Sang Wan smiled and said, "According to Mr. Sun, each set has its own charm and they are incomparable. It’s all up to which one the eldest sister likes! As the saying goes, ’One cannot buy what the heart desires with all the wealth in the world’!"
"Mrs. Shi is right, it all comes down to what Miss Shi enjoys!" Mr. Sun flattered both sides, promptly responding with a smile.
"Like which set?" Shi Yumei said with a half-smile, "What if I like all three sets? Would my sister-in-law be willing to purchase and gift them to me?"
Sang Wan’s face stiffened slightly. Shi Lian also looked up in surprise, but quickly lowered her gaze again.
Mr. Sun, on the other hand, was so excited that he felt dizzy and almost couldn’t stand.
Three sets, all three sets! If he managed to sell all three today, he would be in for a very prosperous New Year!
Drunken Hibiscus is worth 80,000 taels of silver, Lantian Pearl and Falling Blossoms are each valued at 120,000 taels, and if all three sets are sold together, he could offer a discount of several thousand taels, with the lowest price being 300,000 taels! According to the shop’s rules, he would get a 2% commission, which is 6,000 taels!
"Miss Shi truly has an excellent eye!" Mr. Sun laughed, "These three sets of jewelry are indeed our store’s treasures! They are unique in this world, without any replicas! They perfectly match Miss Shi’s status!"
"Sister-in-law, what do you think?" Shi Yumei laughed.
"Of course, it’s wonderful," Sang Wan replied with a light smile, "If eldest sister likes them, then please take them!"
"Sister-in-law is so generous!" Shi Yumei said with a giggle, "This is an expense of tens of thousands of taels at once!"
"Eldest sister is joking," Sang Wan laughed, "I personally couldn’t come up with that much silver. It’s fine, Mr. Sun can just bring the bill to the young master afterwards!"
Shi Yumei’s face suddenly turned sour, and she scoffed lightly, "Using my brother’s money to curry favor, you’re quite the tactician! Worthy indeed of a scholarly family, how clever of you!"
"Eldest sister’s words are unfair," Sang Wan laughed, "Isn’t it because you like them? If eldest sister likes them, the young master will surely have no objections!"
If the money came from Sang Wan’s personal funds, Shi Yumei would have no objections; she would love nothing more than for Sang Wan to deplete her private savings. However, the idea of using Shi Fengju’s money made Shi Yumei uneasy. The thought of her brother’s wealth being spent in such a way pained her heart.
Shi Yumei raised her head to Mr. Sun and said, "Wrap up this set of Drunken Hibiscus for me. I’ll settle for just this one!" Then, with that same half-smile, she said to Sang Wan, "Being in charge of the household for half a year, don’t you have tens of thousands in your own savings? I’m only asking for one set, surely sister-in-law wouldn’t be unable to pay even this small amount?"
To have saved tens of thousands in private funds after half a year—if Shi Yumei brought this up back home, Sang Wan could only guess what the mother-in-law and the second house might think! If Sang Wan really had that much, it wouldn’t be considered false accusations, but since she didn’t, she did not want to be subjected to this kind of groundless accusation.
"The public account does have funds, and I’ve handled quite a bit through my hands. Since eldest sister mentioned it, I’ll speak to the accounting office when I return home to see if it’s possible to withdraw from the public account," Sang Wan replied as if she hadn’t understood the insinuation.
Shi Yumei’s face grew unpleasant, but she couldn’t directly speak about private funds in front of others, so she just snorted coldly and stopped talking.
Seeing that Shi Yumei had quieted down, Sang Wan smiled briefly, then turned to Shi Lian and said, "You should also pick one or two pieces! Since we’re out, we can’t return empty-handed!"
"No need, no need, I’m not much for wearing these things anyway. The annual stipend from the public funds and what mother gives me is enough!" Shi Lian said with a smile, hastily declining.
"Silly girl, why be so polite when your sister-in-law has taken you out? Go ahead and choose a piece or two!" Sang Wan teased her with a playful glare.
Mr. Sun also joined in the fun by shifting a tray with individual pieces closer to Shi Lian.
Shi Lian merely smiled in thanks, looked over the tray, and picked a gold ring set with a ruby, saying, "I’ll take this one!"
"This one is indeed beautiful, choose this one!" Sang Wan smiled as she took an eighteen-bead green jade bracelet and slipped it onto Shi Lian’s wrist, saying, "Look how nice it looks, it suits you perfectly!"
"Mrs. Shi truly has a discerning eye! These are the finest jadeite beads, and such a large pomegranate-red Buddha head is also rare! Miss Shi wearing it is a perfect match!" Mr. Sun chimed in with a laugh.
"Really? But it seems a bit too extravagant!" Which young girl wouldn’t like beautiful jewelry? Gently rubbing the strand of beads on her hand, Shi Lian found them smooth and cool to the touch, radiating a soft translucence. She was somewhat reluctant to let go, but still harbored doubts. She always knew her place and dared not compare with Shi Yumei.