Lin He understood a bit more now. She recalled Ziyu once mentioning that the Wen family had designated days each month when jewelers or silk merchants would deliver goods for the female relatives to choose from. Since their family owned shops dealing in these items, most deliveries came from Caidie Xuan, though occasionally other establishments would send selections.

Entering the room, Lin He saw several middle-aged men standing near the Old Madam, their faces slick with obsequiousness as they presented jewelry and other trinkets to the women. At the sound of the Old Madam speaking, their eyes immediately turned toward Lin He. After she paid her respects, they rushed forward with formal bows and cheerful smiles—the quintessential demeanor of merchants.

Lin He approached the Old Madam and surveyed the jewelry. It was indeed fine, but there was simply too much, enough to make one’s eyes swim. The Third Madam, who was in the process of selecting items, noticed Lin He’s arrival and smiled. “Xuan’s wife, you should choose a few pieces as well. This shop’s merchandise is excellent, and the styles are all quite new. At your age, it’s the perfect time to wear such things, unlike us; we’re older now, and many styles no longer suit us.”

“How can Third Aunt speak of being old? You look only a few years older than us, and wearing these would only enhance your graceful elegance,” Lin He replied smoothly, her words sweet.

“Is that so? This girl always speaks the truth,” the Third Madam chuckled, playfully covering her face.

The entire room erupted in laughter at the Third Madam’s remark, and even the Old Madam said with a gentle chide, “This Third Madam, she has no other virtues, but her tongue is certainly pleasing. Wherever she is, everyone is cheerful. Come, Xuan’s wife, come over. See if there’s anything you like.”

Truthfully, Lin He held little genuine interest in these items. While they were good quality, in her eyes, they lacked any particular distinction. However, since the Old Madam had prompted her, declining felt awkward. She quickly scanned the trays, intending to select something just to appease the Old Madam. After a few glances, she settled on a delicate pearl hairpin on one tray—it looked refined and elegant, not too flashy, perfect for daily wear. As she reached out to examine it,

Before her hand even extended, Qing Mo, standing nearby, had already snatched the hairpin. “This hairpin is nice. Mother, I want this one,” she declared, then shot a triumphant glance at Lin He.

Lin He offered a faint smile. It seemed Qing Mo was starting her usual competition today. If you enjoy vying so much, I’m in a good mood today. I’ll play along with you, little girl.

Madam Wen, standing beside them, said nothing, merely nodding. Qing Mo immediately passed the hairpin to the young maid standing behind her, as if fearing Lin He might snatch it back the moment she set it down.

Lin He shifted her gaze back to the trays before her, then glanced sideways at Qing Mo, who was observing her with apparent readiness to intercept anything Lin He seemed to favor.

Lin He smiled faintly and deliberately let her eyes drift over some of the more ordinary pieces first. When she spotted something slightly more expensive, she prepared to reach out, but each time, Qing Mo was faster, grabbing the item and instantly handing it to her own maid, announcing it was hers.

Madam Wen remained seated nearby, making no comment, allowing Qing Mo her choices, seemingly approving of Qing Mo’s conduct in opposing Lin He. The other women were deeply engrossed in discussing the jewelry, so naturally, no one paid attention to this silent contest.

Suddenly, Lin He noticed something exceptional on a different tray—it appeared to be a legendary cat’s eye stone, and it was pink. Lin He knew, even in her previous life, that genuine cat’s eye stones were not inexpensive, and this particular color was exceedingly rare.

At this point in time, Lin He had visited several jewelry shops and rarely encountered such a gem. The price was unlikely to be low. Since the stone was unset, lying simply on the velvet cloth of the tray, it wasn't large or flashy, which meant the preoccupied Wen Qing Mo had likely overlooked it. Lin He chuckled inwardly. You wanted to buy things, Qing Mo? Today, I’ll make sure you buy quite a few.

Lin He deliberately let her gaze linger on the cat’s eye stone for a long time, feigning great admiration, appearing as if she intended to reach for it, then drawing her hand back. This performance was clearly observed by Qing Mo, who immediately seized the stone. “Shopkeeper, I want this one too,” she called out, passing it quickly to the maid behind her.

Qing Mo’s maid was already struggling to balance several items, nearly dropping them. At this point, the other women had finished selecting their pieces, and the focus naturally shifted away from the jewelry. The Third Madam looked with surprise at the maid burdened with so many valuables and exclaimed, “Qing Mo, are you buying all this? And these are not cheap items. This haul must cost at least two or three thousand taels, surely?”

“Third Aunt, what are you saying? How could it be so much? It’s at most a few hundred taels of silver, certainly not two or three thousand!” Qing Mo replied dismissively.

“Qing Mo, are you joking? A few hundred taels? That little stone alone is worth more than that. It looks pretty, yes, but it’s too expensive, and rather difficult to set into jewelry—that’s why I didn’t choose it,” the Third Madam commented after glancing at the cat’s eye stone.

“Indeed, Qing Mo, perhaps you shouldn’t buy that little stone. It really is quite pricey,” Lin He added with seemingly good intentions.

Qing Mo hadn’t been particularly fond of the cat’s eye stone; she had only wanted it because Lin He seemed interested. Now, the Third Madam’s comment made her waver slightly, but Lin He’s ‘kind’ counsel solidified her resolve to purchase it. She retorted defiantly, “How expensive can it be? It’s just a little stone! I’ll take it. Shopkeeper, ring everything up for me.”

“Miss Wen, the total is two thousand six hundred taels,” the shopkeeper said with a cheerful smile, presenting the bill to Qing Mo.

Qing Mo was startled by the figure and asked, “What? Two thousand six hundred taels? That’s so much money?”

“Miss Wen, let me tally it for you. The hairpin is fifty taels, the jade bangle is one hundred taels… the cat’s eye stone is two thousand one hundred taels. After discounts, the total comes to two thousand six hundred taels. Rest assured, I haven’t made any errors,” the shopkeeper demonstrated with his small abacus before her.

“This… this stone costs two thousand taels?” Qing Mo asked in disbelief.

“Miss Wen, this is a cat’s eye stone. I only have this single piece in my entire shop; you wouldn’t find another in all of Tianxin Town. This price is very fair. If I were selling it to someone else, I wouldn’t quote this price, and frankly, others might not even afford it. However, Miss Wen clearly doesn’t need to worry about the price. See how perfectly this cat’s eye stone suits you? And once you purchase it, our shop will handle the setting for you. It will look stunning set as any piece of jewelry. Miss Wen has truly excellent taste,” the shopkeeper added, bowing deferentially.

“Yes, it is beautiful. Qing Mo, before you arrived, your Eldest Sister-in-law and I both admired it, but the price truly was steep. I didn't have that much silver to spare,” the Third Madam remarked with a touch of regret.