Chapter 89: Suspected Father

Chen Feng wore a slightly worn thin cloth garment, her face plain and unadorned, as she led Dabao out.

She had heard that West Street was the most prosperous commercial district in Dingzhou Capital, with several jewelry shops. Before coming, Chen Feng had specifically asked the Golden Swallow about which store had a good reputation and how their prices were.

The Golden Swallow had said that Yafeng Jewelry had a strong background and had overcharged some customers. If you weren’t a wealthy customer, they wouldn’t treat you well. the Golden Swallow had a strong dislike for this store and had stolen from it twice in a row. On the other hand, the shopkeeper at Jade Qilin Jewelry was very good. Even though Jin Yanzi had been lurking around the store for several days, he hadn’t been able to bring himself to steal from there. This jewelry store was the second largest in Dingzhou Capital, second only to Yafeng.

So, Chen Feng’s objective was clear – go directly to West Street, and then directly to Jade Qilin Jewelry.

The mule cart stopped outside Jade Qilin Jewelry, and Chen Feng and Dabao got off.

Upon entering the jewelry store, they saw a large screen carved with the success in the imperial examination of all five sons, and several large agate screens, as well as coral, ivory carvings, and ornaments placed around it, all very grand. Chen Feng led Dabao to the counter and told the shop assistant that she wanted to see the shopkeeper, as she had something to sell.

The shop assistant was polite and asked her to wait, as the shopkeeper was entertaining some important clients on the second floor.

Chen Feng and Dabao stood there waiting, and she noticed that the counter only displayed some wooden and silver headpieces and accessories, with no glass cabinets that she had seen in her previous life, which were used for preventing theft. She wondered how the Golden Swallow had been able to speak so confidently.

After a while, she saw the group coming down from the second floor. There was an elderly lady of around fifty, a woman of about thirty, a girl who looked around fourteen or fifteen, another girl of twelve or thirteen, a man of about thirty, and a few maids. At the back was a man who seemed to be the shopkeeper.

At first glance, it was clear that this was a wealthy family, all dressed in luxurious fabrics, exuding an air of elegance.

The man was just too good-looking.

Perhaps it was because the man stood out so much that the women around him seemed like ordinary passersby. Even the two young girls couldn’t compete with the man. The elderly shopkeeper, who was following behind them, looked even more aged and unimpressive in comparison.

The man was truly handsome, tall and slender, with delicate features and an elegant demeanor. When he came downstairs, he even helped the elderly lady, who was probably his mother.

He was different from the “hero” that Chen Feng had seen before, who was also handsome, but exuded a heroic and aloof air.

This man had nearly perfect features, even outshining the women around him. In the language of her previous life, he was a typical pretty boy. If it weren’t for the short mustache on his upper lip, he would have seemed no older than his twenties.

Being so beautiful was one thing, but the most significant thing was that he felt familiar. Chen Feng couldn’t pinpoint exactly where the familiarity came from, but she felt it. Unconsciously, a tear fell from her eye, and a sense of inexplicable sadness spread within her heart.

Her gaze continued to follow the man until they left and disappeared from sight. Chen Feng was still lost in thought.

Dabao hadn’t noticed the group, he was staring at a piece of red coral ornament on the ground. When he looked up and saw his mother lost in thought, he tugged her hand and asked, “Mom, what’s wrong with you?”

The assistant beside them chuckled, finding it amusing that this young lady was staring so openly at an attractive man. It was fortunate that the man hadn’t noticed her gaze, otherwise, he wouldn’t have been pleased.

Chen Feng was only just roused from her reverie and wiped away the tear that had rolled down her cheek. The man seemed so familiar, he resembled someone, but not from this life. Could it be someone from her previous life that made her so inexplicably emotional?

Just as she was pondering this, the shopkeeper who had seen the group off came back.

One of the assistants chuckled and asked, “Manager Bai, that gentleman looks wealthy. Did he buy a lot of jewelry?”

Manager Bai laughed heartily and said, “The gentleman Chen is from a town not far from Dingzhou capital, and he had been living in Jiangnan for over ten years before returning. He intends to settle down here from now on. He heard about our jewelry store’s good reputation and brought his mother, wife, and daughters to buy some jewelry.” He was both happy about making a good profit and proud of his store’s good reputation.

His surname was also Chen, and his hometown was only a few dozen miles from Dingzhou. He seemed to be in his early thirties.

Suddenly, Chen Feng realized that the man didn’t resemble someone else, she was too much like herself in this lifetime.

At this moment, she was almost 99% sure that the man was her mother’s previous husband, Chen, and the biological father of this body. She was certain not only due to the above reasons but also because of her intuition and the peculiar reaction of this body. The only 1% uncertainty was due to the lack of direct confirmation from Mrs. Wang.

He was going to settle in Dingzhou Capital? Was it because he was dismissed from his official position and had to settle down, or was he coming to take up an official post here? Judging from the fact that they were leisurely shopping for jewelry, it didn’t seem like he had been dismissed from his post…

As Chen Feng was lost in thought, the assistant pointed at her and said, “Manager Bai, this young lady said she has something to sell to our store.”

Taking a deep breath, Chen Feng pulled herself together. She wasn’t the original owner, nor was she related by blood. She wasn’t Mrs. Wang, who had spent ten years with him day and night and even carried his child. Whether he was dismissed or promoted had nothing to do with her.

Her top priority now was to sell the jewelry for a good price and ensure her family could lead a good life through her own efforts.

In the shortest time, she gathered herself and led Dabao to Manager Bai. “Manager Bai, hello,” she said with a smile.

Dabao also shouted, “Hello, Grandpa Bai.”

The word “hello” got stuck in Manager Bai’s throat as he stared at her, feeling that she looked too familiar. Involuntarily, he asked, “Have we met before?” Then, realizing how inappropriate that sounded, he blushed and hastily clarified, “Uh, not like that. I mean, I feel like I’ve seen you before, and, um…” His words still had a tinge of flirting, and he struggled to explain further. He quickly asked, “Do you have something to sell to our store?”

Chen Feng knew he must have thought she resembled the gentleman Chen from earlier, only one was a well-dressed man while the other was a plain woman in coarse clothes, and he hadn’t connected the two.

What she didn’t know was that, after this “prompt” from Manager Bai, and the assistant also felt a sense of familiarity with this young lady.

Chen Feng smiled and said, “My family has two heirloom pieces of jewelry. Unfortunately, with our declining fortunes, we had to sell them and now have a few gemstones left. I want to sell them to fund my father and brother’s medical treatment.”

Manager Bai ushered them into a small room, and Chen Feng took out the emerald and the ruby.