Xu Zhi sighed as she thought of the Zheng family members in Jizhou. She said, "Of all our large families, only your brother is still serving in the army. I don't expect any outstanding figures to emerge from the clan. I just hope that they can understand your brother's hardships and not do anything to drag him down. I would be grateful."

Zheng Yuanyuan nodded after hearing this and said, "That's right. Later, when the new clan leader's wife came to visit my great-aunt, I happened to see her. This new clan leader's wife promised my great-aunt that she would definitely keep the clan members in check and not let any scoundrels in the clan drag down my brother."

Upon hearing this, Xu Zhi picked up her pen and added a few more strokes to the gift list, saying, "Then let's add another 20% to the clan chief's family's gift list, so that they'll know about us and remember their kindness."

The two women chatted idly while drafting a gift list to send to their hometown in Jizhou. They then handed it over to Xiaren to purchase the gifts according to the list, which consisted mainly of snacks, fruits, fabrics, and silks unique to the capital.

With the Mid-Autumn Festival approaching, Beijing is bustling with activity. Many shops have already stocked up on large quantities of goods, hoping to make a big sale during the festival.

After Emperor Liang Cheng took over the cake shop, it earned him a lot of money over the years. Everyone in the capital knew that it was the Emperor's shop. In addition, the sponge cakes in the shop, as well as some breads and cream cakes that were later developed, were indeed popular. The shop's business was always very good, especially during festivals. They would make some gift boxes of pastries. These packaged pastries were either placed in paper boxes or, for the more upscale ones, in small bamboo baskets or boxes. It was very prestigious to bring them when visiting relatives. So, even before August, the cake shop began to take orders for Mid-Autumn Festival gifts.

Zheng Yuanyuan leaned on Xu Zhi's desk and said, "I went to the cake shop yesterday. The shopkeeper asked me if I wanted to order some pastries and said that if we wanted to use them, we would be given priority."

Xu Zhi's family members could make all the pastries from the cake shop, but she was still hesitant about giving homemade pastries as gifts without using the cake shop's packaging. She wondered if she should give homemade pastries to her relatives in Beijing whom she needed to visit. When Zheng Yuanyuan asked her, she replied, "Our cook can make all the pastries from the cake shop, so why do we need to buy them from outside?"

Zheng Yuanyuan shook her head and said, "How can they be the same? It's like those century-old shops. Many pastry chefs can make the same kinds of pastries they make, but why do people still buy them from the street during holidays? Isn't it because the ones bought from the street look more formal?"

Upon hearing this, Xu Zhi realized it made perfect sense and couldn't help but laugh, saying, "I never expected that our Yuanyuan would understand such a thing now. Okay, then let's go to the street to buy some. We won't let the family make it anymore. It's fine to make it for ourselves and send it to close relatives so they can try it, but if we do that now, people will think we're stingy."

Zheng Yuanyuan nodded and said with a smile, "Yes, that's right, that's exactly the point."

Xu Zhi, thinking of Zong Chengping, had held back for a long time, but she couldn't help herself and blurted out, "Yuanyuan, are you very sad about what happened to Young Master Zong?"

Upon hearing this, Zheng Yuanyuan was stunned for a moment, then her face turned pale. She turned her face to the side, her eyes red, and said, "Sister-in-law, the person is dead, what else can I do? Whether I'm sad or not, I'll just let it be."

Xu Zhi gently patted her shoulder and said, "Yuanyuan, don't think your sister-in-law is being nosy by asking you questions. Your brother and I watched you grow up. We are your brother and sister-in-law, and we have a responsibility to you. There are some things I have to ask."

Zheng Yuanyuan nodded and said, "Sister-in-law, I don't blame you. Really, when I found out about his identity, I knew that there was no future for us. But I was still a little unwilling. I thought that I had suffered so much when I was a child, maybe God would take pity on me this time? Sister-in-law, he was such a good person, how could he be born into such a family? He said that the Chengguo Duke's Mansion was a filthy swamp, and he tried his best to climb out of it, but unfortunately, he never managed to climb out before he died."

Tears streamed down Zheng Yuanyuan's face. Xu Zhi quickly took out a handkerchief to wipe them away. Zheng Yuanyuan took the handkerchief, wiped her face haphazardly, and said, "Sister-in-law, this is actually quite good. You wanted to leave but couldn't, so you just left like this. It's good."

Xu Zhi put her arm around Zheng Yuanyuan's shoulder and said, "Yuanyuan, it's already quite an achievement that he made you remember him like this."

Zheng Yuanyuan shook her head and said, "He just isn't like that. I would also report him. This person, how should I put it, is someone who seems to have a gentle temper, but he is actually very stubborn at heart. Once he sets his mind on something, nothing can stop him. Sister-in-law, even though I haven't met him many times, I know that this person must have gone through a lot of hardships to suppress his arrogance."

Indeed, Zheng Yuanyuan's understanding of Zong Chengping was very accurate. It was precisely because of this pride that he did not want to continue living a muddled life in the Duke of Cheng's mansion. It was also because of that stubbornness that he wanted to seize the opportunity that Xu Zhi gave him and rely on his own abilities to stand in front of Zheng Yuanyuan again.