her palm and asked, “Ke’er, are you there?”
Ke’er responded lazily with a yawn, “Master, what’s wrong?”
“Ke’er, is this stream water spiritual spring water?” Yunxi asked directly.
Ke’er truly didn’t understand why it had been bound to such a clueless master, nor when it would finally be able to transform. It had already been sealed for a thousand years. Sigh.
“Master, the water you’re soaking in now is diluted spiritual spring water, so its effects are reduced by half. The real spiritual spring is at the foot of the mountain at the end of the grassland. There’s a spring source there. The water flowing from it is the pure spiritual spring.”
The end of the grassland… Yunxi looked into the distance. The grassland seemed faint and indistinct, like a bottomless void—illusory and unreal.
Ke’er couldn’t help reminding her again, “Master, when your space reaches level five, it’ll be right within reach. Work harder. You’re only at level two now. Bring in more things to sell, and you’ll level up quickly.”
At the mention of money again, Yunxi felt speechless. In her previous life, she had worked herself to exhaustion just to earn money, only to die before she could spend it and end up in ancient times.
Now she still had to keep making money here? Everything required money. Wasn’t she tired?
But when she thought of the all-purpose spiritual spring water, her motivation returned.
She quickly got up, got dressed, and flashed out of the space.
The guest room was quiet. Clearly, Nangong An hadn’t returned yet.
Yunxi thought that since she was already in Nanling City, she might as well go visit her sworn elder sister at Linglong Cloth Shop.
She left a note, turned around, opened the door, and went out.
In the afternoon market, a few vendors were scattered along the streets, calling out their goods.
“Candied hawthorns for sale! One copper coin a skewer!” A voice suddenly drifted toward her from afar.
Candied hawthorns—one copper coin per skewer. That was really cheap. Thinking of modern candied hawthorns that cost ten or twenty yuan and didn’t even taste good, she felt emotional.
Suddenly, Yunxi really missed the candied hawthorns she ate as a child.
She stopped the vendor, took out two copper coins, and bought two skewers—one for herself and one to bring to her sworn sister.
Soon, with directions from passersby, she arrived at Linglong Cloth Shop.
Although there weren’t many people on the street, the cloth shop itself was unusually lively.
Yunxi thought something had happened and quickly pushed through the crowd to get inside.
The shop looked completely different from the last time she had been there.
Many beautiful dresses were hanging up. These were all styles she had left for her sister before. She hadn’t expected her sister to finish making them in less than ten days—this was truly impressive.
The ladies and young women were happily holding the clothes, examining them or holding them up to themselves.
From their expressions, it was obvious they liked them very much.
Yunxi walked over directly and said to a young lady who was choosing a dress, “Miss, if you like it but don’t know how to choose, you can try it on first. If it fits, then you can buy it.”
The young lady asked in surprise, “Try it on? How do I do that?”
Yunxi pointed to the fitting room in the corner. “If you don’t mind, please come with me to the fitting room. You can try on the clothes inside.”
The young lady, holding the dress she had been eyeing for a long time but couldn’t decide on, followed Yunxi.
She was from a neighboring town and had come to Nanling City with her mother to visit relatives. While strolling around, she had accidentally seen the dress she liked, but she was afraid it wouldn’t fit and that returning or altering it would be troublesome.
“Would you like to change by yourself, or should I call a shop assistant to help you?” Yunxi asked politely.
The young lady said shyly, “I’ll do it myself.”
“Alright. I’ll be right outside. Come out once you’re dressed, and I’ll take a look,” Yunxi said with a smile.
After about fifteen minutes, the young lady came out wearing a light purple qipao-style dress. The size fit as if it had been tailor-made for her. Combined with her naturally fair skin, she looked even more elegant.
Then she tried on a white one and a red one as well.
In the end, she chose the light purple and the red dresses, as those two suited her complexion best.
When everyone saw how good the dress looked on her, they couldn’t help feeling tempted.
They weren’t from wealthy families and didn’t have personal tailors at home. If clothes didn’t fit, they either had to alter them themselves or bring them back to the shop, which was very troublesome.
But if they could try them on first, it would be completely different.
They could all buy dresses they truly liked.
“Xi’er, when did you arrive?” Xueli was overjoyed when she saw Yunxi. She had thought they might never see each other again in this lifetime.
“Big Sister, I just got here a short while ago. I even helped you make a sale,” Yunxi said happily when she saw her.
“Oh, you’re so capable. Later, your sister must reward you properly,” Xueli said. She had already made the clothes from the design sketches Yunxi left behind. Business at the shop had been very good recently, and she had earned quite a bit. She had even thought that if she ever saw Yunxi again, she would give her half of the profits. She hadn’t expected to see her so soon.
“Big Sister, come here. Let me tell you something,” Yunxi said as she pulled Xueli aside and shared her idea. Xueli thought it was excellent. Many customers clearly liked the clothes but hesitated because they were afraid returning or altering them would be troublesome. If they could try them on in the shop, it would be completely different.
Just think—such beautiful clothes. Once worn, how many people wouldn’t like them?
“And Big Sister, for the styles I gave you last time, just release a few new designs each month. That way, the shop will never lack customers.”
“Alright, I’ll listen to you,” Xueli said affectionately as she tapped Yunxi’s nose. She truly liked this sworn younger sister—sharp-minded and bold in her ideas.
“By the way, Xi’er, did you come alone this time? Why haven’t I seen your husband?” Xueli asked, looking at Yunxi’s radiant, rosy face. It was obvious she had been living very well recently.
“Big Sister, he went to take care of some matters. We’re preparing to head to the northern frontier. We just came to Nanling City this time to handle some things and then we’ll leave,” Yunxi said honestly.
When Xueli heard that Yunxi was leaving, her heart filled with reluctance. After Yunxi went to the northern frontier, would they never see each other again in this lifetime?