The next day, as dawn broke, Madam Zhang rose early. She brought warm water to the door of each room, then stood in the courtyard waiting for the masters to wake.
The first to stir was Qi He. After washing up, he began practicing his boxing in a clear space in the courtyard.
Little Niu saw this and slowly crept closer, his thin, sallow face alight with a brilliance he had never known.
Qi He saw him and smiled, teasing, "Do you want to learn with me?"
"Yes, thank you, young master."
Little Niu clasped his fists, imitating the adults as he paid respects to his young master. He was determined to learn kung fu from his young master so he could help his mother beat up that big bad guy.
Madam Zhang had been silent, watching from her spot.
When she saw the young master slow down his movements, patiently teaching Little Niu each move, her heart felt even lighter.
It was more than they could have ever wished for their son to learn true skills from the young master.
When Ning Er woke up, he saw Little Niu standing a few paces behind his brother-in-law, practicing boxing with him.
Heh heh, he wanted to join too.
Qi He smiled at Ning Er as he ran over like a little tiger, then continued to practice his punches and kicks, move by move.
"Hmph." Ning Er's movements were much more practiced than Little Niu's.
Little Niu watched with envy and put in even more effort.
When Fu Yu woke, he saw the lively scene in the courtyard.
Several boys of different heights, all practicing boxing together in the courtyard – it was quite a sight.
Especially seeing their eager, upward-looking smiles, Fu Yu instantly felt a few years younger.
He even mused whether he might learn boxing from the children in the future.
The more he thought about it, the more he felt it was something worth trying.
After breakfast, Madam Fang asked Madam Zhang and her son to stay at the inn while their family went out shopping for some things.
Qi He had already inquired from Liu Hai about the locations of the largest silver shop and best embroidery shop in Ningyuan City.
Fortunately, those two establishments were not far apart, situated on the same street.
As the family strolled leisurely down the street, many people stopped to gaze or turn back.
Familiar faces whispered amongst themselves, "The maiden walking in the middle is indeed Miss Fu."
"Miss Fu is so beautiful, her smile is so gentle, nothing like the female war god they say she is."
"What female war god? Miss Fu herself said she's a female warrior."
"A female warrior? She doesn't look like one. Look at her, every smile and glance is like that of a delicate young lady."
"She is a young lady in the first place."
"But..." This person really wanted to ask, if she looks so harmless and delicate, how did she kill Tatars and Japanese pirates?
He really wanted to say: is there some exaggeration involved? But this thought only flashed through his mind; he dared not voice it, fearing he would be beaten into a pig's head.
After all, if such rumors were applied to Miss Fu, he might end up paralyzed.
Fu Xin Ci's pretty face maintained a faint smile. The chatter of the passersby reached her ears. If not for fear of scaring her parents, she would have burst out laughing.
It turned out that gossip in ancient times was no less prevalent than before the apocalypse.
Perhaps even more so; this was Fu Xin Ci's most profound realization after arriving in Ningyuan City yesterday.
Fortunately, Cao's Silver Shop was just ahead, and she wouldn't have to endure being watched by so many eyes.
As the family reached the entrance of the silver shop, a young shop assistant greeted them with a smile.
"Welcome, honored guests."
The young assistant had been trained to be sharp-eyed. This family clearly had money to spend, so he had to serve them well.
Qi He was also explaining to his uncle and aunt, "Uncle, Aunt, Uncle Liu Hai said that Cao's Silver Shop is the most reputable silver shop in Ningyuan City."
"Yes, I heard the Cao family has many businesses in the northern frontier, involved in many industries."
"Indeed."
The young assistant leading the way overheard the conversation between his uncle and nephew and occasionally chimed in, making Fu Yu praise him for his eloquence.
The young assistant led them directly to a private room at the back, then quickly informed the shopkeeper before bringing out their finest gold and silver jewelry.
Looking at the heavy gold hairpins and clasps, all solid, Fu Xin Ci felt a tremor and a slight prickle of her scalp.
She thought to herself, if she were to wear these, would they weigh down her hair until it fell out?
To protect her hair from becoming bald, she felt a sense of awe towards these gold ornaments.
She really didn't want to wear these things. In her opinion, they were suitable for preserving wealth, not for wearing.
To wear them would absolutely require courage.
She didn't seem to possess such courage.
Madam Fang, however, felt completely differently. With one hand supporting a tray, she carefully examined the gold and silver jewelry before asking the young assistant, "Do you have any more jewelry suitable for a girl to wear on her wedding day?"
Hearing Madam Fang's words, the young assistant guessed that the lady was not entirely satisfied. He stole a glance at the shopkeeper.
The shopkeeper, named Qian, was a plump, fair-skinned old man around fifty, appearing to be a kind soul.
However, given his position as the manager of Cao's Silver Shop, Madam Fang knew his kindness had its limits.
By now, Shopkeeper Qian also knew the family's background and decided to stop holding back.
With a face full of smiles, he looked at the family, then signaled the young assistant, "Go and fetch our most prized possession for Mr. and Mrs. Fu to see."
"Yes, I'll go now." Seeing that the shopkeeper was bringing out their prized possession, the young assistant's demeanor changed instantly, as if he were a different person.
Fu Xin Ci: This is rather interesting.
Fu Yu and Madam Fang exchanged a knowing glance, their eyes showing a hint of anticipation at the mention of the prized possession.
The young assistant returned not long after, carefully holding a wooden box carved with intricate patterns.
The box was about a foot high, two feet wide, and three feet long.
Looking at the box, which emitted a faint woody fragrance, Qi He was even more excited than Fu Xin Ci. His eyes clearly urged Shopkeeper Qian to open it quickly, as he was eager to see.
Today, Shopkeeper Qian did not keep the family waiting. He took the box from the young assistant and immediately placed it on the table and opened it.
Looking at the flower crown in the box, adorned with pearls and jade, Fu Xin Ci found it hard to tear her eyes away.
The flower crown was woven from pure gold threads, with peonies inlaid on the forehead, made of stacked red ruby petals. Emerald leaves intertwined with rubies, shimmering and dazzling in the bright sunlight.