Gu Ye looked at it and black lines formed all over her forehead. She immediately became worried about her grandfather’s aesthetics. “Grandpa, are you sure this is suitable for young girls?”
“Uh…we can buy it for now and you can wear it when you grow up.” Gu Xiao, a military general, had never paid attention to what jewelry young ladies were wearing, ever. He pondered for a moment. He decided that she might not be able to wear it now, but she would wear it one day. Regardless of the price, he could buy it immediately.
Gu Ye couldn’t help covering her face. “Grandpa, I can’t wear this set of jewelry until I’m as old as the Old Madam of the Jun family, you know?”
The shopkeeper not far away couldn’t sit still anymore. He pounced forward and said to Gu Xiao, “Mister, why don’t I recommend some jewelry that little girls like?”
Just as Gu Ye was about to refuse, her grandfather cut her off, “Okay! You should be very clear about what little girls who come to shop like. Xiao Ye’er, come along and see if you like them.”
The shopkeeper personally took out several kinds of beaded flowers, both elegant and gorgeous, as well as matching earrings, and placed them in front of Gu Xiao.
Seeing that her grandfather was bent on buying her a set of jewelry, Gu Ye endured her temper and chose the most common silver magnolia with pearls the size of rice grains. Gu Xiao felt that his granddaughter should dress brighter, so he chose a set of red agate and wintersweet-like beads and earrings, and asked the shopkeeper to wrap them up.
Gu Ye stopped her grandfather without delay and said, “Grandpa, when we go back to Qingshan Village, wearing this kind of jewelry outside isn’t appropriate, right?”
“Why shouldn’t you wear them outside? Are you afraid that the villagers will gossip, or that your father and stepmother will cause trouble? We spend our own money and wear our own flowers, neither stealing nor robbing. Whatever others say doesn’t matter! We’ll buy them, all of them!” Gu Xiao asked the shopkeeper to wrap everything up.
When he was about to pay, the shopkeeper smiled and pointed behind them. He said, “Young Master Chu over there has already paid everything for you.”
Gu Xiao’s eyes widened like copper bells, and he said unhappily, “Major General, it’s rare for this old man to buy a gift for my granddaughter. Why are you butting in? Take your money back this instant.”
Although my granddaughter is young, she is a girl after all. How can she casually accept jewelry from stinky men? This Young Master Chu, what kind of thoughts is running through his head? Don’t tell me he’s entertaining wicked thoughts about my granddaughter?
Gu Xiao stuffed the silver into the shopkeeper’s arms and asked him to return Young Master Chu’s money.
“Grandpa Gu, you’re treating me too much like a stranger. With your relationship with my grandfather, your granddaughter is just like my little sister. Sister Gu braved a long journey with her master for a few days and saved my life. You can’t stop me from buying jewelry for her as a thank you gift.” Chu Muhua gently smiled, a smile that mirrored the spring breeze that could melt even ice and snow.
“Uh… No, no!” Gu Xiao still refused. “If you want to choose a thank you gift, you can choose anything else, but clothes and jewelry are forbidden!”
Gu Ming nodded heavily at the side.
Hmph, another one who wants to rob him of my sister. It’s great to be rich huh. It turns out you can recognize a sister casually if you have money, right? With me here, no one else can snatch my sister away!
“Oh…all right then.” Chu Muhua understood Gu Xiao’s meaning, but a burst of amusement filled his heart. Miss Gu looked less than ten years old. Grandpa Gu was strictly on guard. That was too much of a fuss, wasn’t it? But then again… If she was his younger sister, and a man wanted to give her something, he would beat that guy until his teeth were scattered here and there!
Sigh… I wonder where my poor little sister is now…
The two sets of jewelry were considered the lowest grade in the store, but they also cost Gu Xiao more than fifty taels of silver.
Gu Ye carried the gift from her grandfather and sighed inwardly: After concocting medicine for a month, I could only buy two pieces of low-grade jewelry. Sure enough, consumption in big cities is high. I’ll have to continue working hard.
The party left the jewelry shop and entered an embroidery workshop. Regardless of Gu Ye’s obstruction, Gu Xiao asked the embroiderer to make two sets of clothes for her. Gu Ye lamented silently: These brocades and silks will be scraped into tattered rags after a trip up the mountain — No, these materials don’t absorb water, and they’re not even good enough for rags!