The legitimate daughter returns to the capital and embarks on a splendid life, tearing apart the fak

Liu Zhixue still worriedly reminded her, "Xiu'er, you mustn't get angry with your mother right now. If you get angry with her over something so trivial, won't that just make her think you're more sensible than your cousin?"

Yunxiu thought about it for a moment and felt that what she said made sense, so she quickly nodded and said, "Mother is right, I will remember it."

Seeing her gentle attitude, Liu Zhixue waved her hand and let her return to her own courtyard.

After returning to her courtyard, Yunxiu thought of Liu Zhixue's words and felt that she should apologize to Chu Wanqing. However, when she went to Qingshui Garden, the servants told her that the madam had already retired for the night.

Yunxiu stood at the entrance of Qingshui Garden, looking at Chu Wanqing's room with the lights on, and stayed there for a quarter of an hour before leaving.

Back at her lodgings, she smashed the porcelain shards all over the floor, but finally calmed herself down: "I don't believe it. I'll go over first thing tomorrow morning. They want to go shopping alone, but I won't allow it."

……

The next day, when Yunxiu got up, the sun was already high in the sky. As she dressed, she said to the maid beside her, "Go and see what Mother is doing right now, and make sure she waits for me."

The maidservant responded and left. When she returned, she had a strange look on her face and stammered, "Miss, Madam... and Miss Cousin left early this morning and didn't even have breakfast at the manor."

Yunxiu was struck dumb, frozen in place.

Her mother really didn't take her with her!

She bit her lip, her nails digging deep into her palms, her eyes instantly turning red. She was both angry and aggrieved. Her mother really didn't take her along. Did she really only have eyes for that unknown "cousin"?

It turned out that last night, Yun Jin had told Chu Wanqing about her worries, so Chu Wanqing got up early and took Yun Jin away from the mansion.

At this moment, the two were having breakfast at Liuxiangzhai in the city.

Liuxiangzhai is a famous breakfast shop in Beijing. Its crab roe soup dumplings are famous far and wide, and there are long queues every morning.

Chu Wanqing specially arranged for a private room to be booked. The mother and daughter sat facing each other, with a bustling street scene outside the window, filled with the sounds of vendors hawking their wares and the noise of carriages and horses.

"Try this, their crab roe soup dumplings are their signature dish." Chu Wanqing pushed a steaming basket of dumplings in front of Yun Jin, wishing she could give her the best of everything.

Yun Jin picked up a piece, carefully bit into it, and the delicious broth immediately spread across her tongue. Her eyes lit up, and she looked up at Chu Wanqing, saying earnestly, "It's so delicious."

Chu Wanqing felt a pang of sadness. Her daughter should have been living a life of luxury, yet she had never even tasted such ordinary food. She then placed a few more pastries on Yun Jin's plate: "Eat more if you like. I'll bring you back later so you can try all the food here."

Yun Jin nodded, swallowed the food in her mouth, and asked softly, "Mother, when are we going to the Grand Tutor's mansion?"

Chu Wanqing put down her chopsticks, her expression becoming more serious: "We won't be going to the Grand Tutor's Mansion. I've already arranged for someone to deliver invitations to Old Madam Zheng and Mengyao. I'll invite them to lunch."

Yun Jin knew that she was worried that it would be inconvenient if someone followed her to the Grand Tutor's mansion, so she nodded and agreed.

Chu Wanqing lowered her voice again and said, "The jewelry shop we're going to later is my dowry shop. Please keep an eye out for me and see if the people in the shop are reliable."

Yun Jin understood and nodded in agreement, "Okay."

After finishing their breakfast, the mother and daughter went straight to Huajin Pavilion.

Upon seeing Chu Wanqing, the shopkeeper hurriedly greeted her with a beaming smile: "Madam Yun, what brings you here today?" His gaze, falling on Yun Jin, held a hint of inquiry: "And this young lady is...?"

Chu Wanqing said calmly, "She's my cousin from my maternal family. Pick out a few nice clothes for her, the most fashionable styles in the capital, and use the best materials. Don't skimp on them."

The shopkeeper responded with "Yes" repeatedly and personally led the brocade to the inner room to measure the size, select the material, and check the pattern, busying himself with everything and not daring to be negligent in the slightest.

After fussing for half an hour, Yun Jin tried on more than a dozen outfits and finally chose six that fit her well. She then ordered six more to be made and arranged for them to be delivered to her residence in a few days.

After leaving Huajinge, Chu Wanqing took Yunjin to the jewelry shop.

The shop is called Zhenbaozhai. It has a spacious storefront and the counter is filled with dazzling jewelry. It looks like the business is booming.

The shopkeeper, surnamed Qin, was an elderly man in his fifties. Upon seeing his employer arrive, he hurriedly and respectfully welcomed him into the backyard.

Chu Wanqing didn't beat around the bush and said directly to Manager Qin, "This is Bai Jin, a cousin of the old lady. From now on, when she comes to the shop to pick up things, just put it on my account."

Manager Qin nodded hurriedly in agreement. Chu Wanqing then asked him to bring some fashionable jewelry for Yun Jin to choose from.

While casually looking at the jewelry, Yun Jin subtly observed the shop assistants coming and going, listening to their words and actions, her eyes scanning each person's face.

After a moment, she looked away, nodded slightly to Chu Wanqing, and said in a low voice, "It looks fine."

Chu Wanqing finally breathed a sigh of relief. At least the shop was clean.

If even her dowry shop had been tampered with, she would really wonder if she had been living in a dream all these years.

After selecting the jewelry and leaving the Treasure Shop, Chu Wanqing held Yun Jin's hand and sighed softly, "Jin'er, I've been living too foolishly all these years."

Yun Jin gently patted the back of her hand and softly comforted her, "Mother, there's no need to blame yourself. Now that you see things clearly, you won't be deceived again."

Chu Wanqing nodded, her eyes filled with determination: "From now on, you will learn to manage a household from me. In a few days, I will give you a few shops to practice in, and when you get married, I will give you all these shops as your dowry."

Yun Jin was taken aback for a moment, then smiled, a mischievous glint in her eyes: "Mother, I'm only fifteen, and you're already thinking about marrying me off?"

Chu Wanqing was amused by her and patted her hand: "It's only a matter of time. Mother needs to start planning for you early and find you a suitable husband who is considerate and caring."

Yun Jin said shyly, "Mother, I will not marry. I will stay with you for the rest of my life."

Chu Wanqing scolded, "You silly girl, you're always talking nonsense."

The mother and daughter chatted and laughed as they went to Tianxianglou.

The restaurant was owned by Lan Qi. He had received the news beforehand and was waiting at the door himself. When he saw Chu Wanqing and Yun Jin get off the carriage, he hurriedly greeted them with a smile: "Cousin, this must be Jin'er, right? Come in quickly!"

As he led the people upstairs to a private room, he said, "I've asked the kitchen to prepare a few of their signature dishes; Jin'er must have a good taste."

Chu Wanqing introduced Yun Jin: "This is your cousin Lan Qi."

Yun Jin smiled and curtsied, saying, "Greetings, Uncle."

The three went up to a private room on the third floor. Lan Qi looked Yun Jin up and down, becoming more and more satisfied. He smiled and said, "Good girl, from now on, whatever you want to eat, just come here. I'll tell the manager later that whatever you eat will be on my tab!"

Yun Jin raised an eyebrow and smiled, "Uncle, then I really won't hold back. Don't feel bad about it later."

Lan Qi saw that Yun Jin's gaze towards him was not one of annoyance, but rather full of affection, which was much better than Yun Xiu's attitude of taking what he gave her but looking down on merchants. He liked Yun Jin even more and laughed, "No, Jin'er, eat with peace of mind. Your uncle's family is very wealthy."

Chu Wanqing glared at him: "It's our first meeting, and all you can do is talk? Don't you have a decent gift to give?"

Lan Qi laughed heartily, pulled out a stack of silver notes from his pocket, and stuffed them into Yun Jin's hand without saying a word: "Take this! This is a small token of my appreciation. I'll have someone send some more novelties to your residence later."

Yun Jin verbally declined, but her hand honestly accepted the silver notes: "Uncle, this is too much, how can I accept it..."