Chapter 29: Miao’er, I Came to Buy

Ah Xun looked at the delicate little figure in front of him, a yard away, and a tender smile appeared in his eyes. “Miao’er,” he called softly.

“What’s up, Brother Ah Xun?” 

Hemaio was flipping through items at a small grocery stall, and she turned back with a bright smile.

Seeing her clear and lovely face, the man couldn’t help but feel a stir in his heart. He raised his hand and handed her a purse of silver, saying, “Miao’er, this money is all yours. Buy whatever you want.”

Hemaio was taken aback. Not to mention that she felt unworthy to take this money, she didn’t dare accept such a large sum!

She waved her hand, pushing the purse back towards him. “No, I can’t take it. This money is yours; I can’t accept it.”

“What’s mine is yours, right?” Ah Xun insisted, handing the purse back with authority. “Take it.”

Hemaio’s little face suddenly turned red, feeling shy and embarrassed. She raised her head, fluttering her eyelashes at him, and said, “I really can’t accept it.”

She took out a small, flat, pink purse from her clothing pocket, revealing some copper coins inside. “I already have my own money. Besides, I’m just casually looking at these little things. I won’t buy anything; they wouldn’t be of any use.”

In the end, Hemaio refused to accept the purse no matter what.

Ah Xun also did not press the issue further; it wasn’t suitable for someone as small as her to carry such a heavy purse of silver. If she kept it on her body, she might attract thieves.

It wouldn’t be a big deal if the silver was lost, but if a thief touched Hemaio in the process, it would not be worth the loss, so he put the purse away himself.

Ah Xun had already made up his mind that he would buy whatever Hemaio liked. He thought about the silver earned from selling horses and realized that keeping it wasn’t necessary.

If he didn’t look for his family and went back to Xi Village, inspired by this horse-selling venture, Ah Xun realized that making money was actually quite easy.

He had seen a bow and arrow in Hemaio’s family storage room, which had startled him at the time when he was hurt. The image of drawing the bow and shooting flashed through his mind, but he didn’t think much of it then due to his injury.

Now he thought he might still have some archery skills. Even if he didn’t, it wouldn’t be hard to learn, so it was worth a try.

If he could shoot arrows, he could go hunting when he returned and sell the game in town. This way, he wouldn’t have to worry about money.

As he imagined the days ahead with Hemaio in that little village, Ah Xun felt filled with anticipation.

If he finds his family…

Ah Xun didn’t want to speculate too much anymore.

In any case, regardless of his background, he had made up his mind to ensure that Hemaio wouldn’t suffer even a little bit.

Since Hemaio wouldn’t spend Ah Xun’s money and he only had a few coins, he just accompanied her to browse the stalls. He bought her a few small trinkets, and she was very happy with her new treasures.

Hemaio was very casual about the things she picked; she took everything without being polite, and with silver in hand, she felt bolder, choosing items in the market.

In front of them was a fabric shop, and Hemaio looked up at the sign that read “Jinxiu Zhai,” deep in thought.

Seeing the women coming and going in the market, although they weren’t all strikingly beautiful or dressed extravagantly, they were all well-dressed, with at least stylish and well-fitted outfits.

Looking at Hemaio and Hemaio, the two spirited little girls stood out in terms of beauty, even the slightly plump Hemaio. A glance around the market indeed showed that they were outstanding, not to mention the village beauty, Hemaio.

However, their clothes were somewhat shabby, revealing their peasant origins, which didn’t do justice to their appearances.

Especially Hemaio, who often wore two sets of green clothes and two sets of blue clothes, alternating them. While they were clean, they were worn and didn’t fit her very well.

The outfits were made from fabric purchased by Hefa before he passed away more than two years ago, with the intention that they would last a few years, so the sizes were made somewhat larger.

Since Hemaio hadn’t grown, being petite and slim, her clothes appeared a little loose.

“Miao, Miao’er, let’s go in and take a look!” Hemaio’s eyes sparkled as she grabbed Hemaio’s hand and dashed into Jinxiu Zhai.

Ah Xun, on the other hand, had no interest. As an old man, he didn’t want to buy new clothes, so he sat on the stairs at the entrance to wait.

Although Ah Xun didn’t want to buy clothes and wasn’t interested in looking at the fabrics, he wanted to follow Hemaio, unwilling to let her leave his line of sight, especially since he was the one paying.

This Jinxiu Zhai was undoubtedly a fabric shop of Pingzhou City, spacious inside, and although it wasn’t luxurious, it subtly exuded style, making the fabrics appear more precious.

“Wow, so beautiful!” Hemaio gasped, her eyes wide in amazement. 

Hemaio was also astonished; this place was far superior to the little shop in town, but surely it was also quite expensive—she just wanted to broaden her horizons.

The shop assistants were well-trained and greeted the two pretty girls warmly, showing no negligence due to their shabby attire. 

Even if they didn’t buy anything, having such beautiful girls in the store could bring a lot of traffic.

A young assistant greeted them with a smile, “Do the two ladies want to buy fabric for clothes? We have new cotton fabrics, both bright colors and elegant ones, perfect for you both. Come and take a look with me!”

Hemaio shook her head, smiling, “No need; we’re just casually browsing.”

“I, I want to see!” Hemaio exclaimed. “Miao, Miao’er, let’s get some fabric to take home and make two new outfits. Look at how pretty the patterns are; we don’t even have these in town!”

“Miao, it must be expensive here, right? Why don’t we just go back to town and buy it there? It would be hard to carry them back if we buy them here.”

“But now we have money, and we have an ox cart! What’s there to be afraid of!” Said Hemaio, pulling Hemaio along as they followed the assistant to look at the fabrics. Ah Xun closely followed behind.

The young assistant really had a keen eye, selecting fabrics very suitable for Hemaio and Hemaio’s temperament.

After some selection, Hemaio chose a light pink fabric with a diamond pattern, making her chubby little face look more delicate and lovely, vibrant as a peach blossom.

Hemaio’s choice was a light green fabric with faint little dark floral patterns, complementing her naturally pure and sweet temperament, making her appear even softer and more graceful.

Ah Xun gazed at Hemaio and couldn’t help but imagine her wearing this outfit, resembling a lotus fairy.