This time, no matter how Qinghe tried to persuade him, Qin Xiao refused to budge.
He was buying them, and that was final. Even buying fewer was out of the question.
The tall man stood before the counter, towering over everyone by at least half a head. His muscles stretched against his clothes, making him look like a bear.
When he raised his voice, people instinctively flinched.
At that moment, his face was flushed red as he argued with Qinghe.
“They’re just cotton pads! Why shouldn’t you use them? It’s not some imperial brocade reserved for officials above the third rank!”
“If you keep arguing, I’ll…”
Qinghe wanted nothing more than to find a hole in the ground and crawl into it.
This man truly had no filter.
He was practically announcing to the entire shop what he intended to buy.
The moment he met Qinghe’s flustered gaze, however, he remembered she was only trying to save him money.
The threat he wanted to make died on his lips.
Instead, he turned and blamed the shopkeeper.
“It’s all your fault. Just mind your business and sell your goods. Why do you have to stick your nose into everything?”
The shopkeeper was speechless.
Fine.
She had been meddling.
Qinghe naturally understood the woman had meant well.
Offering an apologetic smile, she said,
“I’m sorry. That’s just how his temper is. Please don’t take offense.”
Then she turned to Qin Xiao and coaxed him as if soothing a child.
“Alright, alright, we’ll buy them. Happy now? Don’t be angry anymore. Why are you taking it out on the shopkeeper?”
“She was only trying to help. She was worried you’d spend beyond your means and end up tightening your belt at home afterward.”
“She just doesn’t know how capable you are. Couldn’t you have explained it properly?”
Wrapping her arm around Qin Xiao’s, Qinghe smiled at the shopkeeper.
“Madam, my husband may dress roughly, but he’s actually very capable.”
“He’s an excellent hunter. He can even kill wolves. He simply doesn’t care much about appearances. You were thoughtful enough to worry about him, and he misunderstood your intentions.”
The shopkeeper had finally figured it out.
This stubborn mule could only be handled by the beautiful young wife beside him.
In truth, she had indeed spoken out of turn.
After years in business, she had met all kinds of people. If she got angry over every little thing, she would have died from frustration long ago.
Following Qinghe’s lead, she offered a few compliments, admitting her poor judgment and remarking on how fortunate the young woman was to have such a loving husband.
The irritation in Qin Xiao’s chest had long since vanished while listening to Qinghe praise him.
He even took the initiative to apologize to the shopkeeper.
When it came time to pay, the woman kindly rounded down the bill by more than thirty copper coins.
Satisfied, Qin Xiao led Qinghe and Aunt Qiao toward the general store.
The items they had purchased would remain at the fabric shop for the time being.
The moment Qin Xiao entered the store, he immediately asked the clerk for toothbrushes and tooth powder.
After all, Qinghe had promised him earlier.
Brush your teeth, keep your breath fresh, and tonight I’ll let you kiss me as much as you want.
That said…
How had she figured out that the reason he was embarrassed to kiss her lips was because he feared she would dislike his breath?
What Qin Xiao did not know was that yesterday, during their midday rest, he had kissed her almost everywhere except her mouth.
That alone had made Qinghe suspicious.
Then she had caught him secretly turning away and breathing into his palm to check his breath.
That was when she became certain.
Truthfully, Qinghe did not find him unpleasant at all.
Neither of them owned toothbrushes or tooth powder before, and both cleaned their teeth with willow twigs.
Though Qin Xiao looked rough around the edges, he was actually very attentive to personal hygiene. He rinsed his mouth after every meal and rarely had any noticeable odor.
Since they lived and ate together, if either of them smelled, they both would.
Still, Qinghe had keenly sensed that this was really a matter of confidence.
As it happened, she was accustomed to using toothbrushes anyway, so she had simply used the opportunity to help him save money on expensive fabric.
Living in a rural village from now on, such luxurious cloth would only attract unwanted attention.
Besides, they would likely wear those wedding garments only once in their lives.
Why waste the money?
After purchasing the toothbrushes and tooth powder, they went to find Aunt Qiao, who was next door buying wedding pastries.
Since Qin Xiao was getting married, it was customary to notify the family elders beforehand.
One could hardly visit empty-handed.
Wedding pastries and gifts were necessary.
This was where Aunt Qiao’s experience proved invaluable.
Faced with the dazzling variety of wedding cakes and sweets, Qin Xiao had absolutely no idea what to buy.
What kind should he choose?
How much should be given to relatives of different seniority?
All of it followed unwritten rules.
Qinghe understood even less and left everything to Aunt Qiao.
“Your Third Great-Uncle holds the highest seniority, so naturally he receives the best portion. Eight wedding cakes, two jin of brown sugar, and either one or two jin of wedding candies, depending on your preference.”
“As for your uncles and older relatives from the branch families, six cakes will do. One jin of brown sugar…”
“And for cousins of the same generation, wedding candies alone are enough.”
As Qinghe listened to Aunt Qiao effortlessly listing Qin Xiao’s relatives, confusion stirred within her.
So he had that many relatives.
Then why did none of them ever seem to visit?
And if there were respected elders like Third Great-Uncle, why had no one spoken up about the unfair treatment Qin Xiao suffered?
Perhaps Qin Xiao could not openly defy his parents, but surely an elder uncle could have intervened.
Qin Yue’s education required money.
Why was Qin Xiao the only one paying for it?
What about all those relatives and elders?
Why had none of them offered assistance?
“Qinghe… Qinghe…”
Qin Xiao’s voice pulled her back to reality.
He was holding up two porcelain jars.
“This is scented hand balm. Osmanthus and jasmine. Which fragrance do you like?”
“Why are you buying hand balm all of a sudden? We don’t need…”
She stopped halfway through the sentence when she caught the meaningful grin on his face.
Heat immediately rushed to her cheeks.
Yesterday, he had told her that her hands were completely different from his.
Soft.
Delicate.
The moment he held them, he felt as though his soul were floating into the heavens.
One touch was enough to make him surrender completely.
He had even declared that he would take good care of her hands from now on and never let them become rough again.
His dazzling white teeth flashed as he grinned.
Though the thoughts running through his head were far from innocent, his expression somehow remained sincere rather than vulgar.
Looking into his smiling eyes, Qinghe could even see traces of genuine affection.
Blushing, she extended a slender finger and tapped the white porcelain jar in his left hand.
“The jasmine one. Osmanthus is too sweet.”
“Jasmine is good. There are plenty of wild jasmine flowers in the mountains. If you like them, I’ll pick as many as you want.”
Beaming, Qin Xiao went to pay.
As he handed over the money, his imagination wandered.
If she bathed in water scented with jasmine blossoms he had personally gathered, wouldn’t she smell wonderful from head to toe?
Once the wedding pastries were purchased, Qin Xiao asked Aunt Qiao and Qinghe to wait at the fabric shop.
He still needed to buy grain, cooking oil, salt, and other food supplies for Qinghe.
When he returned, he had rented a donkey cart.
There was simply too much to carry.
The village ox cart also transported passengers and could never fit everything they had bought.
Like the ox cart, the donkey cart had no canopy.
It was piled high with their purchases.
Qinghe and Aunt Qiao sat against the bedding at the back, while Qin Xiao rode up front beside the driver.
The whip cracked through the air.
Wooden wheels began to roll.
Donkeys were faster than oxen, and before long they caught up with the village ox cart near the entrance to the village.
Seven or eight villagers sat inside.
The moment they noticed the goods piled on the donkey cart, nearly every one of them widened their eyes and dropped their jaws.
Brand-new cotton quilts.
New cotton mattresses.
Good heavens.
Many families still stuffed their bedding with reed flowers to save money.
Among the stack of fabrics, the bolt of red silk gauze stood out dramatically.
That was the sort of fabric only wealthy ladies in the city could afford.
And Qin Xiao had bought it for the wife he had recently brought home?
Among the onlookers were those filled with envy and those filled with admiration.
Some of the jealous ones bitterly regretted not arranging marriages between their daughters and Qin Xiao sooner.
Had they done so, what place would a convicted servant girl like Qinghe have had?
The people who sighed with emotion remembered what had happened when Qin Xiao first returned from the army.
Instead of living in the family’s fine brick-and-tile house, he had purchased a run-down courtyard near the back mountain and moved there alone.
Whenever people asked Madam Qin about it, she would explain that Qin Xiao had killed men on the battlefield and carried too much murderous energy.
Fearing it would harm his younger brother’s fortune, he had voluntarily moved out.
Ha.
Thinking about it now, what murderous energy?
A man who had survived eight years of war and returned home safely was clearly blessed by heaven itself.
Qin Xiao had no idea what the people on the ox cart were thinking.
Seeing all of them staring his way, he eagerly shared his good news.
Pulling out the marriage certificate, he waved it proudly.
“I got married! In a while I’ll be hosting a wedding feast. Everyone come join us!”
The ox cart immediately erupted with congratulations.
“Congratulations! If you need help, just say the word. I’ll help serve dishes and wash bowls.”
The speaker was Aunt Pang.
“That’s right. You’re a hunter. If there’s not enough meat at the wedding banquet, we won’t let you off easy.”
Qin Xiao was in such a good mood that he laughed and agreed to everything.
Elder Ge twitched at the corner of his mouth.
This man changed faces remarkably fast.
Earlier, on the way to town, he had looked like a cold-faced King of Hell while lecturing Feng Gui.
Now joy practically radiated from every corner of his face.
Even the toughest man became obedient when he met a woman as gentle as water.
The donkey cart finally stopped at the path leading toward the back mountain.
Qin Xiao unloaded the goods.
There was too much to carry in one trip.
He told Qinghe to stay behind and watch the belongings while he first hauled the heavy grain, oil, and salt home.
Afterward, he would return to carry the lighter items together with her.
Meanwhile, Madam Qin sat beneath the grapevine trellis in the courtyard of the family’s new home, carefully sorting soybeans.
Her younger son had mentioned craving tofu.
Just then, Aunt Pang happened to pass by.
Leaning casually against the doorway, she called out with a grin.
“Oh my, Sister Qin, what incredible fortune you’ve got. Both of your sons are so capable.”
Madam Qin’s eyes immediately lit up.
“What? Did Qin Xiao catch another big animal?”
“What’s it this time? A wild boar? A muntjac?”
Wonderful.
Let’s see him try refusing to hand over money again.
This time, she’d caught him red-handed.