Buying Pants

Near noon, under the blazing sun, the temperature quickly rose, and the two pale legs beneath someone's cloak stopped trembling.

Xian Wu glanced back at the candied hawthorn Lu Piao had offered him. Without a moment's hesitation, he refused.

"No, thanks."

It wasn't because he thought the street food was dirty, or because he looked down on Lu Piao. He just never accepted food from strangers.

A boy had to protect himself when he was out and about.

After saying that, he didn't wait for Lu Piao to keep pestering him. He turned around and continued searching the street for a tailor shop.

"You actually turned down such a delicious snack? You're a real oddball," Lu Piao grumbled, cheeks puffed out.

A short while later, he'd polished off both candied hawthorns.

Unlike Lu Piao, who wolfed his food down like Zhu Bajie devouring ginseng fruit, Nie Li ate slowly and delicately, with impeccable manners.

And he didn't smack his lips.

The heavens rewarded his perseverance. After walking a little farther, Xian Wu finally found a tailor shop—Wang Mazi Tailor Shop.

A little girl with two pigtails stood at the entrance, about four or five years old, bouncing a ball by herself.

Her plump, rosy cheeks were adorable.

"Dad, we have customers!" When she saw the strangers approaching, the girl wasn't afraid at all. She turned and called into the shop instead.

So cute! Xian Wu's heart nearly melted. When he got married, he'd definitely want a little girl of his own.

Unfortunately...

The moment he thought of his left hand, Xian Wu's spirits sank.

With that thing around, a wedding had a good chance of turning into a funeral.

He stepped over the threshold and entered the shop. The shopkeeper warmly came over to greet them.

"Are you here to buy clothes or have something made?"

Although Xian Wu and the other two looked like children, and the one leading them was dressed especially shabbily, the shopkeeper didn't treat them with disdain.

"Do you have pants?" Xian Wu asked bluntly.

"Outer pants or underwear?"

"Outer pants."

"Long or short?"

"Long."

"Linen or silk?"

"Linen."

Before the shopkeeper could ask anything else, Xian Wu cut him off.

He suspected the shopkeeper's surname wasn't Wang, but Nie. The man was so long-winded he was giving Xian Wu a headache.

"What kind can I afford with this?" Xian Wu pulled the few savings he had from an inner pocket of his cloak.

"With that?" The shopkeeper glanced at the coins in Xian Wu's palm and smiled. "You couldn't even buy one pant leg with those."

"No way. In the North District, this much could buy two pairs of pants!" Xian Wu couldn't believe his ears.

The shopkeeper curled his lip. "That's just how much our goods cost. Why don't you try asking at another shop?"

Seeing the shopkeeper look down on Xian Wu, Lu Piao wasn't having it.

"Hey, are you blind? Bring out the best pants in your shop!" Lu Piao waved the hundred-yuan bill in his hand.

The shopkeeper's eye twitched. Still, he answered politely, "I'm sorry, but even if you combine your money, you can't afford one pant leg."

"Are the legs made of gold? Or is the waistband made of gold? Why are they so expensive? You think you can rip us off because we're young?"

Lu Piao was fuming.

"A scam... a scam shop!" Nie Li egged him on.

Seeing that they were about to blow up, the shopkeeper shook his head helplessly. "Don't argue, all right? There's a reason it costs so much."

"Wait here. I'll bring one out and show you!"

With that, he told the shop assistant to watch the store and went into the back room.

Before long, the shopkeeper returned, carrying a pair of snow-white pants.

He lifted them by the hanger, pinching the waistband as he proudly explained, "See? Our pants are made with the finest fabric."

"How fine?" Lu Piao asked angrily, arms crossed and eyes shut.

The shopkeeper didn't take offense. He began his explanation. "These pants are made from fine silk woven from the thread spun by Wind Snow Spirit Silkworms."

"They're warm, smooth, and breathable, and they're exceptionally lightweight. They're very popular among the nobles."

"Why are the ordinary linen pants so expensive, too? Could you show me a pair?" Xian Wu asked.

Perhaps because there weren't many customers, the shopkeeper didn't refuse.

He handed the snow-white silk pants to his assistant, then brought out a pair of linen pants from the back room.

Before the shopkeeper even explained, Xian Wu could tell that the pants were unusually thick and heavy.

"Ordinary folk are usually the ones who buy linen pants. We take into account that they often work in the fields and wear their clothes out quickly."

"Our pants are generally made with three layers of fabric. They're warm and durable."

"If you buy a pair in winter, by summer they'll usually have worn down to a single layer."

"Since it's hot in summer, you can remove the damaged layers and wear what's left as summer pants. It's economical and practical."

Clap, clap, clap...

Xian Wu couldn't help applauding. What a clever idea!

"I'm impressed!" Xian Wu clasped his hands. "Once I have money, I'll definitely come here to buy pants."

Lu Piao couldn't help asking, "How much are those white pants?"

"One thousand eight hundred Demon Spirit Coins. The price is firm." The shopkeeper held up his index finger to show one, then his thumb to indicate eight.

"That expensive?" Lu Piao swallowed. All the pocket money he'd saved over the years added up to only two thousand Demon Spirit Coins.

Sure enough, the lives of the rich were beyond their imagination.

"You two can go take care of your own business. You don't have to keep me company." After leaving Wang Mazi Tailor Shop, Xian Wu turned to the two of them.

It was one thing for him to be looked down on, but he didn't want Lu Piao and Nie Li dragged into it too. They were nobles, after all.

Lu Piao waved a hand. "It's fine. We don't have anything to do anyway. We might as well hang around. Right, Nie Li?"

Having eaten his fill, Nie Li nodded.

Just as they were about to leave, a mastiff larger than a horse came charging recklessly down the street.

On its back sat a pink-haired girl, if you looked closely.

Didn't she know riding a dog could make her wet her pants? Xian Wu raised an eyebrow.

The three went back inside the shop to wait out the commotion.

"Who's that girl riding the dog? She's way too arrogant and overbearing!" Lu Piao fumed.

The shop assistant said, "You don't recognize her? She's Hu Yan Lan Ruo, the eldest daughter of the Hu Yan Family, one of the Seven Great Noble Families."

"That tigress..." Nie Li hadn't finished speaking when the shopkeeper clapped a hand over his mouth.

The shopkeeper warned him, "You can't go around saying things like that. Miss Hu Yan is famous for being willful and difficult. If you offend her, you'll never have another peaceful day. Even if you don't care what happens to you, I still want to keep my shop open."

"Oh, right!" The shopkeeper suddenly remembered something. He let go of Nie Li and leaned out the door, waving. "Er Ya, get inside! It's dangerous!"

Just as he feared.

"Ball!" The little girl, intent on playing, hurried after the ball as it rolled into the street.

Meanwhile, Hu Yan Lan Ruo rode the giant mastiff, cracking her whip as she charged forward like a madwoman, completely oblivious to the little girl who had suddenly run into the middle of the road.

"Er Ya!!!" the shopkeeper cried out. It was too late for him to run out and save her. If he rushed outside, both he and Er Ya would die.

Just as the little girl was about to be trampled into a pulp by the giant mastiff's paws, a black shadow burst out through the door.