Chapter 70: The County Town
Fu Tingyun opened the door and was surprised to see Zhao Ling standing there.
Zhao Ling smiled. "This time, I actually knocked."
Fu Tingyun widened her eyes.
He—he was speaking to her in such a frivolous tone... It made her heart flutter uneasily.
Ignoring her astonishment, Zhao Ling walked past her and entered the room.
Her mind in turmoil, Fu Tingyun followed him inside and brewed tea.
Zhao Ling looked relaxed and at ease as he took a sip. "What were you doing?" He glanced at the embroidery left on the kang.
"Oh!" Flustered, Fu Tingyun quickly gathered the needlework into a small wicker basket nearby. "Just passing the time with some embroidery."
Zhao Ling had already noticed the grape-purple handkerchief embroidered with golden-yellow thread. The pattern looked somewhat familiar.
After a brief pause, he asked gently, "Would you like to go out for a stroll?"
Fu Tingyun's eyes brightened momentarily before dimming again. "I should probably stay at the inn..." Her voice was subdued.
He had guessed right!
Zhao Ling exhaled in relief, his smile growing even warmer.
"It's fine," he said softly. "This place is a mix of different ethnic groups, each with their own customs. There aren’t as many formalities as in Guanzhong."
Really?
Fu Tingyun recalled the women she had seen on the streets the other day—though their attire was strange, their heads and faces were covered modestly, and their demeanor was dignified. Clearly, they were all respectable women. It seemed what he said was true.
She felt tempted but hesitated, remembering Zheng San's words.
Zhao Ling saw her hesitation and encouraged her. "Yongjing is a necessary stop between Guanzhong and Jiayuguan. Besides the Arabs and Hui people, there are also Uyghurs..."
This was the first time Fu Tingyun had heard of them. "Uyghurs? Aren’t they the same as the Hui?"
"They’re similar," Zhao Ling chuckled. "But the Hui wear small white round caps, while the Uyghurs wear small square patterned hats. There are also differences in their daily customs, though I can’t explain them all right now. I’ll point them out to you when we see them."
Fu Tingyun had always been lively by nature, and Zhao Ling’s tempting description made it even harder for her to resist. She thought that as long as she covered her head so no one could see her face clearly, it should be fine. Her resolve wavered.
Zhao Ling, ever perceptive, added fuel to the fire. "We might as well see if we can buy some good tea while we’re out. Tea is sold at a premium in Zhangye."
That made going out a legitimate errand.
Fu Tingyun happily agreed, covering her head with a scarf before following Zhao Ling into the streets.
Yongjing County was small but bustling. It was nearly noon, and the winter sun cast a warm glow. The merchant caravans traveling long distances had already left the city, leaving behind those resting or conducting business solely within Yongjing. The town was lively yet relaxed, with vendors hawking flatbreads, lamb offal, and sweet melons. Their cries rose and fell as people gathered to buy, while women in sarongs or headscarves weaved through the crowd.
Following Zhao Ling, Fu Tingyun looked around eagerly, fascinated by everything she saw.
Out of the corner of his eye, Zhao Ling noticed her wide, dark eyes darting about, filled with wonder and curiosity. He couldn’t help but smile faintly.
Suddenly, Fu Tingyun tugged at his sleeve. "Look, look!"
Zhao Ling turned his gaze in the direction she indicated.Two fair-haired, blue-eyed foreigners stood by the roadside, engaged in animated conversation. Dressed in moon-white robes, they gestured extravagantly and occasionally burst into loud laughter.
"Look at them—look at their hands," Fu Tingyun whispered, her tone tinged with shyness.
Zhao Ling was puzzled.
Fu Tingyun bit her lip. "Their body hair... it's golden."
Just for that!
Zhao Ling laughed, finding her utterly childlike. "Are you afraid?" he asked.
She nodded, then after a moment's thought, shook her head. "It just feels very strange."
"Don't worry," Zhao Ling reassured her. "You'll get used to it." Yet inwardly, he breathed a long sigh of relief.
Most Han Chinese looked down upon foreign merchants, viewing them as uncivilized outsiders—greedy, cunning, deceitful, and vulgar. Even those who profited from trade with them secretly despised everything about them. Yet both Yongdeng, where Zhuanglang Garrison was stationed, and Zhangye, home to the General Military Headquarters of Gansu, were vital gateways beyond the frontier, teeming with foreign merchants. As a noblewoman, Zhao Ling had worried whether Fu Tingyun could adapt to such an environment.
But seeing her react with nothing but curiosity and amusement, without a trace of disdain... perhaps she could indeed adjust to life in Zhuanglang Garrison.
A wave of tenderness washed over Zhao Ling's heart, filling him with quiet joy.
He led her to a shopfront dazzling with vibrant colors and glittering gold.
"Shopkeeper!" Zhao Ling called out loudly to a man inside wearing a small white cap, who was enthusiastically promoting tapestries to a group of Han Chinese clad in fur-lined coats. "Bring out some of your scarves for us to see!"
The people in the shop turned at the sound.
The leader was a man in his thirties, of average height, dressed in a sapphire-blue fur coat lined with Hu silk. Sturdy and composed, he sported a handsome pair of mustaches and piercing eyes that exuded authority and competence. Behind him stood several men—some elderly, past fifty, others as young as fifteen or sixteen—all clad in either Lu silk or Hu silk-lined coats, their expressions sharp with shrewdness.
Ever since encountering the Sixteenth Master, Fu Tingyun had grown wary of strangers who clearly stood out. Uneasy, she softly called out, "Ninth Master..."
Zhao Ling turned, his voice gentle. "What is it?"
Before Fu Tingyun could reply, the white-capped shopkeeper responded in broken Han speech, "Yes, yes!"
Ignoring him, Zhao Ling kept his gaze fixed on Fu Tingyun, patient and tender as spring sunlight, waiting for her to speak.
His attentiveness made her squirm uncomfortably. "Let's go," she whispered hurriedly, her eyes darting toward the mustached man.
Understanding, Zhao Ling murmured, "I know. We won't engage with them—just buy what we need and leave."
His voice was as hushed as hers, like a secret shared, sending a flutter through her chest and coloring her cheeks.
The shopkeeper had already brought out an assortment of scarves. "Which ones would you like, honored guests?"
Zhao Ling's sharp eyes immediately spotted two black scarves embroidered with golden threads in patterns similar to Fu Tingyun's own needlework. He pointed. "These two." Without haggling over the price.
Delighted by the swift sale, the shopkeeper beamed, accepted the silver, and carefully wrapped the scarves in cloth before handing them to Zhao Ling.Zhao Ling took the scarf and nodded at Fu Tingyun before turning to leave.
Fu Tingyun felt relieved and quickly followed behind him.
Once they turned the corner, Zhao Ling handed the scarf to her.
Fu Tingyun froze.
“Yesterday, I saw you staring at someone wearing one, and today you embroidered this pattern,” he said with a smile. “I happened to pass by a shop selling these… thought you might like it.” Though he appeared nonchalant as he looked at her, his ears were already bright red.
“Ah!” Fu Tingyun stared blankly at Zhao Ling, unsure what to do.
Accept it? But this was a personal item, something worn close to the body—men and women had their boundaries, how could she just take it?
Refuse? Yet he had given it so openly, explaining clearly that he had simply noticed her interest and coincidentally found a shop selling scarves…
To take or not to take—the decision should have been straightforward, so why did she feel so strange inside?
She hesitated.
In the middle of winter, Zhao Ling watched her, his palms nearly sweating, feeling as if every passerby was staring at them.
“Just take it!” His smile began to falter. Remembering the people in the shop earlier, he quickly added, “I was actually planning to take you to buy some blankets—but then we ran into those people, so I guess we’ll have to find another shop.” Realizing his excuse was flimsy, he explained further, “In Zhangye, winters are harsh, so everyone likes to lay wool blankets on their kang. They’re soft and warm…”
She was overthinking it!
Fu Tingyun immediately relaxed and took the scarf, though for some reason, she still felt a little shy. She murmured a quiet “Thank you,” then, remembering it was because of her that Zhao Ling hadn’t been able to buy the blankets, she gave him an apologetic smile.
Only then did Zhao Ling’s tense nerves ease, and he suddenly realized his back was drenched in sweat.
But he was used to keeping a straight face, and right now, he was doing his best to hide his nervousness, so his expression remained unchanged. He smiled and asked Fu Tingyun, “What kind of blanket do you like? How about we each pick one?”
Each pick one?
An image flashed through Fu Tingyun’s mind—two identical blankets laid out in their respective rooms…
How awkward would that be!
Her face burned.
When she looked up, Zhao Ling had already entered a shop and was pointing at a vibrant sapphire-blue blanket embroidered with pale moon-white lotuses and bright red pomegranate flowers. “What do you think of this one?”
“Oh…” Fu Tingyun was distracted.
Should she tell him it’d be better if they chose separately?
Seeing her hesitation, Zhao Ling recalled the scarf incident.
If he hadn’t acted decisively then, they’d probably still be standing on the street, drawing stares.
The thought made him feel sweat trickling down his back again.
Without delay, he asked firmly, “Is this blanket nice? I think having something bright in the room during winter can lift the spirits!”
True.
Fu Tingyun nodded.
Zhao Ling immediately told the shopkeeper, “Wrap this one up.” Then he pointed at a plain ginger-yellow blanket beside it. “I’ll take this one too!”
Fu Tingyun was speechless.
So when he said “each pick one,” he meant they’d each choose their own!
How had she misunderstood that?
Her face turned as red as cloth.Zhao Ling asked her with some concern, "Are you tired from walking?" As he spoke, he asked the shopkeeper for a stool. "Sit down and rest for a while. I'll call a carriage to take us back to the inn."
Yongjing County was such a small place—what was the point of calling a carriage? If A Sen and the others saw, they'd probably laugh their heads off.
Fu Tingyun quickly replied, "No need, no need. I just dressed too warmly, and the sun is making me a bit hot."
A flicker of doubt passed through Zhao Ling's eyes; he clearly didn't quite believe her.
"Didn't you say we needed to buy some tea to take back?" Fu Tingyun had no choice but to add. "It's almost noon—let's hurry and buy the tea so we can return!"
"Alright then!" Zhao Ling didn’t press further and smiled. "You've been walking all morning—you must be hungry by now."
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Tonight, there's only this update because of a work-organized study session... (>_
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