A Time-Traveling Mishap: I Became an Ancient Nobleman

Chapter 286 Isn't this Master Zhou?

The shopkeeper turned and left in a hurry, and soon he had a ferret pelt in his hand.

Fangniang saw it at a glance, her delight evident. She reached out and took it, saying softly, "A shawl made of ferret fur? It's a rare find. Winter is just around the corner, and this shawl has come at the perfect time."

After saying that, she took the shawl and walked over to Zhou Hanzhang, gently draping it over her shoulders. "Look how beautiful it is! We'll take this shawl!"

Upon hearing this, the shopkeeper's face immediately lit up with a smile. "I knew it! Keeping this for her was definitely the right thing to do. Look how well it suits this young lady."

Zhou Hanzhang felt the warmth from the shawl; the delicate sable fur against his shoulders sent a warm current through him.

Without much thought, one knows that this shawl will bring endless warmth on a snowy winter day.

"Is this really the only one? I'd like to get a few more as gifts. Do you still have any?"

She thought to herself that it would be wonderful to buy a few more items to give to the elders in her family.

She knew that some fabric shops often used this trick, claiming that the items were unique, but in reality, they had plenty of stock; it was just a sales strategy.

The shopkeeper smiled and looked at Zhou Hanzhang, "Miss, you flatter us. Hongyanfang is one of our biggest customers, especially Fangniang. She pays promptly and always settles accounts immediately, unlike other customers who always hold onto our payments. So, when I have something good, you're the first place I think of."

Ferret pelts are rare to begin with, and this was purely by chance. A hunter from out of town happened to catch two ferrets, which we happened to see and took, barely managing to make this shawl. If you want to buy more, there really aren't any left.”

Although Zhou Hanzhang felt regretful, he thought again that having one was good, whether it was for his beautiful mother or his maternal grandmother, it would be an excellent choice.

As for my dear Empress Dowager, she lacks nothing. If there is something better in the future, we can offer it to her then.

"Alright then, I'll take this shawl. How much is it?" Zhou Hanzhang planned to pay for it himself, since it was a gift to be given away, and he couldn't let Qianmian spend money on it.

The shopkeeper was momentarily confused and looked at Qianmian.

Qianmian smiled at Zhou Hanzhang and said, "I already said I'm in a great mood today. Whatever you want to buy, I'll pay for it. If you like it, just take it."

Seeing that Qianmian was so generous, and considering that it was just a shawl, Zhou Hanzhang no longer refused and gladly accepted it.

Qianmian lingered among the fabrics presented by the shopkeeper for a long time, finding it difficult to choose because each type of fabric had its own merits.

"Here's what we'll do: make me one of each of these according to the latest design, and send them to Hongyanfang as soon as they're done."

Upon hearing this, the shopkeeper's already beaming face became even more radiant. "Don't worry, we will definitely prioritize making it for you."

After selecting the clothes, Qianmian led Zhou Hanzhang to the next shop.

Along the way, I bought everything from cosmetics and powders to jewelry and all sorts of trinkets.

After wandering around for ages, Zhou Hanzhang was exhausted. He didn't care whether Qianmian was male or female anymore and called out, "Good sister, aren't we done? How about we find a teahouse to rest?"

Qianmian looked at Zhou Hanzhang in surprise, "I really didn't expect you to dislike shopping. I thought that all girls loved shopping."

Zhou Hanzhang was so tired that he didn't even want to talk. He leaned against the carriage and said, "I think it's more comfortable to be a man. Just one day of shopping and I'm already this tired. I really don't know how those girls can be so obsessed."

Seeing that she had indeed lost her initial energy, Qianmian couldn't help but laugh and said, "You're spoiled by your family and often wear men's clothing, so you're naturally different from ordinary girls. They can't go anywhere on weekdays, and the only thing they can do is meet up with their girlfriends and go shopping. Even if they shop all day, they won't feel tired."

“I only have one younger sister, and I rarely go shopping with her. I didn’t realize it would be so tiring. I’ve already said there’s no need to buy so much stuff; enough is enough.”

At this moment, Zhou Hanzhang missed modern online shopping immensely. With just a click of the mouse, goods could be delivered to his door, which was both convenient and fast.

Thinking of this, she suddenly had a flash of inspiration and came up with another good idea to make money.

However, she had a lot of things on her plate right now, so even if she wanted to carry them out, she would have to postpone it, and she couldn't help but sigh.

Qianmian asked with concern, "Why are you sighing all of a sudden?"

"There are too many things to do," Zhou Hanzhang said.

“If there’s a lot to do, we can take our time.” Qianmian changed the subject. “But you have to get things sorted out here first.”

“You really are an exploiter,” Zhou Hanzhang laughed.

"Exploiter? What is an exploiter?" Qianmian looked completely bewildered.

“They’re just people who exploit others,” Zhou Hanzhang explained.

"Oh dear, if you say that, I'll be very upset. Although you've drawn several outfits for us today, I've also helped you buy so many things. How can that be considered exploitation?"

Qianmian pointed to the long line of carriages behind them, which were piled high with their spoils of the day. These included gifts for Zhou Hanzhang, gifts for the sisters of Hongyanfang, and various items that might be needed for the competition of beauties.

"I now suspect that you only dragged me along because you had no one else to go shopping with," Zhou Hanzhang said irritably.

Just as Qianmian was about to retort, the carriage suddenly stopped. "What's wrong?" Zhou Hanzhang asked Qianmian.

"You stay here, I'll go out and take a look," Qianmian said, and then got out of the car.

"I'm looking for Fangniang."

Before Qianmian even got out of the car, Zhou Hanzhang heard Zhou Huaide's voice. Her heart tightened, "Why is Father coming at this hour?"

Qianmian looked at Zhou Hanzhang with questioning eyes, clearly wanting to know why Zhou Huaide was there.

Zhou Hanzhang pulled him aside and whispered, "Although my parents agreed to let me come and help you, my father is always worried that I will suffer losses. He said early this morning that he wanted to come with me."

Upon hearing this, Qianmian understood immediately. "Then you sit here and make sure you don't go out and let him see you. I'll go down and deal with it."

Zhou Hanzhang grabbed him, "You should send someone to find my mother right away and have her come over to handle this."

Qianmian nodded and stepped out of the carriage.

"Oh my, isn't this Master Zhou? Why are you stopping my carriage? Have you missed me because it's been so long?"

As he spoke, he tried to move closer, but Zhou Huaide cautiously took two steps back, preventing him from getting too close.

"I'm asking you, is my Zhang Zhang'er here with you?" Zhou Huaide said in a deep voice.

"You come up here and don't even ask if I'm alright, but instead ask if the young prince is here. Do you think I'm so old that I could run away with your son?" Qianmian said with a grin.

Seeing his glib tongue, Zhou Huaide's face darkened. "Stop pretending. You know perfectly well what I'm saying! If Zhangzhang comes to see you again, I'll come with her."