Chapter 23: Buying the Best for My Husband, Astonishing the Villagers

The fabrics in the prefectural city were much more fashionable and vibrant compared to those in the town. Although the prices were slightly higher, Bing Wengu still bought two bolts of fabric. He thought of Nan Jinping's clothes, patched and worn, and decided to have a few new outfits made for his young husband.

Additionally, Bing Wengu learned that there was a renowned embroidery house in the prefectural city that specialized in wedding attire. Families of slightly better means in the city would have wedding dresses made there for their daughters or Shuang Er who were about to be married.

However, in Bing Wengu's village, the economic level was far below this standard. Most people simply bought a bolt of red fabric and embroidered their own wedding attire at home.

Bing Wengu couldn't bear the thought of Nan Jinping working so hard. Moreover, the wedding dresses in the prefectural city were much more stylish and elaborate than those made in their village. Since this was a once-in-a-lifetime event, Bing Wengu didn't want to make it seem shabby and leave Nan Jinping with regrets. Thus, he decided to buy a ready-made dress from the embroidery house.

The auspicious attire at the embroidery house was indeed beautiful. Whether it was the wedding dresses for young women or the groom's attire, there was a dazzling array of styles, all extremely lovely.

The prices were also quite high. A wedding dress with good design and fabric cost around ten taels of silver. However, this price was within Bing Wengu's means and was the most suitable price he had in mind.

In reality, Bing Wengu wanted to buy Nan Jinping a silk dress where each inch of fabric was worth a tael of gold, but he couldn't afford it at the moment. But Bing Wengu secretly vowed that he would one day make sure Nan Jinping wore such clothes.

Bing Wengu carefully examined each dress, looking at many wedding dresses. Although they were all beautiful, they seemed more suited for young women.

The shop assistant initially didn't pay much attention to Bing Wengu, seeing his tattered clothes and thinking he couldn't afford their embroidery house's items, so he didn't offer any service.

But upon closer observation, the assistant noticed that Bing Wengu was genuinely and carefully examining each dress.

The assistant then smiled and asked with a polite tone, "What would you like to buy, sir?"

"A wedding dress," Bing Wengu replied. Having been a general in the interstellar realm, Bing Wengu had seen many grand occasions and wasn't intimidated by this small embroidery house. Thus, he appeared particularly composed and confident, unlike a country bumpkin, despite his attire.

"Something around ten taels of silver would be fine," Bing Wengu added. "It's for a Xiao Geer. I noticed these dresses seem more suited for young women."

"Xiao Geer?" The assistant was momentarily stunned. Even though he had seen many things, he had never encountered anyone buying such an expensive wedding dress for a Xiao Geer.

Even in the prefectural city, the status of Xiao Geer was quite low, as was the custom of the entire dynasty.

Their embroidery house catered to the slightly wealthier commoners of the city, who were willing to spend ten taels on a wedding dress for their daughters but not for a Xiao Geer.

Of course, there were exceptions, such as wealthier families marrying off their Xiao Geer. However, such families wouldn't choose their embroidery house.

Another scenario was when a Xiao Geer married into a wealthier merchant family as a concubine, in which case they might buy a nicer wedding dress.

Looking at the man's patched clothes, the assistant confirmed his assumption.

This must be a case of a Xiao Geer marrying into a higher-status family, the assistant thought.

The assistant, accustomed to such situations, didn't show any unusual expression and continued with his professional smile, "Please come this way, sir."

The assistant brought out a few exquisite pink wedding dresses from the back, as being a concubine was not the same as being a wife. In more particular families, being a concubine was considered less respectable, so pink wedding dresses were kept in the back and only brought out when requested.

Bing Wengu was confused and thought he might have remembered incorrectly, asking, "Pink? I thought wedding attire was supposed to be bright red."

"Ah?" The assistant was also confused. "Bright red is for the main wife, while concubines wear pink."

Bing Wengu was indignant, "My husband is the main husband!" he declared.

The assistant then realized the misunderstanding—this man was getting married to a Xiao Geer.

However, the assistant was even more puzzled, as the man's tattered clothes didn't seem like someone who could afford a ten-tael wedding dress.

The assistant, adept at adapting his speech to the situation, quickly changed his tone and said, "Oh, sir, I must have been too busy and made a mistake."

The assistant hurriedly brought out a few wedding dresses in styles suitable for Xiao Geer, in red and green, to correct his earlier mistake.

The customs of Dayong dictate that red is for men and green for women, symbolizing a high-status marriage for the woman. However, not all Shuang Er and young ladies are entitled to wear green auspicious attire; it is reserved for those marrying into official families. Ordinary families cannot wear green wedding attire and must wear red instead.

The clerk was unsure of Bing Wengu's situation. Though he doubted Bing Wengu would wear green wedding attire, he brought out a green one anyway, partly out of a small, calculated thought.

Previously, he had offended Bing Wengu by bringing out a pink dress, so he intentionally chose a green wedding dress to make amends. It always feels good to be treated with respect, whether or not one deserves it. This was the clerk's way of subtly correcting his earlier mistake.

Bing Wengu looked at the wedding dresses and was not very satisfied. "Are these wedding dresses around ten taels of silver?"

The clerk nodded.

Bing Wengu said unhappily, "These don't compare in fabric or craftsmanship to the wedding dresses I saw earlier for young ladies. Are they really worth ten taels? Do you have anything better, or should I leave?"

The clerk quickly grabbed Bing Wengu and brought out another dress. "How about this one?"

Bing Wengu examined it carefully. This one was indeed better, with much finer fabric and craftsmanship compared to the dresses on the wall.

"How much is this one?" Bing Wengu asked.

The clerk reluctantly said, "This one is eleven taels of silver."

"Don't think this dress is out of fashion," the clerk added with a look of reluctance. "Let me tell you, this dress is the work of our top embroiderer. Normally, you wouldn't get it for less than fifteen taels. It's just that this dress has been sitting here for a year without selling, so we have to sell it cheap."

If it were a wedding dress for a young lady, it would have been sold long ago. It's only because it's a style for Shuang Er that it hasn't sold. There are very few families willing to spend so much on a wedding dress for Shuang Er.

Bing Wengu thought the style looked good and suitable for Nan Jinping. The style wasn't old-fashioned where they were from; in fact, it was quite trendy. He decided he wanted it.

"Ten taels, I'll take it for ten taels," Bing Wengu said firmly.

"I can't decide that; I need to ask the manager," the clerk said. After consulting the manager, who was afraid the price would drop further if they waited longer, he agreed.

Bing Wengu paid the silver and was about to take the dress himself when the clerk stopped him, smiling, "Sir, let me wrap this wedding dress for you. Be careful not to let rough hands touch it carelessly when you get back, or it might snag."

"Do you have any brocade shoes for weddings here?" Bing Wengu asked as he watched the clerk carefully wrap the dress.

"Yes," the clerk's eyes lit up as he brought out a pair of shoes embroidered with branch patterns. "These shoes are embroidered with eight colors, and the toe is adorned with a large pearl, priced at one string and three hundred coins. Though a bit pricey, they can be worn on regular days. The richer guys and young men in our city wear these; they look really classy."

Bing Wengu took a liking to them at first sight and finally bargained them down to one string.

Considering that he still needed to build a house, Bing Wengu didn't buy anything else. He wished he could give Nan Jinping the world, but his current financial situation didn't allow it. He would have to add more things gradually in the future.

On his way back, Bing Wengu made a special trip to a kiln in the neighboring county to order the blue bricks and gray tiles needed for building the house. As for the wood, there was plenty on the mountain behind their village, and he could cut it himself, as was the custom among the villagers.

The kiln's blue bricks were cheap at half a coin each, and the gray tiles were one and a half coins each, with bulk discounts.

Bing Wengu planned to build seven large blue-brick houses. Even with the kiln's discounts, the materials alone would cost about one string per house, totaling seven strings for just the bricks and tiles.

The kiln did not handle transportation. If he wanted the kiln to deliver the materials to his home, he would have to pay an additional few hundred coins for transportation. Not wanting the hassle of finding transport and figuring the cost difference wasn't worth it, Bing Wengu decided to let the kiln handle everything.

Bing Wengu signed a contract with the kiln, paying three taels of silver upfront, with the remaining balance to be paid upon delivery of the bricks and tiles.

There was no need for Bing Wengu to oversee this; the kiln would handle everything, so he could go straight home.

Thinking that his family was running out of food, Bing Wengu went to the town to buy some grain.

The Bing family typically ate bean rice since beans were the cheapest. Though Bing Wengu wasn't picky about food, he naturally wanted to improve their diet when he could. Moreover, both he and the Bing family needed nutrition.

This time, he decided not to buy beans and instead bought two stones of chestnut rice, two stones of white rice, and five pecks of wheat flour. These were the staple foods of ordinary people in Dayong, but for the Bing family, it was a big step up. Previously, the Bing family couldn't even afford these and had to make do with wild vegetables.

The grain cost a total of one string and four hundred fifty coins. The Bing family had a lot of mouths to feed, with eight adults. Since children ate less grain, counting them together as one adult made nine adult equivalents.

One person consumes about three to four dou (a unit of volume) of grain per month, so nine people would consume about two dan seven dou to four dan of grain per month.

The Bing family has a large appetite, with the original host being an exception, having a small appetite. But now that Bing Wengu has arrived, his appetite is no less than that of the Bing family. If the entire Bing family eats as much as they want, they can consume four dan (approximately 400 liters) of grain in a month. The grain Bing Wengu bought is enough for the Bing family's monthly consumption.

However, Bing Wengu is not worried, as this money is just a temporary measure. After getting married, he will find other ways to make money.

Bing Wengu, having bought a large amount of grain, asked the shopkeeper, "Can you deliver all this?"

Bing Wengu is a big customer, and the shopkeeper grinned from ear to ear, repeatedly saying, "We can deliver, we can deliver. If you don't mind the dirtiness of our donkey cart for delivering grain, you can ride back on our donkey cart."

Bing Wengu glanced at his own clothes, which were not much cleaner, "I don't mind, thanks, shopkeeper."

"You're too kind, sir," the shopkeeper said, not wanting to keep Bing Wengu waiting, immediately called for a worker to bring the donkey cart to take Bing Wengu back to the village.

On the way, passing by a meat stall, considering that the family was lacking in rich food, Bing Wengu also bought ten catties (about 5 kg) of pork, spending one hundred and fifty wen (a type of ancient Chinese currency).

There were also some cleanly shaved meat skins and bone bags at the butcher's stall, weighing two catties and two taels (approximately 1.2 kg), for only five wen. These had no meat, and taking them home to make soup would waste firewood, which townspeople had to pay for, so few people wanted them.

However, Bing Wengu thought that pig bones made into soup would be delicious with rice or noodle dough, and could save on vegetables. With this in mind, he decided to buy them.

Previously, Bing Dalang rarely went out, mostly staying at home to read and study. So the villagers, unaware that Bing Wengu had gone out, were shocked to see him returning on a donkey cart loaded with grain.

Wang Shi gawked at the grain on the donkey cart and the two eye-catching, stylish bolts of cloth, "What's going on? Bing Dalang, has your family struck it rich?"

As Wang Shi spoke, she reached out to grab the two bolts of cloth, but Bing Wengu quickly snatched them back first, holding the two bolts of silk, "Your hands are dirty, don't dirty them for me."

Wang Shi looked at her hands, indeed there was mud in her nail crevices, but it's normal for farm folks doing farm work, burning firewood, feeding chickens and ducks to have a bit of mud.

Wang Shi pouted, "Bing Dalang has struck it rich and now looks down on us poor villagers. Don't forget, your family still owes me a dozen copper coins."