Song Shucheng hadn't expected this small jade hairpin to be so expensive; it was almost half a year's salary for him. The shop assistant, noticing Song Shucheng's predicament, said with slight surprise, "So expensive!"
The waiter said, "It's not expensive, sir. Look, this jade is of the 'ice flower with green' quality, without any impurities."
Although Song Shucheng was born into an official family, the Song family was merely the garrison commander's family in Yangzhou. While Old Master Song was a sixth-rank official with a large mansion and numerous concubines, eighty taels of silver was still quite expensive for someone who had only recently entered officialdom and had been taught frugality since childhood.
"Sir, your fox-fur cloak is quite exquisite; it must cost at least fifty taels. And look at your boots, those must be twenty taels too. How come you can't afford the jade hairpin for the young lady?" the waiter said. In his eyes, Song Shucheng must be either a wealthy young master or the son of an official.
Song Shucheng immediately blushed, because these were all gifts sent to him by the Song family. The fabrics and craftsmanship were far superior to the best clothes in ordinary clothing shops. These were made by embroiderers who made clothes for the imperial family, so naturally they were of very high quality.
Looking at the hairpin, Song Shucheng liked it more and more. He thought Wu Ruyue would definitely like it, so he said, "Fifty taels! If you're selling, wait a moment."
Seeing that Song Shucheng really wanted to buy, the shop assistant said, "Sir, you really know how to bargain. I can't make the decision myself; I have to ask our manager."
“Okay, then go ask. I’ll wait,” Song Shucheng said.
After looking him over again, the shop assistant put the jade hairpin in the counter and then turned and went into the inner room.
Song Shucheng pulled out two silver notes from his pocket; this was all his property. When he remained in the capital as an official, his master had sent someone to take Madam Song away, leaving him with one hundred taels of silver notes for living expenses, and then he hadn't paid much attention to them.
Song Shucheng rented a room near Jishuitan for ten taels of silver, and also bought some household items, spending some more money. Then there were the meals; as a son of an official, he couldn't possibly cook for himself, so he naturally ate out, which added up to a considerable expense. Currently, he serves as a registrar in the Court of State Ceremonial, earning only twenty taels of silver a month. He's only been in the position for a little over a month and just received his salary.
Looking at the sixty taels of silver notes in his hand, Song Shucheng was a little short of money. He not only wanted to give Wu Ruyue a gift, but also wanted to prepare some New Year's gifts for the elders in the Court of State Ceremonial and his superiors.
In fact, Song had already saved him a lot of money each time she sent him clothes and food. The clothes he was wearing at the moment were also made by Song using fabric from her private treasury, and were indeed quite valuable.
"Sir, you're in luck today. Our manager's in a good mood, so he'll give it to you right away. Fifty taels, not a penny less," the waiter said.
Song Shucheng nodded and then had the shop assistant wrap up the hairpin.
When he came out of Jin Ruixiang, he had a brocade box in his hand, inside which lay the New Year's gift for Wu Ruyue, which he had bought with the few remaining silver notes he had.
The snow fell steadily, the fine flakes settling on Song Shucheng's black fox fur collar, making his features appear even more handsome. He still had ten taels of silver on him; for a wealthy family, this wasn't much, but it was enough for Song Shucheng's living expenses. He would be on his New Year's holiday in a few days, and Madam Song had promised to come and take him to the manor.
Meanwhile, Wu Ruyue had no idea that a young man already had feelings for her. She was focused on how to impress the Fourth Master and make him infatuated with her, so that no matter how much her sister tried to stop her, it wouldn't work.
"Miss, these are embroidery patterns that Master asked me to show you. She said it's for you to choose from," said Dai'er, the maid Wu assigned to Wu Ruyue.
"Give it to me!" Wu Ruyue sat on the edge of her bed, holding a book in her hand.
“Miss, please look, this is a hibiscus flower, this is a peach blossom flower, this is a morning glory flower…” Dai’er said.
"Do you know what kind of patterns the master likes?" Wu Ruyue suddenly asked.
"Huh?" Dai'er looked at Wu Ruyue in surprise, not quite able to react for a moment.
"Alright, let's go with this evening glory," Wu Ruyue said.
"Yes!" Dai'er took the embroidery patterns and went out, but she had already realized what was going on.
Dai'er walked over to Madam Wu and said to Hongying, who was standing at the door, "Sister Hongying, Miss has really had that thought."
It turned out that not only Madam Wu knew Wu Ruyue's thoughts, but even the maids who served Madam Wu knew, because Wu Ruyue had often expressed her longing for life in the Prince's mansion, and these maids had noticed it all. They even saw it more than Madam Wu herself.
"What's wrong with her now?" Hongying asked in a low voice.
“I just went to deliver the embroidery pattern, and she actually asked me, ‘What kind of pattern does Master like?’” Dai’er said, blushing.
Hongying's face stiffened, and she looked at Wu Ruyue's room in disbelief before saying, "I still need to report back to the Princess what kind of room she chose."
“Evening Glory,” Dai’er said.
"Alright, go back and keep an eye on her," Hongying said.
After Dai'er left, Hongying went into Wu's room and saw Wu talking to the Third Princess, asking her what she had learned at school. She didn't know how to go up and answer, so she just stood quietly to the side.
After Wu Shi finished speaking with Na Min and told the maidservant who was serving her to go and rest, Hong Ying stepped forward to report on Wu Ru Yue's matter.
After hearing Hongying's report, Wu felt a chill in her heart. She couldn't believe that the maid was still thinking about that idea. She had explained it to her so clearly, but the maid was still so stubborn. What should she do?
"It seems necessary to send her back. Staying here any longer might cause problems," said Madam Wu.
“But Master, Young Master Song will be here soon. Don’t you plan to let Miss meet with him?” Hongying asked.
"What good would it do to see her thoughts? It would be better to send her home. Two years later, during the imperial concubine selection, I'll ask the concubine to put in a good word for her and make sure she doesn't get selected," said Lady Wu.
"Let's wait until after the New Year. There's no rush," Hongying advised.
“Alright, we’ll send her back after the New Year. I’ll write a letter now and tell her that if this girl stays here, something bad will happen to her sooner or later,” said Madam Wu.
She originally meant well by keeping Wu Ruyue by her side and finding her a good marriage in the capital, which would be doing right by her younger sister. But she never expected that Wu Ruyue would develop feelings for her brother-in-law.
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