Ever since Lu Jinghuai had been paralyzed, Liu Ruyun hadn’t eaten peach blossom pastries again.
Thinking of Lu Jinghuai’s dimmed eyes, Lin Xiyue sighed. Thankfully, she could heal him; otherwise, it would be such a pity for such a handsome face to be paralyzed.
Lin Xiyue carried the wicker basket on her back, putting all the purchased items inside. She also bought several dozen eggs and some common vegetables before heading out of the town. Luckily, she had her space—anything too heavy could be stored there, otherwise carrying all this at once would have been a struggle.
Lu Wenyuan had been waiting outside the town for quite a while and began to worry. Had this girl run into trouble?
Just as he was about to go into town to look for her, he saw Lin Xiyue approaching, the basket on her back overflowing with goods and two bolts of fabric cradled in her arms.
“How did you buy so much?” he wondered. He remembered Liu Ruyun had only given her one tael of silver—where did she get the money for all this?
Lin Xiyue quickly shoved the two bolts of fabric into his arms.
“Let’s get on the cart first. We’ll talk later,” she said.
Lu Wenyuan, knowing it wasn’t the place to discuss things, carried the items onto the cart, though he still couldn’t shake his curiosity about where she had gotten the money.
“Wenyuan’s wife, why did you buy so much fabric at once? It must have cost a fortune,” a woman on the cart remarked.
Seeing no malice in her tone, Lin Xiyue smiled politely. “It’s expensive, but the family’s clothes are so old they’re barely wearable. Wenyuan still has to study—he can’t go to the academy wearing patched-up clothes.”
“Even if you’re buying fabric for Wenyuan, you don’t need to buy so much at once. His family is already struggling; studying costs money too. Spending this lavishly is just wasteful,” Lu Xiaoyu sneered. She couldn’t tolerate Lin Xiyue spending Lu Wenyuan’s money so freely, especially since she herself had spent only a hundred wen in town for a handkerchief.
Lin Xiyue’s lips curved in a teasing smile. Linking her arm through Lu Wenyuan’s, she began to play up the performance:
“What can I do? My Wenyuan is generous. I not only have to buy clothes for him, but also for myself. A man earns money to spend on his woman, and besides, I have three men earning for me—you can only envy me,” she said, her gaze sharp and playful.
Lu Wenyuan felt a strange flutter in his chest. Although he knew Lin Xiyue was teasing to provoke Lu Xiaoyu, he found it amusing.
“You… you shameless! You dare say that, yet a good woman shouldn’t have two husbands. You’re married to three men at once—what’s so proud about that? You’ll have to serve all three!”
Lu Xiaoyu was so flustered that her words tumbled out awkwardly. Only after speaking did she realize how embarrassing it was for an unmarried girl to say such things.
Lin Xiyue covered her mouth to laugh. “I’m shameless for spending my own husband’s money? Then what are you, pining over someone else’s man? Whether I serve them or they serve me, that’s between us. You needn’t worry your nosey little head about it.”
“Hmph. We’ll see how long that smile lasts,” Lu Xiaoyu said, still disbelieving that Lin Xiyue could live well while daring to insult her. She vowed to get back at her if she could.
Lin Xiyue draped one arm over Lu Wenyuan’s shoulder and hooked the other under his chin, blowing him a flying kiss. Lu Xiaoyu’s anger intensified, her eyes reddening. Lin Xiyue scoffed—this weak-willed girl wanted to compete with her?
Had it been anyone else, Lin Xiyue would have acted without thinking.
Lu Wenyuan cooperated with her act, but when she ignored him after provoking Lu Xiaoyu, he felt a twinge of discomfort. Could it be that she didn’t fancy him?
By all logic, he should have been pleased—but instead, he felt a subtle sense of rejection.
Back in the village, Lu Xiaoyu immediately jumped off the cart, crying, and ran home. Lin Xiyue ignored her, shouldering her basket. Lu Wenyuan carried the two bolts of fabric, along with a package—likely the brushes, ink, and paper he had purchased in town.
“Xiaoyue, second brother, you’re back just in time. Mother has just finished cooking,” Lu Yanqiu greeted as they entered the courtyard.
He immediately went to help Lin Xiyue with her items, not paying attention to Lu Wenyuan. He admired her ability to win people over so effortlessly.
“Guess what I brought for you?” Lin Xiyue said, smiling mysteriously.
Lu Yanqiu, surprised that she bought him something, eagerly asked, “You brought something for me? Is it buns? I think I smell buns.”
“You’ve got a dog’s nose? You really can smell them? Yes, I brought buns, and something else,” Lin Xiyue said, retrieving the bamboo-green outfit from her basket.
“This outfit is for me? Didn’t mother say to buy fabric for second brother?” Lu Yanqiu asked. He was touched but worried—traditionally, the best clothes went to the second brother, who was about to attend the academy.
“The second brother has his too. This one’s yours—try it on later. You’ll look great,” Lin Xiyue said, handing him the outfit before heading into the main hall.
Liu Ruyun noticed how much Lin Xiyue had bought. But she had only been given one tael of silver—how could it be enough to purchase so much?
“Xiaoyue, mother only gave you one tael. How did you buy all this?” Liu Ruyun asked, surprised but not upset.
Lin Xiyue had already planned her explanation:
“I found a wild ginseng in the mountains before. I didn’t think it was worth much, so I sold it to buy some things for you all as a surprise. But it turned out to fetch ten taels! So I bought a bit more. I spent half, and the remaining five taels are for you,” she said.
She could feel Liu Ruyun’s genuine care for her. Besides, she had plenty of ways to earn more silver in the future, so giving her mother this little sum was no problem at all.