After listening to Lin He, Da Bao nodded. A moment later, Lin He spoke again, “After all, you two are husband and wife; anything important should be discussed openly. Mother was a bit harsh with Yunqi today, but what she said wasn't entirely wrong. Living life requires planning; don't be overly demanding about certain things. After all, we are just an ordinary family.”

Lin He meant to remind Da Bao to discuss these matters thoroughly with Yunqi. Lin He wasn't just commenting on the things Yunqi bought this time; rather, ever since she first saw Yunqi and her daughter, Lin He had suspected that Yunqi’s family might have high standards when it came to food and clothing.

Perhaps they believed their values were reflected in these material possessions, as if they truly belonged to some prominent household. Considering how her own mother had raised them, Yunqi must have been influenced to some degree. Since Da Bao was aware of this, he needed to correct this bad habit in her and teach her how to manage a household budget.

Da Bao seemed to understand, saying, “Yes, I will talk to Yunqi properly later. When are you all going out? I’ll have Yunqi accompany you.”

Lin He said that Ziyu would call for Yunqi shortly. After Da Bao left, Lin He stared at Chen'er for a moment and then said, “Chen'er, you’re not little anymore. Can’t you distinguish between what should be done and what shouldn’t? You heard how Mother scolded your sister-in-law today, didn’t you? You’re not a child anymore; think before you speak from now on, understand?”

“Big Sister, I truly didn't know Mother would react like this. Usually, when I buy things, Mother just scolds me a few times and it’s over. It doesn't cost me a piece of flesh; if she likes to scold, let her.” Chen'er mumbled, head bowed.

“You are not the same as your sister-in-law. You are Mother’s daughter; it doesn't matter how Mother speaks to you. To put it as an example, if I were to scold you now, you wouldn't mind, right? But if Big Sister-in-law were standing here, scolding you for spending too much money, calling you a troublemaker—how would that make you feel?” Lin He asked patiently.

“Why would Big Sister-in-law scold me? She isn't my older sister; only my own sister can scold me,” Chen'er blurted out without thinking.

“Pfft,” Xiaobao, who was nearby, burst out laughing and called her a “silly goose.”

Chen'er bit her lip and glared at Xiaobao, while Lin He also chuckled, saying, “See? It’s just like that. A daughter and a daughter-in-law are definitely not the same. It’s fine if you don't understand now, but you must remember this: don't spread rumors or speak carelessly in the future, or things will turn out like today. If there’s anything you don't understand, talk to Big Sister or Big Brother. If all else fails, you can even tell Xiaobao. Just remember this.”

Chen'er nodded, indicating she understood. Lin He smiled, patted Chen'er’s head, and said, “That’s settled then. Everything is fine. Let’s go call Mother to go into town. Didn’t Mother say she wanted to go shopping?”

In the afternoon, Da Bao went to the shop. Lin He accompanied Huang shi and Yunqi to the streets. Huang shi mentioned she wanted to get some fabric to make clothes for Er Niu, so Lin He took them to the fabric shop and led them in to look at the materials.

Huang shi rarely visited fabric shops, and her eyes darted around, finding this one nice and that one appealing. In the end, Lin He selected a few bolts of cloth for her. Huang shi protested, saying she didn’t need that much, but Lin He pointed out that autumn was approaching, and everyone in the family needed new clothes, plus buying in bulk was cheaper. Only then did Huang shi cease her objection.

After buying the cloth, Lin He continued to wander around the streets with Huang shi and the others. Later, she bought some stationery—brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones—for Xiaobao. Finally, when they went to the shop to buy silk threads for Chen'er's embroidery work, Lin He let Chen'er choose for herself. Noticing Yunqi standing nearby, looking quite interested in the silk threads, Lin He walked over and asked, “Sister-in-law, do you want to buy some too? Which ones do you need? We can pick them out together.”

Yunqi glanced at Huang shi beside her and whispered, “Yes, I do want to buy some, but I’m not very skilled at embroidery. However, I really want to learn more. The clothes I had before were bought in town, and they were much more expensive than just buying fabric. I want to learn to make clothes myself.”

“That’s great! Then you can join us whenever you’re free. But when you start learning, don't try making clothes right away; start with simple things to practice. Once your skill improves, then you can start on clothes. Clothes look much better when they are made skillfully. You don't need to buy these right now; I have quite a few scraps of cloth at home. I’ll bring them to you, and you can practice with those first,” Lin He whispered back.

“Mm, alright, He'er, thank you. Mother doesn't know I can’t do embroidery. Back home, I only know how to make simple things like sachets. When Mother saw me holding embroidery work, she thought I knew how to do it. If she knew the truth, she might scold me again,” Yunqi admitted quietly.

“It’s alright, even if Mother finds out. As long as you apply yourself to learning, you’ll pick it up quickly. Look at Chen'er; she learned gradually too,” Lin He said with a smile.

Yunqi nodded and looked at Lin He, smiling happily. Watching Yunqi’s cautious demeanor, Lin He felt a pang of pity for her—no, she thought, it was pity for all women in this era, whose every action was governed by their mother-in-law. It was no wonder that when these daughters-in-law eventually became mothers-in-law themselves, they were often so demanding of their own daughters-in-law; they were merely seeking some kind of equilibrium for the way they themselves had been treated.

After finishing their shopping, the entire group returned together. Back in the courtyard, Ziyu poured Lin He a cup of tea and asked, “Miss, the ointment workshop is still short on staff. Has the Second Young Master made arrangements? We are starting tomorrow; when will the people arrive?”

“You mean the people needed for the soap workshop, right? He didn’t mention it to me today, so I assume he hasn’t found them yet. A couple more days shouldn’t matter,” Lin He replied distractedly, her mind still churning over other thoughts.

“No, Miss, I mean the cooks. They can manage their own meals today, but tomorrow when work starts, they won't have time. I thought you and the Second Young Master had settled that. You didn’t mention it?” Ziyu pressed.

Right! That damned Wen Ningxuan! He called her over to his place, but they didn't discuss any proper business; he was only occupied with all sorts of frivolous things. Thinking of this, a faint blush crept onto Lin He’s face. She wondered if he had even arranged for those people. Heavens, she was getting so sloppy! When she managed everything by herself before, things were always organized perfectly; now she was constantly forgetting details.

With that thought, Lin He announced, “We need to go out again, to the silver shop, to ask him.”

Lin He rose and took Ziyu to Wen Ningxuan’s silver shop. When they arrived, Shunzhu, the attendant who usually stayed close to Wen Ningxuan, seemed odd. He looked momentarily stunned when he saw Lin He approach, then came forward to bow, and his usual quick-witted speech was halting and stuttering.

Normally, Shunzhu was delighted to see Lin He and enjoyed talking, but today, after greeting her, he stood respectfully to the side, making no inquiry as to why she had come. Ziyu spoke up, “We’ve come to find the Second Young Master. Is he upstairs?” (To be continued)