Wen Ningxuan hadn't seen Lin He laughing so happily in a long time. As he stood by the courtyard, he could already hear their laughter from inside the room. His lips curled slightly upward without him realizing it, his mood lightening considerably.

Watching her playfully tease Zi Yu and Ling Xiao as she moved about the room, he couldn't help but join in teasing her back. Now seeing the person before him pouting like a little kitten with bared teeth, he let out a soft chuckle.

Lin He shot him an exasperated look then glanced outside. Noticing it was still early morning, she asked curiously, "Why are you returning so soon today? Didn't you just leave moments ago?"

"I ran into Shun Zhu on the street," Wen Ningxuan said with a smile, "He told me you were going to buy ingredients for making scented ointments. Since there weren't many business matters at the shop today, I decided to come back and take a peek - I've never actually seen my wife prepare these things myself."

"What are you watching for?" Lin He teased with a playful scowl, "Are you trying to steal my techniques? Mind you, no outsiders allowed in this ointment workshop!"

"Little miss," Wen Ningxuan tugged at her nose gently before releasing it, raising his brows as he asked, "Who did you say was an outsider?"

"That wasn't you!" she protested with a pout, "Let go, it hurts."

Wen Ningxuan chuckled and pulled her onto his lap, cradling her affectionately. "Why did you suddenly decide to make ointments today?"

"An apprentice just informed me Grandma left the house," Lin He explained while gazing at him, "She won't return for a while so I don't need to pay respects anymore. Lately my days have been unbearably boring at home, and you mentioned wanting more products in our shop - I thought perhaps we could create some of those special ointments we made for Grandma last time?"

"That sounds good," Wen Ningxuan murmured, "Though won't it be tiring?"

"Tiring?" Lin He waved a hand dismissively. "Back at my family home when there were no servants to help me, I used to make these with my older brother and others in large batches daily - nothing exhausting about that! Now we're just making small samples for testing purposes, hardly worth mentioning as work."

"Then go ahead whenever you have time," Wen Ningxuan advised softly. "But change the wooden packaging from what we gave Grandma last time. You know?"

"Why?" Lin He looked up at him with feigned confusion, "I spent ages designing those boxes! If I need to come up with new ones now my head will explode!"

Truth be told, she had no intention of replicating the previous design - not just the packaging but also the fragrance itself. Those were special gifts for Grandma and Wen Shu once claimed them as one-of-a-kind creations. Though uncertain about Grandma's possible reaction if they sold similar products now, it was better to avoid potential misunderstandings. After all, she didn't want Grandma thinking Lin He had used her as an experiment subject.

She said all this just to test how much Wen Ningxuan truly cared for her feelings through his attachment to his grandmother - classic petty feminine antics.

Wen Ningxuan saw right through her act but chose not to reveal it. Instead he feigned annoyance, "My dear He'er is so silly! How hard could it be to design new packaging? No similarity allowed absolutely! Even if your head aches, you must change them. Nothing matters more than showing respect toward Grandma."

As expected, his exaggerated expression made her pout and bite her lip silently. Wen Ningxuan knew she'd throw him out in another moment unless he said something soothing.

Sure enough after sitting on him for a while, the little miss declared crossly, "Let me down now! Shun Zhu should have returned with supplies by now. I'll call Zi Qing and Zi Yu to help - you must leave first. This ointment workshop isn't for spectators!"

Wen Ningxuan tightened his embrace, burying his face in her hair as he chuckled. Lin He knew full well she was being played but indulged him anyway. After exchanging sweet smiles, she gently pushed against his hand resting on her waist: "Let me go or I won't make any more! I'll just have Zi Qing and Zi Yu copy the samples from Grandma's collection directly."

"That would be best," Wen Ningxuan agreed cheerfully, finally giving in. "Shall I send Ling Xiao to fetch them right away?"

Lin He laughed softly then said, "Quickly let me down! You may supervise though while I have Zi Qing and Zi Yu pick some flowers from the garden first. This time we'll create new scents instead of repeating what we made for Grandma."

Wen Ningxuan released her at once when he noticed she was serious about making ointments, then called Ling Xiao, Zi Yu and Zi Qing to assist. He entrusted final tasks to Shun Zhu who was fully trustworthy.

When Zi Yu and others arrived, Lin He gave Zi Yu a knowing smile before the girl quickly returned to work. June's finest blooms were jasmine and white orchids - conveniently both growing in their courtyard with ingredients already purchased by Shun Zhu. Since this process was familiar from previous attempts, Zi Qing and Zi Yu worked efficiently under Lin He's mere supervision.

Zi Qing received help from Shun Zhu while Ling Xiao assisted Zi Yu. With these hands, production proceeded smoothly despite requiring careful attention to keep the fire burning continuously. Midday found Lin He absent from the workshop as she went out with Wen Ningxuan, leaving Zi Qing and Zi Yu in charge of finishing touches.

By afternoon when the scents were complete, the jasmine and white orchid fragrances proved even more exquisite than Grandma's original samples - slightly richer yet equally delicate. The entire courtyard filled with the intoxicating aroma instantly.

Lin He had Zi Qing and Zi Yu pack finished products into boxes then delivered them to Wen Ningxuan in his study. After sniffing thoughtfully, he remarked, "The fragrance is indeed excellent for this weather. Only these packaging designs are too simple - we must refine them before selling."

"Of course," Lin He agreed. These were just temporary containers for testing.

"I'll sketch the new designs once you give me directions," Wen Ningxuan said, lowering his attention to business ledgers again.