Chapter 83: Shopping

After Qin Huiyin came out, she went shopping with the others.

Tang Luwu asked, “Yinyin, did you see anyone from our village?”

“No, I went straight to their steward, found Song Ruizhe through him, and didn’t meet anyone else,” Qin Huiyin replied. “There are thousands of people inside; it’s not easy to manage. If anyone could just go in, it would be chaos.”

“You really are something, Yinyin. If it were me, I definitely wouldn’t have dared to go.”

“Luwu, don’t underestimate yourself. If your little brother were inside, and you were worried he wasn’t eating, dressing, or sleeping well, wouldn’t you want to go in?”

Tang Luwu nodded immediately. “Of course.”

“There you have it,” Qin Huiyin said. “The only reason you think you wouldn’t dare is because there’s no one in there you care about.”

“You’re so good to Song Ruizhe,” Tang Luwu said. “They all said you two don’t get along, but I don’t believe it.”

Qin Huiyin smiled and dropped the subject, changing the topic. “Let’s go to the ready-made clothing shop.”

Tang Luwu and Tang Yixiao had never been to a clothing store before. When they stepped inside and saw the dazzling array of garments, their eyes filled with longing.

The shopkeeper glanced at the three little ones, peeked outside, and saw only an ox cart and an old man driving it.

“Are you here to buy clothes?” the shopkeeper asked.

“Yes, we’d like to see if there’s anything suitable for us,” Qin Huiyin said, pointing to several styles. “This one, and this one. Can we try them on?”

“Young lady, these outfits aren’t made for farm work, and they’re a bit expensive. Also, if you’re really buying, have the adults come in and choose.”

“We can decide for ourselves,” Qin Huiyin said, taking out a piece of silver.

The shopkeeper’s eyes widened as he sized her up.

He hadn’t expected to be wrong. This young girl, though small, had bright, spirited eyes—steadfast and confident, quite unlike ordinary farm girls.

“All right,” the shopkeeper replied, realizing they weren’t here to cause trouble, and had his assistant bring down the styles Qin Huiyin had chosen.

“Luwu, little brother, go try them on.”

“These must be expensive. I’ll just take the cheaper kind,” Tang Luwu said.

“Who’s in charge of this household?” Qin Huiyin lifted her chin, exuding the air of a true head of the family.

Tang Luwu laughed at her posturing, hesitated, then took the clothes from the assistant and went to the fitting room.

Tang Yixiao was much more straightforward, quickly changing and coming out.

“Do you like it?” Qin Huiyin asked.

“I do,” Tang Yixiao replied. “I always wore my brother’s hand-me-downs before. This is the first time someone’s bought me clothes of my own. But one set is enough. My brother’s clothes are still good—no patches at all. If you alter them, they’ll fit.”

Qin Huiyin straightened his collar. “With your second sister, you’ll eat what you want, wear what you want. No more hand-me-downs.”

“I’ll do whatever you say, second sister.” Tang Yixiao’s eyes sparkled.

Tang Luwu soon came out in her new clothes.

“Shopkeeper, we’ll take four sets of this size,” Qin Huiyin said, seeing how good Luwu looked, and boldly bought several different designs.

The shopkeeper hadn’t expected the little girl to be such a generous customer. Fortunately, he hadn’t chased them out, or he’d have missed a big sale.

“My little brother will have four sets as well. Also, the rest of our family needs new clothes, but they didn’t come to town, so just use the sizes I say. If something doesn’t fit, as long as it’s undamaged, we can exchange it, right?” Qin Huiyin asked.

“Of course, as long as the clothes aren’t damaged or misshapen from washing,” the shopkeeper replied generously. “Dear customer, is there anything else?”

Qin Huiyin thought of Song Ruizhe. She remembered her surprise when she first saw him in furs, and his bare-chested state earlier only confirmed he had nothing else to wear. She picked two outfits for him according to her own taste. Hearing that the shop also sold bedding, she bought a quilt as well. After paying, she brought everything out to Uncle Tang, explaining the situation.

Uncle Tang had always felt sorry for Song Ruizhe, who lost his mother young and had just lost his father. He promised at once to deliver the things directly to him.

Uncle Tang went off to deliver the clothes.

Qin Huiyin took Tang Luwu and Tang Yixiao to continue shopping. She picked four brightly colored sets for Li Taohua. Such clothes might be considered flamboyant in the countryside, but Qin Huiyin felt Li Taohua was born for radiance—why hide her brilliance? Her beauty didn’t need to be concealed for anyone; she should shine as she is. Her beauty shouldn’t be diminished just because she’s married.

For Tang Dafu, Li Taohua, Tang Yichen, Tang Luwu, and Tang Yixiao—and finally for herself, too.

The whole family would be neatly attired, with four sets each. Since autumn was approaching, two were made slightly thicker for the coming season. She also bought several new quilts for home.

“Yinyin, this is a jewelry shop—it must be expensive…” Tang Luwu whispered.

“Earlier, to raise money, my mother pawned her jewelry. Now that we have money, I’m going to redeem her pieces and buy her something new.”

Tang Luwu nodded repeatedly. “That’s only right.”

“What do you think of these earrings?” Qin Huiyin held a pair up to Tang Luwu’s ear.

“For your mother?”

“For you.”

“Then I don’t want them,” Tang Luwu protested.

“One pair for you, one for me, one for Mother—so when we go out together, everyone will know we’re mother and daughters,” Qin Huiyin said. “Besides, these aren’t expensive. There’s only a tiny pearl on them—the really expensive ones are much bigger.”

She pointed them out to Tang Luwu.

It was Tang Luwu’s first time in a jewelry shop, and her eyes sparkled at the beautiful pieces. As Qin Huiyin said, the expensive ones had large pearls, nothing like the delicate ones they’d chosen. Still, Tang Luwu thought the small pearls Qin Huiyin picked were the prettiest.

It was her first time receiving jewelry.

After paying, Qin Huiyin purchased some household items as well.

By the time she was nearly done shopping, Uncle Tang had returned with the ox cart. He helped load all their purchases, then called out, “Let’s go home!”

“Uncle, did you see Song Ruizhe?” Qin Huiyin asked, leaning over the cart.

Uncle Tang grinned, “I did. When that boy saw what you sent him, his eyes turned red.”

Qin Huiyin didn’t quite believe it. If Song Ruizhe were so easily moved, he wouldn’t be himself. His first reaction would be, “Is there another scheme?”

But since Uncle Tang meant to comfort her, she wouldn’t argue.

“Thank you, Uncle.”

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