Chapter 38: Chapter 38 How can she be so bold?!_1 Chapter 38: Chapter 38 How can she be so bold?!_1 An Jing smiled and said, “No need, Aunt Liu Hua gave me two sets, which is enough for changing.”
Xiao Changyi didn’t speak, just gazed at her, quietly, intently, steadily.
Feeling overwhelmed by his stare, An Jing could only surrender with a smile that was both helpless and sweet, “All right then, but you have to as well.” If she dressed well and her man poorly, how could she bear it?
Xiao Changyi had anticipated her response, knowing she also wanted to treat him well, so he nodded without objection, “Mhm.” He paused, “You choose the colors for me.”
“Of course,” An Jing smiled. She quickly scanned the fabrics on the counter, then pointed to a piece of sky blue and one of dark black cloth, “Those two colors, I think you’d look good in them.”
“Mhm,” Xiao Changyi agreed without objection.
Only then did the shop assistant ask, “The four colors you two have selected, what kind of material would you like?”
Rather than answering, An Jing asked back, “How much is the cheapest per foot?”
The assistant replied, “The cheapest is eight coins per foot, coarse fabric.”
An Jing said, “We don’t need to make full sets of these, just outerwear. How many feet will we approximately need?”
The assistant used a wooden ruler to make a rough measure on An Jing and Xiao Changyi, then told An Jing, “Madam, you will need four feet, your future husband will need five feet.”
An Jing said, “Then I’ll take four feet of each of these two colors, and he’ll take five feet of his two colors.”
“All at eight coins per foot?” the assistant asked.
An Jing nodded, “Yes.” Just for everyday wear, no need for a farmer’s child to dress too finely.
The assistant then calculated with an abacus, “Eighteen feet of coarse fabric, at eight coins per foot, totals one hundred and forty-four coins, plus four hundred and thirty coins for premium red fabric and labor from before, comes to a total of five hundred and seventy-four coins.”
An Jing said, “Please trouble your tailor to make these coats for us as well.”
“Certainly,” the assistant paused, “Since you’ve purchased so much fabric, our shop will waive the tailoring fee for the outerwear.”
Seizing the opportunity, An Jing said, “And since we’re buying so much fabric, shouldn’t you throw in something extra?”
The assistant smiled, “You are a shrewd customer. But we can’t operate at a loss, can we? We can give away some needles and threads.” He pointed to small items not far from the counter, “You can also pick out two purses from over there.”
An Jing said, “How about this, we won’t need the needles, threads, or purses, can you give me a discount instead?”
The assistant’s face immediately showed difficulty, “Madam, we really can’t do business at a loss. You go ask around; our Wanbu Pavilion’s fabrics really are the most reasonably priced…”
At this point, An Jing turned to look at Xiao Changyi.
Seeing her look his way, Xiao Changyi subtly nodded to indicate that the price was indeed fair and could not be reduced further, and An Jing also nodded back to him.
It was then that Xiao Changyi took out his money to pay.
Xiao Changyi paid with a piece of silver which equaled to one thousand coins. As the assistant was giving him change, he sincerely said, “You two have such a great relationship; it’s quite enviable to witness.”
After Xiao Changyi had secured the change and the receipt, An Jing went to pick out needles and threads and purses. Once finished, she asked the assistant, “Can the outerwear be ready in one day as well?”
The assistant replied, “Yes, they can be picked up along with your wedding garments tomorrow.”
Xiao Changyi didn’t speak, but bent down in front of An Jing, who didn’t hesitate for a moment and climbed up onto his back.
Everyone in Wanbu Pavilion stared in disbelief, hardly able to accept that An Jing was still an unmarried girl. Even for a married woman, such boldness as An Jing’s was unheard of.