Jai Mei's Unforeseen Journey to Ancient China

Chapter Twenty: Jai Family Finally Flourishing III

They made their way to the town and went to each stall. "We will need 3 catties each of flour, wheat, oat, millet, and rice, 3 catties of onions, cabbages, carrots, vegetables, and 5 catties of chicken and beef for meat. We still have pork, and we need to purchase building materials for the house repairs, which will cost us 10 taels."

They continued to walk through the market, and Jai Mei bought some seasonings such as soy sauce, sesame oil, five-spice powder, oyster sauce, hoisin sauce, rice vinegar, Shaoxing wine, ginger, garlic, Sichuan peppercorns, along with salt, pepper, cumin, paprika, and turmeric.

Next they went to the craftsmen and Jai Mei made their request. 'We need our entire house and furniture redone. We require new windows with wooden doors and screens, floors, doors, counters, and cabinets. A stone stove with a chimney to keep the house warm and a stone roof instead of thatch.

Additionally, we need fences for the animal farm, vegetable garden, and around the house, as well as repairs for the cracked walls and new furniture.'
The craftsmen replied, 'We'll be happy to help. What type of material and wood should we use?'

Jai Mei turned to Hao Zhang. 'My husband Hao Zhang is the builder in the family, please advise the craftsmen on what type of material and wood to use.'"

Hao Zhang thinks for a moment before responding, "For the walls and fence, we can use adobe bricks. It's a strong and durable material that's good for insulation. For the floors and counters, we can use hardwood. As for the furniture, we can use bamboo or rosewood. And for the stove and chimney, we can use stone or brick."

After that they went to the seamstress. "Hello, we need material to make sets of clothes and plush bed coverings."

"Of course, what type of material and what colors?" asked the seamstress.

"I want it to be cotton, and I like purple and green tones," replied Jai Mei. She then turned to her husbands and asked, "What colors do you like?"

They looked at Jai Mei and didn't say anything. They couldn't believe that she was allowing them to pick and get new clothes.

In the midst of the surprise silence, Jai Mei let out a light-hearted chuckle. "Don't worry, I won't bite if you pick something out of the ordinary," she said playfully, emphasizing the word "bite" in a teasing tone. The guys exchanged glances, still unsure if they could believe their luck.

Hao Zhang was the first to speak up. "I...I like dark colors so navy and purple tones," he said hesitantly, almost as if he was afraid of being judged.

Liu Feng quickly followed suit. "I like bold colors so red and orange," he said with a small smile.

Chun Wei still remained quiet, but Shu Wang spoke up for him. "Chun Wei likes earth colors like brown, copper orange, and green," he said softly. "And wife I like light colors like lavender, yellow, pink, and creams.

Jai Mei nodded and took note of their choices, making sure to remember them for future reference. "Great choices, boys. We'll make sure to get you all the clothes you need, including winter clothes and shoes," she said with a smile.

Feeling the tension ease a bit, Jai Mei continued, "And for the bed coverings, we would like them to be soft and comfortable, but not too expensive. Thank you for your help, seamstress. We appreciate it."

As they left the seamstress, Jai Mei couldn't help but feel a sense of satisfaction in seeing her husbands happy and picking out their own clothes.

It was a small victory, but it meant a lot to her to see them being treated like individuals with their own preferences and tastes.

Jai Mei and her husbands left the seamstress and walked through the crowded streets of the town. They passed by stalls with colorful jewelry, aromatic snacks, and various other things that caught their eyes.