The more Aunt Lan looked at Second Miss, the more she liked her. She was so obedient and understanding and even knew how to cheer up the Dowager Duchess. She was completely different than before.
Lu Liangwei finished her tea and took the Nanmu wood box with the Southern Seas pearls inside from Zhu Yu and walked to the Dowager Duchess.
When the box was opened, the gentle, brilliant glow from the pearls immediately filled the air.
“Wow, they’re so beautiful!” Zhu Yu could not help saying out loud.
Lu Liangwei looked at the pearls in the box in astonishment as well.
To be honest, when Long Yang bestowed those Southern Seas pearls upon her, she had not given them a second thought.
As the heir to a family renowned for ancient traditional Chinese medicine, she had seen her fair share of treasures.
This was the first time she set eyes on those beautiful pearls right in front of her.
The pearls were strung into a necklace. Each pearl was the size of sand, but they were fully rounded and smooth. There was no sign of any defects on them and the colors were bright, gentle, and beautiful. It could be said that they were a treasure among treasures.
It was no wonder that all the womenfolk were either envious or jealous when Long Yang announced the reward for her.
These Southern Seas pearls were indeed a rare treasure that was a unique pleasure to the eyes.
She took the pearls out from the box, placing them in the Dowager Duchess’ hands.
The Dowager Duchess admired them for a while before nodding in praise. “I’ve constantly heard about how these Southern Seas pearls are priceless. It is indeed true. Such a string of pearls is equivalent to the value of a city.”
As she said this, the look in her eyes while admiring the pearls revealed a thoughtfulness in them.
Lu Liangwei was stunned. She never expected Long Yang to be so generous.
A bowl of longevity noodles had garnered her ‘a city’.
The Dowager Duchess said teasingly, “It’s such a bargain for you to be able to exchange such a valuable gift with a bowl of longevity noodles. I wonder how it tasted to be able to convince the Emperor to reward you with such generosity.”
From what she understood, the Emperor was not an extravagant person. He had always pushed for frugality since taking over his reign of the country.
One could not help but think deeper into his sudden act of generosity.
Her gaze turned towards her granddaughter’s face.
This runt of a girl had inherited the beauty of Madam Ling. She had always been likable since young because of her porcelain doll-like pretty face. However, her temperament grew more arrogant and willful as she got older, which pushed people away.
The advantage of her beautiful face did not make up for her shortcomings, but instead gave others the impression of her being a beauty without brains.
Recently though, she seemed to have changed her entire personality and was not as arrogant and willful as before. Instead, she had become increasingly likable.
It has been said that your heart would be reflected onto your physical self.
As her temperament changed, so did her state of mind. She was already an outstanding beauty, and now, she was shining brighter than before.
The Emperor’s sudden bestowment…
The Dowager Duchess frowned.
Lu Liangwei had no idea what the Dowager Duchess was thinking about. She blinked her eyes and said playfully, “Grandmother, it’s pretty easy for you to know how it tastes like. Your birthday is coming up soon. When that day arrives, I’ll make you a bowl of longevity noodles too, but you’re not allowed to complain about my cooking.”
The mischievous look on her granddaughter’s face temporarily suppressed the many thoughts running through the Dowager Duchess’ mind. Instead, she replied playfully in turn, “How would I dare complain about it? I’m just afraid I won’t be able to afford your noodles.”
Lu Liangwei blinked, not understanding the statement.
The Dowager Duchess explained in mock pain. “You bowl of longevity noodles is equivalent to the value of Southern Seas pearls. If I had them, how am I able to pay for them? Your longevity noodles are much too expensive for me to afford them.”
Lu Liangwei was immediately enlightened as she replied big heartedly. “So, Grandmother finds pain in parting with her things. How about this, you’re my grandmother, so I’ll give you a slight discount. All you need to give me in exchange is half a city.”