Chapter 31: The Young Couple Strolls the Market Together

Chapter 31: The Young Couple Hits the Market

The winter market remained bustling as ever. To make a living, the vendors set up their stalls on time every day.

Yan Fengan held Wen Xi's hand as they made their way through the crowd. When they passed by the Treasure Pavilion, he glanced at Wen Xi beside him and suddenly stopped in his tracks.

Wen Xi followed his gaze and could vaguely see several well-dressed ladies and young married women inside the Treasure Pavilion browsing jewelry. The shopkeeper, wearing a fur coat, held up a white jade hairpin to present it to a distinguished young gentleman: "This really fits your style. You can take it home for just five taels of silver."

The young gentleman, holding an elegant hand warmer, said casually, "This hairpin does look quite nice. I'll take it."

That single sentence made Wen Xi's eyes go wide. Spending five taels of silver on a white jade hairpin—these wealthy city folk had to be crazy.

Wen Xi quickly looked away and, forgetting they were in public, immediately grabbed Yan Fengan's arm and hurried away from the area. He was afraid that if they lingered even a moment longer, Yan Fengan would lose his mind and walk right in.

The stone path was slippery, and in his haste, Wen Xi stumbled and nearly tripped. Yan Fengan reached out with his free hand to grab his arm.

Seeing Wen Xi's behavior, Yan Fengan said with a helpless sigh, "I was just looking out of curiosity. I wasn't planning on going in. Honestly, even if you wanted something in there, I couldn't afford it."

He wished he could be like the fox spirit in the storybooks, hunting down every rare treasure in the world to give his wife just to see her smile. But he had neither the fox spirit's abilities nor his wealth.

Even counting what his mother had given him, he only had about three taels of silver on him. Never mind a jade hairpin—he'd have to think twice about buying even a silver bracelet.

Wen Xi shook his head. "I don't want those things."

Five taels of silver—that was enough for who knows how many baskets of mutton buns. If Yan Fengan wasted money on useless junk like that, Wen Xi wouldn't be happy—he'd just feel pained and upset, and would scold him for not knowing how to manage money.

"It's okay to want things. I know a place that sells jewelry too, much cheaper than the Treasure Pavilion. Let's go check it out."

Back when he was selling persimmons, Yan Fengan had scoped out the area around the market. There was a narrow alley to the left of the market, and in that alley were many vendors pushing wooden carts, all selling everyday trinkets for women and young wives.

The items on those stalls weren't as fine or well-made as those in the Treasure Pavilion, but they were decent quality and affordable—perfect for ordinary folks like them.

Wen Xi had never been to a place like this before. The moment he entered the alley, he was thrilled, picking up a wooden comb to examine it one moment, then slipping a copper thimble onto his finger the next.

Besides those, there were also handkerchiefs and sachets for sale. Since Wen Xi was in the same trade, he quietly asked about the prices.

The stall owner told him, "Plain handkerchiefs are twenty coppers each; embroidered and dyed ones are fifty. Scented sachets are eighty coppers apiece."

Wen Xi learned something new again. He was now something of an insider, and without needing further explanation, he could figure out the cost of materials.

Not counting the labor, a plain handkerchief or sachet might not even cost twenty coppers in materials, yet they could sell for so much. The profit was huge.

"Sweetheart, which one do you like? Want me to help you pick one?"

Wen Xi didn't know how to say no to the stall owner's enthusiasm. It was Yan Fengan who spoke up: "Thanks, but we're just looking."

After turning away and walking some distance, Wen Xi let out a quiet sigh. Seeing he looked like he wanted to say something but couldn't quite get it out, Yan Fengan asked gently, "What's wrong?"

Wen Xi leaned closer to Yan Fengan, pressing up close against him, and whispered, "I feel like..."

Seeing him hesitate, Yan Fengan didn't rush him, merely leaning in to listen closely.

Wen Xi felt a little embarrassed, but he told the truth anyway: "That stall owner's stuff isn't as well-made as mine. Looking closely, his handkerchiefs have uneven stitching, and the sachets aren't cinched tight enough at the opening..."

After saying a few things, Wen Xi felt it wasn't quite right. Last time, He Jin had used a phrase—something like "professionals look down on each other," meaning people in the same trade despise one another.

And now here he was, pointing out flaws in that stall owner's work in front of Yan Fengan—wasn't that exactly what that saying meant?

Honestly, how could he badmouth others to praise himself? Thinking it was one thing, but saying it out loud was way too arrogant. That stall owner was out there in the dead of winter, which was hard enough, and here he was saying stuff like that. It was kind of a jerk move.

But he had said it quietly to Yan Fengan, not loudly or deliberately trying to ruin the owner's business. Surely that didn't make him a bad person, did it?

Wen Xi couldn't help sneaking a glance at Yan Fengan, afraid he'd think badly of him for being so full of himself.

Yan Fengan caught his eye and his heart softened. Wen Xi rarely said stuff like that. The fact that he dared to say it at all showed how much he trusted him.

Imitating Wen Xi's manner, Yan Fengan deliberately nudged his arm and agreed in a low voice, "Indeed, not as well-made as yours. That pouch you embroidered for me—if you took it to the market, it would surely fetch just as good a price."

Wen Xi's eyes lit up, a hint of happiness showing through, though he remained reserved: "The things I embroider are all very simple. Not everyone would necessarily appreciate them."

"Who says so? I think the things you embroider are absolutely wonderful. Even selling for a hundred coppers would be well deserved."

Wen Xi was delighted by his coaxing: "Really? Then... should I set up a stall in the future too?"

Yan Fengan curved his lips into a smile: "Sure. When you set up your stall, I'll be your shop assistant, helping you carry the goods and keep the accounts. You can just pay me a little wage every day, right?"

"Huh? Do husband and wife need to pay wages to each other?"

Yan Fengan said with mock seriousness, "Of course we do. Even brothers settle accounts clearly. I may be your husband, but doing all this work is quite tiring too. You should at least show some appreciation."

Wen Xi thought it over and said slowly, "Then let's forget it."

"Don't be like that—how can we just forget it? If you don't want to pay wages, you could give me some other sweet reward instead."

Wen Xi shook his head again: "You focus on your studies. I'll handle these tiring tasks myself."

Yan Fengan had meant it as a joke, but hearing those words, something struck him in the chest. He squeezed Wen Xi's fingers and sighed, "What a fool!"

With the small talk finished, the two stopped in front of a stall selling jewelry and miscellaneous goods.

Though the stall was small, its selection was complete—peach wood hairpins, twisted copper bracelets, plain silver rings, everything one could want. There were even a few strands of glass beads hanging up.

Those glass beads were about the size of Wen Xi's pinky fingernail, in shades of green, blue, and more—so many bright, vivid colors. One glance was all it took for Wen Xi to be completely captivated.

Seeing his dazed expression, Yan Fengan casually picked up a strand of dark green glass beads and weighed it in his hand: "If you like them, try them on."

He slipped the bracelet onto Wen Xi's wrist. The beads glowing with a soft green light made Wen Xi's wrist, smooth as silk, look even fairer.

Yan Fengan exclaimed sincerely, "Truly beautiful."

Then he turned to the stall owner: "How much for this?"

The stall owner extended his frost-reddened fingers: "Three hundred coppers."

Hearing it would cost three hundred coppers, Wen Xi hurriedly tried to take the bracelet off, but Yan Fengan gently gripped his wrist to stop him, asking the stall owner casually, "Can't you lower the price a bit?"

The stall owner sniffled and shivered as he said, "Please forgive me, young sir. In winter, we generally don't haggle at our stalls. Do me a kindness and let this old man earn a bit more for charcoal."

Yan Fengan lowered his head without saying more, then picked up a hairpin from the stall and asked, "What about this one? How much?"

"This hairpin is silver, finely crafted. At least four hundred coppers."

Yan Fengan scoffed lightly: "Copper plated with silver is copper plated with silver. Don't call it a silver hairpin."

The old man said, "Oh dear, I'm not trying to deceive you. Where could you find a real silver hairpin at this price? Everyone calls them that."

Yan Fengan tucked the hairpin into Wen Xi's hair bun: "I'll give you six hundred coppers for both. Are you selling or not?"

"No, no, no!" The old man waved his hands repeatedly. "At that price, I'd be losing money hand over fist."

Wen Xi tugged at Yan Fengan's sleeve, his voice so soft it was almost carried away by the cold wind: "Too expensive, let's not buy it."

Though he sympathized with the stall owners' hard work, their own money wasn't easy to come by either.

He had done so much embroidery work and still hadn't earned six hundred wen in total. Spending so much on such impractical things would surely leave him regretting it and beating his chest for days.

Yan Fengan deliberately twisted his meaning and said to the stall owner, "My spouse doesn't really care for these things either. If you're truly unwilling to lower the price, then we'll just leave it."

"Oh, you two..." the old man muttered a few times, "Fine, fine, I'll take a loss and sell them to you."

Yan Fengan pulled six qian of silver from his chest and placed it on the stall, not bothering to have the old man wrap the items, letting Wen Xi wear them as they were.

After leaving the stall, Wen Xi touched the glass beads on his wrist and sighed softly, "The trick you and your mother used to bargain is really effective."

No matter how tough these vendors acted, as long as you said you were leaving, they'd surely agree to negotiate.

"Even though the stall owner discounted so much, I still think it's expensive."

Yan Fengan had expected this reaction: "It's not expensive. Think about it—how much would a bracelet like this cost at the Treasure Pavilion?"

Wen Xi had never been to the Treasure Pavilion and didn't know how much the glass beads there would sell for, but he had just seen a white jade hairpin there for five taels of silver, so he figured the glass bead bracelet wouldn't be cheap either.

He said uncertainly, "It might cost several taels of silver too."

"Compared to several taels, six hundred wen is a lot cheaper, isn't it?"

Wen Xi blinked. Comparing it that way, the bracelet on his wrist didn't seem so expensive after all.

As his expression gradually relaxed, Yan Fengan added, "We only spent six hundred wen on two pieces of jewelry, and the money we saved can buy other things. In a way, we've actually come out ahead."

Wen Xi was a bit swayed by his persuasion, feeling something was off yet his words made sense.

Yan Fengan changed the subject: "This is the first gift I've given you—do you like it? My means are limited right now, so I can only give you these simple trinkets, but I'll work harder in the future."

Wen Xi pressed the hand with the bracelet to his chest, his arm brushing against Yan Fengan's, and said shyly yet sweetly, "I like it."

This was the first time in his life he had received something so precious, so how could his heart not be filled with joy and gratitude?

---

Last night, He Jin and Li Wan, knowing Wen Xi was going to town, each gave him some copper coins to buy something for Shen Yun.

The Shen family originally had no connections with the Yan family. Shen Liang's decision to give the embroidery work to He Jin and the others this time was because of the friendship between Wen Xi and Shen Yun.

If nothing unexpected happens, the two sides should have a long-term partnership going forward.

Although they earned their living through their own skills, without Shen Liang making the connection, they'd have had to find work at embroidery workshops themselves—troublesome, and their income wouldn't be as stable.

He Jin and the others weren't ungrateful people. Having received his favor, they should at least show their gratitude.

The stall had many small items, and after picking out his own ornaments, Wen Xi also chose a few items for Shen Yun.

Shen Yun was a pretty young man who loved pretty things, so Wen Xi bought him a wooden comb, a bronze mirror, and a red ribbon for his hair.

After buying these, there was still some money left from what He Jin and the others had given. Since they were giving gifts, the gifts should be decent.

Wen Xi added some of his own money and went to a pastry shop to buy a box of sesame flat cakes, half a catty of crunchy candy, and some candied fruit. Shen Yun's mother drank medicine every day, and with some candied fruit, the bitterness in her mouth wouldn't be so bad.

The flat cakes were sprinkled with sesame seeds and looked delicious. With the money they'd earned, Yan Fengan also bought a box for the family.

On the way home, there happened to be an ox cart going in their direction, so the two caught a ride, which made the journey a bit easier.

The glass beads were hidden under his sleeve and not easily noticed, but the silver hairpin in his hair was very eye-catching. As soon as they got home, Chen Lanfang and the others immediately noticed the change in Wen Xi.

Wen Xi felt anxious, afraid she would scold him for spending money carelessly. Unexpectedly, Chen Lanfang smiled and took his hand, saying, "Not bad. You should learn to fix yourself up like your Brother Jin and the others. Next time, have Sanlang buy you a solid silver one—that would be truly beautiful."

Wen Xi sighed in relief, gave a small smile, and showed them the beads on his wrist as well: "Fengan bought me this too."

He Jin said with some envy, "Truly a scholar—even his gifts are so elegant."

Then he immediately reassured himself: "But your second brother isn't bad either. This hairpin on my head was made by his own hands." He took it off to show Wen Xi: "Look, look how beautifully he carved the flower on the top of the pin."

Wen Xi looked at him enviously: "Second brother's skill is really good."

He Jin smiled and put the hairpin back in place: "Of course. Your second brother, setting aside everything else, definitely has this skill."

Chen Lanfang listened to the two of them and shook her head with a smile. They were showing off like kids—how childish.

But with her son and son-in-law getting along so well, she was happy to see that. A family should be peaceful and lively like this to live a good life.

Thinking about He Jin taking his son and granddaughter back to her family home tomorrow, Chen Lanfang turned and went to the kitchen to prepare eggs and cured meat for them.

He Jin's sister-in-law at her natal home wasn't easy to get along with, so bringing more things back would keep her from finding fault.