The wife of two taels of silver

Lin Haitang and Lin Qiaoxia were walking in the market.

It was Lin Haitang's first time visiting an ancient bazaar. She was curious about everything and kept looking around. This made Lin Qiaoxia laugh inwardly: "You're already a mother of two children, why are you still acting like a child, wandering around the bazaar?"

Lin Haitang scratched her head shyly: "Sister, this is not my first time here."

Lin Qiaoxia couldn't believe it was her first time in the county town, so she asked, "Has your mother never brought you here before?"

Lin Haitang said, "Sister, I used to be stupid. My mother didn't like me and didn't beat or scold me, which was good. Why would she bring me to the city?" She paused and said, "My mother-in-law is a good person and treats me very well, but I'm not very smart after all. My mother-in-law was afraid that I would get lost, so she never brought me here. But she never neglected me when it came to food and drink. In fact, my mother-in-law is more like my real mother than my mother."

Lin Qiaoxia was very surprised and said, "Aunt Wu is so partial. No wonder I never saw you come out before." Lin Qiaoxia thought of the farce in the village a few days ago and said, "Well, you've changed now. There's no need to feel sad for your mother. She treated you like that, so it's better for you to break up."

Lin Haitang really didn't expect that her sister would think so much about her and even tell her such a thing in front of her. It can only be said that Lin Qiaoxia is a really straightforward and kind-hearted person.

Before Lin Haitang could say anything, Lin Qiaoxia continued, "Your mother-in-law is a good person. She always helped us in the past. Your husband and I grew up together. Erzhu can read a few words now, thanks to Gu An. And Momo and Lanlan also play with my little girl. My little girl is timid. When she was bullied by her uncle's little son, she didn't dare to say anything. Momo and Lanlan would help her chase him away."

Lin Haitang knew her ex-husband's family had a good reputation in the village, but she didn't really know much about them. Now, she sees that her mother-in-law is indeed a good person. Lin Haitang said, "Children are the most loyal to each other. They will help their friends when they are bullied. Sister should teach her a lesson. She can't keep quiet when she is bullied."

Lin Qiaoxia sighed, "Alas, my daughter has the same temperament as her father, she's quite reserved. I'll slowly teach her later. Let's not talk about these awful things. Don't you want to buy clothes for the child? Ready-made clothes are more expensive, so why not just cut the cloth and make them yourself?"

Lin Haitang smiled awkwardly, "Sister, I don't know how to make clothes. Besides, I used to be mentally retarded. Ever since my mother-in-law passed away, the two children's lives have been getting worse and worse. Now they don't even have a decent cotton-padded jacket. Making clothes will inevitably take a few days. I plan to buy the children two ready-made clothes first, and then buy some cloth and have someone make a few more sets for them."

Lin Qiaoxia said directly: "Why are you looking for someone? I'll make it for you. I just happened to be making clothes for my daughter, so I made some for Momo Lanlan as well."

Lin Haitang was just wondering who to find to do the work, and when she finally felt sleepy, someone came and offered her a pillow: "Thank you so much, sister. Can I pay you fifty cents per piece?"

Lin Qiaoxia was immediately upset: "What's the relationship between our two families? How can I ask you for money? Besides, how can a piece of children's clothing cost so much? It's 40 cents a piece."

Lin Haitang had found the price in her mother-in-law's account book, which she had seen in her mother-in-law's room while searching for clothes for her two children. The prices ranged from forty to fifty wen. She offered Lin Qiaoxia the highest price, firstly because Lin Qiaoxia had just helped her, and secondly because, according to her original body's memory, Lin Qiaoxia had received nothing after the family split. Life had been very difficult, and she hadn't had a good New Year, much like Lin Haitang's family. Fortunately, although Li Erzhu was a bit dull, he was very hardworking. He kept going up the mountain to hunt, and finally he managed to hunt a wolf. The wolf sold for three taels of silver, enough for the family to live on for three months.

"Sister Qiaoxia, I must pay you for your work, otherwise how can I ask you for help in the future? Besides, the girl has such a good relationship with Momolanlan, and I, her aunt, haven't given her a gift yet. Fifty cents is fifty cents." Lin Haitang said.

"The wage is at least 40 cents. As an older sister, I can't take advantage of my younger sister." Lin Qiaoxia decisively rejected Lin Haitang.

Lin Haitang was helpless: "Let's just go with whatever Sister Qiaoxia says. Sister Qiaoxia, let's go to the clothing store first. We won't be able to free up our hands if we go to the grain store."

Lin Qiaoxia said, "Okay."

The two of them crossed the market on their way to the clothing store. The market was bustling with activity, filled with the cries of vendors selling women's accessories, food, and children's toys. Even though it was winter, there were no fresh vegetables for sale, though there were a few radishes. Soon, the two of them arrived at the clothing store.

The two of them walked in. The store was neither small nor big. There weren't many people there. There were clothes for both adults and children.

The clothes in the store were pretty good-looking, and the fabrics were soft. Lin Haitang had her eye on a sky-blue drop-shoulder jacket with a skirt. Paired with a white plush cape embroidered with peonies, it would surely look great on Gu Zhilan. There was also a men's set, a darker shade than the women's, with an indigo cape embroidered with bamboo.

Lin Haitang took a fancy to the two pieces of clothing and asked, "Waiter, how much is this?"

As soon as Lin Haitang and Lin Qiaoxia entered, the waiter looked them up and down. He knew they weren't wealthy, but when Lin Haitang pointed at the clothes and asked, he didn't look down on them. He said, "Madam, this dress is quite expensive. It costs 450 coins with the cloak, and 300 coins without the cloak. Why don't you take a look over here? Although these clothes are made of coarse cloth, they are also made with plenty of cotton and are very cold-resistant. The inner material is also cotton, so it won't prick the child's body. It's much cheaper, only 100 coins."

Lin Qiaoxia also wanted to say a few words, but it was really not appropriate to interfere too much in other people's affairs. The money was in their own hands, and outsiders really had no right to interfere in how they spent it.

"It's okay, take it down and let me take a look at the workmanship. Take down one for the little boy as well. I want the size for a four-year-old." Lin Haitang smiled. Children are at a stage when they need to develop their self-esteem. Moreover, it was ancient times and she happened to be rich. The money given by the father of the two children was enough for them to have enough food and clothing. Of course, she couldn't treat them badly.

The waiter was overjoyed. He hadn't expected Lin Haitang to be so determined to buy these expensive clothes, and even asked for two sets at once. Of course, he was happy that someone was buying expensive clothes: "Okay, I'll get them for you, Madam!"

The waiter carefully placed the two sets of clothes on the table.

The fabric of the dress is silk, which is very comfortable to the touch. There are peonies or bamboos embroidered with silver thread on the dress, which is very beautiful. The cotton is also very thick and has a lot of filling. It must be very warm to wear. Momo and Lanlan will love it very much.

Lin Qiaoxia also touched it carefully twice: "Oh, this material is so smooth, silk is so good."

Lin Haitang liked them more and more, and said to the waiter, "Waiter, I want these two sets. Pack them up for me. Oh, and get me those two sets of cotton clothes. I want the moon white and mauve ones. They should be suitable for a four-year-old child."

The waiter seemed very happy and said, "Okay, please wait a moment!" He had sold four sets of clothes at the beginning of the day, and they were not very cheap. The shopkeeper would definitely give him a bonus today!

The waiter came out and packed the clothes for Lin Haitang neatly. He said, "Madam, the two silk suits are 450 wen each and the cotton suit is 150 wen each. So the total charge should be 1,200 wen. Please wait here for a moment. I'll go to the back room and ask the shopkeeper to come and see if I can give you a discount."

Lin Haitang really didn't expect the waiter to be so easy to talk to, so she said happily, "Okay, thank you for your help."

It’s a waste not to save. You should save when you should and spend when you should. Only in this way can you live a happy life.

When Lin Qiaoxia heard the waiter's price, she gasped. "That's really enough to feed the whole family for a month." But then she thought, "Gu An sends three taels of silver every month, and besides, you don't need to buy clothes every month." So it's not a big deal.

The shopkeeper and the waiter came in from the back room, lifting the curtain. The shopkeeper said, "Madam, my waiter told me about the clothes you wanted to buy. How about this? I'll give you fifty coins for each piece, and you only need to take one or two ounces of silver."

The shopkeeper had a goat's beard and wore a bamboo-shaped robe. He was a very elegant old man, probably in his fifties.

Lin Haitang accepted it happily: "Okay, thank you, boss, I will come again next time."

Lin Haitang took the clothes and walked out of the shop with Lin Qiaoxia.

Lin Qiaoxia said, "Let's go to the cloth shop and get some cloth cut for the children's clothes."

The two of them entered the cloth shop in a short while. There were many people in the shop and there were a lot of cloths, making people dizzy with the choices.

Lin Haitang and Lin Qiaoxia discussed the color and material they wanted.

In the end, Lin Qiaoxia cut a piece of light chestnut and a piece of dark red cotton cloth.

Lin Haitang asked for a piece of dianzi-colored silk embroidered with lotus patterns, a piece of camellia-colored silk embroidered with peach blossom patterns, and a piece of agate-colored silk embroidered with cirrus cloud patterns. She also cut two batches of cotton cloth in the color of crabapple flowers, which Haitang wanted to use to make quilts.

The two of them carried things of all sizes and continued walking towards the grain store.

The two of them bought rice flour and wheat bran respectively.

Next to the grain store was a spice shop. Lin Haitang walked in and saw some common seasonings, including fennel, pepper, and chili pepper. There were also spices, but they were relatively expensive. Lin Haitang bought some spices and some salt, but did not want chili pepper because she had some in her space.

After shopping, Lin Haitang was overwhelmed by the sight of the scattered items on the floor. This place was so far from the city gate, and how to get there was a huge problem. If no one was around, she could have quietly thrown the items into the space. But even if no one else noticed her, Lin Qiaoxia was always by her side, so the space was useless.

Lin Qiaoxia was also overwhelmed: "Oh, there are too many things. If it really doesn't work, we can find someone to help."

The waiter at the grain store saw the current state of Lin Haitang and Lin Qiaoxia and said, "Why don't you two young ladies find a bullock cart? There's a market further west with bullock carts waiting for you."

After hearing what the waiter said, Lin Haitang no longer felt worried and said happily, "Okay, Sister Qiaoxia, wait here for me. I'll go find an ox cart."

Lin Qiaoxia continued, "Okay, I'll stay here and look after the things. You go find a car."

Lin Haitang walked west looking for oxcarts and finally saw four or five of them on the side of the road. Lin Haitang picked out a middle-aged man who looked clean and youthful and asked him, "Brother, are you going to Shang'anhe Village?"

The eldest brother was very honest: "Come on, sister, are you alone?"

Lin Haitang said, "There's one more person, plus the things we bought, just the two of us waiting in front, how much is one trip?"

The eldest brother said, "It's ten cents to go to Anhe Village. Let's go and pick up the people and get their things."

Lin Haitang agreed on the price and went to buy six buns, four sesame cakes, and three packs of Ruyi cakes.

Some of the steamed buns and sesame cakes were for Lin Haitang and Lin Qiaoxia's lunch, and some were for Gu Mo and Gu Zhilan. One pack of Ruyi cakes was for the two children, one pack was for Lin Qiaoxia's daughter Yatou, and one pack was for the village chief's family.

The driver and Lin Haitang and Lin Qiaoxia loaded the things into the car, and the two of them got in. Lin Haitang took out the buns and sesame cakes and gave Lin Qiaoxia two buns and one sesame cake.

Lin Qiaoxia refused to eat it at first, but Lin Haitang persuaded her to do so.

Lin Qiaoxia was a very serious person and insisted on paying the ten cents for the bus fare herself.

After a whole morning of hard work, the two finally arrived home.