The little one's purse connects the two worlds, turning a desolate village into a paradise.

"This...is this clothing? Why are there so many patterns? And quite a few odd accessories on it! Huh? There's also...a sword...is it a sword? Could it be the uniform of that local army? But this skirt doesn't look very neat..."

Oh, and it even comes with trousers so you can change. But this outfit is so sloppy; won't it rattle and clatter on the saddle when you mount a horse? Is it suitable for marching and fighting?

Xiong Bo frowned deeply. "These small accessories can easily trip you up if you walk fast. Besides, this hat doesn't have ear flaps or a face mask..." He shook his head several times as he spoke.

Fang Tiesheng chuckled and patted him on the shoulder: "It's not like I asked you to judge whether it's good or not, Brother Xiong. Look at these accessories, they're all brass—small badges, chains, buttons, and stuff like that. Could you make them?"

Xiong Bo flipped through a few more pictures, and after looking at them carefully, he said, "Yes, it can be done. It's quite simple."

"Huh? Simple?" Fang Tiesheng's hand trembled slightly. "There are quite a few of these things, and the patterns on them are intricate, with chains and clasps linked one after another..."

Xiong Bo gave him a look that said, "Who are you looking down on?" He continued, "I know, these are all show and no substance. They're not even as intricate as the incense burners in the temple. They're just unique in style and I've never seen them before. If we cut the materials according to the design, we can finish them quickly."

"Oh! That's wonderful!" Fang Tiesheng exclaimed with delight.

"What's wrong, Master Fang? Is this dress very valuable? Is this dress... a new job that Chuan girl has taken on?"

Fang Tiesheng laughed, then quickly covered his mouth, afraid that the noise would wake Ya Ya in the room: "Keep your voice down, let's talk as we walk, let's go to the shed to talk."

On the way, Fang Tiesheng slowly explained to Xiong Bo: "This is what happened. These drawings were brought back by Nannan. She is a friend of the customer who had the hats made by Chuan Yatou before. They want to order a set of clothes. I heard that the designs were drawn by a very skilled craftsman."

Before even discussing the full price, they've already prepared a deposit of 8,888 yuan.

"What? Eight thousand eight hundred and eighty-eight?!" Xiong Bo stopped abruptly, turning his head to stare at Fang Tiesheng in disbelief.

Fang Tiesheng continued, "Chuan Yatou, Chun Tao, and Xing Hua have all looked at it. They can sew the fabric, but they need to ask Fairy He Miao to help them buy the materials. The only problem is with these copper parts. No one in the village knows how to make or chisel them. We were thinking that if you can do it, we'll take the job. Now that the money is in our hands, we'll make it if we can."

Xiong Bo secretly pinched his waist hard to make sure he wasn't hallucinating, and grinned excitedly: "Of course! I'll take any more jobs like this in the future! By the way, is the clothing project on time? Aunt Liu and the village chief have already finalized the clay statue for the Dragon God Temple, and it's almost finished. Once it's dry, I'll melt down some gold to gild the statue."

"I reckon there's plenty of time, and we're the ones setting the deadline, not the other way around. We need to get the Dragon God's golden statue done as soon as possible."

In their minds, no matter how lucrative the job is, it has to come after the Dragon God statue.

"Okay, I'll take it."

As the two entered the shed, Xiong Bo saw his young apprentice walking towards them, opening his mouth as if to say something.

Before Qiao Chuan could speak, Xiong Bo volunteered, "Chuan girl, I heard about that job from Master Fang. I can do it, just take it. Once I finish making the Dragon God Golden Body, I'll make the parts for you!"

Seeing his confident demeanor, Qiao Chuan couldn't help but smile, his eyes crinkling: "Alright, Master!"

……

Cao Xiulian had just led Zhao Haohao into the store and hadn't even had time to tidy up when a series of footsteps came from outside the store.

"Oh dear, Boss Cao, where are you? Come and lend a hand, these are so heavy!" Wang Guifen hugged a round, thick foam box in each arm, while her husband He Ming behind her was also panting, carrying two wooden boxes.

Wang Guifen, panting, slammed the box onto the steps, hands on her hips: "I went to the big dock specifically to catch the early morning market! It's the spring fishing season on the South Island right now, and the fishing ban will end in about ten days, so there's a ton of seafood!"

"Seafood?!" Zhao Haohao skipped and jumped out of the store, sniffing the air.

Cao Xiulian and Zhao Haohao worked together, and the group of people carried several heavy boxes into the store.

"Why did you buy so many old things?"

"Actually, there aren't many. The ice packs inside are heavy, and I'm afraid they'll melt and spill everywhere. Old He's two boxes are lychees he brought back from the South Island; they're incredibly sweet. Old He, open them and let Boss Cao have a taste!"

"No, no, stop fussing, you should rest for a while." Cao Xiulian quickly reached out to stop her.

Zhao Haohao patted the box: "Grandma Wang, are there any live animals in here? What's inside? Are there any king crabs?"

Cao Xiulian slapped Zhao Haohao on the forehead: "What are you thinking about? Go wipe the table."

"We don't have king crabs, but we have plenty of other good stuff. We bought way too many mantis shrimp. Don't think these things will still be alive and kicking when they get here," Wang Guifen said cheerfully, plopping down in a chair. "I specifically asked the dock owner, and mantis shrimp and snails are such delicate things. They're transported all the way from the South Island to our Northeast. If you try to bring them alive, they simply can't handle it!"

Airplanes don't just let passengers check boxes filled with water and oxygen. They're flash-frozen as soon as they're pulled up, locking in the freshness of the sea before being transported back.

"Let's go, mantis shrimp!" Zhao Haohao said, wiping the table while listening intently.

"Where are you going, Brother Zhao?"

Before Ya Ya even entered the door, she could hear Zhao Haohao's loud and energetic voice.

"Oh, little boss!" Wang Guifen's eyes lit up when she saw Ya Ya, and she waved her arms at her. "Oh my, you're finally back! Little boss, I brought you a lot of local specialties! Come on!"

"Hey! Grandma Wang! Grandpa He, you're back from your trip?" Ya Ya's eyes lit up when she saw Wang Guifen.

Zhao Hu quietly followed behind Ya Ya, put the three thermos containers into the shop, nodded to the people in the shop, and then prepared to leave.

Wang Guifen immediately waved to him, "Hey, little boss's uncle, wait a minute, wait a minute, don't rush off! I brought a lot of local specialties from the seaside, take them back to the village, everyone can try them!"

Zhao Hu stopped and turned around, his tone calm: "You can tell Ya Ya. I have something to do, I'll come back later to take her home. Thank you."

"Okay, then you go ahead and do your thing!"

Zhao Hu nodded, lifted his foot to leave, but then felt it wasn't quite right. He turned back and thanked Wang Guifen again before finally leaving.

By now, Ya Ya had rushed to the box and stretched out her two thin arms to try to lift it up. It took her a lot of effort to barely lift it to about the height of a fist.

"Grandma Wang, what are all these things? Why are they so heavy?"

Wang Guifen bent down and counted them for her one by one:

"Look, these two boxes are lychees, sweeter than sugar. But kids shouldn't eat too many, just a taste is enough. Over there are two big boxes wrapped in silver bags; one of them is filled with mantis shrimp. The stall owner said that April is the perfect time for them to hatch their young. The females are full of roe and yellow fat, and the males are plump and meaty! Those two days at the dock, basket after basket was being unloaded; it felt like the mantis shrimp were almost becoming a plague!"

There are also some whelks here. Locals say that the whelk meat is at its most chewy and springy at this time of year, and it's incredibly delicious stir-fried with chili or baked with salt.