After watching the lively spectacle, Nan Zhi took Nan Ye to a money exchange.
—Thanks to the gold ingot drawn from the Heavenly Treasure Tree, which, though small, weighed a full ten taels.
Ten taels of gold equaled a hundred taels of silver.
The shopkeeper used shears to snip off a corner to test its quality, and seeing how remarkably pure the gold was, generously gave her ten ten-tael banknotes.
Leaving the money exchange, Nan Ye tugged at Nan Zhi’s sleeve and muttered in a low voice:
“We lost out, Big Sister! Gold of such fine purity—we should have checked a couple more shops. We might’ve gotten an extra tael of silver.”
“I couldn’t be bothered to run around anymore. One less tael doesn’t matter much. People need to make a living too.”
Nan Zhi then took Nan Ye on a shopping spree, only stopping and heading home when Nan Ye wailed that she couldn't carry anything else in her hands.
She bought new clothes for Nan Dazhuang and Chen Jingui, along with thick winter garments, as well as shoes, socks, and knee pads—so that Nan Ye wouldn’t strain her eyes sewing by the oil lamp every day.
For Nan Yi, besides new clothes, she bought a set of the four treasures of the study.
Heaven knew these scholarly supplies were actually the most expensive of all, costing Nan Zhi nearly twenty taels of silver for a complete set.
No wonder scholars in ancient times were so impoverished.
Twenty taels was enough to cover living expenses for a family of five for two or three months.
Since she couldn't show favoritism among her siblings, Nan Zhi also bought a set for Nan Ye, telling her to practice calligraphy with Nan Yi.
The skirts she bought for Nan Ye were made of nice fabric, one in lotus-root purple and the other in pale pink, both styles suited for young girls.
Nan Zhi also bought a silver hairpin. It wasn’t expensive, but the design was delicate, featuring five blooming plum blossoms. Auspicious and festive, it was just the kind of style a mother’s generation would love.
“It’s so pretty! Big Sister is so good to me.”
Nan Ye couldn’t take her hands off the new clothes, stroking them repeatedly. Then, suddenly remembering something, she couldn’t help but ask:
“Big Sister, you bought so many things, but why didn't you buy more for yourself? Dresses, jewelry... how come you only bought a single plain cloth skirt?”
“One is enough. If a plain skirt gets worn out or torn, I won’t feel bad about it.
“Besides, with my dark skin, wearing fancy colorful skirts would just be an eyesore. It’s better to dress neatly and cleanly.”
Nan Zhi poked at the pearls in her small wooden case, which were barely larger than grains of rice, feeling somewhat disgruntled:
“Besides, didn’t I buy half a box of pearls for myself?
“Such a tiny half-box of pearls, smaller than soybeans, and the shopkeeper actually charged me nearly thirty taels! What an outrageous rip-off.”
Her gacha prize, the 《Mirage Pearl Escape》, was a Purple Quality spell, but casting it required the aid of a mirage pearl to conjure boundless mist and conceal one’s form.
Yes, the legendary giant clam that could breathe clouds and mist and was related to jiaolong.
Dingyuan County wasn’t near the sea, so where was Nan Zhi supposed to find a mirage demon?
Most importantly, with her current cultivation, if she ran into such a great demon, she would probably only be able to beg for mercy.
Fortunately, ordinary pearls could serve as a budget substitute for this spell.
However, compared to the boundless mist summoned with a genuine mirage pearl, the mist conjured by an ordinary pearl was pitifully small, barely covering a three-meter radius around her.
Furthermore, used pearls could not be reused, and artificially cultured pearls lacked spiritual essence, making them unusable.
It wasn’t that Nan Zhi hadn’t thought of buying pearls online through Taobao.
But on second thought, although modern pearls were cheap, real natural pearls were hard to come by.
If one day she got into a fight, couldn't win, and pulled out a pearl to cast the escape technique and flee, only to pull out an artificially farmed one...
“Whatever. Expensive is fine, at least I won’t end up buying fakes.”
Wincing at the expense, Nan Zhi counted the pearls in the box again and again:
Thirty-one pearls. One was used for testing, leaving thirty.
That meant thirty chances to use the escape technique.
With Qi-Supplementing Pills prepared, Nan Zhi could even cast the escape technique consecutively, leaving enemies with no trace to track.
She just had to be extremely careful and avoid using it in tight spaces, lest she end up boxed in.
While Nan Zhi muttered to herself, Nan Ye over on the side became dissatisfied.
“No way! Big Sister, you're always thinking of the family, but you need to think more about yourself too. There isn't a girl in the world who doesn't love wearing new clothes.”
Nan Ye stared at Nan Zhi for a while, rolled up her sleeves, and rummaged through the newly bought fabrics, holding them up against Nan Zhi one by one.
But the more she compared, the more her face fell.
Nan Zhi took after their father.
She was already tall and robust, and with her naturally dark complexion, not to mention vibrant, delicate colors, even the heavy, subdued fabrics bought for Chen Jingui couldn't tone down her unique “air.”
As for clothing styles, the people of the Song Dynasty favored slender grace as the standard of beauty. Even though Dingyuan County was a hundred and eight thousand li away from Dongjing, most folk still preferred that slender look.
Even among men, those with elegant, slender, and jade-like postures were far more popular.
The tailoring of these clothes—jackets paired with skirts—emphasized a slim, form-fitting cut. Draped over Nan Zhi, a sudden glance from behind looked—
Just like Nan Dazhuang draped in women's clothing.
Yikes.
Nan Ye quickly shook this terrifying thought out of her head, tossed the fabric aside with a sigh, and changed her tune:
“These styles are too gaudy and don't suit you, Big Sister. Wait a couple of days while I alter them, and maybe they’ll look better.”
—She seemed to have forgotten how she had just been praising these very clothes nonstop.
What a smooth talker.
“Alright, then I’ll look forward to wearing the clothes Sister Ye alters for me.”
Nan Zhi smiled at the young girl, in high spirits.
When she played dress-up raising games before, she loved making her in-game “daughter” look pretty.
After all, who wouldn't adore such a sweet little angel like Nan Ye?
Nan Ye gave her a mischievous grin:
“Still, Big Sister bought so much stuff—I bet Father and Mother will be shocked out of their wits when they get back!”
Only then did Nan Zhi remember she hadn’t explained things to her parents yet.
...
When Chen Jingui and Nan Dazhuang returned home and saw the massive pile of goods Nan Zhi had bought, they were indeed astonished.
But after merely asking where the silver had come from and learning it was earned from Nan Zhi's demon-slaying in “dreams,” they were relieved and questioned her no further.
“Our eldest daughter is truly filial! It’s only because those petty scoundrels are green with envy that they gossip behind our backs.
“I gave that gossipy old woman a good scolding today, and tomorrow, I’m definitely going to stroll right past them to make their eyes burn with jealousy!
“Look at this hairpin my daughter bought me! It’s so gorgeous!”
Chen Jingui was grinning ear to ear, glowing all over. She hurriedly pinned the silver hairpin into her hair and had Nan Dazhuang check if it was crooked:
“Look at this, look! She bought you new clothes and shoes too, and even bought two liang of fine wine. Oh, this is aged wine from the Wang Family Distillery—it doesn't come cheap!”
“Good daughter, what a good daughter!”
Nan Dazhuang was also grinning from ear to ear, beaming uncontrollably:
“Eldest Daughter truly warms one’s heart! Not only did she buy new clothes for Brother Yi and Sister Ye, but she also bought writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones!
“Sister Gui, of our three children, Eldest Daughter is capable and considerate, Brother Yi is smart and honest, and Sister Ye is kind-hearted and capable.
“I don’t know what good karma I accumulated in my past life to have married you as my wife.”
Perhaps overcome with joy, Nan Dazhuang actually blurted out the affectionate pet name the two of them used in private.
“What nonsense are you blabbering about? The children are right here, have you no shame?”
Chen Jingui was slightly embarrassed and gave Nan Dazhuang a fierce glare, but then smugly added:
“Naturally! Such wonderful children all came from this old lady’s belly. It was indeed your ancestors piling up virtue that let you take me as your wife!
“Shoo, shoo, while it’s still daylight, go check at the yamen to see if Brother Yi can ask for leave to come home today.
“I’ll cook up a couple of good dishes in a bit and slice half a pig’s head. We can enjoy a nice drink tonight and relax.
“What are you staring at me for? Get moving! If you don't bring Brother Yi back, I’ll have your hide.”
—In ancient times, alcohol content was relatively low, and some varieties were sweet, tasting just like sweet fermented wine. Naturally, there was no such thing as an “underage drinking prohibition.”
Thus, everyone in the family could naturally join in the drinking.
“Alright, alright! I’m going right now.”
Nan Dazhuang nodded repeatedly, his honest face full of smiles, not minding Chen Jingui’s “harsh” attitude in the least.
“One loves to dole it out, the other loves to take it. Father and Mother really are a match made in heaven.”
“Hehe, Big Sister is so right.”
While the husband and wife bantered and flirted, Nan Zhi and Nan Ye exchanged smiles, sharing tacit understanding.
But who would have thought that even after Chen Jingui finished cooking the meal and warming the wine, there was still no sign of the father and son returning.
Just as anxiety began to mount in the deepening dusk, Nan Dazhuang came panting back under the lingering glow of twilight.
“Something terrible has happened! There's big trouble at the yamen!”
Nan Dazhuang looked panicked, sweat dripping down his face and matting his disheveled beard. His lips were pale as he yelled with all his might:
“Word came that a man-eating tiger appeared in Wen County! Constable Zhang led men into the mountains yesterday to hunt the tiger, and who would've guessed, Brother Yi actually went along with them!
“Now the entire group has vanished in Wenshan, and even Brother Yi hasn't returned!”
Nan Yi went missing?
Nan Zhi’s heart sank.
Rate on N.U.
