Li Daya, Li Sanya and others felt that their eyes were not enough.
When they lived in the outer city, they could occasionally go out with their parents, but since their uncle took them back to live in the inner city, this was their first time going out.
Compared with the outer city, the inner city is more prosperous and grand.
Although Li Dalang and Li Erlang often go out, this was their first time to visit Chang'an Street, and they were dazzled by what they saw.
As for Mrs. Li, although she tried her best to keep a straight face, she still couldn't control her expression when she saw the various shops on both sides of the street and the dazzling array of beautiful things in the shops.
But no matter how good the goods were, she had no intention of taking her granddaughters in to buy them.
Firstly, the shops were so grand that she was a little timid and didn't dare to set foot in them; secondly, she knew that the items in these shops must be very expensive even without asking.
Although the eldest son would send them a monthly check every month, she couldn't bear to spend it.
When Li Daya and the other girls saw the gold and silver jewelry store and the clothing store, they were a little overwhelmed, but they also knew that this was not something they could afford.
Sister Ran told them that each of their clothes costs dozens of taels of silver, and a hairpin costs hundreds of taels of silver.
God, they can't afford such an expensive thing even if it's sold.
They also had a monthly formula, but the milk was taken away as soon as it was issued. Not to mention these expensive things, they couldn't afford even the candied haws on the street.
Mrs. Li saw her granddaughters' eyes shining when they saw the good things, and said displeasedly: "Don't act like a country bumpkin and embarrass me."
Li Daya and others quickly lowered their heads.
When they were at the northwest border, they didn't dare to contradict her, and now that they're in the capital, they don't dare to do it anymore.
Ever since I met my uncle, even I have been very tolerant towards my breasts, let alone them.
They all knew that it was all because of Nai that they could come to Beijing and have an uncle who was a high-ranking official.
After a trip, Mrs. Li didn't want to come back empty-handed. The gold and silver jewelry store was too expensive and she couldn't bear to buy it, but she could still buy some other gadgets.
"Why is that shop in front so busy? Come on, let's go take a look too."
Mrs. Li especially likes to join in the fun, and she especially likes to visit shops that are bustling with business. She thinks that if everyone buys it, it must be a good thing.
"It smells so good! What kind of store is this?"
Li Dalang knew a few words and looked up at the store's plaque: "The Beauty Smiles." Looking at the things in the hands of the people walking out of the store, he said, "It seems to be selling rouge and gouache."
When Mrs. Li heard that she was selling rouge and gouache, she proudly said to her granddaughters: "You are all grown up and it's time to dress up. Go in and choose something you like. I'll buy milk for you."
She knew about rouge and gouache, and could buy it for a few dozen renminbi. Even if the ones in the capital were more expensive, she would pay a few hundred renminbi for a box.
A few granddaughters are just a matter of a few taels of silver, and she can still afford this little money.
Mrs. Li flipped the money in her purse that her son had paid homage to her, and then looked at Li Dalang and Li Erlang: "You also go in and choose something for your wife to take back."
After saying that, he walked into the store with his head held high.
Li Daya and Li Dalang followed in happily.
As soon as several people entered, a maid came forward to receive them, asked them about their needs, and then led them to the corresponding goods counter according to their needs.
Yan Yan, Li Dalang and others were a little uncomfortable with the maid's enthusiasm and thoughtfulness.
Mrs. Li was still able to hold her nerve and asked the maid to introduce them to everything in the shop.
"What?!"
"How much do you think this box of facial ointment costs?"
Li Lao Niang thought that she was Li Zhengkun's mother and an old feudal lord of the Li Mansion, so she should also take care of herself. When the maid introduced a facial cream that could improve skin tone and remove wrinkles, she immediately asked the price.
"Old madam, this ointment is specially customized for old people like you. Because it contains some precious medicinal materials, the price is slightly higher, twenty-eight taels of silver per box."
Mrs. Li pinched the purse at her waist, her expression a little tight.
She took a total of twenty taels of silver when she went out today. For her, this was a huge sum of money. You must know that when the Li family was in the northwest, when they were the richest, they did not save ten taels of silver.
Unexpectedly, the huge amount of money she thought she had could not even afford a box of facial ointment in the capital.
Li Daya, Li Dalang and others were also shocked by the price of facial ointment.
Mrs. Li: ".Let's look at other things."
The maid's smile did not change and she continued to introduce a few people.
When she heard that the cheapest rouge cost five taels of silver, Mrs. Li immediately felt the urge to leave with her grandchildren.
The eyes of Li Daya and others also dimmed. She would not buy them a box of rouge for five taels of silver.
The maid saw the expressions of several people in her eyes and said with a smile without changing her attitude: "Old madam, our store is Hongyanxiao's main store. Due to the high store expenses, the products we sell are relatively expensive."
"But Hongyanxiao also has ten branches in Beijing. Depending on the location of the branch, the prices of the products sold there are also different."
"For example, the No. 5 branch in Anye Square in the outer city sells mostly rouge between one tael and five taels, which is very popular with everyone."
Mrs. Li heard the implication of the maid's words and felt a little annoyed. This was a mockery of the fact that they couldn't afford the things here. She immediately said with a cold face: "We understand."
At this time, another group of customers came into the store.
The maid saw it and said apologetically: "Old madam, you make your own choices first. If you need anything, you can call me at any time. I will go to receive other guests first."
Mrs. Li nodded with a straight face. After the maid left, her tense body relaxed a little. Seeing her grandchildren looking at her, she hummed: "What kind of shabby shop is this? A box of rouge costs five taels."
Silver, it’s just a money grab.”
Li Dalang and others also thought it was ridiculously expensive and couldn't help but nodded in agreement.
But looking at the endless flow of customers in the store, everyone took away several things when they left, and several people were a little confused and speechless.
"There are many wealthy people in the capital. In the eyes of these people, money seems to be something other than silver."
Looking at the customers queuing up to check out, Mrs. Li felt it was an eyesore. Others could afford it but she couldn't. This feeling made her very uncomfortable.
She is Master Hanlin's mother, and she should have what others have.
She couldn't afford it, but her son could.
Mrs. Li immediately decided that when Li Zhengkun comes back from his business trip tonight, she will ask him to buy something from Hongyanxiao for her. If she doesn’t buy anything else, she will buy it from this store on Chang’an Street.
"Okay, stop looking and let's go."
As soon as Mrs. Li, Li Dalang, and Li Daya walked to the door of the store, they saw several magnificent carriages parked outside Hongyanxiao.
Then, several noble and graceful women stepped out of the carriage with the help of maids.
Seeing one of the women, Mrs. Li felt as if she had been struck by lightning, her mouth half-opened, and she froze on the spot.
Li Dalang and others who followed her were also shocked.
"Fourth brother and sister, the business of Hongyanxiao is getting better and better. Sister Xin and Sister Yin really give us a great deal of face."
"I heard that Sister Xin has been busy negotiating with businessmen from other places during this period. I wonder how the talks went?"
Several noble ladies walked into the shop together, chatting and laughing, and walked straight past Mrs. Li and others without noticing them at all.
As soon as a few people entered the store, there were many women and ladies came up to greet them, and their words and deeds were very warm and polite.
Mrs. Li looked at the scene in disbelief, closing her eyes and shaking her head again, looking like she couldn't accept it.
"Is that auntie?"
"Yes, that is the eldest aunt."
"Auntie"
Looking at Jin Yue'e who was dressed in fragrant clothes and surrounded by green pearls, looking at Jin Yue'e who was dignified and decent, chatting and laughing with the ladies, looking at Jin Yue'e who had completely transformed into a lady, Mrs. Li's face was filled with a ferocious look.
She couldn't accept that Li Changsen's family lived better than the Li family, let alone the fact that they got better and better after leaving the Li family.
Mrs. Li's face became more and more distorted, and she was going crazy with jealousy. When she saw the girl in purple and pink who came down from the second floor Shanshan, her jealousy reached its peak.
"Mother."
"Auntie, fifth aunt, seventh aunt, why are you here?"
Shi Fuyin and Shi Fuxin came down from the second floor with smiles and were chatting and laughing with everyone.
Mrs. Li clenched her hands into fists, and her whole body was shaking because of the excessive exertion.
When Li Dalang saw it, he was worried that Mrs. Li would go crazy here, so he quickly stepped forward to support Mrs. Li and said, "Nai, let's go back." He used some force on his hands and almost forced Mrs. Li to leave.
When he walked out of the store, Li Dalang looked back and looked at Jin Yue'e, mother and daughter, who seemed to have become two different worlds from them. He lowered his eyes and quickly left with his younger brother and sister.
"Sister Yin, Sister Xin, what are you two looking at?"
Jin Yue'e, Mrs. Shi and others were going to sit in the private room on the second floor. When they were going up the stairs, they saw their two daughters looking at the street outside the store and couldn't help but ask.
"I saw a few familiar people."
"What acquaintance?"
"not important."
Baishun Street, Li Zhai.
Before Mrs. Li, Li Dalang and others came back, Zeng Yuwei came back with her two daughters as guests.
Zeng Yuwei was very annoyed that Mrs. Li and others left the house privately. She was afraid that they would be embarrassed and cause trouble when they went out, so she called the accompanying woman to inquire about it.
"What, you said that the old lady went to Hongyanxiao on Chang'an Street today?"
The mother-in-law nodded: "The old lady has been depressed since she came out from the beauty scene. When she returned to the house, she ignored the old lady's words to her and went directly to the room to rest."
After Zeng Yuwei heard this, her eyes flashed, and then the corners of her mouth curled up.
The Li family has nothing to do all day long, always causing trouble for her. Because of that family, the relationship between her and her husband has become tense.
Maybe she should find something to do for them.
Isn't Shi Zhenghe's family prospering day by day? Isn't the Hongyanxiao business booming? After all, the Li family has raised Shi Zhenghe. Now that they have come to Beijing, that family can't just say nothing.
The Li family made her house a mess, why could Shi Zhenghe and his family get away with it!
Thinking of this, Zeng Yuwei asked her maid to go to the warehouse to get some materials to deliver to the Li family.
Li Furan was puzzled: "Mom, didn't we just make clothes? What are we doing with the materials?"
Zeng Yuwei: "The ingredients are for the old lady and the old lady."
Upon hearing this, Li Furan immediately became unhappy, but Li Fuzhi was thoughtful: "Mother, what are you going to do?"
Zeng Yuwei glanced at her eldest daughter and said with a smile: "I haven't spoken to your grandmother properly yet. I'll go over and have a chat with her later."
Li Fuzhi frowned: "What does mother plan to talk to grandma about?"
Zeng Yuwei did not hide it from her daughter: "Your grandparents raised Shi Zhenghe, and I have to talk to them about the situation of Shi Zhenghe's family in the capital."
Li Fuzhi immediately showed a look of disapproval: "Mom, Shi Zhenghe's family is no longer related to his grandparents. The two families have no relationship. What can they do if they find out? Why should mother be so troublesome?"
Li Fuzhi's accusing tone made Zeng Yuwei unhappy: "How do I know what they want? Your father asked me to go and pay my respects to the old lady and the old lady. Apart from Shi Zheng and his family, do I have anything else to say to them?"
"Mother."
Li Fuzhi still wanted to persuade her, but then the maid came back with the ingredients. Zeng Yuwei stood up directly: "Okay, I will go over and deliver the ingredients to the old lady."
After saying that, he took the maid and the mother-in-law and walked away, leaving Li Fuzhi who was full of worry.
In the courtyard where Mr. Li and Mrs. Li live, Li Dalang and others are talking to Mr. Li and others about their experiences of visiting Chang'an Street today.
"We saw the eldest aunt today, as well as Erya and Wuya. They have all become very different."
After hearing this, Father Li finally understood why his wife went to lie down on the bed as soon as she came back: "Don't call me aunt in the future. The Li Changsen family has nothing to do with our family anymore."
Li Changlin: "Dad, how can it be okay? Li Changsen, you and your mother made a big deal out of it. Now that they are living well, they should be filial to you and your mother."
Father Li immediately looked at him sternly: "You haven't stayed in jail long enough, have you?" After a pause, "Changsen is a cruel person, and his four children are not the lamps of magic oil. Now our family
We all rely on your elder brother, so we can’t cause him any trouble."
Thinking of the punishments he saw during his half-month in prison, Li Changlin shuddered, pursed his lips and stopped talking.
Father Li looked at the whole family and waved his hand: "Okay, everyone, let's go out."
After coming out of the upper room, Li Changlin's daughter-in-law Xue Caihua and Li Changmu's daughter-in-law Zhou Zhaodi took Li Daya and the others to the corner and asked quietly: "Why are your eldest aunt, Erya, and Wuya different from before?"
Already?"
Seeing that Father Li didn't pay attention to them, Li Daya whispered back: "Auntie is so well dressed now, she is even more noble than the auntie at home."
"Erya and Wuya have become so beautiful, they look more like Miss Qianjin than Sister Zhi and Sister Ran."
After hearing this, Xue Caihua sighed with emotion: "After all, Li Changsen is the real son of the uncle's house. The eldest brother is just a fake. The children he gave birth to can't compare to Li Changsen's. This is too normal."
The place where a few people were standing was not far from the courtyard gate. When Zeng Yuwei came over, she happened to hear these words and her face suddenly darkened.
She wanted to have a fit, but when she thought that Xue was just a vulgar and ignorant country woman, she lost her identity in vain when she started making trouble.
Zeng Yuwei took several deep breaths, suppressed the anger in her heart, and then walked into the courtyard: "Where are the old man and the old lady? I'm here to pay their respects."
Zeng Yuwei took the initiative to come over to say hello, which surprised the Li family.
Seeing Zeng Yuwei smiling as she entered the upper room where Mr. Li lived, Mr. Xue and others all looked at each other in awe.