Chen Wanqing and Xu Suying lingered at the Qian family’s home for an hour before the mother-daughter pair said their goodbyes.

The sun was still hanging in the sky.

It was a bright, sunny day, and the sun was still surprisingly warm.

"Why don’t you go open the shop for a little while, and I’ll go find Mrs. Ying?"

"Okay. Then let’s split up, Mom."

"What do you mean, ’split up’? I’ll take you to the shop first, and then I’ll go find Mrs. Ying."

Chen Wanqing was busy all day, only closing the shop when Zhao Jing came to find her. The two of them then went to pick up Xu Suying together.

On the way, Chen Wanqing noticed the basket on Zhao Jing’s back was stuffed full and asked, "Why do you have so much?"

"Mr. Wang helped me find a few volumes of past anthologies, and I bought some new ink sticks and paper. I’ll make a copy of the anthologies for De’an later."

Hearing this, Chen Wanqing quickly said, "Then let me pay for the paper. How much was it in total? I’ll give it to you."

Zhao Jing replied helplessly, "Wanqing, not all this paper is for copying the anthologies. I need some for myself, too."

Chen Wanqing realized she had spoken without thinking again.

’Thinking about the wonton shop lady’s reminder from yesterday... and from our engagement until now, Zhao Jing bought me a red plow, paid a bill for me, and now he’s buying paper for my brother to copy anthologies...’

Chen Wanqing lowered her head. Her voice was soft and her emotions a little jumbled. "Jing," she said, "let me make a pouch for you."

Zhao Jing stopped in his tracks and looked at her in surprise. "Wanqing, why the sudden urge to make me a pouch?"

But he was clever, and it soon dawned on him. He was a bit bemused. "Are you trying to repay me, Wanqing? Just by agreeing to marry me, you’ve already helped me immensely."

Zhao Jing continued, "Although I would love a pouch made by you—after all, I’ve been using this one for several years—I know you don’t enjoy needlework. If you really want to give me something, why not create a custom fragrance for me instead?"

At his words, Chen Wanqing looked at him, her eyes shimmering. She didn’t reject his suggestion, but simply asked, "Why do you want a fragrance? What kind do you want?"

Zhao Jing didn’t answer the first question, only the second. "Any kind is fine. As long as it’s made by you, I’ll like it."

Neither of them spoke again until they arrived at Mrs. Ying’s clothing shop.

Just then, Xu Suying was coming out of the shop. Seeing her daughter and future son-in-law, she quickly waved them over.

"I’m exhausted! Mrs. Wang’s birthday has sent all the high-society folk in the county into a frenzy. I was originally just doing makeup and hair for the young ladies, but this afternoon, I even had noblewomen coming to my door."

It was a shame she only had two hands; she simply couldn’t handle all the work.

At her pace, she could do the makeup and hair for five or six people at most before they had to leave for the banquet.

She couldn’t possibly take on any more clients, but she couldn’t bear to let all that business just slip through her fingers.

"So, did you figure out a way to have your cake and eat it too?"

Xu Suying chuckled. "Of course I came up with a way."

She’d proposed a solution to the ladies and young misses who came later: over the next few days, she would design their makeup and hairstyle, and then personally teach the entire process to their maids.

That way, once the maids mastered the skills for that particular look, they could do it themselves whenever needed. Wouldn’t that save a lot of trouble?

But she wasn’t doing it for free. She charged five taels of silver per person.

When Chen Wanqing heard her mother was charging five taels for a single consultation, she silently gave her a thumbs-up. "You’re the amazing one, Mom. I burn the midnight oil just to sell one incense pill for a single tael of silver. With a flick of your wrist, you can earn in one day what takes me ten days to make."

Zhao Jing, walking on her other side, thought to himself, ’I charge five taels of silver for a single, meticulously worded formal letter. Ghostwriting plaques or gift lists only gets me two taels a piece.’

’I used to think I earned money pretty quickly, but compared to my fiancée and my future mother-in-law... it turns out I’m the one bringing in the least.’

The mother and daughter chatted about money as if no one else was around, finally reaching a conclusion: Mrs. Wang was a wonderful person, and they hoped she would live a long, long life so the two of them could have a stable source of income each year.

As they spoke, the mother and daughter glanced at Zhao Jing out of the corners of their eyes. But his expression was as placid as ever; they had no idea what he was actually thinking.

Xu Suying shot her daughter a meaningful look. ’Did Jing get the message we were trying to send him?’

Chen Wanqing shook her head. She couldn’t be sure either.

The mother and daughter were truly in sync. The moment an idea struck Xu Suying, Chen Wanqing could play her part flawlessly.