Chapter 315: Chapter 315. A Woman Dressing As A Man
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
It was not the first time Ji Xiaoying and Luan Hong wore men’s clothes. Su Qing would contribute her extra men’s clothes if they wanted to dress up as men.
Luan Hong and Xiaoying were both beauties. The only difference was that Luan Hong was like a ball of fire. Her bright appearance had a heroic spirit. As long as she wore men’s clothes and did not speak, she would be a brave young master.
In the past, she had dressed up as a man to go to the gambling house and even gambled with them. No one recognized her as a girl.
Xiaoying was like a delicate peach blossom, fresh and sweet. She had a pair of eyes that loved to smile, and even if she changed into men’s clothes, one could tell at a glance that she was a girl.
Su Qing was the most beautiful of the three. She looked like a young general.
The three girls walked out of the courtyard together, stunning Ji Shuisheng. Why were they all dressed as men? Had they worn enough women’s clothes?
Qiu Yongkang was beside Ji Shuisheng. When he saw Ji Xiaoying dressed as a man, he could not help but smile. She looked like a child who was secretly wearing an adult’s clothes. She looked charming.
“Su Qing, this person knows how to hold a wine barrel.”
Behind the two was a man with a sallow and bitter face. Ji Shuisheng introduced him to Su Qing.
Su Qing sized up the man and saw that he was a stranger. Recently, many disaster victims have arrived one after another. They were all refugees.
If Mo City wanted to develop, it needed a population. Moreover, Mo City did not belong to their family. Therefore, when these disaster victims came, Ji Shuisheng and the others did not stop them. As long as they were pitiful commoners, they would help them survive.
Ji Shuisheng had not been in Mo City for the past few days. He had followed Cheng Yu to find the commander of Jingshi Dao’s city guards. He had also been his father’s subordinate in the past.
Now that they had a base and a stable ability to earn money, they wanted to revive the Xiao Family Army.
He and Cheng Yu confidently rushed to Jingshi Dao, but they returned disappointed.
When he returned to the city, he saw this person telling the city guard he knew how to hold a wine barrel. Ji Shuisheng brought him to Su Qing.
Su Qing’s gaze fell on the man’s cracked hands. There were calluses on his thumb and index finger. He was a craftsman.
He was still wearing thin clothes in the cold weather, and his face was green from the cold. His eyes were filled with fear and antic.i.p.ation. After sizing him up, Su Qin asked,
“What do you want in return?”
She had initially wanted to go to Luo City to purchase some wine barrels, but she had gone to break people out of prison and delayed this matter. Previously, she had found a craftsman who could hold wine barrels. In the end, she is extorted by a lion.
Now that the wine in the wine cellar had been brewed, Su Qing was very anxious because she could not transport it without the wine barrels.
As long as this craftsman didn’t demand an exorbitant price like the previous one, she could accept it.
“As long as our family can eat well, you don’t have to pay.”
This craftsman was very honest and did not dare to mention money. He was afraid that if he mentioned money, they would not use him anymore. He only wanted to eat.
Su Qing saw that this person was straightforward and honest. She did not bully honest people but had to pay even if he didn’t want money. She said to the craftsman,
“How about this? If you can hold fifty barrels of good quality and quant.i.ty of wine, I’ll give you a fat sheep, a stone of brown rice, and cotton coats.”
Su Qing’s offer was very high. Typically, 50 barrels of wine would only cost two stones of brown rice. One sheep was considered too much. She even gave food and cotton clothes. A set of cotton clothes was not cheap.
Qiu Yongkang looked at Su Qing in confusion. Why was she willing to pay so much for this craftsman? She was determined not to give it to him before.
“Good, good. Thank you, boss.”
The craftsman thought he had heard wrong and couldn’t believe his ears. He had met a benefactor and promised Su Qing excitedly. He thanked Qiu Yongkang profusely and followed him to the backyard of the winery to work.
Ji Shuisheng looked at Su Qing with eyes full of love. Qing’er was cold on the outside but warm on the inside. She wanted to help this craftsman’s family. Their family would not starve to death with this stone of grain and a sheep. With cotton coats, they would not freeze to death. She was very thoughtful.
“Shuisheng, let’s go deliver the goods. If it’s too late, we’ll stay in Tartan and return tomorrow.”
After dealing with this matter, Su Qing was prepared to take Xiaoying and Luan Hong to Tartan. Before she left, she told Ji Shuisheng.
Now that the Third Prince was doing business openly, he no longer needed to secretly run to the border to exchange goods with Su Qing. She could freely enter and leave Tartan as long as she held the token he gave her.
This matter was also tacitly approved by the Emperor of Tartar. Who would like to use weapons if they could earn money peacefully and let their people live and work in peace? How could the emperor not understand the logic of killing a thousand enemies and harming eight?
This winter was very comfortable in Tartan. This was all due to the warmth of the coal transported from Mo City.
Also, Su Qing’s rheumatism cream cured many herders suffering from illness.
Those who helped them earn money and treat their illnesses were their friends. They should treat their friends with good wine and mutton.
Su Qing had brought five carriages of coal, a thousand patches of ointment, and two jars of wine that she had brewed herself.
The jar of strong liquor had no name yet, and a jar of Jian Nanchun with a milder taste was for the Third Prince. She wanted him to taste it and see which flavor they liked so that Su Qing could decide what wine to focus on.
Once Ji Xiaoying and Luan Hong arrived in Tartan, their eyes were insufficient. Seeing that the leather jackets the men wore were smeared with oil stains, Xiaoying could not help but ask Su Qing softly, “Sister Su Qing, don’t they wash clothes?”
“This is their national custom. The more oil stains on their clothes, the more prosperous their family is.”
Su Qing explained to Xiaoying that Tartan should be similar to Mongolia, and their habits should be the same.
“It can be like this? In our country, anyone with dirty clothes would be laughed at.”
Luan Hong had always dressed up as a man to go to cities in the Great Xia Kingdom. Xiaoying couldn’t understand this habit. This was her first time coming to the Tartan Kingdom, and her eyes were not enough to see.
She quite liked the clothes that the girls were wearing. A circle of fox fur protected their faces, making them look warm and beautiful.
When Su Qing and the others entered Tartan, a soldier returned to report to the Third Prince. Thus, as soon as Su Qing entered Tacheng, the Third Prince brought his men to welcome her.
“Su Qing, how have you been?”
The Third Prince was riding a black warhorse. He was wearing a royal cotton robe and a warm black hat. He had a solid appearance, and his royal bloodline was n.o.ble. He looked very domineering as he rode on the tall horse.
“Third Prince, how have you been?”
Even though Su Qing’s horse, Da He (Black)i, was not a warhorse, its imposing manner was no less than the Third Prince’s horse. It warned the Third Prince’s horse, and Su Qing pulled the reins of Da Hei before it quieted down.
Yelu Chun could tell at a glance that the two men beside Su Qing were women dressed as men. He also recognized Xiaoying. After greeting Su Qing, he smiled and greeted Xiaoying,
“Xiaoying, how have you been?”
“Young Master Yeluchun?”
Xiaoying recognized that the man in front of her was the Tartan who had saved her and shouted his name excitedly.
Yelu Chun was pleased that Xiaoying still remembered his name. He smiled at her and said,
“Miss Xiaoying still remembers my name.”
“Yeluchun? You…. Are you a prince?”