Upon reaching the room upstairs, Fan Zehao's unease grew with every thought. He confided in his wife, Zhao Jiaqi, after she had finished her washing.
"You say I, a dignified man, was mistaken for a live-in son-in-law? Is their eyesight that bad, surely their eyes must be crooked!"
Zhao Jiaqi chuckled, then coughed lightly. It wasn't the shopkeeper's eyes that were faulty. In this era, men typically carried the money when going out. Who else, like him, had no money to pay for breakfast and then asked her for it? To those old-fashioned folks, wasn't that exactly what a live-in son-in-law did?
"Alright, it was just a joke. Why are you still so bothered? Let's eat, I'm hungry!"
Zhao Jiaqi artfully deflected the issue, but as they ate, she still heard him muttering, "I am a man, a seven-foot-tall man, how could I be a live-in son-in-law? This is not a small matter, it's about my dignity and reputation!"
Even in a low voice, Zhao Jiaqi heard it clearly. However, she didn't dwell on it. If she took every matter seriously, she'd accomplish nothing in her life and would spend all her time arguing.
Zhao Jiaqi placed a piece of braised pork knuckle into his bowl. "Why bother with what others say?"
"Those who know you understand without explanation. Those who don't, even if you explain, they won't understand. Their mouths are their own, let them say what they will. You don't lose a piece of flesh. If you insist on arguing, it will only end in mutual harm!"
Zhao Jiaqi smoothly poured him a cup of wine. "He apologized to you in the end. You got your face back, but you were still filled with anger. Too much anger harms the body, don't you understand this principle?"
With a few words, she soothed Fan Zehao. He then considered that what his wife said made sense. Since they didn't know those people, why bother with such things? Let them say whatever they pleased.
"Alright, let's eat. Whatever they think, they think. My child carries my surname anyway!" This was his greatest pride at the moment.
However, this statement stirred something within her. The children came from her womb, and she bore them at great risk. Yet, not one of their three children carried her surname. It felt a bit uncomfortable to hear him say that.
Regardless of whose surname the children carried, they still called her "mother," and that was undeniable. Just as she had come to terms with it and was about to eat, she noticed the carefree man beside her eating heartily, stuffing food and wine into his mouth, his face greasy.
It was no wonder he didn't gain weight. It was fortunate that he practiced martial arts and hunted regularly, otherwise, his belly would be no different from that of a woman eight months pregnant!
Seeing him eat with such gusto, Zhao Jiaqi couldn't help but eat a little more than half a bowl of rice herself. As a result, she overate and felt a painful fullness in her stomach. She paced back and forth in the room, rubbing her belly, and shot a fierce glance at the culprit.
Fan Zehao felt wronged. He whispered, "I didn't tell you to eat so much. Why are you blaming me when you're the one who overate!"
Seeing his wife's eyes turn towards him again, he immediately stood up and tried to please her. "My dear wife, it's not snowing outside now. Shall we go out for some fresh air, walk it off, and see if there's anything good in this area that we can buy?"
If he remembered correctly, his wife had said that to make girls happy, one should let them shop. This way, their anger would dissipate, they would look at you favorably, and most importantly, they would have a good impression of you.
He suddenly realized his mind had been enlightened; it was too clever, killing three birds with one stone! And he even managed to win her over, truly a brilliant mind!
"Let's go, I'll help you walk!"
Fan Zehao was somewhat impatient. He helped his wife put on her clothes, adjusted her boots, and once she was ready, he casually put on his padded jacket and led the somewhat dazed woman downstairs.
As they reached the counter, the shopkeeper happened to witness this scene. He smirked. He had stubbornly denied being a live-in son-in-law, but his wife wasn't pregnant, and judging by how carefully he treated her, who wouldn't believe he was?
On the ancient, quaint street, although the snow was quite deep, there were still many people. Many stalls were set up outside, mostly displaying items in red, which inexplicably gave a festive feeling.
Seeing this, she remembered that it was already the twelfth lunar month, and soon it would be the New Year. The items being sold outside were all festive goods for the New Year.
She looked around and saw stalls selling various monkey-themed pendants, such as "monkey climbing the mountain," "monkey picking peaches of immortality," and some with auspicious meanings like "monkey riding a horse." It was clear from these designs that the next year was the Year of the Monkey.
Zhao Jiaqi lingered a bit longer at the monkey-themed pendants. Fan Zehao promptly paid for them and also bought several pairs of couplets and "Fu" characters.
She could understand buying pendants and "Fu" characters, but why did he buy so many pairs of couplets?
It seemed their home only had four places that needed couplets: the main door, the inner doors, the kitchen door, and the storage room. Her husband bought more than ten pairs, far more than they could use by next year.
"Husband, our family only needs at most four pairs of couplets. We really don't need this many!"
Upon hearing his wife's words, Fan Zehao's speed in picking out couplets increased. "Let's get some for the village chief's family, and some for those two other aunties. Didn't you say these three aunties are going to make cotton clothes and pants for us? We can't just use their services for free!"
These items weren't expensive, and at least they represented a gesture of goodwill. Besides, every household pasted couplets for the New Year, so it was also a way of sending blessings.
His words surprised Zhao Jiaqi. She hadn't expected her husband to be so thoughtful, knowing to bring gifts for others. Although not valuable, they were at least a sign of sincerity.
Instead of stopping him, she actively stepped forward to help him choose. A pair of couplets cost only a few wen, so buying more to give to the three aunties would be a cheerful gesture.
The two of them selected various pendants and a pair of couplets of each design. In total, they bought quite a lot. Zhao Jiaqi employed her best negotiation skills and began bargaining with the stall owners.
What was originally priced at one liang and fifty wen was haggled down by a hundred and fifty wen. The owner sighed, "For this order, I've only earned a little for my hard work!"
He was lucky the couplets were written by him; otherwise, he would have lost money!
The owner gave Fan Zehao a thumbs-up and a sincere expression. "You've truly found a thrifty wife!"
With such eloquence, it was a pity she was only bargaining at a stall!
Fan Zehao beamed with happiness. "Of course, my wife is good, very good!"
Seeing his demeanor, the owner thought, "He's just an honest man. Besides saying his wife is good, he doesn't say much else!"
After he paid, he bundled the purchases together, hung them on his shoulder, and continued leading his wife through the street.
As they reached the cloth shop, his leg seemed to hesitate. "It's nearly New Year, wife. How about we make another padded jacket? And let's get new inner garments made too!"
Making clothes? Zhao Jiaqi was a bit reluctant, but seeing his pleading eyes, the refusal she was about to utter was forcibly changed.