Allure of a Country Maiden
Chapter 154 - 152: Buy Now, Pay Later

Chapter 154: Chapter 152: Buy Now, Pay Later

It’d be an utter waste to be in the Imperial Capital and not roam around a bit.

That day, with the lovely weather, the folks who had been cooped up in the mansion for several days all wanted to get out. After all, even the most splendid of cages can become unbearable if one stays too long inside, right? Shen Bao’er wanted to shop — wouldn’t her dowry gain some extra prestige if it included a few items bought in the Imperial Capital?

Mrs. Shen showed no interest in shopping — she was too old and disliked being overly active. But Shen Bao’er wanted to see if there were any worthwhile possessions, and Mrs. Li and Shen Bei’er also wanted to get out, so they persuaded her to go along.

"Mother, if you don’t roam around the Imperial Capital now and we return to the village, how will you answer when the villagers ask about the city? That would be quite embarrassing, wouldn’t it?" Mrs. Li had her own agendas and wanted Mrs. Shen to join the outing no matter what.

"Yes, mother, let’s go together, we have carriages, it won’t be tiring." Shen Yuzhu pulled at Mrs. Shen’s sleeve, persuading her sweetly.

Mrs. Shen did feel somewhat embarrassed about not being able to answer questions about the Imperial Capital upon returning to the village, and finally gave her nod of approval.

Mrs. Shen asked her maid Xuemei to inform the housekeeper about arranging for the carriage, as they were planning to go out for a stroll.

Xuemei was reassigned to serve Mrs. Shen later; originally, Chun Xing had been serving her, but she was sold off. All the servants in the house knew about it but none dared to mention it in front of Mrs. Shen and Mrs. Li. They just assumed that Chun Xing was ransomed by her family.

Upon hearing Mrs. Shen’s request, Xuemei dashed off immediately. Mrs. Shen was pleased by her efficiency.

Xuemei first informed Mrs. Liu at the main courtyard about Mrs. Shen’s plans to go out and needing a carriage. Once Mrs. Liu approved, Xuemei rushed off to see the chief steward to arrange it.

The chief steward had received orders a few days prior detailing the proper arrangements for Mrs. Shen and her party going out. He immediately instructed the coachman to prepare the carriage and reminded Xuemei to take good care of the party and report back to Mrs. Liu.

Lastly, he arranged for a bright servant boy to follow the carriage on a bicycle to report any abnormalities immediately.

...

Women shopping usually involves stores that sell jewelry, clothing, and food.

They asked the coachman to take them to the finest clothing store and silversmiths. First, the coachman took them to the best-known clothing store in the Imperial Capital — Nichang Pavilion.

Not only did the store sell ready-made clothes but also fabric. Inside, the fabrics were vibrant, stylish, and diverse.

The variety of clothes was just as vast: flamboyant, elegant, imposing, dignified, delicate, lively... They had it all.

Upon stepping inside, they were dazzled by the array of colorful garments.

One madam was leaving the store after making her purchases, and the store owner personally saw her out.

"Shopkeeper, please deliver my selections to the Shangshu Mansion and then arrange for the bill in the accounting room," she commanded.

The shopkeeper bowed and quickly agreed.

Overhearing this, Mrs. Li’s eyes gleamed. She felt delighted as she had secretly been wishing for such a situation, and now it seemed plausible.

Shen Yuzhu had never seen such a large clothing store. Looking at the various fashionable clothes, she wished she could buy them all.

She pointed at a pink diagonal placket butterfly sleeve pleated skirt and asked, "How much does this skirt cost?"

A shop assistant who figured that the party’s attire was rather plain by the capital’s standards, warmly stepped forward, "Miss, your taste is impeccable. This new style skirt is perfect for a beautiful woman like you. It’ll make you look ethereal and it will be difficult for people to look away."

After hearing the assistant’s flattery, Shen Yuzhu was even more determined to purchase the skirt.

"Just how much does this skirt cost?" Mrs. Shen too thought the skirt was quite nice.

"Such a beautiful dress only needs ten taels of silver, isn’t that a good deal? If I were a young lady, I would take it home immediately."

"Ten taels of silver, you might as well rob me?" Mrs. Shen shrieked upon hearing this.

Shen Yuzhu also gasped. Ten taels of silver, the clothes she was wearing were only one tael a set, which was considered good among her dresses.

The clerk’s smile froze for a moment, then quickly returned; "Old madam, this is a new style, made from top-quality silk fabric, so it’s a bit expensive. There are also some more affordable styles in our shop that are also very beautiful. You can have a look again."

Shen Yuzhu asked about two more sets, one for eight taels and one for twelve taels, and couldn’t help but be surprised! The clothes in the Imperial Capital are too expensive. Her third brother only gave her ten taels of silver, enough to buy only one set of clothes. She didn’t even dare to think about other items.

She didn’t fancy the clothes that cost one or two taels.

Shen Yuzhu wanted to buy the set for ten taels, but Mrs. Shen was reluctant.

"Mother, just buy it for me. This dress is so beautiful. Young Master Shangguan will definitely look at me differently when I wear it!"

Shen Bei’er also had her eyes on two outfits, one for nine taels and one for ten taels.

Mrs. Li came to Mrs. Shen’s side and whispered something.

Mrs. Shen’s eyes brightened: "Can we do that?"

Mrs. Li nodded, "Mother, if you don’t believe me, you can ask the waiter."

Upon hearing this, Mrs. Shen quickly asked the clerk, "Young man, can you deliver the clothes we buy to the Marquis Shengping Mansion, and then we’ll settle the bill with the accounting room?"

The clerk’s reverence deepened upon hearing the words ’Marquis Shengping Mansion’. He took a closer look at the party, realizing that they were the talked-about family members of Marquis Shengping!

He became all the more respectful: "It turns out that you are the ladies of the Marquis Shengping’s family. Of course it can be done. The ladies can rest assured that once you pick out what you want, sign for it, and stamp your fingerprints! We’ll arrange to have them delivered right away!"

Upon hearing this, Xuemei quickly told Mrs. Shen that she needed to go to the restroom before she hurried off.

Mrs. Shen didn’t bother about her. She waved her off and began searching for suitable clothes and fabric without even blinking.

They all picked out two or three outfits and some fabric, then headed to the Silver Building.

The Rare Treasure Building is the most prestigious silver shop in the Imperial City. Upon entering, they were dazzled by the sparkling and brilliant array of jewelry! It was quite the spectacle!

Shen Yuzhu was captivated by a set of rubies displayed in a glass cabinet. She couldn’t take her eyes off them nor move her feet.

Seeing this, Mrs. Shen then asked for the price of this set of jewelry.

Upon hearing that it was a thousand taels, she didn’t hesitate to ask for it to be sent to the Shengping Manor and bill it to the accounting room.

The silver shop staff thought they had a local tycoon on their hands. They became even more enthusiastic, bringing out the best jewelry in the shop for them to choose from.

Mrs. Shen chose two sets for herself and also bought a jade bracelet. Shen Yuzhu also picked out two sets and bought a pair of gold bracelets.

Mrs. Liu and Shen Bei’er didn’t dare to choose too much, they each chose a set worth five or six hundred taels.

After buying the jewelry, they decided to have a meal at the biggest restaurant before going back.

However, they couldn’t put the meal on tab. It added up to over nine taels, which pained Mrs. Shen so much that she cursed the restaurant for being a rip-off! She felt the agony right down to her pores!

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