Chapter 154 -

Chapter 154: Chapter

After they finished inspecting every corner of the inn, Yimei locked the heavy wooden front doors and pulled her thick cloak tightly around her shoulders.

"It is time we do some shopping for the compound," Yimei said as they stepped back into the cold street. "We need new blankets and softer pillows. Zhengyu struggles to sleep at night because his back aches from sitting in that chair all day."

Qinqin quickly raised her hand, her eyes bright. "Candles as well, Young Madame! We definitely need more candles!"

Liu Feng looked down at the short maid with a puzzled look on his face. "What is your obsession with candles?"

Yimei let out a soft chuckle. Qinqin’s face turned bright red from embarrassment, and she quickly hid her blushing cheeks behind her small hands.

"I just like to be prepared!" Qinqin muttered under her breath, pouting slightly as they walked into the busy village market.

The market was lively despite the cold weather. Merchants were shouting out prices, and the warm smell of roasted nuts and hot tea filled the air.

Yimei walked over to a wide fabric stall filled with stacks of warm cotton, thick quilts, and soft pillows. While Qinqin eagerly began flipping through the colourful blankets, Yimei turned to the elderly woman running the stall.

"Good day," Yimei said with a polite smile. "Are there many other inns open around this district?"

The market woman paused her folding, looking Yimei up and down. She cleared her throat loudly and let out a dry, fake cough, holding her open hand near her waist.

Yimei immediately understood what the old woman wanted. Without skipping a beat, she reached into her purse, pulled out a shiny copper coin, and slipped it smoothly into the woman’s palm.

The woman’s sour face instantly melted into a broad smile, her fingers closing tightly around the coin.

"Ah, bless you, young lady!" the woman said in a hushed, friendly voice, leaning closer across her table. "To answer your question... no! There used to be three inns on this road, but two of them closed down last year because the owners couldn’t pay their heavy taxes. The only one left is the Great River Inn down near the south gate, but their prices are sky-high and their food tastes like dishwater!"

Yimei listened carefully, her sharp eyes gleaming with interest. "And what kind of people usually look for a place to stay here? Is it mostly local villagers or travelers from outside?"

"Mostly rich merchants and trading caravans coming off the border road," the woman whispered, delighted to share the gossip. "They arrive late at night after the main gates close, tired and freezing cold. They don’t want luxury; they just want a hot meal, a warm fire, and a clean bed to sleep on."

Standing a few feet away, Liu Feng watched Yimei in quiet shock. He knew his Young Madame was very smart, but seeing her gather valuable business secrets from a simple fabric seller for just one copper coin still amazed him. She was always ten steps ahead of everyone else.

While Yimei continued asking the vendor about local supply prices, Qinqin was busy running her hands over a roll of thick blue cotton.

Liu Feng stepped over to Qinqin’s side, watching the little maid inspect the fabric.

"Has your Young Miss always been like this?" Liu Feng asked in a low voice.

Qinqin kept her eyes focused on the fabric, feeling the soft cotton between her fingers. "Like how?"

"Like this," Liu Feng said, gesturing slightly toward Yimei. "So smart, so calculating... always two steps ahead of everyone."

Qinqin paused her hands and looked up at Liu Feng, her expression turning unusually serious.

"To be sincere... my Young Miss was always very calm and timid," Qinqin said softly, her voice filled with deep thought. "She was smart, yes, but she never really showed it to anyone. My Young Madame has really changed since she married the Young Master. I guess there was a side of her that none of us knew existed. Her will to survive in a world where only people with high power and wealth can survive must have done something to her. But I know one thing for sure, my Young Madame is a good person, no matter how much she tries to act mean and heartless."

Liu Feng looked down at Qinqin with an expression of doubt.

He stayed quiet, but in his mind, he remembered what happened in the courtyard earlier that morning very clearly. Yimei had calmly stood by and watched Xuiying get carried off and sold by her own father without lifting a single finger to stop it until it suited her plan.

To Liu Feng, the Young Madame was definitely mean, and she could be cruel when she wanted to be. But as he watched her pay the vendor and smile warmly at Qinqin, he settled the thought in his heart.

She might be ruthless, Liu Feng thought to himself, but at least she is on my Young Master’s side. And that is more than enough.

After finishing their chat with the fabric seller, Yimei picked out thick cotton quilts and soft goose-feather pillows.

Liu Feng carried the large stack in his arms, his cold, serious face completely hidden behind the mountain of bedding. But Yimei was not done yet. She moved from one market stall to another, buying big bags of dry rice, bundles of fire logs, jars of cooking oil, and fresh winter vegetables for both the compound and the inn.

With every stop they made, the pile in Liu Feng’s arms grew bigger and bigger.

By the time they reached the end of the market row, Liu Feng was carrying heavy sacks of rice on his shoulders, blankets under his left arm, pillows balanced on his right arm, and clay oil jars hanging from his fingers. The broad-shouldered bodyguard was practically buried under a mountain of household goods, sweating in the middle of the winter cold.

He definitely regretted following them to the market today.

Yimei finally turned around to check on him. Seeing the huge tower of random items wobbling on top of his head, she folded her arms across her chest and slowly shook her head with a small smirk.

"There are still a few more things we need to buy for the kitchen," Yimei said, looking at her long list. "But it seems your hands are completely full, Liu Feng."

Qinqin quickly stepped forward, reaching out her small hands. "Young Madame, I can carry some of the bags! Give the pillows to me!"

Yimei reached out and gently stroked Qinqin’s head, smoothing down her messy hair. "No, Qinqin. You are too small to carry heavy loads. I won’t have you breaking your back in the cold."

Hearing those words, Liu Feng glared at both of them from behind a stack of pillows, sending sharp, invisible daggers straight at their heads. So the little maid shouldn’t break her back, he thought bitterly, but the Young Master’s personal bodyguard can be used like a farm donkey?

Seeing Liu Feng’s deathly stare, Yimei let out a soft laugh. She walked over to the edge of the market where a local farmer was sitting beside an empty wooden hand-wagon.

"Sir, how much to rent your wagon for the rest of the day?" Yimei asked smoothly.

"Five copper coins, young lady," the farmer replied, tipping his straw hat.

Yimei pulled out five copper coins, handed them over, and gave the man the address of the Bai Manor.

"Put everything on the wooden cart, Liu Feng," Yimei commanded with a calm smile.

Liu Feng didn’t wait a single second. He dropped the heavy load onto the wooden wagon with a loud, relieved exhale, rolling his sore shoulders to loosen his stiff muscles.

"Thank you, Young Madame," Liu Feng muttered, wiping a bead of sweat from his forehead.

"Do not thank me yet," Yimei said, pointing down the long, snowy dirt road leading toward the compound. "You still have to pull the wagon back."

Liu Feng stared at the heavy wooden wagon, then at Yimei, his jaw tightening slightly. He let out a long, quiet sigh, grabbed the wooden handles of the wagon, and began dragging the heavy load through the thick snow.

Yimei and Qinqin walked comfortably right beside him, completely empty-handed, chatting happily as they headed back to the house.