Everything is difficult at the beginning, but it becomes easier once you get started. With the help of his younger brother and sister-in-law, Xu Shun and Zhou Xing started tidying up the shop as soon as they bought it.
Zhou Quan would sometimes help out, but he spent most of his time with his wife.
In addition to designing and arranging the production of new styles for her own shop and keeping track of sales, Li Mai also had to provide new styles to Jin Yu Ge on time.
Her job was simply to draw the picture and send it over there; how to arrange and build it was none of her concern.
In late April, Nanling returned.
However, when she returned, the people here still called her Madam Fisher.
On the afternoon of the day I returned from Nanling, I went to Hongshiliu.
She also received the news that her younger sister had opened a clothing store, so she rushed back here.
How can a girl open a shop without giving a gift?
Therefore, when Nanling arrived, Yan Yu, now known as Nan Yu, was still by her side. Behind Nan Yu were two guards carrying a large wooden box.
When Li Mai saw her arrive, she happily went to greet her, "Sister Ling, when did you get back?"
Nanling smiled and pinched her cheek, saying, "I came back for lunch today, washed up, and then came to see you."
"You're really fast! You said you were opening a shop, and you opened it right away. Congratulations on becoming a boss, little sister."
Nanling pointed to the boxes the guards had placed on the ground and chuckled, "Open them and take a look. I think you'll definitely find them useful."
Li Mai looked at her with a puzzled expression, then went over and opened the box, immediately being dazzled by the colorful contents inside.
The box was full of colorful beads and jade pieces, and each piece had a hole in it.
Li Mai asked in confusion, "Sister Ling, where did you get this? Is it jade, emerald, or agate?"
Nanling chuckled and nodded, "Yeah, I figured you'd find it useful, so I brought it back for you."
"Where did you get this whole box?" This box full of jade beads and jade pieces, even the scraps, are very valuable.
Nan Ling touched her nose, smiled, and glanced at Nan Yu.
Nan Yu glanced at her and said to Li Mai with a smile, "It was a jade merchant who gave it to you to curry favor with you, eldest sister."
Li Mai instantly sensed a hint of melon fragrance from Nan Ling and Yu Yan's expressions and words, so she smiled and pulled Nan Ling outside. They went into the teahouse next door, went up to the second floor, and found a private room to chat.
Zhou Quan and Nan Yu glanced at each other, then silently turned and followed.
The box was no longer on the ground.
The people in the shop were busy serving customers and didn't notice these things. Zhou Tao noticed them and knew that her sister-in-law had put them away, so she quickly covered for her sister-in-law.
After Zhou Quan came in, he ordered tea and snacks, and then he and Nan Yu went upstairs.
Inside the private room, Li Mai and Nan Ling were chatting.
"Tell me, what's the deal with this jade merchant?" Li Mai asked with a smile.
Nanling coughed lightly and said, "You know the Yu family in the capital, right?"
“I know, the Chu family is ranked first, and his family is ranked second. Their ancestors were in the jade business, so those things belong to the Yu family?” Li Mai asked.
"Yes, once my carriage collided with another carriage, which caused me some minor injuries. That carriage belonged to Yu Ze, the head of the Yu family. When he found out I was injured, he personally brought gifts to apologize, and we started seeing each other more often after that."
"Later, I found that I would always run into that person. Although he always had a cold, deadpan face, I noticed that he would often stare at me."
Upon hearing this, Li Mai interjected, "He's interested in you? How old is he? Has he never been married?"
"Cheng Guo had a son who is ten years old this year. He is a year older than me. His wife passed away when the child was three years old. I heard that he never remarried after that." Nan Ling shook her head. This time, she also ran away.
That person, who seemed cold and aloof, kept getting close to her. She knew what he meant, but she didn't want to get married again.
Li Mai understood.
"He's taken a liking to you and wants to marry you!"
"He didn't say it, but that person always had a cold demeanor, but did very strange things. He would come to see me every day and bring me things all the time. I refused the things many times, but it was no use. If I refused today, he would bring me the same thing again tomorrow, until I accepted it, and then he would change it to something else."
"Hahaha," Li Mai was amused by the actions of the Yu family head, who sounded like a stubborn person.
"Then what's the deal with this box of jade beads and jade pieces?" Li Mai asked.
“He gave it to me, saying it was leftover scraps from making jade ornaments, and that I could use it to see if I could make jewelry.”
After Nanling finished speaking, she sighed inwardly. She had taken so many things from him; what could she possibly give back to make up for it?
"Sister, did you and him know each other before?" Li Mai always felt that the head of the Yu family wanted to marry Nan Ling.
“Yes, I met him before I left the capital, but we weren’t close and I didn’t know he was the young master of the Yu family.” Nan Ling pouted.
Li Mai nodded. No wonder. It seems that the head of the Yu family must have liked Sister Ling back then. She even thought that the carriage collision was intentional on his part!
"Sister Ling, you didn't sneak out of the capital, did you?" Li Mai suddenly had a flash of inspiration and asked.
Nan Yu chuckled.
Li Mai glanced at Nan Yu. "Nan Yu, tell me, did you two leave the capital secretly?"
Nan Yu nodded and hummed in agreement.
Nanling glanced at him silently, "You brat, you must marry a sister-in-law for me this year."
Nan Yu silently touched her nose. "Sister, now it's your turn to be in love, not mine."
At this point, he looked at Li Mai and said, "Actually, I also advised my sister that Yu Ze is a pretty good person, and my sister is still young. It's okay for her to remarry. Although my sister could live her whole life in our Nanfu if she didn't get married, at least she would have someone who cares about her and can be by her side. That would put my mind at ease. I have things to do now, and my sister doesn't want me to follow her around anymore."
After Yan Yu was recognized as Nan Ling's younger brother and renamed Nan Yu, he took over the main branch of the Nan family. The other members of the Nan family's branches had also agreed to this. Now, Nan Yu is the head of the Nan family branch in the capital.
Because the Nan family was originally a family of military generals, and Nan Yu's martial arts skills are now quite good, the emperor has also given Nan Yu a spot in the Imperial Guard in the capital. This time when he returns, he will officially get busy.
Nan Yu thought Yu Ze was a good person. He was a bit cold to others, but he could see how much he cared for and looked after his older sister.
However, it also depends on the sister's wishes. He fully respects her choice; if she doesn't want to get married, it's fine for her to stay by his side for the rest of her life. A woman is most comfortable in her own home.
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