Chapter Eleven The First Time Entering the City

  "What can be mended has been mended, those shattered bowls... just get some new ones!" Chu Dongyang raised his eyes to see that Jiuniang's ears were bright red, and she was looking away from him with a faint smile, saying in a careless tone.

  "Add more? Is there still silver at home?" Jiuniang asked in a low voice, looking down at her toes.

  Jiuniang suddenly felt that she had asked a foolish question.

  At home, the poor can't afford to open a pot. If Chudong Yang had money, he would have taken it out and let her buy rice long ago. How could he let her cook sweet potatoes for several days?

  The ninth girl sighed and said, "Without a pot and bowl, even if there is meat at home, it can't be eaten."

  She must think of a way to make money, or she will starve to death if things go on like this.

  Chu Dongyang's hands were clasped behind his head, his long legs crossed and stretched out on the bed, a faint, enigmatic smile playing on his face as he stared at Jiu Niang.

  He looks like this, and you can't see any injuries on his legs at all. The overall feeling he gives people is a bit lazy and uninhibited, but with a hint of wildness and overbearingness.

  Jiuniang secretly raised her eyes to measure Chu Dongyang on the bed, wondering if this was what he had cultivated through seven years of military campaigns and battles, or if it was innate. She felt that there was a certain quality about Chu Dongyang that was difficult to put into words, which made people fear and dare not profane him.

  "Come here!" Chu Dongyang said with a low and husky voice, smiling.

  Jiuniang was stunned, raised her eyes and met his faint smile, and couldn't help but feel her face burning again.

  This bastard, his figure is very seductive when he's not wearing clothes, and he's still smiling at her without clothes on, it's really killing me!

  Jiuniang wasn't inexperienced when it came to handsome guys, her ex-boyfriend was a genuine rich and handsome man, they just broke up due to some reasons; and she never thought of herself as someone who would drool over good-looking men, but for some reason, seeing Chudongyang lying in front of her with his shirt off, she felt her face burning, her ears hot, her heart racing, and had an inexplicable urge.

  "What's wrong?" Jiuniang asked softly, looking down at her own feet treading on the ground.

  "Let me show you something!" Chu Dongyang continued.

  Huh? Could it be that Chu Dongyang really hid the silver and didn't let Li's family search thoroughly?

  Jiuniang's heart was guessing like this, and she excitedly raised her head to look at Chudongyang. She saw that one of his hands, which had originally been propping up the back of his head, had now moved to his waist and was fumbling with his belt buckle.

  "Hey!" Jiuniang was startled and turned her back: "What are you going to do?"

  Wasn't it for her to see?

  Why take off your pants?

  Was she supposed to look at what was inside his pants?

  Jiuniang gritted her teeth, feeling both ashamed and angry, and quickly ran outside.

  Chu Dongyang is such a bastard, so despicable, actually playing her!

  "Take this and exchange it for silver..." Chu Dongyang said to Jiuniang as she ran out of the room.

  Jiuniang heard Chu Dongyang's words and suddenly stopped in her tracks, forcing herself to calm down as she turned around.

  At this time, Chu Dongyang was pinching a piece of jade pendant in his hand, his expression was somewhat serious, and the rope on the pendant was pinched very tightly.

  "Oh!" Jiuniang took a deep breath, lowered her head and went in to receive the jade pendant, turned around and quickly ran out of the room again.

  ——

  Jiuniang was sweeping the courtyard when she saw a young woman walking from outside the yard, it was Yunniang from next door.

  "Sister, good morning!" Jiuniang smiled and greeted her, suddenly remembering that she had agreed with Yunniang to go up the mountain together today to dig bamboo shoots. She said: "Sister, wait for me, I'll sweep the courtyard clean, and then we'll go up the mountain."

  The young woman returned a smile to Jiuniang, but her facial expression was somewhat unnatural. She looked around and didn't see Chudongyang's figure, then walked over to Jiuniang's side with a hint of apology: "Jiuniang, maybe it was your mother-in-law who saw me taking a bowl of meat from your house last night, that's why she scolded you."

  She ran back home with the meat last night, but still didn't feel at ease, so she pulled her husband to go to Chudongyang's house, and then they heard that Li Shi had already started making a scene there.

  The young woman wanted to go in and mediate, but was pulled back by her own husband.

  Li was a hot-tempered person, and when she saw Yunniang taking meat from Chudongyang's house, she was already very unhappy. Now that she was scolding loudly inside, if Yunniang went in to persuade her, it was likely that Li would hit her.

  The artist pointed at Jiu Niang's head and asked anxiously: "Does your head... still hurt?"

  "My skin is thick, I'll be fine after a good sleep." Jiuniang smiled with her mouth open, her teeth looking particularly white and clean in the morning light. She said: "It was you who helped to invite the village chief over, right? Thank you, sister!"

  "We won't go up the mountain today, I'll accompany you to town to buy some things!" Yunniang took out a string of copper coins and handed them to Jiuniang: "There's not much money, so let's just buy some necessities for now, and we can slowly purchase other things later when we've earned more."

  Jiuniang was taken aback for a moment, then hastily returned the money in her hand to Yunniang, saying: "Sister, take this back, I have money."

  Chu Dongyang had just given her a jade pendant and told her to exchange it for silver.

  "Don't lie to me, take this money! Consider it a loan from your sister-in-law, you can return it when you have the means." Yunniang again stuffed the money into Jiuniang's hand.

  "Eh, sister-in-law..."

  The two of them were awkwardly pushing and pulling each other in the courtyard, so Ninth Girl simply accepted the string of copper coins and said helplessly: "Elder sister treats me this well, I really don't know how to thank elder sister!"

  "Don't say such unpleasant words, what's most important is to live a good life." Yunniang patted Jiuniang's hand and said seriously.

  ——

  The road into town wasn't very far, and after walking for about half a time unit, they arrived.

  This was Jiuniang's first time coming to the ancient times and entering the city, she found everything novel and fresh, looking around with great interest.

  The geisha also knew that Jiu Niang was sold because of poverty at home, and seeing her like this, she thought she had never entered the city before. She said: "After buying things, if you want to play, let's take a stroll around and go back later!"

  Jiuniang thought for a moment and then shook her head: "The one at home didn't eat breakfast, he's especially in a bad mood when he's hungry. Let's buy some good stuff and hurry back to cook instead."

  "I packed the dumplings early this morning, and when I left, I told my family member to send a plate of dumplings to Dongyang's brother at noon. Don't worry, he won't go hungry!" Yunniang said with a teasing glance at Jiuniang, the newlywed couple's feelings are really good!

  "In that case, thank you, sister-in-law. Let's take a stroll around for a while before heading back!" Jiuniang turned her face to the side, avoiding Yunniang's teasing gaze.

  Jiuniang also had her own plans in mind.

  The jade that Chu Dongyang gave her was obviously very precious, and although Jiuniang didn't understand jade and didn't know how much it was worth, when she took the jade from Chu Dongyang's hand, there was still a lingering warmth on the jade from his body, clearly having been worn close to his skin. This was also why all of Chu Dongyang's silver had been taken away by Li Shi, yet he could still produce this piece of jade.

  Chu Dongyang was adopted by Yang Shoucai and his wife, so this jade pendant might be the only token left by his biological parents. If he pawns it off like that, how will he find his biological parents in the future?

  Jiuniang thinks it's better to keep the jade pendant and find another way to make money.