Jiang Ling observed Jiang Suihe's every move discreetly. Jiang Suihe was also frowning and looking very serious as she drew on the rice paper.

The gong rang out again with a "clang," signaling the passing of two incense sticks.

The waiter collected all the Xuan paper from everyone, deftly clipped it to a clip, tied it with hemp rope, and hung it up.

In an instant, a variety of elegant handwriting came into view, and Jiang Ling sighed in admiration, thinking that these girls were truly outstanding.

The selection process was both tense and exciting. Since all the names were covered up by the waiter, everyone had to vote based on their own preferences.

The selection process officially ended when the last person placed a red dot on one of the paintings.

During the selection process, Jiang Ling noticed that Jiang Suihe was very nervous, with a few glistening beads of sweat on her delicate little nose. Jiang Ling took out a handkerchief and gently wiped the tip of Jiang Suihe's nose to comfort her, saying, "Don't be so nervous. The first prize is just a bottle of shampoo. We may not have much else, but we can have as much of this as we want."

Jiang Suihe was amused by Jiang Ling's words and covered her mouth, secretly laughing for a long time.

"The winner this time is..." Xiao Er stood in front of everyone holding two sheets of Xuan paper, which were covered with many dense red dots.

Under the expectant gazes of the crowd, Xiao Er slowly lifted the bottom right corner of the paper—the three characters "Jiang Suihe" appeared before everyone.

"The winner is—Jiang Suihe, let's congratulate her!" As he spoke, the waiter began looking around for the girl named Jiang Suihe.

Jiang Suihe was stunned for a moment, then hugged Jiang Ling tightly and said excitedly, "Mother! Mother! I'm number one! I'm number one!"

Jiang Suihe's voice immediately drew everyone's attention, especially Xiao Er, who was stunned for a moment. At this moment, he was very glad that he had not rejected this simply dressed little girl.

Jiang Ling was also very happy about Jiang Suihe winning the award, but she was an adult after all and couldn't show her emotions like a child. She gently patted Jiang Suihe's head and said, "Go and receive the award quickly, don't keep everyone waiting!"

Jiang Suihe ran a few steps first, but then turned around and ran back to Jiang Ling's side. Jiang Ling didn't understand what she wanted to do. Just as she was about to ask, Jiang Suihe took Jiang Ling's hand and led her to the waiter's side.

The waiter placed the shampoo and souvenirs in Jiang Suihe's hands and asked, "Little sister, is there anything you'd like to say?"

Jiang Suihe glanced at Jiang Ling, nodded, and looked at everyone, saying, "I am able to have this honor today entirely because of my mother's unconditional support!"

Before she could finish speaking, Jiang Ling was somewhat surprised, but Jiang Suihe continued to recount how Jiang Ling had supported her in her studies. In the end, someone in the crowd started clapping.

This made Jiang Ling feel somewhat uncomfortable. She hadn't expected that Jiang Suihe, this thoughtful little girl, would transform into such a person. Looking at Jiang Suihe beside her, Jiang Ling seemed to see her modern self in a daze.

After the competition, Jiang Suihe became much more confident. She and Jiang Ling had just left the teahouse and took a shortcut through a small alley. She stuck out her tongue and said to Jiang Ling, "Mom, you're not mad at me, are you?"

Jiang Ling was taken aback, then smiled gently and said, "How could that be? You're becoming more and more opinionated!"

"Hey, you! I'm talking to you! Stop!" The rare warm atmosphere between mother and daughter was interrupted by a sharp, piercing voice from behind.

The sudden sound displeased Jiang Ling. She frowned and turned to look behind her, where a somewhat familiar-looking girl appeared in front of her.

Jiang Ling frowned and stood there, looking at the girl's innocent yet angry face, wondering where she had seen her before.

"Hey! Why you!" The girl, her pretty face flushed, pointed at Jiang Suihe with her chest puffed out and said unhappily.

This left Jiang Suihe momentarily stunned. She stared at the girl in confusion and asked, "What about me?"

"It just happened! Why did you take the title of the most talented woman?!" The girl changed her posture to waist level and asked in a firm tone.

Jiang Ling thought for a long time but still couldn't figure out where she had seen this girl before. However, she didn't choose to get involved this time. In the past, every time Jiang Suihe got into trouble, she or Yao Jie would step in to resolve it. Now, Jiang Ling wanted to see if Jiang Suihe could handle this kind of interpersonal relationship problem on her own.

The girl's tone wasn't very nice, and even the usually good-tempered Jiang Suihe frowned and cursed. Looking at the shampoo in her hand, she thought that she had plenty of this at home anyway, so she reached out and stuffed the shampoo into the girl's arms. "Fine, then I'll give it to you. You can have this, okay?"

As she spoke, Jiang Suihe took Jiang Ling's hand and headed straight back to the inn to get some rest.

Unexpectedly, this action immediately triggered the girl's sore spot. She threw the shampoo bottle hard at Jiang Suihe's back, and it hit Jiang Suihe's back squarely with a "thud".

Jiang Suihe cried out "Ouch!" and stumbled, almost falling to the ground.

The bamboo tube filled with shampoo was quite heavy, and when it was hit like that, Jiang Suihe grimaced in pain.

Jiang Ling reacted quickly, catching Jiang Suihe who almost fell. She turned around and glared at the arrogant girl, saying, "What are you doing! What if you hurt her?"

The girl didn't care, twirling her hair and scoffing, "Damage it? Then pay for it, my dad has plenty of money anyway! Looking at your shabby appearance, and listening to what that brat said just now, it must have been hard for you to support her, right? It's better to pay for the damage, at least you'll be worry-free for the rest of your life, isn't that right?"

The girl's ill-mannered manner made Jiang Ling want to slap her hard, but Jiang Suihe glared at the girl and turned to Jiang Ling, saying, "Mom, forget it, let's go back to the inn. We shouldn't bother with this scoundrel!" With that, she pulled Jiang Ling and walked towards the inn.

"Stop right there! Did I give you permission to leave?" The girl ran a few steps to Jiang Ling and her daughter, glaring at them and spreading her arms to block their way.

Jiang Ling didn't want to get involved, but this girl in front of her was just too annoying, a million times more so than Luo Miaoran! She was about to speak when Jiang Suihe preemptively pointed at the girl and scolded, "Don't keep going on and on! You think you're rich? You think your father can take care of you forever? So what if we're poorly dressed? Does it stop me from studying and learning to read? Just because you're well-dressed doesn't mean you have any manners!"

Jiang Suihe's sharp and witty remarks left the other two people present slightly stunned. Jiang Ling's lips slowly curled up, and she was overjoyed. The girl, on the other hand, was so angry that her face was almost dripping with water.

"Get out of my way!" Jiang Suihe reached out and pushed the girl's shoulder. The girl lost her balance and fell to the ground.

"Daughter! Daughter! Daughter!" Before Jiang Ling and her daughter could react, a hurried male voice came from behind, followed by a dark figure darting over. Jiang Ling felt as if she had been hit hard by someone and fell heavily to the ground.

"Mother!" Jiang Suihe exclaimed in surprise.