Female-dominated society: My husband is clingy and I can't shake him off

The shopkeeper could tell at a glance that the jade pendant was extraordinary, but she didn't make a fuss. She simply took it and examined it carefully.

The jade pendant has a warm and delicate texture, pure color, and clear patterns.

Not only is the jade of superior quality, but the carving technique is also a masterpiece.

But she's a businesswoman, so naturally she couldn't offer a high price. Besides, the woman in front of her looked anxious, so she'd probably sell it for whatever price it cost.

She coughed lightly and said casually, "The patterns on this jade pendant are already badly worn, and this kind of jade is quite common. It's worth at most fifty taels."

Fifty taels?

Li Mo'er subconsciously felt that it was impossible. That man could give away even a single gold leaf so easily, so this jade pendant couldn't possibly be worth only fifty taels.

At this moment, Wang Cheng, who was outside the door, wanted to go in and pry open the shopkeeper's eyes so that she could see clearly.

This is top-quality mutton fat jade; even a medium-grade mutton fat jade would cost over a hundred taels.

Fifty taels wouldn't solve the problem, so she decided to give up.

Li Mo'er looked up and saw a hint of joy flash across the shopkeeper's eyes, and immediately realized something was wrong.

"Shopkeeper, I don't..."

Just as Li Mo'er was about to say she didn't want it, she saw the shopkeeper subconsciously pull his hand back. Afraid that the shopkeeper wouldn't give it to her, she changed her mind.

"Oh, shopkeeper, this jade pendant of mine seems to have some flaws. Let me point them out to you."

The shopkeeper initially didn't want to give it to her, but upon hearing that it was flawed, he immediately handed it to Li Mo'er.

She even peeked out to see exactly where the flaw was.

Li Mo'er seemed to have just thought of something, and smiled shyly at the shopkeeper.

"I think I remembered it wrong, it's not this jade pendant."

Li Mo'er scratched her head, "Let's not take this one."

Without even glancing at the shopkeeper's dark expression, she stuffed the jade pendant into her bosom and walked straight out.

When Wang Cheng saw Li Mo'er come out, she quickly followed. She had originally planned to take back the jade pendant once Li Mo'er sold it.

"Li Mei, Li Mei~"

Wang Cheng quickened his pace and caught up with Li Mo'er.

Li Mo'er turned around and saw Wang Cheng, somewhat surprised; she hadn't expected to see her now.

"Sister Wang, what are you doing here? Have you finished serving all the guests?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Cheng immediately beamed with joy.

"The governor and the others were very satisfied and praised our dishes highly, all thanks to your salt."

Wang Cheng spoke with great pride, happily patting Li Mo'er on the shoulder. She hit her hard, and Li Mo'er was almost knocked away by the slap.

Seeing that Li Mo'er was not in a good state, Wang Cheng didn't say anything more, but asked her with concern.

"Li Mei, are you worried about the shop? If you need anything, just let me know, and I'll definitely help if I can."

Wang Cheng patted his chest and assured Li Mo'er.

Li Mo'er waved her hand, too embarrassed to ask Wang Cheng.

"Let me think of another way. If it really doesn't work, I'll come back to you."

Seeing that Li Mo'er was unwilling to speak, Wang Cheng let it go.

She looked around, then leaned close to Li Mo'er's ear and whispered a question.

"Li Mei, where did you get that jade pendant?"

what?

Li Mo'er didn't expect that Wang Cheng had also seen the jade pendant.

Feeling guilty, she covered the jade pendant with her clothes and said casually, "It was given to me by a friend."

Wang Cheng asked curiously, "Can I take a look?"

Li Mo'er took a big step back, clutching the jade pendant tightly, and looked at Wang Cheng warily.

Wang Cheng smiled helplessly; Li Mei still treated her like an outsider.

If she wanted to snatch it, how could Li Mo'er, with her small frame, possibly stand up to her? She could have taken it in a heartbeat.

Wang Cheng explained, "I saw you go into the shop just now, and I was worried you would get ripped off, so I waited for you at the door."

Wang Cheng glanced back at the pawnshop to make sure no one came out before whispering something in Li Mo'er's ear.

"That shop is a rip-off; they drive prices down too much."

Upon hearing this, Li Mo'er nodded repeatedly in agreement.

Seeing that Li Mo'er had lowered her guard, Wang Cheng asked her again.

"Li Mei, I just want to take a look. Of course, if you mind, then forget it."

Li Mo'er didn't mind at all. She was about to take out the jade pendant without any precautions when Wang Cheng grabbed her wrist.

Li Mo'er was startled, thinking that Wang Cheng was about to rob her, and was about to run away.

Wang Cheng lightly slapped her on the forehead, saying, "Little sister, be more careful."

As she spoke, she pulled Li Mo'er toward the Li family's fine salt shop.

As they walked, they said, "There are too many people and too many eyes on this street, how can we just take it out directly!"

Li Mo'er scratched her head sheepishly; she had simply forgotten for a moment.

Once they arrived at the shop, the two went to the inner room, where Li Mo'er took out the jade pendant.

Wang Cheng carefully took the jade pendant, even wrapping it in a handkerchief, for fear of soiling it.

Li Mo'er was about to say that there was no need to be so careful, but seeing the respect in her eyes, she swallowed her words.

Wang Cheng carefully examined it with a handkerchief; it was indeed his master's jade pendant, exactly the same.

At first, she only glanced at it from afar and felt that it looked familiar; she never expected it to actually be her.

She quickly put down the jade pendant, wrapped it in a handkerchief, and returned it to Li Mo'er.

"Li Mei, tell me the truth, where did this jade pendant come from?"

Wang Cheng asked Li Mo'er with a serious expression.

Li Mo'er was startled. Could this jade pendant belong to some important person?

"This is what a man gave me."

"A man? Is his surname Chu?"

Wang Cheng was excited; she thought she was about to find the person her employer was looking for.

Li Mo'er shook her head in confusion, "No, his surname is Lin."

"Lin? Are you sure it's not General Chu?"

Li Mo'er shook her head repeatedly. She didn't even know who General Chu was, so how could she possibly know him?

Wang Cheng stared at the jade pendant with a solemn expression. Could it be that the master's jade pendant had been stolen and given to Li Mei by that person?

Li Mo'er's expression didn't suggest she was lying, nor did she have any reason to lie.

After careful consideration, Wang Cheng decided to ask, since his employer's situation in Kyoto was not optimistic.

"Li Mei, do you know someone named Qian Duoduo?"

Li Mo'er's heart clenched suddenly. Why was it Qian Duoduo again?

She felt like everyone was looking for her, which gave her a bad feeling.

She wanted to tell Wang Cheng that she was Qian Duoduo, but then she remembered that the governor had just left, and it was probably because they had sent Wang Cheng to gather information in Luocheng.

After hesitating for a while, Li Mo'er finally asked, "Sister Wang, is there something you need from Qian Duoduo?"

She believed that even if Sister Wang knew that she was Qian Duoduo, she wouldn't betray her.

Upon hearing this, Wang Cheng knew that Li Mo'er knew Qian Duoduo, and he leaned forward.