It was Shen Qingyao’s first time seriously going out for shopping. The ancient streets were quite different, so she looked around, touched here and there, feeling everything was fresh.
Shen Qingli didn’t stop Shen Qingyao, rare to see her sister so happy. She just followed behind, and whenever Shen Qingyao repeatedly touched or asked about something, she immediately bought it and handed it to the guard who came with them. In no time, the two sisters have bought a lot of things, and the guard, who originally looked handsome with a long sword, now carried bags of various sizes, looking a bit comical.
Shen Qingyao couldn’t help but laugh at the sight, and she restrained herself a bit. She stopped buying things that made her look like a country bumpkin.
Maybe because she was too excited, Shen Qingyao’s small face was flushed, and there were beads of sweat on her forehead.
Shen Qingli noticed this and looked at the sun. She realized that it was too hot, so she went over to pull Shen Qingyao, took out a handkerchief to wipe off the sweat on Shen Qingyao’s forehead, tapped Shen Qingyao’s nose, and said, “Look at you, getting sunburned! Your cold just got better, are you trying to get sunstroke now!”
“I won’t…” Shen Qingyao instinctively wanted to refute but lost confidence halfway. With her body’s condition, she really couldn’t refute it.
“Let’s go, the store in front is the jade shop Mother gave me. Want to take a look?” Shen Qingli turned her head to ask Shen Qingyao.
In fact, the main purpose of this outing was for this. Shen Qingli would marry the Fifth Prince in the next half year, and in order to train her in managing the household, Mother Shen specially gave her several shops to learn to manage. Today was the first time she came out to inspect.
But Shen Qingli was careful when talking about this, afraid of unintentionally hurting Shen Qingyao. It wasn’t that Mother Shen didn’t give Shen Qingyao shops; it was just that considering her health, Mother Shen didn’t want her to overexert herself, so Mother Shen found a reliable person to help her run the business. Shen Qingli was afraid that she might feel self-pity due to her own physical condition.
Shen Qingyao didn’t think so deeply. As a carefree person, she would be happy as long as there were food and fun. She naturally had no objection to Shen Qingli’s suggestion. It was said that the ancient jade carving craftsmanship was excellent, and she had always liked such things. Now, being able to go to the jade shop herself to take a look was also interesting! So, she happily nodded immediately.
The shopkeeper was a plump middle-aged man. When he saw the two sisters, he greeted them with a smile, “Miss, you’re here! Is this the Third Miss? Please, please…”
As he walked, he continued to talk enthusiastically, “We’ve been looking forward to Miss’s arrival for quite some time! The jade business was not doing well a few years ago. Thanks to the designs that Miss sent, we could establish a stable position in the capital. I heard that from now on, Miss will manage this shop, and the staff is overjoyed!”
Shen Qingyao looked at her calm and confident Elder Sister with admiration. She was thinking that the business ability of the female lead was truly remarkable! It was like having a cheat!
The plump shopkeeper continued, “A batch of excellent stones arrived a few days ago, and we were about to deliver them to the mansion. Since the two Young Ladies are here, you can pick some. I’ll have someone make jewelry for the two Young Ladies!”
Shen Qingli, who has been quietly listening, slightly paused and then said, “I don’t need it. Yaoyao, go take a look. Maybe you’ll find something you like?”
The shopkeeper, who has been working for the Shen family for many years, naturally knew the Shen family’s favoritism for Shen Qingyao, and he had no objections. He smiled and invited the two sisters to the inner hall.
While Shen Qingli went to check the account books, Shen Qingyao wandered around the shop. It was undeniable that the shop is well-managed. Though not bustling, it was far more lively than other quiet jade shops in the area.
Her eyes casually scan the jade artifacts on the counter, which were intricately and uniquely crafted. Suddenly, her gaze was captivated by a small jade pendant in the corner. It was a fox-shaped carving, pure white throughout, with a hint of red at the tip of the fox’s tail. The little fox was carved vividly, with a smiling face that appears both mischievous and lifelike, as if it could come to life at any moment.
“Does Third Miss like this?” The plump shopkeeper had a keen eye and, seeing Shen Qingyao deeply fascinated, directly took out the jade fox and handed it to her.
Shen Qingyao nodded, the little fox felt warm to the touch, and with a touch, she could tell it was an excellent jade material.
“I don’t want those stones just now. Can I have this?” Shen Qingyao asked softly, holding the little fox. Somehow, she thought of Lu Zhao and felt that he was exactly like this jade fox.
“Of course,” the plump shopkeeper readily agreed. It was, after all, the Shen family’s shop, and it wasn’t something particularly valuable. Since she was taking something from her own family’s shop, there was naturally no problem.
Shen Qingyao felt delighted and said, “Thank you, shopkeeper.”
She didn’t bother looking at other jade carvings and happily sat aside, playing with her newly acquired jade fox.
“Yaoyao, are you hungry?” After checking the accounts and managing various affairs with the shopkeeper, Shen Qingli realized that her sister had been out for a long time without eating and couldn’t help asking.
Shen Qingyao nodded, holding the little fox, and asked, “Elder Sister, are you done with your tasks?”
Shen Qingli smiled and agreed. When she saw what Shen Qingyao was holding, she paused for a moment and said, “Why did you choose this?”
Shen Qingyao was puzzled, “What’s wrong with this?”
But Shen Qingli only smiled without explaining further. She waved at Shen Qingyao and said, “Come on, let me take you to Ruyi Pavillion for some snacks.”
Shen Qingyao’s eyes lit up, and the little confusion in her mind was instantly forgotten. She loved sweets, and Shen Yushu often brought her some snacks from Ruyi Pavillion when he returned home. The taste was indeed good. During these days of being forced to abstain from good food due to illness, she had been craving for a long time. She really needed something delicious to rescue her mouth and stomach from the domination of Chinese medicine!
After arriving at Ruyi Pavillion, the two didn’t enter a private room. Shen Qingli took Shen Qingyao to a second-floor window seat. To the left was the bustling street view of the capital, to the right was the lively and noisy atmosphere inside the building. It perfectly satisfied Shen Qingyao’s love for watching the hustle and bustle. She leaned over the windowsill, one hand supporting her chin, and the other playing with the little trinket in her hand. It was a rare moment of relaxation for her.
At this time, at the street corner, a figure concealed itself in the shadows, observing the surging crowd. At some moment, when no one was paying attention, the person stepped out, vanished in the crowd in the blink of an eye.
Shen Qingli, who was pouring tea upstairs, happened to see this scene. Her gaze sharpened, the hand pouring tea paused for a moment, then resumed as normal. However, in the instant the cup was lifted, she cast a meaningful glance behind her. The guard was skilled, and instantly understood Shen Qingli’s meaning, nodded, and chased after the figure.
All of this went unnoticed by Shen Qingyao, but Shen Qingyao had her system.
[Host! Just now, there was a suspicious figure on the street! I saw the female lead ordering someone to follow!!] The system detected everything that happened earlier and promptly reported it to Shen Qingyao, seemingly proud to ‘inform’ her.
Shen Qingyao was surprised and asked, “Who is it? Do you know?”
[Um…] The system paused as if searching for something. After a moment, it excitedly shouted, [Found it!]
[Background information indicates that currently, the male lead, who is the Fifth Prince Xiao Mu, was assigned by the Emperor to investigate a corruption case of some officials. One crucial witness has gone missing, and the female lead happened to have seen that person by chance. Later, relying on her exceptional memory, she recognized the crucial witness! That’s how she helped the male lead solve the case this time!] The system went on and on, speaking enthusiastically. [It was this help that finally established a cooperative relationship between the male and female leads. Their interactions increased, and the male lead gradually began to appreciate and fall in love with the female lead!]
[Host! This is it! It should be this that was happening right now!]
“I know!! Quiet down!” Shen Qingyao pressed the excited system, asking it to lower its volume. It kept loudly clamoring all day as if it had never seen the world!
Shen Qingyao pretended not to know, holding a pastry to her mouth, her eyes wandering around as she secretly observed her Elder Sister. She saw her Elder Sister gracefully making tea, with calm and serene expression, showing no signs of nervousness about encountering a key NPC.
The female lead is indeed the female lead! So reliable! Shen Qingyao sighed.
Not long after, the disappeared guard returned. He nodded at Shen Qingli, and Shen Qingli’s expression changed as she looked over. Shen Qingyao immediately sat up straight, averted her gaze. She guessed that her Elder Sister would soon find an excuse to leave.
Sure enough, Shen Qingli apologized, “Yaoyao, I suddenly remembered that I left something in that shop. Can you wait here alone for a while? Elder sister will come to pick you up soon, okay?”
Shen Qingyao naturally had no objection. She nodded, obediently saying, “Okay, go ahead, Elder Sister.”
It wouldn’t be good if the female lead missed the key NPC!
Shen Qingli smiled and added, “Yaoyao, don’t be afraid, someone will come to accompany you.”
Who? Shen Qingyao was puzzled, but her Elder Sister didn’t elaborate. After instructing Cui Qiao a few more words, she left two guards behind with Shen Qingyao and hurried away.
Shen Qingyao leaned on her chin and drank tea absentmindedly. She silently thought that it seemed the male and female leads were also progressing in the plot somewhere she couldn’t see! How nice.
Suddenly, there was a commotion on the first floor, as if someone had drunk too much. The person was standing in the center of the hall and talking loudly with a coarse voice, making Shen Qingyao’s attention immediately drawn. She moved her body and leaned on the railing on the right, craning her neck to see the person on the first floor.
“Cui Qiao, who are those people below?”
Cui Qiao also glanced and saw several tall and well-dressed warriors in the hall. Their attire didn’t seem to be from the capital. After a moment of contemplation, Cui Qiao figured out their identities.
“Miss, they should be scholars who will participate in the examination next spring. Judging by their appearance, they seem to be participating in the martial arts examination.”
Examination next spring? Didn’t that mean they were considered Lu Zhao’s competitors? Shen Qingyao became interested and leaned on the railing to take a closer look.
Before she could see the people clearly, the big guy in the crowd slammed the wine jug in his hand on the ground. It shattered with a crash, causing a momentary silence in the entire Ruyi Pavillion. Shen Qingyao tilted her head, wondering if smashing wine jugs was a common practice in ancient times.
To this, the system said, [Not really, he just wants to attract attention!]
Shen Qingyao : …
The burly man seemed quite satisfied with the temporary silence caused by his smashing. He laughed heartily and, in the silence of the entire hall, arrogantly said, “What’s the big deal with that guy Lu Zhao! Just relying on his higher status, he thinks he can make a splash with that pretty boy appearance! Watch how I defeat him in the martial arts competition!”
“Hmm?” Shen Qingyao, who was watching the drama, suddenly realized that this drama belonged to her fiancé! She furrowed her brows intensely.
—Big Brother, do you know what you’re saying? Are you crazy…
Thanks for the chapter!!!!
Thank you
Indeed, a cannon fodder