Chapter 23 : Huaxi County

But to her surprise, Xiao Hechuan shook his head and answered seriously

“No, I won’t go. Mother said that when we make some money, she’ll buy me peach cakes. She also said she’d get you some pretty floral fabric to make clothes.”

He paused, then added in a softer voice: “But, my dear wife, can you tell Mother that I don’t want the peach cakes anymore? I want to save that money… so you can buy the floral fabric instead.”

Jiang Sui listened quietly. When she heard him say he wanted to give up his treat so she could have something nice, her heart skipped a beat. It felt like something had struck her right in the chest.

For a moment, she didn’t know if she was touched or just surprised maybe it was both.

She felt moved because her husband’s heart was so clearly full of her. But then, another thought struck her, and the smile on her lips faded in the darkness.

Right now, Xiao Hechuan had the heart of a child pure, genuine, and completely open to the person he liked. But this affection wasn’t quite the same as the love between a man and a woman.

And if he ever returned to normal one day… would he still treat her like this?

Forget it. She didn’t want to think about that anymore. Hadn’t her original goal just been to find a good way to survive in this unfamiliar world?

From the very beginning, she had never expected that after Xiao Hechuan became better, he’d remain by her side like an ordinary husband, growing old together, loving one another until the end. He would have more options, better options. All she ever wanted was a bit of protection. As for love, she had never dared to hope for it. So why should she trap herself now?

Once she convinced herself of this, her smile returned. She reached over and gently pinched Xiao Hechuan’s cheek it felt really nice, soft and warm. Like she was secretly getting away with something. With a man this good-looking beside her, if she didn’t take advantage now, would she even have a chance later?

“We’re going to eat peach cakes and buy floral fabric,” she said with a grin. “But we’ll take it one step at a time. As for new clothes, there’s no need to buy too many at once!”

“Why not? Lanlan said girls love wearing new clothes the most. Don’t you like new clothes too, wife?” Xiao Hechuan asked in confusion.

His wife was a girl too, so why was she different from what Lanlan had said?

Jiang Sui laughed. Then she grinned even wider and teased

“Because I’m still growing. Once I grow taller, the clothes won’t fit anymore.”

Well… her body was only fifteen years old, and it had clearly lacked proper nutrition for a while, making her look weak and small. She figured she definitely had room to grow taller.

When Xiao Hechuan heard this, his face lit up with understanding.

“What you said makes a lot of sense! Mother always says kids grow quickly, so you shouldn’t buy too many clothes or shoes at once, or they’ll outgrow them.”

“Wife, you can grow taller and be as tall as me one day!”

He said it with great confidence. To him, being tall was a point of pride. Even Dazhuang said he wanted to grow as tall as him in the future.

But Jiang Sui secretly thought… that wasn’t necessary. She’d be happy if she could reach 1.65 meters. 1.80 meters? No thanks!

Right now, she barely looked 1.60 meters tall, while Xiao Hechuan was at least 1.82. But not wanting to spoil his mood, she just smiled and went along with it.

Before long, sleepiness overtook him. His eyelids began to droop, and he mumbled a few more words before dozing off. Jiang Sui soon drifted into a deep sleep as well.

She didn’t wake again until about five in the morning, when Mother Xiao came knocking on the door.

The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law quietly washed up. Mother Xiao had already prepared the noodles, and they quickly ate to fill their stomachs. Then, carrying the dry food they had packed the night before, they went to find Ermazi and rode in his ox cart.

Ermazi was already waiting right on time at the entrance of the village. Since it was just Mother Xiao and Jiang Sui going to town, it wasn’t a regular market day trip. Normally, on market days, it cost five copper coins per person for a round trip. But today, with only the two of them going and so early in the morning basically a private charter Ermazi charged them fifteen copper coins in total.

On any other day, Mother Xiao would’ve haggled. But today was different. Today they were going to do business, and for the sake of good fortune, she didn’t want to argue over the price.

Their timing was just right, they managed to catch the carriage from town to the county, with only two seats left.

When Jiang Sui saw it, she realized the carriage wasn’t quite what she had imagined. It was an open-top, large wooden cart pulled by a single horse, with room for six people. It wasn’t all that different from Ermazi’s ox cart, except it was faster and had a fixed fare.

This was part of a small fleet of five carriages that made regular trips between the town and the county.

Once they arrived in the county, the return carriages would depart at five scheduled times, with the last one leaving at the third hour of the afternoon (about 3 p.m.). So the mother and daughter had to make sure to finish all their business before then.

The fare was fifteen copper coins per person each way, which meant thirty for the round trip. Adding everything up, their travel expenses for the day would come to almost eighty or ninety copper coins.

Mother Xiao and Jiang Sui sat in the carriage, clutching the basket in front of them. Covered with a floral cloth, the basket held Ganoderma lucidum, ginseng, and some dry food for the journey.

They were both dressed very simply that day, Mother Xiao even wore patched clothing. She didn’t want to draw any attention or become a target for people with bad intentions. It was best to keep a low profile and not flaunt their wealth.

The ride was bumpy and lasted about an hour before they reached the county. The winding mountain road made Jiang Sui’s backside sore.

She couldn’t help it, she was thin and didn’t have much padding, so sitting on a hard cart was really uncomfortable.

After paying the thirty copper coins for the fare, the coachman reminded them that the last carriage back would leave at 3 p.m. sharp. If they missed it, they’d have to stay overnight in the county, something not cheap.

As planned, once they entered the city, the mother and daughter would ask around for the largest and most reputable pharmacy, then head straight there.

At the city gate, under the county town’s stone tower, were government guards stationed by the county office. No one dared cause trouble near the gate, and the carriages weren’t allowed to enter the city, they had to wait outside.

The county town was called Huaxi County, a place known for relatively good living conditions compared to other areas on the continent.

It was bustling and lively, with nicely organized streets. One street was lined with vendors and small stalls wonton stands, bun shops, tea houses everything you could think of.

Afraid that Jiang Sui might be hungry, Mother Xiao took her to a wonton stall. They planned to have a small bowl of wontons and ask the stall owner for directions to the best pharmacy.

A small bowl of wontons cost only five copper coins, and came with about ten wontons each with just a small bit of meat. A large bowl cost eight coins.

Since they’d eaten a hearty bowl of noodles that morning, they weren’t too hungry. Each of them ordered a small bowl, just to stave off the hunger.

When the steaming wontons were served, Mother Xiao leaned forward and asked the stall owner

“Boss, I want to ask you something!”

The wonton stall owner was a young man. Ever since the mother and daughter sat down, he had been cheerful and welcoming.

“Sure thing, Auntie! Ask me anything, I’ll tell you everything I know!”