Thirteenth Lady's Comback: Her Everyday Life as a Bystander-Chapter 226 - 10: The Pain of Parting (Part 1)_2

Although they were not the kind of poor relatives who came uninvited to mooch, they were honestly not very well-off either. Even the expenses for coming to the Capital were covered by Hong Sheng’s sending them back. Now, with so many items right in front of them, all obtained legitimately, to claim they weren’t tempted would definitely be a lie.

The village chief thought for a moment and said, "Put them away. Even if these items are sold for silver, they’d fetch three to four hundred taels. We do need this silver. We must remember their kindness in our hearts. Without much ability, when we buy the sacrificial field, we should take extra care of it."

Seeing his wife cheerily packing up the bundles, he couldn’t help but notice: when they came to the Capital, it was just a small bundle; now, in just four or five days, it had turned into two large boxes of luggage. So, indeed, they had become "moochers."

"When you return, don’t chatter nonsense with that group of old women in the village. Hong Sheng hasn’t had it easy getting to where he is today. Let’s not give him a big face, but neither can we become a burden to him. Apart from those few bolts of silk, we’ll sell the rest when we get to the county town."

The village chief’s wife looked at the beautiful fabrics and exquisite jewelry, feeling reluctant, but she also knew that the old man was right. She reluctantly nodded, and seeing his wife’s demeanor, the village chief coughed awkwardly, "Keep that set of eight gold items. They’re pure gold and can be directly used as silver."

Upon hearing this, the mood of the village chief’s wife shifted dramatically like traveling from hell to heaven, her face turning sunny in an instant. "I will definitely hide them well and tell no one. Henceforth, it will be our family’s heirloom. What’s the saying? ’Wealth is not revealed!’

The village chief glanced at her and said, hanging around the Capital even picked up an idiom. "Look at you! You pack up, I’ll go visit a few of the clan elders."

Susu and Hong Sheng were unaware of the conversation between the village chief and his wife. After having lunch, the couple went to the study, where one spoke and the other wrote, listing things they needed to buy before their departure.

In the Northwest, the place is indeed rich in resources. Due to the land-based Silk Road, specialties from faraway Rome to the nearby Western Regions gathered here.

Precious jewels and spices, exquisite jewelry and textiles, whatever you can think of, you can find here.

What Susu and Hong Sheng needed to purchase included food and supplies for their journey, as well as some delicate items from the Capital.

Susu and Hong Sheng were going to the Northwest and who knew when they would return, so naturally, all of Susu’s dowry had to be taken with them.

As for large pieces of furniture and decor, those could be purchased in the Northwest, but everything else that belonged to Susu might not even fit in ten carriage loads.

The journey from the Capital to the Northwest was not peaceful. Although Hong Sheng and his companions were elite soldiers, as the saying goes, "A hero cannot withstand a crowd," and "Even ants can bite an elephant to death." Fortunately, the Yangwei Escort Agency had a trip to the Northwest, and Hong Sheng took advantage of this opportunity, making it a win-win situation.

Since there was no need for a forced march and there were guards, if they didn’t bring some goods back to the Northwest to make a profit, it would simply be foolish.

Didn’t Hong Sheng’s brothers leave after breakfast? They had already scouted out the spots and went to purchase goods. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

As for purchasing items, Susu and Hong Sheng didn’t need to handle it personally. They just left it to the steward.

Zhao Youshen had been promoted, going from the Manor Head of a countryside estate to the steward of Hong Mansion. With good fortune, he was energized by the task his masters assigned him and didn’t dare delay for a moment, going off to handle it immediately.

Before Zhao Youshen left, Susu took out two thousand taels of silver notes from her private stash. Hong Sheng didn’t say anything when he saw this, but he went out for a while in the afternoon and then brought back five thousand taels of silver notes for Susu in the evening.

He didn’t say where this money came from, and Susu naturally didn’t ask. Both husband and wife understood each other without words. Who could Hong Sheng know in the Capital? It must have been Prince Ke!

At night, Hong Sheng kept his promise and, enduring a cold water bath, didn’t touch Susu at all. Although Susu felt a bit sorry seeing this, when thinking of her own health, she steeled her heart again.

She was only fifteen now, and if she were to get pregnant, it wouldn’t just harm her health, but it wouldn’t be good for the child either.

So she could only wait until she concocted a contraceptive incense with the minimal risk before she could let Hong Sheng partake in "nightly merriment." But joking aside, it wouldn’t do to take it seriously!

As for whether to tell Hong Sheng about the contraceptive incense, Susu was still mulling over it. But in these ancient times, there were many who gave birth at fifteen, so why couldn’t she? No need to make him overthink.