“The money your mother gives you, you should keep for yourself. When you go out, I’ll give you some silver to spend.” For her only daughter, how could Hesheli Shi possibly be unwilling to be generous?
“Mother, I have money,” Lanzhu felt a warm sensation in her heart from her mother’s actions.
“Save your money. I have plenty here.”
“Don’t be afraid to spend money. If nothing else, at least your mother doesn’t lack silver.”
“When you go out, have fun. If you see something you like, buy it. If you don’t have enough money, just charge it to the Tongjia Residence, and I’ll settle the bill at the end of the month.”
“Mother, you’re so good to me.” Lanzhu threw herself into her mother’s arms, unable to resist acting spoiled.
With such a good mother, she couldn’t bear to let her worry about her.
“Silly girl, you’re my daughter. If I’m not good to you, who should I be good to?” Hesheli Shi enjoyed the rare moment of her daughter’s affection.
After Nanny Yun returned, Hesheli Shi handed the silver notes to Liu Chun to hold, then began to urge her daughter, “Didn’t you say you wanted to go out?”
“It’s still early. If you don’t want to come back for lunch, that’s fine too. Once you’re out, have a good time.”
“I understand, Mother.”
“Go on.”
After sending her daughter off, Hesheli Shi’s face turned serious, “Go to the Eldest Miss’s courtyard and find out about today’s situation.”
“Yes, Madam,” Yiyun replied with her head lowered.
…
After leaving the Tongjia Residence, Lanzhu headed towards the bustling East Main Street of the Capital City.
Originally, Lanzhu wanted to go to West Main Street, but after thinking it over, she decided not to mention it.
It was rare for noble ladies in the Capital City to be heard of going to West Main Street, and at this time, she naturally had no intention of standing out.
It had been almost a year since Empress Xiaocheng’s passing, and the solemn atmosphere in the Capital City had dissipated quite a bit. Although everyone’s smiles still carried a hint of restraint, at least people seemed much happier.
“Eldest Miss, where should we go first?”
“Today is the first day of the second month. I heard there’s a lantern festival by the Moat. Why don’t we go take a look?” After going out, Lanzhu’s mood improved significantly, and she appeared to have the lively spirit of a girl in her early teens.
Liu Chun smiled helplessly, “Gege, the lantern festival only gets lively in the evening. There’s not much going on now.”
“Besides, at this time, even the lantern festival wouldn’t dare to be too extravagant.” There were still three months left in the mourning period for Empress Xiaocheng, and the Capital City was right under the Emperor’s nose. How could anyone dare to lead by example in making mistakes?
Lanzhu felt a bit disappointed, “Really?”
Seeing this, Liu Chun changed her tone, “But it’s still quite lively there. We can book a restaurant and watch the excitement from upstairs.”
Liu Chun, after all, was soft-hearted towards the Gege.
“That works.”
The carriage made its way towards the Moat, and as they got closer, the crowd grew denser. By the time they reached the Moat, the area was packed with people.
Liu Xia carefully escorted the Gege into the most luxurious restaurant nearby, and under the personal guidance of the manager, they went to the exclusive spot reserved for the Tongjia Residence.
In any famous restaurant, the Tongjia family had reserved spots. This was an unspoken rule among the great families.
“Gege, this spot is perfect. Come and take a look,” Liu Dong said, checking the view by the window, which offered a perfect view of the central area of the Moat.
“What’s happening down there?” This was the first time Lanzhu had seen such a grand scene in the Capital City.
Previously, her mother and father thought she was too young and didn’t often let her go out on such big occasions.
“Gege, come see for yourself,” Liu Dong said, making room by the window and calling out to the Gege with a smile.
Lanzhu slowly walked to the window. This spot was right on the main street, and looking down, she saw a bustling scene.
Although it wasn’t evening yet, the street was already filled with people shouting and bustling about.
Lanzhu’s eyes reflected the city’s prosperity, and a smile unconsciously appeared on her lips, “It’s really lively.”
“If you like it, Gege, we can come again next time,” Liu Xia said, seeing her master’s mood brighten, and she smiled along.
“We can’t go out every time there’s excitement,” Lanzhu laughed, being coaxed.
“Gege, as long as you ask, when has Madam ever refused?” Liu Dong chimed in.
“The lanterns aren’t out yet, or else I’d go down and win a couple for you,” Liu Dong said.
“Liu Dong, don’t boast. Among us, only Gege has that skill. You’d just end up being a joke,” Liu Xia teased Liu Dong.
“You’re just jealous of me,” Liu Dong pretended to be angry and ran towards Liu Chun.
They all knew that Gege was feeling a bit down today, so they deliberately tried to cheer her up.
It worked quite well, as Gege’s eyes were now filled with laughter.
“Gege, you’re smiling,” Liu Chun said.
“Thank you for cheering me up. Let’s return to the residence a bit later today. Is there anything you want to eat?” Receiving a gift from her cousin, Lanzhu felt both happy and not so happy, which made her seem a bit listless.
After going out, she figured it out. It’s better that her cousin remembered her than not at all.
As for what others might think, why should she worry about that? When the boat reaches the bridge, it will naturally straighten out. It’s not something she should be concerned about now.
There aren’t many years of freedom left, so why seek trouble for herself?
Living peacefully and happily for these two years is the right thing to do.
“Then we thank Gege,” the maids said.
After watching the excitement and having lunch, they went to the Treasure Pavilion.
Since her mother had mentioned it, they might as well take a look and get her mother a piece of jewelry.
When Lanzhu and her entourage arrived, there were still two or three people on the first floor browsing. The manager didn’t personally greet them but stood by the counter doing accounts.
When he heard the commotion and looked up, he saw Lanzhu entering with her maids. The manager, who had been calm as water, suddenly beamed with joy.
“Oh! This morning, I heard magpies chirping, and it turns out it’s because Tongjia Gege is visiting. Let me lead you to the second floor,” the manager quickly came out from behind the counter, bowing as he escorted Tongjia Gege upstairs.
Lanzhu glanced casually at the others on the first floor and didn’t pay much attention, following the manager’s footsteps to the second floor.
“Mother, is that the Empress…” a young girl on the first floor began to speak, but was stopped by an older woman beside her.
“Yunshang, have you forgotten what your mother told you?”
The young girl lowered her head, “Mother, I haven’t forgotten.”
“If you haven’t forgotten, then listen more and speak less.”
“Especially when you’re outside. You have two years until you’re of age, and by then, our family will be counting on you,” the woman whispered in her daughter’s ear.
“Yes.”
On the second floor
Lanzhu had just sat down when the manager brought over several trays of exquisite and beautiful jewelry.
“Tongjia Gege, take your time choosing. I’ll be right here if you need anything. Just place what you like in the tray beside you,” knowing that noble ladies from such families were adept at discerning jewelry, the manager didn’t bother with unnecessary chatter.
Reaching his position relied on his perceptive nature and keen eyes.
The noble ladies from great families had seen all sorts of good things, so there was no need for him to introduce them.
“Hmm.” Lanzhu liked choosing things quietly, without anyone talking, just picking slowly by herself.
No wonder the Treasure Pavilion was so beloved by the noble ladies and wives of the Capital City. It wasn’t without reason.
This perceptiveness was truly commendable!
From a young age, Lanzhu had seen countless pieces of jewelry, given by her mother and father, bestowed by the palace, given privately by her cousin, and bought by her brother.
To be honest, Lanzhu no longer cared about the value of jewelry; she just wanted something unique.
The tray on the table held various pieces of jewelry, but they all shared one thing in common: they were treasures.
To be displayed on the second floor of the Treasure Pavilion, the jewelry had to be both beautiful and valuable.
At first glance, Lanzhu noticed a red jade bracelet with strands of gold thread, which she thought would suit her mother perfectly.
Then she chose a jade thumb ring for her father and a black jade pendant for her brother.
When it came to herself, Lanzhu casually picked a butterfly gold hairpin. The butterfly wings were made very thin, and when lightly picked up, they trembled slightly, as if about to take flight.
The material wasn’t rare, but the craftsmanship was unique, which was nice.
After choosing these four items, Lanzhu glanced at the tray with the pendants, her fingers twitching slightly, but in the end, she didn’t choose anything.
No one said you had to return a gift when you received one. Her cousin probably didn’t care about these trifles.
There were plenty of consorts in the palace sending him things.
Besides, the palace was full of spies, and she wasn’t in the habit of inviting trouble.
“These will do.”
“Tongjia Gege, you have a great eye. These are all new styles that just arrived at our Treasure Pavilion,” the manager’s eyes lit up when he saw the chosen items, and he complimented her profusely.
Lanzhu just smiled and didn’t respond.
“Among these, the gold-threaded jade bracelet is more expensive due to the material, costing two hundred and twenty taels. The other three items total two hundred taels, making it three hundred and twenty taels in total. Tongjia Gege, would you like to charge it or…”
“No need to charge it.”
“Liu Chun, pay the bill.”
“Yes, Gege.” After taking out the silver notes from her purse and settling the bill, Liu Dong and Liu Xia each carried two packaged pieces of jewelry.
“Tongjia Gege, take care,” the manager, having received the silver, smiled brightly and carefully saw them out of the shop.
In the carriage, Liu Chun noticed the sun was already setting, “Gege, do you want to stroll around some more?”
Having been out for so long, Lanzhu was tired, “No, let’s go back.”
“Yes, Gege.”
Returning to the Tongjia Residence, Lanzhu went straight to her mother’s main courtyard.
When she arrived, her father and brother were also there.
The sharp-eyed Longkodo spotted his sister before she even stepped into the courtyard and ran over excitedly, “Sister, why didn’t you take me with you when you went out today!”
“Weren’t you at school?”
“Next time you’re on break, I’ll take you out,” Lanzhu said, patting her brother’s forehead, her palm immediately dampened.
“Why is your forehead all sweaty?”
“Did you go to the training ground again today?” Lanzhu took out a handkerchief to wipe her brother’s sweat.
“Yes!”
“I’m going to be a great general!” Longkodo said proudly, lifting his head.
“What are you talking about outside? The wind is so strong. Don’t you know to bring your sister inside?” Tong Guowei called out, having waited a long time for his daughter inside.
“Coming.”
Longkodo, like a little adult, led his sister inside, then plopped down next to her.