Chapter 12

The county magistrate’s wife came from a prestigious family and placed great importance on cleanliness. She would not even wear her beloved hairpin if it had been touched by a stranger, insisting on thoroughly washing it before use.

However, this time, the lipstick, which had certainly been used by someone else, made her disregard all her usual standards. She quickly picked it up and applied it to her lips.

As soon as the smooth, moist texture met her lips, she couldn’t help but turn to her maid and exclaimed, “Quick, bring me a copper mirror so I can check how it looks.”

The maid hurriedly dashed into the nearby cosmetics shop and retrieved a copper mirror. Although a copper mirror usually didn’t reflect images clearly, this one showcased the red lipstick in vibrant detail, enhancing the county magistrate’s wife’s beauty even more.

“Madam, it looks so beautiful!” the maid exclaimed, genuinely impressed. The lipstick had a completely different effect on the county magistrate’s wife compared to Shen Mo’s lips. “Madam, it makes your skin look so translucent; your whole face seems to be glowing.”

Hearing this, the county magistrate’s wife instinctively tightened her grip on the lipstick, reluctant to return it. Her cheeks flushed as she realized she had never felt such a strong desire for something that she knew didn’t belong to her. Raised with excellent values, she understood that this behavior was wrong and quite shameful. Yet, her admiration for the lipstick was overwhelming, and despite the heat rising within her, she discreetly shot a glance at her maid.

Understanding her unspoken wish, the maid said, “How much is this? Just name your price.”

However, Shen Mo shook his head and replied, “I don’t intend to sell it. I know I’ll never have the chance to own this treasure again in my lifetime. I plan to keep it as a family heirloom, to pass down to future generations. I want them to broaden their horizons and understand just how vast the world is, with so many things we’ve never seen beyond the sea.”

“This…” The maid stamped her foot in frustration, annoyed that Shen Mo didn’t understand the situation. She could see that her mistress was genuinely enamored with the lipstick; the way she clutched it tightly showed no intention of giving it back. Her mistress had seen so many fine things before, but she had never been so easily swayed.

“Our county magistrate’s wife truly loves it. Just name your price!”

The maid had no choice but to invoke her mistress’s status to apply some pressure, knowing that anyone who was sensible would understand how to respond. Normally, her mistress would never allow such behavior, but today, after the maid’s bold suggestion, she remained silent. The maid realized that the lipstick was as good as secured for her mistress.

Shen Mo feigned fear and said, “It’s the county magistrate’s wife. I, a humble person, failed to recognize your greatness. Please forgive me.”

The county magistrate’s wife suppressed the intense flush of embarrassment on her face and said softly, “I really like this lipstick. I wonder if you would be willing to part with it.”

Shen Mo replied, “The county magistrate cares for his people like his own children, and I hold great admiration for him. Since the madam likes it so much, why not let me gift it to you?”

The county magistrate’s wife was pleasantly surprised by Shen Mo’s understanding, feeling a wave of happiness. At the same time, she felt even more embarrassed; the magistrate’s good reputation had been built over decades, not something to be tarnished easily.

Being a woman of discernment, she certainly wouldn’t ruin the magistrate’s name. Since she genuinely liked the lipstick, she decided to make up for it with money instead.

“Absolutely not! Just tell me how much it is, and I won’t haggle,” the county magistrate’s wife insisted.

She was prepared for Shen Mo to ask for several hundred taels. She knew the lipstick was valuable the moment she laid eyes on it. In this small place, it was manageable, but if it were taken to the capital, those high-ranking ladies would do everything they could to acquire it, no matter the price.

Shen Mo thought for a moment and said, “I know the county magistrate and his wife care for the people like their own children. I genuinely wish to gift this to you. However, I also understand that you wouldn’t want to accept it without offering something in return. So, let’s settle on fifty taels of silver. Consider it a token of my appreciation for the magistrate. In the future, I will still rely on the magistrate’s support!”

“Rest assured about this.” The county magistrate’s wife thought to herself. In a place where the emperor was distant and the heavens were high, even a mere county magistrate could be considered the local emperor, having the final say. As long as it was not a major crime like murder or smuggling, the county magistrate’s wife was willing to grant this favor.

“I do not know your name, madam, or where you reside. If you need to find me in the future, it would be helpful for me to remember that it was you who came today!”

“The humble family name of my husband is Zhou. He is called Zhou Jing. I am his wife, and my name is Shen Mo.”

The county magistrate’s wife nodded and took off the pouch she had embroidered by hand.

“This is a token I made myself. Keep it with you; in the future, if you come to my door and mention either your name or your husband’s, I will recognize you.”

“Thank you, madam,” Shen Mo said hurriedly as she accepted it.

The county magistrate’s wife nodded. “Then you can come with me to get the silver!”

“Just follow behind the palanquin!” Tian Xiang said to Shen Mo.

Shen Mo pointed to Zhou Jing, who was looking at something in the distance. “That is my husband; I will go call him.”

Zhou Jing, from a distance, had clearly observed everything that had transpired. When Shen Mo approached him and pretended to ask a few questions, he followed them into the back courtyard of the magistrate’s office.

The two of them waited by the side entrance while Tian Xiang went inside to fetch the silver. She came out shortly thereafter.

Tian Xiang handed Zhou Jing a silver note for fifty taels. “When I came out earlier, the madam instructed me to tell you that she knows that the lipstick was originally meant to be a family heirloom in your home. She liked it and bought it from your wife. Please don’t blame your wife for making this decision without consulting you. The madam promised that if your wife ever needs anything, she will certainly help.”

It turned out that the county magistrate’s wife, seeing Zhou Jing follow them, remembered that such a valuable item had been sold off so cheaply by someone of low status. She realized that he might face punishment at home for this and had specifically asked Tian Xiang to relay this message.

Zhou Jing quickly replied, “It is our good fortune that the madam likes it. This lipstick has only gathered dust in our hands; it will truly find its purpose in hers.”

Once they were far from the magistrate’s office, Zhou Jing revealed his true feelings, excitedly speaking to Shen Mo. “We have money now! Finally, we can eat our fill!”

He continued, “You’re so capable, Xiao Mo! You even managed to ask the county magistrate’s wife for a favor. With this goodwill, I can now work more freely. This is such a pleasant surprise! Xiao Mo, you are truly my lucky star!”

Shen Mo felt his cheeks flush with embarrassment at the praise. He shyly replied, “I just thought that this item could originally be worth hundreds of taels, but since we have no connections and feared it would be hard to sell for a high price, I decided to sell it for fifty taels. I felt it was a loss, so I thought to ask the county magistrate’s wife for a favor.”

Shen Mo was equally excited; he had never seen so much silver before and felt as if he was carrying a treasure.

Shen Mo: “We still have many more items at home. Once we sell those, we’ll really be in a good position!”

Zhou Jing laughed and said, “Let’s not sell those just yet. If we suddenly have too many strange items, it might draw unwanted attention. If someone gets wind of it, that could lead to trouble instead of fortune.”

“You’re so thoughtful, husband,” Shen Mo said, his joy spilling over as he spoke his heart.

“Husband,” Zhou Jing repeated the words, savoring how delightful they sounded coming from his little wife. “Say it again; I want to hear it once more.”

Originally, it was nothing much, but Zhou Jing’s teasing made Shen Mo feel shy. In their village, newlywed couples usually referred to their husbands as “the head of the family” while only older men were called that.

Hearing Zhou Jing’s teasing, however, made it feel so… inappropriate. He didn’t think much of it when the women in the village said it, but coming from him, it carried a different weight.

Zhou Jing watched as his little wife quickened his pace—he couldn’t help but feel a sense of contentment.

‘Having a wife truly was wonderful!’

—o—o—o—

They first went to the bank to exchange the fifty-tael silver note for small coins, specifically requesting a thousand copper coins for their daily expenses.

At home, they lacked everything—firewood, rice, oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and tea. There were so many things they needed to buy.

However, they were wary of purchasing too much at once, fearing it might attract unwanted attention and lead to trouble. So, they could only buy a little of each item.

Shen Mo bought twenty pounds of course rice, which was often mixed with pebbles that were hard to clean. He purchased only ten pounds of refined rice, as it was expensive. Along with that, he got ten pounds of oil and ten pounds of white flour.

Without needing to mention it, Zhou Jing bought salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and other seasonings. He even made a special trip to the herbal shop to buy star anise, Sichuan pepper, dried tangerine peel, and longan.

Shen Mo was puzzled about why he was buying these items. Zhou Jing explained that they were also types of seasonings, leaving Shen Mo utterly astonished.

The most important thing was the meat. During this phase, it completely tempted Zhou Jing, who ended up buying ten pounds of it. He also spent several copper coins to buy a bunch of big bones and entrails.

In this era, sugar was also a rare treat. He figured his little wife had fewer opportunities to eat sugar than to eat meat. After all, while they could hunt wild chickens on the mountain, finding white sugar was impossible.

Sure enough, when his little wife saw him buying white sugar, the glint of desire in his eyes was almost noticeable.

In fact, he should have bought some fabric for clothes, but Zhou Jing thought about it and decided against it. It was already quite a lot to carry; if he bought more fabric, he really might attract thieves on the way home!

However, in the end, Shen Mo was pulled by Zhou Jing into a cosmetics shop.

“I don’t look good with powder on. There’s no need to buy this,” Shen Mo hurriedly said.

Zhou Jing chuckled with a slightly mischievous smile. “We’re not buying the one that is being used in the face; we’re getting the one that will be used for other places.”

Shen Mo truly felt his face burning with embarrassment. ‘Was Zhou Jing really a wealthy young master and not just a rogue?’

“You… why do you always think about those things?” he stammered.

Zhou Jing said boldly, “As a perfectly healthy man, what’s the point of marrying a wife if not for that purpose?”

Shen Mo didn’t want to continue the conversation any longer.

The shopkeeper, hearing Zhou Jing’s request, also smiled suggestively, exchanging knowing glances with Zhou Jing.

“Brother, you’ve come to the right place! I can guarantee that in our town, we have the most complete styles,” the shopkeeper said, pulling out two options. “This one is twenty copper coins, and the one next to it is slightly more expensive at fifty.”

Neither of the options impressed Zhou Jing; they clearly looked like poor-quality items.

“Shopkeeper,” Zhou Jing replied, “these kinds of things are meant for a specific purpose, so we can’t afford to use anything subpar. Just give me some better options to choose from.”

The shopkeeper tentatively asked, “There are certainly better ones. How much can you accept?”

“Which style do the wealthy families in our town usually buy?” Zhou Jing inquired.

“That one is quite expensive; it costs five taels of silver!” the shopkeeper replied.

“That’s fine,” Zhou Jing said.

The shopkeeper brought out five options, and Zhou Jing chose one. However, when it came time to pay, Shen Mo accidentally caught sight of the price and nearly snatched it back from Zhou Jing, feeling indignant.

As they left the shop, he grumbled, “Just for this little bit, he’s robbing us!”

Zhou Jing retorted, “We sold a tiny lipstick for fifty taels!”

“That’s obviously different; there’s no lipstick here!” Shen Mo shot back.

Zhou Jing laughed and said, “You get what you pay for. By tonight, you’ll see the benefits of this thing.”

Shen Mo felt too embarrassed to respond. He certainly didn’t want to discuss such matters openly.

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Lucia: Thank you for reading~ See you on Monday~

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