Leaving the government office, Xu Mu felt a surge of pride as he looked at the land deed in his hand.
"Master, these things... will they be all right?" At that moment, Chen Sheng was holding three pudao swords in his hands and two iron-tire bows slung over his back. In the Great Ji, iron weapons were strictly controlled. For ordinary people like Chen Sheng, they had never had the chance to handle such standard weapons before.
"It's fine, everything's registered." Xu Mu smiled. Though the number of weapons was small, it was still a good start. Everything seemed to be moving in the planned direction, except for one thing.
Back in the courtyard, as soon as Chen Sheng put down the weapons, Si Hu and the others rushed over cheering, gathering around. Xu Mu looked up at Jiang Caiwei, who was splitting firewood in the yard. She bit her lip, lifted the stone hammer high, and brought it down on the firewood, breaking off many pieces at once. Without an iron axe, this was how ordinary families in the Ji Dynasty split firewood. It was tiring, but after half a day's work, they could always get fine pieces of firewood.
Feeling the silver pouch in his arms, Xu Mu felt a touch of confusion. His initial idea was to earn a sum of money to gather travel expenses for Jiang Caiwei, letting her leave the border area and go to the inner city to 投靠 relatives. But now, things seemed to be heading in a different direction; the two of them were becoming more and more tied to each other.
After a moment of silence, Xu Mu was about to say something when—bang! The courtyard door was suddenly pushed open. Before Xu Mu could stand up, two officials, each with their hands on the pudao at their waists, walked in.
"Which one is Xu Mu?" In the courtyard, not only Si Hu and the others, but also the young servant-wife Jiang Caiwei, looked uneasy. When officials came to the door, it was rarely for anything good.
"Sir, it's me." Xu Mu hesitated, then stood up, wondering if the old wine shop had set another trap for him.
"This is for you." The leading official, with a full beard, took out a thin document from his arms before approaching.
Xu Mu took it and opened it, finding it was a land deed notarization. This was actually unnecessary, as everything was already properly registered with the old clerk. But on second thought, Xu Mu immediately understood. He calmly took a few taels of silver from his 怀里 and handed it to the bearded official.
"I was just thinking there was no notarization. Thank you for delivering it, sir."
"Haha, good. Master Xu is someone who does great things." Taking the silver, both officials beamed. The notarization was just a pretense; asking for silver was the real purpose.
"Si Hu, go get a jar of good wine."
"Master Xu, I hear your wine is five taels a jar. How can we accept this!" Upon hearing Xu Mu's words, both officials looked overjoyed. After pretending to decline, they immediately hugged the wine jar to their chests.
"In my life, Xu Mu has always respected heroes. You two sirs look like brave men. I hope we can keep in touch in the future."
"Sure thing, Master Xu. If you run into any trouble in Wangzhou City, just mention my name, Tian Song!" This was a transaction, driven by interests, with each side getting what they wanted. Xu Mu understood this well.
However, once the officials left, he suddenly couldn't bring himself to say what he had intended to say to Jiang Caiwei.
"Everyone, please go back today and get ready. Remember to tell your families that once the wine workshop is built, you can move there and settle down to start a family." The people present, including Chen Sheng, were all excited. Being a struggling coachman in Wangzhou City was no match for settling down in a village outside. Though there might be some danger, their wives could also help with the work, earning an extra wage, which was enough to make many people envious.
"Thank you, Master!" Xu Mu also bowed, seeing Chen Sheng and the others off.
"Si Hu, come out with me." Si Hu put down the wine ladle in his hand and quickly stood up.
"Bring... a sword." Since everything was registered, even if questioned by officials, there would be no problem. What's more, it was a form of deterrence.
Among the three pudao swords, Si Hu's face flushed as he chose one with a wider scabbard. He loosened his belt, retied it, and then slipped the sword in. It's no wonder he acted this way. Though these were standard weapons, they were actually decommissioned. For example, if a soldier died in battle, the recovered pudao, if damaged, would be collected and distributed to the weapon storehouses of various city offices.
"Aren't you going to pick one, Brother Mu?" Xu Mu shook his head. Carrying too many weapons in public was not a good idea. One was enough.
"Brother Mu, where are we going?" With the pudao, Si Hu became energetic. "How about we take down Guai Zi Hall!"
Xu Mu gave him a speechless look. "Stop talking nonsense. Come with me to buy some things."
To build the wine workshop, there was no need to worry about wood, as there were plenty of forests around Sitong Road. But the remaining pottery and tools must be bought.
It wasn't until dark that Xu Mu finished selecting the pottery and tools, hired a carriage, and told Si Hu to load them onto it.
"Hurry up, Brother Mu. Otherwise, your young servant-wife will come looking for you with a knife again." Sitting on the carriage, Si Hu grinned. But Xu Mu glared at him, and he turned his head dejectedly.
Standing on the street, Xu Mu stood silently for a while before walking towards a cloth shop across the way.
"Sir, are you buying fabric or ready-made clothes?" Xu Mu looked troubled. Even in his previous life, he was busy with work. Not only had he never been married, but he hadn't even had a girlfriend. Occasionally, there were good blind dates, but they only involved watching a movie and then going to a hotel, like a routine.
"For your wife at home?" Xu Mu hesitated, then slowly nodded.
"That's perfect. We have a ruqun skirt made of printed cloth. We've sold several sets today. Those official ladies love it." Xu Mu felt a 莫名 tightness in his chest, thinking of Jiang Caiwei's thin, frail figure standing under the old wall.
"I'll take it."
"Great, sir. You're such a thoughtful person. Your wife will be overjoyed." Holding the thin wooden box containing the ruqun skirt, Xu Mu straightened his clothes before getting on the carriage.
As Xu Mu expected, the young servant-wife Jiang Caiwei was, as always, holding an oil lantern, waiting at the alley entrance.
"Si Hu, take the carriage back first." Before Si Hu could ask, Xu Mu jumped down, holding the thin wooden box, and walked towards Jiang Caiwei with some hesitation.
"X-Xu Lang."
"Come closer." Since they'd known each other, Jiang Caiwei, as if fearing Xu Mu's anger, would always stand a little distance away.
Xu Mu opened the thin wooden box, took out the printed ruqun skirt, and placed it in Jiang Caiwei's hands.
Jiang Caiwei froze. The look of surprise on her face vanished in an instant, replaced by nervousness.
"Xu Lang, I-I can't take this. It's too expensive!"
"You misunderstand." Xu Mu spoke with difficulty. "What I mean is, I'm lending this to you. You'll pay back the money for the clothes later, two coins a day, until it's paid off."
Turning to leave, Xu Mu slapped himself. He had no idea what he'd babbled about just now.
Xu Mu didn't know that after he turned around, Jiang Caiwei held the ruqun skirt, her eyes moist, and broke into an extremely happy smile.