Once I got further from the village boarder a carriage was there to pick me up just like my parents planned to go to the next town to buy clothing.
"Hello, what are you doing out by yourself?" A man walks up to me.
"Taking a walk." I answer in a mock of Li Hua's voice as it was the easiest to imitate. It isn't the best imitation ever, but I don't need to sound exactly the same.
"Do you need assistance?" He asks.
I shake my head.
"No thanks. Though, I would appreciate you telling me where the dress shop is."
"Yeah, it is right there," He says pointing to a shop down the road.
"Thank you. I will keep looking around for now."
"Ah okay." He says.
I leave to look at the rest of the area. There is also a restaurant that I notice and a charm shop catches my eye.
I walk up to it and step inside.
"Hello?" I ask entering the building.
"Yes, yes, welcome. What would you be looking for?"
I frown. I don't exactly wish to limit myself and this is my first time shopping for something like this.
"No thank you, I will just be browsing for a while." I tell the kind elderly person.
"Alright, young lady."
There was a series of charms from white-jade ones to red ones to green ones and blue ones.
The jeweled necklaces and hairpins lovely and yet I couldn't see any of their quality.
One left to the side caught my eye. It was blue just like Pei Ling's eyes. Perhaps she would like such a gift?
Very light colored and neat it seems to call for me to purchase it. Beside it was one with a washed out red color similar to some flowers it is soft and sweet smelling, something Hua Li would like. The perfume satchet attatched has two bells under it tinkling as they tap each other.
For me, I settled for a slightly ruined glass necklace. It has it's charm I should suppose.
"These are all you would like to buy?" The elder asks.
"Yes, thank you."
"You know you have an interesting taste? Not many would select a glass amulet with such a shoddy rope. Especially women. You are the first." They respond putting my things in a bag.
I hand them my money and bid the kind elderly person farewell.
I walk out and contemplate what I would like to buy for Wenrou, but seeing as I don't know her as well as the rest of my wives. Pei Ling and Hua Li have showed me more about themselves.
"Do I really know her?"
From there I decided it was time to look at dress cloth for myself. Perhaps I could find something for her.
From the outside you can smell the scent of sandalwood and red bud waft out.
Cool light from the early morning light fills the store and the dark wood trims look more elegant and well kept. Suggesting that the store was well kept if it is this clean in daylight.
The dress shop is full of cloth rolls and a woman appears up from behind the counter.
"Well hello there." She grasps the things from under the desk and stands up with a pale blue dress that she is preparing.
"I am sorry to say that we are very busy."
"I just wanted to know if you can make a dress for me too, you are very good."
Her face brightens from the compliment.
"Sure thing! What would you like?"
"Two simple robes of light pink and purple and of dark blue would be fine."
The woman smiles and notes down my order.
"Who shall I put this down as?" The taylor asks.
"Gao HeSh---" I pause and shake my head. "Ou HeXian." I tell her finally remembering the name my parents helped me to make.
"You know the Gao family?" She asks surprised.
"No, I am not too familiar with them. I made a mistake in speech."
"I am so sorry, I assumed." She apologizes.
"No worries."
"But even so. I heard the Gao family's only son has a wife now and concubines. I was surprised he didn't seem to have such in him."
"What do you mean?"
"He is just like all the other men, wanting women. He was said to be respectable."
I stopped listening to her after she started ranting about how much she despises me and after hearing the news how glad she was glad she left Gao Village.
Instead, I think about what Wenrou could ever want. I don't think of Wenrou as a makeup kind of girl or one that would focus on anything of material nature.
Perhaps a hair clip for her hair would seem best because it has some use. Maybe a unique brush for her hair?
"Ehem!" The taylor clears her throat shaking me from my pondering.
"Yes?"
"Ms. Ou tell me where exactly are you from?" She asks. "You know Gao HeShen should just leave those women alone and have one wife."
Now it was my turn.
"Why do you care so much?" I ask.
That shuts her up.
"I--"
"You can be honest if you like him. Are you jealous of his wives?"
"I live near the village the Gao family has control over, yet I have never seen him." I add shrugging it off.
"That's an absurd conclusion!"
"My bad." I apologize.
Just then the door opens and Hua Li in a dark purple dress, Ling in a yellow one and Wenrou in a black one with a light brown overcoat steps inside the shop.
The taylor's mouth falls agape.
"Talking bad? Gossiping women are lowly." Pei Ling tells us.
I look away to keep from making a face.
I was not expecting them to go out today. I am actually kind of happy they are all hanging out together.
"We were just talking. How may I help you my lady?"
"So you can recognize a woman of status." She smiles. "Go and pick out what you wanted Lady Mao. Then we will find flowers for the manor." Ling says.
Her eyes pinch tighter when she looks at me and I avert my eyes. I doubt she can read anything.
"You look familiar," She says moving closer to me.
"I don't--" I say moving back.
It's over she recognized me.
Hua Li looks concerned and Wenrou dodges my gaze and continued looking through the fabrics.
"Anyways, you should come with us." Pei Ling says to me.
"Yes," I respond and pay for my things.
"Can you send her robes to the Gao household as well?" Pei Ling says putting money for both the fabrics and my order of decorated robe. "I will pay for her's as well."
She then takes my money and puts it in her pocket.
"This cost will be used to pay me back." She looks at me.
Mortified the taylor begins to quickly folds the fabric and takes the money moving quickly out of the way.
For once I am greatful for Pei Lings strong, condecending, demeanor. And I wholeheartedly can agree that if I tried I would not get a similar outcome.
Leaving the building with the group I begin my steady pace around the market with them.
We approach the wet market and listen to the grandma's and grandpa's competing to sell their catch of the day.
Wenrou bounds ahead while Hua Li speedwalks after her.
Pei Ling maintains her pace and follows along.
They stop at the water line and head near the side where Hua Li crouches down and begins digging out the plants. Pei Ling moves her veil over her face.
She watches over Li Hua Li's gathering of Peony seedlings.
Then is followed by the purchase of chinese rose, camellia, narcissus as well as rhododendron seedlings.
I ended up carrying several seed packets and propagations back to the manor as they begin to talk about their excitements.
"Your birthday is coming up soon Lady Pei?" Wenrou asks.
"It is. I had so much to do going forwards and yet I have to spend it with you." She frowns.
"So rude!" Wenrou exclaims pouting.
Hua Li, the eldest cuts off their quarrel by offering to take the items back to the house, the two's bickering ends there.
"I will head out."
From this time I move onwards to a jewelry shop with an old shady woman inside.
"Earrings are nice, yes?" Her eerie voice was off putting, but I had a goal and the paper my mother gave me said that this is the place to get a pair of earrings.
"Yes, you do ears, right?" I ask cautiously, as if not to offend.
"Yes, yes I do." She responds.
"May you do mine?"
To that the old lady smiles and leads me to the back.
_____
I exit with the tiniest metal rods she has because I didn't want them very noticable.
On my way home I walk through the village the blue tiger patterned dress is very different from the waterfall patterns on the hemp cloth that everyone else uses. It has been a while since I felt like an outsider.
I could risk going to see my best friends or having them find me. But how will my friends react to knowing the truth? How about my wives?
"Yuan! Yun! Dinner!"
With that I rush home. Before I am seen.