After watching the excitement, Nan Zhi took Nan Ye to the money changer.
—Thanks to the gold ingot she had obtained from the Heavenly Treasure Tree. Although it was just a small one, it weighed a full ten taels.
Ten taels of gold were worth a hundred taels of silver.
The owner of the money changer used shears to snip off a corner. Seeing that the quality of Nan Zhi's gold was excellent, he generously exchanged it for ten silver notes, each worth ten taels.
As they stepped out of the money changer, Nan Ye tugged on Nan Zhi’s sleeve and whispered:
“We lost out, Eldest Sister! With gold of such high quality, we should have checked a few more shops. We might have gotten another tael of silver for it.”
“I didn't feel like running around anymore. Losing one tael isn't a big deal; we have to let others make a profit too.”
Nan Zhi then led Nan Ye to buy a great many things. She only stopped when Nan Ye wailed that she couldn't carry any more in her two hands, and then she led her sister home.
She bought new clothes for Nan Dazhuang and Chen Jingui, prepared thick winter garments, and even bought shoes, socks, and knee pads—this was also to prevent Nan Ye from straining her eyes by sewing under the oil lamp every day.
For Nan Yi, besides new clothes, she bought a set of the four treasures of the study.
Heaven only knew how expensive those things were; the entire set cost Nan Zhi nearly twenty taels of silver.
No wonder scholars in ancient times were so poor.
Those twenty taels were enough to support a family of five for two or three months.
She couldn't be biased toward her younger siblings, so Nan Zhi bought a set for Nan Ye as well, telling her to practice writing with Nan Yi.
The fabric for the dresses she bought for Nan Ye was of good quality—one in lotus root purple and one in pale pink, both styles suitable for a young girl.
Nan Zhi also bought a silver hairpin. It wasn't expensive, but the design was exquisite, featuring five plum blossoms in bloom. It was auspicious and festive, the kind of style her mother's generation would appreciate.
“It’s so beautiful. Eldest Sister is so good to me.”
Nan Ye couldn't bear to put the clothes down, stroking them repeatedly. But then she suddenly remembered something and couldn't help but ask:
“Eldest Sister, you bought so many things, but why didn't you buy more for yourself? Dresses, jewelry... why did you only buy one simple cloth skirt?”
“One is enough. I won't feel bad if a cloth skirt gets torn.
Besides, I have dark skin. Wearing those flowery dresses would be an eyesore. It’s better to just look neat and clean.”
Nan Zhi poked at the pearls in her box, which were barely larger than grains of rice, feeling quite depressed:
“Besides, didn't I buy half a box of pearls for myself?
This tiny half-box of pearls, smaller than soybeans, and the shopkeeper actually charged me nearly thirty taels. The prices here are daylight robbery.”
The Mirage Pearl Escape she had drawn was a purple-quality spell, but when casting it, she needed the aid of a mirage pearl to whip up a boundless mist and hide her presence.
Yes, it was from the legendary giant clams that could breathe out clouds and mist and were related to dragons.
Dingyuan County wasn't near the sea, so where was Nan Zhi supposed to find a mirage demon?
More importantly, with her current cultivation level, if she actually met such a powerful demon, she would likely only be able to beg for mercy.
Fortunately, this spell could use regular pearls as a substitute.
However, compared to the boundless mist summoned when using a mirage pearl, the mist produced by a regular pearl was pitifully small, barely enough to cover a three-meter radius around Nan Zhi.
Furthermore, once a pearl was used, it could not be reused. Artificially cultured pearls lacked spiritual resonance and couldn't be used at all.
It wasn't that Nan Zhi hadn't thought about buying pearls online back in her own world.
But she realized that while modern pearls were cheap, natural pearls were hard to come by.
If she ever got into a fight and tried to use the escape technique with an artificial pearl...
“Forget it. It’s expensive, but at least I know I’m not buying fakes.”
Nan Zhi felt the sting in her wallet as she counted the pearls in the box again:
Thirty-one. She had used one for an experiment, leaving thirty.
That meant thirty opportunities to use the escape technique.
With her Qi-Supplementing Pills ready, Nan Zhi could even use the technique several times in a row, leaving her enemies with no way to track her.
She just had to be careful to avoid using it in narrow spaces, otherwise it would be easy to get cornered.
While Nan Zhi was mumbling to herself, Nan Ye was becoming dissatisfied.
“No, Eldest Sister, you’re always thinking of the family. You need to think of yourself more. There isn't a girl in this world who doesn't love wearing new clothes.”
Nan Ye stared at Nan Zhi for a long while, then rolled up her sleeves and started rummaging through the new fabrics they had bought, holding them up against Nan Zhi one by one.
But the more she compared them, the more her expression slumped.
Nan Zhi took after her father.
She was tall and sturdily built, and with her naturally dark skin, forget the delicate colors—even the heavy fabrics bought for Chen Jingui couldn't suppress her unique "aura."
As for the styles, people of the Song dynasty considered being "slender" as the ideal of beauty. Although Dingyuan County was a world away from Dongjingfu, the common folk also preferred a more lean physique.
Even for men, those who were elegant and slender were more popular.
The tailoring of these clothes, with a top and a wrap-around skirt, emphasized a slim fit. When put on Nan Zhi, from behind—
It looked like Nan Dazhuang had thrown on a set of women's clothing.
Yikes.
Nan Ye quickly shook that terrifying thought out of her head. She sighed, tossed the fabric aside, and changed her tune:
“These styles are too gaudy and don't suit you, Eldest Sister. Let me alter them in a few days, and maybe they'll look better.”
—She seemed to have forgotten that she had just been praising how beautiful the clothes were.
She certainly knew how to talk.
“Alright, then I’ll wait to wear the clothes Sister Ye alters for me.”
Nan Zhi smiled at the young girl, her mood greatly improved.
When she used to play dress-up games, her favorite thing was to make her "daughter" look beautiful.
After all, who could dislike a little angel as cute as Nan Ye?
Nan Ye gave her a mischievous grin:
“But Eldest Sister, you bought so many things. I’m afraid Father and Mother will be shocked when they get back!”
Only then did Nan Zhi remember that she hadn't explained any of this to her parents yet.
...
When Chen Jingui and Nan Dazhuang returned home and saw the pile of goods Nan Zhi had bought, they were indeed greatly surprised.
However, they only asked once where the money had come from. Once they knew Nan Zhi had earned it by hunting demons in her "dreams," they were satisfied and didn't press further.
“Our Eldest Sister is so filial. Those small-minded people are just jealous, which is why they spread rumors about us behind our backs.
I gave that gossipy old woman a good scolding today. Tomorrow, I’m definitely going to walk right in front of them so they can turn green with envy!
This is the hairpin my daughter bought for me! It’s so beautiful!”
Chen Jingui was so happy she couldn't stop smiling, her whole face glowing. She hurried to pin the silver hairpin into her hair and asked Nan Dazhuang to check if it was straight.
“Look at this, look at this! She even bought you new clothes and shoes, and two taels of good wine. Oh, this is aged wine from the Wang family distillery; it’s not cheap!”
“Good daughter, good daughter!”
Nan Dazhuang was also grinning so wide his eyes disappeared, chuckling incessantly.
“Eldest Sister really is thoughtful! Not only did she buy new clothes for Brother Yi and Sister Ye, but she even bought brushes, ink, paper, and an inkstone!
Sister Gui, we have three children. Eldest Sister is capable and considerate, Brother Yi is bright and honest, and Sister Ye is kind and hardworking.
I don't know what merit I accumulated in my past life to be able to marry you as my wife.”
Perhaps because he was overly excited, Nan Dazhuang used the intimate name they used when they were alone.
“What nonsense are you babbling? The children are right here. Have you no shame?”
Chen Jingui was a bit embarrassed and gave Nan Dazhuang a sharp glare, but then she said proudly:
“Of course. Such wonderful children all came from my womb. It must have been your ancestors' merit that allowed you to have me as your wife.
Go on, go on. While it’s still light out, go to the yamen and see if Brother Yi can take some time off to come home today.
I’ll cook a few good dishes in a bit and slice some pig's head meat. We’ll have a good drink tonight and relax.
What are you looking at me for? Hurry up and go! If you don't bring Brother Yi back, watch your skin.”
—In ancient times, the alcohol content of wine was relatively low. Some wines were sweet and tasted like dessert wine, so naturally, there were no rules against minors drinking.
Thus, the whole family could partake in the drinking.
“Alright, alright! I’m going now.”
Nan Dazhuang repeatedly agreed, his honest face full of smiles, not minding Chen Jingui’s "harsh" attitude in the slightest.
“One is willing to hit, and the other is willing to be hit. Father and Mother really are a match made in heaven.”
“Heehee, Eldest Sister is right.”
While the couple was flirting, Nan Zhi and Nan Ye shared a knowing smile.
But to their surprise, even after Chen Jingui had finished the food and warmed the wine, the father and son had still not returned.
Just as they were starting to worry, they saw the twilight deepening. Nan Dazhuang, drenched in the last light of the sunset, came running back, gasping for breath.
“Something’s wrong! Something’s wrong! Something happened at the yamen!”
Nan Dazhuang’s expression was frantic. Sweat mixed with dust on his face, his beard was a messy tangle, and his lips were pale as he shouted with all his might:
“I heard there’s a man-eating tiger in Wen County. Constable Zhang took men into the mountains to hunt it yesterday. Who would have thought that Brother Yi actually went along with them!
Now the whole group has vanished in Wenshan, and even Brother Yi hasn't come back yet!”
Nan Yi was missing?
Nan Zhi’s heart sank.
Rate on N.U.
