The life swap begins with Consort Hua becoming Lady Qin.

"I embroidered this myself. Besides my mother, only my sister-in-law in the family could afford it." Shilan smiled and handed over a purse, saying half-jokingly:

"Sister-in-law knows me well; I've never been good at needlework. It was a long time coming for me to get this one, so you mustn't complain about it."

Of course, nine out of the ten stitches on this purse were repaired by Songzhi and several maids who were good at embroidery; she herself only made a few stitches.

But what does it matter? The meaning is conveyed, that's enough.

Wang Ruofu took it; the material was smooth to the touch, indicating it was of excellent quality. As for the twin lotus flowers on it, they were indeed lifelike, clearly not made by Shilan herself. But as Shilan thought, what did it matter? In any case, the things she gave out were all the same.

The thought is what counts.

Wang Ruofu: "My sister is so thoughtful, I really like it."

Shilan nodded to herself, thinking to herself that her chosen sister-in-law was indeed shrewd.

She then picked up two other, more conspicuous items from the tray—a bunch of brass keys and a thick blue ledger.

Shilan: "And these too. From now on, I'll have to trouble you, sister-in-law, to manage the household affairs."

Wang Ruofu was taken aback and quickly refused, saying, "How can this be! I am a new bride, still unfamiliar with etiquette and not yet clear on social interactions. How can I be entrusted with the housekeeping keys so soon after entering the house? Sister, please take them back. Mother is still healthy, and you have always managed things very well. There is no reason for me to take on such an important responsibility."

Her refusal was genuine, not just a polite formality.

The power to manage the household is of utmost importance; how many families have mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law, sisters-in-law, fought openly and secretly over it? How could she dare to take it on so soon after arriving?

On the other hand, she was genuinely happy, because it showed her in-laws' high regard for her and gave her confidence.

Seeing her reaction, Shilan was even more pleased, but insisted, "What kind of logic is it that when a sister-in-law enters the family, the sister-in-law continues to manage the household? I'm used to being lazy and have long wanted to let go. As the legitimate daughter-in-law, it's perfectly right for you to take charge of the household affairs."

Wang Ruofu still refused, pushing the heavy bunch of keys and the account book back into Shilan's arms, her tone decisive: "I don't care what other families' rules and principles are, I haven't married into another family. In our family, since my sister manages things well, I don't care, and I can't manage it anyway."

As soon as she uttered those words, which carried a hint of coquettishness and willfulness, she paused for a moment, then glanced at her in-laws somewhat embarrassedly.

Ying Qiongfang chuckled, not at all surprised, but rather finding her daughter-in-law's frankness and cuteness endearing, and her deep sisterly bond with Shilan.

Living in a family requires such deep affection.

Qin Muchuan nodded with a smile.

Seeing her insistence, Shilan didn't press the matter further. She leaned close to her ear and whispered quickly, "Then, sister-in-law, could you keep an eye on those newly acquired shops for me? The accounts are a bit complicated, and I don't trust anyone else to handle them."

Wang Ruofu's eyes suddenly lit up.

The most unsettling aspect of this marriage for her was that, after becoming Shilan's sister-in-law, she could no longer openly be her accountant, managing her shop and overseeing the accounts.

Otherwise, it would be bad if word got out that she, as the sister-in-law, was eyeing her unmarried sister-in-law's private property.

Shilan's request at this moment was exactly what she wanted.

She nodded immediately and took the account book this time, but only the supplementary book that specifically recorded external businesses. She pushed the key back: "I'll learn how to use this first. My sister should keep the house key for now."

Shilan smiled and agreed.

After the tea ceremony, the family enjoyed a harmonious breakfast together.

They chatted and laughed throughout the meal, without any awkwardness, and Wang Ruofu's last bit of unease vanished.

On the way back to their own courtyard, Qin Zhengyang, holding his wife's hand, finally couldn't help but ask, "What did Shilan whisper to you just now? And then you agreed to let her look at the account books."

Wang Ruofu glanced at him sideways, a smirk playing on her lips: "I'm not telling you. This is a private matter between us girls."

Qin Zhengyang was taken aback, feeling inexplicably uncomfortable. He said, half-jokingly, "It seems that in this family, you and Shilan are closer, and I, your husband, have to take a backseat."

Hearing the sourness in his words, Wang Ruofu stopped and turned to look at him, her eyes clear and her expression matter-of-fact: "That's just how it is. The first person I met was Shilan. If it weren't for Shilan, you and I might never have met."

Seeing her husband's troubled and speechless expression, she suddenly smiled, gently put her arm around his, and softened her voice, which carried a hint of coquettish flattery: "If it weren't for Shilan, we probably wouldn't have become husband and wife. You would have married another noble lady, and I might have married an ordinary student. We would have been separated by vast distances and never seen each other again... Just for this reason, I have treated her well for the rest of my life, and you should treat her well in return."

As she gently swayed and held him close, listening to her soft and tender words, Qin Zhengyang's jealousy vanished completely.

The thought that she described the possibility that the two people didn't know each other made her heart sink, and she felt a faint sense of fear.

Without Shilan, he might have given up many years ago and become the most disliked playboy in Bianjing. A noblewoman? He probably wouldn't even have been able to find a decent wife.

Qin Zhengyang: "You're right, we should be good to our sister."

Wang Ruofu smiled with satisfaction, but then suddenly remembered something and took out the purse that Shilan had given her from her sleeve.

"When I was inside just now, I felt that this thing was the wrong weight. Let me see what Shilan put in it—"

Open the rope—

"ah!"

Qin Zhengyang: "What's wrong?"

Wang Ruofu showed him the purse with a mixture of surprise and delight.

Inside the purse, besides a few fragrant gold and silver ingots, there was a neatly stacked stack of silver notes.

Wang Ruofu took them out and saw that each note had a considerable value; a rough estimate put it at least a thousand taels.

Wang Ruofu happily picked up the silver note and waved it in front of Qin Zhengyang, her eyes crinkling into crescent moons: "See! What did I tell you? It's not that I'm good to her, it's clearly that she's the best to me! I'm so lucky to have met such a generous sister-in-law!"

Sunlight streamed through the eaves, falling on her smiling face, which was filled with surprise and emotion, bright and vivid.

Qin Zhengyang watched and laughed along.

With a harmonious family and a wife's younger sister finding a partner, life is getting better and better.