His master was mysteriously enthusiastic. Whether it was buying bolts of cloth, jins of cotton, needles or threads, he couldn’t wait to personally oversee everything. In doing so, he found plenty of excuses to stick closely by Little Sister Wei’er,
Being around Cai Wei was pure joy. She was cheerful, optimistic, and had unique insights. She was nothing like the other demure, careful girls that he knew, who solely complied without any assertiveness.
They purchased many items for the nursing home. Much of the selection was made by Cai Wei with him footing the bill. All her choices were durable, cost-effective and met with his approval. Moreover, Cai Wei was also a pro at bargaining. Many times, she would haggle the prices even lower than he thought possible.
For instance, for porcelain bowls that originally cost seven copper coins each, because of the large quantity they were buying, the shop owner readily reduced the price to five copper coins each. He thought that was as low as the price could drop. However, Cai Wei managed to negotiate further. She demanded a free pair of bamboo chopsticks with each bowl or plate, otherwise she would not make any purchase.
Left with no other choice, the shop owner had to give them two hundred pairs of bamboo chopsticks.
Although Huo Yuan did not care much for the few hundred pairs of bamboo chopsticks, he found delight in seeing Cai Wei put in her heart and soul for his nursing home. Watching her lively, bright, sweet and sharp haggling tactics brought him great joy...
The two of them kept shopping until nightfall and had just about ordered everything necessary for the nursing home. Huo Yue intended to have dinner with Cai Wei, but she turned him down.
She had been out the entire day. If she were to return late, her parents would worry and might not allow her to come out tomorrow. This meant she wouldn’t be able to be involved in setting up the nursing home. As such, as the sun began leaning towards the west, she started to make arrangements to leave.
Huo Yuan did not insist, and personally escorted her to the entrance of the inn. He bid her farewell politely. Up until their departure, not a single word of the previous night’s matters was uttered. It was as if the incident had never happened.
After bidding Cai Wei farewell, Huo Yuan, cheerful once again, returned to his mansion in Lin’an Prefecture. The moment he entered the mansion, he saw that the magistrate of Lin’an Prefecture had been waiting for him with a worried look.
Huo Yuan cheerfully greeted.
Prefect Han scurried forward with fear and trepidation, bowing to Huo Yuan in apology: "Young Master Huo, it was a failure on my part. I came to your mansion to apologize!"
Huo Yuan’s marriage proposal had been unsuccessful, a big blow to him, as he had hoped to use this opportunity to make a connection with Young Master Huo and gain his favor. However, Scholar Mu surprisingly lacked any initiative. For Young Master Huo to propose to his family and be outrightly rejected without any room for negotiation was both disappointing and astonishing.
He was disappointed because the marriage proposal had failed and he couldn’t forge his ties with the Huo Family. His shock stemmed from the Mu Family’s rejection of this marriage alliance.
This was Young Master Huo, the future head of the richest family in the Great Jin Nation, Consort Huo’s younger brother and King Jing’s uncle. Even if their daughter was made a concubine, it would be honoring their family. What’s more, she was being proposed for the position of the official wife, which was incredibly honorable. What he did not expect was that the Mu family did not consider the Huo family worthy at all.
It appeared that the Mu family, being from the countryside, were truly ignorant. Just because they had a beautiful daughter, they believed they held all the cards. Even Young Master Huo did not meet their expectations. It was infuriating and ridiculous. Could they possibly dream of her becoming the Empress?
Before Prefect Han could finish speaking, Huo Yuan laughingly interrupted him and calmly said: "It’s not a big deal. It was just a rejected marriage proposal. There’s no need for you to blame yourself, Prefect Han."