After rebirth, His Highness Xinshu was pampered by me.

Chapter 486 Stranger

Jinse went out early that morning to pick up the paper she had ordered from the paper and ink shop.

It's worth noting that Jinse had paid a substantial deposit for this new type of paper.

The previous few times she went there, the owner of the paper and ink shop said that the paper she wanted was out of stock. She asked the shop owner to reserve some for her when it became available, but after two trips, it was still not available.

When things got really bad, she said she wanted to pay a deposit to reserve some items first.

When the shopkeeper asked and learned that Jinse didn't want much, he looked troubled and said he probably couldn't keep her.

In the shopkeeper's words, their new paper products are always sold in large quantities because of their low price. If Jinse only orders a small amount, they can't deduct it from other people's orders, after all, they can't shortchange others.
However, because the quantity is small, it is inconvenient for their paper mill to increase the order for such a small amount.

Paper is already cheap, and after deducting costs, the amount Jinse wanted wasn't worth the paper mill placing an extra order for her.

Jinse understood the implication behind the words.

After some hesitation, Jinse, still eager to see what this new paper was, ordered a considerable quantity as requested by the shopkeeper.

With more paper, the deposit will naturally be more substantial.

For the first two days after paying the deposit, Jinse felt a bit listless.

Only today, when she learned that she could pick up her order from the paper and ink shop, did she seem a little more energetic.

She went to the paper and ink shop early, thinking she was definitely early, but she almost bumped into someone as soon as she entered.

I don't know which guest is inside, but he looks to be of middle age, well-dressed, and has a refined air about him, like a middle-aged scholar.

That person must have arrived at the store earlier than Jinse. Just as Jinse was about to enter, the other person was about to leave.

Jinse was perhaps in a hurry and didn't notice anyone coming out from inside, and the two bumped into each other like that.

"Feel sorry!"

Jinse looked up and glanced at the person opposite her, gave a slightly embarrassed apology, and then turned around and went inside.

Seeing the owner of the paper and ink shop walking towards her, Jinse hurriedly asked, "Boss, can I pick up the paper I ordered earlier?"

The owner of the paper and ink shop glanced towards the entrance twice, and when Jinse pressed him for details, he smiled and replied, "The goods you ordered have indeed arrived at the shop. I'll have someone prepare them for you right away."

Jinse nodded hurriedly and replied, "Thank you very much, shopkeeper."

The shopkeeper responded and hurried off, glancing once more towards the entrance of the hall before leaving.

Jinse hadn't noticed the shopkeeper's glance earlier, but she had seen this one.

Jinse subconsciously followed the shopkeeper's gaze towards the door, and then she realized that the customer she had almost bumped into earlier was still standing at the door, and...

For some reason, that person kept staring at him.

Although she didn't sense any ill intent in his gaze, Jinse still subconsciously frowned when a stranger stared at her so directly.

If Jinse was somewhat polite to that person just now, she no longer wanted to pay him any attention.

So, Jinse frowned and casually turned her head away, then pretended to wander around the shop, thus avoiding the other person's gaze.

The man was staring blankly at Jinse, but when he realized that Jinse was looking at him, he immediately came to his senses.

Meeting Jinse's gaze, the person opened their mouth, as if to say something.

Unexpectedly, the person opposite immediately turned away and pretended to wander around the shop as if avoiding him.

The man: ... It was still early, and there was no one else in the shop besides the two of them.

Jinse's attitude suddenly made the atmosphere in the hall a little tense.

Fortunately, the shop owner soon returned with his employees carrying the goods Jinse had ordered.

"These are the goods you ordered, miss. Would you like to inspect them?"

Normally, Jinse would definitely check it, after all, it cost a lot of money to buy it.

But with a stranger staring at her every now and then nearby, Jinse, unusually, didn't intend to examine the papers. She just glanced at them casually and then instructed the servant to help put the papers on her carriage.

She quickly settled the final payment with the shopkeeper and then left in a hurry.

Jinse quickly left. Inside the paper and ink shop, the shop owner, seeing that the man was still staring in the direction Jinse had left, called out with a puzzled look, "Boss?"

Was there something wrong with that girl just now?

Why is your boss staring at the other party?
Could it be... that he's taken a fancy to that young girl? And wants to take her back as a concubine?

As far as he knew, his master and his wife had a very good relationship, and there were no concubines in the backyard.

The owner had no idea what his shopkeeper was thinking.

He waved his hand casually, only instructing the shopkeeper to take good care of the shop, and then left with his servants.

Only after boarding his own carriage did the owner instruct his servant, "Find a way to inquire about that young lady from earlier."

The servant should naturally agree.

Jinse, of course, was unaware of this.

After leaving the bookstore, her emotions gradually calmed down, and her attention returned to the papers she had bought.

Looking at all that paper, Jinse pondered for a moment and then instructed the driver to go directly to the paper mill.

This is something that cost a lot of money, so we should ask the craftsmen in the paper mill to quickly study what materials and processes were used to make it.

And so, we went through another round of trouble.

By the time Jinse returned to the Twelfth Prince's residence, it was already close to noon.

Just as the twelfth prince was about to have lunch, he heard from his servants that Jinse had returned, so he immediately sent someone to find her.

Upon learning that the Twelfth Prince had sent someone to summon her to dine with him again, Jinse abandoned her plan to sneak into the main kitchen, tidied herself up briefly, and headed towards the dining hall.

In the dining hall, lunch was laid out on the table, but the twelfth prince sat down at the table and didn't pick up his chopsticks first. Instead, he waited for a while.

Upon seeing Jinse enter, he smiled and asked, "I heard that Sister Jinse went out early this morning? Why are you only coming back now?"

Jinse bowed as usual, then stood up on her own.

"Your Highness, I went to pick up the paper I had ordered earlier this morning. On my way back, I thought I'd stop by the paper mill, so I went there to take a look. That's why I'm a little late returning."

The twelfth prince nodded slightly.

He was just asking casually, but seeing Jinse's excited expression, he casually asked, "How's the paper mill progressing?"

Jinse didn't think the Twelfth Prince's question was casual at all; she thought he was starting to care about the matter too.

He immediately began to report the progress of the paper mill to the twelfth prince in detail.