Chapter 29: 029 River‑East Chronicles (III)

"How long will it take to finish these clothes?"

In the afternoon, in a tailor shop in the county town, Wang Wu looked at the plump, easygoing owner and asked.

"The clothes you want, Young Hero, are quite a few, so it'll take some time—about seven days," the owner replied.

"That's not too slow, is it?" Wang Wu said, surprised, because he had thought ordering so many garments would take at least a dozen days, maybe a month.

"We have plenty of tailors here, and you already selected many ready‑made outfits before, so it won't take that long," the stout owner laughed.

"Can it be done faster?" Wang Wu asked, and after speaking, he took a silver ingot from his pocket and placed it on the table. "I can pay extra."

"Well…" Seeing the ten‑tael silver ingot on the table, the stout owner was clearly tempted, yet hesitated.

"If we must guarantee quality, the fastest we can compress it is five days. After all, I can't ruin my shop's reputation, so I hope you understand, Young Hero," the stout owner said after a moment's thought.

"Fine." Wang Wu nodded. "Then here's the ten taels of silver upfront; try to finish it quickly. Once done, deliver it to the Wang Clan Trading House Headquarters and say it's the clothes ordered by Wang Wu."

"Are you a scion of the Wang Clan, Young Hero?" Hearing the Wang name, the stout owner was startled and asked.

"No." Wang Wu shook his head. "I'm just a temporary guest of the Wang Clan, not a member."

"Being honored as a distinguished guest by the Wang Clan, you truly are a promising youth, hahaha…"

"Owner, you're being courteous, thank you."

After the polite exchange, Wang Wu left the tailor shop.

He spent an hour or two strolling around the county town that afternoon, and eventually found this tailor shop. He wasn't sure how good it was, but he had asked passersby, and they enthusiastically recommended it.

Inside the shop he spent half an hour, measuring his height, chest, and waist, and after some fiddling, ordered many sets of clothes.

Besides that, he bought a bunch of shoes and underwear, some for himself and the rest for his three neighbors.

After all, they live in the remote wilderness, rarely interacting with humans, and their clothes have been worn for who knows how long—many are far too old.

Especially Shu Niang; the girl wears tattered men's clothing, ragged as a beggar.

Zhu San Niang does have a few outfits she rotates, but they're also old; she usually wears a plain peasant woman's dress.

She is the only one among the three female monsters who knows a bit of weaving and mending; her clothes are patched with silk she spins herself, plus some gathered fabric.

Considering that, Wang Wu bought a lot of cloth, intending to bring it back to see if Zhu San Niang can learn to make her own clothes.

Not all spiders can spin silk, nor do all spiders weave webs; for example, the common jumping spider doesn't weave a web, yet it still produces silk.

Zhu San Niang is a more traditional spider—she can spin silk and weave webs; her dwelling is a massive nest woven from her own silk.

It was already past five in the afternoon; the sun was about to set, yet the main streets of the county town were still bustling.

Although the foot traffic was far less than earlier in the day, it could still be described as a constant stream of people and carts.

The county town truly differs from the surrounding villages; around five o'clock, people there generally stay indoors, and the villages become quiet.

But here it's different; even though the sky is dimming, the streets remain crowded and lively.

Remembering Sun Da, the vendor of fried cakes he met earlier that day, Wang Wu could think of nothing else and decided to go see him.

Because the fellow really resembled Wu Dalang from *Water Margin*—or perhaps he is the Wu Dalang of another world—so Wang Wu wanted to see this other‑worldly Pan Jinlian and Wu Song.

On a whim, Wang Wu stopped a random passerby on the road and asked:

"Brother, could you tell me how to get to Tianluo Alley in the western part of town?"

"Tianluo Alley?" the man, stopped by Wang Wu, stared at his face in surprise, then a smile appeared and he replied:

"Tianluo Alley? Go this way, keep straight, don't turn onto other roads; about half an hour you'll arrive. Tianluo Alley is by the western city wall, where there's a row of low houses."

"Thank you." Wang Wu expressed his gratitude to the kind man and then set off in that direction.

I must say, from the moment he entered the town until now, everyone Wang Wu has met has been quite courteous and helpful.

That may have something to do with his good looks, but Wang Wu thinks it's more likely because the locals are simple and kind.

Having a good face is advantageous in any era, perhaps even more so in ancient societies.

Because in some ancient dynasties—not just a few—appearance was even considered when seeking official posts.

Wang Wu may not understand ancient societies well, but he knows this from hearing his history teacher ramble about it when he was a child, leaving a deep impression.

This place is also an ancient society, so some of those experiences might apply directly.

Wang Wu's stride is much faster than average, so the half‑hour walk took him less than twenty minutes, even though he deliberately slowed his pace.

The area near He Dong Xian's West City Gate is the county's commoner district, and Tianluo Alley lies within it.

A row of low houses, yet there are many trading houses, shops, and taverns.

But there aren't many people here, or rather, it's not as bustling as the area Wang Wu explored earlier this afternoon.

By now the sun was almost fully set, yet the city didn't grow much dimmer.

Lanterns were lit everywhere on the streets, and people could still be seen walking, even in this sparsely populated district.

The whole city was ablaze with light; along the roads, lamp posts stood at intervals, their lanterns blazing brighter than the streetlights in his hometown's neighborhood.

Wang Wu stopped beside a tavern, about to ask a man drinking at an outdoor table for directions to Tianluo Alley, when suddenly a familiar voice sounded beside him:

"Young Hero Wang?"

Wang Wu turned his head and saw a short, stout figure—it was Sun Da, who had taken him to the Wang Clan Trading House earlier that day.

"Brother Sun Da?" Wang Wu looked at him, a smile brightening his face, and hurried over. "I was actually looking for you; I didn't expect to run into you here."

Sun Da held a gourd in his hand, evidently having come to the tavern to buy wine.

"Me too, I just went out to buy wine and happened to run into Young Hero Wang," Sun Da said with a grin, then shook his wine gourd. "If you don't mind, would you like to come to my place for a drink?"

"Haha, of course!" Wang Wu laughed.

"Uncle, this is…"

At that moment, another voice reached Wang Wu's ears.

The tone, though not seductive, naturally carried a hint of coquetry.

Wang Wu looked toward the voice's owner and was instantly startled.

It's a fellow.

(End of chapter)