They slept well all night.
When the alarm rang the next morning, the two got up, washed, ate breakfast, and set off for town.
They chose a spot near the same intersection as before for their stall. Once they arrived, they briskly took everything out, set up the two racks, and hung up the clothes one by one.
Shen Moxi dressed the two adult mannequins and the two child mannequins, positioned them to either side, and placed the fitting mirror between the racks.
After arranging the clothes on both sides, they stacked all the cardboard boxes at the back, set the little table to one side, and sat down on chairs to drink some water and rest.
Song Qi took out a large modern dictionary and began studying it. Shen Moxi had suddenly thought of buying it from the system two days earlier.
Song Qi was still unfamiliar with modern writing, and there was quite a gap between ancient writing and modern simplified characters, so she had thought of that useful thing called a dictionary and had him start learning characters from scratch, just like an elementary school student.
That was why she taught him the alphabet and Arabic numerals every night before bed. He had mastered them in just two days, and he was even very good at addition and subtraction. Shen Moxi felt that if he entered a modern mental abacus competition, he would probably win a prize.
Song Qi studied by the light of the luminous pearl beside her, while Shen Moxi grew bored. With no phone connected to the internet to watch short videos or anything, what should she do?
Eat, of course. Shen Moxi bought plenty of snacks from the system and set them out on the table one by one: potato chips, spicy strips, juice, little bread rolls, biscuits, chocolate...
Song Qi, who had been reading the dictionary, looked at the table full of snacks and quietly swallowed. He glanced down at the dictionary in his hands, immediately put it away, and edged closer to her.
Shen Moxi took out a box of tissues and set it to one side. When she saw Song Qi staring at the snacks with shining eyes, she burst out laughing.
Hearing her, Song Qi straightened awkwardly. "Ahem, I'm a little hungry. Let's have some together."
Seeing his slightly flushed face, Shen Moxi smiled and nodded. "You were so absorbed in your reading that I was going to wait until you finished studying before eating. Let's eat together now, then."
She grabbed a packet of spicy strips, tore it open, and handed it to him. "Here, this is a kind you haven't had before. Try it."
Song Qi accepted it, took out a strip, and bit into it. After savoring it slowly, he nodded. "This is delicious too. They're all delicious."
Shen Moxi popped a piece of chocolate into her mouth. "Mm, chocolate is still the best. Smooth and sweet, and it replenishes your energy too."
Song Qi looked at the dark chunk, then at Shen Moxi's look of enjoyment. "Girl, let me try some too."
Shen Moxi broke off a piece and put it into his mouth. "This is my favorite, but it's very high in calories. Eating too much makes you gain weight, so I've always held myself back."
"Mm, it's sweet and fragrant. It feels like it just slips right down. Delicious," Song Qi said, smacking his lips as he savored the taste.
"If you like it, help yourself to more in a bit. I don't dare eat much. This little piece is enough for me." Shen Moxi opened a small bottle of juice and handed it to him, then opened one for herself and started drinking.
Before daybreak, the two crunched away nonstop like little mice.
Before long, they had polished off the whole table of snacks.
"Burp." Half reclining in her chair, Shen Moxi let out a very unladylike burp. "Ah, I'll have to walk a few extra laps after we get home tonight, or I'll start piling on weight again."
Song Qi stood, put away the luminous pearl, and stretched. "You barely ate anything. You're still too thin. A little more flesh wouldn't hurt. Wouldn't you look better?"
"Hmph, you men are all the same. You say one thing and think another. You say a little extra weight is fine and you don't mind, but the moment you see a pretty, slim girl, you can't take your eyes off her." Shen Moxi rolled her eyes. "As the saying goes, a man's mouth is full of lies. If men could be trusted, sows would climb trees."
Song Qi couldn't help laughing. He pinched her cheek. "Where did you hear that, girl? Don't condemn everyone with the same brush, all right? I meant every word. I wasn't lying to you."
Shen Moxi snorted. "Just because you say so? Who knows what you're thinking? I'm not a worm in your belly."
Song Qi turned her head toward him and immediately kissed her. Caught off guard, Shen Moxi's mind crashed, going completely blank.
Only when she realized she was struggling to breathe did she raise her fists and pound lightly on him. Song Qi released her, then lowered his head and held her as she gulped down fresh air.
Once she recovered, she pinched his ear. "Who told you to ambush me? You nearly suffocated me."
Song Qi tapped her nose. "We're husband and wife. What's wrong with a kiss? Your technique is terrible. You'll need plenty more practice."
Shen Moxi's eyes shifted. "Fine, I'll find someone else to practice with. Your technique is so good, who knows who you practiced with before?"
Song Qi narrowed his eyes slightly at Shen Moxi. "I didn't quite catch what you just said. Say it again?"
Shen Moxi suddenly felt a cool breeze sweep past and shrank her neck. "I..."
The instant she opened her mouth, it was sealed again.
"Mmph..." Shen Moxi was forced to endure it, inwardly weeping. One word out of line and he was nibbling at her again.
Only after an unknown stretch of time did Song Qi release her. "If I hear you say anything like that again, your punishment won't be as simple as this."
Shen Moxi covered her mouth and nodded meekly. "Mm-hmm."
By then, daylight had arrived. Song Qi straightened her clothes and hair. "It's light out. There'll be more people soon. Rest your head on the table for a little longer while no one's here."
"Mm." Shen Moxi obediently nodded and rested her head on the table, calming her still-pounding heart.
About an hour later, foot traffic gradually picked up, and their stall finally opened for business.
They had added children's clothes today, in styles the customers had never seen before. Many women who already had children were drawn to the cute, pretty little mannequins.
Some people who had bought clothes yesterday saw that they now had children's clothes and bought outfits for their own children too. They would look absolutely lovely wearing them to visit friends and relatives.
Shen Moxi had not priced the children's clothes too high. After all, they used less fabric and were simpler to make. They were all ten yuan a set, with little leather shoes at fifteen yuan a pair and hats at five yuan each.
By the end of the morning, the children's clothes had unexpectedly sold the fastest. She had thought that children in this era wore hand-me-downs their older siblings had outgrown, so there would not be many people buying clothes for them.
But she had underestimated the wealthy people in town. If the adults were willing to buy clothes, their families must be well-off, so naturally they would be willing to buy clothes for their children too. Besides, the children's clothes cost less than half as much as the adults' clothes.
After lunch, the two counted and checked the morning's earnings. Shen Moxi's storage function had been unlocked, so Song Qi had her keep the money, since that was more convenient.
Shen Moxi planned to sell for another two or three hours that afternoon, then go check on the shop and take over the lighting fixtures and materials she had bought along the way.