Ran also smiled softly and congratulated Caleb in a low voice. They weren't officially engaged yet. For the sake of Caleb's reputation, they couldn't congratulate him openly.
If someone with bad intentions overheard it, it could harm his name. In this world, a man's reputation was treated even more seriously than how women's virtue was seen in ancient Huaxia. If a man's reputation was damaged, whether he was a noble or a farmer, marriage would become extremely difficult.
"Hehe… thank you!" Caleb replied shyly with a smile, his bronze-colored face blushing slightly. Logan looked at him and felt both happy for him and a little bitter. With a helpless sigh, he said, "I wonder when I'll meet my wife."
"Yo! Logan's thinking about a wife now?" A man from their group teased him while catching up. "I'll talk to my wife tonight and see if there's a good girl I can introduce you to." "Don't worry. You look good and work hard to earn money. Some girl will definitely like you."
"It's not that easy!" another man from the village said with a sigh. "I haven't seen any young woman in months, except for my mother and my wife." "How could young women be that easy to see? You've only gone a few months. I've nearly gone a whole year without seeing any other woman!"
"Not to mention young women, I haven't even run into a proper madam in a long time!" "We're all laborers. Our whole bodies reek every day. What woman would want to give us a second look?" "They probably think we bring bad luck and try to stay far away."
Ran just smiled quietly while listening to their conversation. She didn't speak. Every time they started talking about this, they couldn't stop.
She really didn't want to join in. Sometimes, when she got annoyed listening to them, she had the urge to tell them she was a woman. Then maybe they'd stop complaining all the time.
But she knew that wasn't possible. If she revealed her identity, her peaceful life would be disrupted. Even though she had wood powers that could protect her, it still wouldn't be as peaceful as now.
"Hey, Ran brother, how long has it been since you last saw a girl?" Logan looked at her calm expression and asked curiously. "Over a month." Ran answered mildly. Over a month ago, she was still struggling in the apocalypse.
Life there was tough, but there were still quite a few women. Her temporary scavenging team was made entirely of women. "Wow! You're so lucky!"
Everyone around her looked at her with envy after hearing that. Even Caleb looked excited, as if he had seen a girl himself. Ran felt the jealous and admiring looks falling on her.
She could only imagine dark lines running down her forehead. She really couldn't understand their thinking. Even if women were rare and precious in this world, were they really this obsessed?
The people traveling with her were already used to her cold nature. They didn't mind her lack of emotion. The group continued joking and chatting as they walked on.
At dawn, they finally arrived outside Suzhou City. The gates were already wide open. Everyone lined up quietly to enter.
Ran looked up at the tall and grand city gate in front of her. The gate was made from smooth stone blocks, stacked one by one. It stood around ten meters high, with a soldier stationed at intervals above it.
There were three doors at the gate. One was a wide central gate, and on each side was a smaller door about two meters wide. The central gate was usually reserved for carriages of wealthy families or noble ladies, while country folks like them or street vendors could only enter through the side doors.
Two soldiers guarded each side of the central gate, checking passing carts and people. The side doors were guarded by one soldier each, who inspected the vendors and villagers. Everyone entering had to pay a two-coin entrance fee.
Ran followed behind Caleb, paid the two coins, and opened her basket for inspection. After confirming there was no problem, the soldier returned the basket and let her in.
"Brother Ran, let's part ways here!" Logan placed the basket in front of her and waved with a smile. Then he quickly ran to catch up with the others.
"Alright, thank you for today!" Ran smiled lightly and also waved back at him. They had different destinations.
Logan and the others needed to find work in the south of the city. Ran had wood-type powers and always managed to hunt animals. Every time she came to the city, she brought the game to Zhenxiu House to sell.
Zhenxiu House always liked her game and usually gave a decent price. Just like before, Ran sold two pheasants and three rabbits to Zhenxiu House. The pheasants sold for five coins a pound, and the two weighed seven pounds, earning her thirty-five coins.
The rabbits were ten coins a pound, and the three weighed twelve pounds, earning her one hundred and twenty coins. She made a total of one hundred and fifty-five coins this time.
"Brother Ran, take the money. Come back to Zhenxiu House if you have more game!" The shopkeeper placed the counted coins in her hand and smiled cheerfully.
"The price you gave was fair. I'll definitely sell to you again next time!" Ran smiled as she put the coins into her pocket. In truth, she stored them in her space.
There were many thieves around, and she couldn't let the hard-earned money get stolen. After leaving Zhenxiu House, Ran wandered around with her basket. Even though her space had everything, she still needed to buy things occasionally to avoid suspicion.
"Fresh buns! Just out of the steamer!"
"Fragrant braised meat noodles!"
"Hot sesame flatbread!"
"Wontons! Big ones with thin wrappers and lots of meat! Only five coins a bowl!"
"Candied hawthorn! Sweet and sour candied hawthorn!"
The street was filled with the sound of vendors shouting. Smelling the aroma in the air, Ran couldn't help but swallow. She followed the scent to a wonton stall.
She saw the large white wontons on the cart and couldn't resist anymore. She called out loudly, "Boss, one bowl of wontons!"
"Coming right up! Please take a seat, the wontons will be ready soon!" The boss, a middle-aged man, greeted her cheerfully when he saw a customer.
Soon, a steaming hot bowl of wontons was placed in front of her. Ran picked up a spoon, scooped a bit of soup carefully, blew on it gently, then eagerly took a sip.
"Mmm... so fresh!"
Even though there weren't as many seasonings as in modern times, the natural flavor of the food was enough to satisfy her. Having survived the apocalypse, she treasured every bite of food.
Every time she tasted something delicious, she thanked the heavens for bringing her to a world where supplies were no longer scarce.