Chapter 42

Huo Jilin had his own clothes put on with the help of the shop assistant nearby.

The assistant, afraid that he might just try on without paying, kept praising how good he looked in them.

"These clothes suit you perfectly, sir. You look imposing and graceful, like a jade tree swaying in the breeze."

Though somewhat exaggerated, there was at least eighty percent truth to it. The assistant hadn't expected that this man in hemp clothes would transform completely after changing into silk attire. Though the hairpin in his hair was still wooden, his entire demeanor shifted instantly.

He truly rivaled any noble prince or lord.

Huo Jilin had heard such flattery too many times before, so he merely nodded lightly.

The sizes he'd picked for himself were fine, and he couldn't be picky about the materials. He had no knowledge of ancient clothing anyway—wearing it just felt "rustic." Someone accustomed to modern clothes simply couldn't appreciate the beauty of ancient garments.

But when Chen Jue emerged wearing the moon-white new clothes he'd picked out, Huo Jilin couldn't help but look over.

Perhaps it was because the Chen Jue he'd always seen wore a white lab coat, which was close enough to ancient robes, give or take.

The outfit Chen Jue wore happened to be moon-white, and the moon-white silk had a liquid, moonlit sheen. It suited him to a T—he looked like he was born to wear clothes this cool and refined, because his features were exactly that way.

The hemp clothes before had been doing him a disservice, and the lab coat before that too.

Huo Jilin mused to himself.

He said to Chen Jue, "You look great in that. I picked well."

The corner of the shopkeeper's mouth twitched slightly at his words—this guy wasn't complimenting anyone but his own eye for clothes.

Huo Jilin didn't realize this either. When he said Chen Jue looked good, he meant it; when he said he picked well, he meant that too.

The clothes he'd chosen had good material and color, and the sizes were right. He'd picked loose-fitting garments—Chen Jue was pregnant, but he was slim overall and tall. The clothes Huo Jilin chose for him were cut for a big man, and he could wear them even with his belly.

That was the one good thing about ancient clothes—just cinch a belt and you can wear anything.

It just didn't go with the dark blue Huo Jilin had on.

He'd figured Chen Jue would pick something in the same color family.

But whatever, Chen Jue looked good in white.

Two outfits each, and that was the best they could find.

Huo Jilin asked Chen Jue, "Want to pick something for your parents or siblings?"

He didn't know how many family members Chen Jue had now. The original owner's memories were pretty self-absorbed and only kept track of his own stuff.

Chen Jue shook his head. "No need."

Huo Jilin asked again, "Then buy some fabric?"

Chen Jue refused again. "Not needed."

Huo Jilin could tell he wanted to leave and didn't want to waste more time, so he said directly, "Shopkeeper, two bolts of fabric."

Chen Jue wanted to stop him but held his tongue. He'd forgotten—Huo Jilin wasn't the type to listen to anyone.

Looking at the two bolts of pink and blue silk, Chen Jue thought to himself that the shopkeeper had palmed off his unsellable dead stock on Huo Jilin.

Afterwards, the two entered a jewelry shop. After buying a pair of waist-hanging jade pendants and two pairs of silver bracelets, their wooden hairpins were replaced with... ribbons.

Because whether it was a jade hairpin or a gold one, Huo Jilin had no silver left to buy them.

The jade pendants and bracelets at Wanjin Gold Tower weren't cheap, and they tacked on a twenty percent labor fee.

Huo Jilin, a guy whose cuffs used to have collector-grade emeralds on them, naturally went for the best shops.

Luckily, the waist pendants were just decorative and not top-tier, or Huo Jilin would've been setting himself up for a slap in the face.

But either way, after changing head to toe, their bamboo back-baskets looked especially shabby by comparison.

After filling the baskets with flour and storing them at the noodle shop, they headed to Qinyue Tower with nothing weighing them down.

At least this getup didn't get them looked down on by the waiter, who greeted them all smiles.

"Second floor, by the window."

Huo Jilin turned to help Chen Jue, but Chen Jue waved him off and climbed the stairs himself. Huo Jilin eyed his belly and thought—it was on the small side, nowhere near what seven and a half months should look like.

Huo Jilin ordered a ton of food—every signature dish the waiter recommended. When he went to order dessert too, Chen Jue cut him off: "That's enough. We've got plenty."

The two of them really weren't rolling in cash right now.

The hundred fifty taels Huo Jilin had just earned were already gone, so this meal was on him.

The food at Qinyue Tower was pretty good, and a table full of dishes was enough to get anyone's mouth watering. Chen Jue had a soft spot for food these days.

The two quit the small talk and dug in.

Once they were half full, Huo Jilin gave his verdict on the food—not as good as he'd thought, but way better than the pig slop Chen Jue cooked.

He said to Chen Jue, "Though it can't compare to the chefs of before, it's better than your..."

He probably realized that was a bad idea and changed the subject mid-sentence: "If you want to eat here again, I'll bring you."

Chen Jue caught the switch mid-sentence anyway.

But Chen Jue was too busy gnawing on a crispy, fragrant duck leg to bother with him. It really was good—he hadn't eaten like this in ages.

Even though Qingzhu and Zhang Yan could cook pretty well, they were short on salt and oil, so their cooking couldn't hold a candle to this place.

"Let's take one back for them to try."

Chen Jue waved the waiter over and said.

They packed up a roast duck, and Chen Jue also boxed up the leftover dishes. He'd learned how to stretch a penny.

But even that got them a scolding from Uncle Liu: "You've already packed all that, why buy another one? That must've cost a fortune!"

Zhou Qingzhu piled on from the side: "And it's from Qinyue Tower—a place even pricier than the pastries we sold last time."

Uncle Liu was so pained he smacked his thigh. "No more buying! Let's head back now, okay?"

They'd only been apart one morning, and the two had swapped everything from head to toe. The new clothes looked nice, sure, but the food was enough to make your heart ache.

Who spends a whole tael on one meal? A tael could buy so much flour!

Uncle Liu wanted to drag the two spendthrifts back right away, but Huo Jilin still had more stuff to buy.

"Don't worry, once we buy a carriage, we'll head back together."

"What?!"

No matter how Uncle Liu and Uncle Zhou tried to talk him out of it, Huo Jilin was dead set on buying a carriage, and a good horse to go with it.

Uncle Zhou used his decades of experience picking cattle and horses to find him a few decent mid-aged horses at good prices, but Huo Jilin shook his head at every one.

"Is there anything better?"

Seeing how picky he was, the stable hand took him to see the top-tier horses. Huo Jilin pointed at a horse that was obviously a standout at first glance.

Everyone could tell this horse was a good one.

Good teeth, strong bones, shiny coat—definitely a first-rate horse.

Uncle Zhou didn't dare speak up anymore. Just a moment ago, he'd been haggling with the dealer like a pro.

"How much for this horse?"

The dealer said proudly, "This is a Dayuan thoroughbred. Firm price of sixty taels of silver. The saddle, harness, and carriage are not included."

Uncle Zhou and Uncle Liu sucked in a sharp breath.

"Dalin, no way. Sixty taels could buy thirty mu of land—twenty mu of prime farmland."

"Exactly. You can't eat a horse. You two don't have any fields at home right now. Focus on the essentials first. Buy the horse later—after you buy land this year and harvest next fall, there'll still be time."

Both uncles had a point. Putting food on the table came first; no sensible person would drop sixty taels on a horse that pricey.

But Huo Jilin wasn't exactly sensible.

Whatever he wanted, he'd find a way to get it.

He told Uncle Zhou, "I need a horse—a good one. It'll come in handy later."

He looked at the horse. It wasn't really all that great, but when you're picking the best of a bad lot, this one would have to do. His old racehorses were competition-level, so his standards were already sky-high.

Clothes make the man, and a saddle makes the horse. For future business deals, these were must-haves.

He glanced at Chen Jue, who said, "This horse would be wasted running around our neck of the woods."

Chen Jue thought about the silver he hadn't even had a chance to warm in his hands yet, then pointed to a horse in the corner.

That one was chestnut-colored, tall too, with solid muscle and bone, but it was dirty, covered in whip marks, and flies were buzzing all around it. Nobody was even giving it a second look.

It didn't look like a horse that would fetch a high price. But since it was kept back there with the Dayuan horses, it had to be something special, right?

Huo Jilin saw Chen Jue clutching his silver and the corner of his mouth twitched a little. He knew Chen Jue also didn't want him buying the expensive horse, but Chen Jue's reasoning was more high-minded than Uncle Liu's earnest advice—he was thinking about the horse.

He loved horses.

So Huo Jilin walked over to the horse. The frame was solid, sure, but it looked rough. He reached out to pat the horse's head.

The dealer hadn't expected Huo Jilin to not care about how dirty the horse was. Seeing him reach out, the dealer quickly yelled, "Sir, don't touch! This horse has a nasty temper and loves to kick!"

Huo Jilin's hand paused for just a second, then kept going. As everyone watched with bated breath, the horse turned its head away, refusing to let Huo Jilin touch it.

Huo Jilin slowly pulled his hand back, then rested it on the stall's wooden railing, leaning on it like a table—a pose Chen Jue knew all too well. The bossy, domineering Huo Jilin had arrived.

Chen Jue didn't wait for him to launch into his "I don't care what you think, I'm getting this horse" speech. He asked the dealer first, "Is this horse sick? Why's it got wounds all over?"

The dealer said, "No, there's nothing wrong with this horse. It's just not very obedient, so it took a few lashes."

Uncle Zhou cut in, "A few lashes? Its rear end's nearly whipped raw. Look at the season—flies are still buzzing around it."

This horse, Uncle Zhou felt bold enough to haggle over.

Uncle Liu also walked around the horse, pointing out flaws: "If this horse is disobedient and kicks a lot, it'll be hard to tame. We're farming folks—we need it for plowing and hauling. If it won't obey, how's it supposed to work? We're not buying it just to stand around eating grass. So Dalin, how about we look at some others?"

The dealer's mouth twitched a little. Buying a horse to plow fields? Then what were oxen for?

But he was used to all kinds of haggling and knew they were grinding him down on the price. He was also eager to unload this stubborn horse—it had already been sold twice and returned both times. Either it wouldn't let anyone ride it, or it kicked and hurt people. It was a real headache. If someone actually bought it to plow... that was a scene he'd kind of like to see.

"This is truly a fine horse, imported from Dayuan. The quality is impeccable, and there's nothing wrong with it physically. We can guarantee that. We've been here for decades—ask around the neighborhood about our reputation. Everyone knows us.

If you really want it, sir, I'll give you a firm price of forty taels. But we have to agree: if you return this horse, you'll only get half your silver back."

Horses were valuable goods. Building a house in the countryside cost only twenty taels, but a horse cost double that—and it was a living creature. So the horse trade did have provisions for trial and return, though at a discounted price.

Same principle as renting a horse.

Chen Jue thought for a moment and said, "Twenty taels. We won't return it."

Now it was the dealer's turn to gasp. He'd seen people haggle, but never cut the price in half.

Even Huo Jilin looked at Chen Jue. When he negotiated business, he could drive medicine prices up and squeeze herb suppliers down, but bargaining always had a bottom line for both sides to cover costs. Chen Jue was going for the throat.

Even harsher than him.

Chen Jue remained expressionless. He still remembered Director Zhou's bargaining methods. And he never said the dealer couldn't counter-offer.

Author's note:

In the previous chapter, I made a copy-paste error (I've been overusing my eyes these past two days and they're quite uncomfortable. After placing the chapter in my draft folder, I needed to paste a chapter reminder, but with one eye open and one closed, I pasted it in the wrong place and made a big mess—sorry about that. I even set the time wrong. Consider it a little surprise for everyone. I've fixed it. Don't worry—they won't die here, and this isn't an experiment where death leads to time travel. Perhaps my wording was misleading and caused confusion. They're simply living in ancient times now. The reason for Huo Jilin's death will be explained later.)

Previous chapter:

Huo Jilin moved his gaze from her belly to the small bundle in her arms and said, "You're richer than me now. Is the silver heavy? Want me to carry it for you?"

Who would find silver heavy? That was just making conversation.