Thrown out of the house, the wet nurse enters the noble household and becomes a person of high statu

Today's market day features a variety of shops, as well as many temporary street stalls.

They sell fruits and vegetables grown by farmers in the countryside, dried goods from the mountains and fields, bamboo and rattan products, coarse cloth and other local products.

It's not worth much money, but it's abundant and full of life.

These things were quite novel to Master Pei, who had grown up surrounded by luxury.

An old man passed by carrying a load of oval-shaped, thorny fruits of varying shades of green and yellow.

"What's that?" Pei Yaojun asked, pointing.

Liu Wenying looked over and replied, "Third Master, that's a prickly pear, a wild one from the mountains. It tastes sweet and sour and can be eaten raw or dried and steeped in water to aid digestion."

"And this?" He pointed to the bright red, oddly shaped fruit in the woman's basket.

"That's a Japanese jujube. It's very sweet when it's ripe, but it has a pit inside. Children usually pick it as a snack."

"Those bamboo woven trinkets over there are quite interesting..."

Pei Yaojun became interested and slowly walked along the street. When he saw something unfamiliar or strange, he would stop and ask Liu Wenying about it.

Liu Wenying wasn't an expert in everything, but having come from a farming family and lived in the city, she could name most of them and give their general uses.

Seeing that she answered fluently, Pei Yaojun's interest grew even stronger. He no longer just looked and asked questions, but took out his money to buy it.

"Give me two bags of prickly pears."

"Pack a bag of Japanese raisins."

"Take one bamboo cage for grasshoppers and one for crickets."

"Dried mushrooms picked from the mountains and dried at home? They smell delicious, I'll take some too."

He bought things casually, without much haggling, just for the novelty and fun.

Liu Wenying followed behind, her hands soon filled with all sorts of local specialties.

He smiled on the outside, but secretly groaned in his heart.

Is Master Pei going to move the entire market back home?

Seeing that he was buying more and more things, and that many of them were obviously useless to him, Liu Wenying couldn't help but give him a subtle reminder.

"Third Master, those things are probably not needed in the manor."

Pei Yaojun was picking up a roughly made, adorable clay pig.

Hearing this, he glanced at her, feeling completely justified.

"Can't I buy something if I don't need it? If I like it, can't I just buy it and display it?"

Liu Wenying: "..."

Fine, you're rich, you can do whatever you want.

He then approached a stall selling bamboo cooking utensils. Looking at the rickety thing in her arms, Liu Wenying wished she could grow eight arms.

"Third Master, there's just too much stuff, I really can't carry it all..."

Pei Yaojun glanced at her disheveled appearance and, still feeling unsatisfied, stopped.

"Alright, let's go back first."

Carrying a bunch of local trinkets, the two finally managed to squeeze out of the busiest part of the market.

Pei Yaojun was quite satisfied with his haul, tossing the adorably ugly clay pigs up and down.

"The streets and alleys are noisy and filthy, but they are lively and interesting enough, much more so than staying in the mansion all day or going to pretentious tea parties and banquets."

An old man selling melons on the street was struggling to hawk his wares, his forehead covered in sweat.

A pile of round watermelons lay before me, their green rinds still covered in fresh soil, looking somewhat wilted under the blazing sun.

Sweat clung to the deep lines of the old man's face as he gazed earnestly at passersby, his voice already somewhat hoarse.

Liu Wenying walked half a step behind him, paused for a moment, and then her voice, neither loud nor soft, drifted forward.

"Third Master finds it interesting because you only need to experience it for a day, see something new, and have some fun."

Once he's seen it and bought it, he can turn around and return to his luxurious mansion with its soft beds, fine clothes, and sumptuous food. What does the noise, dust, and scorching sun outside have to do with him?

"Judging from your tone, you think I'm wrong?"

Pei Yaojun gripped the clay pig tightly, looked back at her, and stopped in his tracks.

"This servant wouldn't dare."

"I think you're pretty bold. If you don't give me a proper answer, I'll punish you when I get back to the manor."

Nobody likes to hear grand theories or be lectured. Liu Wenying pointed to the old man selling melons.

"For the Third Master, life in the marketplace is a game, a pastime, but for them it is a livelihood."

The old man selling melons works hard all year round, and all his hopes are pinned on the short one or two-month melon season. He hopes that when the melons ripen and fall from the vine, he can sell them for a good price to feed his family.

Perhaps there will be a little left, enough to buy a piece of cloth for my grandson to make him a new outfit.

Pei Yaojun followed her gaze to the watermelon, which had wilted slightly from the sun.

She continued, "But if it rains for several days in a row, the melons won't be sweet and won't fetch a good price. Or if the sun is scorching like it is today, and there are many people at the market, the competition will be fierce, and he may not be able to sell all his melons."

The slightest mistake could cause all the melons to rot on the ground, and a year's worth of sweat and hope could be wasted.

"Every day is spent struggling to make a living, and every day is filled with worry and fear. At the end of the year, one may not even be able to earn a penny."

The local specialties that Third Master finds novel and interesting today are, in their eyes, the very foundation of their livelihood. Does Third Master still find this kind of mundane life easy and pleasant?

He was born into a wealthy and powerful family and grew up in luxury, never experiencing the hardship of making a living or the dependence on the weather for his livelihood.

The "fun" he talked about and the "livelihood" Liu Wenying described were two completely different worlds.

After a moment of silence, Pei Yaojun cleared his throat awkwardly and stuffed the clay pig into his sleeve pocket.

"So what? Even if I become an ordinary citizen one day, I'll definitely live well. If selling melons doesn't work, I'll sell something else. The world is so big, I'm sure I won't starve to death!"

Third Master spoke with such conviction, as if changing professions was as simple as changing clothes or a mount for him.

Liu Wenying knew that it was pointless to talk to him. He had never experienced the pain of being slapped, so he couldn't understand the hardship of struggling to make a living.

She sighed softly and didn't argue further, but deep down she thought...

If that day ever comes, and he experiences the hardships of ordinary people, perhaps he won't make such boastful claims so easily.

However, it was just a thought and then I gave up.

How could the Yuguo Duke's Mansion, as towering as a tree, ever lack food, clothing, shelter, and transportation for him?

"Yes, Third Master is right. He is a chosen one of heaven. How could he be troubled by such mundane things as gold and silver?" she replied perfunctorily.

She flattered him, but her expression was miserable. Pei Yaojun's eyes were sharp; he saw right through her.

"You ungrateful woman! If I hadn't intervened, would the shopkeeper have cooperated with you so readily?"

Feeling bitter after being criticized for no reason, Pei Yaojun began to bring up old grievances.

"What you say is true, Third Master. Today at Fengyu Shop, we did rely on your influence. This servant thanks you, Third Master."

She paused, then subtly changed the subject.

"Even if Third Master is not here, I still have a way to clarify the accounts and resolve the issues, it just will take more time."

Not to boast, but ever since leaving the Fengyu, she has been reflecting on her actions.

With a sharp brow raised high, Pei Yaojun drawled, "Oh? Then tell me, without me here, how do you plan to solve this?"

…………