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墨書 Inktalez
Fu Lianyin hurriedly said goodbye to Yun Jinxiu and rushed to catch up with Yun Kexin. As she stepped out of the North Courtyard, she grabbed her by the sleeve and sternly admonished, "Seventh Young Lady, how can you speak to Third Uncle like that?"
"I didn't. I just feel uncomfortable hearing Third Uncle look down on women," Yun Kexin replied frankly.
"That doesn't mean you can talk to an elder like that," Fu Lianyin said, momentarily taken aback before continuing.
"I understand. I'll find a chance to talk to Third Uncle again," Yun Kexin lazily responded, then looked up and asked, "Mother, I've been feeling restless in the residence these past few days. Can I go out for a walk?"
Fu Lianyin's first reaction was to disagree, but then she thought about the rift caused by the "mother-daughter" situation last night and decided to take this opportunity to "make amends."
"Go ahead. It’s just right for Seventh Young Lady to buy something for Mother," Fu Lianyin smiled and said. "I'll have Feng Momo and Jinxiu accompany you." Jinxiu was a newly bought maid, thirteen years old, who had just completed five months at Duke's Residence.
Yun Kexin felt cold; finally having a chance to go out for some fresh air, but now it seemed she would be running errands for Fu Lianyin.
"What does Mother want to buy?"
"First, get some medicinal herbs for Master to make soup for his health," Fu Lianyin instructed one by one, as if testing Yun Kexin's memory. "Also buy some knitting supplies for Mother, some food and toys for Eighth Younger Sister, and you should get some food and supplies for yourself as well."
Yun Kexin smiled and nodded, indicating she had noted everything down. Then Fu Lianyin sent Feng Momo and Jinxiu to the accounting room to fetch some silver before letting them go.
Walking through the bustling marketplace, weaving through the crowd, the warm sunlight made Yun Kexin feel bright inside. The sounds that filled her ears were no longer the gossip from the big house but rather the lively sounds of horses trotting, vendors shouting, shop assistants calling out, and old ladies haggling—all of which felt familiar and comforting.
"Seventh Sister, there's a herbal medicine shop up ahead that mainly sells food supplements," Feng Momo pointed out with a smile. "Let's go take a look."
Jinxiu happily chimed in—these days had been tense and busy. After the mishap at the Three Old Lords' birthday celebration, all the maids and servants had been on edge; even the masters' wives dared not speak loudly, making everyone feel stifled. Finally, they could breathe a little easier. She preferred following Yun Kexin; Yun Xiao was too burdensome, while Yun Ran was always domineering and looked down on the servants. Only Seventh Sister was not fierce and treated her well.
After they finished buying the food supplements and stepped outside, Jinxiu couldn't help but bend over laughing. "Sister, you are too good at bargaining! What should have cost 100 coins ended up being halved!" She turned to Feng Momo with laughter that left her breathless. "Nursemaid, did you see that? The innkeeper's face turned green!"
"Some shopkeepers are afraid of customers haggling and intentionally raise the prices. I certainly won't be polite about it." Yun Ke chuckled mischievously, then looked at the paper bag held by Feng Momo. She smiled apologetically and said, "But that price I just haggled was a bit too harsh. I estimate it should be around 0 Wen because those herbs are quite good. However, I think if the shopkeeper feels it's a loss, they wouldn't sell it, so it doesn't matter."
"Seventh Sister is indeed a clever one," Feng Momo laughed cheerfully. "As servants, we don't care about the price when buying things; whatever the ladies give us, we just buy that amount and report it honestly."
Yun Kexin smiled lightly: these servants have no idea of the master's difficulties. In name, it's Duke's Residence, but in reality, the title has been temporarily revoked, and the original salary is gone. Father, as a marquis, works at Hanlin Academy; Uncle is at the Imperial Medical Office; Third Uncle is the Minister of Personnel. Their salaries are considerable, but only half goes to the accounts office while the rest is kept for personal use. Whether it's the First House, Second House, or Third House, as long as it's for public use, it comes from the accounts office. Although it’s still somewhat ample, they can't afford to spend extravagantly. In her previous life, Yun Kexin often heard Fu Lianyin privately complain about Mother "misusing public funds." Upon reflection in this life, it might not be so simple. One reason she decided to follow Fourth Uncle to "see the world" was to learn some skills to help her parents.
"Feng Momo, it's not that I want to fuss over that little money," Yun Kexin said with a smile. "It depends on whether it's worth it. I never skimp on necessary expenses and won't cut a single coin short, but I still need to be careful about what to pay attention to. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Sister," Feng Momo nodded with a smile. "We are going to buy knitting supplies for the lady now, as well as some food and toys for Eighth Sister."
Yun Kexin frowned slightly: Fu Lianyin is really quite "impressive"! Mother distributes monthly silver to each house every month as part of the household budget; however, Third House always runs out in half a month and then reaches out to the accounts office again. Yet what they buy are all personal items for Third House and they prefer expensive ones, making it seem like that accounts office belongs to her alone—it's excessive!
"Feng Momo, I'll handle the shopping this time," Yun Kexin said coldly with a smile. "If Mother or Father asks about it later, just say it's my decision."
"Yes, Seventh Sister," Feng Momo was surprised by how quickly Seventh Sister changed from cheerful to gloomy and thought she must have done something wrong. She forced a smile and said, "Sister, what’s wrong? We should just do what we’re supposed to do as servants."
Jinxiu was also taken aback and looked at Yun Kexin: "Sister, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell? Should we go back?"
"No, let's go," Yun Kexin said after a moment of silence before putting on a smile again. "Let's check out some jewelry stores later."
After buying what they needed for Fu Lianyin and Yun Xiao, the three went to a nearby jewelry store called Shimei and browsed through an array of dazzling jewelry.
"Seventh Sister, look at that agate hairpin!" Jinxiu pointed at a hairpin displayed on the wall and exclaimed excitedly. "It's so beautiful! You should wear it; it would look great on you."
Yun Kexin smiled noncommittally; she already had more than one similar hairpin and didn't need any more.
"Excuse me, do you have Seven-Colored Glass Beads for sale?" Yun Kexin asked the busy shop assistant.
Shop Assistant originally thought the voice came from either Feng Momo or Jinxiu, who were dressed like servants, and didn't bother to respond. Since the Seven-Colored Glass Beads were somewhat expensive, not something an ordinary family could afford, there was no need to pay attention to them. However, upon noticing a well-dressed Yun Kexin in the middle, they realized their mistake and quickly nodded and smiled, saying, "Yes, yes, please wait a moment, miss."
The Shop Assistant turned around and took down the string of Seven-Colored Glass Beads hanging in the center of the counter, bringing it in front of Yun Kexin to show off. "We only received five strings this time, and there's just one left for sale. Look at the materials and craftsmanship. It's beautiful."
The Seven-Colored Glass Beads sparkled with dazzling light in Yun Kexin's eyes, crystal clear. The Buddha Image on top was also varied in form and exquisite, truly something her grandmother would love.
"How much for this?" Yun Kexin asked with a smile while staring at the Seven-Colored Glass Beads.
"Five taels of silver!" The Innkeeper stepped forward, spreading his palm with five fingers extended.
Yun Kexin was taken aback. "Is it really that expensive?" In truth, she knew the price was around that range.
"Miss, it's not too expensive," the Innkeeper said smoothly with his persuasive tongue. "Not to mention the quality of the Seven-Colored Glass Beads, just the polishing and carving alone require a lot of effort. We're only making a little profit here."
"How about two and a half taels?" Yun Kexin asked straightforwardly.
The Innkeeper shook his head with closed eyes, indicating it was impossible. Jinxiu and Feng Momo chimed in to support him. Eventually, they settled at four taels but still wouldn't budge. Yun Kexin, pondering her situation, realized she had shown too much enthusiasm for the Seven-Colored Glass Beads, which made the Innkeeper believe she wouldn't want to part with them easily. Given that, should she pretend to be uninterested? She wondered if the Innkeeper would compromise. But before she could think further, her desired Seven-Colored Glass Beads were taken by someone else, followed by a calm voice saying, "Innkeeper, this young master is willing to pay double for these Seven-Colored Glass Beads."
Surprised, Yun Kexin turned around to see a young master around ten years old beside her, wearing a Purple Gold Crown, with distinct facial features and dressed in a dark wide-sleeved python robe and golden-embroidered boots. He had three Sachet at his waist and a large jade pendant on his right side; his status was clearly extraordinary. Next to him stood another young man slightly older than him, dressed in a pale pink gauze shirt with a straight collar, hair styled in a topknot, with delicate features and a round face that looked somewhat youthful.
"I'm sorry, young master, but I saw these Seven-Colored Glass Beads first," Yun Kexin replied calmly.
"But didn't you just say they were too expensive to buy?" the Purple Gold Crown Young Master mocked coldly.
"I thought they were a bit pricey, but did I ever say I couldn't afford them?" Yun Kexin retorted without revealing her emotions.
"But you have already shown regret," the Purple Gold Crown Young Master insisted without giving an inch. "Moreover, I have offered several times the price to the shopkeeper; can you offer more than me?" He then turned to the Innkeeper. "Innkeeper, you can sell to whoever you wish."
"How unreasonable!" Jinxiu couldn't help but interject, "These Seven-Colored Glass Beads are what our Seventh Sister has set her eyes on. We were just about to pay when you showed up, and even tempted the innkeeper with a higher price. How can this be? If I were the shopkeeper, I would sell to the one offering the higher price."
"This lady is quite reasonable," the Purple Gold Crown Young Master laughed heartily. "The so-called 'business sense' is just like this. If you don't sell at a high price, are you going to sell at a low price instead?!"
"You..." Jinxiu was left speechless, not expecting that such a short remark would be used against her. She felt frustrated and said, "Do you know who our sister is?"
"Who is she?" The Purple Gold Crown Young Master turned to glance at Yun Kexin and then coldly sneered, "Aren't they all the same? One nose and two eyes; I can't see any difference."
"Duke of E State Mansion's Seventh Sister," Feng Momo proudly introduced herself.
Upon hearing this, the Purple Gold Crown Young Master merely smiled slightly, seemingly unconcerned. However, another young man accompanying him was taken aback for a moment. Suddenly, his gaze sharpened, and he quickly urged the Purple Gold Crown Young Master, "Qin Young Master, let's go."
The Purple Gold Crown Young Master asked in confusion, "Go? Why should we? This young master has already decided to buy."
"Come on, let's hurry," the young man forcibly pulled the Purple Gold Crown Young Master out of the shop and whispered, "Let me explain on the way."
Yun Kexin watched as the two young men left. She was still trying to wrap her head around it: why did one react to her identity as if she were an ordinary person while the other seemed like he was facing a great enemy? It was truly baffling. (To be continued)
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