Chapter 139: First Shopping Trip to the County Town

The next morning, Du Zhi and Du Yun woke up early. After washing up and hastily making breakfast, they began preparing a new batch of pastries.

For Du Yun, making these pastries had become second nature, and the time required was significantly reduced. Although Du Zhi had merely helped out at first and wasn't very skilled at making pastries, after watching two or three times, she began to lend a real hand.

"Eldest Sister, once Eldest Brother comes back this afternoon, let's go to the county town with him tomorrow," Du Yun chatted with Du Zhi while making pastries, secretly trying to persuade her to take a trip to the county.

"We're so busy, what are we going to the county for?" Hearing Du Yun's suggestion, Du Zhi didn't immediately refute it; instead, she looked at Du Yun earnestly, wanting to know what was on her mind.

"Just to look around! I haven't been to the county for such a long time, and they say there are so many things sold there. I want to go and see them," Du Yun had a different motive in mind, but since she couldn't say it out loud to persuade her sister, she simply resorted to acting a little spoiled.

What Du Yun was actually thinking was that while her sister's dowry already included quite a few items, her wedding gown consisted of nothing more than a padded jacket made of red cotton fabric. Even though Du Zhi had put a lot of heart into making her own wedding gown and had even cleverly embroidered some patterns on it, she couldn't mask the heavy aura of poverty brought on by the inferior material.

When Du Yun had visited the Tang family, she had seen the cyan cloth qipao worn by Mother Tang. Although the fabric wasn't top-tier, it was exquisitely tailored and ironed to absolute perfection without a single wrinkle.

Someone who dressed with such meticulous care at home—though Du Yun didn't know Mother Tang well—could easily be judged by her clothes and her habitual gestures of smoothing out the wrinkles on her skirt: she undoubtedly had very high standards for attire.

Initially, Du Yun hadn't thought much of it and had soon forgotten about it. But when she returned home and suddenly noticed how their grandmother and mother could find all sorts of conflicts over a simple meal, Du Yun realized abruptly that the things she had previously overlooked might not be as useless as she had thought.

Recalling this matter last night, Du Yun remembered the look in Mother Tang's eyes when she had glanced at her clothes—amidst the polite smile, there had been a faint sense of detachment and subtle disdain. That kind of warmth laced with coldness and fastidiousness made Du Yun, lying on the kang and reminiscing, involuntarily shudder.

She absolutely could not let her sister fall into the same awkward predicament as their mother simply because of an outfit. Didn't they value appearances and love pretty clothes? Then she would simply buy her sister an outfit grand enough to eclipse everyone else and save face for her.

"Let's not go, shall we?" Du Zhi had rarely even been to the township, let alone the county town. Just thinking about that unknown world made her legs feel slightly weak before she even stepped out the door.

"Sister, please accompany me! I haven't really been to the county seat much!" Having made up her mind not to let her sister be looked down upon by her mother-in-law, Du Yun naturally wouldn't be swayed by Du Zhi's timid protest. Alternating between acting spoiled and pestering her, she finally succeeded in convincing Du Zhi to go to the county with her before they finished making the pastries.

That afternoon, Du Song returned from the county town. Du Yun eagerly dragged her eldest brother to a secluded corner and poured out her thoughts.

"Mm, you did the right thing!" Du Song worked at a large shop in the county, where he spent every day reading people's expressions. His understanding of human nature was thoroughly astute, and upon hearing what Du Yun had to say, he immediately voiced his approval of her plan.

"When the time comes, I'll accompany you and Eldest Sister to look around," Du Song said. Having been in the county for so long, Du Song's horizons were naturally broader than those of people back in the village, and he thought much more comprehensively than others.

"Great!" Du Yun smiled and nodded, feeling immensely relieved and blessed to have such a perceptive eldest brother.

Early the next morning, Du Song led his two younger sisters onto the road, carrying a large basket of pastries. Since the trip to the county required a fair amount of time, they simply informed the family that they would return in a couple of days.

"They're getting married soon and they're still running off." Although their grandmother had agreed to their travel plan, she still had quite a few complaints about Du Yun's desire to run about.

Walking along the path, however, Du Yun felt like a little bird released from its cage, skipping and bounding happily along the way. She found the distant clouds adorable and the nearby grass equally charming.

"Stop running now. It's still half an hour's walk to the bus station; be careful you don't wear yourself out," Du Song said, looking indulgently at his younger sister who was as cheerful as a little bird. He then turned to look at his eldest sister, whose face was flushed with excitement, and felt even more convinced that he had made the right decision.

When they reached the bus station, a few people were already waiting by the roadside. Seeing some people carrying baskets of ducks, while others held chickens and geese as they waited for the public bus, Du Yun thought the scene was exceptionally vivid and fascinating.

Before long, the bus arrived. It was a very large passenger vehicle, quite similar to the one Du Yun had managed to acquire back when she was heading toward the port in the zombie-infested world.

"All aboard, all aboard!" shouted the conductor in a loud voice, and Du Song led Du Zhi and Du Yun onto the bus.

"This—" After boarding, Du Zhi looked at the neat rows of seats inside the bus, all of which were fitted with cloth slipcovers made of fabric even finer than the clothes she was wearing, and instantly grew a bit nervous, terrified that her outfit might dirty the seat covers.

Du Yun didn't worry about such things. Noticing three empty seats linked together in the front rows, she hurriedly dashed over to claim them, smiling brightly as she beckoned Du Song and Du Zhi to hurry on over.

Sitting on the bus with the window open, the rushing wind blowing across her face felt unimaginably pleasant. Du Yun watched with rapt attention as trees flashed past on both sides of the road, occasionally catching a glimpse of a stream winding by, and found it all endlessly amusing.

At every stop along the way, Du Song would recount the origin of the place based on its name, share local customs and traditions, and even tell a few strange folk tales, enthralling both Du Zhi and Du Yun.

Before they knew it, two hours had passed. Prompted by the conductor's announcement that they had arrived at the county seat, Du Yun saw a sprawling expanse of buildings rushing into view.

The bus station was bustling with people coming and going—some entering the city, some leaving, others selling corn and tea eggs. The air was filled with the appetizing aroma of food, prompting Du Yun to take a deep, appreciative breath.

"So this is the county town?" Du Yun nimbly hopped off the bus, looking at this place completely different from the village with bright, expectant eyes.

"That's right. Come on, let's go to my shop first, and then I'll take a half-day off to show you around properly!" Du Song said with a smile, leading his two sisters with brisk strides toward the center of the county town.