Chapter 310: Chapter 179: Properly Serve and Reward Big Bro

When no one was looking, Lu Yuan had also doubled back to place the Ancient Poison Scorpion’s corpse into his System Space.

Ever since Lu Yuan discovered the System Space could store such items, he had grown bold about stuffing things into it.

While the Ancient Poison Scorpion’s corpse wasn’t as valuable as the Long Snake’s, it was still a rare find.

’It won’t spoil anyway, and there’s plenty of room inside. I can figure out if it’s useful later.’

Not far from the Provincial City, the group stored their motorcycles to avoid any unnecessary trouble.

The Provincial City was crowded with people and prying eyes, with officials of all ranks coming and going. Riding motorcycles would have been far too conspicuous.

So, Lu Yuan and his party purchased some horses and a carriage nearby.

Lu Yuan and Su Liyan rode in the carriage, with one Close Retainer serving as the Groom. The rest of their retinue followed on horseback, flanking them on both sides.

Even so, during the inspection at the Provincial City gate, quite a few people mistook Lu Yuan’s entourage for that of the Lord Governor.

’What kind of Seventh Grade County Magistrate travels with such a large retinue?’

The other County Magistrates coming to deliver their reports were usually content to have even a single ox-cart.

The Provincial City was far livelier than Taiping City. After entering, Lu Yuan and his party stabled their horses and left their bags at the Post House.

The Post House was filled with County Magistrates from all over Qilu Province, as it specifically catered to visiting officials of all ranks.

Su Liyan linked her arm through Lu Yuan’s as they strolled through the Provincial City.

The Lord Governor was hearing reports from the County Magistrates one by one, and it wasn’t Lu Yuan’s turn yet.

Su Changliang hadn’t arrived in the Provincial City yet, either.

If Su Changliang had arrived, he would certainly have come to the Post House to find him.

With nothing pressing to do, Lu Yuan decided to take Su Liyan out for some fun.

’It’s been so long since I’ve lived like this. It feels so good to just live like a normal person with my wife.’

Lu Yuan took Su Liyan to browse all the shops, big and small, in the Provincial City.

From rouge and powders to rare children’s toys, Lu Yuan bought them all without a second thought, having them stowed away in their bags.

In fact, two of his Close Retainers were following behind specifically to carry their new purchases.

Lu Yuan’s eyes fell on a nearby shop. The plaque read, "The Provincial City’s Finest Women’s Attire."

The shop wasn’t large, but it made a bold claim. Amused, Lu Yuan led Su Liyan inside.

The walls of the shop were covered with all kinds of garments, every single one for women.

The customers were almost exclusively women—some commoners, some young ladies from wealthy families—but none were accompanied by men.

"Hubby, what about this red robe?" Su Liyan asked, her left arm linked with Lu Yuan’s as she pointed with her right to a garment on the eastern wall.

Lu Yuan looked at it and replied, "It’s nice, but it seems a bit matronly."

"How so? Plenty of women from prominent families like to wear red robes," Su Liyan pouted.

Lu Yuan pointed to a garment on the lowest rack. "If you ask me, that’s the one!"

A plump, flashily dressed woman walked out from behind Lu Yuan to the counter, clapping her hands. "My, my, sir! You certainly have a keen eye."

This plump woman was the Shopkeeper of this establishment, which specialized in women’s clothing.

Lu Yuan’s deep, masculine voice naturally stood out in the shop.

Many of the other shoppers turned their heads to look at Lu Yuan’s party.

’I couldn’t care less what other people think. What’s wrong with shopping with my wife? It’s not like I’m bothering anyone.’

The Shopkeeper held up the garment and said, "Sir, this outfit was brought all the way from the Western Regions. It’s the only one we have in the entire shop."

It was rare for anyone to show interest in this particular outfit, so the Shopkeeper was exceptionally enthusiastic.

The outfit had been sitting in her shop for months without a single inquiry, which was why it had been moved to the bottom rack.

Su Liyan looked at the outfit the Shopkeeper was holding up. "The material is nice," she said, "but it’s a bit... revealing, isn’t it?"

"Ah, my lady truly knows her fabrics! This is a floral silk brocade." The Shopkeeper placed the outfit in front of the couple. "Here, feel it..."

Lu Yuan reached out and pinched the collar. It was just as the Shopkeeper had described: glossy, lustrous, and soft to the touch.

"This outfit doesn’t just feel good, it’s also cool and breathable," the Shopkeeper continued.

’It wasn’t just the material that made it breathable; the style itself was practically an open window.’

It was a midriff-baring outfit from the Western Regions. The sleeves didn’t even reach the elbows, and wearing it would expose one’s navel.

It also came with matching trousers and a headpiece.

As Su Liyan looked at the outfit, she couldn’t help but picture herself walking down a village road wearing it, with all the neighborhood aunties pointing and gossiping about her.

’The gossip alone would be enough to drown me.’

The Shopkeeper decided to strike while the iron was hot. "How about this? This outfit was originally priced at eighteen taels of silver, but I’ll sell it to you for fifteen."

’The Provincial City really is a different world,’ Lu Yuan thought. ’Daring to ask eighteen taels of silver for a single outfit.’

’A regular farmer’s family could toil for a whole year and their entire income would only be enough to buy this one outfit.’

Lu Yuan didn’t respond, waiting to see what his wife thought.

Su Liyan was still hesitant. The Shopkeeper pressed on, "Alright, alright! Thirteen taels and five maces. Think of it as an investment to win a repeat customer."

Lu Yuan could guess what his wife was thinking. He leaned in and whispered in her ear, "You could always wear it just for me."

Hearing her hubby’s whisper, Su Liyan’s face flushed red. She lightly bit her moist lower lip, saying nothing.

Seeing his wife’s bashful reaction, Lu Yuan knew she had silently agreed.

He was definitely buying this outfit.

’In the modern world, someone would probably buy an outfit like this.’

’But this isn’t the modern world. It was brought from the Western Regions to the Divine Ling Empire.’

’Not many people in the Empire would be able to accept an outfit like this.’

’People here are still very conservative.’ 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Lu Yuan figured that the Shopkeeper’s enthusiasm meant the outfit was probably impossible to sell.

’They say the buyer is never as shrewd as the seller.’

’Let’s test the bottom line on this outfit’s price.’

Lu Yuan picked up the outfit again. "The fabric is high-grade, but there’s hardly any of it. Three taels and five maces. Take it or leave it? If not, we’re going."

"Heavens, sir, I can’t sell it for that! That doesn’t even cover my costs!" Hearing his offer, the Shopkeeper’s head started buzzing, and she grew frantic.

Just when it seemed she might finally sell the outfit, the customer had haggled the price down to three taels and five maces. That wasn’t just a discount; it was a fire sale.

Lu Yuan casually tossed the outfit onto the counter and, taking Su Liyan’s hand, turned to leave.

...

The Shopkeeper had never met such a ruthless haggler.

After some back-and-forth, Lu Yuan finally bought the revealing outfit for five taels of silver.

It wasn’t that Lu Yuan was short on money, but after all that haggling, even Su Liyan felt they’d gotten a fantastic deal.

Lu Yuan and Su Liyan spent the entire morning wandering the streets of the Provincial City.

For lunch, they went to a famous restaurant in the Provincial City and ordered a full spread.

The four of them ate until they were stuffed.

After the meal, Lu Yuan even ordered several of the restaurant’s specialty dishes to-go, telling his retainers to take them back for the others at the Post House to try.

Looking at the restaurant’s booming business, Lu Yuan had to admit the chef’s cooking was truly delicious.

’I should poach this chef with a high salary,’ Lu Yuan schemed, ’and open my own restaurant back in Taiping City.’

’If I’m really ambitious, once I’m back in Taiping City, I could even build an entire entertainment and food street. Make it the new landmark of Taiping!’

Lu Yuan’s trip to the Provincial City was a case of plucking a feather from every passing goose. He took whatever he thought was good and didn’t forget to learn a few tricks of the trade along the way.

After a full day of "fun," Lu Yuan felt utterly exhausted. Even the tops of his feet ached from all the walking.

He wouldn’t feel this tired even after exerting himself in battle.

But for some reason, when it came to shopping, the first couple of hours were fine, but the longer it went on, the more exhausted he became.

Su Liyan, on the other hand, had been dragging him around all day and was still bursting with energy.

Back at the Post House, Su Liyan was overjoyed as she looked at all the gifts piled on the table and floor.

There were gifts for her mother, for her aunt, and for Bengbeng and Huanhuan...

Seeing Lu Yuan collapsed limply on the bed, Su Liyan walked over, cupped his face in her hands, and planted a firm kiss on his lips. "Tonight," she whispered, "I’ll serve you well and give you a proper reward!"

Su Liyan was like a shot of adrenaline for Lu Yuan.

Whenever Su Liyan took the initiative, no matter how long they had been together, Lu Yuan found himself completely unable to resist his wife’s charm.