Chapter 9: How Wonderful It Would Be If This Dream Were Real

The man suddenly opened his eyes and woke up from his dream.  

It turned out to be just a dream.  

A thought suddenly struck him: How wonderful it would be if this dream were real…

Xie Shuizhen

After finishing lunch and smelling the mutton soup, He Miao was about to start shopping.  

First, she went for grains. He Miao thought that A Xun had bled a lot from his injury, and to replenish his blood, red beans would be essential. She could make him porridge or steam red bean paste, both would be delicious.  

So she bought some red beans, as well as jujubes.  

Next, she bought some brown sugar, since they didn’t have much left at home. Although it was expensive, she decided to buy some for the sake of A Xun’s health.  

Jufang also bought many types of grains, mostly black multi-grain varieties.  

After that, they went to the pharmacy.  

He Miao was thinking of getting some scar-removal ointment.  

She noticed the scar on A Xun’s forehead stood out on his handsome face, and though his hair could cover it a bit, she still wanted to find a way to reduce it.  

She had already asked He Shun, but he only had herbal remedies and no ready-made ointments.  

The preparation of ointments was complex, and He Shun didn’t have the necessary conditions, so He Miao decided to buy some herself.  

At the pharmacy, she indeed found scar-removal ointment. It wouldn’t completely remove the scar, but it could lighten it a bit.  

It wasn’t cheap; it cost 68 coins, but He Miao gritted her teeth and bought it.  

This meant that the money from selling mushrooms had already been spent on most of the shopping.  

Then they went to the Yun Jin Cloth Store.  

This was the only cloth store in town, with a wide variety of fabrics and a ready-made clothing section.  

Jufang had suggested checking out the ready-made section just to look at styles for reference, as ready-made clothes were expensive, and they usually bought fabric to make their own.  

In the ready-made section, He Miao saw shoes for sale. She remembered the cloth shoes A Xun wore, which were Da Hu’s.  

Though Da Hu had only worn them once and they were still new, A Xun’s feet were a little wider, and they didn’t fit him well.  

He Miao picked up the simplest pair of black men’s cloth shoes and asked, “Shopkeeper, how much are these shoes?”  

The shopkeeper held up five fingers and said, “Thirty-five coins.”  

He Miao was shocked and immediately put the shoes down.  

She had earned 135 coins from selling mushrooms that morning, and most of it had already been spent on rice and medicine.  

If she bought the shoes, she wouldn’t have money left for anything else, and she still needed to buy fabric and thread for embroidery.  

But A Xun really needed new shoes, and since he wasn’t walking much due to his injury, she figured he’d need them once he recovered.  

As she hesitated, she heard Jufang whisper in her ear, “Sister, these shoes are thirty-five coins. Why spend that much? We can make them ourselves.”  

He Miao didn’t know how to make shoes, because when Mo was alive, she had been very ill and couldn’t get out of bed. Knowing her time was short, Mo had made many shoes for He Miao and He Feng.  

He Feng wore out his shoes quickly, but A Xun’s feet were a little too big for the shoes Mo had made.  

“Sister Jufang, can you teach me how to make shoes?” He Miao asked, her eyes full of anticipation.  

“I can teach you! We’ll buy some coarse cloth for the shoe upper, and gather some straw leaves and scraps for the soles. It’ll cost just a few coins, and we can make a pair in two days,” Jufang replied enthusiastically.  

“That’s great! Thank you, Sister!”  

After buying the fabric for the shoe upper, He Miao used the remaining money to buy fabric and thread for embroidery.  

Seeing Jufang seriously selecting fabric for Da Hu’s clothes, He Miao paid the shopkeeper and took out A Xun’s water-ink green outer shirt from her bag.  

“Shopkeeper, could you help me take a look at this shirt? You’re experienced, can you tell where this might have come from?”  

She had seen similar satin fabric in this store and wanted to ask.  

He Miao hadn’t told A Xun about this, as she didn’t want him to misunderstand and think she was eager to send him away.  

She hoped to find some clues about his family while in town so that if she could, she could reassure them sooner.  

If she didn’t find anything, she wouldn’t mind A Xun staying to recover.  

The shopkeeper took the shirt, examined it carefully, and after a long while, said, “I can say for sure that this isn’t from any family in town.”  

Though not all the rich families in town used fabric from this store, as a shopkeeper, he had a strong sense of professional sensitivity.  

If any young master wore such expensive clothes, he would surely have some impression.  

“Well, thank you for your help, I understand now,” He Miao said. She realized that A Xun was not from this town, so she planned to ask He Shun to check in the county town next time. He Shun often went to the county’s medical clinic.  

“I suspect this is made from brocade satin, which is hard to find, complicated to craft, and very expensive. If this was used for clothing, it likely comes from someone of noble background! Miss, where did this shirt come from?” The shopkeeper continued.  

His guess didn’t surprise He Miao. But she didn’t want to share any more details with a stranger, so she quickly made up a lie: “I found it by the river and thought I’d ask. If I can’t find the owner, I’ll just make a cloth doll for my nephew.”  

The shopkeeper didn’t doubt her. He had heard that the Pingzhou area had been a bit chaotic recently, so he just assumed the girl had picked it up from somewhere, and didn’t ask further.  

After finishing all the shopping, He Miao and Jufang spent all the money they earned from selling mountain goods and took the donkey cart back home.