Sisters in the Deep Forest Valley: Many Fun Things

Lin Chunyi said helplessly:

"It seems that lightness skill requires a technique to practice, which I don't really understand. But this is all we can do for now, at least our speed will increase. It would be great if we could get the lightness skill technique someday."

However, they only dared to think about such a good thing in their hearts. After all, where could two female hunters who grew vegetables and hunted in the mountains meet martial arts practitioners and learn lightness skills?

After that, Lin Chunyi and Lin Lanshan stayed at home every day, practicing kung fu and exchanging moves.

With the Mid-Autumn Festival just two weeks away, they finally decided:

Down the mountain!

The day before their departure, Lin Chunyi placed silver coins, a wood-chopping knife, Yunnan Baiyao hemostatic powder, insurance money, and food in their personal space.

They always kept their relationship separate after sharing it equally, always on guard against the possibility that one day they might separate.

It was just past dawn, still dark, and the valley was quiet. The birds, flowers, and trees were still asleep.

They went out carrying baskets on their backs and flashlights.

Once you leave the valley, you'll enter the inner perimeter of Youxian Mountain.

At this time, the deep mountains were completely silent. If it weren't for the fact that the sky was already turning white, the two sisters wouldn't have dared to pass through here.

They had been wearing stones on their feet recently, so they descended the mountain in less than an hour.

After descending the mountain, we followed the path behind the mountain for another hour and a half before finally arriving at Luoxia Town.

Luoxia Town is not large, but it has a lot of shops.

On the streets paved with bluestone slabs, there are various shops with black tiles and white walls, and a wide variety of goods.

There were vendors hawking their wares, as well as travelers and pedestrians riding oxen and donkeys.

The bustling scene in Luoxia Town made the two sisters' eyes widen in amazement.

"Sis, this town is so lively! Which way should we go first?"

Lin Chunyi thought for a moment and said:

"Let's go sell the hairpin first."

Lin Lanshan pressed further:

"Should we set up a stall and sell our wares? Or go to a pawnshop?"

Lin Chunyi rolled her eyes:

"Setting up a stall is out of the question. You said before that I could sell myself if I set up a stall, have you forgotten? Besides, with so many people around, how could you possibly shout out your wares?"

Lin Lanshan shook her head. She was usually only loud and boisterous in front of her family; she was quite "reserved" when she went out.

Lin Lanshan added:

"As for pawnshops, they accept gold and silver jewelry. Don't you know what our hairpins are made of? At most, they might sell for three or four taels of silver because of their pretty design, I estimate."

So she decided:

"Let's go to the Treasure Pavilion!"

In Luoxia Town, there is a jewelry store called Zhenbaoge.

Hairpins, hair ornaments, bracelets, earrings, and more—from gold and silver to jade, agate, and pearls, they have it all.

She led her sister to the Treasure Pavilion.

As soon as I stepped into the shop, a girl of about fifteen or sixteen years old, dressed in a purple-pink dress and with her hair styled in a lily bun, walked over with a smile.

"Greetings, ladies. What kind of jewelry would you like to buy?"

This was the first outsider they had interacted with since coming into this world, and Lin Chunyi's hand holding her sister's was a little stiff.

Na Na said:

"We...we want to see the hairpin."

Seeing the two sisters' unease, the steward understood. He spoke softly:

"Please come this way, ladies."

The two then followed the woman to the display case of hairpins.

The variety of hairpins is dazzling.

The silver ones range from a few taels to more than ten taels, while the wooden ones are all less than one tael.

Lin Chunyi breathed a sigh of relief: Thank goodness, it's not bad as expected.

Lin Chunyi then realized that she hadn't greeted the manager yet.

"Sir, this is our first time here, please excuse us. My surname is Lin, may I ask your name?"

The woman revealed an expression of certainty and quickly waved her hand, saying:

"So it's Miss Lin and Little Miss Lin. I dare not call myself manager. My surname is Yao, just call me Madam Yao."

Lin Chunyi then gestured for her sister to take out the cloth bag from her arms, open it, and explain their purpose.

"Manager Yao, my sister and I have come today to ask if your shop accepts this?"

Manager Yao looked at the open cloth bag in Lin Lanshan's hand, his pupils dilated slightly, and the corners of his mouth turned up in a smile as he asked:

"Are you selling these hairpins?"

The two nodded.

"Please wait a moment, I'll go find the boss. I can't make this decision myself."

Without waiting for the two sisters' response, she excitedly went to the backyard.

Lin Chunyi and Lin Lanshan were finally completely relieved.

Lin Chunyi thought to herself:

It seems that modern assembly lines were also successful in ancient times.

He whispered in his sister's ear again:

"Act according to the situation. When it's time to cry, then cry, cry your heart out."

Why cry over selling a hairpin?

"What kind of hairpin is this that makes you so anxious? A sixteen-year-old girl, about to get married, is so immature!"

The voice came from the backyard before the person even arrived.

The curtain was pulled back, revealing a beautiful lady with her hair styled in a traditional Chinese updo, with Steward Yao following behind her.

Manager Yao's face flushed slightly, and she said in a sweet voice:

"Auntie, look at those hairpins! They're so pretty, even the wood they're made of is better than ours. I've never seen the flowers on them before. Auntie, could you save one for me later?"

They turned out to be aunt and niece.

"Two young ladies are here to sell hairpins? May I take a look?"

Boss Yao took the cloth bag from Lin Lanshan and examined it carefully. Lin Chunyi noticed a fleeting look of amazement in her eyes before she regained her composure and did not touch it.

"Miss Lin, Second Miss Lin, please come to the backyard with me for a chat. Jing'er, brew a pot of good tea," Boss Yao invited.

Judging from the shop owner's attitude, this hairpin can make a lot of money today!

Lin Chunyi held her younger sister's hand with one hand and waved her other hand to indicate:

"Then I'll take my leave of you, Mr. Yao."

Then I followed Boss Yao to the backyard.

"Miss Lin, how do you plan to sell these hairpins?"

Boss Yao could tell that it was his sister who was in charge.

Lin Chunyi understood: Boss Yao had taken a liking to the craftsmanship of the hairpin maker. Unfortunately, with modern assembly lines, where could she find someone to make this again?

So, with tears welling up in her eyes, she said:

“Boss Yao, these hairpins were bought for my sister and me by a traveling merchant when my father passed through the county town before he passed away. We should have cherished them, but after my father passed away, my sister fell seriously ill, and the exorbitantly priced medicines and tonics used up most of our family’s money. I really had no choice but to sell them.”

After saying that, her eyes filled with tears as she looked longingly at the hairpin in the cloth bag.

Lin Lanshan understood then; this was the essence of playing it by ear.

She immediately burst into tears, looking at her sister with a guilty expression, and said:

"Sister, I'm sorry, if it weren't for my illness..." She burst into tears before she could finish speaking.

The hands hidden in the sleeves were so tight they were practically churning the flesh.

Yao Jing, who had been listening to the whole thing while carrying a tea tray, sniffed and said:

"Compared to these hairpins, your father would definitely prefer you to live peacefully and healthily. Your hairpins are so beautiful, don't worry about selling them to my aunt. My aunt is very honest and wouldn't cheat you!"