Chapter 15: To the Market

Inside the house, Qingfeng sat in the host’s seat, upright and dignified, while Wen Lan sat at the lower end. In front of them were brushes, ink, paper, and an inkstone—like two parties in a formal negotiation.

Qingfeng spoke first. “You saw it too—I took a risk getting scolded by my master to do this for you, all to save your life. So you must repay this kindness by properly taking care of our Master.”

Wen Lan nodded.

“Our Master also made it clear—there are two things you absolutely must not do while you’re here. First, don’t go chatting with him when there’s nothing important. Second, don’t enter his room at will.”

“I understand. I’ll only speak when necessary and won’t say a word more. Just like I won’t ask why you call your cousin ‘Master’ instead of ‘Cousin.’”

Seeing how tactful Wen Lan was, Qingfeng couldn’t help but give her a thumbs-up.

“What about you?” he asked. “Do you have any requests? For example, the kind of household you’d like to work for in the future to make a living?”

Wen Lan thought for a moment and shook her head. “I haven’t figured that out yet. I’ll let you know when I do. But I do have another request.”

“What is it? Go ahead.”

“I’d like a map of the Nan Dynasty.”

“A mountain girl like you wants a map of the Nan Dynasty?” Qingfeng immediately showed his signature suspicious expression. “If I hadn’t gone to the village to ask about your situation, I would’ve suspected you were a spy from a neighboring country.”

“I’m not a spy,” Wen Lan waved her hands in denial. It was only then she remembered—in this era, national maps were monopolized by the emperor.

“I don’t want the whole map of the Nan Dynasty,” she quickly corrected herself. “I just want to know which county this area belongs to, who governs it, and which nearby place is the most prosperous.”

“Why do you want to know all that?” Qingfeng was still skeptical.

“I…” Wen Lan couldn’t exactly tell him about her “grand ambition” to make something of herself.

Truthfully, even she wasn’t sure what her grand ambition was. But one thing was clear: serving tea, fetching water, and assisting with baths was definitely not her career goal.

Forget it. Better to talk about something more practical. The rest could be figured out later.

“Well, young master, I don’t want the map anymore. But could you help me get a few things?”

“What kind of things?”

“I’d like a bed. And some cooking utensils.” Wen Lan thought of the makeshift stove in the kitchen—it was hard to imagine using that to make delicious food in the days to come.

As a foodie, she knew that aside from choosing the right ingredients, the right tools were essential too.

Hearing her request, Qingfeng agreed without hesitation. “I’ll go to the market tomorrow and get them for you.”

The market?

Wen Lan perked up. “Young master, let me go with you!”

“You want to come with me?” Qingfeng looked suspicious again. “You’re not planning to run off, are you?”

“Why would I run off? I don’t even have a single coin on me.” Wen Lan patted herself down to prove her point. “Besides, do you even know what kind of pots and pans to buy, being a man and all?”

Uh…

“Fine. I’ll take you with me tomorrow. But…” Qingfeng eyed Wen Lan up and down, “you can’t go dressed like that. You’re now the bride our Master has given a betrothal gift for. Walking around the streets with me looking like that? It’s improper.”

Wen Lan admitted Qingfeng had a point.

“I can dress as a man,” she suggested, drawing from her vast experience watching historical dramas. “Lend me a set of clothes and I’ll disguise myself as a boy. Then I can go with you.”

Qingfeng thought Wen Lan’s idea wasn’t bad at all.

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