"Miss, you are too kind to the maids. They could acquire these things themselves, and going to the street to buy them would also be fine. Why trouble yourself so much?" Ziyu said with a smile.

"Look at these two maids; they are still dressed so thinly. How can anyone work like that? Since there is nothing for them to do here right now, they might as well stay, and you can take them along when you buy things. Talk with them more; it isn't easy for them to leave their parents and start working at such a young age," Lin He replied.

In truth, every time Lin He saw these young maids, she was reminded of her past life. Having no parents since childhood, she had to rely on her own efforts for everything. If she did well, it was expected; if she didn't, she was severely scolded. Now, seeing these girls, she felt compassion out of empathy. Moreover, Lin He did not wish to be a harsh mistress; she tried her best to treat them well whenever she could.

Ziyu was merely speaking in jest with Lin He; having experienced those things herself, how could she not understand? Ziyu smiled and said, "These two maids are quite fortunate to have been bought by the Second Young Master to serve the Miss. A mistress as kind as our Miss is truly rare in this world."

Lin He gave the flattering girl a playful, chiding look and said no more.

After embroidering for a while, Ziyu suddenly looked up again and said, "Miss, you forgot one person. Shouldn't you make some thicker clothes for the Second Young Master? The Second Young Master and his entourage don't even have a maid; I fear no one is managing these matters for them."

Lin He looked at Ziyu, considering that what the maid said held some truth. Over there, it was all men; who would meticulously handle such things? Yet, speaking of it, Lin He was somewhat curious about Wen Ningxuan's life. Every time Lin He saw Wen Ningxuan, he was impeccably dressed and kept himself spotless. At home, it was said he had servants attending to him, but here, there were no maids. Did those men also possess such meticulous habits? If it wasn't for well-attending servants, did this Eldest Young Master have such excellent self-care skills? Lin He was quite eager to know which category he fell into.

However, Ziyu’s suggestion to make him some thicker clothing made sense. But what material to use? In Lin He's memory, Wen Ningxuan never seemed to wear padded winter garments. And with his bearing, what would he look like encased in bulky cotton attire? Lin He thought of that image and laughed.

Ziyu looked at Lin He, somewhat perplexed. Why was the Miss laughing to herself? Ziyu knew Lin He well enough to realize the Miss was simply lost in thought and certainly wasn't laughing at her. Still, Ziyu couldn't help but ask out of curiosity, "Miss, what are you laughing at? Are you going to make clothes for the Second Young Master or not?"

"Ah? I can, but you have to tell me what kind of clothes. Your Second Young Master probably won't wear cotton padding, right? If you mean thick clothing, what else is there besides padded garments?" Lin He asked, snapping back to the present.

Ziyu pondered for a moment and said, "The Miss is right. The Second Young Master practices martial arts, so naturally, he doesn't feel the cold like ordinary people, and probably doesn't need bulky padded robes. However, Miss, you could make him a lined robe or perhaps that kind of fur-trimmed cloak he could wear when he goes out."

A fur cloak? Lin He's first reaction was that this maid was too inconsiderate of nature. At this time, there were no synthetic furs or similar materials; these would all require genuine animal pelts. Just making one scarf would take quite a bit of fur, let alone a cloak for a man—how many animal skins would that require? Lin He looked at Ziyu without speaking.

This time, Ziyu seemed completely unaware of Lin He's thoughts and continued, "Yes, Miss, you can take your time making the lined robe; that isn't difficult. As for the cloak, I think that’s excellent. Let's make that one. The Second Young Master should wear something you’ve made. We can go to the street after we eat and buy some furs; buying now while the weather isn't too cold will save us a good bit of money."

Lin He was nearly infuriated by Ziyu's suggestion and said testily, "Why don't you just ask the few men under the Second Young Master to hunt some animals and bring them back? Then we wouldn't even need to pay money, and we could enjoy plenty of wild game—killing several birds with one stone."

"Yes, Miss’s idea is wonderful! Why don't you tell the Second Young Master later to send some men out to hunt, and he certainly won't refuse if you ask," Ziyu exclaimed with sudden realization.

"Forget it, let’s just go out and buy them," Lin He said weakly.

Ziyu nodded, lowered her head to resume her embroidery, and gave a sly smile. Lin He watched the maid’s expression, shook her head. Still, the maid's idea wasn't bad; compared to padded robes, a cloak was indeed more suitable for Wen Ningxuan. However, Lin He was too accustomed to her past life and felt quite resistant to wearing clothes made of real animal fur, but there was no alternative in this era; genuine warmth was extremely scarce.

Wen Ningxuan did not come for lunch. Lin He assumed he must be busy settling in, so she did not send anyone to inquire. She ate alone, while Ziyu and the two maids ate together. After finishing lunch, Lin He strolled in the courtyard for a while, then called for Ziyu to take the two young maids out to the street. The two maids were overjoyed to hear they were being taken out, especially the younger one, Yuezhi, who hopped about excitedly, saying she had never been to the street before.

However, in front of Lin He, they were rather reserved and dared not show their excitement, following obediently behind. Lin He and the others wandered the street; it seemed fewer people were out at this hour than in the morning, but the sounds of clamor and hawking were still quite lively.

Lin He and Ziyu first went to the place selling fabrics. Lin He told the two young maids to each pick out a bolt of cloth they liked, saying it was for them. The two girls were stunned at first; they truly hadn't expected the Miss to buy things for them too. Ziyu smiled and nudged them, and only then did the two maids cautiously select two bolts of the cheapest coarse cloth, saying they liked those.

Lin He and Ziyu smiled, and in the end, Lin He chose a bolt of fine cotton cloth for each of them, thinking that young girls preferred brighter colors, and picked two beautiful shades, letting them carry the fabric themselves. Not long after, they had purchased the cloth and cotton, but they hadn't found suitable fur. Lin He bought two smaller rabbit pelts, intending to make a few pairs of fur-lined shoes for winter. As for the cloak material, they looked everywhere but couldn't find anything quite right. Finally, after walking down several streets, Lin He noticed the maids were already carrying quite a few things and decided they would look for it another time, so she called for them to return.

By the time they got back to the small courtyard, the sky was already darkening. Wen Ningxuan and his group had returned. Seeing that Lin He had bought so many things, Wen Ningxuan spoke up, "Why go out to buy so many things without bringing anyone along to help?" He then motioned for Ling Xiao, who was beside him, to help carry the items. Ling Xiao walked expressionlessly to Ziyu, took the things from her hands, placed them on the table in the courtyard, and then returned to Wen Ningxuan's side.

Ziyu watched the man's sequence of actions, utterly devoid of expression. She truly wondered if this Ling Xiao fellow wore a human skin mask, as there was no expression on his face other than that icy, deadpan look. Furthermore, Ziyu rarely heard him speak; why was this person so strange? As Ziyu pondered this, her eyes involuntarily followed Ling Xiao's movements.