Zheng Wei watched Shen Xiaoyan grin foolishly on the kang. He went to the two rooms on the west side. Their layout was identical to the two rooms on the east, and the furniture was the same.
Zheng Wei had nothing to say about this. Although he didn't want every room to be identical, seeing Shen Xiaoyan happy, he said nothing. It was fine as long as she liked it.
Shen Xiaoyan sat on the kang, chuckling gleefully, her smile stretching from ear to ear. She wasn't just happy about the new house that would soon be ready to move into, but also because she could finally stop sleeping with Zheng Wei.
They had started sleeping together, she recalled, because Shen Xiaoming had come to visit, and there weren't enough rooms, which was why they had to share.
When drawing the plans, she had designed the east and west sides of the main house to be identical, so that she and Zheng Wei could each have their own side to sleep on.
The imagination was full, but reality was stark.
After Zheng Wei returned from the west room, Shen Xiaoyan asked with a full smile, "Which room are you sleeping in?"
Zheng Wei replied confusedly, "What?"
Shen Xiaoyan explained, "This side and the west room, which one are you sleeping in?"
Zheng Wei's eyes flickered. Did the little woman's words mean what he thought? But he said, "Either is fine."
Shen Xiaoyan breathed a sigh of relief at his words. But before she could fully exhale, she heard Zheng Wei add, "Wherever you sleep, I'll sleep."
Shen Xiaoyan: ...
What happened to "either is fine"? Did it get thrown to the dogs?
Clearing her throat, Shen Xiaoyan said, "Well, you see, it was because we didn't have enough rooms back then. Now that we have enough rooms, I specifically asked people to make them identical. There's nothing to choose from, so why don't you sleep here, and I'll go to the west room?"
Zheng Wei's eyes darkened slightly. It was indeed as he had suspected. But how could he let the little woman have her way?
"We are husband and wife, so it's natural that we sleep together," Zheng Wei said lightly. After speaking, he strode out, giving Shen Xiaoyan no opportunity to object.
When it was time to sleep that night, Shen Xiaoyan deliberately kept her distance from Zheng Wei, not wanting to touch him. However, she didn't bring up sleeping separately again.
They were husband and wife. In the past few months of getting along, she had seen Zheng Wei's cold exterior and warm heart.
She didn't dislike him, nor did she feel uncomfortable sleeping together. She didn't know if there was love between them, but she knew she had grown accustomed to having this man by her side.
Since that was the case, she would let things continue like this for now. Shen Xiaoyan sighed inwardly, closed her eyes, and gradually drifted off to sleep.
The next day was the scheduled time to pick up the goods from the clothing shop owner. So after breakfast, Zheng Wei hitched up the cart and drove Shen Xiaoyan and Shen Xiaoming to town.
Sitting in the carriage, Shen Xiaoyan watched the scenery slowly receding outside the window and sighed, "It's so much better to have a carriage."
Wouldn't it be better? They didn't have to wake up early and rush to town without having time to cook.
This was so much better now. No need to wake up early, leisurely eat breakfast, sit in the carriage, and arrive at town in no time.
Shen Xiaoyan secretly rubbed her backside. If it weren't so bumpy, it would be even better.
Fortunately, the cushions she had custom-made were thickened. It would definitely be more comfortable to sit in the shop than it was now.
Soon, the cart arrived in town and headed straight for the clothing shop.
Zheng Wei parked the cart. As soon as Shen Xiaoyan got out of the carriage, she saw the clothing shop owner standing by the door.
"Good morning, Boss," Shen Xiaoyan greeted the owner with a smile.
"Good morning, Mrs. Zheng," the owner replied with a smile.
Shen Xiaoyan entered the shop with Shen Xiaoming. Various items were laid out on the tables inside. The colors told Shen Xiaoyan that they were custom-made by her.
The owner led Shen Xiaoyan forward. She examined each item carefully and then smiled at Shen Xiaoyan, saying, "How is it, Mrs. Zheng? Are you satisfied?"
Shen Xiaoyan nodded repeatedly. The craftsmanship was impeccable. Moreover, this was all handmade, which made Shen Xiaoyan happier than anything she had bought from any branded store in her previous life.
Since she was satisfied, Shen Xiaoyan readily asked the owner to calculate the bill.
However, the owner was well-prepared and presented the bill for Shen Xiaoyan to review.
Shen Xiaoyan went through it item by item and found that the owner was indeed a shrewd businessman. He had given discounts on every item. Although the total discount wasn't even one tael of silver, she still felt indebted to him.
"Boss, you're too kind," Shen Xiaoyan said softly.
"Mrs. Zheng is an old customer, so the discounts are naturally given," the owner's face was almost blooming with a smile.
Hearing this, Shen Xiaoyan didn't say much more. She took money from her purse and handed it to the owner. "I paid a deposit of 10 taels of silver last time. This is the remaining 20 taels."
The owner's smile widened. He took the silver ingots with both hands and instructed an apprentice, "Quickly, first load the cushions and other items from the cart onto Mrs. Zheng's carriage."
After the owner finished speaking, a young apprentice hurried out with a stack of items. The owner then turned to Shen Xiaoyan and said, "Mrs. Zheng, do you want to oversee the loading? The apprentice will help you move these things later."
Shen Xiaoyan thanked him with a smile and walked towards the waiting cart with Shen Xiaoming.
Shen Xiaoyan had ordered two sets of bed curtains and two sets of carriage curtains for the cart.
At this time of year, single cloth was used. Fabric straps were sewn to the top of the curtains to tie them to the inside of the carriage.
A round rod was placed at the bottom of the door curtains to weigh them down, preventing them from fluttering in the wind.
Inside the carriage, thick cushions were placed on all four side benches, and thick backrests were fitted to the carriage walls next to the benches, much like car seats in her previous life.
The cushions and backrests were covered with fabric covers that could be removed and washed if they got dirty.
Actually, most people wouldn't use covers on their cushions, but Shen Xiaoyan didn't know how to sew cushions. What would she do if they got dirty?
Therefore, she could only ask the owner to make her four or five sets so she could change them. The fabric for the covers was also chosen to be dark-colored.
Inside the carriage, a few days ago, when Zheng Wei had come to town, he had bought a square wooden box. Yes, it was a wooden box, square and about the size of a table, but without table legs. It was all connected from top to bottom. It had several small drawers on the top, which could be used to store teapots, porcelain cups, and snacks.
Once the carriage was tidied up, the apprentices ran back and forth several times, helping to move all the items into the carriage.
This time, not only were all the spaces under the seats filled, but the entire carriage was also packed with thick quilts.
In the end, Shen Xiaoyan and Shen Xiaoming could only sit in the front with Zheng Wei.
They drove back home. After unloading the items from the carriage, Shen Xiaoyan and the other two began to tidy up.
They had already cleaned the new house yesterday, so now they could hang the curtains and bed drapes and put their respective quilts into the cupboard.
They put the cushions for the wooden chairs for winter into the cabinet, and their new autumn clothes were put into the wardrobe.
Finally, looking at the new house that finally resembled a home, all three of them were very happy.
With this, their new house was furnished, and tonight, they would sleep in this new house.
After lunch, Shen Xiaoyan and Zheng Wei discussed the matter of moving.
Moving wasn't about transporting things, but about inviting relatives and friends for a housewarming party, meaning having a meal and drinks to bring liveliness to the new house.
Speaking of which, Shen Xiaoyan could only sigh inwardly. They were truly in the same boat, having no close relatives.
Since they couldn't invite relatives, they could still invite friends.
Lu Taobao would definitely come, but inviting only him was too few.
Shen Xiaoyan thought for a moment and then said, "Let's invite Aunt Wu, and those families who helped with cooking when the house was being built. I think they are all good people, and we can befriend them."