"Yes, Second Brother helped me with something and I'm here to buy him a present."
Nan Baoyi talked while looking at her quietly.
In the previous life, Nan Yan was educated and slick. Now she was only a thirteen-year-old girl and she still could not handle situations while remaining calm and collected. Looking at her flushed face, she knew she was in an awkward position.
Nan Baoyi glanced at the inkstone.
She could not tell whether the inkstone was good or bad quality and only knew that it was very expensive.
Expensive things surely would not be of bad quality.
She took out one thousand gold worth of banknotes from her pouch, "Wrap it for me."
Nan Yan looked at the inkstone that she had been eyeing on for a long time being purchased by Nan Baoyi. Her heart was bleeding but she could not say anything.
The owner smiled, "The daughter of the first wife is very different from the daughter of a mistress. Look at the generosity… Everyone in Jinguan City knows that our shop never bargains. Those who could not afford and want to bargain are just the same as those calculative women in the wet market. As the saying goes, dragon gives birth to dragon and phoenix gives birth to phoenix, the child of a rat only knows how to make holes. This saying is right!"
He definitely looked down on Nan Yan.
Nan Yan's mother Madam Liu was well known in Jinguan City. That year, old madam already gave orders not to let her marry into the family and even gave her a big sum of money to ask her to leave. She accepted the money and agreed to the terms. Next thing they knew, she came back desperately and wanted to be the Third Master's mistress. She even made a scene about wanting to commit suicide in front of the Nan residence during the Third Master's wedding!
To put it in a good way, her love was very strong. To put it negatively, she was thick-skinned and shameless.
Nan Yan's face turned extremely red with her eyes tearing up. She looked at Nan Baoyi pitifully as though hoping for her to say something to defend her.
Nan Baoyi chuckled. Nan Yan still thought of her as the good sister from her previous life.
She asked He Ye to take away the wrapped inkstone and politely said, "Take your time Sister, I still have other things to attend to and I'll take my leave now."
Nan Yan unconsciously followed her out of the shop and saw a maid supporting Nan Baoyi into the carriage.
That carriage looked spacious and luxurious with four red lanterns lined with gold silk hanging on its four corners. Even the hanging window curtains were embroidered with exquisite patterns. It must be comfortable sitting in the carriage.
She sulked and gripped her handkerchief tightly.
Her maid was upset for her, "Both of you are master's daughters. Why Nan Baoyi can sit in such a good carriage and buy an expensive inkstone without blinking twice while you have to go through life so frugally?! This is so unfair!"
"She is the first wife's daughter…"
"So what if she's the first wife's daughter?" The maid felt sorry for Nan Yan and was also furious, "Rumor has it that the Nan family had no academic attainments. Miss and mister are different. Miss is fluent in the four arts and mister has good grades in the academy. You both are the most outstanding among the grandchildren in Nan family but are not allowed into the residence… If only miss can enter the Nan residence and get close to old madam long enough, old madam will definitely like you too!"
[Translation note: The four arts refers to music, chess, literary and painting]
Nan Yan's expression changed.
Yes, if only she could live in the Nan residence…
Her eyes suddenly lit up. Next month her mother would marry her father anyway, what was wrong if she entered earlier?
Her spirits lifted and she said cheerfully, "Let's go find father!"
She returned to a small house in Qingqiao alley. Her mother went out to buy some satin clothes while her father was drinking tea in the yard.
"Father." She politely bent her knees to greet him.
"Yan'er is back?" Nan Guang smiled widely, "Did you buy your brother a good present?"
Nan Yan paused, secretly thinking, you only gave me fifty gold, what good present can she buy?
She obediently came forward, "I bought Brother a writing brush with weasel bristles together with a box of good fragrant ink. I bought Father your favorite walnut pastry from Fuwei House with the remaining money."
"Yan'er can still think of Father when buying your brother a present, I'm very touched! Come, let's eat together."
Nan Yan sat next to him and said warmly, "Father, today I bumped into Baoyi in the streets. We had a great conversation and she liked me."
"You sisters are getting along, Father is very happy!"
"Just that…" Nan Yan wanted to say something but hesitated.
"Just what?"
Nan Yan's face was filled with worries, "Father, Baoyi spent one thousand gold today without even blinking twice. I know that grandmother loves her and gives her a lot of allowances but this is too extravagant… I know my position is awkward so it's not in my place to advise her. If I can officially be her big sister, I can advise her to be more thrifty and think more on your behalf."
One thousand gold!
Nan Guang took a deep breath!
Heaven had mercy on him. Since his mother knew that he had a mistress outside, he was not allowed to spend the family's wealth.
He can only get two hundred gold every month from the government. After drinking wine with some friends and eating out a few times, very little was left. He had to go through day by day with Xiaomeng and Yan'er frugally.
He as a father did not have one thousand gold on his hands. Nan Baoyi was too extravagant!
"Nonsense!" He slammed the table while feeling pain in his chest, "I already told your Grandmother, a little girl should not have so much money on her but your Grandmother would not listen. Your Aunt is just the same giving her money all the time! That's a thousand gold!"
It was enough for him to spend freely in a brothel for a long time!
Nan Yan added more tea for him, "If Yan'er has that much money, I will definitely spend it filially on Father and Grandmother and not squander the money away."
"You are a good daughter." Nan Guang caressed her head, feeling touched. "Jiaojiao is spoiled rotten by your Grandmother. She does not have someone by her side to scold and teach her. Since your mother will enter the residence next month, you should pack your things now, move into the house earlier and help me to look after Jiaojiao properly."
"This isn't too good, is it?" Nan Yan lifted her apricot-shaped eyes. "Grandmother does not like Yan'er, she definitely won't prepare a place for Yan'er…"
"You can stay in Jinyi Pavilion together with Jiaojiao, it will be easier for you to teach her too." Nan Guang said earnestly, "That girl is stubborn and very spoilt. I'll have to trouble you as her big sister in the future."
"Don't worry, father, I will definitely teach her properly."
Nan Yan obediently bent her knees to show respect, lowering her head while feeling happy to get her way.
If only she officially lived in the Nan residence, she could win favors from the old lady and gain her affection all the time. In the future, anything Nan Baoyi has, she will have too. She might even get some reward money from the elders. It was better than living outside, wasn't it?
On the other side of town.
Nan Baoyi returned to Jinyi Pavilion holding the inkstone to inspect carefully.
He Ye was deeply troubled, "A thousand gold and it's still only a stone dented with a small pit… Miss, do you think the owner took advantage of us?"
"Things in the study are very expensive."
Nan Baoyi carefully put away the inkstone and ordered, "Bring all my expensive jewelry out, I want to calculate the price."
Ten thousand gold was not a small amount. Even she had to raise the money carefully.