92, Giving Gifts (2nd Update)
“Zhinuan, I bought these especially for you, and you’ll definitely look good in them!” Yuan Liuwang said with a smile.
The joy in his eyes was unmistakable.
“…” Xie Zhinuan looked at the pearl earrings and shook her head slightly, “Thank you for your kindness, but I can’t accept them!”
“But, but…” Yuan Liuwang’s expression darkened.
He had carefully selected them, and they hadn’t been cheap, costing two taels of silver, yet Xie Zhinuan was refusing them.
“Keep them for your future wife; she will surely like them!” Having said that, Xie Zhinuan took a step back.
“I bought them to give to you!” Yuan Liuwang quickly spoke up.
“Even so, I don’t want them. Just keep them for yourself!”
If she had liked them, she would have bought them herself.
She wasn’t without money.
“…”
Yuan Liuwang felt somewhat embarrassed.
His feelings were sincere, and Xie Zhinuan knew it, yet she didn’t respond, and she had never even offered him a smile.
“I heard from your mother that you’ve started running your own armed escorts, how is that going?” Xie Zhinuan changed the topic.
As soon as Yuan Liuwang heard Xie Zhinuan mention this,
his interest was piqued; he put away the earrings carefully into his chest, thinking that one day he would be able to give them to Xie Zhinuan. “The trip went really well. I not only had business going out but also took on a job on the way back. I even bought some goods in the capital, sold them in the county town, then bought from the county town and sold in the town. Guess how much I made?”
Xie Zhinuan shook her head.
Yuan Liuwang then whispered, “After all expenses, I made fifty taels!”
With this, he had saved up one hundred and fifty taels. He could make nearly two trips a month, which is a hundred taels, and in a year, that’s twelve hundred taels. With that amount, he could buy a very nice house in the county town and get a couple of maids and housekeepers.
“Zhinuan, I, I…”
“Congratulations!” Xie Zhinuan said earnestly.
She was happy for Yuan Liuwang.
After all, in those times, making money was not easy, and without the right connections and backing, it was tough to earn a living.
“But you should still be careful when traveling alone, and don’t flaunt your wealth even if you’ve made some silver!” After saying this, Xie Zhinuan wondered why she was even saying such things.
It’s not like she was inviting contempt from anyone.
She silently scolded herself for talking too much.
But Yuan Liuwang smiled, “Zhinuan, I knew you cared about me. Don’t worry, I’ll be careful and avoid trouble!”
He eagerly asked, “Zhinuan, what kind of man do you like? What kind of man would you marry in the future?”
As long as she told him, he would strive toward that direction.
Xie Zhinuan was going to say that she had never thought about getting married in her life, but seeing how Yuan Liuwang looked, she knew he wouldn’t let it go unless she gave him a reason.
And after all, a man like Yuan Liuwang, who valued loyalty and righteousness was a good thing. Plus, he had helped her that day they went to the county town.
After contemplating, she finally said, “The husband I’d marry needs to be adept in both the literary and martial arts, and he must be extremely wealthy – with enough to own a large house, go out in a carriage, have maids and housekeepers at home, and not give me a cold face for spending silver lavishly!”
Xie Zhinuan thought to herself,
By the time Yuan Liuwang became truly proficient in both the literary and martial arts and utterly wealthy, his experiences and ideals would have changed, and the number of beautiful women he met would be countless. By then, he would no longer set his heart on her.
There would naturally be other women to add fragrance to his life.
“…”
Yuan Liuwang was stunned.
He could possibly achieve immense wealth through hard work, but being accomplished in both literary and martial arts…
“I’ll try my best!” Yuan Liuwang said after a long moment.
Xie Zhinuan thought for a moment, then invited Yuan Liuwang to sit under the shed and asked Silly Girl to bring over a pot of tea, “Let me tell you something!”
Chapter 94