Chapter 10

Heng Xīnyán coughed lightly, pulling Bàolì Hua so they could walk away from the teashop. It may look like these two young ladies were taking their time but when you stare at them long you would realize that the distance between them and the teashop named Cheng's were increasing rapidly.

Finally, out of the teashop street, Heng Xīnyán wiped her forehead. "Where should we go?" She questioned, her dark eyes looking at the busy streets of the village.

"How would I know?" Bàolì Hua rolled her eyes, "Go and ask someone."

Heng Xīnyán's lips twitched, "Why should I?"

Bàolì Hua sent her a glance filled with disdain before she flicked her sleeves walking away. Heng Xīnyán followed her with slow steps.

They roamed the village for a while when Bàolì Hua came to a slow stop. Heng Xīnyán looked up, seeing the group of brightly dressed young ladies standing outside a rectangular wooden building.

[Zhāngjié Ladies' Shop] The name of the building made Heng Xīnyán cover her lips lightly, "Guess, we need a makeover," she stated, looking at the clothing the young ladies that seemed to have a high status in the village and Bàolì Hua nodded in agreement.

"No more Hanfus," Heng Xīnyán tsked. Bàolì Hua hummed, then she paused. "I have to wear what they have on?!" She whispered rudely, glaring at Heng Xīnyán who nodded and grinned.

"Yes!" Heng Xīnyán then walked in the opposite direction of the ladies' shop.

"Aren't we going into the shop?" Bàolì Hua inquired and Heng Xīnyán shook her head, "No… let's wait for the shop to die down."

Bàolì Hua didn't question her choice and she fell silent. However, both females paused upon hearing a familiar voice. Their rosy faces turned pale as they tried to walk faster while trying to look decent yet the voice was loud, ringing in their ears.

"Yes! Yes! And they ate in my most expensive room for free!" Cheng Fu's voice was filled with anger and he slammed his hand on the table of the pub hard. "They even stole my premium silver bowl and my xuan paper that I begged my martial brother for!" His voice was booming and the two guilty thieves' faces were pale as they wished to disappear on the spot.

"If I ever see those thieves again!" Cheng Fu's voice was deep and scary, sounding like a vengeful ghost that crawled up from Diyu waiting to swallow them alive.

The two guilty thieves shuddered in fear as sweat ran down their backs.

"Your greed!" Bàolì Hua muttered angrily. They were walking in the crowd, trying to blend in which was easy.

Heng Xīnyán's eyes were wet with grievance. "I didn't suggest the idea of dashing!" She protested and Bàolì Hua's raised a perfectly arched eyebrow with disdain in her eyes

"Then who was the person that shouted, 'Great idea, Bàolì Hua' while patting my shoulder?" Bàolì Hua asked, her voice was low and the accuracy of it all hit Heng Xīnyán in her heart like an arrow.

Heng Xīnyán huffed, "Whatever! Soon, we'll be out of this village." She proclaimed.

Bàolì Hua snorted, "Yeah right, if you believe so."

Heng Xīnyán's left eye twitched from the bad feeling in her gut, "What do you mean?"

Bàolì Hua sneered, "So dense, yet taking up a task."

Heng Xīnyán pouted, "It was for the money!"

Bàolì Hua rolled her eyes, "Let's go and sit somewhere. My legs are hurting."

Heng Xīnyán paused, "Where should we go?" This question stumped both of them.

"Think of something! I never went around humans!" Bàolì Hua whispered sharply, patting Heng Xīnyán's arm. Then she paused, thinking of something, and she whispered in Heng Xīnyán's ear. "And don't humans live in houses?"

Heng Xīnyán nodded, she pushed Bàolì Hua from her face as she stood on the corner of the village street. Thinking of where they should go to buy a house and renovate it to act like true little misses.

"We…" Bàolì Hua looked at her and Heng Xīnyán paused with a sigh. "We need to ask another for a house that is on sale to live in it for a while."

Bàolì Hua rolled her eyes, "Just great!" Heng Xīnyán smiled uneasily and Bàolì Hua muttered, "I should have taken that bald man's teapot too!"

Heng Xīnyán thought about it, "It was good quality."

Bàolì Hua sighed in regret, "We should have stripped his entire room."

Heng Xīnyán paused, "Why are we talking about this?"

Bàolì Hua shrugged, "To lighten the mood, maybe?" She questioned and Heng Xīnyán smiled. "Well, it worked."

Bàolì Hua nodded with a light smile, "That's good."

Heng Xīnyán smiled, "Now, let's go buy a home!" She clenched her fist before entering the crowd. Stopping a kind-looking elderly man, she bent her knees lightly, "Uncle… sorry to disturb you but our family is new to the village and we are looking for a house that is on sale to live in… do you know of any?" She inquired, looking at the male with pleading eyes.

The elderly man that Heng Xīnyán stopped was a fellow cultivator and he knew of this common situation. Looking at the smooth face of the female, the man repeated all the mantras he remembered about no earthly desires before he answered the female in front of him, "Unfortunately, no miss."

Heng Xīnyán nodded in understanding, "Okay… thank you, uncle." She bowed lightly before going to ask another person. The entire afternoon, Heng Xīnyán faced rejection. Her small face was red as she was exhausted. Bàolì Hua who was following her with her hands folded, walked in front of Heng Xīnyán.

She stopped in front of a female vendor who looked quite well off from the quality of her clothing. It was better than the rest of the female vendors so her cold face immediately melted like ice under the hot sun as a soft smile surfaced on her pink lips.

"Sister," she called to the older woman.

The woman looked up at her with a stunned face, "Me?" She blinked in disbelief, her pale wrinkled face twitched lightly as a peach-coloured blush rose to her cheeks.

Bàolì Hua nodded, "Yes. You sister." She gave the lady a deep dimple smile before she asked, "Sister… do you know of anyone selling a house? My family are moving into the village and we want to spend some time here before we move permanently to the capital."

The woman's eyes widened at the word, capital. She then nodded, "Yes. Yes! I know of someone!" She stood, "Look after my stall for me… I'm going to call the person."

Bàolì Hua smiled prettily, "Okay, sister." The woman blushed before walking away with hasty steps and instantly Bàolì Hua's smile dropped.

With no expression on her face, Heng Xīnyán muttered, touching her face. "Since when do people like cold ice-like faces?"

Bàolì Hua sent her a cold glare and Heng Xīnyán shrugged, "I'm just saying."

Bàolì Hua sat on the lady's stool, "That's why you deserve to stand!" Bàolì Hua chilled and Heng Xīnyán who walked the entire afternoon asking for a vacant home for them to stay only to get rejected. Yet, this cold-faced Bàolì Hua asked once and got through!

Oh, how Heng Xīnyán's heart was filled with injustice.