The second watch, seeking pink.
***......****
When Lian Manman heard the words "prison", "parents", "old parents", she inadvertently slowed down her pace and looked in the direction of the voice. She saw two people sitting next to a table in the tea stall, both around the age of thirty or forty. The person who was talking dressed like he was just loafing around the market.
In this era, they called the governnt officials "parents". Normally, they referred to the Magistrate as "old parents" and the County Magistrate as "parents."
According to Old Master Lian, as the County Magistrate, Lian Shouren was only in charge of checking military households and handling so thankless tasks assigned by the Magistrate. Hearing this person, Lian Shouren was supposed to manage the prison of this county, too?!
"When did this happen?" The scholar dressed man sitting opposite the idler asked in surprise, "Wasn’t it said that our ’parent’, cannot stand firm?"
"Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west. That’s old news, didn’t you know? Yesterday, there was a joyful event in our county town?"
As the idler spoke, he leaned closer to the scholar and whispered sothing in a low voice, causing both n’s faces to break into a strange semblance, laughing weirdly.
"...a pear tree blooming over the begonia..." the scholar said in a strange manner.
Lian Manman, full of suspicion but not wishing to stand there eavesdropping, thought to use visiting the tea stall for a drink as an excuse to continue listening.
However, Wu Lang disagreed, his face stern as he pulled Lian Manman and walked forward.
Lian Manman, slow to realize, thought that Wu Lang must have overheard the n speaking, especially that phrase about the pear tree and begonia. That phrase was "flirtatious poetry". Wu Lang, being a pure-hearted young man, probably found it distasteful. In Wu Lang’s view, those two n must have seed like sleazy fellows.
Wu Lang, of course, refused to let Lian Manman enter the tea stall to drink, fearing that the sleazy conversation would sully his sister’s ears.
If they won’t listen, so be it. Anything pertinent must have already happened. Even if she heard anything now, it wouldn’t help.
Although her curiosity was unsatisfied, upon reflection, Lian Manman felt relieved and happily continued her shopping.
Taicang County is a cotton-producing area. Lady Zhang visited two shops and seeing the quality of cotton here was good, and cheaper than in Qingyang Town, she found herself unable to walk away.
This year, each family mber had their cotton clothes, but what about next year, or the year after? Cotton is such that if you buy it, it won’t spoil just sitting around. Beddings and mattresses need new cotton as well, and not to ntion Lian Zhizhi’s dowry.
"...clothing for all seasons, cotton clothes are a must, as well as several sets of bedding, all requiring cotton..." Lady Zhang muttered to herself.
Usually, in the dowry of marrying off a daughter, it’s customary to include four sets of bedding.
"Mom, didn’t dad bring the money for my sister’s dowry? This cotton is cheaper than what we have at ho, let’s buy it," Lian Manman suggested.
This was exactly what Lady Zhang was hoping for.
"Okay, let’s buy it," Lady Zhang smiled and said.
The mother and daughters discussed and bought ten jin of high-quality cotton batting, which was pre-carded, and one jin was used per cotton case, essentially forming a ball of cotton. Next were pre-carded cotton duvet covers and mattress covers, which were carded according to the standard dinsions of duvets and mattresses and would only need the muslin lining and the actual top fabric sewn on them later.
The thickness and weight of these duvet and mattress covers varied.
Lady Zhang chose six two-jin thin duvet covers, six six-jin dium thickness duvet covers, and six eight-jin thick duvet covers, and also bought ten two-jin mattress covers and eight four-jin ones.
Cotton takes up a lot of space, and even with Sanlang helping, it was very strenuous for them to carry, and with all this cotton batting, they couldn’t continue shopping anymore.
The shopkeeper, very observant, asked where all these goods should be delivered. As Lian Manman and the others were buying a lot, counted as major custors, the store’s staff would handle ho delivery.
"Dongcheng Old Wang’s Cart Inn, Room No. 8 of the Earth Series," Lian Manman reported the room number of Zheng Bingwu’s lodgings at the cart inn, "Shopkeeper, we bought a lot, can you give us a discount?"
Lian Manman habitually haggled.
"Are you old custors from Liaodong?" the shopkeeper smiled and asked.
"How did you know that?" Xiao Qi asked.
"The mont you walked in, I recognized a bit from the way you speak. I wasn’t sure until you ntioned Old Wang’s Cart Inn, Room No. 8 of the Earth Series. That I was sure. The old custors from Liaodong always stay at Old Wang’s Cart Inn in that Earth Series Room 8. You must be with people from the Old Zheng family," the shopkeeper laughed and said.
User Comments
0 comments from readers