Linzi felt he had reminded them enough. He glanced up at the sky and quickly bid them farewell, "Uncle Meng, I'm leaving now. Take your time shopping." After speaking, Linzi urged his horse and galloped away, quickly becoming a small dot in the distance.
"Youth is wonderful, vanishing from sight in the blink of an eye," Meng Qingping said, a hint of envy in his eyes, before urging the donkey cart towards Wang's Blacksmith Shop.
Wang's Blacksmith Shop didn't have a large storefront. The sounds of hammering could be heard from a distance.
When Meng Qingping stopped the donkey cart in front of the shop, a tall and sturdy woman in her late forties or early fifties emerged.
The woman greeted them with a broad smile, but her smile became even more sincere when she saw the small flag on the donkey cart. However, she couldn't quite hide the doubt in her eyes.
It wasn't surprising she was puzzled. She knew every soldier stationed at Eagle Beak Cliff Garrison, without exception.
As for the military households, she didn't recognize them. However, she knew that military households were not allowed to leave the garrison's jurisdiction casually without soldiers accompanying them.
Therefore, the unfamiliar old man and child before her could only mean one thing: they were not military households.
Indeed, she scrutinized them again. With her years of experience in reading people, the behavior and demeanor of this grandfather and granddaughter were definitely not those of military households.
With this thought, Aunt Wang stopped guessing and hurried forward to greet them, "Esteemed sir, may I ask what you wish to purchase?"
Meng Qingping was straightforward. There was no need to play coy about buying four cleavers and two sets of farming tools.
However, as soon as he mentioned buying four cleavers, Aunt Wang's expression changed.
It wasn't surprising that Aunt Wang's demeanor shifted. What kind of household would buy four cleavers at once? It suggested trouble.
Meng Qingping, being a smart man, noticed Aunt Wang's reaction and realized he hadn't explained clearly. He quickly clarified, "My dear sister, these are items for four families." Fearing she wouldn't believe him, he added, "Yesterday, Dabao and the others were off duty and helped our family build a shelter."
Mentioning her younger son and helping build a shelter, Aunt Wang's face lit up as if a secret code had been exchanged.
"My dear brother, please come inside quickly." After speaking, Aunt Wang called out to Old Man Wang, "Husband, quickly get for this..."
"My surname is Meng."
"Husband, pick out four cleavers and two sets of farming tools for Brother Meng."
Aunt Wang had a loud voice, and her shout was heard by the neighbors.
Good heavens, what kind of family buys four cleavers at one go? Their doubts were no less than Aunt Wang's earlier.
Unable to contain their curiosity, they peeked through the door cracks, cautiously observing. When they saw a refined and gentle old man and a dark-skinned little girl, tanned by the sun, they couldn't help but murmur amongst themselves. These two were clearly a grandfather and granddaughter, far from being fierce or menacing. But why the need for four cleavers? This remained an unsolvable mystery to them.
They all planned to ask for details after the customers who bought the cleavers left. Four cleavers, who wouldn't be alarmed?
Meng Qingping and his granddaughter were unaware that their arrival had caused a small stir of apprehension.
...
Old Man Wang's bronze face wore a smile of simple honesty. Perhaps from years of stooping, his back was slightly hunched.
Hearing his wife say that this grandfather and granddaughter were known to their youngest son, Old Man Wang's honest face broke into an even wider smile. However, he was not a man of many words. He smiled at the pair and then set aside his work, leading them to select their items.
Brother Wang and Brother Er, both in their early twenties, were robust and well-built. The muscles in their arms rippled as they swung their hammers, striking the red-hot iron as if it were child's play.
Aunt Wang noticed the little girl's wide, astonished eyes and guessed that she must not be from an ordinary family, otherwise, she wouldn't be so mesmerized by blacksmithing.
Fu Xinci was indeed watching blacksmithing for the first time. It was a pure display of strength, and undeniably captivating.
Fortunately, she remembered the purpose of their visit. She smiled at Brother Wang and Brother Er, expressing her admiration, and then cheerfully followed her grandfather and Old Man Wang.
The finished products of Wang's Blacksmith Shop were displayed in another room. Looking at the iron tools on the wooden racks and leaning against the walls, Fu Xinci felt like Liu姥姥 (a character from a classic Chinese novel) visiting the Grand View Garden for the first time.
It wasn't that she was ignorant; she simply never realized that so many things were created through the painstaking efforts of a blacksmith, hammer blow by hammer blow. The phrase "tempered a thousand times" must have originated from a place like this.
As Fu Xinci was contemplating, Meng Qingping, a man of action, had already begun to select the items they needed to buy. There were five cleavers displayed on the wooden rack, and he picked up four.
This bold move caused Old Man Wang's eye to twitch.
They also bought four large iron pots, spoons, and spatulas, which were essential. By the time Meng Qingping had gathered all the items, the room where Wang's family displayed their finished products was nearly emptied.
However, looking at the items he needed to purchase, Meng Qingping began to worry. With so many things, how would he transport them back? He dared not imagine if their little donkey could pull all of it.
Sensing his difficulty, Old Man Wang proactively said, "Brother Meng, with so many items, especially ironware, your little donkey will surely struggle. How about this: I'll have my eldest son drive our ox cart to take you back."
"That would be wonderful." Hearing Old Man Wang offer delivery service, Meng Qingping felt his breathing instantly become smoother.
Alas, it was unavoidable.
Although their family's movements were not restricted, they did not dare to venture out carelessly. This was a sparsely populated area, and a moment's inattention could lead to getting lost.
He couldn't fathom the consequences of getting lost. Old Man Wang's offer at this moment was like receiving charcoal in winter.
"Brother Wang, let's settle the bill first. Then, these items can be kept here for now. My granddaughter and I will go buy some other things."
"Certainly." Old Man Wang agreed readily. However, after settling the bill, Fu Xinci was somewhat taken aback by the price of a cleaver. Not only was it expensive, but personal information also had to be filled in.
Of course, Old Man Wang provided a reasonable explanation. Regardless of who purchased items from the blacksmith shop, their real name and address had to be recorded, as the local patrol battalion conducted regular checks.
Therefore, if they hadn't had the small flag symbolizing Eagle Beak Cliff Garrison and mentioned Wang Dabao's name, Old Man Wang would not have sold them anything.
Meng Qingping deeply understood the saying, "Having connections makes things easier."
Fu Xinci mused, "Does this count as using a backdoor?"
Meng Qingping, however, understood these regulations perfectly. This was a border region, and strict control over ironware was essential.
Otherwise, if the Tatars found a loophole, it would be troublesome.