CHAPTER 285: CHAPTER 143: A SENSE OF NOT BELONGING (PART 2)

"Oh, isn’t this Miss Shi! Please come in, please come in! You’re quite the rare visitor; it’s been so long since we’ve seen you! And these two ladies and the young lady are—"

The shopkeeper greeted Shi Yumei with a smile as soon as he saw her, but he didn’t recognize Sang Wan and Shi Lian.

"I’ve only been here twice in total, Mr. Sun, you still remember me, you really have a good memory!" Shi Yumei was pleased and showed a smile on her face.

Although she had been married for many years, her natal family cherished her and never treated her as an outsider. Shi Yumei, with her straightforward personality, also never considered herself an outsider. Hearing someone address her as "Miss Shi" made her feel particularly joyful!

"What are you saying! Who in Qingzhou City doesn’t know Miss Shi! Even if I had only seen you once, I could never forget!" Mr. Sun said cheerfully, leading the three into the inner hall while instructing the clerk to prepare the finest tea.

"Oh Mr. Sun, you’re too polite!" Shi Yumei laughed heartily.

"I’m only telling the truth, it’s Miss Shi that brings me laughter!" Mr. Sun chuckled in agreement but looked puzzled at Shi Yumei, gesturing for her to introduce Sang Wan and Shi Lian.

Once seated and served with tea, Shi Yumei covertly glanced at Sang Wan, winked mischievously at Mr. Sun, and said half-seriously and half-jokingly, "This time I really want to test your insight, Mr. Sun. Try guessing who these two distinguished guests are?"

Shi Lian, still unmarried, dressed respectably yet her demeanor inadvertently showed a bit of respect. Her features bore a slight resemblance to Shi Yumei, suggesting she was a less favored legitimate daughter from the Shi Mansion. Mr. Sun deduced she was not favored because he had never seen Shi Lian before. Had she been favored, wouldn’t the Lady of the Shi Mansion always bring her along when going out?

The other, a young matron with her hair styled in a married woman’s coiffure, exuded a calm and composed presence, moving gracefully, a demeanor that commanded respect. Despite being somewhat neglected in conversation by Shi Yumei along the way, she did not show any signs of embarrassment or concern, always maintaining her composed and gentle demeanor, which was engaging to observe.

Mr. Sun narrowed his eyes and smiled, "Miss Shi thinks so highly of me to test me, I must participate in the fun! Hehe," he then jokingly bowed to Sang Wan and said, "If I guess wrong, please forgive me, madam. It’s just a joke! You are—Grandma Shi, aren’t you?"

"Mr. Sun, your eyes are sharp, she is indeed our Grandma Shi!" Xingzhi said softly with a slight smile.

"Oh! A distinguished guest, a distinguished guest indeed! Not knowing it was Grandma Shi, please forgive my rudeness!" Mr. Sun sincerely apologized with a smile.

Sang Wan smiled lightly, about to speak, but Shi Yumei quickly interjected with a laugh, "Mr. Sun, you’re being too polite, my sister-in-law is the most generous and easy-going person, she won’t mind!"

"Hehe, indeed, indeed!" Mr. Sun glanced at Shi Lian and laughed, "So, this young lady must be the young Miss from the household, right?"

"This is my third sister!" Shi Yumei impatiently laughed and said, "Mr. Sun, do you actually have any good items? Hurry and bring them out, what’s with all this pointless chatter?"

"Hehe, yes, yes, right away, right away! I was just too overjoyed, forgive me, Grandma Shi and the young ladies!" Mr. Sun chuckled and soon went to personally fetch the treasures of the store.

Mr. Sun brought out three complete sets of exquisite jewelry and several individual items of high quality, presented on four trays lined with bright red velvet.

One set named "Drunken Hibiscus," crafted from red gold engraving, adorned with rubies, sapphires, and emeralds; the main piece being a gold filigree ’Eight Treasures’ hibiscus crown, pure gold color, exquisitely carved, the gemstones not only large but also of excellent color and luster, free of any impurity; another set named "Lantian Pearl," a gold-base adorned with jadeite and cordyceps, the main piece being a phoenix hairpin holding beads, using twelve top-grade pearls the size of longans, and thirty-six rice pearls, the eye of the phoenix being a nearly thumb-sized natural black pearl, enchantingly brilliant; another set named "Scattered Apricot Blossoms," made of the most transparent top-quality jadeite combined with pink, bright red, pomegranate red, and begonia red gemstones crafted into flowers, red flowers and green leaves, eye-catching and striking.

The other tray held an 18-bead jadeite bracelet, a bi-colored jade exquisite hairpin, a white jade peacock hairpin, red coral and carnelian pendants, green jadeite droplet pendants, all of top quality and exquisite craftsmanship, obviously valuable goods upon inspection.

"You do have some good items! Qiongfang Pavilion really lives up to its reputation and confidence!" Shi Yumei praised as she listened to Mr. Sun’s endless explanations.

"Hehe, not at all! It’s just a way to make a living, nothing compared to the Shi family! The ladies and Grandma Shi are just looking for something new! If you talk about the best jewelry in Qingzhou City, it has to be Liuli Pavilion!"

Liuli Pavilion is indeed a property of the Shi family, having thirteen branches across the Jiangnan region.

"Mr. Sun, you are too modest!" Shi Yumei praised clickingly, "Not to mention others, these three sets alone, Liuli Pavilion might not even have them!"

"Hehe, Miss Shi praising me like this truly honors me! Miss Shi, are you satisfied?" Mr. Sun hurriedly asked.

Hearing this, Shi Yumei turned to Sang Wan with a smile, "Sister-in-law, what do you think? How are these three sets?"