There were two jewelry shops in Lihua Town.

The one run by the Li family offered more affordable pieces, while the Hua family’s shop sold more upscale and expensive items.

Naturally, Qin Rong and Qin Yue chose to visit the Li family’s shop.

When they arrived, the shop had just opened and there weren’t many customers yet. The shopkeeper, Madam Li, was a woman around thirty years old.

Although she wasn’t wearing much jewelry herself, she carried herself with notable elegance.

“Young ladies, here to buy jewelry? We’ve got full headpiece sets and individual accessories—feel free to take a look,” Madam Li greeted them kindly.

She didn’t look down on Qin Rong and Qin Yue for their simple clothing.

Qin Rong smiled slightly and began browsing seriously.

Suddenly, a silver hairpin inlaid with a bead and engraved with a cloud-and-thunder pattern caught her eye.

She asked, “Shopkeeper, may I see that silver hairpin?”

Madam Li smiled. “You’ve got a good eye, miss. That piece just arrived yesterday. This bead-inlaid style is the latest trend from the capital.”

Qin Rong took the hairpin and examined it closely. “It really is beautiful. How much does it cost?”

“One tael and eight qian of silver. That’s already the base price,” Madam Li replied honestly.

She didn’t expect Qin Rong to buy it, but was pleased to meet someone who recognized its quality.

Qin Yue also thought the hairpin was beautiful and had been admiring it with Qin Rong earlier. But upon hearing the price, she was stunned—that was way too expensive…

Qin Rong didn’t say much.

She picked up the hairpin and held it up to Qin Yue’s head.

It looked like a perfect match for Madam Yu, but a bit too mature for Qin Yue.

Just then, a voice called from the doorway, “Qin Rong, Qin Yue—you’re here too? Things here aren’t cheap, you know.”

Qin Yue frowned and looked toward the door. “What’s it to you?”

Qin Lian replied smugly, “Oh, nothing really. My mother came with me to choose a headpiece—I’m engaged.”

Her mother, Madam Zhou, straightened her back proudly and added, “Yes, Lian’er has gotten engaged. I’m helping her choose some jewelry. She’s my precious girl, and her fiancé’s family is a good one. Of course, her wedding will be grand.”

Although Qin Rong wasn’t that old in actual years, her emotional maturity was far ahead.

She could easily recognize the subtle superiority in Madam Zhou’s tone.

Madam Li had run this shop for years and had a sharp eye.

She could pretty much guess her customers’ thoughts.

She picked up on Madam Zhou’s pride and played along, “Oh? Who’s the lucky young man? You seem so pleased.”

That question clearly struck the right chord with Madam Zhou. “He’s the youngest son of the owner of Zhu’s Grain Shop on West Street.”

Madam Li immediately beamed. “Oh, Sister Zhou, that’s an excellent match! If I recall correctly, the Zhu family has relatives in the capital working as officials.”

Madam Zhou looked even more delighted. “Indeed! Our Lian is blessed. We’ve already prepared a full set of gold jewelry at home.”

Madam Li was a bit surprised.

Qin Tieshan was just a restaurant manager—how could they afford gold jewelry?

She figured the Zhu family must really favor this marriage. With that in mind, she had her assistant bring out several sets of headpieces for Madam Zhou and Qin Lian to choose from.

Throughout all this, Qin Lian kept her chin up and a faint smile on her face, exuding a sense of superiority and elegance. Qin Yue glanced at her and felt a little disheartened.

Qin Lian, of course, noticed Qin Yue from the corner of her eye, and her pride swelled even more.

Qin Rong, on the other hand, paid them no mind and continued picking jewelry.

She spotted a pearl hair ornament shaped like a peach blossom, made from silk mesh.

She picked it up and held it against Qin Yue’s head.

Mm, it looked beautiful.

Pleased, Qin Rong asked, “Shopkeeper, how much is this hair ornament?”

Madam Li admired Qin Rong’s taste—it was right in line with current trends. “That one is eight hundred coins. The materials aren’t fancy, but the design is very stylish.”

Qin Yue, pulled back into reality by Qin Rong’s gesture, thought the ornament was lovely—but the price was steep.

Qin Rong nodded and also picked out a plum blossom version of the same style.

Then she handed three hairpins to Madam Li and said, “Please wrap these up for me.”

Madam Li was stunned for just a moment before recovering, “That will be one tael and three qian of silver in total.”

Qin Rong nodded again and added, “Please wait a moment—I also want to pick out a silk flower for my youngest sister. She’s still a child, so something more playful would be best. Do you have any?”

Madam Li was pleasantly surprised that Qin Rong didn’t haggle at all.

Her smile deepened. “Yes, we have some in the cabinet. I’ll get them out for you to choose from.”

Madam Zhou and Qin Lian were both taken aback.

If they hadn’t misheard… those hairpins cost over a tael of silver.

And Qin Rong was buying them without blinking?

Even in their case, although they claimed to have gold jewelry prepared, that was only possible because the groom’s family had given generous betrothal gifts.

Madam Zhou had kept most of the money and added a little extra to make it work.

To keep up appearances, they had chosen some cheaper accessories at Li’s shop.

They never expected Qin Rong to be so bold.

Was she just putting on airs?

Madam Li showed Qin Rong several silk flower ornaments.

They were pretty, but Qin Rong didn’t think they suited Qin Yi.

She asked, “Shopkeeper, do you have other styles?”

Madam Li replied with a smile, “New stock will arrive in a couple of days. If it’s not urgent, you can come back then and take another look.”

Qin Rong was still considering when Qin Lian’s annoying voice chimed in again, “Qin Rong, you work out in the sun and rain every day—it’s not easy to earn money. You don’t have to try and show off just because we’re here. Face it, I’m just lucky, and you can’t compare.”

Sometimes, Qin Rong truly wondered about the way Qin Lian’s brain worked. With a complicated expression, she said, “Sometimes, I really want to know… where does your confidence come from?”

Qin Lian rolled her eyes and said, “Oh, stop pretending. I’m already getting married, while you’ll have a hard time finding a match. Just the reputation of your family is enough to scare people off.”

Qin Rong looked at her coldly and said, “I told you before—I’m not someone to mess with. You’re not even married yet, and you’re already speaking so carelessly. Aren’t you afraid this kind of stupidity will reach your future in-laws?

If I were you, I’d be at home quietly embroidering my wedding clothes, not acting out in front of others. Besides… life is something you build for yourself. Looks to me like Auntie hasn’t disciplined you enough. Making a fool of yourself in front of us is one thing, but if you keep this up in the Zhu family… tsk tsk, you’ll be in for a hard time.”