Chapter 213
While selecting fabric at the cloth shop, Lu Gu suddenly realized why the man earlier had looked familiar. The man had bought meat from their shop a few times, though Lu Gu didn’t know his name.
"I think this one will do," Ji Qiuyue said, feeling the fabric.
His thoughts were as fleeting as passing clouds. After all, the man was a stranger, and once he figured it out, he didn’t dwell on it. Hearing Ji Qiuyue, he reached out to touch the fabric and nodded. "It’s good."
The price was a bit high, but since it was for the child, as long as the material was good, it didn’t matter.
Seeing Ji Qiuyue about to say something to Shen Yan, before she could speak, he cut in, "Sister-in-law, no need. I’ll pay. Let’s get a bit more and make another outfit for Mother."
"That won’t do. I should pay," Ji Qiuyue disagreed.
He insisted, "Erqing can go back home every month to visit, but I only return once every month or two. Mother is busy at home, and there’s little else I can do to help. Let me pay this time."
His tone was firm, without any hint of testing or hidden meaning. Since they were out in public, Ji Qiuyue didn’t argue further to avoid drawing unnecessary attention. Besides, they were family, if Lu Gu paid this time, she could cover the next expense.
After purchasing the fabric, though it cost six qian silver, Lu Gu didn’t feel the slightest regret. He had more than that saved, and it was for the children and Wei Lanxiang.
Shen Yan carried the bundled fabric over her arm, and the three of them strolled happily back toward the shop. Spotting a peddler selling cheap little silk flowers by the roadside, Shen Yan took a liking to them and bought a few.
As for the scholar they had encountered earlier, none of them gave him another thought.
Gu Chengyue, who had gone to the embroidery workshop to buy handkerchiefs for his family, stood blankly at the entrance for a while until Shopkeeper Zhou noticed him and asked with a smile whether he was there to buy something or to stand guard like a door god. Only then did he snap out of it.
Entering the shop, he saw Shopkeeper Zhou organizing a stack of handkerchiefs. A thought struck him, and he asked, "Shopkeeper, did your embroiderers make these?"
"Oh no, these were brought in by the group that just left. What are you here to buy?" Shopkeeper Zhou replied with a smile.
"My mother sent me to buy some handkerchiefs. The ones my sisters use are worn out, and I was just heading to the bookstore anyway," Gu Chengyue answered.
His gaze lingered on the handkerchiefs. Recalling that the woman and the fulang had been holding a child earlier, while the girl behind them had been smiling brightly - likely because they had just sold something, it occurred to him that the girl was dressed in maidenly attire, meaning she probably wasn’t betrothed yet.
"Well, take a look at these. The craftsmanship is quite good," Shopkeeper Zhou said without specifying that Shen Yan had brought them in. Since the girl was clearly unmarried, and her embroidered handkerchiefs might end up in the hands of men, it was better not to announce it.
Gu Chengyue understood this and didn’t press further. Even if they weren’t embroidered by that girl, his family would still use them.
He had never paid much attention to handkerchiefs before, but upon closer inspection today, the embroidered patterns were quite lovely, clearly the work of skilled hands.
The Gu family lived in Lanzhi Alley on Dongxing Street and were locals of Jixing Town. They owned twenty mu of fertile land outside town and ran a shop selling incense and candles. Since incense and spirit money were necessities for weddings, funerals, and ancestral offerings, their family, though not wealthy landowners, was comfortably well-off.
After buying the handkerchiefs and books, Gu Chengyue returned home. Sitting at his desk by the window to read, he found his mind wandering far from the text.
It suddenly struck him - the fulang holding the child was the one from that rabbit meat shop in town.
Ever since the rabbit meat shop opened, his family had occasionally bought game there for a change from chicken, duck, or fish. He had gone a few times and seen Lu Gu.
So it was that family.
"Chengyue!" His mother’s voice called from the courtyard as she walked toward his room.
"Mother." Gu Chengyue stood from his desk.
"Come, sit here." Mrs. Gu settled at the tea table, her face bright with excitement. "Early this morning, after you left for the academy, Matchmaker Sun came by. She mentioned a promising match..."
Gu Chengyue’s face twisted slightly in reluctance, and he interrupted, "Mother, I—"
"Don't 'Mother' me! Listen here, you little rascal, this time you’re going whether you want to or not!" Mrs. Gu’s temper flared, her voice rising sharply.
Scolded, Gu Chengyue didn’t dare argue back. His previous refusals to meet potential matches stemmed from the fact that, over the past two years, every proposed arrangement had fallen through for one reason or another. Gradually, he had grown disheartened and buried himself in studying, focusing solely on his books.
Mrs. Gu knew his feelings and sighed, sharing his frustration over the string of failed matches. Softening her tone, she coaxed, "You’re sixteen now, old enough that it’s time to settle down. No one can predict fate, but if you don’t even go, how will you ever meet the right one?"
"Matchmaker Sun told me this girl’s looks and character are first-rate. She’s from the countryside and two years younger than you, but her brother runs a shop in town, the one I sent you to for rabbit meat. Remember?"
"As for the girl’s two brothers, they’re not often in town, but I’ve seen them a few times. The taller one must be her second brother, truly a handsome fellow. His sister surely can’t be far off..."
Mrs. Gu rambled on, but after hearing "meat shop," Gu Chengyue stopped listening entirely, his mind buzzing in disbelief.
The word "fate" slowly surfaced in his heart.
He stood there dazed, looking like a fool, which angered Mrs. Gu so much that she slapped his left arm and scolded, "I'm talking to you, are you even listening?"
She had originally meant to hit his head, but her son had always been a good student since childhood, and she couldn’t bear to strike his head. He was already prone to spacing out, and she feared hitting him would make him even duller, so she often settled for slapping his arm instead.
Gu Chengyue suppressed the turmoil in his heart and tried to steady his voice as he asked, "Mother, when should we go?"
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