When Luo Xin saw Xiao Yunying come out, she wasn't angry. She just greeted her sweetly, "Hello, Aunt Cheng Yue and Sister Yingying."

Cheng Yue stepped down the stairs: "Is Xin'er cold? Hurry up and come inside the shop."

Xiao Yunying said, "No need, Sister Cheng Yue, we have things to do, so we'll be leaving now. Oh, by the way, could you please get me some more cotton? I need to make two sets of cotton-padded clothes for the farmhands and also build two more vegetable greenhouses."

"Okay, I understand. You can go ahead and get busy."

Xiao Yunying said goodbye to them, and before she had gone far, Liu Dalei caught up with her.

"Miss Xiao, please wait a moment."

Xiao Yunying asked, puzzled, "Brother Liu, is there something you need from me?"

“I wanted to tell you… I’ve made up my mind. I want to pursue Miss Cheng. I don’t care whether she’s been married before or not, and I don’t believe she’s cursed to bring bad luck to her family.”

Liu Dalei went to great lengths to investigate the man's death, just to clear Cheng Yue's name of being a jinx and to resolve her inner conflict. This alone is enough to earn him many points.

He's much better than those men who only talk the talk or are perfunctory in everything they do.

Xiao Yunying said, "Brother Liu can think it over himself. There's no need to tell me. I've said I won't interfere too much in your affairs."

Liu Dalei nodded: "What did you just say to Lao Yu?"

"Who is Lao Yu?"

"It's that official who spoke to you."

"Oh, his surname is Yu." Xiao Yunying said casually, "I just told him my demands, that those people should pay whatever amount of money they can, but not to the point of selling their houses and land, so as to avoid harassing Sister Cheng Yue's uncle's family again."

If you can't gather enough money, use a board instead. Hit the whole family once, until they're scared. Just don't actually cripple or kill them.

As for the compensation received, there's no need to send it over; leave it for the officials to buy themselves some wine.

Liu Dalei said, "The young lady is still kind-hearted and generous. Even if it's just for the sake of the money for the drinks, they will still do a good job for her."

As they passed a jewelry shop, Xiao Yunying stopped and said, "Brother Liu, if you have nothing else to do, we'd like to go shopping."

"Go ahead, young lady. I'll take my leave now."

Xiao Yunying led Luo Xin through the door, and a waiter immediately came up to greet them: "Miss Xiao has arrived. I'll go and call the manager right away."

"No need to trouble yourself, I'm just looking around, you can explain it to me."

The waiter replied, "What would you like to see, young lady?"

Xiao Yunying took out several blueprints from her bosom: "I took a few raw stones... Oh dear, I forgot them on the carriage."

Zheng Yunwan said, "Sister Yunying, you talk to him first, I'll go get it for you."

Xiao Yunying said, "Then I'll trouble you to make the trip. I don't know if my brain was damaged by the last fever, but I'm so forgetful."

Zheng Yunwan smiled and said, "Sister Yunying, please don't say that. Wait for me, I'll be back soon."

Xiao Yunying could only give the blueprints to the shop assistant, who then had someone call over a master craftsman who makes jewelry from upstairs. After looking at the blueprints, the master craftsman asked, "May I see the raw stone in your hand, young lady?"

"I forgot it on the carriage. My sister will go get it in a moment."

The group waited for a short while before Zheng Yunwan came running in from outside, panting, and placed the cloth bag she was carrying on the counter.

Xiao Yunying smiled and said, "Why are you in such a hurry? You're all sweaty from running."

Zheng Yunwan wiped the sweat from her forehead with her sleeve: "I was just worried that Sister Yunying would have to wait too long. Sister Yunying, please check if anything inside is broken."

Xiao Yunying then noticed the dust on the bag: "Did you fall?"

"No, no, I just accidentally dropped the bag on the ground."

Xiao Yunying carefully checked that Zheng Yunwan was clean before taking out the brocade boxes one by one: "It's good that you're alright. These are all large, uncarved stones. The brocade boxes are also padded with cotton, so they won't break if you don't drop them."

Zheng Yunwan responded softly, and while Xiao Yunying was fiddling with the raw stone, she glanced warily behind her to make sure no one was following before letting out a slight sigh of relief.

Xiao Yunying and the master craftsman discussed for a while and decided what kind of jewelry to make from each piece of raw stone.

She closed all the boxes: "As for the leftover scraps from the raw stones, I'd appreciate it if the craftsman could design and inlay a few pairs of light and delicate earrings and hairpins, either gold or silver, suitable for young people. If we don't have enough materials, we can use what we have in the shop. There's no need to save money, the quality must be good."

The experienced craftsman agreed and carried the boxes upstairs.

Xiao Yunying turned around to ask Zheng Yunwan if she wanted to pick out a few pieces of jewelry, only to find that Zheng Yunwan was constantly looking around outside the door.

Following her gaze to the door, but seeing nothing, he asked, "Yun Wan, what are you looking at?"

Zheng Yunwan was startled and quickly turned around: "I...I saw the wooden hairpins on the stall across the street."

Xiao Yunying asked in confusion, "How can you see clearly from this distance?"

Zheng Yunwan had already composed herself: "I glanced at it on my way back just now and thought there was a pretty wooden hairpin. I'm still considering whether to buy it."

"If you like it, buy it. Take a look at these gold and silver hairpins first, and then we'll go look at the wooden hairpins later."

"I'll pass, Sister Yunying, please buy a few more."

Xiao Yunying pulled her to the silver jewelry counter: "You know I don't like wearing these, so come over here quickly, don't dawdle, pick one you like."

Luo Xin curiously peered at the counter. She was too young to wear these things, but she just wanted to see them.

Xiao Yunying picked up Luo Xin immediately: "Come here, Xin'er, see which one your Aunt Yunwan wears looks better."

Luo Xin hugged her neck and said in a clear voice, "Aunt Yunwan is just as beautiful as Mother. She looks good in any hairpin."

Zheng Yunwan felt a little shy after what the mother and daughter said, and finally chose a relatively simple silver hairpin with only a small pearl inlaid at the top.

She thought the plain silver hairpin would be cheap, but she underestimated the price of pearls. When she went to pay and heard the price, she wanted to exchange it for another one.

Xiao Yunying readily paid the money: "Take it if you like it. Your sister Yunying has plenty of money now. Come on, let's go take a look at the wooden hairpin you've taken a liking to."

To cover up her lie, Zheng Yunwan had no choice but to go to the stall across the street and pick out a wooden hairpin.

Xiao Yunying also picked out two small velvet flowers for Luo Xin, and after thinking for a moment, she bought two more for Duan Yingying's younger sister, Duan Xiaoxiao.