Chapter 796: Chapter 796: Buy, Buy, Buy
Guard Xiaoyang, upon learning the purpose of Qiao Xiaomai’s visit, was quite pleased, “I was just planning to look for you guys, His Highness has sent letters, two of them!”
As he spoke, he handed over the letters to Qiao Xiaomai, nonchalantly accepting the mooncake. Quite unashamedly, he unwrapped the wax paper and began to eat.
Those people at Jìwèi Residence sure know how to rake in money! A pound of mooncake costs 188 pennies, suggesting the idea of becoming wealthy.
There are only four pieces in a pound, each not even larger than his palm. He would finish it in two bites. After gobbling down four pieces, he felt as if he hadn’t eaten anything.
Moreover, they offer a variety of fillings. If he wanted to try each kind, he would have to buy a pound of each since Jìwèi Residence does not sell them individually. This way, trying all the fillings would cost several taels of silver.
Although he was a guard of Yang Ye, his monthly salary was limited. Now, it seemed like having a small snack would cost quite a lot; alas, Jìwèi Residence is getting better and better at extorting money! ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ novᴇlfire.net
As Guard Xiaoyang tasted the mooncake brought by Qiao Xiaomai, he glanced at Tong Sanlang who was next to Xiaomai.
He could guess what His Highness would have written in his letters – surely something about food!
Tong Sanlang, holding the letter, read it with Qiao Xiaomai. Their current official story was that Xiaomai was learning how to read under Tong Sanlang’s tutelage, and she had already mastered quite a few characters.
With this excuse, she finally didn’t need to pretend to be illiterate anymore.
It wasn’t surprising that Yang Ye wanted something to eat, but the fact that both letters were about food made it seem rather childish.
Qiao Xiaomai, somewhat amused, spoke, “His Highness wants to taste the mooncakes.”
“That’s perfect! I’ll have these sent out later,” Guard Xiaoyang gestured towards the large bag of mooncakes Qiao Xiaomai had brought over.
“There’s another favor I’d like to ask of Guard Xiaoyang…” Tong Sanlang began, mentioning Ya Wuxia in the process.
Upon hearing this, Guard Xiaoyang nodded, “That won’t be a big deal.”
He could simply ask the students at the Academy to find out who was from Xiezi County.
As the Township and Imperial Examinations had passed, those who didn’t pass returned to continue their studies, making the Academy a lot busier.
Even if there were none from near Xiezi County, he could find a way to deliver it.
“Thank you, Guard Xiaoyang.” Tong Sanlang immediately expressed his gratitude.
“You’re too polite, Scholar Tong.” Guard Xiaoyang waved his hand dismissively.
The three of them conversed a bit more before Qiao Xiaomai and Tong Sanlang took their leave.
As they came out of the Academy, the two went shopping around in a cart, planning to make some casual purchases.
They had been swamped with things to do lately– the exams, Zhuang Lühe’s suicide, the court debates, and then the tens of thousands of mooncakes. The sequence of events, one after another, was either mentally stressful or physically exhausting. Now that everything had come to an end, they finally had time to relax and go shopping.
Tong Sanlang steered the cart with Qiao Xiaomai seated beside him, she cloud not resist but laugh, “Ever since we got married, it seems like we’ve been constantly busy.”
“Yeah, like spinning tops,” Tong Sanlang agreed, “Let’s go and have a look at Daughter Pavilion. I’ll buy some jewelry and clothes for you.”
“Let’s do that,” nodded Qiao Xiaomai.
She wasn’t really entranced by the items at the Daughter Pavilion, but she wouldn’t mind visiting the place.
And as for the clothes, the more common practice here was to buy fabric and sew them at home. However, she still preferred to purchase ready-made clothes from the store.
“We should buy some for you too,” she suggested.
Tong Sanlang’s collection of clothing wasn’t extensive. In their rush to get married, he had only bought one new outfit. Zhuang Lühe had sewn two more for him upon her return, the rest were all old clothes from before.
His humble background allowed for a small wardrobe before, but now he was a Scholar.
Let’s celebrate by shopping!