“These kinds of boots cost eight taels of silver per pair.”
Bai Zhi frowned. “That expensive?”
“They’re made from top-quality sheepskin. Warm and waterproof—perfect for going out in snowy weather.”
Seeing her still hesitating, the shopkeeper added:
“If you buy three pairs, I’ll charge you twenty-two taels total. That’s already the cheapest price possible.”
Bai Zhi still didn’t bargain. Instead, she pulled out the drawing she had made earlier.
“Can you make padded robes like this?”
The shopkeeper examined it briefly.
“Yes. Isn’t this just adding a cloak hood onto a robe? We can make it.”
“How long for six sets?”
“At least three days.”
“Too long. I want them today.”
The shopkeeper thought for a moment.
“How about this—we make only the hoods separately, and you take six ready-made padded robes.”
“How much? The robes just need to be durable.”
The shopkeeper pulled out several robes.
“There’s only one piece per size. How about three rough-cloth sets and three fine-cotton sets?”
“How much?”
“I won’t separate prices by size. The rough-cloth ones are one tael each, and the fine-cotton ones are one tael two mace each.”
Bai Zhi nodded and also requested several pairs of knee guards and gloves.
Rabbit fur would do for those.
The price came to six mace per pair, and Bai Zhi ordered three pairs each.
Finally, the shopkeeper calculated everything.
Three sets of padded jackets and pants: four taels eight mace.
Three pairs of leather boots: twenty-two taels.
Three rough-cloth padded robes: three taels.
Three fine-cotton padded robes: three taels six mace.
Three pairs of knee guards and three pairs of gloves: three taels six mace.
Six fine-cotton hooded caps: one tael eight mace.
Total: thirty-eight taels eight mace.
The shopkeeper rounded it down to thirty-eight taels and even threw in several pairs of socks according to their shoe sizes, plus some handkerchiefs and cloth towels.
Bai Zhi nodded, then pulled out the white cloak from her basket.
“Shopkeeper, will you buy this? It was a gift from my brother’s classmate. His classmate’s family is very wealthy, and the material is excellent. If we weren’t returning to our hometown for the New Year, we’d never bear to exchange it for winter clothes.”
The shopkeeper inspected it.
It really was high quality—just slightly dirty.
“I’ll give you eighteen taels.”
“Shopkeeper, don’t trick me. My brother said this cloak costs at least seventy or eighty taels.”
The shopkeeper smiled.
“Didn’t your brother mention that’s the price for a new one? People who can afford this sort of cloak won’t buy used ones. And those buying secondhand for appearances won’t pay that much either.”
Bai Zhi felt his logic made sense, but she still argued:
“I didn’t haggle at all when buying the winter clothes. How about rounding this cloak up?”
After more bargaining, they finally settled on twenty taels.
That still left Bai Zhi owing the cloth shop eighteen taels.
Since she couldn’t carry everything immediately, she only took one fine-cotton robe to wear first. She’d return in the afternoon for the rest and pay the remaining balance then.
She specifically reminded the shopkeeper to finish the hoods today, with cotton stuffed inside the front straps so they could wrap like scarves.
The shopkeeper promised it would be done properly, and only then did Bai Zhi leave.
The Western Market had grown crowded now, the streets filled with shouting vendors.
Since transmigrating, this was Bai Zhi’s first time truly going out, and everything felt fresh and interesting.
But the basket of books on her back was too heavy, and she still had too much to do to waste time sightseeing.
She found a secluded alley and moved around ten books to the top of the basket.
These had already been selected by Xiao Zelan beforehand.
Selling around ten different books at each store wouldn’t attract suspicion.
Carrying the basket, Bai Zhi entered a bookstore.
The shop had likely just opened; there were no customers inside.
Seeing only a poorly dressed little girl carrying a basket, the clerk barely lifted his eyelids before continuing his work.
Bai Zhi set down the basket and placed the books on the counter.
“Shopkeeper, do you buy used books?”
The shopkeeper was a fierce-looking middle-aged man in his thirties.
Hearing she wanted to sell books, he immediately asked, “Where did these come from? They’re not stolen, are they?”
Bai Zhi deliberately acted timid.
“No… they belong to my brother. He… he failed the imperial exams again this year. We’re preparing to return to our hometown, and we’re selling the books to gather travel money.”
“The exams were in spring. It’s already winter—why are you only leaving now?”
“Because Mother became ill. Otherwise my brother would’ve studied another three years before trying again…”
As she finished speaking, Bai Zhi lowered her head sadly.
This time the shopkeeper said nothing more and instead examined the books.
They were all in good condition, around eighty percent new, with no creases or ink stains.
“These eleven books. Eight taels.”
“My brother said they should be worth fifteen taels…”
The shopkeeper tossed the books down.
“Then go find a shop willing to pay fifteen.”
Bai Zhi: “…”
In the end, she still sold them for eight taels.
She visited two more bookstores afterward.
Their prices were similar.
One gave her an extra five mace.
Another only offered seven taels.
By the time she left the final bookstore, it was already noon.
Bai Zhi ate a bowl of wontons and two buns by the roadside before heading to a pharmacy.
She had asked around beforehand.
The physician at this pharmacy was supposedly quite skilled.
“I’d like to buy some pills for treating colds and reducing fever. Do you have any?”
The young apprentice asked, “Yes. Are you traveling far?”
“Yes.”
The apprentice immediately brought over a medicine box and selected several bottles.
“These treat colds, fever, diarrhea, and this one is excellent wound medicine. Each bottle contains twenty pills. One in the morning and one at night—usually you recover in three days.”
Bai Zhi picked up one bottle.
The label simply read “Fever-Reducing Pills.”
Easy enough to understand.
“How much for these four bottles?”
“Two taels six mace.”
“I’ll take them.”
“Certainly!”
The apprentice happily wrapped the medicine.
After paying, Bai Zhi joined the line for the physician next door.
Since it was just after noon, there weren’t many people waiting.
After about fifteen minutes, it was her turn.
The physician was younger than Bai Zhi had expected.
Probably not even forty.
“Doctor, I’m getting medicine for my older brother.”
“What illness does your brother have?”
Bai Zhi described Xiao Zelan’s condition and then produced the prescription previously written by the imperial physician.
The doctor carefully examined it.
“This prescription is quite good. However, two of these ingredients are not only expensive but unavailable in ordinary pharmacies. I can substitute them with alternatives.”
“Do you have ready-made pills?”
There wouldn’t be enough time to boil medicine properly before exile began.
“Yes, though pills are somewhat less effective. I can also prepare medicinal plasters for you.”
“Alright. Please prepare enough for two months.”
The doctor wrote another prescription before asking:
“I also have a medicinal bath formula. The effects are quite good. Would you like to try it?”
After thinking briefly, Bai Zhi asked, “We’re returning to our hometown in three days. Would only three days help at all?”
The doctor shook his head.
“You don’t need to soak daily. Every other day is enough. Do it twice now, then continue for one month after returning home.”
“Then please prescribe enough for two baths.”
“Very well.”
After another moment’s thought, Bai Zhi asked if they sold moxa sticks.
“You plan to use moxibustion on your brother? That’s actually an excellent method. In such freezing weather, using moxa during travel would benefit his condition.”
The doctor added two large bundles of moxa sticks to the prescription.
When Bai Zhi finally brought all the prescriptions to be filled and checked out the total—
It exceeded forty taels.
She had absolutely not expected it to be this expensive.
Her silver simply wasn’t enough.
“Do you accept banknotes?”
The apprentice smiled.
“We do.”
Bai Zhi pulled out the one-hundred-tael banknote from her sleeve and handed it over.
“Your change. Would you prefer banknotes or silver ingots?”
“Silver ingots.”
In the end, the clerk returned five large ten-tael ingots and four small one-tael ingots.
Honestly, fifty-some taels was quite heavy.
But at least it saved Bai Zhi the trouble of visiting a money exchange.
She packed all the medicines into her basket and left the pharmacy before turning into another secluded alley.
Taking out a bronze mirror from the basket, Bai Zhi manipulated it in her hands.
The mirror twisted and reshaped itself like a living thing, transforming into a rectangular metal box with round holes.
This was for burning moxa.
Bai Zhi found a carpenter and asked him to make a wooden outer box matching the metal one.
With wood wrapped around the metal, it wouldn’t burn people, while the metal lining inside would prevent the wooden box from catching fire.
After paying a deposit, Bai Zhi bought two large sheets of oilcloth.
Then she visited a jewelry shop—not to buy jewelry, but to observe current fashions.
She examined item after item and discovered Great Qi craftsmanship was actually quite advanced.
Gilding, inlaying, filigree, hammered metalwork—all existed.
But the shop mainly sold gilded hairpins.
Besides jewelry, the shop even displayed small gold ornaments.
Bai Zhi even spotted the golden melon-seeds used as palace rewards in historical dramas.
She had the clerk bring them over for inspection.
They were hollow.
Ignoring the clerk’s disdainful look, Bai Zhi left the jewelry shop.
Her final stop was the pawnshop.
She placed the cosmetics, osmanthus hair oil, and an inkstone onto the counter.
The pawnshop owner only offered two taels for the cosmetics and oil.
But the inkstone fetched eleven taels.
Thinking the price reasonable, Bai Zhi brought out another inkstone as well.
In total, she pawned everything for twenty-four taels.
“Shopkeeper, can you exchange it into gold ingots? Easier to carry.”
“Certainly. Ten taels of silver for one tael of gold. Exchange?”
“Yes.”
Bai Zhi accepted four taels of loose silver, then handed over another ten-tael silver ingot.
“Exchange thirty taels.”
The moment she exited the pawnshop, Bai Zhi sensed someone following her.
She had no patience to deal with it.
Immediately, she entered a restaurant, ordered a roast duck, a pork knuckle, and several steamed buns to go, then hurried out through the back door.
After leaving the restaurant, Bai Zhi went back to the carpenter.
The small wooden box had already been finished.
It was simple and unpainted.
After paying, Bai Zhi hurried toward the cloth shop again.
Passing a pastry shop along the way, she bought two cheap packages of osmanthus cakes and a large amount of oil paper for wrapping food later.
By the time she reached the cloth shop, the sky was nearly dark.
The hoods had already been completed.
Bai Zhi tried one on.
It was similar to modern hood-and-scarf combinations and very warm.
After paying the remaining balance, the shopkeeper stuffed all the winter clothes, leather boots, hats, and miscellaneous items into Bai Zhi’s basket.
The padded robes no longer fit, so they had to be rolled up and tied with rope for her to carry by hand.
Loaded down with bundles, Bai Zhi hurried toward the agreed meeting place.
She’d assumed the elderly couple would have left after waiting so long.
Unexpectedly, they were still there.
Bai Zhi thanked them repeatedly.
Without them today, she would’ve needed to rent a cart herself—and with the sky already dark, she had no idea where she’d even find one.
Over half an hour later, the mule cart arrived at the farm where the elderly couple worked.
Originally they’d intended to escort Bai Zhi farther, but she refused.
Wearing the padded robe and hood, carrying the basket on her back while clutching the rolled robes in her arms, Bai Zhi managed to sweat despite the freezing weather during the fifteen-minute walk.
She didn’t know the exact time, so she could only watch the guard at the side gate from afar.
The moment he left for the shift change, Bai Zhi quickly slipped through the small gate.
With a wave of her hand, the metal lock snapped back into place from the outside.
She had barely taken a few steps when a figure suddenly emerged from the darkness.
“You finally came back.”