Li Mai understood. Sister Ling must have some feelings for that Yu family head, otherwise she wouldn't have accepted his gifts.

However, she also had deep feelings for her ex-husband and children, so Li Mai didn't know how to advise her on this matter.

It all depends on her own feelings and whether the two of them are destined to be together.

Zhou Quan glanced at Nan Ling and said to Nan Yu, "Let's go for a walk and let the two sisters talk."

Nan Yu nodded and said to Li Mai and Nan Ling, "Eldest sister, Madam Zhou, let's go for a walk first, and you two can have a chat."

Li Mai and Nan Ling nodded together.

After they left, the two looked at each other. Nanling shook her head. "Xiaomai, I don't dislike him, but you know my past situation. It's impossible for me to marry him."

After saying that, she gave a bitter smile.

Li Mai looked at her silently and nodded, "I understand, sister!"

"However, I think if your brother-in-law and children could pass on a message to you at this time, they would definitely hope that you can live a happier and more joyful life, and share their happiness with you."

Nan Ling nodded, her eyes slightly red. "I know that Yu Feng is a very simple person, easily satisfied. Back then, even though he knew that I had left home and might bring trouble upon myself, he still married me without hesitation and took me traveling, exploring, and doing business, just to make me happy."

"Xiaomai, do you know, I can never get over this hurdle in my heart. They lost the right to continue living in this world because of me. Tell me, how can I still find my own happiness?"

"I can't do it!" Nan Ling said, tears welling up in her eyes.

“I know Yuze is a good person, and I know he has feelings for me, but it’s impossible for me to marry him. He hasn’t said he’d marry me either, so I can’t just say, ‘Don’t come anymore, I don’t want to marry you,’ can I?” Nanling said with a bitter smile.

Li Mai covered her forehead and laughed, "That's true."

Then, the two sisters chatted for a while about things in the capital. Li Mai learned that the Emperor had given the Nan family an opportunity to enter the Imperial Guard. Nan Yu had also received the decree, saying that he would accompany his sister on a business trip and then enter the Imperial Guard upon their return.

“That’s good too. Nan Yu has something important to do, so you can rest assured,” Li Mai said.

"Yes, my wish now is to find a sensible wife for A-Yu after he enters the Imperial Guard Camp, so that the Nan family can have more children. Then I can rest assured." Nan Ling sighed.

Li Mai nodded and hummed in agreement, "That's true. Now that he's married, you can rest assured."

Li Mai also told Nan Ling about her return, her purchase of the shop and courtyard, and her current relationship with Lu Qian.

Nanling found it unbelievable that Lu Qian had become good friends with them and successfully infiltrated their ranks.

"Is the young master of the Lu family really this easygoing? He used to have people assigned to me, and it was only after you reminded me that I realized it."

"Hey, don't even mention it. He started targeting me because I removed the mole around you. He thinks I'm very capable, wants to befriend me, and wants to cooperate with me."

"After several encounters, I felt that he wasn't a bad person at heart, so I agreed to buy his house, and that's how we started seeing each other more often. I also made it clear to him that I would not cooperate with him in any way regarding jewelry, and I wouldn't even offer him any advice."

"He knows that too, and said he looks forward to cooperating with me on other business ventures." Li Mai felt a little apologetic to Sister Ling, but now that they were indeed friends with Lu Qian, she felt she still needed to make things clear to Sister Ling.

Nanling nodded upon hearing this, "Understood. We'll go to his restaurant for lunch tomorrow, so invite him along too."

“Okay, I’ll make him apologize to you properly. He even said that you are a businessman he greatly admires!” Li Mai said with a smile.

Nan Ling raised an eyebrow. "Alright, let's meet him then. He's your friend, and I can't keep having this estrangement with him!"

"Thank you, sister!" Li Mai poured her tea herself.

"By the way, is that box of beads enough for you? If not, let me know and I'll tell Yuze to prepare a few more boxes. He's in the jade business and owns several jade workshops. The leftover scraps are all discarded," Nanling said with a smile.

Li Mai nodded. "Is your relationship with him now better than that of friends?"

Nanling thought for a moment, "I guess so. He's had a few meals with me and even come to our shop with me. He said we should use the jade beads and pieces in our jewelry if they're usable, and he even had someone drill holes for them."

"Oh, I see. That explains why they specifically drilled a hole." Li Mai understood.

"You know what, now that you mention it, I suddenly have an idea. I can design a few pieces of jewelry, and then design a few dresses with jewelry designs to match their jewelry. We can then launch new styles from both sides to sell."

"Sure, sure, girl, this is all up to you. What do you want to eat? I'll cook for you myself and come to the restaurant to eat with you."

"No need, sister, I don't draw in the shop, I usually draw at home at night." Li Mai waved her hand.

"Alright then, let me know if there's anything I can help with. I don't plan to go back to Beijing for now. I'll let Ayu go back in a few days. I'm going to stay here until the end of the year before going back," Nanling said with a smile.

Li Mai nodded and said, "Okay!"

She had been to Nanling's mansion, which was located in the north of the town, not far from the mansion she had bought a few days ago.

That evening, after returning home and finishing her dinner, Li Mai went into her room and began designing new dresses and jewelry.

She took out some unique items from the box and arranged them on a plate. She looked at them slowly and began to conceive a story.

Once the story was finalized, the design began to consider the clothing and jewelry styles the protagonist would wear in this scenario.

Seeing that she was busy with these things, Zhou Quan went to build the house.

Now that I have more ability, building a house is naturally much easier.

It's a pity there's no glass; otherwise, the house here could be brighter and as beautiful as the house in their world.

When he finished work at midnight, he saw Li Mai still sitting quietly at the table, drawing intently.

He went to fetch water to wash up, and after getting ready, he came to Li Mai's side and sat down next to her.

Li Mai turned her head and glanced at him. "Going to sleep?"

"Hmm, aren't you sleepy?" Zhou Quan wrapped his arms around her waist and asked softly.

Li Mai looked at the jewelry design sketches that were about to be completed, reluctant to put them down, "Wait for me for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn."