My brother entrusted his child to me, and I livestreamed raising the baby, making the Empress cry wi

Yao Jingyuan held Shu Rou in his arms as they sat inside the carriage, their bodies swaying slightly with the movement of the carriage. He looked at Shu Rou's cloak and coat, lost in thought.

The Lantern Festival is just around the corner, and Ruijinfang sent someone a couple of days ago to say they have some new fabrics in stock. I'll take Shurou with me to check them out this time.

Ruijinfang is a three-story building with vermilion gates and gilded plaques, exuding an extraordinary grandeur.

Two well-dressed waiters stood at the door. When they saw Yao Jingyuan's carriage stop, they immediately trotted over to greet him with enthusiastic smiles on their faces.

"Lord Yao! I thought you'd be arriving in the next couple of days!" The lead shop assistant bowed, his voice bright and sweet, like honey. "The manager specifically instructed that all the newly arrived fabrics have been reserved for you! Not a single piece has been put out! Come on, this way please—"

As he spoke, he deftly put down the footstool, while another waiter turned to the side and lifted the cotton curtain.

Upon hearing the news, the innkeeper hurried out, showering him with compliments, "Lord Yao and Her Highness the Princess, your presence is an honor to our humble establishment! Quickly, please come upstairs to a private room; the charcoal brazier is already prepared!"

As he spoke, he stepped aside to lead the way, his posture extremely respectful.

The group went up to the second floor and entered an elegantly decorated warm room.

The room was small, but warm and cozy. A bronze incense burner in the corner emitted a delicate sandalwood fragrance. By the window stood a daybed with thick cotton cushions and a tea table, on which hot tea and several delicate tea snacks were already laid out.

Two gleaming brass charcoal braziers were burning brightly, emitting a steady stream of heat.

Yao Jingyuan placed Shu Rou on the thickly cushioned daybed, sat down beside her, took the hot tea personally served by the shopkeeper, blew on it gently, and took a sip.

The warm tea soothed my throat, spreading a sense of comfort. The frustration I had felt earlier at Zuixianlou, caused by the cold wind and the gloomy sky, finally dissipated somewhat.

Yao Jingyuan put down his cup, raised his chin at the shopkeeper standing to the side, and said arrogantly, "Bring me your newest and best fabrics, as well as patterns for ready-made clothes suitable for the princess. Only the finest ones are needed; the ordinary ones are unnecessary."

"Yes, yes, yes, I understand!" the shopkeeper replied repeatedly, bowing even lower than before, his chin almost touching his chest. "The best! It must be the best! Ordinary fabrics are hardly worthy of Lord Yao and Her Highness the Princess's eyes!"

Soon, he personally led two assistants, bringing several thick brocade booklets and more than a dozen colorful fabric samples in wooden boxes.

"Lord Yao, Your Highness, please take a look." The shopkeeper eagerly opened a booklet containing meticulously drawn children's clothing patterns, with corresponding fabric samples in a box next to it.

"This is a new pattern created by a master craftsman from Suzhou. It uses the finest Yun brocade, infused with gold and silver threads. When it shines in the sunlight, it shimmers and sparkles, exuding a magnificent and luxurious feel."

He then pointed to the samples in the wooden box: "This is the Huanhua brocade from Sichuan, soft, thick, and brightly colored; this is lamb's wool from the north, glossy and extremely warm... These are all newly arrived, and are rare finds on the market now."

Shu Rou's attention was immediately drawn to the gorgeous fabrics and exquisite designs.

She reached out her small hand and touched a piece of apricot-yellow brocade. It was smooth and soft to the touch, and the lotus pattern on it shimmered with a faint golden luster in the light. It was indeed beautiful.

I touched a piece of off-white lamb's fur; it was fluffy and felt incredibly comfortable.

Yao Jingyuan felt smug as he looked at his daughter's satisfied expression.

The clothes from Ruijinfang are incredibly expensive; even an ordinary official might not be able to afford to have a single set made in a year.

As His Majesty's man, he receives a generous monthly allowance, along with various rewards and extra income, which allows him to visit from time to time.

As a princess, Shu Rou had five new outfits made for her by royal embroiderers every quarter. If His Majesty was in a good mood and rewarded her with fine fabric, he would make one or two more top-quality outfits.

This was the treatment he and Rou'er received as His Majesty's most favored people; no one in the world could compare.

As he thought about it, a mocking smile unconsciously crept onto his lips.

Yes, that little bastard on the sky has two sets of clothes that look like they're made of excellent material, but they might not be as valuable, solid, or have the same quality as the materials from Ruijinfang.

She must have had eight lifetimes of good luck to meet Lin Ye who saved her life. It would be good enough if she had two sets of new clothes to cover her body. How could she be like his Rou'er, who had seven or eight sets or even more of the best and most expensive new clothes to change into every quarter?

They had so many clothes they couldn't even wear them all, and many of them were only worn once before being stored away.

"Rou'er," Yao Jingyuan put down his teacup and waved his hand generously, "take a look at which fabric you like, pick out two outfits, and have the tailor take your measurements and make them as soon as possible. The Lantern Festival is coming soon, so make two bright and festive outfits, perfect for the Lantern Festival banquet."

The remaining silver was just enough for him to make two new robes.

Yao Jingyuan was happily calculating, as if he could already see Shu Jingwei's amazed look and his colleagues' envious glances when he went to the banquet in his new clothes.

Shu Rou clapped her hands happily: "Great! Rou'er can have two new outfits made!"

Her voice was crisp and bright, echoing throughout the warm room.

But before the words had even finished—

"Wow! Look!" "Oh my god, this is..."

Suddenly, shouts of alarm came from downstairs, creating a chaotic scene like a pot boiling over.

Yao Jingyuan's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately thought of the sky outside.

What are those two up to now?

He gritted his teeth, reached out and pushed open the window beside the bed to look up at the sky, and Shu Rou quickly followed suit.

On the sky, Xiao Douzi was still browsing by the shelves, with Lin Ye following behind her. The clothes in the hands of the sales assistant next to her had already piled up into a small mountain, and they were still piling them up.

Shu Rou's eyes widened in shock. The little beggar was buying clothes too!

She stared blankly at the sky, where the little dumpling stopped, showing her liking for it. Lin Ye then asked the sales assistant next to him to take the clothes down and hold them.

The man was holding one, two, three items... She couldn't count them all; there must have been at least a dozen!

Moreover, the fabric of those clothes—though she couldn't touch it through the canopy, she could tell just by looking at it that it was even more comfortable than the best fabric in Ruijinfang.

That knitted dress, with its fluffy embroidery, was the kind of embroidery she'd never seen before; that misty blue fleece coat, with its long, thick, soft bunny ears on the hood; and that…

She wanted them all!

"Father!" Shu Rou turned her head sharply, her voice high-pitched and thin. "Look at that little beggar! She's bought more than a dozen items in such a short time! More than a dozen! And you've only bought Rou'er two outfits! Rou'er wants so many clothes too!"

Yao Jingyuan frowned deeply, but still coaxed her gently, "Rou'er, every set of clothes from Ruijinfang is priceless. Two sets are already very good, and besides, there are new clothes in your palace this season..."

"I don't want anything from the palace!" Shu Rou shrieked, interrupting him like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. She grabbed the expensive brocade booklet beside her and slammed it aside!

"boom--"

The heavy corner of the booklet slammed onto the rosewood coffee table with a dull thud. The shopkeeper, watching from the side, felt his eyelids twitch uncontrollably, his lips twitching with heartache.

"Those styles in the palace are pretty much the same every year! Not only are they not warm enough, but they're also very heavy, and they're nothing like the ones the little beggar bought!"

"Rou'er wants one like the one on the sky! With ears! Stars! Fluffy! It looks warm and pretty!"

Her voice was high-pitched and thin, with a sobbing tone, which sounded particularly jarring in the quiet, warm room.

Just then, another commotion came from the sky...