The waiter completely disregarded Jiang Ling's words. He looked at her coarse linen clothes with disdain and said sarcastically, "What? In ancient times, heroes rescued beauties. Today, you, an old lady, are going to rescue a beauty? Ma'am, this is Shengjing, not some other place. I advise you not to meddle in other people's business! Otherwise, you'll be very embarrassed if you can't come up with the money!"
His words made Jiang Ling feel very unhappy, and even gave her the feeling that he was looking down on her.
Jiang Ling's eyebrows furrowed, and she was about to lash out when the woman beside her gently tugged at Jiang Ling's sleeve and whispered, "This... ma'am, never mind, never mind. Judging from your clothes and appearance, you don't seem like a wealthy person. You should save your money for later. I'll think of another way!"
As the saying goes, clothes make the man and a saddle makes the horse, and this is certainly true. Although Jiang Ling is now a sixth-rank official and has made a lot of money from her shampoo and fertilizer factories, she lives in Lujia Village and spends most of her time doing farm work herself, so she hasn't paid much attention to her clothing.
Now that the woman had said that, she felt a little embarrassed. The waiter next to her, hearing this, started to add fuel to the fire. He picked his nose and said disdainfully, "That's right, ma'am. You should just sit down and wait for your food!"
Hearing the waiter's disdainful tone, Jiang Ling wasn't annoyed. She slowly took out two silver ingots from her bosom and threw them on the ground with a "thud," coldly saying to the waiter, "Is this enough?"
The waiter was stunned by this gesture; he had never seen a woman dressed in coarse linen clothes be so generous.
He swallowed hard, bent down with a mercenary air to pick up the silver, and nodded repeatedly, saying, "That's enough! Auntie, I don't think that corner is a good spot. Why don't you come to the window side?"
Seeing the waiter's rude attitude, Jiang Ling rolled her eyes and turned to the woman, saying, "Miss, I know you mean well, but I hope you understand the principle of not flaunting your wealth. Go back now, and remember to bring money with you when you go out in the future!"
The woman stood there blankly for a long time before letting out an "Ah!" She then pulled off her bracelet and placed it in Jiang Ling's hand, saying, "Here, take this. Don't worry, I'm not a liar. I'll get the money and pay you back in a bit!"
Without waiting for Jiang Ling to say anything more, the woman ran out in a flash.
Jiang Ling looked at the exquisitely crafted bracelet in her hand and shook her head helplessly.
After what had just happened, the waiter was being exceptionally attentive. Jiang Ling found the waiter rather noisy and impatiently waved him aside.
After a satisfying meal, Jiang Ling looked up at the azure sky and decided to go for a walk.
Since I can't think of any good ideas for the time being, I might as well go out for a walk and maybe run into some benefactor. Wouldn't that be wonderful?
Shengjing was far more prosperous than Jiang Ling had imagined; there were even merchants from the Western Regions leading camels on the streets, hawking imported goods.
Jiang Ling glanced at the Western Region merchant's stall; it contained only ordinary spices, but the prices were shockingly high.
She went to the rouge shop again and found her own shampoo. But she was even more surprised when she saw the price. The shampoo, which cost a few hundred copper coins, was now selling for ten taels of silver a bottle in Shengjing. Even at such an expensive price, it was still in short supply.
Jiang Ling smiled helplessly, turned around, and left the rouge shop.
After wandering around for a while, Jiang Ling's mood improved. Just as she stepped into the inn, a woman's voice suddenly came from behind her: "It's her! It's her!"
Jiang Ling stopped and looked back curiously, then immediately smiled.
A woman wearing a pale yellow jacket was running towards Jiang Ling, accompanied by two servants and two maids.
"Money! Here you go!" The woman was quick on her feet, and she reached Jiang Ling's side in a few seconds.
Jiang Ling smiled and accepted the silver, then took out a bracelet from her bosom and placed it in the woman's hand.
"Young Miss! How could you be so bold? This is the Imperial..."
"Cough cough... Spring Cicada!" The woman glared at the maid beside her, and the maid immediately shut her mouth.
However, Jiang Ling heard everything the maid said clearly.
"Imperial? Imperial what? It should be an imperial gift, right? In that case, this woman or her family must have some connection with the Emperor." Thinking of this, Jiang Ling glanced at the woman's face.
Her clear eyes were filled with innocence, just like a little girl's.
Jiang Ling's lips suddenly curled up. She looked at the woman and whispered, "Miss, I feel like we get along quite well. How about we become friends?"
"How dare you! Do you know... our young lady..."
"Chun Chan! I've noticed you're getting bolder and bolder. Believe me or not, I'll tell my elder brother tomorrow and have you kicked out!" The woman was clearly very dissatisfied with Chun Chan's attitude earlier, and she pointed at the little maid named Chun Chan with her eyebrows raised.
Chun Chan was so frightened that her face turned pale, and she immediately knelt on the ground, repeatedly saying things like "Miss, I was wrong."
The commotion drew the attention of many people around them. Jiang Ling didn't want to escalate the situation, as this wasn't Lu Family Village. If Su Shunhe knew she had come to Shengjing, he would definitely try everything to deal with her.
Thinking of this, Jiang Ling quickly said to the woman, "Sister, please forgive Chun Chan. Chun Chan was only trying to protect her master. Besides, it's not good for a girl to kneel in public like this, is it?"
The woman nodded, gave Chun Chan a cold look, and said, "Get up. I saw this person here today..."
"What's your name, sister?" The woman suddenly realized she didn't know Jiang Ling's name and quickly turned to ask.
"My name is Ling Hehua, what's yours?" Jiang Ling casually made up a name to brush him off.
“They all call me A-Shu, you can call me A-Shu too!” A-Shu said to Jiang Ling with a smile.
"Uncle?" Jiang Ling smiled wryly but didn't say anything more.
A-Shu has a very cheerful personality. In just the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, she was already hanging out with Jiang Ling. When she heard Jiang Ling say that she wasn't from Shengjing, she became even more curious and kept asking Jiang Ling what her hometown was like.
Jiang Ling evaded the question with a few words, gradually steer the conversation toward A-Shu's bracelet.
Her eyes darted around, revealing a sly glint as she looked at A-Shu and asked, "A-Shu, your bracelet is quite unique!"
Ah Shu was even more flattered by her praise. She pulled off her bracelet and proudly placed it in front of Jiang Ling, saying, "That's right, this bracelet of mine is... but!"
At this point, A-Shu suddenly shut her mouth, covered it, shook her head, and muttered, "Anyway, it's unique!"
Seeing what A-Shu had just done, Jiang Ling became even more certain that this woman, A-Shu, must have some connection with the person living in the capital.
Jiang Ling didn't press the matter further. Knowing that haste makes waste, she seized the opportunity and said, "Yes, it's truly unique. I went to the jewelry store this morning, and I haven't seen anything even remotely similar to it, let alone one exactly the same. Shengjing is so much better! They have everything!"
When A-Shu heard Jiang Ling's words, she pursed her lips. She lowered her voice and said to Jiang Ling seriously, "Then...then...if I tell you the origin of this bracelet, can you keep it a secret for me?"
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