The eldest daughter of the General Mansion, little Panpan, enlivened the whole banquet.
Some among them were there to please Mrs. Xia, while others were purely there to play with the child.
Yes, this banquet was about adding to the bride’s dowry. After that was done, the women mainly chatted about clothes, jewelry, and the cosmetics from Treasure Pavilion, which was somewhat dull. Playing with a cute little girl allowed everyone to have a good laugh and some fun.
Panpan was not shy at all; as long as the lady looked pretty enough, she was happy to accompany them for a few words. Sometimes she would whisper a secret or two, instantly changing the recipient’s expression, and they’d immediately hold her closely, affectionately like never before.
Mrs. Xia sometimes wondered: This child truly had a knack for socializing, making all these ladies and young misses so smitten, far better than she, this old lady.
Indeed, everyone was only afraid of Mrs. Xia, and definitely did not dare interact with her in such a manner.
After all, a noblewoman with a penchant for slapping faces was rather intimidating.
But Panpan was different, clever and adorable with little secrets.
After making the rounds, Xia Zhi and Lixia’s hands were full of gifts they could barely hold.
Moreover, these gifts were quite precious.
The adornments taken from the hands and heads of these noble ladies and misses, how could they not be precious?
Lixia even thought: This little miss isn’t here to socialize, but to rob.
Any noble lady or miss who favors her can’t escape her pillages—no, no, can’t escape her "secrets." They’re practically eager to shower her with gold, silver, and jewelry.
After the round, Panpan let out a big yawn.
"Lixia sister, Panpan’s sleepy, wants to nap."
"Okay, then let’s have a nap." Lixia chuckled as she picked her up, letting her snuggle into her embrace to sleep.
And in an instant, the small head was buried in the bosom, falling asleep right away.
If counting to three meant not falling asleep, it would be considered insomnia.
"Panpan’s asleep?"
The old lady and Old Madam Jiang chatted a bit and then noticed the absence of the little granddaughter’s shadow. At a glance, she saw the little one in Lixia’s arms.
"Yes, ma’am, the little miss said she was sleepy."
"This child wakes up early in the morning, she truly is tired, let her sleep well for a while."
If she’s sleepy, she should sleep. If she’s hungry, she should eat. No problem.
"It’s uncomfortable sleeping like this, take the child to rest in my inner court." Old Madam Jiang hurriedly suggested.
"No need, no need, Panpan recognizes the bed, just let Lixia hold her."
Indeed, this "bed" was the warmest and allowed finding the most comfortable position.
Seeing Panpan asleep, the noble ladies and misses shifted the conversation to clothes, jewelry, and cosmetics.
"I just saw Miss Jiang with several bottles of perfume from Treasure Pavilion."
Someone expressed jealousy: "It’s not just that Treasure Pavilion perfumes are expensive; they’re hard to get. Even if you pre-order, the queue is half a year long. Miss Jiang is indeed lucky."
"Luck is one thing, but it’s also blessedness." Madam Jiang laughed, "My daughter has been pampered since childhood. Once she set her eyes on the perfumes from Treasure Pavilion, I thought that since she would always use them, we might as well buy more."
"Those perfumes were pre-ordered half a year ago. Speaking of which, we were among the first customers of Treasure Pavilion."
"No wonder you receive such treatment." Mrs. Hong commented, "I knew it, when we go to buy and pre-order, each person can only get three bottles, while Miss Jiang’s dressing table has six or seven bottles?"
"It’s eight bottles. There’s an old saying ’Eight for prosperity,’ for good luck, a good omen." Mrs. Jiang chuckled, "Every perfume from Treasure Pavilion is owned by her."
"Miss Jiang is really blessed."
That’s how you indulge a daughter with clout.
You have to know, one bottle of Treasure Pavilion’s perfume costs dozens of taels of silver. Eight bottles amount to hundreds of taels. Not to mention the other complete set of cosmetics, it’s at least worth a thousand taels of silver.
This sum of silver could be the entire dowry for a small official’s family.
But for the Jiang family, it’s just a fraction of the entire dowry.
People really can’t be compared.
"Speaking of which, the business of Treasure Pavilion has consistently prospered, run by a skillful owner."
"Anyone know who the owner is?"
Someone naively asked, "Does anyone know?"
"No one knows."
Even knowing, could one say? This lady really spoke without thinking.
Treasure Pavilion’s business has always flourished. In the Capital, who dares to have schemes? Can you guess who the owner behind it all is?