Without saying much more, she continued walking forward. Seeing that it was already noon, Lin He considered that Uncle Wen and the others would likely come over for lunch. If she returned too late, it wouldn't be ideal; she was out enjoying herself while Uncle Wen and the others were attending to serious matters. She felt quite bad about making them wait for her.

When Wen Ningxuan departed, he cast a few glances toward the bracelet, watching Lin He walk toward the inn before following along himself.

They stayed in Taiping County for a total of five days. For the first two, Lin He and Wen Ningxuan spent their days wandering all over the county, buying a huge assortment of miscellaneous items. After two days, Lin He lost interest and decided to go with Uncle Wen to look at the shop. Uncle Wen mentioned that the premises had already been rented.

The storefront was much larger than the Hecai Doll shop in town. The courtyard behind it was not as extensive, but it still contained several rooms, more than enough to house the staff. The rent for a shop in the county was worlds apart from the town prices; this establishment cost one hundred and fifty taels per month, payable annually. It was introduced by an old friend of Uncle Wen's; otherwise, securing a lease at that price would have been impossible.

However, Uncle Wen insisted that the price was not expensive. Elsewhere, a shop of this caliber would demand at least one hundred and eighty taels a month. Lin He supposed he had a point; one way or another, the money always came out of the customer’s pocket, and this shop would surely generate much more profit than the one in town.

For the following few days, Lin He joined Uncle Wen and the others in inspecting how the shop should be renovated. Lin He felt that since it was a branch of Hecai Doll, the decorative style should follow that of the town shop. While minor variations were acceptable, the fundamental style had to remain consistent, adjusted only to suit the size of the new premises.

Uncle Wen had already hired the staff over the past few days. He said they needed to place the manager from the town shop here to oversee operations for a few months until the newly hired manager was ready to take over, at which point the original manager could return. Lin He thought this was a good arrangement; having someone familiar would help the shop’s operations get up to speed more quickly.

Once everything was settled, Uncle Wen discussed with Lin He the plan to make Chen Bing the second manager of this branch. Chen Bing had been with him for several years; he was sharp, utterly loyal, and diligently performed his duties. Making him the second manager seemed appropriate. Lin He had no objections; she trusted anyone Uncle Wen selected.

Seeing Lin He agree, Uncle Wen stated that Chen Bing would manage things here, while he would return to oversee the original shop. He added that from now on, the running back and forth would be Chen Bing’s responsibility, saving him the taxing travel.

With all matters concluded, the group headed back. Chen Bing drove the carriage, tasked with escorting them home and handing over all the necessary instructions for his duties at the new location. Chen Bing was overjoyed to hear about his promotion to second manager, swiftly thanking Uncle Wen and Lin He profusely, promising to work diligently in the future.

The party finalized their arrangements here and returned. Lin He calculated that she had been away for twelve days. By the time they arrived back at the Caidie Xuan in town, it was already late afternoon. Uncle Wen and Wen Ningxuan alighted at the entrance of Caidie Xuan. Da Bao also got off the carriage near Hecai Doll. Lin He handed Da Bao the writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstone she had bought for him before riding back in the carriage.

When she arrived home, the family was gathered in the courtyard. They were all overjoyed to see Lin He return. She had left with only a single bundle, but she came back with three large, bulging parcels stuffed full of things.

Xiao Bao and the other little ones, seeing their elder sister return, happily gathered around Lin He, peppering her with questions: "Was the county fun? Did you buy a lot of things? Is it much like the town?" Huang Shi smiled and called the children to a halt, saying, "Let your sister rest a bit; she can tell you all about it later."

Lin He had told Huang Shi she would be gone for about ten days. Being away for twelve meant Huang Shi had been watching anxiously from the edge of the village for several days. If she hadn't returned today, Huang Shi would have gone out looking again.

Seeing He’er return, Huang Shi said with concern, "He’er, you must be exhausted from being away. You've lost weight. Is the shop over there all set up? Why didn't Da Bao come back with you?"

Lin He smiled and answered Huang Shi’s questions one by one, then brought out the gifts she had purchased for the family. For Huang Shi, there was a silver hairpin. Upon seeing the beautiful ornament, Huang Shi chided her gently, "You silly girl, why spend money on things like this? Look at me, I’m already this age; what use is such a trinket to me?"

Though she spoke those words, her hands clutched the silver hairpin, unable to put it down, as she held it up to the mirror. Lin He knew her mother adored it; this was likely the first decent piece of hair jewelry she had owned in a long time. She promised herself to buy her mother more fine things once the family had more money; all women appreciated such adornments.

Then, she called the little ones over and distributed the gifts she had bought for them. For Xiao Chen, she had a butterfly clasp. Xiao Chen immediately loved it and urged Lin He to fasten it in her hair, asking if her mother and sister looked beautiful wearing it. Lin He laughed and agreed they looked lovely, remarking how happy a small thing could make a child.

Next, she handed the toys meant for Xiao Bao and Xiao Jun to them. The two little boys snatched up their toys and immediately ran into the courtyard to play, forgetting their questions about the county’s entertainment.

Finally, she brought out the items for Father and Old Man Qin, handing them to Huang Shi to pass along. Huang Shi asked, "He’er, why didn't you buy any jewelry for yourself? You bought something for everyone else; why did you leave yourself out?"

Lin He smiled and replied, "I didn't see anything I truly liked, so I didn't buy anything. There will be other chances to go out in the future."

Seeing how tired Lin He looked, Huang Shi urged her to rest in her room while she prepared supper. Lin He nodded and went to unpack the bundle containing her clothes. As she opened it, a small box rolled out. Lin He frowned, feeling puzzled; she distinctly remembered not packing any box in this bundle.

When she opened the box, there lay the bracelet she had admired in the jewelry shop, resting quietly inside, emitting a dazzling gleam. Lin He was initially surprised. She ran through the possibilities in her mind: Could it be that Wen Ningxuan had placed it there? She found the idea hard to believe.

After much thought, it still seemed unlikely. How could Wen Ningxuan be so generous as to gift her something so valuable? Yet, if it wasn't Wen Ningxuan, who else would know she admired that specific bracelet? Finally, Lin He concluded that Wen Ningxuan must have experienced a sudden burst of benevolence, assuming she couldn't afford the bracelet himself, and since he was wealthy, he decided to perform a good deed.

Lin He felt conflicted. However, Wen Ningxuan didn't strike her as the type to act charitably. Did he have some ulterior motive? Could he perhaps be secretly in love with her? That seemed impossible too; he rarely showed her a pleasant expression, which was hardly the behavior of someone nursing a secret crush.

But what should she do about this bracelet? Accepting it felt wrong, considering its value to her. If she returned it, and Wen Ningxuan claimed he hadn't sent it, what would she do then?