Wen Ningmo, standing to the side, grew displeased and said, "He'er, what are you talking about? If you're going to our family's silver shop, you shouldn't have to go by yourselves. I can take you and save you quite a bit of money. Come on, hurry up, or it'll truly be dark." As he spoke, he gently pulled Lin He along.

Lin He had no choice but to follow him, but Wen Ningxuan, watching Wen Ningmo take Lin He's arm, frowned slightly and spoke up, "Mo'er, walk properly. There's no need to rush like this."

Wen Ningmo uttered an "Oh," then released Lin He's hand and walked ahead by himself. The group arrived before a silver shop named "Jinfu Silver Shop." Lin He had seen it before but had never stepped inside. Inside, the layout was quite square; apart from being larger, it wasn't significantly different from the jewelry shops of this era. The shop attendant bowed when he saw Wen Ningxuan and the others enter, eagerly inquiring about their needs.

Wen Ningxuan looked at Lin He, gesturing for her to speak for herself. Lin He mentioned needing some common silver ornaments for gifting during betrothal preparations. Soon after, the clerk brought out two boxes of newly patterned jewelry. Lin He selected two pairs of lively and pretty small silver pendants and a few silver hairpins, intending to pick out accessories for Zi Qing and Zi Yu.

It was only when Wen Ningmo brought up these matters that she remembered. She usually disliked such trinkets herself, so naturally, she hadn't thought of gifting them to Zi Qing and Zi Yu. She decided to include Zi Xi and Zi Huan, who attended Chen'er, and Cai Qing, who served her mother. These maids served them very attentively, and although they were often rewarded with money, young women always loved such things; buying them something would surely bring them joy.

Next, Lin He chose two sets of elegantly patterned, simple, and unadorned full silver sets. She planned to give one set to Yu'er for her own family, and since there were exactly four pieces, she could have Grandma and the others each take one when they returned. In the end, they were all for Yu'er, so it didn't matter much. The shop attendant carefully packaged everything, offered the best price, and the total came to just over ten taels of silver. Lin He thought it was quite inexpensive.

After finishing the purchases, Lin He said she needed to leave. Wen Ningmo spoke up again, "He'er, don't you like bracelets? Our shop has many. Pick one, and I'll gift it to you. And bring one back for Chen'er too."

Hearing that damned Wen Ningmo bring up the bracelet matter again, Lin He grew somewhat annoyed and said, "No need. I don't like wearing them anyway. As for Chen'er's, you can give it to her yourself later."

With that, she called Da Bao and Zi Qing and left. Wen Ningmo called out from behind, "What's wrong with He'er? Why won't she accept gifts? Really."

Wen Ningxuan recalled the bracelet, and a faint smile touched his lips. Thinking about it, he said to Wen Ningmo, "You go back first. I'm going out for a walk."

Lin He and the group with Da Bao stepped out. Lin He chided Da Bao, "Big Brother, what's wrong with you? Why do you tell everyone everything?"

"Everyone? Little Mo isn't an outsider, and Second Young Master isn't either. Doesn't Little Mo often talk about these things with you? Why can't I mention it today?" Da Bao asked, somewhat confused.

"Ah, forget it, forget it. I'm heading back," Lin He said, too weary to argue further with Da Bao, and returned with Zi Qing and Zi Yu.

At the fork in the road, the carriage suddenly halted again. Lin He had a premonition—could it be Wen Ningxuan? Sure enough, she heard Chang Geng's voice from outside the carriage: "Miss, it's Second Young Master Wen."

Lin He sighed. Why did Wen Ningxuan always have to use this method, intercepting her halfway as if it were an emergency, only for it to turn out to be some minor issue? Last time, he only asked why she wasn't wearing the bracelet. She wondered what it could be this time.

The moment the carriage stopped, Zi Qing and Zi Yu jumped down. Lin He followed suit and walked automatically to Wen Ningxuan's side. Today, Wen Ningxuan wasn't riding his horse; the horse was tethered nearby, and he simply stood there. Lin He felt that such a transcendent figure standing there was a beautiful sight in itself.

Lin He approached Wen Ningxuan and said, "Second Young Master, next time you need me, don't stop my carriage midway. I'll think someone is robbing the road."

Wen Ningxuan glanced at Lin He and said, "Why are you reluctant to wear the bracelet? I gave it to you to wear. If it breaks, I'll give you another."

Lin He actually felt a bit embarrassed. Did he always have to speak so bluntly? Her face flushing slightly, Lin He said, "Don't listen to my Big Brother's nonsense. It's not that I'm reluctant to wear it; it’s just inconvenient at home usually."

"Then wear the bracelet I gave you last time. That one is very light and won't be inconvenient," Wen Ningxuan countered.

Lin He truly didn't want to dwell on this topic any longer. She nodded vaguely, hoping Wen Ningxuan would leave quickly, but this time Wen Ningxuan was somewhat unusual. He unexpectedly said, "I'll ride ahead and send you back."

"No need. We have a carriage, and we won't delay your important business. Little Mo said you are very busy at home, with many guests visiting," Lin He mentioned casually.

"What did Little Mo tell you?" Wen Ningxuan asked.

"Nothing much. Just that you're getting married this time you're back, so you're busy. Second Young Master, I need to go back now. No need to escort us; Zi Qing and Zi Yu are with me, we'll be fine," Lin He replied.

Wen Ningxuan did not insist on seeing Lin He home, but as she walked past him, a very soft voice drifted to her ear: "Don't listen to Little Mo's nonsense. I won't marry before you grow up."

With that, Wen Ningxuan rode off, leaving Lin He standing frozen. What did this Wen Ningxuan mean by that? What did her growing up have to do with him getting married? Although Lin He felt quite mature inside, she had never experienced romantic affection and remained somewhat obtuse about such matters. She truly couldn't grasp the meaning behind Wen Ningxuan's words.

In truth, Lin He was quite clear about her own path. Since she had arrived in this era, she intended to follow its customs: reaching a certain age, marrying, and having children. Lin He had never given marriage much thought or held high expectations for it; she had simply decided to follow the normal progression.

From their first meeting until now, Wen Ningxuan had certainly been unique to her. Lin He admitted she belonged to the "looks-first" camp; the appreciation of beauty was a universal human trait, and she wasn't being overly ascetic in that regard. Furthermore, Wen Ningxuan had treated her quite well since then. If it meant having a romantic relationship with someone like Wen Ningxuan, Lin He would have been happy to, but when it came to marriage, Lin He hesitated. Setting aside other factors, a family like Wen Ningxuan's would likely never accept a simple farm girl like her. Moreover, given her own temperament, Lin He would prefer marrying into an ordinary family and living a simple country life over entering a prominent clan where she would have to live in constant apprehension.

But this Wen Ningxuan was giving Lin He a headache. She felt they seemed stuck in some ambiguous territory, yet she found it difficult to address, especially since Wen Ningxuan hadn't directly declared anything to her. If she brought it up and it turned out she was just being presumptuous, she really wouldn't know what to do.