Neither of them was willing to yield, but Lu Yuanfeng was taller and stronger. He directly reached over Liu Zian and grabbed the bowl on the table.
Liu Zian wasn’t about to show weakness either. He squeezed past Lu Yuanfeng and prepared to snatch the bowl.
By now, these bowls had transcended their actual worth in their minds. ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ꜰʀᴏᴍ Novᴇl_Fire(.)net
The tension in the air didn’t catch Mu Shuangshuang’s attention until one of the bowls smashed onto the ground. She turned around to see the two still refusing to let go and rolled her eyes dramatically.
"You both seem to love working so much. Lu Yuanfeng, you wash the dishes, and Liu Zian, clean up the mess on the floor!"
Mu Shuangshuang called their names directly, giving no one face, and Lu Yuanfeng and Liu Zian both blushed.
Then they realized how overly they had behaved.
"I’ll buy a bowl to replace it later!" Lu Yuanfeng said.
"Me too!" Liu Zian replied.
"Fine, finish the work you have at hand first before talking about replacing bowls, I’ll handle buying one myself!"
"Shuangshuang, I’ll go with you." Lu Yuanfeng urged because every time they went to the market, it was always he who accompanied Shuangshuang, and he worried Shuangshuang might not manage it alone.
"Forget it, neither of you are coming with me until your mistakes are sorted!"
Taking some cash with her, Mu Shuangshuang walked out the door and headed straight into the marketplace. She picked out four earthenware bowls, negotiated the price, and was about to head back when she spotted a girl in a dark green dress with a beautifully tied bun with a hairband.
The girl was none other than Ah Ru from Ah Rubu’s Mansion.
Ah Ru looked pleasantly surprised upon seeing Mu Shuangshuang and pointed with curiosity, "Shuangshuang, what are you doing here? Alone? Where’s Fengzi?"
A barrage of questions rendered Mu Shuangshuang unsure of how to respond, so she gave a smile.
"He’s being punished for breaking someone else’s bowl at a friend’s house. I made him wash it."
Saying so, Mu Shuangshuang shook the bowl in her hand and said to Ah Ru, "Here’s the one I just bought to make amends. By the way, what are you here for?"
Mu Shuangshuang doubted Ah Ru was out shopping since this hour was typically when shop owners ate. Generally, during this time, only small stalls were busy, and big shops ought not have anyone attending.
"I’m checking out the patterns at all the shops. The shopkeepers are busy now; if you look longer, the clerks won’t say anything." Ah Ru nodded.
"Are the patterns not enough at your place?" Mu Shuangshuang had drawn several for Ah Ru, one of which she’d already seen someone wearing, looking rather good indeed.
But for the remaining ones, not likely anyone had worn them yet!
"Yes, last time quite a few people from town asked about it. More of those were the ladies from clans or daughters of landlords wanting something unique, but your patterns aren’t quite cost-effective for making individual pieces for them, so I’m thinking of finding patterns slightly different from the public ones."
Women love elegance and dread wearing the same outfit as someone else—Mu Shuangshuang knew this.
Moreover, for a town as little as theirs, going out and seeing another wearing the same clothing was rather embarrassing.
Regarding Ah Ru’s intentions, if Mu Shuangshuang guessed correctly, she wanted to earn more silver to expand her shop.
If she were to release all those designs now, there might not be any good styles left in the future.
"Alright, I’ll draw a few simpler designs for you. Though they might take some time, it’ll leave the previous ones intact for now."
"Great, I’ve just sold a few outfits lately, you can take the silver with you when you go."
As they talked, the two girls got more into it, chatting and laughing on the way; by the time the designs were finished, nearly an hour had passed.
Mu Shuangshuang recalled the pile of ox bones she had bought and returned to the marketplace to purchase seaweed, weigh out two pounds of meat, and since there wasn’t a divided pot, she would temporarily just use the small pot she bought at the smithy.
Heading back to Little Niu’s house, Lu Yuanfeng and Liu Zian were already growing impatient; Lu Yuanfeng had gone looking for a while but hadn’t found anyone, fearing Shuangshuang returned without him knowing, he sulked back gloomily.
Yet she wasn’t there.
"Shuangshuang, where did you go?"
Lu Yuanfeng and Liu Zian exclaimed simultaneously.
"Nowhere really, I ran into Ah Ru on the way. I went to her shop and made two more designs, bought a couple of groceries to treat the folks at home. It’s time we head back!"
Mu Shuangshuang thought it might be best to take the small path now; otherwise, the whole day would end without accomplishing anything.
"Shuangshuang, I have to find my fellow villager and inform him I won’t be home," Liu Zian gathered the courage to say.
"Alright, let’s split up. Fengzi’s wheelbarrow is still parked somewhere else; I’ll fetch it with him later, meet up at the village entrance."
The three each busied themselves with their tasks and met back at the village entrance after about two sticks of incense’s time.
Liu Zian appeared as a stranger in Er Gui Village for the first time. Concerned he might be nervous, Mu Shuangshuang assured him, "Liu Zian, my family members are quite easygoing, but my grandma’s side, their mouths might be somewhat harsh. If you encounter them, just ignore them."
Mu Shuangshuang feared Liu Zian might think she was slandering the Old Mu Family, but such peculiar family members weren’t worth slandering.
She felt if she didn’t clarify now, and Liu Zian faced humiliation and left, it would all be for naught.
Liu Zian pondered her words for a good while before nodding with difficulty.
Harsh mouth, he couldn’t understand, for his relatives treated him kindly, never speaking harshly to him. But everyone was poor, so it made no difference.
The only difference was that he was the sole scholarly one in Liu Family Village.
Mu Shuangshuang felt relieved seeing Liu Zian nod in agreement.
The journey continued with little conversation, Lu Yuanfeng remained mostly silent, clinging to a somber expression the entire way.
Fortunately, no one seemed bothered.
Arriving finally at Er Gui Village, it was dusk.
Mu Shuangshuang hurried home while Lu Yuanfeng helped carry items, heading directly to her house.
Upon entering Er Gui Village, Liu Zian seemed more confident, asking about Yuanbao and Xiao Han’s situation—learning related, Mu Shuangshuang naturally gave detailed explanations.
The conversation finished just as they reached the side door of her house.
Previously, they’d discussed splitting off the third branch, so Liu Zian didn’t dwell on those details.
Entering, he saw a clean courtyard flanked by two separate houses, with nothing in it except a door plank.
On the plank were spread out some dried gold and silver flowers, the fragrance permeating the courtyard giving an unusually comforting vibe.