Aunt Wang had come to the market this time to buy some rice and flour, so they went to the grain shop first.
Jiang Yutong planned to buy some as well. Although she had not made much money on this trip, it was still a considerable amount for someone from the countryside.
She also wanted to buy some fabric to make a couple of new outfits. There were hardly any of the original owner’s clothes that were decent enough to wear outside.
Most importantly, she needed to have a few more arrows made. It wouldn’t do to keep borrowing them from Brother Fang Hu every time.
They first went to the rice and flour shop. Jiang Yutong bought a sack of rice and a sack of flour, then they wandered over to the fabric shop.
Women were naturally drawn to clothes and fabrics. Aunt Wang and Jiang Yutong were dazzled by the wide variety of fabrics in the shop. The dyeing techniques of this era were obviously nowhere near as advanced as those of later generations, so in the end, Jiang Yutong chose two pieces of plain-colored cotton cloth.
Aunt Wang kept encouraging her.
“Yutong, this pattern is beautiful. It would definitely look good on you.”
The fabric was printed with large lotus flowers, and among all the fabrics, it was indeed one of the finest.
Jiang Yutong touched it but wasn’t particularly interested.
“Aunt Wang, I’ll pass. You’ve helped me so much lately. Why don’t you pick a bolt? I’ll give it to you.”
Aunt Wang waved her hands.
“No, no. I don’t need it. I have plenty of clothes at home.”
Just then, footsteps came from upstairs, followed by a familiar voice.
“See if there’s anything else you want. We might as well buy everything at once.”
Jiang Yutong frowned and looked up, only to see Ning Zhengqing walking down from upstairs with a pretty young woman.
Ning Zhengqing also spotted Jiang Yutong and stopped in his tracks.
The woman beside him asked, “What’s wrong?”
Ning Zhengqing smiled.
“Nothing.”
Then he continued walking downstairs.
Aunt Wang also saw Ning Zhengqing and immediately spoke up.
“Oh, isn’t that Scholar Ning? So you’re accompanying your new sweetheart to buy fabric? In all these years, I never once saw you buy Yutong even a single needle or thread.”
Jiang Yutong didn’t stop her. She simply looked at Ning Zhengqing with an amused smile.
Ning Zhengqing felt somewhat irritated. He had never expected to run into Jiang Yutong here.
He had already noticed that Jiang Yutong was no longer the woman who once obeyed his every word. Ever since their divorce, she had become a stranger to him.
In the past, all he had to do was smile at her, and she would be happy for the entire day.
Ye Xiuyun looked Jiang Yutong and Aunt Wang up and down.
“Zhengqing, you know them?”
Ning Zhengqing was afraid that Aunt Wang or Jiang Yutong might say something they shouldn’t.
He smiled at Ye Xiuyun.
“They’re from my hometown. If there’s nothing else you need, let’s pay and go.”
Ye Xiuyun didn’t want any unnecessary complications either, so she nodded.
“Then let’s leave it at that for today.”
Perhaps the original body still harbored some resentment toward Ning Zhengqing. Jiang Yutong could clearly feel an uncomfortable sensation in her chest whenever she saw Ning Zhengqing with another woman.
For the sake of venting the original owner’s pent-up anger, Jiang Yutong spoke up.
“I wonder if Miss Ye knows that Ning Zhengqing already has a wife he married before you. How does it feel to interfere in someone else’s marriage? Can you really sleep peacefully at night, Miss Ye?”
Ye Xiuyun was a regular customer at this shop. Hearing Jiang Yutong’s words, she instinctively glanced around, looking guilty as though she had been caught doing something wrong.
When she saw that there was no one else around, she breathed a sigh of relief before asking sternly, “Who are you? What right do you have to say such things about me?”
Jiang Yutong looked Ye Xiuyun up and down.
“Miss Ye certainly is beautiful. But I heard your father is a highly respected scholar and teacher. The way you’re behaving really brings shame upon him.”
Ye Xiuyun’s face turned bright red from embarrassment.
“You… you… you’re talking nonsense! Zhengqing and his wife already divorced!”
“Oh, I forgot to tell you, Miss Ye. I’m the wife Ning Zhengqing abandoned.”
Jiang Yutong paused before adding, “As someone who’s been through it herself, let me give you one piece of advice: the Ning family is not a good family to marry into.”
Ning Zhengqing’s brows furrowed, and he snapped, “Jiang Yutong, we’re already divorced. From now on, you stay out of my business and I’ll stay out of yours. If you think pestering me like this will make me change my mind, you’re dreaming.”
“Stop wasting your effort.”
He had thought she had changed, but today’s behavior proved that he had been wrong. In the end, she was still clinging to him simply because she couldn’t have him. She had even followed him all the way here.
He absolutely would not allow her to ruin his marriage to Ye Xiuyun.
Jiang Yutong had no intention of being polite to Ning Zhengqing.
“Scholar Ning, you certainly have a thick skin. Which eye of yours saw me pestering you? I simply can’t swallow the bitterness of everything I’ve endured. After all, all the years I spent supporting you have gone to waste.”
“Even if I’d raised a dog for all those years, it would still wag its tail at me. Truly, some people aren’t even as loyal as dogs.”
“You crude, foolish woman. I’m not going to argue with you.”
With that, Ning Zhengqing abandoned the things they had been buying and pulled Ye Xiuyun away.
As she left, Ye Xiuyun turned her head and gave Jiang Yutong a long, thoughtful look.
Once Ning Zhengqing and Ye Xiuyun were finally gone, Jiang Yutong paid for the fabrics she had chosen.
Aunt Wang was still fuming.
“That Scholar Ning really has studied himself stupid. All those books must have gone straight into a dog’s stomach!”
“Aunt Wang, don’t be angry. It doesn’t matter anymore. From now on, he has nothing to do with me.”
Finally, they arrived at a shop selling seasonings.
Jiang Yutong looked around the store. It wasn’t very large, and there weren’t many products on display. Many of the seasonings she knew from later generations didn’t exist here yet.
She pondered for a moment.
Perhaps she could make some quick money by getting into the seasoning business.
Aunt Wang bought a sack of salt, along with soy sauce, vinegar, and brown sugar.
Jiang Yutong thought about how her house would soon be repaired, and she would need these things as well, so she bought a little of each.
She also discovered that MSG had not been invented yet.
She knew that extracting MSG was relatively simple and that the production cost was not high. This could very well be a promising way to make a fortune.
Once she thought of all the ways she could make money, Jiang Yutong became even more willing to spend.
Finally, she stopped at a blacksmith’s shop and had several arrows made.
After buying everything they needed, Jiang Yutong and Aunt Wang headed toward the agreed meeting place.
They were just about to turn the corner and reach the town gate when suddenly the sounds of fighting and pursuit erupted nearby.
A crowd seemingly appeared out of nowhere and quickly separated Jiang Yutong from Aunt Wang.
“There’s a spy! Catch the spy!”
Jiang Yutong became anxious.
Hopefully Aunt Wang wouldn’t get hurt. In these chaotic times, swords and guns did not care who they struck.
She followed the wall and moved forward, but just as she reached the mouth of an alley, a figure suddenly grabbed her hand and dragged her inside.
Before she could make a sound, a hand clamped over her mouth.
“Don’t make a sound, or I’ll kill you.”
Jiang Yutong felt a dagger pressed against her waist. She didn’t dare move recklessly.
“Mmph! Mmph, mmmph!”
“Don’t move.”
Jiang Yutong gave up struggling. With her mouth covered, she couldn’t communicate at all.
She could tell that the man behind her was extremely tall and strong. In her current condition, she was no match for him.
All she could do was obey.
Seeing that Jiang Yutong had stopped resisting, the man quickly stripped off his own clothes. In the blink of an eye, he had changed into the appearance of a simple peasant farmer.
He took the basket from Jiang Yutong’s shoulder and wrapped an arm around her waist. To anyone watching, they would look like an ordinary married couple.
But unbeknownst to anyone else, a dagger was pressed firmly against Jiang Yutong’s waist.
“Cooperate with me. Get me out of the city. Otherwise…”
The dagger at Jiang Yutong’s waist shifted slightly.
Jiang Yutong had no idea who this man was, but the murderous aura surrounding him was impossible to fake.
Even the Jiang Yutong of her previous life might not have been his match, let alone her current, thin and weak body.
She had no choice but to cooperate with the man.