Traveling back to ancient times to get rich

The two strolled slowly out of the Rainbow Pavilion. Gu Changfeng turned to look at the beauty beside him with a smile and asked curiously, "My little wife knows so much! I only found out today. It seems I've really struck gold. My dear wife, we haven't spent a penny today. How about we go to the Jewelry Pavilion together?"

Upon hearing this, Ye Qingchen lowered his eyes slightly and pondered for a moment before nodding slightly in response, "That makes sense. Not spending a single penny does make me a little uneasy. Alright then, let's go take a look at the Jewelry Pavilion." With that, the two smiled at each other and walked side by side toward the most famous Jewelry Pavilion in town.

Upon arriving at the Jade Pavilion, the two were struck by its magnificent scale, its carved beams and painted rafters, a truly imposing sight. Stepping inside revealed an entirely different world. Divided into three floors, the first floor was spacious and bright, its display cases overflowing with exquisite and beautiful jewelry of all kinds: gold hairpins, jade hair ornaments, pearl earrings, gemstone necklaces… a dazzling array that dazzled the eye. These ornaments shimmered under the brilliant lights, attracting many young ladies to stop and admire them, carefully selecting their pieces. At the entrance, a dedicated checkout area was set up; although the shop was bustling with customers, the order was impeccable, and no one harbored any ill intentions.

The second and third floors were reserved for specially invited VIPs. Ye Qingchen stood on the first floor, his gaze slowly sweeping over the displayed items. He carefully examined each piece of jewelry, but found nothing particularly eye-catching or uniquely novel.

Finally, after some deliberation, Ye Qingchen's gaze fell upon two hairpins made of jade that weren't of the highest quality. The heads of these two hairpins were carved into lotus flowers, giving them a more refined and elegant appearance. Whether worn by a man or a woman, they would give off a fresh and ethereal feel. Therefore, Ye Qingchen chose them without hesitation.

However, after continuing to browse, he still couldn't find anything else that appealed to him. Reluctantly, Ye Qingchen could only leave with the two hairpins he had just purchased, feeling a little disappointed.

Gu Changfeng asked Ye Qingchen if she had seen any earrings she liked, but Ye Qingchen felt it wasn't necessary and shook her head. Just as they were about to pay, a young lady stormed in, followed by two maids. She exclaimed, "Where's your boss? Come down here right now! You've ruined my jade! Come out here!" The shopkeeper quickly went over and asked, "Miss Li, we just delivered your jade. Where is it damaged?" Miss Li angrily replied, "My jade is so rare! I asked you to carve it into a pair of mandarin duck pendants, and what you've done is make them look like two silly birds!" The shopkeeper thought to himself, "That's how they're supposed to be carved! Besides, the jade's color changes, which makes the mandarin ducks look lifeless. How can you blame them? It seems this young lady has been mistreated by some rich lady." Miss Li continued, "My cousin is a shrewd woman. She laughed so hard when she saw your work! She said I look like those silly birds on the pendant, and I even dared to dream of my cousin!"

The shopkeeper thought to himself, "What does this have to do with us?" But this Miss Li was the county magistrate's precious daughter. His family was full of sons, and this was his only daughter, born to his third wife. He doted on her immensely and it was said that she was fond of the prefectural governor's son. This time, she probably failed to curry favor with their family and was taking it out on them. Shopkeeper Gu could only lower his head and apologize, but Miss Li became even more unreasonable.

The shopkeeper was at a loss, just as he was in a dilemma, Ye Qingchen finally couldn't stand it anymore. How could she not know that this girl was using the shop for raft making? So she asked the girl, "Miss, may I take a look at your jade pendant?" Miss Li was a very beautiful girl, and the man beside her was even more handsome. Ye Qingchen immediately thought twice about her and said, "It's this jade. Take a look, isn't it poorly carved?" Ye Qingchen took the jade pendant with both hands and looked at the patterns on it. Indeed, it wasn't delicate enough; in other words, it resembled two silly birds. It seemed that the girl hadn't used them for raft making, and her craftsmanship definitely needed improvement. The two jade hairpins they bought were quite good. However, this one was relatively easy to repair, so she asked Miss Li, "Miss Li, I think this jade pendant can still be salvaged. Would you be willing to let me repair it for you?" Miss Li was now regretting coming here to cause trouble. Even if her father doted on her, he couldn't let her act recklessly. So, seeing someone coming to her rescue, she took the opportunity and said, "Okay, then please repair it!"

Ye Qingchen asked the shopkeeper, "Excuse me, do you have any carving tools you could borrow?" Seeing Ye Qingchen and Gu Changfeng's distinguished appearances, the shopkeeper naturally didn't dare to look down on them. He figured he'd just lose money, as long as Miss Li was happy. So he had someone bring out the jade carving tools. Ye Qingchen examined the jade closely, then meticulously carved the bird's head. The mandarin duck seemed to come alive. She then made some modifications to the bird's wings, and the jade pendant quickly transformed. Even the shopkeeper and Miss Li were stunned. They had hoped to save face by asking this young woman for help, but she had truly turned the ordinary into the extraordinary! She was truly amazing!

Miss Li thanked Ye Qingchen and Gu Changfeng happily, then told them that she was the county magistrate's youngest daughter and that they could find her at the government office if they needed anything. Feeling she had no token of her affection, she immediately picked out a small ornament engraved with the character "Li" and gave it to Ye Qingchen before happily leaving. Her maidservant quickly paid and followed her. Meanwhile, Ye Qingchen and Gu Changfeng also planned to pay and leave. The two hairpins could have been sold for two taels of silver, but the shopkeeper didn't want them anymore; he was more interested in cultivating a good relationship with Ye Qingchen.

So he said to Ye Qingchen, "Miss, thank you for helping us out. We don't need the money, but seeing your meticulousness, could you design one or two pieces of jewelry for us?" Ye Qingchen thought for a moment; it wasn't difficult. She asked for paper and pen and quickly sketched a few pieces, each exquisitely crafted. She then used her own hairpins as examples to teach them how to carve intricately. The original lotus flower seemed to come alive, and soon another one was finished. The craftsmen had learned another skill that day and thanked her profusely. The shopkeeper even considered giving Ye Qingchen tuition. Then Ye Qingchen said that she'd like a 2% commission on the next sale of these pieces. Just as she was about to draft a contract, Gu Changfeng had already given it to her. "Okay, just sign it." Gu Changfeng found it amusing; it seemed they wouldn't be able to spend any money today.