Gu Qingyun glanced at her older sisters, who were busy sewing clothes, and softly stepped out the door.
Shiwa Village was not too far from Zhaoyang Town. Although the area was hilly, it was not considered particularly poor.
Even impoverished families could make a living here. Life was much better than what Gu Qingyun had seen on TV in her past life depicting people at the bottom of society, and the land taxes were not overly harsh.
Aside from a few lazy individuals, most people could get by, though living a truly comfortable life was out of the question.
Zhaoyang Town was modest and far from bustling. It contained only a general store, a funeral shop, a tiny cloth shop, and a handful of street vendors.
Because of the short distance, Gu Qingyun simply set off on foot.
“Qingyun, where are you headed?” A naive, cheerful voice called out from the distance, sounding like a carefree songbird.
Gu Qingyun turned around. The speaker was her childhood playmate, Lin Xiaocao, Aunt Lin's granddaughter. Calling her a playmate was generous—Xiaocao was really just a girl who had persistently clung to her, determined to be her best friend.
A bamboo basket hung on her left arm, filled with wild mushrooms and edible herbs.
“Oh, it's Xiaocao,” Gu Qingyun replied with a smile. “I'm heading to town to buy a couple blocks of tofu.”
“Do you want to come along?”
“Yes, I do! Wait for me—I'm going to ask my grandma for some money!”
With that, Lin Xiaocao sprinted toward her home. Less than half an incense stick of time later, she ran back, a slight sheen of sweat on her forehead.
“Sorry to keep you waiting! As soon as Grandma heard I was going with you, she gave me money right away. Qingyun, your name really carries weight!”
“Usually when I'm alone, Grandma never lets me go to town. Even if I want to go with the other girls, she still says no.”
Gu Qingyun remained silent. She couldn't blame Aunt Lin for being cautious. With Xiaocao's gullible nature, she'd probably count the money for whoever sold her off. If they ran into rogue thugs, how could two young girls possibly escape?
With Lin Xiaocao in tow, Gu Qingyun had to slow her pace considerably. More than halfway there, Xiaocao walked slower and slower, eventually crawling like a turtle. Gu Qingyun sighed helplessly and crouched down in front of her.
“Get on.”
The moment the words left her mouth, a warm body pressed against her back. Gu Qingyun lifted her onto her back effortlessly and walked as if carrying nothing at all.
Clinging to her back, Lin Xiaocao glanced at her, then pressed her face bashfully against Gu Qingyun's shoulder.
“Qingyun, why aren't you a boy? If you were, I'd marry you when I get older.”
Gu Qingyun stumbled slightly.
“Xiaocao, what are you talking about? You're still so young, and you're already talking about getting married?”
Lin Xiaocao puffed her cheeks.
“What do you mean? Wu Xiaotian is only three years older than us, and she's already engaged to be married next year. In my heart, someone like you is the absolute best—kind, gentle, strong, and you even know martial arts! If only you were a boy.”
Gu Qingyun flushed with slight embarrassment.
“I'm really not as great as you make me out to be.”
Thinking of the scrawny Wu Xiaotian getting married, Gu Qingyun tightened her grip on Lin Xiaocao's legs.
“Xiaocao, don't rush to get married when you grow up. It's best to wait until you're eighteen. The laws of Dazhao state that a woman should be seventeen before marrying. Wu Xiaotian marrying next year is too early.”
Lin Xiaocao remained quiet on her back for a long moment.
“Qingyun, I don't really want to get married anyway. It sounds scary. I heard my grandma say that a girl in the neighboring village was beaten to death by her husband less than a year after getting married.
Grandma is so good to me. Even though my parents don't dote on me as much, they never let me go hungry either. I don't want to leave them.”
Gu Qingyun shifted her up slightly on her back and smiled.
“Alright, stop overthinking things. You're still young. Who knows? In a few years, you might meet an incredible young man who steals your heart, and you'll be begging to marry him.”
Lin Xiaocao tightened her arms around Gu Qingyun's neck.
“Hmph, Qingyun, you're teasing me! Fine then. If I ever do get married, you'll be my maiden family support! If anyone picks on me, you have to stand up for me.”
“Of course.”
As they neared their destination, Gu Qingyun put Lin Xiaocao down. She looked down at Xiaocao, momentarily dazed.
While Xiaocao wasn't exceptionally beautiful, her round face was like a beam of warm sunshine. Just looking at her gave off the impression of a kind, gentle girl who would make a wonderful wife.
She had round, fawn-like eyes and a soft, rounded nose. Her delicate face had a comforting, memorable charm.
Lin Xiaocao looked up and caught Gu Qingyun's clear, bright gaze. A rosy blush rushed into her cheeks.
“Qingyun, why are you staring at me like that?”
Gu Qingyun awkwardly averted her eyes.
“Just thinking how cute you are, Xiaocao.”
“Qingyun, it's a good thing you're not a boy, or I'd think you were trying to flirt with me!”
Gu Qingyun: “...”
Didn't she just wish Gu Qingyun were a boy?
Soon, they reached the marketplace in Zhaoyang Town. Since it was still early in the day, a fair number of people from the surrounding areas were out shopping.
There were plenty of vendors as well, selling hair accessories, wild game, mountain delicacies, and farm-fresh eggs.
Gu Qingyun looked around as she walked, spotting quite a few types of mushrooms she had never seen before. Following Old Lady Zhang's instructions, she went straight to the seafood stall and bought some wucai.
Noticing dried squid for sale, she bought some of that as well, then led Lin Xiaocao over to the tofu stand.
Gu Qingyun looked at the square, tender white blocks of tofu. Before she even stepped closer, she caught the distinct, rich aroma of fresh soybeans.
“Auntie, I'd like two blocks of tofu, please.”
“Alright! Two blocks for three copper coins. Come back if you like it! My tofu is made with genuine ingredients—fresh and affordable. One bite and you'll definitely come back for more!”
The vendor woman deftly wrapped two blocks of tofu in lotus leaves and handed them to Gu Qingyun.
Lin Xiaocao bought two blocks as well, and the two girls melted back into the crowd, browsing to see if there was anything else they needed.
As they walked, Gu Qingyun actually stumbled upon something special. She stopped right in front of a cat seller.
A small kitten was caged inside a bamboo basket. Under the sunlight, its fur gleamed with a vibrant, iridescent reddish-brown coat.
Its eyes were green, though the kitten itself was thin and tiny, its coat dull and unpolished.
What delighted Gu Qingyun most was that a subtle trace of spiritual energy coiled around its body. She was confident that given time, it could develop into a spirit cat.
“Hey there, young brother, looking to buy a cat to take home? This little guy is super easy to raise—just feed him a few leftovers every day and he'll do fine.”
Because Gu Qingyun was dressed in black with her hair tied up like a young man's, the vendor didn't look closely and assumed she was a boy.
Gu Qingyun didn't bother correcting him. She simply pointed at the kitten in the bamboo cage.
“Uncle, this kitten looks so small and thin. Will it survive if I take it home?”
“Why wouldn't it? Cats are the easiest animals to keep alive! Just give it anything and it'll grow right up. Look at it—doesn't it look majestic and fierce?”
Having finally caught a potential customer's interest, the vendor pulled out all the stops, eager to sell the kitten so he wouldn't have to listen to its annoying meowing all night.
“Alright then, Uncle. How much are you asking for it?” Gu Qingyun couldn't see anything majestic or fierce about the kitten for now, but she couldn't resist her liking for it and was quite inclined to buy it.
Rate on N.U.
