Chapter 5: Old Friends, Now a Bride

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Liu Cui’er shook her head.
“Enough, stop pretending. You act as if it’s real, but actually, I’m here to buy something.”
Wang Chu placed the broom beside the door.
“Buying paper money to burn for your parents?”
Liu Cui’er was a woman of sorrowful fate. Her mother passed away when she was five, and her father had died six months ago. Wang Chu had helped her arrange the funeral.
“Yes.”
Liu Cui’er nodded.
“Besides that, I have something else to tell you.”
Wang Chu asked,
“What is it?”
Liu Cui’er smiled faintly, then a trace of melancholy flickered in her eyes.
“I’m getting married.”
Wang Chu smiled sincerely.
“Congratulations! Is the groom a fellow disciple from our sect?”
Seeing Wang Chu’s attitude, Liu Cui’er felt an inexplicable irritation and raised her voice.
“Yes, he’s the son of the Sect Leader of Qingcheng Mountain.”
Wang Chu feigned surprise.
“Unbelievable! That carefree girl who used to follow me around like a shadow has now caught a golden groom. The magpie has turned into a phoenix.”
Liu Cui’er forced a smile.
“Hmph, are you regretting it more and more? Who told you to reject me back then?”
Wang Chu shook his head.
“That’s the only thing I don’t regret. If I had agreed to your father, by now you’d have already given me several chubby sons. That would have truly held you back.”
Liu Cui’er’s smile vanished. She stepped forward, patted Wang Chu’s shoulder, and entered the shop ahead of him.
“Hmph, just remember that.”
Wang Chu followed her inside.
“When’s the wedding?”
Stopping in front of the paper money, as she was about to squat down to pick some, Liu Cui’er paused.
“In two days. I came to Ling City today to pay respects to my parents, to tell them.”
Wang Chu nodded and approached the counter. He took out a bag of spirit stone coins, poured them out, and placed them into a cloth bag embroidered with the character for ‘joy’.
“Brother doesn’t have much to give, but take this bag of spirit stones as your wedding gift from me.”
Liu Cui’er hesitated briefly before reaching out to take it.
“Thank you, brother.”
Wang Chu squatted down, selecting paper money in front of Liu Cui’er.
“How much do you need?”
Liu Cui’er said,
“Two stacks are enough. Then four candles and two joss sticks.”

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Wang Chu replied,
“All right.”
With quick movements, he prepared the items Liu Cui’er requested, wrapped them in a sheet of paper, and handed it to her.
“Here you go.”
Liu Cui’er took the package and asked,
“The price hasn’t changed, right?”
Wang Chu shook his head.
“No charge. It’s free this time.”
Liu Cui’er spoke seriously.
“That won’t do. Business is business.”
Wang Chu didn’t insist.
“Fine, just five spirit coins then.”
Liu Cui’er nodded and took out two spirit stones from her belongings, placing them on Wang Chu’s shop counter.
Wang Chu looked at the stones, puzzled.
“What’s this for?”
Liu Cui’er explained,
“This isn’t just for buying these things; it’s also an advance payment.”
“Advance?”
Wang Chu was still confused.
“What else do you want to buy?”
Liu Cui’er smiled.
“Aren’t you in charge of both funerals and weddings? I want to order a pair of wedding shoes here.”
Wang Chu was surprised.
“Are you serious?”
Although Wang Chu did handle both weddings and funerals, in reality, few came to him for wedding matters.
Many believed that since Wang Chu dealt with funerals, handling weddings would bring bad luck.
Moreover, the bride-to-be was Liu Cui’er, marrying the young master of Qingcheng Mountain.
No matter how you looked at it, the wedding shoes shouldn’t be made by him.
Amid his surprise, Liu Cui’er said,
“Just tell me if you’ll take the order or not.”
Wang Chu glanced at the two spirit stones on the table.
Although he wasn’t short of money, that didn’t mean he’d be stingy with it.
“All right. Come to my place tomorrow morning to pick them up.”
Liu Cui’er smiled.
“Okay, you better do a good job.”
Wang Chu picked up one of the spirit stones, weighing it in his hand.

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“Don’t worry. Brother Wang charges fairly and handles business honestly.”
Liu Cui’er took the items and turned to leave.
“All right, I’m off now.”
Wang Chu called after her,
“Stay for a meal before you go.”
Liu Cui’er slightly turned her head.
“Maybe next time.”
With that, she disappeared beyond the shop door.
Wang Chu stared at the footprints she left behind, momentarily lost in thought. Then, shaking his head with a smile, he took out an insole from the cabinet and began making the wedding shoes for Liu Cui’er.
Since he had agreed, Wang Chu intended to make them himself, carefully and sincerely, without resorting to magic to cut corners—that was his principle.
An hour later, the wedding shoes had taken shape, though some details still needed finishing touches.
Some cotton wadding required for the work was out of stock in Wang Chu’s shop.
So, he closed the shop door and planned to buy some cotton wadding at the silk store in the east of the city.
On the way, he noticed something unusual in the city. Many soldiers were patrolling back and forth, searching for something unknown.
Wang Chu didn’t pay much attention, leisurely heading toward the silk store.
Halfway there, at the city gate, he saw a crowd gathered around a notice board.
Curious, Wang Chu moved to the back of the crowd and soon caught some useful information:
“That lost crown prince is actually within our Ling City territory! Who would have thought?”
“Whoever can provide valuable clues, the Emperor promises to grant them any wish! This is incredible—it makes me want to fabricate stories.”
“Heh, try lying and you’ll be guilty of treason, your whole clan wiped out!”
“This city is going to be lively. I heard many Great Auspicious Ones and even forces beyond are coming here.”
“What are they here for?”
“To find the crown prince, of course. Remember, the Emperor’s promise is at stake. Many want to claim it. Besides, if one finds the crown prince before the Emperor and ingratiates themselves before he rises to power, won’t they all benefit?”
“Is it possible that I’m the crown prince?”
“Wah, I was magically transformed as a child by a villain. Could someone be trying to stop me from reuniting with the Emperor?”
...
Hearing this, Wang Chu grasped the gist of the matter.
He wasn’t surprised, because when he entered the city earlier, he noticed a Grand Cultivation expert standing at the gate.
Now, hearing these rumors aligned with his earlier observations.
After satisfying his curiosity, Wang Chu promptly cast the matter aside and continued toward the silk store.
Perhaps the Great Auspicious Emperor’s promise was priceless to others, but to Wang Chu, it was nothing special.
Compared to that, he was more eager to finish the wedding shoes.
...