A blessed wife leads her husband to wealth and prosperity!

While waiting for others to retrieve their items, Lin He'er took the opportunity to admire the jewelry and perhaps even glean some inspiration for making bags from the exquisitely crafted pieces.

Madam, look, this box is full of loose pearls, and this bag contains silver thread. The silver thread in our shop is all polished by our craftsmen, and we have all kinds of thicknesses and specifications.

Seeing that the female shop assistant had returned with the items, Lin He'er stopped staring at the items on the counter.

Upon opening the box containing the pearls, I found it filled to the brim with pearls of varying sizes, all crammed together. Picking them up to examine them, I noticed that the pearls weren't all the same size in terms of color and shape; I'd have to carefully sort through them.

On the way here, Lin He'er had already been thinking about how to design the bag. Since pearls were to be used to embellish the bag, they couldn't be too large; they could only be used as finishing touches. After all, the customer requested that the bag be primarily practical, so she chose pearls with high luster, small and round.

Having chosen the pearls, the next step was to select the silver thread. Lin He'er took out the silver thread from her bag and examined it one by one. First, she eliminated several threads that were too thick, and then those that were too thin and short.

Although silver is generally a very malleable metal, that's only after it has been quenched for a period of time. Once it has truly cooled down, its hardness is still quite high. When crocheting silver thread, it's best to choose a hook with a diameter similar to that of a regular embroidery needle.

After careful selection, Lin He'er took a liking to the only piece of silver thread in the bag. The thickness of this silver thread was about the same as the embroidery needle her mother usually used. If calculated according to the specifications of her previous life, it should be the thickness of a size 11 embroidery needle.

Having chosen the silver thread and pearls, I just waited for the jewelry store to calculate the price of these two items.

Madam, the items you've selected are raw materials, and you need quite a bit of silver thread. Our shopkeeper said he'd give you a discounted price; thank you for your patronage, just five taels of silver will do.

Good heavens! Lin He'er listened to the smiling shop assistant talk to her for a long time, thinking that since she bought a lot, she would be able to get a good discount. She never expected that these things would cost five taels of silver! That's outrageous!

Seeing that the young lady opposite her looked a little embarrassed after she quoted the price, the waitress quickly and considerately asked, "Madam, did you not bring enough money? If you don't have enough money, we can deliver it to your door. Just give us your home address!"

Wow, what thoughtful service! It's not that I didn't bring any money, it's that I'm worried about spending it!

I never imagined that ancient pearls and silver thread were so expensive. Silver coins are made of silver, and since they're the raw material, they're basically equivalent in value to silver—I can understand that. But the price of pearls is something I didn't expect! I didn't choose many pearls from the box, but according to the receipt from the jewelry store, those few pearls are worth more than silver. No wonder people say that only the wealthy can afford pearls and jade!

In fact, the shopkeeper saw that what the shop was selling this time was raw materials, and that this young lady had indeed selected quite a lot. He really didn't intend to make money off her, since it was just raw materials and did not include labor costs. The shop couldn't add much labor cost to it.

As for the pearls that caused Lin He'er's heartache, their high price wasn't due to the jewelry store's exorbitant fees, but rather because pearls themselves belonged to the category of high-end jewelry. In ancient times, each pearl was collected by pearl divers who risked their lives in the sea, diving repeatedly to harvest them. Therefore, their price has always remained consistently high.

"I've brought enough, I've brought enough, no need to trouble yourself. Please pack my things and here's the money," Lin He'er replied to the shop assistant, taking out a five-tael silver ingot from her purse.

Lin He'er took out the silver, wanting only to thank Aunt Xu. Sure enough, Aunt Xu had guessed right; the silver thread and pearls weren't cheap. If she hadn't received a deposit of 5 taels of silver from a customer today, she would be stuck at the counter by now.

Lin He'er was at the embroidery shop just now, and she and Madam Xu reconciled the prices for custom-made bags for customers.

Customers can choose to bring their own special materials to make bags, or the shop can provide the materials and labor. The mother and daughter who came today, according to Ms. Xu, were not locals, so they didn't bring their own materials. However, they wanted to make bags that suited their tastes, so they chose the latter option and had all the materials provided by the shop.

The shop asked them for a deposit of five taels of silver, with the final price to be calculated after the bags were made. This five taels of silver was given to Lin He'er by Madam Xu before she left, instructing her to go directly to the jewelry store to purchase the necessary materials.

As for the labor cost she negotiated with the embroidery shop, Lin He'er asked for 3 taels of silver to make this bag because of its complex craftsmanship. The thought of finally making a truly bespoke piece filled her with excitement.

Most importantly, the craftsmanship fee for these custom-made bags is quite high! The three taels of silver she ordered this time was also a form of recognition from Lin He'er for her crocheted wallet.

After taking her things from the jewelry store, Lin He'er didn't go anywhere else but headed straight for the oxcart to meet her mother-in-law. She was a little scared, carrying so many valuables.

We walked quickly, and when we were almost at the oxcart, we saw the old woman leaning anxiously against the cart, looking this way.

"Mother, I'm back. Were you waiting long?" Lin He'er apologized to her mother-in-law.

He'er is back! Why did you take so long? I thought you got lost in town! When Liu saw her daughter-in-law return safely, she didn't blame anyone.

"Let's get in the car first," Lin He'er said with a smile to her mother-in-law, thinking about what she had gained this time.

Alright, Madam Liu didn't press her daughter-in-law about what had caused the delay. After the two got into the carriage, she took an oil paper package from the carriage frame and handed it to her behind her.

He'er, eat quickly! You've been busy for most of the day and haven't eaten anything yet. Mom bought some sesame cakes, so eat them while they're hot.

Lin He'er accepted the sesame seed cake from her mother-in-law, feeling a little embarrassed. She had only been thinking about getting back home and hadn't even considered whether her mother-in-law had eaten lunch after waiting for her all morning.

"Mother, have you eaten yet? Let's each have one!" Lin He'er noticed two sesame cakes in the oil paper package, realizing that her mother-in-law hadn't eaten either.

"Mother isn't hungry, He'er, you eat!" Liu Shi was afraid that Lin He'er wouldn't be full after eating only one sesame seed cake, so she opened her mouth to refuse her daughter-in-law.

"My mother doesn't eat much, but this sesame seed cake looks really big. I'll be full after just one. You should have one too," she said, taking the sesame seed cake out of the oil paper package, sitting down in front of her, and handing it to Liu.

When Liu saw her daughter-in-law hand her a pancake, she took it. "Alright, one for each of us. If I eat it, you won't have any left if you get hungry," Liu joked with her daughter-in-law.

"Yes, one is enough for me. Thank you for thinking of me, Mother." Lin He'er stepped forward and hugged her mother-in-law from behind, rubbing against her affectionately.

I am so lucky. Since coming to ancient times, I have met two mothers who are both very good to me. My biological mother loves me and my mother-in-law also loves me from the bottom of her heart!

Hehe, He'er, you're so easily moved by just one pancake from your mother? You're such an easily satisfied little girl! Seeing her daughter-in-law acting all cute and affectionate, Madam Liu was quite pleased!

Since He'er came to our home, we've never had a serious argument, and unlike what the women in the village say—that a son becomes distant from his mother after marrying a wife—it's not like that at all. With He'er here, things are actually better than before. Isn't it more lively with another person?