Chapter 263: Attention
Editor: Atlas Studios
Mu Shi rushed over and finally arrived at the Qi Residence before dark. He glanced at his wife with bright eyes before picking up the twins. Accidentally poking them with his stubble, the twins started crying out loud.
Seeing this, he handed them to Mu Yangling and waved his hand. “Alright, bring your younger siblings out.”
In an instant, only the couple were left in the room.
Mu Yangling carried the twins back to her room and took out a string of money from her bag to open it. She said, “I’ll split the money with you. If you see anything you like on the streets tomorrow, buy it yourself. If you don’t have enough money, call me over.”
Although it was said that they were shopping, their main mission tomorrow was to sell leather goods. However, it was impossible for everyone in their family to stand in front of the stall.
Therefore, after pushing the cart to a good spot in the market, Mu Yangling waved her hand and pushed Mu Shi and the others out. “Go play. Xiuhong and I will watch over this place.”
Great-aunt was a little tired from the journey yesterday, so she didn’t come today. Xiulan looked at her sister and cousin eagerly. Mu Yangling asked her and Bowen to hold hands and said, “Don’t let go. Father, watch over them. Alright, go play and don’t get in the way here.”
Mu Shi knew that his daughter had a mind of her own, so he carried the twins and brought his wife and the others shopping.
The temple fair would only start tomorrow and would last for three days. However, it was already very lively today. There were many merchants and peddlers coming and going.
Mu Yangling and Xiuhong untied the rope on the cart. Not at all afraid, Xiuhong climbed onto the cart and grabbed a fox skin before shouting, “Leather goods! Top-notch leather goods! Fox skin, rabbit skin, and everything. Everyone, come and take a look.”
Xiuhong’s voice was crisp and loud, making those who heard her look in this direction. Seeing that a young lady could stand on the cart and shouting, the merchants from the south could not help but click their tongues. They felt that people from the north were really bold. At least in the south, the young ladies and their wives did not have the guts. The ladies from rich families even had to wear veiled hats when they went out.
The merchants from the north smiled knowingly and glanced at their leather goods. They decided to walk near and take a look.
Wulie stood in the teahouse and looked down, facing Mu Yangling’s cart. Not only could he see the two of them clearly, but he could also see the goods on their cart clearly.
Seeing that there were many wolf skins on the cart, he couldn’t help but narrow his eyes and say, “I didn’t expect the Han people to become more and more valiant. They can even fight wolves.”
“Fourth Young Master, this is because Hanzhong Prefecture was once ruled by our country, so the commoners learned these hunting skills. If we go further south, the commoners of the Great Zhou are still as weak and useless as before,” Pidusi, who had followed Wulie over, said.
Wulie did not believe it. Their Jin Kingdom had failed to take over the Great Zhou Dynasty after trying for a hundred years. Although the citizens of this country were weak and useless, they had their own tenacity. This was also the reason why he had always been very cautious about the war with the Great Zhou Dynasty.
The Hanzhong Prefecture that had long been occupied by them was snatched away by the Great Zhou’s West Camp. Qi Xiuyuan effortlessly made the citizens in the city warmly welcome them. Contrasting how difficult it was for the Jin Kingdom when they established the government in the Hanzhong Prefecture back then, Wulie was now even more cautious towards the Great Zhou and the Han Chinese.
He pointed at Mu Yangling’s stall below and said, “Go and buy one of the various types of leather goods.”
Pidusi was puzzled. “Fourth Young Master, our Great Jin’s leather goods are many times better than theirs. Why do we have to buy theirs?”
Wulie glanced at him coldly, making Pidusi’s heart skip a beat. He knelt on one knee and said, “I deserve to die. I shouldn’t have asked that.”
“Go ahead. Buy some of each.”
Pidusi turned around and left the private room to go downstairs.
Tired from shouting, Xiuhong happened to be resting on the cart. Mu Yangling was sitting on a stool and looking around when a thunderous voice exploded in her ears. “Miss, how much are you selling your leather goods for?”
Xiuhong’s mood immediately soared. She hugged a fox skin and said, “I wonder which type you’re referring to? We have fox skin, rabbit skin, and wolf skin here. We also have two top-notch pure-colored fox skins here.” As she spoke, Xiuhong took out a bag from the leather goods and opened it. Two fiery red fox skins appeared in front of her.
This was brought back by Mu Shi. When he went out on a mission, he encountered a fox family and hunted two of them. There were also a few wolf skins. Although he did not say that the mission was dangerous, one could imagine that a mission which involved encountering a wolf pack would not be easy.
Pidusi lost interest after taking a look. Although the fiery red fox fur was rare, the Fourth Prince did not lack it. What leather goods did he not have in the storeroom?
He had no intention of wasting the Fourth Prince’s money, so he randomly chose a fox skin, a wolf skin, and a rabbit skin. He asked, “How much is this?”
Xiuhong blinked and looked at him. What was the use of buying only one of each? Only then did Mu Yangling retract her gaze. After sizing up Pidusi, she went forward with a smile and said, “Sir, it’s a total of 7 taels and 28 copper coins. Aren’t you going to choose something else? Not to mention anything else, a single piece of rabbit skin can’t do much. Why don’t you buy a few more?”
“Cut the crap. Hurry up and wrap it up for me,” Pidusi said in a tiger-like voice.
Seeing that he was shouting at her, Xiuhong frowned in dissatisfaction. However, Mu Yangling smiled respectfully and said, “Please wait a moment. I’ll tie it up for you now.” As she spoke, she took out a hemp rope, rolled up the fox skin and rabbit skin, and placed them in the wolf skin. She rolled up the three pieces together and tied them up with a rope, before handing them over respectfully with both hands. After taking the bundle from her, Pidusi took out money to hand them to Mu Yangling.
Mu Yangling accidentally touched his palm twice, but Pidusi did not take it to heart because Mu Yangling looked a little afraid.
Sensing that something was wrong, Xiuhong stood quietly at the side and watched.
Mu Yangling watched Pidusi intently as he headed upstairs. Sensing that someone was looking at her, she did not dare to look up at the window of the teahouse opposite. She only wiped her forehead to wipe away the non-existent cold sweat. Turning around, she said to Xiuhong, “That person just now was so scary.”
“…” Xiuhong looked at her cousin awkwardly. That person only looked slightly more muscular, but he was not even as tall as her uncle. She really did not understand what was so scary about him.
However, Mu Yangling only stroked her head without saying anything. A look of contemplation flashed across her lowered eyes. That man was wearing black official leather boots, and the saber on his waist was in the Hu style. The scabbard was tattooed with the totem of Karl, the Jin Kingdom’s largest tribe, and there was a thick callus on his hand that held the saber. Although he spoke Mandarin very well, he still sounded like a Hu.
It was not strange for there to be Hus in Hanzhong Prefecture because this place had once been occupied by the Jin Kingdom. After the Jin soldiers retreated, not all the Hus left. Some married Han women and stayed here, and some settled down here because they were unwilling to move. The Great Zhou did not chase them away.
However, there were very few people who pretended to be Han Chinese even though they were clearly Hus. Moreover, the other party’s clothes and accessories were not ordinary. The thick calluses on the hand holding the saber made Mu Yangling even more vigilant.