After breakfast, Chu Fuyu hooked up the donkey cart.
Today was the agreed day to meet Shopkeeper Zhou, and it was also a good opportunity to stroll around the market.
She originally intended to ask the children if they wanted to come along, but found all three of them staring intently at little Simao, who had fallen asleep. It seemed even watching a puppy sleep was strangely entertaining to them.
As expected, when she asked, none of the three sons wanted to go to the market—not even with the promise of tasty treats.
She didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. After thinking for a moment, she took out several bags of bread from her space, placed them on a plate, and then selected some snacks that wouldn’t seem too out of place in ancient times—nuts, chips, sausages—and also added a few bright red, sweet apples. She removed all packaging and arranged everything neatly on the plate.
Before leaving, she reminded them, “Mother is going out. I might not be back until evening. If you get hungry at noon, go to the kitchen—everything I prepared is on the plate. You don’t need to heat it, just eat it directly.”
Huai Jin stood up and nodded. “Alright, Mother. I’ll take care of my younger brothers.”
She was fairly reassured about her eldest son. Even when she went out to work before, Huai Jin had always taken care of his brothers. Besides, the villagers all knew each other, so nothing usually happened.
Still, for safety, she made a special trip to Aunt Li next door and asked her to help keep an eye on the three children.
Aunt Li was wearing the padded jacket Chu Fuyu had given her. Looking bright and full of energy, she immediately agreed. “Don’t worry, sister. I’ll bring Xiao Ying over later to check on them. I’ll even help you turn the soil while I’m at it. I’ve got nothing to do today anyway—Huzi went to study with Master Zhu.”
Only then did Chu Fuyu feel at ease. She drove the donkey cart toward town.
She had fed the donkey a full meal of grass in the morning, so it was unusually cooperative and moved quickly. Before long, she arrived at Xing’an Town.
She headed straight for the Embroidery Pavilion, tied the donkey outside, and just as she entered, she saw many ladies and young women picking out clothes inside—it was lively beyond belief.
“Mother, what do you think of this padded jacket? The fabric is so soft.”
“This rabbit fur one is nice—it looks delicate.”
“I’ll take this pink one. Shopkeeper, how much is it?”
“Aren’t there any prettier ones? Something soft enough to pinch water from, that flatters the figure.”
“Sister, buy me another one! One isn’t enough!”
The Embroidery Pavilion was large, filled with ready-made garments and fabrics. When Chu Fuyu had come before, it had been relatively quiet, but today it was so crowded there was barely space to step. Four or five assistants were running around frantically.
The moment Chu Fuyu stepped in, many eyes turned toward her.
In everyone’s gaze, a woman in a gold-and-purple “Zhaojun-style” robe walked in slowly. Amid the noisy crowd, she stood out like a fully blossomed flower—elegant, refined, and breathtaking.
The shop fell silent for a moment.
Xing’an Town was prosperous, close to the capital, filled with wealthy merchants and influential families. Noble ladies were not rare—but none of them could match her presence.
That robe seemed tailor-made for her. The gold was noble and grand, the purple rich and graceful, merging perfectly on her body.
Her appearance was already striking, and nourished by the spiritual spring, her entire aura had long since transformed. Dressed like this, she completely outshone everyone else in the room.
Even more astonishing—her face was bare of makeup, clean and luminous. One could hardly imagine how stunning she would be if she were even slightly adorned.
She seemed born with a kind of beauty that made people unable to look away.
Even the loose robe could not conceal her graceful figure and gentle charm.
Many women were visibly stunned.
Some even began whispering.
“Who is she? Which family’s young lady is that? I’ve never seen her before.”
“Probably the daughter of some prefect, here to visit.”
“I don’t think she’s just visiting… maybe she’s here for Prince Jing.”
“With her here, would the prince even look at the rest of us?”
“Haha, even without her, he wouldn’t look at you!”
At the mention of “Prince Jing,” Chu Fuyu paused slightly.
That… wasn’t that her cheap ex-husband?
Wasn’t he supposed to be fighting at the frontier?
Now he’s coming back?
Just as those thoughts flashed through her mind, Shopkeeper Zhou came down from upstairs. Seeing Chu Fuyu, she immediately greeted her warmly.
“Miss Chu, you’re finally here.”
Then she glanced around and asked in surprise, “Where are your three sons?”
Chu Fuyu smiled. “They’re at home today.”
Their conversation reached the ears of the surrounding women.
Instantly, many of them let out a quiet sigh of relief.
So she was married… and even had three sons…
No wonder she carried herself like that. It was impossible to tell at all.
Shopkeeper Zhou, noticing the attention, smiled and invited Chu Fuyu upstairs so they could talk more privately.
Chu Fuyu agreed easily, and they went up together.
The women downstairs immediately shifted their topic—this time to skincare and beauty.
After all, a woman who had given birth to three children yet still looked like that was unheard of. Her skin was fair, smooth, and glowing—enough to make even young ladies envy her deeply.
Upstairs was much quieter.
The second floor was reserved for distinguished guests and custom orders, naturally more expensive.
Shopkeeper Zhou led her into a private room and showed her the finished garments. Chu Fuyu was instantly surprised.
There were over twenty pieces—each one exquisite and luxurious. If sold outside, each would easily fetch at least a hundred taels of silver.
Some of the fabrics were the silk Chu Fuyu had brought—fine cloud brocade and Song brocade.
The rest were personally added by Shopkeeper Zhou, who even supplemented with her own materials—various furs, rabbit fur, fox fur, duck down, all top-quality.
She had spared no expense.
Among the five bolts of fabric Chu Fuyu had brought, she had already kept one for research and had made progress. Wanting more, she had invested heavily in these garments.
She treated Chu Fuyu’s clothes with the utmost care, crafting them with the same dedication used for noble families in the capital. Gold and silver threads were even embroidered into them.
It was no exaggeration to say these garments were already on par with what ordinary noble families in the capital would wear.
Seeing Chu Fuyu’s satisfied expression, Shopkeeper Zhou finally relaxed and smiled.
“Are you satisfied, sister? These clothes were all made by our most experienced master tailors working overtime.”