The Journey of Immortal Cultivation
Chapter 244 - 153: Is Buying a Bed Really That Difficult? _2

Chapter 244: Chapter 153: Is Buying a Bed Really That Difficult? _2

Where does she have the Beijing Time to waste here? She wants the finished product, the finished product!

She didn’t give up easily, and after negotiating with the shop owners for a long period, she visited one of the craftsmen’s shops. Oh, what can be said? She was even dissatisfied with the design. She had once slept in a step-backed bed at Old Huang’s house in Siping County, knowing that the requirements for beds in major households are a "bright hall and dark room", where the beds need not only exquisite carving but also multifunctionality.

The step-backed bed usually consists of two parts: the front half is called "step-back", which includes carved columns, hanging curtains, leaning railings, and flying eaves; the back half is the main body of the bed. More fine step-backed beds even come with external corridors, where lamps and dressing tables can be placed on both sides, forming an "inner house within the house, room within the room".

However, she now could also be counted as a little rich woman with a fortune in the family, but having lived in a simplistic atmosphere for sixteen years, she especially disliked these classical but overly ornate and extravagant pieces of furniture. And perhaps there were too many newly rich in this county town, the custom-made furniture, although finely carved, was covered with gold foil, exuding an offensive nouveau-riche aura, which she could not accept.

Stepping out from the Artifact Workshop, she was filled with melancholy. Could it be that she is only fated to sleep on the floor? At best, build her own stone or straw bed? This does not align with Miss Ning’s principle of enjoying good food, drink, and sleep.

Qiongqi said obsequiously, "My lady, we do have a method. Do you want to hear it?"

What’s the mystery? "Spit it out!"

"...Being extraordinary people, we naturally perform extraordinary deeds," Qiongqi said. "I see that the people in this county live leisurely lives; perhaps they wouldn’t mind waiting a bit longer?"

The clever, kind-hearted, and brave Miss Ning said she understood instantly: "You mean, on a dark and windy night when no one is around, to steal from the wood workshop?!"

She had been deeply influenced by the teachings of Confucius and Mencius since childhood. The idea of "stealing" caused her psychological discomfort. Taking without informing is called theft; taking by force is called robbery. When she stole the Sect Leader’s daughter’s clothes at Chixiao Mountain, she had felt guilty for a long time, not to mention that this time she would be stealing custom-made furniture ordered by others?

Yet Qiongqi convinced her with just one sentence: "My lady, even if we could wait seven days, where would you have them move the furniture to? Once we collect the furniture, just leave a bit more silver in the workshop."

Indeed, she wasn’t settling down in this county town, and if the furniture was delivered, where would it be sent? Would she just sweep up all the furniture into her storage bag when she was in the wood workshop? She’s a mortal, for heaven’s sake! Forget about Loose Cultivators, not even a typical disciple of an immortal sect could fit furniture that occupies such a large space in a storage bag, it would take an elder-level character to manage that.

She still had the persistent Fengtian Prefecture trailing her, necessitating that she keep a low profile; how could she undertake such a conspicuous action?

"Alright, that’s settled then," she decisively concluded. In extraordinary times, one must take extraordinary actions.

She was always good at comforting herself.

Since the furniture issue was settled, she needed to find a place to wait for the darkness to fall, preferably a dark and windy night, which would facilitate her actions.

Wandering around the workshop town, she also stocked up on some food to put into her storage bag. Shuangyu City was quite interesting, being a major salt producer, thus surprisingly a small portion of the goods sold in the market were various types of salt-cured products, such as pickled radishes, sugar garlic, salted fish... She scored a basket of salted eggs, each reputed to be a genuine red-hearted double-yolk egg; she also bought several pounds of cured meat from a shop reputed to have a hundred-year history in Shuangyu City, the cured meat being the best-selling in the city; and a stinky dried fish that was especially pungent, its smell wafting five miles, yet the customers queued endlessly, purportedly because it smelled just right...

After milling about for an hour, she finally returned to the main street. The owner of the Taste Workshop was short-sighted, making pots of money yet reluctant to expand his premise. His salt-baked chicken business was thriving, yet he only offered takeaway for customers, many travelers baffled holding the paper-wrapped whole chicken, unsure where to go eat it. Fortunately, there’s always someone willing to capitalize on business opportunities; a teahouse thirty steps away charged only twenty cents for customers to sit and rest, also providing a whole chicken cutting service. After all, there were quite a few ladies visiting the upstairs; having them clutching whole chickens and devouring them fiercely would shatter many men’s fantasies!

Going upstairs, indeed she saw familiar oil paper on four or five of the ten tables. Tea being a luxury, the so-called "tea" here was actually flower and fruit tea. She ordered a pot of chrysanthemum tea to cut through the greasiness, then handed over her salt-baked chicken for the shop to slice it up, before she began to relish it heartily.

Her previously waxy yellow face, which Da Zi had hated, was quickly changed after shaking off pursuit; the twin Bat Demons, being too conspicuous, were also confined by her in the God Demon Prison. Now, even if Da Zi stood right in front of her, he wouldn’t likely recognize her.现在这张脸呈鹅蛋形,有三分清秀,却不会太引人注目 Now, even if Da Zi stood right in front of her, he wouldn’t likely recognize her. With this layer of protection, she ate without any fear, her eating manner could be as unappealing as it got without others recognizing her true face.

Still needing to move around the county town, an ugly appearance would be inconvenient. Humans, after all, are creatures that judge based on appearances.

The chicken tasted indeed splendid, much more delicious than what she could roast herself. After all, expertise lies in specialization; any household that roasts chicken for two hundred years accumulates its unique secrets.

The Taste Workshop uses only small dumb chickens, each weighing no more than one kilogram and two taels. Too heavy and the meat becomes tough, not achieving the best texture; too light, signaling too young chicks, and unable to emit sufficient chicken flavor. Mastery in the details is what sets the true experts apart. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, you are welcome to vote for it with recommendation tickets and monthly tickets at QiDian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)