Just then, Sister Wang came over carrying a bowl of dumplings.

"Bride, time to eat dumplings."

Lu Siniang took a bite through the red veil, and Lu's mother hurriedly asked, "Will you have the baby or not?"

Lu Siniang blushed, placed her chopsticks on the bowl, and whispered, "Give birth!"

As soon as she finished speaking, a chorus of jeers erupted around her. Lu Siniang felt her cheeks burning. At her age, she wondered if she could handle having another child.

Lu Yanzhao glanced at Gu Nanjiao subconsciously, and his lips curled up almost imperceptibly.

I wonder what Gu Nanjiao is feeling right now? Is she thinking about the scene of them eating dumplings on their wedding day? Will she take a bite of a dumpling and shyly say "sex"?

Gu Nanjiao joined the chorus of teasing: "Give me a little brother or a little sister?"

Under the veil, Lü Siniang clenched her fist. This Gu Nanjiao dared to make fun of her in public. How disrespectful! Wait until her wedding day and see how she gets back.

After a while of commotion, everyone dispersed to finish their meal. Just as they reached the door, Gu Nanjiao said to Lu Yanzhao, "You go first, I'll go get some food for my stepmother. The bride must be starving after sitting all day."

Inside the room, Lü Siniang sat upright on the wedding bed, gently stroking her belly. She had gotten up before dawn and hadn't eaten or drunk anything since, so she was a little hungry.

Suddenly, a piece of cake appeared in my hand, exuding the fragrance of roses.

“My dear mother, look how thoughtful your daughter is! Knowing you were hungry, I brought you rose petal cakes. Rose petal cakes are sweet and fragrant, without any other strange smells, making them perfect for a bride.”

Hearing Gu Nanjiao's teasing voice, Lü Siniang, who had been starving all day, couldn't care less about being reserved and started eating in small bites. After finishing, she said to Gu Nanjiao coquettishly, "At least you have some conscience. Let's just forget about what you said to me earlier."

"What was I joking about just now?" Gu Nanjiao asked knowingly.

“You…” Lu Siniang was speechless for a moment, her ears burning.

She couldn't very well say, "How dare you, a junior, make fun of me by saying I'll give you a younger brother or sister!" For some reason, Gu Nanjiao was incredibly shameless, and she could just casually mention having children.

Gu Nanjiao chuckled softly, and before leaving, she patted Lü Siniang's shoulder: "I'm going to the banquet now, you can eat slowly by yourself! Eat more, and work harder tonight to give me a little brother or sister."

Without waiting for a response, Gu Nanjiao ran away in a flash.

Lu Siniang almost choked on the rose cake. That brat, how dare she say such disrespectful things.

However, thinking of her wedding night, Lü Siniang's heart felt like a long-dried riverbed being filled with a sweet spring, both sweet and refreshing.

Nervous yet expectant…

...

For three days in a row, no sign of Lü Siniang was seen at Jiaoniang Pavilion. On the fourth day, Lü Siniang, looking radiant, finally arrived.

As soon as they entered Jiaoniang Pavilion, Cuihong and Juzi gave Lü Siniang a meaningful smile and eagerly took the things from her hands: "Manager, you look so good. You must have been working hard these past few days. Please rest! We sisters can handle these tasks."

Lü Siniang naturally understood what this "hard work" meant. She hadn't been teased like this for many years, and she was surprised to hear it so readily, she blushed like a little girl.

However, thinking of Gu Qingyan's gentleness, Lü Siniang couldn't help but blush and her face turned hot.

As the weather gets colder, business is booming during the seasonal change.

Cuihong and Juzi became increasingly adept at their business. Jiaoniang Pavilion in the county town hired two more tailors, and Liu Meihua came directly from the town to lead a new group of embroidery apprentices to embroider Jiaoniang Pavilion's unique clothing.

Seeing that the three of them managed Jiaoniang Pavilion in an orderly manner, Lü Siniang simply handed the pavilion over to them. The three had a clear division of labor and worked in a well-organized manner, so even when she went to the capital, she felt at ease.

Huang Qingqing made a new batch of hairpins and took them to Jiaoniang Pavilion to show to Lü Siniang. Lü Siniang then called Gu Nanjiao over.

Gu Nanjiao picked up a white jade hairpin and examined it closely.

The hairpin was neither too big nor too small, and it was bright and translucent, with a hint of milky white in its crystal-clear appearance, which made it look even more delicate. Several tassels hung down and swayed in the wind, making a crisp sound.

The hairpin is shaped like a quietly blooming lotus flower, elegant and refined, with extremely fine craftsmanship, just like the real thing.

"Is this made of white jade?" Lü Siniang couldn't help but exclaim, bringing the hairpin closer to examine it carefully.

Huang Qingqing smiled and said, "Would you believe me if I said it was made of stone?"

To be honest, with such transparency, it's hard to believe it's made of stone.

However, Gu Nanjiao had seen many modern stone hairpins. The hairpins on Taobao were exquisite and cheap, and although they were said to be made of jade, they were actually just cheap stones.

The Beauty Pavilion in the capital is renowned for its comprehensive services, from clothing and accessories to makeup. Perhaps we should invite Huang Qingqing to the capital to serve as the head of accessories. Stone hairpins are inexpensive and of excellent quality, no less exquisite than jade hairpins. Since the Beauty Pavilion hasn't yet established itself in the capital, we can't afford jade hairpins; instead, we'd prefer to send some stone hairpins.

Gu Nanjiao told Huang Qingqing her idea, and Huang Qingqing agreed without hesitation.

She had long yearned for the capital city, and she felt that as long as she followed in Gu Nanjiao's footsteps, she would surely reach the pinnacle of life.

By then, what kind of man wouldn't you be able to get?

...

Gu Nanjiao hasn't had much to do lately, because she's almost certain that after she and Lu Yanzhao went to the capital, they probably won't be coming back often. So she wants to keep Meiwuzhai under her own name or transfer it to someone else to manage.

After discussing it with Lu's mother, Lu's mother said that she was not used to life in the capital and was too old to travel back and forth. She could handle the affairs of Meiwuzhai now, and Yingniang would also come over to help with the accounting issues. Recently, she had also learned a lot of characters from Yingniang, and in time, she would also be a literate woman.

Hearing what Lu's mother said, Gu Nanjiao gave up the idea of ​​handing over the management of Meiwuzhai to someone else.

As night fell, Lu Xiaomei still hadn't returned home.

Lu's mother was getting anxious, pacing back and forth at the door. Lu Yanzhao wasn't home. Lin Ji had started a school, and he had gone to help out.

Gu Nanjiao returned from outside carrying several large black fish. She had just passed by the vegetable market and saw a fishmonger. The fish looked plump and delicious. Gu Nanjiao had a craving for pickled fish, so she couldn't resist buying a few.

"Mom, what are you doing pacing back and forth at the door?"

Mother Lu looked anxious: "My little sister hasn't come back yet, and it's getting dark soon."

Gu Nanjiao threw the fish on the table, washed her hands, and said, "Mother, I'm going to the martial arts school to pick her up."

This young lady, did she get injured again while practicing martial arts? If a girl gets injured, it's not easy to apply medicine. Martial arts schools are all for men, and in ancient times, women valued their reputation, so they couldn't let others easily see any part of their skin.

Lu Xiaomei was carefree and never paid attention to these details. However, in ancient times, the strict separation of men and women was still necessary.

Gu Nanjiao walked quickly and arrived at Chu Luoxun's martial arts school in no time.

Inside Chu Luoxun's room, Lu Xiaomei was gasping for breath, revealing a corner of her fair shoulder.

Chu Luoxun's eyes flickered, and he soaked the liniment in his hand with a cotton cloth and applied it to his little sister's shoulder.

"Ouch, that hurts!"

At this moment, Gu Nanjiao kicked the door open, her eyes wide with anger.