New World's Empress

Looking at the carriages Liu Mei had a calm smile. "Sir, we have just these two old horses and sturdy carriage. The carriage is not of bad quality, but for the long ride..."

"If the carriage is in good shape I can take it over and you can just add some coins." He could see her simple clothes and just wanted to help out. "I have some good carriage that my mother used to come from the other town here. It's not new but its really good quality. Come with me."

They went to the side and saw a simple covered carriage. Inside was a bench and some space behind the bench.

"She brought some of her clothes with her. But as we have often rains in this region she feared it will get wet so she chose to use this to travel and save her stuff."

Liu Mei had to admit it made sense. "Good. Is there a small travelling heater we could buy?"

He smiled brightly. "I have a used one, you don't mind? You can even cook on it."

She heard once that people used iron or metal heaters in carriages as they travelled. As expected, they had it as well.

"The price for heater and carriage?" She took her bag out and looked at him.

"I sent someone to check on your carriage, wait until they are back. Look, my son is coming."

They saw a young man trying to walk through mud without losing his shoes. "This is ridiculous. We paid our taxes and city Lord didn't even plaster the streets. Even villages have better streets."

Their own yard was stone covered as they had for carriages and horses, but the streets were horrible. Liu Mei knew that she probably would have lived in the village, if cities are like this

"Tell me, about the carriage?" His father patted his shoulder as he tried to get rid of mud on his shoes.

"Its good sturdy carriage and as it seems completely new. You bought it shortly?" He looked at Liu Mei as he saw she was talking with his father before.

"Yes. It's new." She was honestly rethinking should she just travel with horses, but the rain must be a problem. With carriage, they will have a place to sleep or warm-up.

The older Lei nodded. "Then let's do it this way. You add only one small silver, but for carriage and twenty coins for the used heater. I can sell you some fodder for horses."

On the end, they came to deal and she paid. "Can you bring the carriage to the resting place I am going to two more places as I need a few things to buy and a few things to get rid off."

He smiled and nodded. "Don't worry, we will go that. Your stuff we will leave on the side as we don't know what you want to take with you."

"Thank you. I'll ask the young man there to help me put on the carriage things that I need."

"I will leave my son there. He can help as well. That boy can't do it alone." He didn't want to make his nephew brake his back.

"Then thank you. We must go now." She swiftly moved up to horse and Hua Roulan and Xiao Ran on the other and with a wave of the hand they left.

"Miss, what do you want to by here?" Hua Roulan saw her going to a cloth store. They literally had huge amounts of good quality cloth so she was curious.

As they entered a woman came forward with a smile. "Welcome. How may I help you?"

"We need three protection hats and a bunch of thin gauze. Do you have it?" Liu Mei had an idea so she asked the perplexed woman about something that is usually not sold in these places.

"I have some white gauze, could you look at it?" She pointed at the corner of the shop and brought the hats. People here wore them to protect from mosquitoes.

Liu Mei saw the gauze and then looked around. "Is this the thinnest material you have?"

She shook her head. "We have something thinner but its not good for clothes its more like detail. Even tho women here don't like it so much."

She took a roll of see trough material and sighed deeply. She was hoping courtesans would like it but even they found it to direct do she didn't know what to do with it.

"You have only this one roll?" Liu Mei liked the material very much. It was perfect. The woman brought two more rolls and saw Liu Mei smiling. "I'll sell you all three for one silver." She didn't want to use her as she happily took the material with her.

"Give me this and then give me three rolls of the cotton gauze. It's perfect for baby diapers." She pointed at soft white gauze they saw before.

The woman just nodded and happily packed everything and when they left she realized she sold more than in the last few days. With a smile, she happily remembered that she sold the material she couldn't get rid off.

"Miss, why do you need the thin gauze?" Xiao Ran asked when they came back.

"Give me the hats and help me take the gauze off them"

They saw her taking scissors and slowly cutting part of gauze. She took now free hat and sewed the gauze around it. The gauze was see trough, but was long and covered them almost until the waist.

"In the rainy days the weather will be stuffy and the light dimmer. With the thick cloth covered, we might end up in mid of swamp. We can cover inside of the carriage with some of this so the mosquitoes won't enter." She put the hat on Xiao Ran's head and saw her covered. "Its great protection."

While they spoke they heard a strong knock on the door and when Hua Roulan opened they saw the commander standing in front of the door. "I heard you went to herb hall and they didn't want to buy healing herbs. Our army always needs those. Would you sell to us?"

She motioned him to enter. "Come in."

He came and saw small girl coveted with see trough gauze and was stunned. "This?"

Liu Mei smiled. "I just bought in the store. The woman had just a couple rolls so I bought all of them. The mosquito's last night bit us so much, so I had to think about how to protect ourselves. Days are becoming darker so to drive with thick cloth might become dangerous. This is better. You can see trough but won't be bitten."

He came closer and pressed his lips. "I'll pay you if you make some for us as well. Don't have to be this long as we need to move."

Liu Mei accepted his offer. "Bring hats. I don't take off completely cloth just in case you need it. "

He shook his head. "No. It gets wet and heavy, this thing seems light so it will probably dry faster."

With a shrug she accepted and he left. Not long after that a young man came with a bunch of hats and smiled flirtily. "Our commander told us to take the cloth off and bring you these. I heard you will make it better. " He wanted to speak more when he suddenly felt danger from the side. He turned his head and saw two pairs of eyes look at him icily.

Hua Roulan opened the door and pointed out. "I'll bring it when it's done. Later then..." It was clear as a day that they are kicking him out the door. She even pushed him and slammed the door behind him so he had no other choice than to go back to his commander.

He went down and completely dazed sat down. "They didn't even look at me. And the two women are scary. I never felt such murderous aura from a woman."

"You think the soft one is simple? She just doesn't show it openly. Don't try anymore. " Commanders words held a certain authority and it meant as a command.

"I'm not crazy." Mumbled the young soldier.

In evening Hua Roulan brought the hats and explained. "We feared that the material would be too light so we made it a tiny bit heavier by putting stone beads on corners. Big sister said it would fly around by smallest wind as its shorter than ours so this was the only way. She sent you the list of herbs and prices."

She handed over the paper and walked away. He looked at the hats and put one on his head. He saw few loops on sides and curiously looked at them but then got surprised. "She even thought about that?"

They had uniforms with buttons on so they could just hook the buttons on and they wouldn't fly away or towards their face.

They had that problem often with the cloth.

He put the hat on a surprised young soldier and closed the lops around buttons and nodded. "Simple and smart. Good. Very good. When we get back we can show this to general and make hats for sump area this way. Now, this is something no one thought off. Very good. She said the nearby clothing store. Let's go."

The woman was astonished by their coming and when he asked where she bought that think cloth she was in wonder. So long no one wanted but now already two interested. On the end, she became the main supplier for the army as that cloth was made by her own cousin.

The family became lucky by simple occurrence. Getting such a big deal was good for everyone...