In the county seat, Wang Qingchen received a letter from Wang Qinghua, informing him that his elder sister-in-law had given birth to a daughter. Wang Qingchen was quite delighted by this news; the thought of having a sweet, delicate little niece made him wish he could fly back immediately to see her.

Li Yuntai and Liu Hao watched Wang Qingchen stare blankly at the letter and couldn't help but ask, "Qingchen, what did your elder brother write that has you so happy?"

"Oh, nothing much, just that my sister-in-law had a little niece," Wang Qingchen said proudly.

Liu Hao took one look at Wang Qingchen's expression and teased, "My goodness, this is serious! You are now a man with a niece. Things are different now. Have you thought about what gift you'll give your little niece for her first meeting?"

Hearing Liu Hao say this, Wang Qingchen slapped his thigh. "You're right, I completely forgot! I haven't prepared a welcome gift for my little niece! Hey, you two quickly help me think—what would be a good gift for her?"

Liu Hao and Li Yuntai exchanged a glance after hearing this, then decisively announced, "Qingchen, we just remembered we need to study. We won't keep you company!"

With that, Liu Hao and Li Yuntai swiftly made their exit. Wang Qingchen watched their retreating backs, feeling a bit dissatisfied. "Leaving so soon? It would have been nice to at least offer a suggestion!"

Li Yuntai and Liu Hao were determined not to get involved, so Wang Qingchen eventually had to go to the market alone to shop.

Wang Qingchen considered that since his niece was a girl, he should get her something she could use, so he started looking around jewelry shops.

When the shop assistant saw a young man approach, he couldn't immediately tell if he could afford anything in the shop, so he merely asked, "Excuse me, young master, are you looking to purchase some jewelry?"

Hearing the assistant's question, Wang Qingchen inquired, "My niece was just born not long ago. I was thinking of getting her some kind of jewelry. Do you have such items? Could you help me see what would be suitable?"

Upon hearing this, the assistant became much more enthusiastic. In his estimation, since the customer clearly intended to buy jewelry, he must be able to afford it. He eagerly began recommending items to Wang Qingchen. "Oh, esteemed customer, let me tell you, the longevity locks in our shop are the most suitable—auspicious and beautiful. Look at these; these are our bestsellers. Many prominent families come to our shop specifically for longevity locks. See if there is anything you like?"

Wang Qingchen thought, That's right, why didn't I think of getting a longevity lock? What a wonderful item this is! He looked where the assistant pointed; every piece seemed excellent, and Wang Qingchen couldn't make up his mind immediately.

The assistant wasn't in a hurry, instead taking the time to explain the meaning and symbolism behind each longevity lock to Wang Qingchen.

Wang Qingchen found the stories quite interesting, so he wasn't rushing to choose one, continuing to listen to the assistant's descriptions. Just then, two palanquins arrived outside the jewelry shop, and from them emerged a middle-aged woman and a girl of about twelve or thirteen. Accompanied by maids, they entered the shop.

The assistant quickly apologized to Wang Qingchen before rushing over to greet the new arrivals. It was clear a major transaction was imminent, allowing no room for inattention.

Wang Qingchen naturally understood this was human nature. Given how many interesting things the assistant had just shared, he wasn't upset. Instead, he quickly selected a nice-looking piece and prepared to pay and leave.

At that moment, the middle-aged woman and the young girl approached. As Wang Qingchen turned around, their eyes met. The middle-aged woman showed no particular reaction, but the young girl gave Wang Qingchen a sense of familiarity, as if he had been seen somewhere before.

What Wang Qingchen didn't know was that the moment the girl saw him, she instantly recognized him. Wasn't this the rogue she encountered on her return from Lingjue Temple? She recalled how this man had stared intently at her through the window of the small sedan chair she was riding in. To run into him here!

Thinking of this, the girl frowned slightly. Why was this person in a jewelry shop? Recalling him as a scoundrel, the girl felt certain he couldn't be up to any good. At the same time, she inwardly lamented, To think, even at such a young age, he already has such a character. I wonder what he will be like when he grows up!

The middle-aged woman noticed her daughter’s gaze lingering on Wang Qingchen for a bit too long and asked with slight confusion, "Ting'er, what is wrong?"

Hearing her mother’s question, the young girl quickly averted her eyes. "Mother, nothing is wrong. I was just wondering why we had to come to this jewelry shop. The jewelry shops in the capital are far superior to this one!"

The middle-aged woman smiled and shook her head. "You, my dear, we are not here to get jewelry made for you; we are getting something made for that person in your uncle's household."

"For that person in Uncle's household? Mother, why must we get jewelry made for her? What's so special about her?" the girl asked discontentedly.

"You must not speak like that, understand? After all, she is currently carrying your uncle's child. We must treat her well," the middle-aged woman advised.

The two women walked past Wang Qingchen and were led by the assistant to a private room upstairs, reserved specifically for female patrons from the prominent families in the county.

After leading them to the private room, the assistant quickly called for the shopkeeper to attend to them, knowing that such esteemed guests were beyond the capabilities of mere assistants. Once the shopkeeper was summoned, the assistant hurried back to Wang Qingchen. Seeing that Wang Qingchen had made his selection, he said, "My deepest apologies, esteemed customer, for making you wait so long. You have made your choice, I presume? I will complete the transaction for you right away, without further delay."

Wang Qingchen smiled. "No matter."

Afterward, Wang Qingchen asked the price of the longevity lock, paid the assistant, and left with the carefully wrapped item.

Having purchased the longevity lock, Wang Qingchen took the opportunity to buy many other things in the county seat—items he planned to take home for the New Year, to distribute among his family as a token of his regard.

When Wang Qingchen returned to the residence, Li Yuntai and Liu Hao looked at the numerous bags he carried with disbelief. "You didn't need to buy this many welcome gifts, did you? She’s just a tiny baby, and your gifts already fill so many bags. When she grows up, are you planning to buy her the entire county?"

Wang Qingchen looked slightly embarrassed. "Uh, it's not like that. These aren't all for the welcome gift. These are things I bought for the rest of the family. As for the welcome gift, I bought a longevity lock. How about that? Isn't that a fine welcome gift?"

Only then did Li Yuntai and Liu Hao drop their look of incredulity and tease, "You scamp! Didn't realize you were so filial and considerate of your family!"

"Stop teasing me, you two. Quickly use the next few days to buy the things you need. We'll be heading home soon, and we can't return from the county seat empty-handed, can we? That would look bad! People might say we were just showing off and never even visited the county seat," Wang Qingchen suggested.

Li Yuntai and Liu Hao knew Wang Qingchen had a point, but did he really need to buy so much? It seemed Wang Qingchen was quite fond of shopping. However, they mused, only young ladies usually enjoyed shopping this much.

A few days later, the county school closed for the holiday, and Wang Qingchen and his companions could finally return home for the New Year. They hired another carriage and excitedly hurried homeward.

Wang Qingchen’s return enveloped the household of Wang Youfu in the joy of family reunion. Wang Youfu and Lady Yang looked at the numerous packages Wang Qingchen had brought back and chided him gently, "Child, you are finally home. Why did you buy so many things? What if you run out of money?"

"Mother, do you take your son for someone who would spend all his money? Don't worry, I've accounted for everything clearly. I wouldn't deplete my funds buying these things! I always keep in mind that I need money to return home! If the money ran out, how would I get back?" Wang Qingchen replied with a bright smile.

"You know best, my child. Your mother just worries that you won't have enough money when you're out there! Oh, and how has everything been since you went to the county school? Has everything gone smoothly?" Lady Yang inquired.

Hearing his mother's question, Wang Qingchen recounted some of the events at the county school to prevent his family from worrying.

Wang Youfu and Lady Yang were relieved after hearing Wang Qingchen’s account confirmed everything at the county school was well.

"Your mother knows you have great aspirations and capabilities, but I also hope you take good care of yourself there and don't let yourself suffer. If you lack anything, write to your brother. Let the family know so we can figure things out together, understand?" Lady Yang instructed.

Wang Qingchen understood this came from Lady Yang's deep care for him, so he nodded. "Mother, don't worry, I will."

Afterward, Wang Qingchen took the gifts he had bought for the main household and the third branch over to chat with the elders for a long time before returning.

That evening, the family hosted a welcoming feast for Wang Qingchen, setting out a table laden with delicious dishes, filled with laughter and joy.

Luo Qing was currently in her confinement period and could not join the main table. Instead, Wu shi brought some light, nourishing food to her room.

At that moment, Luo Qing was examining the longevity lock Wang Qingchen had sent for Nian'er. The craftsmanship was exquisite, made of solid material—it was clearly not cheap. Luo Qing was very happy; such a fine welcome gift from her little brother-in-law suggested he was very fond of their daughter, meaning their daughter would have one more person to dote on her. The more she thought about it, the happier she became. Luo Qing carefully put the longevity lock away for her daughter; the baby was still very frail, and she would wait until she was older to put it on her. (To be continued)