Chapter 61: Pretty Good, Let’s Buy Them All

“Let’s go!”

Ye Xin Ran tapped his nose.

“Then hurry up and get washed up!”

“Okay!”

Chang An sprang out of bed in one swift motion.

In another room, Chang Ping was staring at his second uncle’s tightly wrapped left hand with a look of alarm. “Second Uncle, did your hand get broken?”

“Hmm?”

Xiao Huai’an turned around and gave him a cold glare. Chang Sheng immediately covered Chang Ping’s mouth. “Don’t talk nonsense. When did Second Uncle’s hand ever get broken?”

“But look at Second Uncle’s hand, it’s wrapped up so tightly!”

Chang Ping pointed at Xiao Huai’an’s hand.

Chang Sheng glanced at the bandage on his hand, also a bit surprised. “Second Uncle, your hand got hurt? Is it serious?”

It wasn’t surprising the two kids were worried. To them, their Second Uncle was a tough and resilient man. Even when he’d hurt his arm before, he’d only casually applied some medicine, never wrapping it so thoroughly.

“It’s nothing.”

Faced with their worried expressions, Xiao Huai’an had no choice but to pull back part of the bandage to show them. “I told you, it’s just a small wound.”

“Second Uncle, you…”

Chang Sheng looked at Xiao Huai’an, confused.

Was such a small wound really worth wrapping up so meticulously?

He thought about it and quickly realized who must have wrapped the bandage.

Chang Ping, however, wasn’t as quick to catch on as his older brother. He kept pressing, “Second Uncle, you’re definitely lying to us. Is the injury actually really bad?”

“Chang Ping!”

Chang Sheng covered his mouth again and whispered in his ear, “Second Uncle is fine. Aunt must have wrapped it for him!”

“Oh, I see!”

Chang Ping wiped away the tears that had almost spilled over. “Aunt’s hands are really skillful. It looks pretty nice.”

To their surprise, Xiao Huai’an actually replied, “Indeed.”

The two kids exchanged glances, silently communicating their mutual sense of something strange in the air.

---

After breakfast, Xiao Huai’an headed to Niu Er’s house.

It wasn’t Niu Er’s scheduled day to drive the cart to the market, so Xiao Huai’an negotiated with him to make a special trip for them.

“If it were anyone else, I might not agree, but since your Xiao family solved such a big problem for our village, I’ve got to do this right,” Niu Er said with a cheerful grin.

For the first time, all the Xiao brothers were heading to the market together.

Xiao Huai’an often took Chang An to buy medicine and occasionally took Chang Sheng to purchase books, but he had never brought Chang Ping along.

As a result, on the way to town, everything caught Chang Ping’s attention, and he kept asking questions. Chang Sheng, being the more knowledgeable one, patiently answered everything he could.

When they arrived in town and agreed on a meeting spot with Niu Er, Xiao Huai’an and Ye Xin Ran took the three children to stroll through the marketplace.

Although Chang An had been to town many times, his trips were always rushed and focused on getting treatment. This time, with plenty of time and his aunt accompanying him, he could finally enjoy a proper visit.

As soon as they entered the marketplace, he headed straight to a clay figurine stall he had longed to visit.

The elderly man crafting the figurines, seeing potential customers, eagerly called out, “Young master, which one would you like?”

“I don’t want any. I just want to look!”

Chang An took two steps back, accidentally bumping into Ye Xin Ran’s leg. She looked down at him with a gentle smile and said, “Pick one you like, and Auntie will buy it for you!”

“Can I have that monkey?” Chang An asked, pointing to a monkey figurine.

“How much for one?” Ye Xin Ran inquired.

“Not expensive at all, only 7 wen,” the old man replied with a cheerful grin.

“I’ll take three. Can you give me a discount?” Ye Xin Ran bargained.

“Alright, 20 wen for three,” the old man offered, holding up two fingers.

“That’s still too expensive. How about 18 wen?” Ye Xin Ran countered.

Earning money wasn’t easy, so saving even one wen mattered.

The old man looked at the three children and, fearing he might lose the sale, nodded. “Alright, 18 wen it is.”

“Auntie, I don’t want one!”

Chang Sheng, with his small face serious, added, “These are for little kids. I don’t like them.”

But Ye Xin Ran had noticed that Chang Sheng had been staring at a tiger figurine for a long time.

Though he claimed he didn’t want one, his eyes had never left it.

She leaned down and whispered playfully, “Buying three makes it cheaper. Two would cost 14 wen, one is 7 wen, but three are 18 wen, making each one just 6 wen. If we don’t buy three, we’ll lose money.”

Chang Sheng thought it over and reluctantly said, “Alright, I’ll take this one.” He pointed at the tiger figurine.

“What about Chang Ping?” Ye Xin Ran asked the other child.

“I want the dragon one!” Chang Ping said, pointing to a dragon figurine.

“Alright, we’ll take these three.”

Each child held their figurine and compared whose was cooler.

Before long, they were drawn to other toys displayed by road side vendors: bamboo dragon flies, wooden swords, wooden knives, ring puzzles, spinning tops, kites, and balls…

The marketplace was a treasure trove of delights for children.

Ye Xin Ran wanted to buy everything she saw, but Xiao Huai’an stopped her. “Kids are easily distracted by toys. Just pick two for them to play with.”

After some discussion, the three children agreed to get a nine ring puzzle and a ball.

These two toys could be played with together, making them far more practical than bamboo dragon flies or wooden swords.

While the kids were choosing toys, Ye Xin Ran’s eyes were drawn to the cookware.

Before even reaching the end of the market, she had already purchased a few plates and some sea-patterned bowls for the house.

Improving their living space was too expensive, but upgrading their dining conditions was much simpler.

Besides, Ye Xin Ran had always enjoyed collecting beautiful tableware, so she couldn’t resist when she saw these items.

Xiao Huai’an didn’t buy anything himself. Instead, he silently followed behind her, taking the things she bought and placing them in the basket on his back.

“Do you think this one looks nice?”

“It’s fine.”

“What about this one?”

“That’s okay too.”

“Then which one should I choose?”

“Get them both!”

Every time she picked out a plate, they went through this exact conversation.

The three kids obediently followed behind them, listening to Xiao Huai’an repeat, “Get them both,” several times.

Chang Ping whispered to Chang Sheng, “When we were buying the nine ring puzzle, Second Uncle didn’t say that.”

“Hmm.” Chang Sheng nodded expressionlessly.

Chang An overheard them and smugly said to Chang Ping, “I told you before, Second Uncle likes Auntie, and Auntie likes Second Uncle. You didn’t believe me!”

“Then why are you still clinging to Second Uncle?” Chang Sheng gave his brother a sidelong glance.

“I just like Auntie, okay?” Chang An muttered, avoiding the topic further.

---

As they passed a clothing store, Ye Xin Ran suddenly nudged Xiao Huai’an. “You should buy a new outfit.”

Xiao Huai’an shook his head. “It doesn’t matter what I wear.”

“But your current clothes really don’t suit you anymore.”

Ye Xin Ran glanced again at his outfit, noticing the worn and patched areas. “The color is too drab, and it’s far too old.”

“I spend most of my time in the mountains. Even if I wore new clothes, they’d get torn up.” Xiao Huai’an reminded her.

“That’s true.” Ye Xin Ran thought for a moment.

“Then let’s get something sturdier.”

Xiao Huai’an was about to refuse when a mocking voice came from the shop.

“I say, it’s just buying a piece of clothing. Do you have to dawdle like this? Sis, don’t tell me you can’t even afford a new outfit worth a few dozen coins!”