Song Erlang answered unhurriedly.
“Auntie, I don’t know whether eating our fish will make you give birth to twins, but one glance at you tells me you dote on your children dearly. The kids at home must be plump and well-fed under your care!”
The auntie beamed. “That’s certainly true! I never restrict what my children eat or wear. My son is only eight, and he’s almost as tall as you boys already!”
Seizing the moment, Song Erlang continued, “Auntie, our fish are all freshly caught from the river. They’re a bit pricey, but the taste is exceptionally fresh. Why not buy one and let little brother have a try?”
The auntie waved her hand grandly. “I’ve always bought the best food for my children. Since you say the fish is that good, I’ll take one!”
Overjoyed, Song Erlang quickly picked out a fish for her.
After the sale, he added a few more flattering words, leaving the auntie walking away delighted.
An older woman who had been watching the commotion teased, “Young man, if we eat your fish, will my little grandson grow up as handsome as you two?”
Song Erlang opened his mouth and began chattering away again. “Oh my, Granny, did you look in the mirror before coming out today?”
The old woman’s expression changed at once.
Just as she was about to scold him, Song Erlang continued—
“Look at those willow-leaf brows, those cherry lips—so delicate and refined! I’m sure your little grandson takes after you. Tsk tsk, with looks like that, he must be…”
Seeing him falter, Wu Yulan chimed in from the side, “As handsome as Pan An.”
“Yes, yes—certainly as handsome as Pan An!”
The old woman’s lips curled upward uncontrollably. “Ahem, to be honest, my little grandson does take after me. At such a young age he’s already quite refined-looking. When he grows up, he’ll surely be extraordinarily handsome.”
Song Erlang quickly followed up, “Of course! With your looks leading the way, Granny, if your grandson inherits even thirty percent of your features, he’ll already rival Pan An!”
Listening from the side, Wu Yulan’s mouth twitched wildly. This child truly dared to flatter without restraint!
“You little rascal, your words are honest enough. Fine, give me the biggest fish!”
“Coming right up!”
With Song Erlang’s silver tongue, the fish sold quickly. In less than fifteen minutes, the two buckets were completely emptied.
Watching the excited Song Erlang pack up, Wu Yulan couldn’t help but sigh in amazement.
Good thing she had brought the boy along. Otherwise, it would have taken quite a while to sell all that fish. As for those insincere compliments—she truly couldn’t bring herself to say them.
Counting the copper coins in her cloth pouch, there were two hundred and thirty-four wen. At the docks, carrying cargo for a whole day only earned twenty or thirty wen. Making 234 wen in a day was quite a lot.
Still, she couldn’t possibly catch that many fish every day, so she didn’t plan to rely on this as a long-term livelihood.
After securing the coins, Wu Yulan pushed the handcart toward the street.
Song Dalang and Song Erlang walked on either side of her.
As they passed a candied hawthorn vendor, Song Erlang’s eyes lit up. His steps slowed unconsciously, and he looked at Wu Yulan expectantly.
However, Wu Yulan seemed not to notice and walked straight past the vendor.
Seeing this, Song Erlang wilted like a withered blade of grass.
He knew it—how could Grandma possibly be willing to buy them candied hawthorns? She must have been fooling him!
Thinking about how foolishly he had believed her earlier, his eyes reddened.
Grandma was still the same Grandma—only knowing how to squeeze and use them, unchanged in the slightest!
Song Dalang gently patted his younger brother in comfort.
At this moment, Wu Yulan was busy calculating what she needed to buy and didn’t notice their small gestures.
There wasn’t much rice or flour left at home—those had to be purchased.
There was little salt, and not a drop of oil. She would need to buy pork fat to render lard. And that little baby at home had delicate skin—always being wrapped in torn clothes wasn’t right either.
The more she thought about it, the more items she realized she needed.
Since pushing heavy goods would be inconvenient, Wu Yulan first went to the “familiar” clothing shop.
The original owner of this body had been frugal and often came here; the prices were relatively affordable.
In the Eastern Chen Kingdom, many women ran businesses. The owner of this shop was an older woman about her age.
Seeing Wu Yulan, the owner immediately set down the clothes in her hands and came over. “Oh, sister, you’re here! Buying clothes for your youngest son again today?”
“Come, come—look at these new arrivals. Cotton material—very comfortable for scholars to wear!”
Wu Yulan shook her head. “Not buying clothes today.”
The owner paused, then continued smiling. “Then what are you looking for, sister?”
“Some cotton fabric. Warm-colored.”
The owner pulled out a bolt of light pink cotton. “See if this shade suits you?”
Wu Yulan reached out to feel it. The texture was soft—quite suitable for making baby wraps and clothes.
Thinking of the other little girls at home, she asked, “The color’s nice. How much?”
“A bolt of linen is 380 wen. This cotton is nearly twice as much—740 wen.”
“Cheaper.”
The owner smiled. “Since you often buy clothes here, I’ll give it to you at cost—730 wen, how about that?”
Wu Yulan’s sharp eyes caught sight of another bolt of the same color nearby, except a small part of it was stained.
“I’ll take that one. Make it 700 wen?”
The owner followed her gaze and paused. On second thought, households that could afford cotton usually disliked stained fabric; it would be hard to sell.
“Fine, 700 wen it is. That’s only because you’re a regular. Others wouldn’t get this price!”
Wu Yulan smiled as well. “Your prices are fair, and the clothing styles you stock are more refined and vibrant than other shops. Of course I like coming here.”
Hearing the praise for her taste, the owner brightened. “Sister, you’ve spoken right to my heart! The styles in my shop are all carefully selected by me—unique in Pingjiang Town. No other shop has them!”
“Didn’t you ask about scrap fabric last time? Here—I saved some for you. Take it.”
As she spoke, she tied a bundle of fabric scraps together with the bolt.
Wu Yulan knew full well those scraps hadn’t been specially reserved for her—the owner was simply pleased by the compliments and decided to gift them.
At that moment, she truly understood the advantages of having a sweet tongue.
“Thank you for thinking of me, sister.”
Wu Yulan took out one tael of silver and paid neatly.
“Oh right, sister—did you finish embroidering that handkerchief last time?”