The Lotus Appreciation Banquet was in three days.

After receiving the invitation, Ling Jingyan immediately started to prepare for the banquet. It was too late to make new clothes, but she could always buy some jewelry.

Sun Shi was not happy at first: “Ah Yan, your jewelry box is already full and can’t hold anymore. Why buy more jewelry?”

“Those are all worn before. I can’t wear old jewelry when I go to the gōngzhǔ’s mansion for a banquet!”

Ling Jingyan said confidently: “Mother, think about it. On the day of the Lotus Appreciation Banquet, all the ladies who go to the banquet are ladies from all the famous families. They must be dressing up one after another. Ah Shu and I are going out to represent the face of the Ling family. We can’t lose the face of the Ling family in front of others!”

“The time is too short. It’s too late to make new clothes. Fortunately, the new clothes I made a few days ago have not been worn yet. I can just buy some exquisite jewelry.”

After all, the jewelry must be bought.

Sun Shi couldn’t defeat Ling Jingyan, so she waved her hand pretending to have a headache: “Forget it, forget it, you are always right. Let the shopkeeper of the Treasure Pavilion come to our house tomorrow, and you and Ah Shu can pick some each.”

Ling Jingyan immediately smiled, shook Sun Shi’s arm, and said coquettishly: “Mom is still the best to me.”

Sun Shi couldn’t help but scold her a few times, but she couldn’t hide the doting smile on her face.

Ling Jingshu smiled and said: “Eldest bómǔ^[1]wife of father’s elder brother), let Yan tángjiě pick some jewelry, I don’t need it. Before coming to the capital, my zǔmǔ((paternal grandmother specially rewarded me with two sets of red gold head jewelry, and I have saved it myself, which is enough. There is no need to buy new ones.”

“How can this be!”

Before Sun Shi could say anything, Ling Jingyan opened her eyes wide and shouted: “We’ll buy it together. If you don’t buy it, then I won’t either.”

At this critical moment, Ling Jingyan showed great loyalty.

Ling Jingshu smiled and said, “Yan tángjiě, I’m not being polite. I really have enough jewelry, and there’s no need to buy more.”

In fact, she had no intention of dressing up to impress everyone.

Changping Gōngzhǔ specially held a lotus appreciation banquet and invited many famous ladies to visit. If she didn’t care and showed off, it would definitely make Changping Gōngzhǔ jealous.

So, it was better to be simple and casual.

Ling Jingyan didn’t understand Ling Jingshu’s intention for a while, and still insisted, “Who would complain about having too much jewelry? The shopkeeper of the Treasure Pavilion will come tomorrow, and we will each pick four pieces of jewelry. It’s settled!”

Sun Shi: “…”

She originally only planned to pick two pieces each. How did it suddenly double?

Ling Jingyan and Ling Jingshu wanted to buy jewelry, so they couldn’t leave Jiang Shi behind. With this calculation, she didn’t know how much money she would have to spend tomorrow. Sun Shi made a rough calculation in her mind and suddenly felt pain.

But the words had already been said, and she didn’t have the face to change her words.

Sun Shi said with determination, “Okay. Just as Ah Yan said, everyone will pick four pieces of jewelry tomorrow. Yu Niang, you too.”

Jiang Shi was not surprised. Although Sun Shi, her mother-in-law, sometimes spoke in sarcastic terms, she was not harsh and was quite nice to her daughter-in-law.

Jiang Shi smiled and thanked her, “Thank you, mother-in-law.”

The matter was settled.

Ling Jingshu simply shut up and stopped objecting. You don’t have to wear the jewelry after buying it!

…

Staying in the inner courtyard of the mansion, you always saw these few people every day, and you were only exposed to trivial matters of family life. So even a small matter could make people excited.

The next morning, early in the morning, Ling Jingyan came excitedly: “Ah Shu, Ah Xiao, you two are dressed up! Let’s go and pay respects to mother together.”

Ling Jingshu smiled and teased: “Yan tángjiě since I moved to Luoxia Courtyard, this is the first time I have seen you get up so early.” 

Ling Jingyan winked playfully: “Normally, there is nothing to do, just pay respects. It doesn’t matter if it’s early or late. Today is different. I will pay respects to Mother early and accompany her for breakfast. If Mother is happy, she may let me pick out two more pieces of jewelry.”

… The standard of not getting up early without benefit!

Ling Jingshu couldn’t help laughing.

“Yan tángjiě, your idea is very realistic.” Ling Xiao was also amused, and said jokingly, “But you can’t let your Mother know about this, otherwise, even if you go to have breakfast with her every day, she won’t be soft-hearted.”

Ling Jingyan waved her hands carelessly, “Don’t worry. If you don’t tell her, I won’t tell either. How can my mother guess my intention? Let’s go, let’s go now.”

As she spoke, she impatiently pulled Ling Jingshu’s hand.

Ling Jingshu smiled and let Ling Jingyan pull her away.

When they arrived at the inner hall, Sun Shi was already sitting at the top, and Jiang Shi had arrived earlier than them and was talking to Sun Shi.

Ling Jingyan walked forward with a smile and bowed: “Mother, I greet you.” She smiled attentively and said: “My daughter got up early today, so it’s just right for me to have breakfast with you.”

Sun Shi glanced at Ling Jingyan and smiled slowly: “The sun rose from the west today, why are you here so early?”

Ling Jingyan said intimately and warmly: “I got up early today, so I came early.” 

Sun Shi pulled the corner of her lips: “I said it before, four pieces of jewelry, that’s four. Don’t think you can choose two more by flattering me.”

Ling Jingyan: “…”

Everyone laughed so hard.

Fortunately, Ling Jingyan was thick-skinned, and she was not embarrassed when her intention was exposed. She still smiled and pulled Sun Shi’s arm to the dining hall.

Ling Jingshu and Jiang Shi smiled at each other and followed. Ling Jingyan’s behavior was natural, and Sun Shi didn’t mind it at all. Jiang Shi, the daughter-in-law, and Ling Jingshu, the niece, couldn’t be so unscrupulous.

After breakfast, the shopkeeper of the Treasure Pavilion came.

Pearl hairpins, red gold bracelets, jade earrings, agate hairpins… Several jewelry boxes were neatly placed on the table, filled with all kinds of exquisite jewelry, shining with brilliance, dazzling.

Women were born with no resistance to jewelry.

Ling Jingyan’s eyes lit up immediately, and she almost pounced on it immediately. She looked at this one for a while, tried that one for a while, and couldn’t let it go.

In comparison, Jiang Shi was much more reserved and walked over slowly. She lowered her head to choose.

Ling Jingshu was the calmest and indifferent one. After Ling Jingyan and Jiang Shi had chosen, she took a quick look and picked a few pieces at random.

First, they were not eye-catching, and second, the price was lower.

Sun Shi saw it and couldn’t help but sigh in her heart. Compared with girls of the same age (mainly Ling Jingyan), Ling Jingshu was much less troublesome. 

(To be continued.)

 For Ling Jingyan, making new clothes and picking jewelry are both very important matters.