White Bridge Town

White Bridge Town was built along the water, with rows of greenstone houses mixed in among thatched and mud-walled dwellings, scattered in uneven clusters. The bluestone slabs paving the roads had long been worn smooth by years of foot traffic and horse hooves.

The town had a population of several thousand, making it a sizable settlement for dozens of li in every direction.

It got its name because reaching it required crossing a white marble bridge.

When Chen Mo and Ma Cai arrived in town, the morning sun was just rising. Townsfolk came and went, carts and horses flowing in a steady stream—a lively scene.

"Today's the town's Fifteenth Grand Market, so there are extra people," Ma Cai said, taking in the sight with a sigh.

Peasants from dozens of villages around White Bridge Town, along with many itinerant peddlers who traveled from market to market, had all converged here today.

"Mo-ge, let's find a bathhouse first," Ma Cai suggested.

"Sure." Chen Mo nodded. He hadn't bathed in over a month and really wanted to clean up properly.

Ma Cai knew the town well and quickly led Chen Mo to a bathhouse.

"Big pool, ten coppers. Private stall, fifty coppers," the bathhouse owner said, taking a drag from his pipe.

The big pool meant everyone stripped down and bathed together, while the private stalls had wooden screens and individual tubs.

Charcoal was expensive in winter, and firewood wasn't cheap either, so bathing was a bit of a luxury.

Even common folk who bathed once a month usually went for the big pool—no one would waste money on a private stall.

"Two private stalls." Ma Cai spoke up and pulled a silver coin from his pocket.

"Right away, gentlemen, please come in!" The bathhouse owner perked up after pocketing the money.

He hadn't expected these two, dressed in coarse linen, to be so generous.

"Mo-ge, this one's on me." Ma Cai grinned, clearly having something on his mind.

"Spit it out. What's the matter?" Chen Mo saw through him and asked directly.

"Could you lend me two taels of silver? My home's not far from town, and I want to go back for a visit." Ma Cai rubbed his hands together, his smile a little awkward.

Borrowing money was always hard to bring up. If Chen Mo hadn't asked, he didn't know when he'd have gotten the words out.

"Sure, but I don't have small change on me right now. I'll break a piece open and give it to you later." Chen Mo agreed with a smile, not refusing.

He trusted Ma Cai wasn't the type to borrow and not repay.

Besides, Ma Cai was about to join the Guard Camp, so there was no worry he'd just disappear with the money.

"Good. I'll pay you back within two months." Ma Cai breathed a sigh of relief at his agreement.

The bathhouse owner took two wooden tokens from behind him and handed one to each of them.

With the tokens, they could have the bathhouse attendants bring hot water to their private stalls.

Fires were lit throughout the bathhouse, making it quite warm.

Chen Mo washed thoroughly. He knew that after this bath, he had no idea when he'd get another chance, so he made it count.

He used the bathhouse's scissors and razor to trim his hair and shave his beard clean.

Growing a beard wasn't something a man Chen Mo's age did. In Great Qian, only men over thirty wore beards.

As for his hair, he didn't dare cut it too short. While Great Qian didn't have the saying that "body, hair, and skin come from one's parents," few people in Xingyuan Prefecture kept short hair.

Winter was too cold, and long hair helped keep warm.

Chen Mo kept his hair long not just for warmth, but also because if he ever wore a helmet, long hair would be more comfortable than short.

He'd never had a chance to get close to armor before, but now that he was General Sun's personal guard, he definitely would.

An unarmed guard and a fully armored elite soldier were two completely different things.

Three to five hundred elite armored soldiers could already tip the scales in a ten-thousand-man battle in this era.

And as a personal guard General Sun had painstakingly trained, he'd surely equip his men with armor to maximize their effectiveness.

After trimming his hair and beard and cleaning himself from head to toe, Chen Mo changed into the clean clothes he'd brought along.

They were still coarse linen, but far cleaner than what he'd been wearing.

"Come on, let's find a tailor shop. I'll buy a couple of outfits and break some silver for you." Chen Mo stepped out of the stall and spoke quietly to Ma Cai, who was resting nearby.

He had some money now, but as the saying went, don't flaunt your wealth. This wasn't something to shout about.

There were three tailor shops in town, and Ma Cai was familiar with one of them.

Silk was the most expensive fabric, followed by cotton, then linen.

Chen Mo bought two cotton undershirts, two thick linen outer coats, two pairs of durable thousand-layer cloth shoes, and four pairs of cotton socks. The owner threw in two square cloth headscarves made from leftover scraps and a pouch.

All together, it came to two taels and seven qian of silver.

That was only because Chen Mo hadn't bought everything in cotton; otherwise, it would have cost another tael or more.

After changing into his new clothes, he packed his old ones and the dirty ones he'd taken off into his bundle. They weren't great, but they were still wearable—throwing them away would be wasteful.

As for the old shoes with soles nearly worn through, he tossed them outright.

Chen Mo dressed and took out silver to pay.

He had no issue with the price. It was all fair market value.

Such shops open locally and stay for decades, spanning two or three generations, all doing local business. If there were any shady dealings, word would have spread long ago, and they'd have shut down by now.

He wasn't a local, but he had a local tagging along, so the boss wouldn't cheat him.

Taking the loose silver the boss handed back, Chen Mo counted out two taels and passed them to Ma Cai.

"Thanks, Mo-ge. I figure I'll be a while getting back to camp. You go on ahead." Ma Cai didn't invite Chen Mo to his home; their relationship wasn't nearly that close.

"Fine, just make sure you're back before dawn tomorrow." Chen Mo tossed off a casual remark, and the two parted ways.

With the remaining five-plus taels of silver, Chen Mo first found a restaurant and had a hearty meal, then bought two catties of white sugar, two catties of pastries, and a catty of fine tobacco leaves from the market.

He bought these things mainly to give to He Ma Guan.

When he'd arrived at the camp, the old man had given him quite a few things, including even the cotton quilt he was now sleeping under—one of them was lent to him by He Ma Guan.

Not to mention how much he'd looked after him; even when Chen Mo secretly ate a lot of the horse feed, he turned a blind eye.

A drop of kindness repays like a gushing spring—Chen Mo wouldn't dare claim he could do that.

But having received favors, he ought to remember them and find a chance to repay them.

Once he left this time, he figured it'd be hard to return to this camp. He had no grudges to settle, so he'd just repay his debts before leaving.

After doing all this, his silver quickly dwindled to just four taels and five mace.

Half of the silver he tucked into the pouch he'd bought earlier, and the other half he carefully wrapped in a headscarf and stowed close to his body.

Don't put all your eggs in one basket—that way, even if a pickpocket struck, not all the money would be stolen.

With that done, he stepped out of the small town and headed for the camp thirty li away.

Along the way, he spent two coppers to hitch a ride on a donkey cart, leaving only two or three li to walk.

When he arrived at the camp laden with bags and bundles, Ding Bao was directing two new soldiers shoveling manure.

With Chen Mo and Ma Cai gone, he was the only experienced stable hand left.

There was no way to make He Ma Guan do the rough work, so Ding Bao had to lead the other two soldiers himself.

Chen Mo paid them no mind. He set down the bundle stuffed with clothes, picked up the gifts, and went to find He Ma Guan.