Chapter 7: By the Balcony (I)

That fool actually asked for a strand of her hair!
It was already late at night when she returned to the inn. Lying alone on the wooden bed, Ni Xin could not calm her restless emotions for a long time.
Though she had traveled far and wide, living a life full of hardships, Ni Xin possessed the delicate sensibilities of a young woman. She certainly understood how important hair was to women—tying one’s hair and giving it to a man meant expressing affection for him.
Had he seen through her feelings?
Impossible! After thinking for a moment, Ni Xin dismissed this unrealistic idea. She hadn’t shown any sign of affection toward him; on the contrary, she had deliberately kept her distance. Could there really be such a man who became closer to her the colder she was?
Turning slightly, Ni Xin sighed deeply.
“Did you change my clothes? So you saw everything?”
“Yes, I changed your clothes. So what? If I hadn’t quickly replaced your rain-soaked clothes, you would likely have died from fever by now!”
“Fine, fine! It’s always your captain who’s in the right. It seems I, Ni Xin, am the unreasonable one, ruining your captain’s reputation.”
Just thinking of that night made her heart race and her cheeks flush.
Since that rainy night, she had developed feelings for the young man, but her strong-willed nature prevented her from expressing them…
“A hundred days together eventually lead to separation. That night, I was drugged and fell into a coma. I’ll always remember your kindness in saving my life… That slap—I owe it to you. There must be a traitor in the army. Be careful!”
She remembered every word she wrote in the letter to the young man clearly. With each word written, her heart felt as if it were being cut. What could she do? After all, he was an official! A young man of his age probably already had a wife, right?
At this thought, Ni Xin felt frustrated. Why did she have to meet him? And why did she have to fall in love with that young man?
“Knock, knock, knock.”
A deep, firm knocking sound came from outside the door. Having spent years traveling, Ni Xin was highly alert. Before the person could speak, she already reached for the sword on her bed.
“Who is it?”
Ni Xin called out sharply, turning sideways.
“Sir, I’ve brought the purse you ordered!”
It was the waiter! Ni Xin let out a sigh of relief and softened her voice. “Wait a moment!”
She quickly got out of bed, went to the door, and opened it. Just as she was about to take the purse, she was shocked.
“How is it you?”
“Sir, here’s the purse you wanted!”

Li Kuo glanced at Ni Xin playfully and handed her a purse embroidered with mandarin ducks.
“Who wants a purse?”
Ni Xin’s chest heaved rapidly. This guy was clearly following her.
“If there’s no purse, how can I put my hair in it?”
Li Kuo followed Ni Xin to this inn, overheard her conversation with the waiter, and naturally bought her the purse.
“You…”
Miss Ni never expected him to be so “brazen” and didn’t know how to retort.
“I live in Qinren Fang. Come find me anytime if you decide!” …
“Hey, get up! Get up!”
Du Jingtian knocked on Li Kuo’s bedside table, ruining his sweet dreams.
“Ah Tian, let me sleep a bit longer, please…”
Li Kuo returned to the mansion in the latter half of the night and had slept for less than two hours. Ah Tian really was ruthless for waking him up now.
“Hey, I’ve already prepared your food, and you’re still lying in bed!”
Miss Du was upset. She slammed the wooden plate on the table and shouted, “It’s already late! You idiot! Get up and eat your eggs!”
Li Kuo could no longer bear the torment and sat up abruptly. “My dear, it’s only just morning!”
If he had returned to the mansion with the two girls yesterday, if he hadn’t met Ni Xin during his walk later, and if he hadn’t followed her to the inn, he could have slept soundly now! But since none of that happened, he naturally didn’t know that Miss Ni intended to give him her hair in a purse…
Perhaps this is what they call fortune and misfortune going hand in hand?
“Hey, you idiot! Why did you come back so late yesterday? Did you bring the gift I asked for?”
Miss Du was straightforward and reached out to demand the gift from him.
“That mask… that…”
Under those circumstances, Li Kuo naturally returned the mask to Ni Xin, but he forgot that Miss Du had also specifically asked for the Monkey King mask. What should he do now?
“Ah Tian, I just remembered I still have some matters to attend to at the military camp today. I need to go there early!”
In desperation, Li Kuo didn’t care about anything else. He put on his shoes and rushed outside.
“Hey, you idiot! You haven’t eaten your eggs yet! Come back! You’re driving me crazy, you idiot…”
Free from Miss Du’s grasp, Li Kuo finally took a breath of relief. Of course, he wasn’t going to the military camp. Worried about Ni Xin, he unconsciously headed toward the inn where she had stayed the previous day.

It was the New Year, and it must be incredibly boring for her as a young woman to stay in an inn. Right, she might as well buy some gifts to take there as a New Year’s blessing for her. With this idea in mind, Li Kuo headed to the nearby Hao’s Silk Shop. He had been friends with Hao Yihao since childhood, so buying silk from their shop surely wouldn’t be a loss! Don’t all girls love beauty? Buying a piece of silk to make her a new dress surely wouldn’t be offensive, right? As soon as he entered the shop, Li Kuo saw a shop assistant arguing with several women. Those women had loose braids and wore jackets made of yellow sheepskin; clearly, they weren’t from the Central Plains. The assistant was shouting loudly, “This is Suzhou silk—the highest quality silk in our Central Plains. It costs thirty raw skins per piece.” No sooner had he finished speaking than a woman in her thirties complained, “Why is your silk so expensive? The silk sold at the store next door is of similar quality but only costs twenty raw skins. Are you trying to take advantage of us people from the grasslands who don’t know much about quality?” Her words prompted several other women to agree. The place soon became noisy and chaotic, causing frustration. The assistant was sweating profusely, anxious, and said, “Madam, how can you compare my silk with the Lu silk sold next door? Lu silk is the lowest quality silk in our Central Plains; even the wealthy people disdain to use it.” But the woman wasn’t convinced. “It seems pretty much the same to me. Besides, why would we need the standards of those wealthy people from the Central Plains? It’s cold in the north, so as long as it’s thick and warm enough, that’s fine.” Among silks, Suzhou silk is the best, followed by Zhejiang silk, with Lu silk being the worst. Yet among these three, Lu silk is the thickest and most durable. Therefore, some ordinary families with extra money would cut a piece of Lu silk before New Year’s Eve, treating it as silk reserved for the wealthy. At this point, the assistant had done himself a disservice—trying to explain the quality of silk to people from the north was like trying to explain the superiority of mutton to people from the south. Seeing that the silk was about to go to waste, he became extremely anxious. Although the shop owner had instructed him that if he couldn’t get enough raw skins, he could exchange them at high price at Huiyuan Goods Store, dealing with those bloodsuckers would only leave him drained. Thinking of the arrogant faces of the staff at Huiyuan Goods Store, he shook his head and muttered angrily, “I’ll suffer this loss once. Twenty-five raw skins for one piece of silk—can’t that be acceptable?” Seeing his distressed expression, the women couldn’t help but feel sympathetic.

The woman leading the negotiation leaned in and whispered, “Is it really only twenty-five raw hides?”
It was as if the clerk might change his mind if he turned around.
But the clerk gritted his teeth and said, “Yes, just twenty-five raw hides, but no wormholes and no wear. I can’t go any lower—otherwise I won’t be in charge!”
Relieved by this assurance, the woman beamed and said, “Very well. I want two bolts of this silk. Pack it well so I can take it to my sisters to show them.”
The clerk, with a gloomy expression, packed the silk and took the raw hides from a burly man. After counting them, the deal was finalized.
Once the women left, Li Kuo stepped forward and greeted the clerk, “Well, Hao Chun, are you dealing with barbarians now?”
He often accompanied Hao Yihao to this store, so he was quite familiar with the clerks there.
“Oh, it’s Lord Qi!”
Seeing that it was Li Kuo, Hao Chun immediately softened his tone. In the past, he would have been polite at most to the young man, but now he was a general of the third rank—how could a mere shop clerk afford to offend him?
“You don’t know—these Turks are extremely cunning!”
Hao Chun sighed and said, “Ever since General Wang Zhongsì destroyed their country, these guys have become like wolves without a den, desperate and fierce. Some moved inland to the border counties, some lived scattered, while others migrated westward to the Western Regions. The worst ones are those who moved inland—they come to us every winter with loads of cheap hides, trying to take advantage of us!”
“Oh, why is that?”
Li Kuo was surprised. It was a voluntary transaction; if the price didn’t work, they could just refuse to sell. Why would they lower their price so much?
“Lord Qi, you don’t know! Every spring, the Jingzhao Prefecture demands that we hand over a certain amount of silver. It would be fine if it were just silver, but these past few years they’ve also demanded dozens of raw hides. Where are we supposed to get raw hides in the dead of winter? These Turkic women, having long dealt with people from the Central Plains, have become shrewd scammers. They always come to Chang’an at the end of the year to exchange hides, always getting away with it! If we weren’t in such a hurry to deliver the hides, how would we let them get such an unfair advantage!”
Note 1: Suzhou silk: Specifically refers to the silk produced in Suzhou, renowned for its softness.
Note 2: Shandong silk: Silk produced in the Shandong region, less soft than Suzhou silk.