“Master Nine is going to Zhuanglang Guard?” Fu Tingyun tugged at the winter clothes on A Sen’s body, then stepped back to examine him from all angles, checking if any adjustments were needed.

She had barely slept the previous night and wasn’t in good spirits.

Wearing winter clothes made A Sen feel hot, but he stood straight and still on the stool, not daring to move at all, afraid of accidentally dirtying his new clothes.

“Brother Yucheng and Brother Yuanbao thought I was asleep,” he giggled. “They were whispering there, but I heard everything.”

“You clever little thing!” Fu Tingyun was amused by him, her mood improving considerably.

She asked A Sen to take off the winter clothes and heat the iron.

“That Mo Yi admitted he’s some kind of mobile corps general,” A Sen lay on the table watching Fu Tingyun iron clothes. “He also said he’s waiting for Master in Zhangye.” Fearing Fu Tingyun might not know where Zhangye was, he added, “Brother Yuanbao said the Gansu Commander-in-Chief’s office is in Zhangye, and Zhuanglang Guard is one of the military posts under the Gansu Commander-in-Chief’s jurisdiction. Master has to go to the Gansu Commander-in-Chief’s office to report before going to the Zhuanglang Guard. That’s why Mo Yi said he’s waiting for Master in Zhangye. Mo Yi also said that when the time comes, ‘with grape wine in night-glowing cups,’ he would entertain Master well.”

Fu Tingyun couldn’t help but be surprised: “That far away?”

A Sen nodded and smiled: “Brother Yuanbao said it takes two to three months to get there from Xi’an Prefecture!”

Before he finished speaking, Zhao Ling walked in.

A Sen was startled and immediately jumped down from the stool: “Master Nine!”

Zhao Ling smiled and said to Fu Tingyun: “You already know!” He didn’t seem to mind.

A Sen let out a long sigh of relief, his eyes rolling around, glancing back and forth between the two.

Master Nine hated people discussing matters privately, especially telling others about their affairs—he had even killed for this before. But Miss Fu was different. That day when they bought more than a thousand mu of land in Dongjiang Village at once, the broker only said they were lucky: “A few days earlier and the Jiang family wouldn’t have been willing to sell; a few days later and word would have spread, attracting Xi’an Prefecture’s wealthy families to buy the land, and you might not have succeeded.” Then he joked, “This Dongjiang Village might as well be renamed Zhao Village now.”

He had heard this with pride and said, “If Miss Fu knew about this, she would be happy too.” Master Nine had only responded with an “Mm” at the time. Later, when Miss Fu asked him about it, he told her frankly. Master Nine was right beside them and didn’t stop him at all.

This time was the same.

Master Nine had keen ears, and yet he didn’t get angry when A Sen told Miss Fu about the private conversation between Brother Yucheng and Brother Yuanbao. Instead, he smiled while talking to Miss Fu… Could it be that Miss Fu had become one of their own?

But Miss Fu didn’t do things like Fugui’s wife, who cooked for them daily and washed their clothes… No, that’s not right, there were some things Master Nine wouldn’t let Fugui’s wife know about… Plus, Miss Fu still had Zheng Third Mistress and Madam Lu serving her… However, Miss Fu was truly quite nice. Although she didn’t cook every day, her cooking was much tastier than Fugui’s wife’s or Brother Yuanbao’s. She’d only made winter clothes for Master Nine and him, but those clothes were truly beautiful, more elegant than those bought from shops. If Miss Fu became one of them, that would be quite good.

A Sen pondered in his heart.

He would ask Brother Yuanbao later.

If Miss Fu wasn’t one of them yet, he wondered if he could vouch for her to join…

Fu Tingyun had no idea that A Sen had been thinking so many thoughts in the blink of an eye.

She put away the iron and turned to pour a cup of tea for Zhao Ling: “I was just asking A Sen!”

Miss Fu said she was the one who asked, not that he told her… Miss Fu was quite nice… A Sen smiled at Fu Tingyun, his eyes curved like crescent moons.

“Since Mo Yi dared to come and tell us, it’s probably not going to change,” Zhao Ling took a sip of tea. “I just don’t know where Yucheng and the others have been assigned. We’ll find out tomorrow after meeting with Wu Xin.” Then he sighed, “I never expected Mo Yi would fixate on me like this!”

Fu Tingyun sat beside him and asked: “What are Master Nine’s plans?”

Zhao Ling seemed about to speak but hesitated, then quickly smiled with raised eyebrows: “I’ll just deal with things as they come.” It seemed as if he was hiding something.

Fu Tingyun grew suspicious and wanted to ask more, but didn’t know where to begin. While she hesitated, Zhao Ling was already smiling and saying: “Come to think of it, it’s been several years since I’ve been to that area.” He appeared to be having a casual conversation with her.

Fu Tingyun wasn’t one to rudely ignore others, so she followed his lead: “I hear the Gansu Commander-in-Chief’s office is in Zhangye, which is beyond the frontier. Since Master Nine’s assignment is almost certain, why not use these next two days before departure to buy some winter clothes and fur coats to take with you?” She continued, “Fortunately, Xi’an Prefecture is the capital of Shaanxi and has everything you might need. Otherwise, it would be quite troublesome!”

Zhao Ling looked somewhat embarrassed: “I’m used to being slovenly. I wear one fur coat all winter, and when spring comes, I simply buy a new spring garment to change into. The fur coat gets tossed aside, and when the north wind blows in winter, I don’t know where the coat has gone, so I just buy a new one…”

He only had A Sen attending to him, and A Sen was still a child himself, so it was no wonder he was unkempt.

Fu Tingyun pondered, and couldn’t help but smile: “Well then, see what else you need, and I…” she paused, “why not let Madam Lu help with the arrangements!”

She broke out in a cold sweat.

Thankfully, she had swallowed the words “I’ll help you arrange things” in time.

She wasn’t his… wife, so what right did she have to manage these affairs for him?

If she had spoken those words, it would have been quite embarrassing.

Her face flushed red.

Zhao Ling gazed at Fu Tingyun intently, and after a while, he picked up his teacup and took a sip, saying slowly: “Where I’m going, I’ll inevitably have to interact with generals and commanders. I wonder if Madam Lu would know what to arrange!”

Fu Tingyun breathed a sigh of relief and quickly changed the subject: “In that case, besides clothes, you should also bring some medicinal herbs, antiques, and gold ornaments,” she recalled what her mother used to prepare each year to send to Beijing. “For such a long journey, it’s best to bring small yet valuable or exquisitely crafted items with unique designs, which can be presented to superiors; also bring some one or two fen silver pieces to reward colleagues’ children, and for superiors’ children, seven or eight tael silver ingots… You should also prepare several different pouches for rewarding silver, to avoid mixing them up…” She then thought about how her Sixth Aunt prepared for her Sixth Uncle’s travels whenever he went on scholarly journeys. “You need at least three fur coats: one for visiting superiors and social occasions, one for regular wear, and one for wearing at home; at least three cotton clothes, two thicker ones and one thinner one—wear the thick ones in autumn and the thin one when spring arrives but the wind is still cold. It’s best to make a spring garment as well; in case something delays the making of spring clothes, it’s good to have a backup. I think you should have at least six pairs of leather boots made, as they say that place is full of wind and sand, with roads covered in gravel, which especially wears out boots quickly; also make two pairs of cotton boots for indoor wear…” She rambled on and on, as if trying to cover up something.

Zhao Ling remained silent, with a faint smile at the corners of his mouth, listening to her patiently and quietly.

A Sen, on the other hand, was dumbfounded and couldn’t help interrupting her: “Miss Fu, so many clothes—surely one couldn’t wear them all in a lifetime!” He looked at her with great confusion.

The implication was clear: did she want to buy this many clothes?

“These are just the bare necessities!” Fu Tingyun said. “Any less would mean making do.” Fearing that Zhao Ling and A Sen might be thinking the same thing, she earnestly told Zhao Ling, “If it were somewhere else, when you wanted to add clothes, you could simply invite seamstresses to make them. But Master Nine is going beyond the frontier, where resources are scarce and life is simple. I’m afraid that even with silver, you might not be able to buy good cloth or find skilled seamstresses. It’s better to be prepared.”

Zhao Ling nodded: “Then it’s settled.” He then smiled, “You just mentioned so many things that not only Madam Lu, but even someone with a good memory like me couldn’t remember everything. Why don’t you write a list of what needs to be bought, and I’ll have Madam Lu arrange everything accordingly.”

Fu Tingyun felt embarrassed.

A Sen helped her grind the ink, and she wrote while thinking, taking a good half hour. After carefully reviewing it once more, she finally handed the list to Zhao Ling, who had been sitting beside her, drinking tea.

Zhao Ling didn’t even look at it, tucked it into his sleeve, and went to see Madam Lu.

That evening, Madam Lu came over with the list: “Miss Fu, three fur coats—one for visiting superiors, one for regular wear, and one for home use—what’s the difference?”

Fu Tingyun explained carefully: “For visiting superiors, it should be dignified yet not overly luxurious. If it’s too extravagant, better than what your superior wears, it will displease them. A good quality Hangzhou silk outer layer with gray squirrel fur lining would be suitable. For regular wear, you should consider what’s fashionable in Jiangnan. I hear that the nobles in the palace are all wearing ‘Su style’ now. People respect the clothes first, then the person—buying one in that style won’t be wrong. As for indoor wear, comfort is key. It’s best to find a fox fur one, which is both light and warm, and can last for more than a decade without deteriorating.”

Madam Lu had thought that visiting superiors would naturally require wearing the most precious and finest clothes, with regular wear being second, and for home, anything casual would do… Fortunately, Master Nine had reminded her to ask, otherwise, she would have made a mess of things.

She couldn’t help but say: “Miss Fu, why don’t you come with me tomorrow! I’m already uncertain about just these three fur coats, and I dare not make decisions about the gifts for superiors on my own.”

“This…” Fu Tingyun looked troubled.

“Miss Fu,” Madam Lu took her hand, “Master Nine is meeting with Lord Wu tomorrow and will depart the day after at the latest. Please just consider it as helping me.” Her tone was quite sincere.

Indeed, Zhao Ling was about to leave for Zhangye. He had helped her so much, so she could just help him this once!

With this thought, Fu Tingyun felt a sense of clarity.

“Alright!” she smiled. “Tomorrow I’ll go shopping with you.”

Madam Lu laughed with relief and said many words of gratitude before leaving.

Shortly after, Zheng Third Mistress came over: “Miss, Master Nine has given a thousand taels of silver to Zheng Third, asking him to accompany you shopping tomorrow.”

Fu Tingyun was quite surprised.

How had he so quickly given a thousand taels of silver to Zheng Third, as if he’d prepared it long ago, just waiting for her to agree to go shopping with Madam Lu tomorrow?