Chapter 64: Mutual Happiness

Chapter 64: Mutual Happiness

Well, twice a week turned into once a week.

"Alright, Mr. Little Ji, you can arrange it. Thank you so much for your help these past few months."

Ji Ning smiled. "You're too kind. It's my blessing to have met your second daughter."

Zheng Jinyu spent more time making jewelry. Once the pieces were done, they needed to be sold. Thus, Lady Zheng transferred ownership of one of her prime jewelry shops to Zheng Jinyu.

On this day, she brought the deed to the shop and held her daughter's hand with a smile. "I'm giving you this shop as part of your dowry. Don't worry, you're my biological daughter. Whatever Jinxiu has, you'll have too."

Zheng Jinyu knew that Lady Zheng was hiring craftsmen to make her dowry, and the Thousand-Craft Bed was already halfway done.

"Mother, thank you."

She wouldn't have been able to successfully open the jewelry shop without Lady Zheng's strong support.

"Silly child, why are you thanking Mother? This is all yours by right."

Before long, Zheng Jinyu's shop opened its doors. On the first day, there was an 80% discount, 90% on the second, and 95% on the third. This promotional strategy had been advertised half a month prior, complete with colorful illustrations of various jewelry pieces in the promotional brochure.

Such a marketing approach was unprecedented, and thus, it had already garnered much attention before the grand opening.

On the day of the inauguration, Zheng Jinyu sat by the window on the second floor of an inn opposite her jewelry store, observing the bustling business below. It was exceptionally busy.

Despite having prepared a generous stock of jewelry, it was all sold out within just half a day.

Those who failed to purchase anything on the first day were deeply regretful, as according to the rules, the prices would go up the following day.

Jewelry is not inexpensive, and it's even more costly by a considerable margin. It's quite a sum of money.

However, to lessen the customers' sense of disappointment, most of the accessories put on display the second day were different from the first, with even more exquisite designs.

Despite the higher price, they felt it was worth it.

"Whose shop is this?"

"This store belongs to the Zheng family."

"Ah, where did Madam Zheng manage to find such a beautiful collection of jewelry? These designs are even more exquisite than those from the Myriad Treasures Pavilion. I've never seen anything like them before."

"I say, how intricate this braided cord is! How on earth did you make it?"

The shop assistant chuckled nonchalantly. "Well, I'm afraid I don't know the secret. My job is simply to sell them."

With the first batch of profits, Zheng Jinyu intended to repay her mother for the raw materials.

However, Madam Zheng declined, saying, "Why should my daughter pay for playing with gold, silver, and jade? It's only natural for her to enjoy them."

Zheng Jinyu was taken aback.

Madam Zheng was indeed generous, considering all those raw materials as mere playthings for her daughter.

Zheng Jinyu responded, "Then I won't pay for the previous ones, but in the future, when Mother helps me source more raw materials, I'll definitely compensate you with silver."

Madam Zheng, however, handed her a ledger. "Here, it contains the sources of various raw materials, the methods of acquisition, contact persons, and approximate prices. If you want to purchase more, just instruct the steward to take care of it."

Zheng Jinyu held the booklet with immense excitement, for this was something that money could not buy.

Only the matriarchs of influential and culturally rich families would possess such comprehensive information.

Returning home, Zheng Jinyu carefully organized the contents, making it her own personal knowledge base.

Henceforth, she would rely on these pieces of information to secure her livelihood.

Whether she left the Zheng family or not, wealth was of paramount importance.

"Miss, this is the charcoal that this servant fetched. Should we light it up in our courtyard now, or wait a few days?"

It had already turned quite chilly these past few days. She noticed that the ancients were more resilient to the cold than she was. If this were modern times, she would have turned on the air conditioning long ago. But here, they were just starting to use charcoal.

"Let's light it up."

Northerners, from ancient times to the present, enjoyed hibernating during the winter months. They ventured out less often, and business wasn't as bustling as it was at the start of the season.

But she knew that with the upcoming New Year celebrations, they would be giving gifts, and elders would be presenting their children with auspicious charms and ornaments.

As for mascots, she had to start preparing them in advance.

Next year was the Year of the Rabbit, so she designed several adorable rabbit-themed accessories.

Earrings, bracelets, necklaces... made of gold, silver, jade, and even a complete set of rabbit-themed ornaments for the zodiac.

After the designs were finalized, she instructed the craftsmen to bring them to life according to the blueprints.

Moreover, she created vibrant illustrations for these zodiac accessories, hanging them in her store prior to their release.

One wall of the shop was dedicated to showcasing the upcoming new product illustrations each month.

Whenever a preview was announced, it would spark a frenzy among the noble ladies of the capital city.

They took pride in being the first to acquire the latest designs.

Even the Imperial Princess had become one of her fans.

Desperate to obtain the newest jade rabbit design, she unexpectedly visited the store in person, hoping for a favor to secure a set ahead of time.

"As an Imperial Princess, I am born in the year of the Rabbit, and I must have a set before anyone else."

She assumed an authoritative demeanor, leaving Zheng Jinyu in a state of amusement and helplessness, but she did not refuse.

In Great Qi, there was no empress; the highest-ranking woman in the palace was merely a concubine. As the Emperor's sister, the Long Princess was the most esteemed woman in the entire dynasty.

She had the right to claim the first set.

"When the first collection is ready, Jinxiu will personally deliver it to the Princess's residence."

"Very well, then this princess shall await your arrival."

Knowing that her jewelry was highly sought after, Lady Zheng, in support of Zheng Jinyu's endeavor, relocated a neighboring silk and satin shop, giving its premises to Zheng Jinyu.

Zheng Jinyu promptly arranged for renovations, determined to create a spacious, bright, and impressive store, with the goal of opening it before the New Year.

As Zheng Jinyu busied herself with earning money, she gradually put the matter of Zheng Jinxiu out of her mind.

On the other hand, Zheng Jinxiu, accompanied by the Elder Madam, leisurely traveled and played along the way, taking over a month to finally reach Xingyang.

With her endearing charm as the novel's main female lead, Jinxiu quickly won the affection of the head matriarch, Madam Zheng.

Madam Zheng had no daughters of her own; she had only one son. The concubine-born girls in her care were not her biological offspring and held less noble status than Zheng Jinxiu, the legitimate daughter of the second wife. They also lacked Jinxiu's ability to please others, so soon there was no longer a place for them at Madam Zheng's side.

Not only that, but even the nearly ninety-year-old Grandmatriarch Zheng had taken an immense liking to Zheng Jinxiu, constantly smiling at her with her toothless mouth.

Madam Zheng commented, "Second Aunt, look how much your granddaughter wins people's hearts. She has even brought joy to our elderly ancestor."

Grandmatriarch Zheng replied, "This child has always been likable. It's not because of my good upbringing."

"Oh, you're being too modest."

Considering that Zheng Jinxiu had been there for some time and hadn't gone out to play, they decided to let her go see a performance with a few of her sisters.

Instructions were given to her two concubine-born sisters to ensure they showed her a good time.

Having grown up in the capital city all her life, Jinxiu was already tired of exploring it. Now, in a foreign marketplace, everything seemed novel and intriguing to her.

" Sister, ever since she arrived, she's been the center of Mother's attention, neglecting us completely. Although we aren't Mother's biological children, we've been raised under her care from a young age, just like the true-borns. How can a cousin from a side branch have the right to overshadow us?"