Jiang Chengyuan, wearing a crescent-shaped long robe, tapped Second Young Master Jiang on the head with a folding fan, "Why are you asking so many questions?"
"We are brothers with the same grandmother. Our rankings also follow yours," Second Young Master Jiang glared. "Yet today you urgently called me over to help without explaining the truth. Be careful or I'll tattle to Grandmother."
Grown men still resort to tattling, just like when they were young.
Jiang Chengyuan laughed helplessly. He could only explain briefly, "This is a young lady I met in Anshui Prefecture. I've missed opportunities to help her a few times. Today's a rare chance, so of course I want to give her a hand."
"Then why don't you go yourself?" Second Young Master Jiang seized on the key point. "As the Jiang family's Eldest Young Master, your influence is much greater than mine from a branch family."
Jiang Chengyuan had no answer for this question.
How could he say that he had noticed every time he tried to help little Miss Jiang, it brought unease to his younger sister Jiang Chenghui. Even their mother had hit him over it once.
To avoid trouble and maintain the last shred of stability in Jiang Chenghui's heart, he had no choice but to ask his cousin Jiang Chengfeng for help.
"Alright alright, big brother will treat you to drinks," Jiang Chengyuan changed the subject. "We won't go to You Ranch today. We'll go somewhere else."
Jiang Chengfeng grumbled indistinctly and turned to leave, shouting about bleeding his cousin dry.
That day, Jiuzhen Store received orders for three custom cakes. One was from the Jiang family, relied on connections.
It seemed pitifully little, but was actually a bright beginning, affirming Jiang Sheng's hard work over this period.
With Eldest Brother busy with the imperial examinations, Second Brother traveling to another town, and Third Brother guarding the borders, the youngest girl had finally accomplished something to catch her brothers' attention.
Zhang Xianglian lavished even more praise, "Our little Jiang Sheng is getting better and better, taking care of things set by set, with more thoughtful consideration and meticulous planning."
"Yes, yes," Wen Zhiyun agreed. "Younger sister is getting more and more amazing, as outstanding as Second Brother."
"She really deserves praise," Chang Yan also nodded. "I heard you've started taking on referrals."
Jiang Sheng didn't want to get arrogant, but Auntie's and her brothers' alternating words of praise nearly made her spin circles on the spot.
Fortunately, the heavy weight of the silver bangle slipping down her wrist pulled her back to the world, reminding her of modesty. "It's only three customers. For Jiuzhen Store to become top choice for aristocratic ladies' banquets, there's still a long way to go. You can praise me then!"
Zhang Xianglian and Wen Zhiyun both laughed.
Only Chang Yan was observant, catching sight of the shine of silver revealed on her wrist, staring blankly for a moment.
Before he could inquire, Jiang Sheng suddenly slapped her forehead. "I've been so busy these days that I actually forgot something important!"
There was no such thing in this world as merely accepting gifts without reciprocating. Although she didn't know where Miss Yao's home was, she had to prepare a return gift to immediately give back if they met.
What would make a good gift?
Miss Yao had given her a silver bangle. Should she give a silver hairpin? Or a jade bangle?
If Second Brother was here, that would be best.
Jiang Sheng sighed regretfully. Still, she turned back to explain, "Auntie, Fourth and Fifth Brother, I need to go out for a bit. I'll be back before dinner."
Jiang San followed along consciously.
Zhang Xianglian wanted to ask concerned questions, but Chang Yan stopped her.
Only after the carriage left into the distance did he sidle up to Wen Zhiyun with knitted brows. "Do you know who younger sister's met these days?"
Little Doctor Wen blankly shook his head.
He spent every day sitting in the clinic seeing patients, most for free. The tiny bits of leisure time were all used to think about how to earn money, so he hadn't paid any attention to anything else.
But his younger brother's tone was too solemn. Wen Zhiyun stuttered a question, "Little Five, did something happen with younger sister?"
Chang Yan didn't answer. Instead, he muttered to himself, "Have we neglected Jiang Sheng too much?"
Wen Zhiyun was shocked and puzzled.
"From Xieyang to Fengjing, from pennies to over a thousand taels of savings, she's always worn the cheapest ready-made clothes, used the red string Auntie gave her, never picky, and didn't have any jewelry. We only worried about her food and clothing, only taught her to recognize words and grow up, watched her slowly learn how to do business, but forgot that girls her age love pretty things the most."
Beautiful clothes, exquisite embroidered shoes, delicate jewelry.
Jiang Sheng didn't ask, so they ignored it.
Although it was the brothers' first time being brothers, they had received parental love and all kinds of education, even seen magnificent worlds. They should have been more thoughtful than their wildly grown younger sister.
"If we don't give her these beautiful things, who else could?" Chang Yan went on. "Even if someone else gave them to her, could she really accept?"
Wen Zhiyun understood the implied meaning and his expression shifted to horror. "Little Five, are you saying some man crossed us to give younger sister jewelry?"
Chang Yan heavily nodded.
Who knew whether that wild man had ulterior motives, whether he would hurt younger sister?
Jiang Sheng liked jewelry and beautiful things. The brothers were willing to give them to her and not let her envy others in the slightest, or give outsiders a chance to trick her.
"Then Jiang Sheng just now..." Wen Zhiyun couldn't sit still, pulling out silver needles from the medicine box. "Little Five, we need to follow her to find out. We must follow to find out."
The two brothers tacitly agreed, calling Jiang Si to drive a carriage and repeatedly instructing him to follow Jiang San's carriage from not too near or far away.
Jiang Si, "..."
The young masters and miss seem to be playing some very new game.
Up ahead, Jiang Sheng directed Jiang San all the way to Fengjing's largest silver workshop.
There were dozens of silver craft masters here, laboring day and night to rush all kinds of novel silver ornaments for Fengjing's people to select.
As the material was silver, it could not be considered rare in prosperous Fengjing, so the customers going in and out ranged from young ladies of prestigious households to commoners.
Jiang Sheng brought Jiang San in smoothly. Amongst the countless silver ornaments, she chose and picked.
Only here did she discover there were actually so many kinds of silver ornaments—
Silver ornaments woven into headdresses, hollow filigreed phoenix crowns, even magistrate hats sculpted of silver. Who knew which dignitary was willing to wear that on their head?
Jiang Sheng muttered to herself and stopped at the hairpins section.
The hairpins here were truly beautiful. Compared to them, Uncle Zhang's plum blossom hairpin for Sister Cuier was practically too crude to look at.
When she returned to Anshui Prefecture, she definitely had to bring an attractive plum blossom hairpin for Sister Cuier.
Her thoughts wandered as her gaze swept over the silver hairpins, finally landing on an ingot-shaped one.
The other hairpins were either flowers or birds, or woven strands of silver. Rarely was there such a shape, plump and round and distinctive, with quality workmanship. On top of that, it was the same price as the flower and bird hairpins.
Jiang Sheng had a furtive sense of joy at finding treasure. She pointed at the big ingot. "I want this one."
The silver workshop used clear pricing without bargaining at all.
After paying eighteen taels of silver, Jiang Sheng carefully tucked the purchase into her bosom. She had just left when she saw a pair of mistress and servant entering.
The young lady in front had delicate features, with rippling eyes conveying abandon and liveliness.
The expressionless maid behind occasionally revealed helplessness. If not Mistress Yao Siqing and servant, who else could they be?
Jiang Sheng was overjoyed. She rushed over in a few quick steps, "Miss Yao, I've caught you!"
"Oh my, Jiang Sheng?" Yao Siqing gave a startled yelp then reacted, pulling her out of the silver workshop. "What are you doing here? Their things aren't cheap."
Jiang Sheng smiled as she presented the heavy silver hairpin. "Picked for elder sister."
Completely ignoring that Yao Siqing hadn't even asked her for her full name.
