Mysteries of the Great Zhou Dynasty

Chapter 45 Extra Daily Drama - Embroidered Shoes (1)

The weather in Fengxian County in April of the 15th year of Xian De was exceptionally good. Spring had arrived and peach blossoms were blooming all over the mountains.

"Sir, Changfeng, Moyun, good morning! I'm here to collect my monthly allowance!" Rong Wanyin, dressed in a pale pink, stand-up collared, embroidered gown, exuded a vibrant energy. She radiantly bounded to Yan Mingzhang's study to find Changfeng. Her right index finger was hooked around an embroidered purse, which spun rapidly around her slender fingers. Rong Wanyin's face was filled with a smile, like a miser who had fallen into a purse.

"Miss Rong, don't worry, I have prepared it long ago. This is your monthly allowance." Changfeng handed over a purse.

Rong Wanyin opened the bag and counted the money. Unconvinced, she poured the money onto the table and counted it again, her face filled with disbelief: "Three hundred coins?"

"That's right, it's three hundred coins. My salary before was one hundred coins a month." Chang Feng suppressed a smile and said, "Three hundred coins is already a lot!"

Rong Wanyin was devastated. "Only three hundred coins? Ten coins a day for a month?"

Chang Feng couldn't bear it any longer. "Yes, our master said it's ten coins a day, one coin for a meat bun, so you can buy ten a day, two in the morning, four at noon and four in the evening, enough for you. Of course, the county government provides food and accommodation, so if you don't want to eat out, that's fine too. We can make a net profit of three hundred coins a month!"

Rong Wanyin was furious and said, "Yan Mingzhang, you are too much of a bully!"

Changfeng blocked Rong Wanyin's way and said, "Miss Rong, the document we signed at the time was indeed like this. Our master didn't lie to you! Why don't you go back and take a closer look at the document?"

Yan Mingzhang looked at the documents by himself with a calm expression.

"Hmph,...they're all sesame dumplings!" Rong Wanyin turned around and left angrily, but when she reached the door, she remembered it again, came back, grabbed her purse, and left without looking back.

"Changfeng, what does sesame dumplings mean?" Mo Yun, who was standing aside, asked in confusion.

Chang Feng looked as if he understood everything: "Look, what color is the core of the sesame dumpling?"

"Black... black heart?" Mo Yun's eyes widened, and he nudged Chang Feng with his elbow. "Then why isn't the master angry when Miss Rong says that?"

"What do you know? This is called flirting..." Changfeng said in a low voice. Before he could finish his words, Yan Mingzhang glared at him fiercely and he immediately shut up.

"Our master was not so stingy before. Why is he so stingy towards Miss Rong? Isn't he afraid that she will run away if he is so stingy?" Mo Yun lowered his voice and asked fearlessly.

"What do you know? If you give more money, you can run away with the money. If you don't have money, where can you run?" Changfeng answered patiently.

"Oh..." Mo Yun suddenly realized and gave a thumbs up.

"Hey, I heard it all clearly! The two of you stand in the corner facing the wall." Yan Mingzhang held his forehead with his hand, his face dark, and said, "I have to go out for a while."

Before Yan Mingzhang even left the house, he heard the two men muttering, "Are they going to coax Miss Rong?"

"I can hear you. If you say more, your monthly salary will be deducted!" Yan Mingzhang's voice came from outside the door.

The two of them finally shut up.

After receiving the money, of course I have to buy something! Rong Wanyin swung her purse and sighed as she walked: What can I buy with such a small amount of money?

Suddenly, her eyes lit up and she discovered that a new shoe store had opened in front of her. She went in excitedly to take a look and saw all kinds of shoes, all of which were the latest styles.

"Boss, how much are these shoes?" Rong Wanyin picked up a pair of white embroidered shoes with red crabapple embroidery on them.

"Miss, you have really good taste. This pair is top-notch Hunan embroidery. It only costs one or two taels of silver." The shopkeeper replied with a shrewd look on his face, rubbing his hands.

"What about this pair?" Rong Wanyin picked up another pair of Lamei's embroidered shoes.

"This pair of shoes has an upper made of the finest Shu brocade, and is decorated with Hunan embroidery. Look at the stitches, they are so dense and neat. It takes a top-notch embroiderer three months to complete the work! This pair only costs two taels of silver! And each pair has a different pattern! There is only one pair of each! The goods just arrived the day before yesterday, and several pairs have been sold. This is the only pair left!" The shopkeeper spared no effort to sell.

"It's not that mysterious! The pattern is just a little novel, but the stitching is a little rough." Rong Wanyin's expression remained calm. "I can buy it for a few ounces of silver to play with."

The shopkeeper was about to retort when he saw the exquisite embroidery on Rong Wanyin's sleeves. He knew that he had met an expert and said with a smile, "Young lady, why don't you take a look at these red-soled peony-embroidered shoes? It's a small business, so the profit can't be that big!"

"I don't want these... red-bottomed peony-embroidered shoes." Rong Wanyin waved her hands repeatedly and even took two steps back, as if she had seen a ghost.

The shopkeeper, who had only been in Fengxian County for a few days, looked confused. Why did the people in Fengxian County hate peonies so much?
Rong Wanyin felt her bulging purse, but when she realized there were only 300 coins inside, she couldn't help but feel a little discouraged. However, she kept a straight face and put the embroidered shoes back. Turning around, she saw a familiar figure. Who else could it be but Yan Mingzhang?

Rong Wanyin put on a fawning smile and rushed over, saying, "Sir, why are you here? What a coincidence! Are you here to buy shoes, too?"

Yan Mingzhang stroked the jade flute in his hand, feeling a little embarrassed. After all, he wasn't as thick-skinned as Rong Wanyin. Didn't she just call him a cruel person? How could they let go of their past grudges so quickly? Something must be wrong when things are out of the ordinary. Yan Mingzhang casually put Rong Wanyin's messed-up shoes in order and said, "I... I'm just taking a look."

"But this is a women's shoe store? Well, forget it. Sir, do you have money? Can you lend me some? I need help in this emergency!" Rong Wanyin rubbed her hands with a smile and came forward.

"How much do you want? I don't have any more...." Rong Wanyin leaned too close, and Yan Mingzhang's ears suddenly became hot and red.

Rong Wanyin held up two fingers, pointed to the number two and said, "Two taels is enough!"

Yan Mingzhang was furious. Why should he worry about her not having enough money? She didn't feel embarrassed at all. Why did he feel like he was being taken advantage of? But he still couldn't bear to refuse. He glanced at the pair of embroidered shoes that cost two taels of silver. She would look good in them. Ah, no, the shoes really did look good. But Yan Mingzhang also wanted to see Rong Wanyin be humiliated and beg him for mercy. Thinking of this, Yan Mingzhang took out one tael of silver and handed it to her: "One tael, no more. I'll only pay half. You can figure out the remaining one tael yourself."

Yan Mingzhang folded his arms, smiling, waiting for Rong Wanyin to come and beg him.

Rong Wanyin pouted, looking like a wilted eggplant, and took it with great reluctance. However, after receiving the silver, her expression suddenly changed. She smiled brightly, raised the silver in her hand and said, "Thank you!"

Rong Wanyin turned around and handed the silver to the shopkeeper: "Shopkeeper, I want the pair of shoes that cost one tael of silver!"

Yan Mingzhang was stunned. Today was truly an eye-opener. He frowned and said, "So this is actually possible?"

(End of this chapter)