I bring bad luck to my husband, you bring bad luck to your wife.

"Don't worry about that. Just tell me, do you like this? I have many other designs, like babbling brooks and picturesque scenes of houses. Whatever rich people like, I can paint it. I'll make sure you're satisfied."

Liang Da held the object in his hand and played with it for a while, mentally calculating what he was doing.

"You set the price for this gift box; I won't haggle. In addition, I will give you a buyout fee for one year. During this year, you cannot display this item in the store, nor can you sell it to other customers." Liang Da knew that this item was all about creativity, not something that couldn't be replicated.

Once your product is copied, sales will immediately plummet. You have to be quick, accurate, and ruthless to make the first wave of money.

"Deal." Duan Ziqiu finally breathed a sigh of relief; she had made the right bet.

"Then let's discuss the details of the order." Liang Da's smile became more genuine.

"No rush, I have something else good. I wonder if Boss Liang would be interested?"

"There's more?" Liang Da's face showed his shock.

"The gift box you ordered can only be sold to wealthy men. Respectable women and men wouldn't spend money to buy this kind of thing to bother themselves. That's why I prepared this for you as well."

Duan Ziqiu placed a small box, about the size of a palm, in front of Liang Da.

This box is more exquisite than the gift box, using the cloisonné mother-of-pearl inlay technique, which meets Liang Da's aesthetic requirements.

"It's quite pretty. Is it also lip rouge?" Liang Da was a little interested, but not much.

"It's not just a single type of lip balm; please open it and take a look."

When Liang Da opened it, he found a small bronze mirror embedded inside the box.

The first layer was divided into two parts: one half was dark lip rouge, and the other half was light rouge.

The second layer has a groove that holds an eyebrow pencil about the thickness of a little finger.

"It's already so hot in the South that people are starting to wear lighter clothes. When people get hot, they sweat, and sweat makes their makeup come off. I've heard that women and men there are allowed to go out on the street, which is more liberating than in the North. This is for them to carry with them when they go out to touch up their makeup."

"I give up." Liang Da has finally met someone even more obsessed with money than himself.

Duan Ziqiu stayed at the Liang family's house for a day, only managing to eat a few bites of lunch in a hurry.

I was busy until sunset before I finally left, clutching the deposit slips and Liang Da's written details of the improvements.

"I'll give you half a month. After half a month, I will personally escort the ship to deliver this batch of goods to the south. You absolutely cannot miss the shipping schedule." Liang Da's instructions still echoed in my ears.

"Definitely." Duan Ziqiu dared not slack off in the slightest.

For the past two weeks, Shuanghua Pavilion has only been open in the mornings, with one person staying to manage the shop and cater to regular customers.

At other times, everyone crowded into Duan Ziqiu's house to work overtime.

We will go all out to deliver the goods to Liangda with high quality and quantity.

Xiangxi's eyes were almost blurry from exhaustion.

He didn't know exactly how much money Duan Ziqiu made from this deal.

All that is known is that after receiving the final payment, Duan Ziqiu used silver notes to give red envelopes to Xiangxi and the others.

------------

Finish this big order.

As soon as Xiangxi got home, she ran to Yang's mother's room and quietly told her that she was coming to pay for household expenses.

Yang's mother was stunned.

"What household expenses are you paying?" It wasn't Yang Tongchuan's monthly payday yet.

"My husband said that as long as we haven't separated our households, we have to contribute to household expenses every time we earn money." Xiangxi was extremely proud.

"That brat made you hand over your own money to the public account?" Yang's mother never expected her son to be such a scoundrel.

A grown man with hands and feet, yet he dares to covet his husband's secret stash of money—he's asking for trouble.

Just as Xiangxi was about to say no, that she had volunteered, Yang Tongchuan came home after finishing his shift.

As soon as he stepped into the yard, he was startled by the broom that Yang's mother threw out of the window.

"Mom, what are you doing?" This thing almost hit his face.

"I'll beat you to death, you good-for-nothing!" Before Yang's mother could even put on her shoes, she rushed out of the house to beat Yang Tongchuan.

Yang Tongchuan was inexplicably punched a few times.

It was only later that we realized it was a misunderstanding.

Xiangxi believed that the Yang family's rule was that the more you earned, the more you had to give in.

If I earn more this month, I should naturally pay more.

Yang Tongchuan took those blows for nothing.

In the west wing.

"Fifty taels, that much?"

Yang Tongchuan watched as Xiangxi proudly raised her head, showing him the silver notes.

Just like a little wildcat that has won a battle.

"Duan Ziqiu robbed the money exchange?" Yang Tongchuan didn't expect that the profit margin was so high, even higher than that of a pawnshop.

"Pretty much. If the boss is happy, I'll rest for the next two days."

Xiangxi has been filling bottles so much these past few days that her fingers and elbows are aching.

Now he was relaxed, lying in bed happily admiring the huge bonus he had earned.

Yang Tongchuan was giving him a thorough massage.

As you press, you start to get a little distracted.

"Ya-yi, yi-ya."

The ambiguous moment was interrupted when Olaf woke up.

Xuebao is already six months old. When she's restless, she doesn't want to lie in bed.

Once you catch someone, you can have them carry you around to look at window decorations, leaves, birds, or anything else, but you can't go back inside.

That's how it was today. Mingle tried to coax him all afternoon, but he just wouldn't sleep. He only managed to doze off for a while on his little bed after Xiangxi came back from the shop in the afternoon.

"This little cotton-padded jacket is starting to let in the wind." Yang Tongchuan picked up Xuebao helplessly.

"It's good to sleep less, so you can go to bed earlier tonight. If you go to bed early, Daddy will take you out to play tomorrow?" Yang Tongchuan had never taken Xuebao out to play before.

Where are you taking him to play?

"It's already June. They say the lotus flowers outside the city are in bloom. Let me take you to see them."

"Then I'll go ask my parents and sister-in-law if they want to go. We'll rent a carriage and go together. It'll be my treat." Xiangxi was very generous.

"They're not going," Yang Tongchuan refused without even thinking.

"When did you ask that?" Xiangxi didn't see it.

"Never mind them, they're not going anyway. Tomorrow morning I'll bring over the government's horses and take you two to ride horses and see the lotus flowers."

Before, the weather was cold and Xuebao was small. Now that the child is stronger and the weather is warmer, if we don't go out now, we'll become too lazy to move when summer comes.

The next morning, after breakfast, Yang Tongchuan went to the yamen to bring the horse back. He had specially chosen a mare with a gentle temperament.

Xiangxi wrapped Xuebao tightly in a thick linen swaddle, then wrapped a wide strip of cloth around her chest and tied Xuebao to her waist and abdomen, which was both secure and allowed her to protect the child's neck with her hands.

Yang Tongchuan first helped his husband and child onto the horse, then jumped on the horse himself, sat behind Xiangxi, straightened his back, held the reins, and tightly protected his husband and child in his arms.

Xiangxi's back was pressed tightly against Yang Tongchuan's chest.

"Ride slowly, don't jolt the child," Yang's mother instructed worriedly.

"Don't worry, Mother. It's only about two miles outside the city, and the official road is flat. We can stroll over slowly." If Yang Tongchuan rode by himself, he would arrive in the time it takes to yawn twice.

Yanzi packed up all the things Xuebao needed and handed them to Yang Tongchuan to carry.

Yang Tongchuan gently squeezed the horse's belly with his legs, and the gentle mare slowly moved forward along the bluestone path.

This attracted envious glances from several neighbors.

The family's first trip has officially begun.