Jin Qianqian studied the items for a moment. Then, under the guise of rummaging through her brocade bag, she transferred the Jade Pendants she had prepared earlier from her space into her hand.

A White Jade Peace Button and a Jadeite Jade Ring were placed on the counter.

She had acquired all of these in large batches from jade shops previously. Among them were many Dragon and Phoenix Jade Pendants, but in this dynasty, no matter how much Jin Qianqian liked them, she could only keep them tucked away at the bottom of her chest.

"Fine workmanship," a voice said from behind her. Jin Qianqian turned her head to find that a dashing young man had appeared behind her without her noticing.

"Might I have a look?"

Jin Qianqian replied, "Be my guest."

The young man carefully cupped the Peace Button in his palm. "Although this is a simple design, how was it made without a single trace of carving?"

He then placed the jade ring in his hand as well. "Amazingly, neither of them has a single flaw."

Jin Qianqian fell silent. ’...Can I possibly tell you they were machine-cut and polished? Obviously not.’

"Might I ask which master craftsman made this Peace Button?" After his exclamations, he looked at Jin Qianqian eagerly.

Jin Qianqian shook her head blankly. "These were handed down by my ancestors. How would I know who made them?

Young Master, is there a problem with the jade?"

"My surname is Chen, and I am the young master of this shop," Young Master Chen quickly explained. "I simply saw that your jade’s workmanship is exquisite and wanted to know which school of masters carved it, so that I might visit them and ask for some guidance."

Jin Qianqian answered firmly, "I don’t know. As I said, they were passed down from my ancestors. The artisan might not even be alive anymore."

"Then, I wonder if you would be willing to part with them, Madam?"

Jin Qianqian said nothing.

Young Master Chen thought Jin Qianqian hadn’t heard him clearly, so he repeated himself.

Jin Qianqian said, "My apologies, but these are heirlooms. They are not for sale."

Regretfully, Young Master Chen placed the items carefully back on the counter, but his eyes were reluctant to look away.

Jin Qianqian paid him no mind and spoke directly to the woman who had stopped her work. "Could you make two tassels for me?"

The woman took out a pattern book from the side. "Please choose a style first."

Jin Qianqian frowned and looked through it for a long time, but couldn’t find a single one to her liking.

"If you would trust me, Madam, I could knot the tassels for these two Jade Pendants myself." Young Master Chen also felt that the styles in the pattern book were unworthy and volunteered his services.

Jin Qianqian gave him a doubtful look. "You know how?"

Young Master Chen covered his mouth and coughed lightly twice. "I only ask that you keep it a secret after I’m done. Don’t tell anyone I was the one who made them."

Jin Qianqian paused. ’...Could it be that they’ll be so ugly he won’t dare admit he made them?’

However, seeing the expectant look in his eyes, Jin Qianqian still nodded.

"Young Master, didn’t the master say you’re not to touch these things?" the woman said, looking up at the young master. "Young Master, please don’t make things difficult for me."

"Don’t worry! My father went to the port to receive goods today. Besides, if you don’t say anything, how will he know?" Young Master Chen went behind the counter, shooed the woman aside, and began busily picking out threads.

Jin Qianqian had never seen a man use his hands with such dexterity. She watched as he wove the threads back and forth; the colored cords in his hands seemed to come to life, and the tassels were soon more than halfway complete.

A blue tassel on the white Peaceful Hour Button made it look even more pure and flawless.

On the emerald-green jade ring, an interlocking red and black knot highlighted a unique nobility.

Jin Qianqian took them and placed them in her hand, the two dimples at the corners of her mouth deepening with delight.

"How much silver?"

Young Master Chen waved his hand. "No need for payment. Just don’t tell anyone I’m the one who wove them."

Jin Qianqian carefully placed the Jade Pendants into her brocade bag and put two taels of broken silver on the table. "That won’t do. Business is business. You must take this silver."

"This is too much. If you really insist on paying, ten copper coins would be enough."

How could Jin Qianqian listen to him? She grabbed Liu Xiaohua and was about to turn and leave, but she unexpectedly saw a familiar face walk in.

Jin Qianqian’s eyes widened. "Lejia?"

Gu Lejia was helping the boss carry a crate of goods into the shop when he suddenly heard someone call his name. He looked toward the voice, and the cargo on his shoulder almost fell. Thankfully, his reflexes were quick enough to steady the load, but the close call left him in a cold sweat.

These goods were more precious than his own life. If he messed up, his future would be basically over.

"Lejia, what are you doing here? Where’s your older brother?"

"Seventh Aunt?" Gu Lejia couldn’t quite believe it. He gently placed the wooden crate on the floor and rubbed his eyes hard.

Looking at the young man, who was around her own age, Jin Qianqian felt that his eyes were filled with a world-weary sorrow.

"How did you end up here? Everyone back home has been worried sick! Your mother has been beside herself with worry over you and your older brother. You didn’t even think to send a letter home."

As soon as she said this, Jin Qianqian pressed her lips together, realizing her mistake. Where could he have sent a letter? He didn’t even know where the family was.

"Seventh Aunt, did the whole family make it here?" Gu Lejia’s heart filled with hope. Heaven knew how much he had missed his family all these days.

Young Master Chen asked, "You two know each other?"

Jin Qianqian replied, "This is my nephew. I just don’t know how he ended up here at your place."

Young Master Chen looked back and forth between them. "This isn’t the place to talk. Why don’t you go to the rear courtyard?"

He had only found out today that this worker his father had brought back even had a family.

Once they reached the rear courtyard, Gu Lejia looked at Jin Qianqian with an excited expression. "Aunt Seven, you still haven’t told me, did my parents and the others all make it here?"

Jin Qianqian shook her head and briefly recounted what had happened since they were separated. "What about you? Is your older brother here too?"

Gu Lejia said, "My brother isn’t with me. We got separated as soon as we entered the city..."

It turned out that after being pushed into the city by the crush of refugees, Gu Lejia had followed the flow of the crowd. At first, he managed to stay close to his older brother and his Second Uncle’s family.

But somehow, in the chaos of running, he got separated.

He was anxious and nervous, so he could only dash around the city aimlessly. Later, when he saw soldiers all over the streets, he just picked a random road and ran. But in his running, he managed to get himself completely lost, unable to find his way back.

He had never encountered a situation like this before. Terrified, he could only hide and sneak about, walking in a random direction.

It was manageable at first; he could get by scrounging for a bit of food. But the farther he walked, the more remote the area became, and the less food he could find. Eventually, he fainted from hunger on the side of the road.

It just so happened that Boss Chen, who was heading north to procure goods, was passing by. He gave Gu Lejia some food and water, which saved his life.

Gu Lejia knew that if he continued on his own, he would sooner or later die. On top of that, he had no household registration, so he could only kneel and beg Boss Chen, saying he was willing to go with him as long as he was given something to eat.