Mo Lixia watched Aunt Qiao's joy and felt a warmth in her heart. So this is what having close family feels like, she thought. It's wonderful.
But then, a thought struck her. She must have parents in this era too. Did they ever think of her?
Shaking off the melancholy, she arrived at the fabric shop.
It was an unassuming store run by an honest couple. Mo Lixia always bought her fabric here because the quality was good and the prices were fair. Over time, they had become familiar with each other, and the owners would occasionally toss in small gifts.
"Miss Lixia has arrived?" Seeing her enter, Shopkeeper Yang greeted her warmly. "What would you like to buy today?"
"Shopkeeper Yang, I'd like to buy cotton for two quilts. I also need to trouble Aunt Yang to make two duvet covers for me."
"No problem! Go ahead and pick the fabric. My wife went out to buy supplies, but when she returns, I'll have her start working on them. It should take a day or two," Shopkeeper Yang said enthusiastically.
Aunt Qiao had other items to buy, so after selecting her own fabric, she hurriedly left for the West Market, leaving Mo Lixia to choose carefully.
"Could I trouble Shopkeeper Yang to deliver them when they're done? To Quling Village... it's quite close. I can pay extra for the delivery."
"Easy, easy... Miss Lixia takes such good care of our business; delivery is the least we can do. No need for extra money this time."
"Thank you, Shopkeeper Yang." Mo Lixia smiled gratefully.
She chose soft cotton fabric. Bedding needed to be soft to be comfortable. Her master couldn't get out of bed recently, and his old quilt had become stiff and hard over the years. It was time to replace it. She decided to change hers as well.
She picked fabric for the quilts and inner wear, then selected some purple and light green cotton for the duvet covers. After giving Shopkeeper Yang detailed instructions on the measurements, she bought another piece of light-colored cotton to take with her.
The idea of "duvet covers" came from seeing Aunt Shen rip apart the entire quilt to wash it every few months. It looked exhausting.
When Mo Lixia first explained the concept of a removable cover to the couple, it took a long time. Eventually, Aunt Yang understood. Once made, it was brilliant—if it got dirty, you just took off the cover and washed it. It saved so much trouble.
Leaving the fabric shop, Mo Lixia headed to the West Market. She needed kitchen seasonings and vegetables that could be stored for a long time.
She preferred to buy from a specific old farmer.
He was thin and frail. The first time she bought from him, it was out of sympathy, even though his vegetables weren't the freshest that day. Later, she realized he had just been having a bad run. Now, his vegetables were the freshest in the market.
In winter, variety was scarce. Without modern greenhouses, the selection was limited to cabbage and radishes.
Mo Lixia picked out some sweet potatoes and potatoes.
"Miss, let me give you a few extra sweet potatoes. In this cold weather, sweet potato porridge warms the body best." After she paid, the old farmer stuffed several extra tubers into her basket.
"Thank you, Grandpa."
"It's nothing. You always support my business... By the way, Miss, do you need any fine noodles?" The old man pulled a cloth bag from behind him. "We made these ourselves. The sweet potato harvest was good this year, so we made some starch noodles with the surplus."
Mo Lixia's eyes lit up. Sweet potato vermicelli!
In winter, staying indoors and eating pork stew with vermicelli or hotpot was simply heaven on earth.
"Grandpa, I'll take some!"
"Alright!"
In winter, meat was essential. Although there was a butcher in the village, Mo Lixia refused to buy from Butcher Liu (Aunt Liu's husband).
She went to a meat stall in town.
She ordered several pounds of pork belly to make cured meat, and some ribs. Her master needed nutrition to recover. She also bought some beef and mutton.
The total came to one tael and eight mace of silver.
"Brother, how about waiving the eight mace?" Mo Lixia tried to haggle. It was an ancient tradition, after all.
"Miss, I know you bought a lot, but I didn't mark up the price. Eight mace isn't a small amount."
"It's only eight mace," Mo Lixia frowned. This guy is stingy.
"I can't do it, Miss. You don't know this business. When we buy a whole pig, we pay for the whole weight. But after slaughtering, we have to throw away pounds of internal organs. We barely make money for our labor!"
Mo Lixia was puzzled. "Throw away? What happens to the liver and intestines?"
The bearded butcher stared at her with wide eyes. "Miss, is this your first time buying meat? Don't you know those filthy things are either fed to dogs or thrown away?"
"Huh?"
Mo Lixia was shocked. Those are delicacies! How can they just be thrown away?
Carrying a heavy bamboo basket on her back and a cloth bag in her hand, Mo Lixia passed through a small alleyway.
Suddenly, she heard crying.
Subconsciously turning her head, she saw a boy of about five years old shaking a woman lying on the ground.
"Mommy! Mommy, wake up! Mommy... waaaah..."
"Little brother, what's wrong?" Mo Lixia approached and squatted down. She placed the boy on her lap and checked the woman's eyelids. Her expression turned serious.
Sensing her reaction, the little boy struggled free and knelt before Mo Lixia.
"Big Sister, please! Please save my mommy! Chen'er will kowtow to you!"
Thud. The boy knocked his head on the ground.
Mo Lixia quickly picked him up. "Good boy, don't cry. Big Sister will help."
She immediately took out her silver needles. With practiced skill, she inserted them into specific acupoints on the woman's body.
A few moments later, color returned to the woman's sallow face. She slowly woke up and sat up, looking around in panic.
"Mommy's awake! Waaah! Mommy, don't leave Chen'er!" The boy threw himself into her arms.
"Chen'er... I'm still here. Mommy is sorry for scaring you."
Although the woman looked malnourished, her gentle and noble temperament was undeniable. She was a beauty. Looking at their clothes, they seemed to be from a wealthy family. Why would they be malnourished? Mo Lixia wondered.
The woman hugged her son tight. Seeing Mo Lixia beside them, she realized what had happened.
"Thank you, Miss," she said gratefully.
"You're welcome." Mo Lixia stood up and picked up her bag, preparing to leave.
"Miss... Miss, please wait. May I ask for your name? I would like to repay your life-saving grace in the future." The woman tried to stand up shakily.
Mo Lixia quickly put down her bag and stepped forward to support her.
"Mommy, it was Big Sister! Big Sister saved you!" the little boy chirped.