The East Market, in a certain sense, could be considered the “backyard” most familiar to Shangguan Qiuyue.
It wasn’t that the Shangguan family was so unimaginably wealthy as to have outright purchased countless properties, including those belonging to other prominent families and even imperial estates.
But here, at the very least, nearly one-tenth of the local holdings were closely connected to the Shangguan family.
On top of that, Qiuyue had visited this place many times, and her appearance and personality were extremely charming, so many people here recognized her and treated her with great kindness.
At this very moment, inside a shop called “Feiyun Shang,” a young girl was pouting slightly, hands on her hips, standing in front of a wall full of men’s clothing, wearing a thoughtfully adorable expression.
To her left stood a curvaceous woman dressed in a purple qipao, holding a Feiyun Fan over her face as she smiled lightly.
This woman was Shen Zhi, the shopkeeper.
“Qiuyue, little miss, what brings you here all of a sudden today?”
she noticed the boy standing beside the girl—Yun Mu, whose face was fairly handsome—and teasingly whispered, “Could it be… you came specially to pick out some clothes for your little Young Master?”
“Mm!”
That teasing remark instantly flushed the young girl’s cheeks, who had been seriously selecting clothing just moments before.
Though Shangguan Qiuyue was still young, she was of an age where feelings of first love were beginning to stir.
Driven by curiosity, this seemingly well-behaved girl had secretly read quite a few stories on the theme of “romance between boys and girls.”
Of course, the content was very wholesome, mostly just describing kisses in some detail; other euphemisms and metaphors about “nights filled with singing and dancing” were beyond her understanding.
“It’s not like that! We’re not that kind of relationship yet, but… I really am here to buy him some clothes,”
she composed herself and replied calmly.
She had imagined many times what it might be like to be with Yun Mu, but that didn’t mean she would openly admit such thoughts—especially not in front of an elder who might see through her.
Unfortunately, the more she tried to hide it, the cuter she appeared to Shen Zhi, and the cuter she was, the more the woman wanted to tease her.
“Oh~ so what you’re saying is that you two might become that kind of relationship someday?”
Hearing such a blatant joke, the sensitive young girl immediately bristled and hurriedly retorted.
“No! Shen Sister, don’t say such things. Yun Mu still has to…”
But she stammered for a long time, unable to say the last half of the sentence—
“spend the rest of his life with the one he loves”—the feeling making her chest tighten painfully.
Noticing the sudden change in Qiuyue’s expression, Yun Mu, who had remained silent until now, quickly stepped in front of her, looking up at the woman with sharp eyes.
“Miss Shen, although I know you are joking, it’s better to stop. The young lady doesn’t like such talk,”
Yun Mu paused before adding,
“Besides, given the difference in status between me and the young lady, we will never become husband and wife.”
His earnest defense momentarily stunned Shen Zhi.
She appraised the boy before her with deep eyes, gently fanning herself with the small silk fan, smiling brightly.
A servant boy?
Aside from his small stature and slightly rough skin, judging by his clothing and looks, one wouldn’t guess he was a servant.
Walking outside, someone uninformed would probably think he was a young master from a noble family.
“All right, all right, Sister won’t joke anymore. How about I recommend some clothes for you two?”
Feeling the slight tug at his clothes from behind, Yun Mu nodded in understanding and agreed.
“Then I’ll trouble you.”
“Good~ oh, what well-behaved little darlings.”
With that, Shen Zhi strode deeper into the shop.
But strangely, Shangguan Qiuyue remained somewhat silent, her expression even worse than before.
Yun Mu turned around and noticed the girl trembling slightly.
First startled, he then softly asked, “Young Miss, are you feeling unwell? Or do you not want to stay in this shop? If so, you can wait outside for a moment, and I’ll speak with Miss Shen before coming back. How about that?”
“No, no, it’s just that I’m really happy you stood up for me, Yun Mu, so I’m a little emotional. I’m fine,”
she said, lifting her eyes to him with a radiant smile.
“Oh, is that so? Then that’s good, I’m glad you’re okay.”
Yet, Yun Mu couldn’t shake the feeling of sadness he’d sensed just now—was it just his imagination?
His thoughts were delicate but his words clumsy, and he had no idea how much impact his statement “we will never become husband and wife” had stirred in the girl’s heart.
What he didn’t know was that although Shangguan Qiuyue was a bit upset by his “self-deprecating” words, she didn’t want to spoil the mood on such a rare day with lectures or serious talks.
She didn’t want to be the spoilsport; at the very least, she wanted Yun Mu to remember these outings with happiness, not sorrow.
So she gently pinched the boy’s cheek to show her displeasure, though she wore a light smile.
“All right, all right, you were the one saying I wasn’t feeling well, yet you’re the one frowning. Cheer up! When we’re out playing, no unhappiness allowed… Smile~”
“Mm.”
Seeing the boy’s furrowed brow smooth out, she patted his head twice before letting go, her tone like coaxing a child.
“There, that’s better.”
She turned to the side and gently leaned against him, nestling into his chest.
“I’m going to rest for a bit.”
“Okay.”
The scent of fabric mingled with a faint floral fragrance in the shop.
In her mind, the boy’s earlier words crowded back, making her heart ache again.
Yun Mu really was handsome—the way he frowned looked good, his smile was good too… just thinking that one day these expressions would belong to someone else made her feel so sad…
Her body trembled slightly, but only briefly before she regained her composure and looked up at him.
“Yun Mu, Shen Sister seems to have picked out some clothes. Let’s go see.”
Deeper inside the shop, Shen Zhi still didn’t wear her usual gentle smile when she emerged, but the small symbolic fan she had held was nowhere to be seen.
Instead, she carried several garments.
She smiled warmly at the two who were close together, placing the clothes on a nearby table.
From among them, she took out two garments embroidered with the Couple’s Outfit pattern, raising them high and peeking through the gap, meaningfully asking,
“Little ones, do you want to try these on?”
Only then did they realize that the clothes in Shen Zhi’s hands weren’t all men’s wear, but were sets for “one male and one female” to wear as couples.
Shangguan Qiuyue immediately saw through Shen Zhi’s intentions.
After all, in this world, such clothing was usually worn only by married couples or Dao partners.
She had seen her own Parents wear quite a few similar outfits.
Of course, Yun Mu didn’t know this.
“Shen Sister, I already told you, don’t tease us like this. We really aren’t that kind of relationship, at least not now…”
Shangguan Qiuyue softly protested, her tone less stubborn than before, now tinged with a touch of coquettishness.
A misunderstanding is a misunderstanding—no one else was around anyway, she thought to herself.
“But… trying them on wouldn’t hurt. These two clothes look pretty nice. What do you think, Yun Mu?”
“Mm, as long as the young lady likes them.”
“Great! Since you both agree, let’s take turns changing,”
Shen Zhi said as she tugged Shangguan Qiuyue toward the fitting room, glancing back to explain, “These clothes aren’t easy to wear alone. You’ll have your turn after.”
Approaching the door, she reminded with a wink, “Little ones, don’t peek~”
The mysterious warning left Yun Mu a bit puzzled.
Not because of the “don’t peek”—he wouldn’t do something against etiquette and morals—but because of the “you’ll have your turn” part.
After a brief moment of confusion, he stopped thinking about it, assuming there was only one fitting room and that he just had to wait quietly.
After about half the time it takes to burn an incense stick, a soft “click” sounded from the nearby door.
The girl who had been wearing a red robe was now pushed out, dressed in a cherry-colored long dress.
Shangguan Qiuyue noticed the boy’s unblinking gaze, and she couldn’t help but lower her eyes, her face burning as she walked forward slowly.
“So, how is it? Does it look good?”
“Mm, very good. It suits you perfectly.”
His straightforward reply made the girl’s already red face deepen even more.
She covered her cheeks and crouched slightly, her small earlobes flush with color.
“Well, as long as it looks good. You should change soon too—I want to see what you look like in it, Yun Mu.”
“Okay, just don’t run off, young lady.”
“I won’t~”
“Then…”
Just as Yun Mu was about to say more, the girl stood and walked behind him, ignoring his warning as she pushed him into the fitting room and locked the door with a click.
“Really, Yun Mu is good at everything except treating me like a child. We’re only two years apart, so why does it feel like I’m six or seven years younger?”
The girl crossed her arms and muttered softly.
Suddenly, she seemed to remember something and shuddered uncontrollably before banging hard on the door.
“Shen Sister, no, Shen Zhi!! Why aren’t you coming out yet?!”
Inside the fitting room, Yun Mu eyed the woman before him, who wore a sly smile.
He instinctively stepped back.
When his back hit the door, with no way to retreat, he finally realized what that sentence meant.
From outside came Shangguan Qiuyue’s voice shouting, while the door shook from her knocking.
He swallowed nervously and cautiously asked,
“Um, Miss Shen, maybe… trying on the clothes isn’t such a good idea after all?”
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