The Ger's Contract Marriage [BL]
Chapter 97: Shopping

Chapter 97: Shopping

Yilin town was a lot busier than Xu Feng had anticipated.

The first snowfall had come and gone, but it hadn’t stuck, and the northerners seemed unfazed by the chilly weather. The town was bustling just as it had been nearly two weeks ago. It would take a heavy snowfall to keep these people indoors.

The villagers and townsfolk were still crowding the streets. It wasn’t the ideal time to find roadside bargains anymore.

Most of the villagers from the surrounding areas, who typically sold their agricultural products on the sides of the streets, had already packed up their goods with the sunrise. Early birds were the ones who snagged the best deals.

Fortunately for Xu Feng, Auntie Lifen and Lan had kept the kitchen well-stocked with grains and fermented foods. They had enough supplies to last part of the winter.

Steward Wu had also slaughtered some of the Nanshan estate’s animals, ensuring they had plenty of meat, even with the addition of new servants. Small wins were still wins, even if they weren’t’ meant to be wins.

Xu Feng’s shopping list was relatively simple. He needed to fill in the remaining gaps and buy some precious grains like white rice and white flour. In essence, he would be purchasing more luxury items than necessities.

It was a good opportunity for him to indulge a little and make their first winter together more comfortable for the people at Nanshan estate.

At this time of year, even wealthy families in the town struggled to find fresh fruits and vegetables. Xu Feng hadn’t visited his greenhouse in the past three days, so he wasn’t sure if his household would be able to produce any the next two months of winter.

Regardless, he had a lengthy shopping list to tackle, even with Jie assisting in acquiring new servants for the mansion.

With the carriage neatly parked at the stable and animal sheds just beyond the town entrance gate, Xu Feng was ready to start his shopping.

Before Xuan Yang and Xuan Jian could disembark, he headed for the door and took in a lungful of the brisk morning air. As he exhaled, his breath created a misty cloud, and he couldn’t help but flash a childlike, playful smile before leaving the carriage.

Erlang was already prepared with two large back baskets—one in front and one on his back. He nodded at Xu Feng quickly, avoiding direct eye contact and stumbling backward, clearly flustered.

Xu Feng couldn’t help but smile up at the clumsy boy. Yes, the public displays of affection were still making him cringe, but Erlang’s reactions were just too amusing to resist.

To his surprise, he noticed a third, smaller backpack at Erlang’s feet, one of the ones Si and San had carried on their last trip. Without overthinking it, he bent down and picked up the back basket, ready to wear it and set out on their shopping expedition.

In the middle of his swift movement, the basket was suddenly plucked from Xu Feng’s hands. He turned to see Xuan Yang, who was giving him a slight glare.

His confusion lingered for a moment until Xuan Jian, took the basket from Xuan Yang, carrying it easily in one hand.

"The Lady of Nanshan estate shouldn’t be carrying something like this."

Xu Feng observed both men, taking in their intricate clothing, which was more elaborate than the puffer jackets he and Erlang wore. Xuan Yang’s robes were only slightly more intricate than Xuan Jian’s, but they both owned a refined elegance that was out of place in Yilin.

"The master of Nanshan estate," Xu Feng corrected. "And you both look more like noblemen than I do."

With that, the two men were reminded that they were now in a small town, far removed from the bustling city or the capital of Donghua, Jinghua. They were dressed more lavishly than any man, woman, or ger, they could see from the town entrance.

The people on the bustling streets couldn’t help but stare at the unusual group. Their attention was piqued by the unknown, the fine clothing that the four of them wore, and their striking looks and tall statures.

Even in a northern town, they were exceptionally tall, with both Xu Feng and Erlang almost the same height, one at 5’10" and the other at 5’11". Xuan Jian and Xuan Yang towered above, with heights of 6’1" and 6’2", respectively.

For many, a tall northern man was around Xu Feng’s height, so their group stood out for a variety of height-related reasons. Not even mentioning the average height for a ger in the north or south of the kingdom, which was 5’3" and below.

As they ventured further into town, Xu Feng couldn’t help but wish he could somehow cover the distinctive deep red mole on his forehead. Things would be so much simpler if everyone believed him to be a man.

Leaving the basket to Xuan Jian, Xu Feng darted into the crowd. Even though his husbands’ good-looking attire gathered attention, the fact that he was a ger was the most startling aspect of their group.

On his previous trip with Si and San, things hadn’t been as troublesome, but today he had chosen the wrong group for blending in. Xuan Jian and Xuan Yang were too eye catching, and it brought more attention to him, and a lot of glares from gers and women alike.

Calling out to Erlang as they navigated through the distracted crowd, Xu Feng’s face, furrowed with discomfort, lit up at the boy’s clever response.

"Yes, mist...Yes, Master Feng."

"Can you lead us to the livestock sellers we met last time?"

It wasn’t quite noon yet, but it was already January, and there were no chicks or piglets left for sale. Xu Feng felt disheartened but asked one of the local aunties to save some chicks for him come spring.

The conversation with the aunties took longer than necessary. They were the only one pig and one chicken seller present in the market, and their curiosity about Xu Feng’s newly pierced ears since his last visit led to a barrage of questions.

The two new and striking men accompanying him garnered plenty of uncovered stares and additional questions.