Jiang Wanru, standing under the eaves of the house, looked out at the empty and quiet courtyard again, and gazed up at the snowflakes falling from the sky. When she entered the courtyard, she didn't see Jiang Wenyao or Jiang Wenqing anywhere, so she was slightly surprised, then turned around to close the open gate. She quickly walked over to under the eaves of the house and said to Jiang Wanru: "Miss, it's freezing outside, you should go inside and warm up with some hot food."

  Jiang Wanmu glanced at her and asked, "Have you eaten first?" Ji Yan smiled and nodded, "I listened to Miss's words, had a meal in the large kitchen, and chatted with them." Jiang Wanmu smiled and nodded, taking the lunch box from her hand, saying, "You go help Fang Zheng make shoes." A few days ago, when Jiang Wanmu went to Chaiju Yipin again, she unintentionally looked down at the shoes of the uniformly dressed shop assistants while glancing at them, and only Fang Zheng's shoes were the oldest and most tattered.

  After she came back, she bought the fabric for making shoes and immediately asked Jiyan to help Fangzheng and Mugen make shoes. She also said: "In a famous store, the image of the employees is the most important. We can't let small things ruin big things, we must make them consistent from top to bottom." Jiyan heard this and thought that Jiang Wanyu was thinking for her own brother and Mugen, so she nodded and said: "Miss, I will make a few more pairs of good-looking shoes for them."

  Jiang Wanmu turned around and entered the room, Ji Yan looked at her back, swallowed the news she had heard in the kitchen back into her stomach, and forced herself not to say it out loud. She quickly walked into her own room, picked up all the sewing materials for making shoes, and came out to gently knock on Jiang Wanmu's door, saying: "Miss, I want to do some work in your room, I won't disturb you." A slightly amused voice came from inside: "Come in."

  Jiang Wanru was eating in the room, looked up at Jiyuan who came in and said: "You're so polite. Before coming in, you would say to me, 'Don't disturb you'?" Jiyuan smiled and sat down beside the table, raised her head and said: "Miss, I said this because I want you to be happy after hearing it." Jiang Wanru glanced at her with a smile, then Jiyuan took out the shoe sole she was working on. After seeing it, Jiang Wanru stopped the chopsticks that were about to pick up food and said: "Jiyuan, make several more layers of shoe soles. This way, the shoe soles will be thicker, and their feet will be warmer when they wear them."

  Ji Yan lifted her head and looked at Jiang Wanru, saying: "Miss, I also want to make a few more layers of shoe soles. However, the more layers there are, the thicker the sole becomes. I don't have such good needles that can be used for making shoe soles." Jiang Wanru furrowed her brow slightly after hearing this and said to her: "You first prepare several more layers of shoe soles. Tomorrow, I'll go out and ask Teacher Fu at the blacksmith's shop to help make a few good needles specifically for you to use for making shoe soles."

  She heard the pleasant words and became happy. Smiling, she said: "Miss, I've heard that in those stores, there's a special thread for sewing shoe soles, it's durable and resistant to wear and tear. Can you also buy some back for me? Hehe, later I'll give you my monthly allowance to use." Jiang Wanru smiled and glanced at her, saying: "Your family's miss still has this bit of money, you'd better save your own money yourself, it can be used for your own dowry in the future."

  Ji Yan's face turned slightly red, and she said in a small voice: "Miss's money is for preparing her dowry. I overheard the people in Fourth Miss's room talking about how the old lady rewarded Fourth Miss with a particularly good piece of red fabric to make her wedding dress. The madam had already sent the fabric for Fourth Miss's wedding clothes to her room early on."

  Ji Yan finished speaking and looked up to see Jiang Wanru eating her meal with an indifferent expression. She even smiled and said, "Then we should congratulate the Fourth Miss on getting married, and prepare the wedding dress fabric." After she finished speaking, she swept all the dishes off the table. Ji Yan put down what he was holding, stood up to help clean up the bowls and chopsticks, and sighed as he said to Jiang Wanru, "Miss, even now, Madam hasn't sent any wedding dress fabric for you. I think if you have the money, it's better to prepare your own wedding dress."

  Jiang Wan heard this and burst out laughing, saying: "Good words, Madam is not yet old and muddled, she knows I'm not good at needlework, and as for your needlework, she may not be able to put her mind at ease. There's no need to rush, when the time comes, she'll arrange for someone from the sewing room to help me with the wedding clothes."

  Jiang Wanru let her family arrange her marriage as it came naturally. She had no expectations for her married life, nor did she have any hopes or thoughts of preparing her own dowry. She smiled lightly thinking about the preparations for her wedding dress, what did that have to do with her? When the time came, she would just go through the motions and continue living her life as if she was just moving to a different courtyard.

  Jiang Wanru stood up, biting her lip and said: "Miss, aren't you happy about this marriage? I heard the aunties in the kitchen say it's a good match. Miss, your future days will definitely be very good." Jiang Wanru glanced at Jiyuan, looking at her eyes which were even more excited than her own, nodded and said: "Whether or not I'm happy, I'll still get married and won't stay in this courtyard forever. Hopefully it's as they say, a good match. Jiyuan, about my having money, you must remember, absolutely cannot mention it to a second person." Jiang Wanru reminded Jiyuan again at the end, not to slip up.

  After Jiang Wanru obtained the deeds of the Ji and Mu families that day, she completely let go of her guard against Jiyan. A few days ago, when she came back from outside, she casually placed a 100-tael silver note on the table. Jiyan accidentally bumped into the room, saw the silver note on the table, and her eyes widened so much that they almost popped out, her mouth was wide open for a long time before she could close it.

  Jiang Wanmu turned back from behind the screen, looked at her expression, stretched out his hand to gently pat her shoulder and said: "Is it worth being so surprised? It's just a one-hundred-tael silver note." Ji Yan took a deep breath, slowly exhaled, carefully reached out to touch the silver note, quickly withdrew his hand, and said: "Miss, is this really a usable silver note? I've never seen such a silver note in my life."

  "My father last time went out to buy things, took a fifty-two silver ticket from the steward's hand. My mother knew after and chased him up, repeatedly telling him to be careful with it, absolutely cannot lose it. Otherwise, selling our whole family would not be enough to repay that many silver coins." Jiang Wan heard her words and stretched out his hand to gently pat her head, saying: "Good words, as long as you all follow my heart and listen to my arrangements, do your best to work hard. I believe one day we will have more than enough silver coins to use."

  Ji Yan listened to Jiang Wan's words, nodding her head repeatedly. Jiang Wan reminded her, "Ji Yan, the things I can earn money from outside, cannot be known by the people of the Jiang family, nor can they be known by others. Only you know that I have money on me, you must remember, absolutely cannot say it out loud. If you do, we'll all be finished together." Ji Yan stuck out her tongue at that time and quickly said, "Miss, I've taken note of your words. I won't even mention this to my own mother."

  Ji Yan's face turned red as he heard Jiang Wanru mention this again, and he said: "Miss, I was wrong. My family's young lady doesn't have any money, so everything has to be arranged by the madam." Jiang Wanru let out a gentle sigh and looked at him saying: "Mmm. The madam must have an idea about my dowry in her mind. As for the wedding dress and all that, the madam will take care of it herself. Ji Yan, don't think too much, just focus on making shoes well. Your family's young lady can't read or write, she only knows how to sit there blankly."

  Ji Yan lowered her head and worked on the needlework for a while, then looked up at Miss Jiang, who was staring blankly, with a serious expression, writing something. Ji Yan gazed at her, her eyes reddening, and quickly covered it up by lowering her head to continue working. No one knew better than Ji Yan what kind of days Jiang Wanru had been living in the Jiang household. In all these years, Jiang Wanru didn't need to greet the elders in the family, and for every happy occasion and gathering in the Jiang household, she was always absent.

  Gijyan thought of her own father, mother and brother who loved and cared for her, while Miss seemed to be alone. Jiang Wenyu finished writing the day's plan, put down the pen in her hand, and casually stretched her limbs. She glanced at Gijyan sitting aside, was surprised to see her staring at the sole of her shoe with tears streaming down. She quickly walked over and said: "Gijyan, this shoe can't be made for a while, you don't have to cry about it. I'm free now, I'll help do the middle part of the shoe sole."

  Ji Yan wiped away the tears on her face, feeling embarrassed as she looked up at Jiang Wanru and said, "Miss, I'm not worried about the shoes. My mother helped me make them. I just thought of some things and couldn't help but feel sad." Jiang Wanru gazed at Ji Yan, thinking that with her parents' love and brother's protection, if there was something bothering her, it could only be related to a young girl's first love, which would cause her such distress.

  Jiang Wan carefully observed Ji Yan, looking at her lovely face, thinking that she was gentle and should be the ideal person in many young men's hearts. She leaned in close to Ji Yan, smiling and saying: "Ji Yan, do you like someone? You don't dare tell him, nor do you dare tell your family members, but can only hide away and cry. Tell me, let me hear if that person is reliable or not, then I'll help you talk to your mother." Ji Yan's face suddenly turned bright red, as if she could drip blood from her cheeks. She lightly stomped her foot and said: "I don't like anyone."

  Such words from Jiyuan made Jiang Wanyu feel that she had her own little secrets. Jiang Wanyu smiled and looked at Jiyuan, who got up and said: "It's getting late, I'll go out and take a look." Jiang Wanyu watched as Jiyuan slipped away, feeling that the carefree days of youth were so beautiful, and she completely forgot that she was still in her own youth.

  Jiang Wanru followed Ji Yan out of the room, stood under the eaves, and looked at the snow piled up in the yard again. She turned around to grab a shovel. Just as Jiang Wanru was shoveling the first scoop of snow, the gate of the yard creaked open, and a voice called out "Ji Yan". Ji Yan's door opened, and she replied loudly: "Coming."

  She looked at Jiang Wanru in the courtyard, her small face that was no longer red turned red again. She hurriedly ran past Jiang Wanru's side and quietly warned her, saying: "Miss, don't talk nonsense in front of my mother and outsiders." Jiang Wanru gave her a white eye and said softly: "Go open the door quickly."

  Hard study