Xiao Yunying asked, "That's it? Then why are you so guilty?"

Instead of answering, the shopkeeper asked, "Am I feeling guilty?"

Xiao Yunying couldn't help but roll her eyes: "Aren't you guilty? Then why were you in such a hurry to interrupt the waiter and make him leave?"

The shopkeeper didn't deny it outright, but smiled and said, "To be honest, the pink diamond on the girl's hairpin, although it's leftover material from making jewelry, is still much more expensive than ordinary jade."

When my young master came to have the wooden hairpin made, he said that the young lady was a sincere and honest person. If she had known that diamonds were expensive, she probably wouldn't have accepted the money. He asked us to keep it a secret. The shop assistant who just came here hasn't been here long; he didn't know about it and let it slip.

This was something Chen Yuancheng was capable of doing. Xiao Yunying wanted to try and trick him again, to see if she could find out anything else: "You're not lying to me, are you?"

The shopkeeper said with a wry smile, "I really didn't lie to you, young lady. Because diamonds are so rare and precious, not to mention ordinary people, even wealthy families often have never seen or even heard of them. You might not be able to buy one even if you have money."

We make a living in the jewelry shop. Whether it's gold, silver, jade, coral, agate, wood, or pearls, we have a good understanding of them. This is our livelihood, and we can't mistake the materials used in any jewelry.

Our boss has connections to obtain diamonds and specifically taught us how to identify them, which is why we dared to determine the girl's identity based on the diamonds.

As for feeling guilty, it's because I didn't want the young lady to know the value of the diamond. If the young master finds out we let it slip, I, as the steward, will certainly be punished.

The shopkeeper's words seemed sincere. Xiao Yunying said, "If it's because of this, you don't need to worry. I knew the value of the diamond the day he gave me the hairpin. You don't need to bother hiding it from me anymore."

The shopkeeper said hopefully, "Then, young lady, could you please not tell my young master about this? It's one thing for you to know, but that doesn't mean we're following his instructions..."

Before the shopkeeper could finish speaking, Xiao Yunying understood his meaning: he was afraid that Chen Yuancheng would blame and punish them.

"I understand. I'm not one to gossip, so I won't tell him."

"Thank you very much, young lady."

"Since you recognize me, I don't need to introduce myself. I'm here to pick up the silver jewelry that Ling Qi ordered for me. It should be ready by now."

She had been recuperating at home for the past few days and hadn't had time to go to the city. On a whim, she drew up some designs and asked Ling Qi to come and order some silver jewelry for her nephews and nieces.

The shopkeeper gestured for her to proceed: "We immediately arranged for the most skilled craftsman to make whatever Miss Xiao requested."

Xiao Yunying followed them to the silver jewelry counter, where the shop assistant took out an exquisite brocade box and placed it on the counter, showing her the silver jewelry inside.

Xiao Yunying was slightly speechless; the silver jewelry she had ordered combined didn't seem to be as expensive as this brocade box.

"Young lady, are you satisfied with this?"

Xiao Yunying picked them up one by one and examined them carefully: "Well done, very beautiful."

She ordered flat, semi-three-dimensional lotus pods and lotus flowers, like silver locks, without sharp edges. They wouldn't feel uncomfortable to wear to bed or be easily deformed. Each weighed about two ounces, and she planned to give them to her nephews and nieces as a substitute for New Year's money.

"Shall I wrap it up for the girl?"

"No need, your brocade box is much more expensive than my silver pendant, I'll just take my own things to put in it."

The silver pendant had a pull-out clasp made of red cord as she requested. Xiao Yunying took out a red purse she had bought at Jinxiu Pavilion from her bosom, and put the silver pendant in the purse.

"Let's go pay the bill."

"No need to pay, consider these silver ornaments as a gift for the young lady."

Xiao Yunying stopped in her tracks: "Did Chen Yuancheng send you to deliver this?"

"It has nothing to do with you, young master; it's a personal gift to you, young lady."

This is an attempt to bribe me.

Xiao Yunying walked towards the checkout counter: "No need. I said I wouldn't say anything to Yuan Cheng, so you don't need to worry about being punished by your young master."

"Yes, thank you for your understanding, young lady."

Xiao Yunying gave the money and left the jewelry shop.

After seeing Xiao Yunying off, the shopkeeper hesitated whether to inform his young master about the matter.

He managed to gloss over the issue by using diamond scraps, without revealing that the wood used for the hairpin wasn't much cheaper than diamonds, and that the so-called diamond scraps were actually cut and polished from a single piece of diamond.

But he couldn't be sure if the girl truly believed him completely without any doubt.

If the girl becomes suspicious and asks someone else, she might find out that the hairpin is made of incredibly precious sandalwood...

He could almost picture his young master sternly fining him for six months or even more.

No, I should inform my young master as soon as possible so that he can be prepared and think of a reason to explain.

After informing the shop assistants, the shopkeeper took another route, bypassing the direction Xiao Yunying had left, and went to the Chen residence to find Chen Yuancheng.

Xiao Yunsong, leading the oxcart, walked side by side with Xiao Yunying and asked curiously, "Little sister, what did you buy at the jewelry shop?"

Xiao Yunying didn't keep them in suspense: "I ordered a few small silver ornaments for my nephew and niece."

"What? You bought silver jewelry for those brats? You didn't buy any for yourself?"

"No, I don't like wearing jewelry."

Xiao Yunsong pulled the oxcart back, saying reluctantly, "Why are those brats wearing silver jewelry? It's such a waste."

Xiao Yunying couldn't help but laugh and said, "Big brother, among the 'brats' you're talking about is your own son. What father would dislike his own son like you do?"

Besides, I bought a silver pendant, like a silver lock, to wear around my neck for protection and good fortune, not earrings or a hair ornament. Why can't boys wear it?

As Xiao Yunsong spoke, he led the oxcart, intending to turn back: "They're just rascals, how can they be as cute as your second brother's little daughter? Those rascals are always running around, what if they get lost? Hurry back and return it, and get some jewelry you like to wear yourself."

Xiao Yunying stopped him: "The red string with the silver pendant is very strong and won't break so easily. Besides, I drew the design myself and had it custom-made, so it can't be returned."

"What should we do then?"

"What else can we do but keep it? It's made of solid silver, so we can use it directly if we encounter an emergency in the future. It won't be a waste."

Xiao Yunsong was persuaded to stop and continued pulling the oxcart: "How much silver did you spend?"

Xiao Yunying said in a low voice, "Each pendant weighs two ounces, plus twenty-five coins for fire loss and crafting costs."

Xiao Yunsong stopped again: "More than two taels each? There are six children in the family, which adds up to more than twelve taels!"