Jincheng was a vast place, and because it was daytime, there were many street vendors hawking their wares.
Lu Jinnian walked slowly with a basket on her back, stopping to take a look whenever she saw something suitable.
Buying was out of the question; she just wanted to see if there were any affordable alternatives inside her space.
She couldn't spend her silver recklessly; it would be trouble if someone set their sights on her.
Currently, she was spending copper coins, as silver was far too conspicuous.
After finding a place to exchange one tael of silver for a thousand wen, Lu Jinnian felt at ease to go out and shop.
First, she bought a bolt of coarse cloth, and then she needed to buy things like needles and thread. Although she didn't know how to make clothes, Lu Jinxin did.
Despite her young age, she had learned these tasks.
The original owner of the body could, of course, do them as well, but she simply didn't like doing such things. Things like embroidery and making clothes—she truly couldn't manage them.
After buying her things, she once again asked around for the prices of wild game, and then, taking advantage of the fact that it wasn't dark yet, she quietly left the city.
The weather outside was gradually getting colder, but the refugees by the city walls showed no intention of leaving.
They were waiting for relief from the local government, but the occasional distribution of congee was nowhere near enough to fill their stomachs.
Some who could no longer hold on had begun to find places to settle down, but others still harbored the idea of waiting for others to provide for them; these people planned to stay until winter.
Lu Jinnian took one look and quickly moved on. In her view, if these people truly intended to wait until winter without anyone looking after them, they would likely freeze to death in the ice and snow.
The weather in the north was different from the south; they were being far too naive.
By the time that happened, it would be too late for regrets.
After about half an hour, darkness had fallen. This forced her to quicken her pace toward home.
Fortunately, this area was remote, so there were few people. She tried her best to avoid the main roads so she wouldn't run into anyone.
As she approached the shack, Lu Jinnian saw the flickering light of a fire inside. Her three younger siblings were all sitting on the bed, looking outward.
In truth, they couldn't see much, but she could see the three of them.
"I'm back!" Lu Jinnian called out with a smile.
Entering the room, the three younger siblings happily climbed off the bed to put on their shoes.
Seeing their worn-out shoes, which were already showing holes in the soles, her heart ached. She hurriedly began taking things out of her basket.
Cloth shoes were quite expensive; she had bought four pairs. Since she didn't know their sizes, she had bought them slightly large—as long as they weren't small, it would be fine.
"Shoes! And coarse cloth!" Lu Jinxin's eyes lit up. Her clothes could no longer cover her body; Lu Jinnian had given her some previously, but they were too large and uncomfortable to wear.
The others were also extremely happy to see the shoes. Compared to clothing, shoes would allow them to walk with less suffering.
"Big Brother, these shoes are so pretty!" Lu Jinqiu was young and only cared that they had clothes and shoes to wear.
Lu Jincheng looked at her and said, "Big Brother, thank you for your hard work."
After saying this, he felt a sense of guilt in his heart because he couldn't help with anything, making him feel useless.
Seeing his guilty expression, Lu Jinnian said, "Jincheng, you don't need to feel guilty. I know you are cut out for studying. Once I save up enough money next year, I will send you to school."
At this time, scholars were very highly regarded. Especially since Lu Jincheng was very talented, if he were trained for two or three years before taking the imperial examinations, even if he didn't pass on his first attempt, he could at least become an accountant—earning money without needing physical labor.
Hearing the words "studying," Lu Jincheng's eyes widened, but he immediately shook his head. "No, the family's burden is already too heavy. I can't go."
Studying was something he loved, but it wasn't a necessity. If studying would become a burden to the family, he would rather not go.
(End of Chapter)