The third princess's eyes lit up, but then she hesitated, "But I've never run a shop before, I don't know how to open one..."
Bao Lei smiled and whispered, "Opening a shop is actually quite simple. You just need to look at the account books occasionally. I've been good at these things since I was a child. I'll teach the princess a few things later."
"If the princess is impatient to do it, I will assist her and guarantee that the business will prosper so that the princess can show off to the emperor."
"Although the shop is a partnership, even if Princess Kang Le had the guts of a bear and the gall of a leopard, she wouldn't dare to compete with the princess!"
These words struck a chord with the Third Princess. She didn't care whether the shop made money or whether business was good or bad.
But she's happy when she can take things from that country bumpkin girl!
You've stolen my father's affection, so I'll steal your shop!
"Alright, let's do it this way. I'll definitely prepare a good birthday gift to please Father and snatch that country bumpkin's shop! Then she won't even have a place to cry!"
The third princess seemed to have been injected with adrenaline; she immediately picked up the discarded needle and thread and clumsily began sewing again…
Bao Lei sat to one side, helping to separate the embroidery threads, a strange smile playing on her lips...
Outside the palace, although it wasn't snowing, the weather was dry and cold, and there were fewer and fewer people on the streets.
Outside the Xing family mansion in the south of the city, the Jia family carriage was parked. Madam Jia the Second had come to visit her brother and sister-in-law's family again.
She visited once when I returned from the Li family's place, and brought up her niece's marriage prospects.
My brother and sister-in-law only said they would think about it, and then there was no further news.
She's always been impatient, and now she can't wait any longer.
Yesterday, she visited the home of a family friend and met Mrs. Liu Zhiheng. Since they were both familiar with Mrs. Wen, they sat together and chatted for a while.
She was concerned about it, so she asked Madam Liu a few questions. Madam Liu praised the Li family highly.
Just as she was feeling happy, someone else came over and vaguely mentioned the Li family, asking about the unmarried young men in the Li family.
This filled her with a sense of crisis, fearing that her niece's good marriage would be snatched away.
So, after a quick tidy-up today, she rushed over to ask about it.
Xing Wan'er picked up her aunt and went to the main house to visit her mother who was recuperating in bed.
Madam Xing was ill and looked unwell, but when she saw her sister-in-law coming over, she still managed to sit up and greet her, her smile genuine.
"Little sister, what brings you here today? I heard it's very cold outside. Come and sit on the kang for a while."
Madam Jia felt sorry for her sister-in-law, who had taken good care of her before she got married. So she took her hand and inquired about her condition in detail.
"Did your sister-in-law take her medicine? Which doctor treated her this time, and did it have any effect?"
Madam Xing smiled wryly, patted her sister-in-law's hand, and said, "It's the same every year. She always gets sicker when the seasons change. Taking medicine is just to keep her going; she won't die."
"Actually, I'm tired of taking medicine for so many years. If it weren't for Wan'er and Ning-ge'er, I would want to go to the Yellow Springs and not suffer this anymore."
“Sister-in-law, don’t say that. You just haven’t met a good doctor yet,” Madam Jia quickly advised. “When I go to Suijintan again soon, I will definitely ask about the miracle doctor. I heard that the miracle doctor in Xincun is very miraculous and can cure any disease…”
Helpless, Madam Xing waved her hand and said, "Don't try to curry favor. I've seen too many miracle doctors over the years, and they're all just the same..."
Just as Madam Jia was about to speak, the old woman at the door suddenly announced, "Master and young master are back!"
Not long after he finished speaking, Master Xing, dressed in a blue robe, entered with his eight- or nine-year-old son, Xing Ning.
Xing Ning was lively and immediately rushed into Madam Jia's arms upon seeing her aunt. "Auntie, when did you arrive? Where's Baozhu? Why didn't she come?"
Madam Jia patted her nephew, beaming, "Our Ning-ge'er has grown taller again! Bao-zhu is learning needlework at home. Auntie didn't bring her this time, but next time you have a day off, Auntie will send a carriage to pick you up and take you to my house to play. Then Bao-zhu will take you to Baiyunjian to eat cake, okay?"
"Great, great!" Xing Ning jumped up and down with joy. "Some of my classmates brought snacks from Baiyunjian today. They're so proud of themselves! If I go to Baiyunjian to eat freshly baked cakes, they'll be so envious."
Master Xing, his face stern, scolded his son, "You go to school to begin your studies, not to compete with others. Copy down the 'Exhortation to Study' tonight!"
"Yes, Father." Xing Ning shrank his neck and obediently agreed, then secretly winked at his aunt twice, meaning that his aunt must not forget what she had just said and would definitely send a car to pick him up.
Madam Jia found it amusing and, holding her nephew, pleaded with her brother, "Brother, Ning-ge is still young. We can't push him too hard. He's already starting to resist studying. During his day off, let him come to my place for a day of fun, shall we?"
"Baiyunjian is not an ordinary shop; it just sells novelty snacks. Moreover, the shop is under the name of Princess Kangle, and Baozhu and the princess are best friends who get along very well, so there will definitely be no problem."
Mr. Xing wanted to refuse, but looking at his sickly wife, he swallowed his words.
The children have been missing their mother these past few days and haven't been eating or sleeping well. Going out for a day to relax would be good.
He said, "I'll stay home that day and let Wan'er and Ning-ge go."
Xing Ning immediately cheered, making the room much more lively, "Oh! Great, we're going to Auntie's house to eat cake!"
Xing Wan'er, however, refused, "Auntie, just take Ning-ge'er. I still have a winter coat that I haven't finished sewing. It'll be good for me to have some peace and quiet at home and do some needlework."
Madam Xing immediately said, "No matter how busy you are, one more day won't make a difference. Go and have fun, Wan'er. You don't need to stay home with your mother every day!"
Master Xing also said, "Yes, Wan'er, go ahead and keep an eye on your younger brother so he doesn't misbehave."
Xing Wan'er had no choice but to nod, exchange a few more words, and then take her younger brother away, leaving space for the elders to talk.
Sure enough, seeing her nephew and niece leave, Madam Jia the Second immediately asked, "Brother, sister-in-law, what do you think about this marriage with the Li family? If you agree, you should hurry up and make arrangements."
"More and more people in the new capital are paying attention to the Li family and are eyeing the young man from the Li family. After all, the Li family is a newly rich family, favored by the emperor, with the Marquis of Xinting as their backer, and all the brothers in the family are successful. They are also rare in their harmony and their lives are prosperous."
"If others knew that the Li family's son wasn't taking a concubine, they'd probably be scrambling to propose marriage to him right away!"
Mr. Xing and Mrs. Xing exchanged glances, and Mr. Xing said, "The other day I went to Luo'an Academy and met a classmate. He is not the teacher who teaches Li Jiaren at the academy, but he is often seen going in and out of Mr. Tang's courtyard."
"It is said that this child studies very hard, knows how to take care of his younger brother, and respects his teacher. In short, he has an excellent reputation."
"I wanted to see what the child looked like, but I heard that he went to Quanzhou for a study tour with the students from the academy and won't be back until after the New Year."
"They went on a study tour?" Madam Xing said in surprise, "The Li family doesn't spoil their children; they're actually willing to let them go on a study tour."
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