The pouch might not have been heavy, but inside weren’t copper coins or silver, it was gold!
One tael of silver could be exchanged for a thousand copper coins, but one tael of gold could be exchanged for ten taels of silver.
There had to be at least five or six taels of gold in here!
Ji Taoyu narrowed his eyes. Thinking this man was really good at hiding things. He acted careless and always claimed to have no money, yet his disguise was quite convincing.
"That should be enough for you to spend for a while. No need to cook separately now, right?"
Ji Taoyu hung the pouch on his own waist, his eyes full of mischief.
Still pretending to be reluctant, he said, "Well, if you insist, I suppose so."
Huo Shu watched the ger’s actions, a faint smile flashing in his eyes.
The two of them didn’t encounter many people along the way. Even when they did, Ji Taoyu was wrapped tightly in a cloak, revealing only his eyes.
No one could recognize who he was, and with Huo Shu standing behind him with a face colder than the winter wind, no one dared to crane their necks for a better look.
Just as they reached the city gates, they saw a crowd gathered outside.
Huo Shu dismounted and helped Ji Taoyu down.
As they approached, they saw a notice posted at the gate.
After over a month of pursuit by the authorities, the bandit unrest in Tongzhou City had finally been quelled.
However, not all of them had been captured, some had fled beyond Tongzhou. Patrols and defenses had been strengthened at the borders, so for now, there was nothing to fear.
Along with the captured bandits, a considerable amount of stolen goods had been recovered. Citizens who had lost property could now go to the authorities to claim them.
The crowd buzzed with discussion, everyone saying they could finally have a peaceful New Year.
"I wonder if Fan Village’s grain was recovered."
Ji Taoyu, huddled in his cloak, murmured. A bystander nearby overheard and chimed in, "With so many bandits, they had to eat three meals a day. I heard the authorities only recovered half the grain, the rest had to be replenished by Fan Village themselves."
Ji Taoyu frowned. Half plus an additional twenty percent, that was still no small amount. Fan Village really had the worst luck.
The notice at the city gates spread quickly among the heavy flow of people, and soon the news reached nearby villages.
The once-dreary villages seemed to regain some vitality, and the city appeared livelier than before.
After reading the notice, the two headed straight for Shili Cloth Shop. Having not entered the city in a long time, Ji Taoyu felt somewhat unaccustomed to the bustling crowd.
He leaned in close to Huo Shu, tentatively brushing the back of his hand against his.
Feeling the warmth, Huo Shu glanced down at the ger, whose ears were slightly red, then abruptly turned his hand over and clasped Ji Taoyu’s hand firmly in his own.
Ji Taoyu looked up at Huo Shu, unable to suppress the smile at the corners of his eyes and lips. His other hand naturally clung to Huo Shu’s arm, his heart leaping with joy.
Perhaps because news traveled faster in the city, the cloth shop was already bustling with people who had heard about the bandit suppression.
The two asked a clerk to pass a message to Wu Lianhe and waited for her in the warm pavilion.
"Getting married?!"
Wu Lianhe was both shocked and delighted. Feeling that it was unexpected, yet somehow inevitable
Ji Taoyu, a little embarrassed, said, "Today, we came to get measured for wedding clothes and to let Third Sister Wu know."
"This is wonderful news!"
Wu Lianhe exclaimed. "When’s the banquet? I don’t know if I can attend, but if there’s anything I can do, let me make your wedding clothes as a token of my goodwill."
"Great!"
Ji Taoyu immediately agreed, then turned to Huo Shu. "Is that okay?"
Huo Shu also nodded.
Wu Lianhe noticed that Huo Shu was cold and stern, yet obedient toward Ji Taoyu.
"Then let's go pick out fabrics now. The recent bandit unrest caused quite a stir, and even the cloth trade hasn't been doing well. But now that the authorities have posted notices, the shopkeeper took the opportunity to bring out the best stock from the bottom of the chest. Since you came early, there are plenty of styles to choose from."
As he spoke, Ji Taoyu grew excited, and the two were about to go select fabrics when they suddenly turned and noticed Huo Shu still standing to the side. "Come on."
Huo Shu truly had no expertise in such things. Apart from distinguishing colors and thickness, he couldn't tell much difference. So he said, "You go ahead."
Ji Taoyu pouted, a wild boar can't appreciate fine grains.
[山猪吃不來细糠 (shān zhū chī bù lái xì kāng): lit. a wild boar can't appreciate fine grains; fig. someone uncultured can't appreciate refined things]
He stepped forward and patted his purse, whispering to Huo Shu, "If you don’t come, I might recklessly spend your money."
Huo Shu raised an eyebrow. "Go ahead. We’ll just eat husks and pickled vegetables later."
Ji Taoyu narrowed his eyes.
"You two go. I’ll head out to pick a bow for Zhao Pan. I originally planned to make one for him, but after returning, I haven’t had time to gather the materials."
Hearing this, Ji Taoyu responded, "Then I’ll wait for you at the cloth shop."
Wu Lianhe, standing at the door, didn’t catch what the two had whispered about. When Ji Taoyu came over alone, he said, "Let’s go pick. He doesn’t know how to choose."
Wu Lianhe chuckled. "Men are mostly like that."
Huo Shu left the cloth shop and searched for an archery store. In Tongzhou City, shops specializing in bows and arrows were scarce, most were combined with weapon and saddle sales, unlike the northern regions where archery shops could be found every few steps.
Thank you for the update!!
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