Things were going well. Mochou and Yichen headed over to the next stop. They planned to stop by the craftsmen's district. The area had shops selling pots, pans, jars, knives, and wood. It basically had everything they would need for Mochou to hunt or cook. Yichen also planned to buy some other things to repair their little hut.
"Mochou, let's go in here. They have some different sizes and types of pots and pans. You can chose the ones you want." Yichen excitedly said.
Mochou had no problem with the situation. He followed along quietly as they entered the shop. Once inside he saw several pots and pans hanging from the wall and placed on the tables. Like Yichen said there were several sizes and types.
Mochou was attracted to one pot that was shaped like a large wok.
"That would be perfect!" Mochou thought.
He walked over and reached out to grab the pot.
"Don't touch that!" The shopkeeper shouted.
Mochou pulled his hand back and looked over at Yichen unsure of what to do. Yichen was upset with the situation and stepped forward with clenched fists.
"Don't shout at my spouse!" Yichen shouted back at him.
The man wasn't intimidated. He stood tall and stared at Yichen with an unwavering gaze.
"What's going on?" Mochou wondered.
"We don't allow GERs inside this shop. He needs to get out." The man said.
"Laws forbidding women and GERs inside shops haven't existed for over a decade. My spouse has every right to be in here. He is also the one who will be cooking with these pots and pans. He needs to choose which one he will use." Yichen retorted.
"My shop my rules. If you want to buy my wares he has to leave." The man said.
Yichen wasn't willing to back down. Mochou was his spouse and he refused to let him or anyone look down on him. However when he stepped forward Mochou grabbed his hand and pulled him back.
"Is this the only shop?" Mochou asked when Yichen looked at him.
"No, but..."
"Yichen, I don't mind. Let's go to the next shop." Mochou insisted. He didn't want to cause a big ruckus over a few pots. He also preferred not supporting a shopkeeper who refused service to GERs.
Yichen, could tell Mochou wasn't comfortable so he agreed and they left the shop.
Walking to the next shop Mochou felt compelled to ask about what happened.
"Yichen, would it be better if you went into the shops alone?" Mochou asked.
"No, what that man did is no longer acceptable. It's not against the law for GERs or woman to shop. Although most GERs and woman stick to the general stores and clothing shops." Yichen said with a remorseful tone.
"I can tell you what I want and..."
"You can come in and shop. If they have a problem I'll handle it." Yichen promised.
Mochou wanted to say he didn't want to be a bother but then decided against it. He actually quite liked the idea of Yichen being his hero for the day and he knew Yichen was sincere when he said he would handle any problems.
...
The next shop was smaller and their biggest pot wasn't shaped like a wok but the shopkeeper didn't seem adverse to Mochou's presence in the store.
"What do you think?" Yichen asked in a low whisper.
"Can we check another shop first?" Mochou asked. He really wanted a wok like he saw in the first shop.
Yichen didn't seem to mind and they tried another shop. This time Mochou found a wok that was a decent size. When he saw it he got a little excited but he didn't rush towards it like he did at the first shop.
"Yichen, can we buy that round pot? The one in the middle there." Mochou whispered.
"I'll go check." Yichen said. When he walked up he spoke to the salesperson and they seemed to reach an agreement rather quickly. Yichen walked back to Mochou with a smile.
"That pot is for sale. Are there any others you want?" Yichen asked.
Mochou was glad so he looked around and he saw a nice large pot that would be good to boil water in. After looking around some more he also found a shallow pan that would be good for frying and stuff.
"That one and the pan there as well. If they aren't too expensive." Mochou said. Yichen didn't seem to care about the price of things and quickly walked over and grabbed both pots and the pan. Mochou tried to sneak closer to get a peek at how much money Yichen was spending but for some reason his view was blocked by Yichen's broad back.
After they were done they left the shop and Mochou could finally ask.
"How much did they cost?"
"Not much." Was Yichen's reply.
"I don't have a very good sense of money. Could you explain it to me?" Mochou asked again. He insisted on knowing so he could have a better sense of how valuable his little rabbits were.
"It cost a total of 1 large silver and 2 small silver." Yichen said.
"A large silver and 2 small silver? Come to think of it the rabbits were apparently 4 small silver and 3 large copper. Does money go small copper to large copper then small silver to large silver?" Mochou wondered. He wanted to ask more but now wasn't the best time for a math lesson.
"I hoped my rabbits would be worth more but I guess not." Mochou though a little disappointed that his two little rabbits didn't even cover the cost of a pan.
...
The next shop they went to was a carpenter shop. They not only had premade furniture and wooden wares but also good quality wood pieces. Mochou had asked to go to this type of shop so he could get wood for his bow. The arrows themselves could be bought at a shop but the bow needed to be made by him.
Before heading in Mochou hesitated a little again. Buying the wood was really important to him and he didn't want to miss this opportunity.
"Yichen, I really need to be able to look at the wood and touch it myself. Will the shopkeeper be angry? I feel like this type of shop wouldn't normally have a GER for a customer." Mochou said.
"If they don't we can find another." Yichen said. Despite knowing the next shop that sold good quality wood was outside of town.
Mochou trusted Yichen and they entered the shop. Right away the smell of wood hit Mochou's nose.
"It smells good." Mochou thought as he glanced around the shop. Not long after the shopkeeper walked over with a menacing glare.
"What do you need?" The man asked in a deep brisk voice.
"We are looking for some buckets and some
Long wood." Yichen answered back with a light smile. He had not intention of fearing or being intimidated by the man.
"Buckets are over there. What kind of wood do you want?" The man asked.
"My GER and a I would like to have a closer look at the wood you have and select something from it." Yichen said.
The man looked down at Mochou. At first Mochou thought the man would refuse but after a few seconds he turned his attention back to Yichen and agreed.
They were led to the back of the shop that had barrels full of long pieces of wood. Mochou looked at them and right away he knew he would need the necessary tools to whittle them down for his purposes.
But he didn't mind. It was actually a hobby of his that he picked up in the army. As a survival skill he learned how to make simple tools out of wood. Later he expanded on his rudimentary skill and grew quite skilled in woodworking and carving.
It was a skill that later proved very useful during the apocalypse. He actually made most of his teams protective gear and his bows and arrows out of scrap wood found in the ruins.
As Mochou looked through the wood he carefully tested three aspects of each piece. First he checked the flexibility and density. Too dense would be heavy and break easily, but too flexible and it wouldn't have much power.
Next he smelt the wood. Every wood has a unique scent much like flowers. By smelling it Mochou had a better idea of what type of wood it was. Knowing the type of tree meant knowing the properties of the wood.
Last he checked for any flaws, cracks, knots or other imperfections. Even the smallest one could mean the difference between a successful hunt or a splintered chunk of scrap wood.
While he checked each piece the shopkeeper watched him closely. While he did that Yichen stood guard and watch the shopkeeper. Like a protective dog Yichen was ready to attack at the slightest provocation.
"Yichen, I've decided." Mochou finally said as he set aside three very distinct pieces of wood.
Yichen didn't seem to care what wood Mochou picked but the shopkeeper was definitely curious.
"What are you planning to make?" He asked Yichen.
"A bow." Yichen said in Mochou's place. Mochou didn't say anything it seemed that in this world it wasn't proper for men to speak directly to women or GERs.
The man frowned at Yichen's answer. He looked at Mochou then at the wood.
"That won't work." He said.
Yichen wanted to trust Mochou's judgement but the man was a professional so he couldn't help but have some doubt. He looked at Mochou for some kind of answer.
"Normally this type would be too hard, but my bow is different. It needs a stronger wood." Mochou said in a low voice.
"This wood is what we want. We also need woodworking tools." Yichen said. All doubt he had was now gone and he spoke with confidence.
The salesperson glanced at Mochou but seemed to decide it wasn't worth his effort. He walked to the back of the shop and pulled out a wooden box and placed it on the table. Inside seemed to be the typical woodworking tools Mochou would need to make his bow.
Yichen looked at Mochou for confirmation that it was what he wanted. Mochou glanced at the items in the box and nodded. It certainly had everything he expected.
After paying for the tools, wood and buckets Mochou helped put them inside the bamboo basket and they left the shop without incident.
"Yichen, if we need more wood I think that shop would be great." Mochou commented as they walked towards the next shop.
"I agree. The shopkeeper seemed reasonable and they had a lot of different wood and quality furniture." Yichen said as he lead Mochou to there next stop.
...
The next shop was the weapons shop to pick up a good knife and some arrows. Even before he entered the shop Mochou had a bad feeling. He didn't understand why but then out of the shop came a father and his son.
The moment Mochou saw the man his body shook and he stepped back towards Yichen. Noticing his strange behaviour Yichen turned to check on him.
"What's wrong?" Yichen whispered while on guard.
"I don't know, but that man..."
Mochou suddenly froze when the man looked at him. His throat tightened and he found it difficult to breath. Yichen turned back and glared at the man.
The man looked at him with disgust. He even clicked his tongue at the sight. Worse was the young child next to the man.
"Monster! Kill it." The boy shouted with a malicious laugh as he pointed at Mochou.
"Shut up you brat!" Yichen shouted back. If it wasn't a child he might have even punched the little brat.
The man seemed to take offence and stepped forward to hit him. Yichen welcomed the opportunity to vent some of the anger that had built up from witnessing how poorly people treated Mochou.
Mochou felt warm and fuzzy at the sight but soon it changed to worry.
"Yichen, let's go. We have have a lot to do today." Mochou softly said as he grabbed Yichen's arm.
Yichen hesitated but the other man didn't. He slammed his foot down and swung wide towards Yichen's face. When he did Mochou reacted first and using the palm of his hand struck the man's arm upwards and away from Yichen. It wasn't a strong attack but it was enough to divert the punch away.
The man was surprised by the defensive strike and after regaining his footing he planned to strike again. However this time Yichen was prepared and he grabbed the man's arm to flip him over his shoulder. Mochou stared at Yichen and smiled.
"My husband can fight!" Mochou thought happily at the sight.
He knew Yichen's body was well built but that didn't always translate to having good fighting skills. Seeing Yichen show off his skills even if only for a brief moment brought an intense joy to his heart.
The man groaned as he lay on his back. The little boy ran over to his father and squatted next to him.
"Monster! How dare you hurt my father!" The boy shouted angrily.
"Call my bae a monster one more time and I'll throw you in the well!" Yichen threatened.
The boy shook from the threat but didn't seem to want to back down. Mochou could tell the man was recovering quickly so he grabbed Yichen's clenched fist.
"Yichen, let's go."
Yichen wasn't quite satisfied but Mochou was right. If they continued to fight the Yamen might arrive. He opened his clenched fist and took Mochou's hand before hurrying away.
The man shouted after them but Yichen and Mochou were too quick and easily disappeared into the crowded streets.
...