On market days the crowds were large. If they set up their own stall and set their own prices, the clothes they had could fetch a good sum.
But Yan Feng'an was a xiucai after all, and the Yan family was a respectable one. If the villagers saw them hawking old clothes on the street, who knew what they would say and how they would laugh behind their backs.
Chen Lanfang had always cared about appearances. She would rather sell for less than show her face in public doing something like this.
There weren't many people in the secondhand clothing shop at the moment. When the three of them walked in, the shopkeeper greeted them warmly: "Three customers, what business might you have today?"
Chen Lanfang took out the clothes and shoes and asked, "Shopkeeper, take a look and tell me how much these clothes are worth?"
The shopkeeper picked up the clothes and shoes and examined them carefully, his eyes occasionally glancing at the three of them. "Forgive me for asking, but where did these things come from?"
Country folk dressed very differently from wealthy families. The tall young man, though dressed as a scholar, wore cloth of the coarsest grade. The satin garments certainly didn't look like something they would wear.
Chen Lanfang said unhappily, "What do you mean, where did they come from? We bought them ourselves, of course. They were all worn by my son. See for yourself—weren't these clothes made to his measurements?"
"Don't be angry, madam. I only ask as a matter of routine. A secondhand shop has its rules—we dare not accept goods of dubious origin. Since they were worn by this young gentleman, I'm at ease."
Though he said this, the shopkeeper still held the clothes up against Yan Feng'an to compare.
The fabric was good and the shoes nearly new, but his was the only secondhand clothing shop in town, so the shopkeeper naturally intended to drive the price down hard.
"How about this: five taels of silver, and I'll take all these clothes and shoes off your hands."
Wen Xi had seen little of the world and didn't have a single coin to his name, so five taels seemed to him an enormous sum. If they could sell for that price, he thought it wasn't bad.
"What? Five taels!" Chen Lanfang's mouth turned down. "Shopkeeper, do you take me for someone who can't tell quality? Look at this fabric, this condition, look at the stitching of the patterns. I don't know how you had the nerve to say five taels."
The shopkeeper looked troubled. "That's no low figure. The fabric of these clothes is fine, I'll grant you, but this young gentleman is very tall. Even if I take them, they won't be easy to find a buyer for. And these shoes—his feet are bigger than most, which makes them even harder to sell."
Wen Xi silently nodded. Yan Feng'an was rather thin, but tall. Once the shopkeeper bought his ready-made clothes, he could only sell them to someone of similar build.
"So my son's height is a fault now? I heard from people outside that you do business honestly, that's why I brought these clothes here to sell. And yet you turn around and bully honest folk like us."
"Oh my, listen to you. All right, I'll add another tael. Six taels—deal?"
Chen Lanfang held up her hand. "Eight taels at the very least."
"Heavens, eight taels!" the shopkeeper cried out. "Madam, now you're really opening your jaws wide. Mine is a small business—just enough to feed my family. I couldn't even sell these things for eight taels if they were mine."
Seeing his troubled expression and earnest words, Wen Xi felt this price was probably about right. He worried that if Chen Lanfang kept talking, the shopkeeper really would refuse to buy them altogether.
Yan Feng'an, who had remained silent until now, spoke in a gentle tone: "Mother, let's not make things difficult for the shopkeeper. I heard from a classmate that there's a secondhand clothing shop on the street by Luoxing Bridge in town. They pay very fair prices for old clothes. Next time I go to the county on business, I'll ask for you—I'm sure we could sell them at the price you want. Xi ge'er, pack the clothes back up. We're not selling today."
Since Yan Feng'an had said so, the price must really have been too low. And to think Wen Xi had considered this shopkeeper honest. No longer feeling it a pity, Wen Xi quietly glanced at the shopkeeper and briskly packed the clothes back into the bundle.
Seeing that they truly meant to leave, the shopkeeper hurriedly called out, "Hey, don't go, don't go! Let's talk it over some more. Fine, eight taels it is, eight taels."
Yan Feng'an continued to refuse, and only after the owner gritted his teeth and added another hundred wen did he agree to sell the clothes.
Even after leaving the secondhand clothing shop, Wen Xi's head was still spinning. He had never done business with anyone before. In his understanding, old clothes and shoes that couldn't be sold would only end up thrown away. If it had been him, he certainly would have sold them the moment the owner offered five taels of silver.
Walking beside him with his hands clasped behind his back and a leisurely, self-satisfied look on his face, Yan Feng'an prompted Wen Xi to finally voice the doubt in his heart: "How did you know that shopkeeper would definitely take these things?"
Yan Feng'an said, "My clothes were in fine condition. Of course he'd want them."
"But the shopkeeper said your things would be hard to resell."
"And you believed such lies?" Yan Feng'an stepped aside to yield to a passerby who nearly bumped into him, explaining to Wen Xi in an offhand manner: "There's no shortage of buyers for silk and gauze garments. Servants of wealthy households, scholars from poor families—these people occasionally need a fine outfit or two to keep up appearances. New clothes are too expensive, so well-kept old clothes at a low price become their first choice. As long as they don't say anything themselves, who's to know they're wearing someone else's castoffs?"
It was Wen Xi who had judged others by himself. In his mind, these clothes were flashy but impractical, inconvenient to wear—forgetting that there were people in this world who didn't have to work the fields.
Having listened to their conversation, Chen Lanfang said to Wen Xi, "You're just too honest. You don't know how cunning those merchants can be. There are all sorts of tricks in business."
Wen Xi had only been to the market street once or twice, and each time in a great hurry. Never mind doing business—he didn't even know the whole of the town.
Seeing his discouraged expression, Yan Feng'an said, "It's no matter. Xi ge'er is a clever one. Have him come along with you on a few more trips to the market and he'll understand."
Chen Lanfang said with a fond scolding smile, "I didn't even say anything, and here you are already defending him."
Yan Feng'an smiled and rubbed the tip of his nose. "A husband I worked so hard to marry—I naturally have to protect him well. Just like Father, doesn't he protect you too?"
"You cheeky boy, now you're making fun of me and your father." Chen Lanfang made as if to pinch him, and Yan Feng'an pretended to hide behind Wen Xi.
Just as Wen Xi, caught between the two of them, was feeling rather at a loss, mother and son abruptly stopped.
Chen Lanfang composed herself. "We're out on the main street—no more fooling around. Let's go have a look at the fabric shop."
It wasn't that she suddenly turned cold—just that in a certain moment just now, she suddenly remembered that Yan Feng'an hadn't been this playful and mischievous around her in years.
Except when he wanted money, he was usually quite distant with her, but right now he showed a bit of his childhood self, which inevitably left her feeling a little dazed.
Yan Feng'an also felt a trace of awkwardness. Though he deliberately avoided dwelling on certain things, there was still some estrangement in his heart.
Wen Xi's feelings were even more complicated. He neither knew why Yan Feng'an and his mother's expressions had changed, nor could he settle his mind over Yan Feng'an's attitude toward him.
Yan Feng'an said he was a clever man, but Wen Xi considered himself quite foolish. After spending so many days under the same roof as Yan Feng'an, he still couldn't fathom what was on his mind.
He dared not believe it, and it was hard to fathom—would this man truly cast aside the past and live a good life with him?
With winter approaching, Wen Xi still had no clothes sorted out. Upon entering the fabric shop, Chen Lanfang first had the shopkeeper bring out a bolt of hemp cloth.
Hemp cloth was plain in color and coarse in texture, but its cheapness and practicality made it the first choice for farming families.
One bolt of cloth could make roughly two garments, so Wen Xi would have a change of clothes as well.
Hemp garments were for everyday work, but as a xiucai's husband, Wen Xi ought to at least have something slightly more presentable for show. Their son had just sold his old clothes too, so he would need two new outfits as well.
Chen Lanfang was thorough in her thinking. After buying the hemp cloth, she had the shopkeeper bring out several bolts of coarse cotton for them to choose from.
Wen Xi was dazzled by the selection. When Chen Lanfang asked his opinion, he thought every bolt looked good, so she had no choice but to let Yan Feng'an choose.
The fabric shop in town didn't carry many colors, and in the end, Yan Feng'an picked out bolts in green and yellow from among all the dull shades.
Chen Lanfang held the chosen fabrics up against the two of them and said with a smile, "These colors suit you. Once the clothes are made and you go out, people will know at a glance that you two are a couple."
Wen Xi didn't know how to respond, and glanced sideways at Yan Feng'an.
Yan Feng'an paid little mind to such teasing. Learning that each bolt cost around four hundred wen, he quietly did the math in his head and said to Chen Lanfang, "You, Father, and Elder Brother and his wife haven't made new clothes this year. Why don't we buy a few more bolts of fabric and have outfits made for them too?"
"No need, we all have clothes to wear." Chen Lanfang still thought like a farmer, always feeling that money should be spent where it mattered most. Making a new outfit for everyone in the family—who knew how much that would cost?
Yan Feng'an coaxed her, "These past years I've devoted myself to my studies and don't understand the ways of the world, nor have I paid much attention to farm work. You and Father have depended entirely on Elder Brother and his wife's filial care, and they've managed the household too. If only Wen ge'er and I wear new clothes, tell me—how could I feel at ease? With so many people in this family, if the bowl of water isn't held level, I'm afraid trouble will arise sooner or later."
Chen Lanfang was moved, tears welling in her eyes. "You never used to consider such things."
"You said it yourself—that was before." Yan Feng'an didn't want to dwell on it, and took out some of the money from selling the old clothes. "Shopkeeper, wrap up those bolts of cloth for me as well."
"Right away, sir, just a moment." Getting such a big order first thing in the morning was a rare treat, and the shopkeeper's face broke into a wide grin.
Chen Lanfang wiped her tears, then turned to the shopkeeper and said, "We've bought so much cloth from you. Surely you can give us a discount?"
The fabric shop owner nodded repeatedly: "Of course, of course. How about this—I'll throw in half a bolt of hemp cloth as well, and I'll have someone deliver everything you've bought back to your home free of charge."
That was ideal. Having already spent the bulk of the money, Chen Lanfang wasn't going to pinch pennies over the small stuff. She bought a few more things elsewhere, and once the shop owner had loaded everything onto the cart, the three of them headed back together.
The shopkeeper was also quite thoughtful. Knowing that so much fabric would make others green with envy, he deliberately covered it with an unremarkable piece of cloth.
Chen Lanfang had the old cart driver take them right to their doorstep, without letting a whisper of it reach anyone else.
When He Jin and the others came out to carry things in, their eyes nearly popped out of their heads. Sure, Wen Xi didn't have many clothes to wear, but there was no need to buy this much fabric, was there? How much money had this cost?
Just as they were puzzling over it, they heard Chen Lanfang say: "Your third brother said that no one in our family has had new clothes made this year, so this time he's going to pay to have them made for everyone."
Hearing this, He Jin and Li Wan both found it unbelievable.
Since when had their third brother become so generous and considerate?