Sisters in the Deep Forest Valley: Many Fun Things

Boss Yao glanced at his niece and said, "Put down the tea and go watch the shop."

Yao Jing gave her aunt a mischievous smile and went out.

Lin Chunyi and Lin Lanshan were envious when they saw this scene.

A lively and spirited niece, and a gentle and loving aunt.

Lin Lanshan watched Yao Jing's departing figure and murmured to herself:

so good.

Boss Yao took in the expressions of the two men and sighed inwardly:

The two little girls, without any relatives by their side, are truly pitiful. It's a pity that the traveling merchant didn't know where he got these goods; it's unlikely we'll ever come across such beautiful hairpins again.

Well, these hairpins are indeed exquisite and worth the price.

“Miss Lin, I won’t mince words. Two silver hairpins for seventeen taels, four wooden hairpins for five taels, what do you think?”

Lin Chunyi was surprised and gently pinched her sister's palm.

She said no more, bowed to Boss Yao, and expressed her gratitude:

"My sister and I are here to thank Boss Yao." The sister also bowed in thanks.

They both knew in their hearts that these hairpins, priced at twenty-two taels, were a very generous offer from Boss Yao.

Even if she resold it to wealthy young ladies and wives, the price would only be much higher.

But what does that have to do with two women who have no relatives or connections? If they went elsewhere to sell themselves, they might not only fail to get such a high price, but they might also be murdered and robbed.

After leaving the Treasure Pavilion, the two walked a short distance before Lin Chunyi said she wanted to go to the study.

"Sister, why are we going to the study? Do you want to study in town?" Lin Lanshan looked at her sister in horror.

I've been in school for over ten years, and now I have to grow vegetables and study at the same time in ancient times? Is that too inspiring?

Lin Chunyi stopped her younger sister, who was trying to back away, and looked around. There was no one near the study.

He whispered:

"What are you thinking? There's no women's college here! Besides, I've had three more years of study time than you, so I'm even less willing to go!"

"I'm planning to go in and see if there are any interesting stories. When there's not much work to do in winter, we need something to pass the time."

The only study in town is called Jingsi Zhai (Quiet Contemplation Studio).

Just like its name suggests, Jing Si Zhai exudes tranquility and peace even before one reaches the entrance, as if it isolates one from all the hustle and bustle of the town.

As you walk to the door, the air is filled with the distinctive aroma of paper and ink.

Only one shop assistant sat in the study, drowsy. Lin Lanshan knocked on the counter.

"Hey bro? Do you have any good storybooks in the shop?"

The waiter was startled awake. Seeing that it was two young ladies, he blushed and said:

"The storybook is over here."

The two sisters followed the shop assistant to a row of bookshelves in the corner. They recognized the words, but Lin Chunyi found them jarring.

"The Overbearing Prince Runs Away with the Baby," "The Charming Young Master and the Beautiful Widow," "There's Always a Demon Trying to Steal My Master"...

People in ancient times...were actually quite fashionable.

Lin Chunyi knew without even looking that her younger sister's eyes were glued to these storybooks.

But she frowned and asked the waiter,

"anything else?"

The waiter suddenly realized that the young woman didn't like reading romance books, so he picked up a few books from another bookshelf and said:

"How about this, young lady? It's full of interesting folk tales and local customs."

Lin Chunyi's eyes lit up immediately. She selected two books and asked excitedly:

"Hey sir, how much are these two books, 'Folk Anecdotes' and 'Local Travelogues'?"

"These are copies made by students in the academy. They're cheaper; two copies will only cost two taels of silver."

Lin Chunyi took out the loose silver from her purse to pay, but Lin Lanshan tugged at her sister's sleeve and said:

"Sister~ Hehe, I want this."

Sure enough, she brought out a copy of "The Overbearing Prince Runs Away with the Baby" and placed it on the counter next to "Folk Anecdotes" and "Local Travelogues".

……

Lin Chunyi sighed, "Please include this book in your calculations."

The waiter smiled and said:

"It's two and a half ounces in total."

Lin Chunyi took out the loose silver coins she had just received and handed them to him.

After the waiter weighed it with a scale, he cut off a small piece with scissors and gave it to her as a token of his gratitude for her patronage.

Lin Chunyi accepted the small piece of silver and thanked her, then turned and left with her sister.

The waiter waved goodbye, saying, "Take care, ladies."

Lin Chunyi led her smiling younger sister out of the study.

Lin Lanshan placed her beloved book in her basket and asked:

"Sis, where do we go next?"

"Let's go to the butcher shop. We're running low on oil at home. See if they have any lard."

The two arrived at Wang's Butcher Shop, and Lin Chunyi asked:

"Boss, do you have any lard left?"

Mr. Wang, who is slightly overweight, smiled憨憨地:

"They're all gone. You two ladies will have to come back at 7 AM next time to buy them."

Lin Chunyi thought for a moment and then asked:

"Boss, could you please reserve a lard for me tomorrow? I'll be there at dawn."

Mr. Wang nodded with a smile.

Lin Chunyi thanked her and left with her sister.

"Sis, are we staying in town tonight?"

"Yes, we still need to buy quite a lot of things. We'll stay here one night and do the shopping over two days."

Lin Lanshan understood. She would buy some today and put them in her space, and buy the rest tomorrow and put them in her basket.

Then the two went to the blacksmith's shop; they planned to buy a stove so they wouldn't have to go to the kitchen to cook every day in the winter.

They walked for half an hour and arrived at the blacksmith's shop. The blacksmith at the door was intently watching the iron block in his hands, swinging his hammer to forge it.

"Master, do you have a small stove for cooking rice?"

The blacksmith glanced at them, didn't stop hammering, and shouted without turning his head:

"Ah Shou, take the guests to see the stove."

The person inside the shop immediately responded.

A boy of about fourteen or fifteen years old walked out. Like the blacksmith, he had thick eyebrows, big eyes, dark skin, and a strong physique.

"What kind of stove do you two ladies need? Come with me and let me take a look."

Lin Chunyi and Lin Lanshan walked into the blacksmith shop and looked around. The shop had a full range of kitchen utensils and farm tools.

She gestured with her hands to indicate the shape and size, "We want to buy a small iron stove and a small iron pot, just enough for two people to boil water and cook porridge."

The waiter picked through the items and picked up an iron stove that was less than half a meter tall and a small iron pot.

"How much silver do these iron stove and pot cost?"

"Two taels of silver."

Lin Chunyi and her sister exchanged a glance. She was about to haggle when her sister stopped her. She asked the shopkeeper:

Do you... have hidden blades here?

The shopkeeper was taken aback. Ordinary people didn't need hidden weapons, so he asked a question.

"What...do you need these hidden blades for?"

“We are hunters. When my sister and I were young, we weren’t skilled enough, so we could only set traps on the outskirts of the mountains. We’ve been practicing hard ever since, and we feel that we are skilled enough to move around in the deep mountains. So we decided to go into the deep mountains before the new year to try it out. We want to buy some hidden arrows to carry with us, just in case.”

It's amazing that two teenage girls could go hunting in the deep mountains on their own!

"It's quite a coincidence, my master just made a few hidden blades a while ago, but the price..."