“That’s enough.”
Xie Zhaofan waved her hand with a look of utter disgust.
“What would I do with all this trash? Any ornament in my room is better than these pieces of junk.”
She spoke without the slightest bit of politeness, leaving Zhang Erniu with no choice but to smile awkwardly in response.
But just as everyone thought this noble young lady wouldn't find anything to her liking, Xie Zhaofan’s gaze seemed to carelessly sweep over the pile of items. She casually pointed at an unremarkable hairpin and then at a strangely shaped bronze ornament next to it.
“These two, I suppose.”
Zhang Erniu nodded hurriedly. “Fine, fine! If you like them, take them, take them all!”
“You keep the rest. I have no interest in collecting such unlucky trash,” Xie Zhaofan said before gesturing for Chunxing to put the two items away.
Though Chunxing was full of doubt, she didn't dare ask any questions and quickly wrapped the items up.
Only Xie Zhaofan knew that her true purpose in spending twenty taels had nothing to do with these so-called antiques.
The moment the pile had been spread out earlier, she had seen one of the items shimmering with an exceptionally bright blue light.
While that blue light didn't trigger the same system reaction as the Century-Old Spiritual Ginseng, it still gave her an inexplicable feeling.
The system hadn't directly provided an attribute prompt, which meant the item couldn't be converted into attribute points for the time being, but Xie Zhaofan had an intuition that this hairpin was absolutely extraordinary.
Furthermore, the more mysterious the origin and the less the system cared to explain, the more she felt it was worth investigating.
She wouldn't let any opportunity to increase her attribute points slip through her fingers.
Once the transaction was complete, Xie Zhaofan didn't want to spend another second in the filthy, chaotic market. She led her servants away in a hurry, heading straight for the street corner to board the Prime Minister’s residence’s carriage.
Upon returning to the residence, she first handed the medicated soup ingredients she had bought at the pharmacy to the kitchen. She gave them the formula she had prepared from her memory and had the cook prepare fresh chicken, mushrooms, and several seasonal ingredients.
As for actually doing the work herself—that was naturally impossible.
How could she, the dignified Second Young Miss of the Prime Minister’s residence, actually squat in the kitchen to tend a fire and brew soup?
“Don't use too much heat. Let it simmer slowly for a full shichen, then add these things at the very end,” Xie Zhaofan commanded from the side with an air of authority, looking quite experienced.
Though the cook found it strange, she didn't dare ask any questions and could only nod repeatedly.
Xie Zhaofan didn't mind performing this kind of symbolic filial piety a few more times. As long as someone else did the hard work while she took the credit for the final result, she was satisfied.
Once she was certain someone in the small kitchen was watching the pot, Xie Zhaofan returned to her courtyard with a clear conscience.
By this time, Chunxing had already washed the two items bought from Zhang Erniu and placed them on her desk.
Xie Zhaofan first picked up the bronze ornament.
Once the dirt was washed away, it revealed a somewhat ancient texture and a peculiar shape. It looked like a strange beast she couldn't name, with faint patterns etched along its edges.
“How hideous!” she remarked after observing it for a moment, setting it aside casually. “It’s a bit of an eyesore. Throw it away.”
“Huh?” Chunxing almost failed to control her expression.
What was wrong with the Second Young Miss today? This thing had cost a full ten taels to obtain, yet she wanted to throw it away after just two glances?
She even doubted if she had heard correctly.
“Miss... should I really throw it away?”
“What, should I keep it for the New Year?” Xie Zhaofan gave her a flat look. Chunxing didn't dare ask further and hurriedly took the item away.
Her heart ached slightly for the waste. No matter how willful the Second Young Miss had been in the past, she had never been so careless with money. This had cost ten taels, and she was just throwing it out?
Xie Zhaofan didn't care what the maid thought. That item was merely a trinket used to cover her true goal; throwing it away meant nothing to her.
She ignored her maid, focusing instead on the item she truly cared about, which was now lying quietly in her palm.
It was a hairpin that appeared to be made of neither gold nor jade.
Now that it was clean, the hairpin looked even more ordinary. It was a dull grey-green color, lacking the luxury of gold or silver jewelry and the warmth of jade. It looked completely unremarkable.
And yet, it was this ordinary hairpin that had triggered an abnormal reaction from the system.
Xie Zhaofan turned it over in her hands for a long time, even lightly scraping the surface with her fingernail and observing it against the sunlight through the window, but she still couldn't determine what material it was made of.
“System?” she called out tentatively in her mind, but there was no reaction.
“What is this thing?” Still no response.
“At least give me a description.” It remained as silent as a grave.
Xie Zhaofan let out a soft huff of frustration.
“If you won't say, you won't say. I'll just figure it out myself.”
This system was far too cold and aloof. Aside from occasionally popping up when attribute points were involved, it was a complete recluse the rest of the time.
She even began to suspect if this thing had any intelligence at all or if it was just a defective, mindless product.
Then again, she didn't even know its origin, so why should she expect it to answer all her questions?
Xie Zhaofan put the hairpin away for now, planning to study it slowly in the future.
By evening, the medicated soup was finally ready in the small kitchen.
Xie Zhaofan personally carried a tureen of soup to the main courtyard. Just as she entered, she saw Madam Shen and Xie Chongshan sitting there for their meal.
“Mother, I’ve brewed some soup for you.”
She placed the tureen in front of Madam Shen with a bright smile. Madam Shen was stunned, clearly not expecting her daughter to bring something over personally.
“Zhaozhao, you brewed this?”
“Of course! I went out specifically to buy fresh ingredients today,” Xie Zhaofan answered righteously. As for who actually brewed it, that wasn't important.
Madam Shen’s eyes reddened slightly in that moment. She stared at her daughter for a good while before gently taking her hand.
“Zhaozhao, you’ve truly grown sensible.”
Over this period, she had witnessed the changes in her second daughter.
The once willful and arrogant child who would argue with her sister at every turn now seemed to have slowly calmed down. She was not only taking the initiative to be close to her family but also starting to care for her mother.
For a mother, these changes were far more comforting than any precious gift.
Seeing how moved she was, Xie Zhaofan felt a bit embarrassed. She had only wanted to use this as an excuse to find attribute resources and butter up her mother, but she hadn't expected the woman to be so touched.
“As long as Mother likes it,” she said with a smile.
To the side, Xie Chongshan, who had originally been stone-faced, visibly softened his expression as well.
Ever since that incident at the lakeside, he had maintained a cold front toward this daughter. Though he said nothing, he had been harboring a grudge in his heart.
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