On the other side, Xiao Cao looked at her mother with a bit of grievance. “Mother, did you already know about Second Aunt’s situation and just waited to see me make a fool of myself?”

Han Shi smiled cheerfully, “How could I? My daughter is kind-hearted and benevolent. You didn’t just cure your Second Aunt’s illness; you practically saved her life. Her close relatives will surely need to express their gratitude to you. Just accept it; you deserve it.”

Xiao Cao felt a bit helpless, “Mother, I help and heal people without expecting them to thank me.”

“I know, I know.” Whether her daughter wants recognition is one thing, but whether others understand the importance of gratitude is another.

Han Shi had the servants leave the room.

“Xuan’er, come take a look at something,” Han Shi opened a silk brocade box on the table. “Look at this.”

Inside rested a pair of jade bracelets, the material vibrant and lustrous. “They look nice, but I don’t really know much about jade. Is there something special about them?”

“Xuan’er, they’re very special. These are the most top-grade emeralds. Do you know what that means?”

Even Xiao Cao, who was usually very composed, couldn’t help but gasp after hearing this. Her hand trembled, almost dropping the pieces. She quickly set them back down. In her past life, she’d come across a news story about an auction where a piece of ‘Imperial Green’ Old Mine glass-type jade was sold for a sky-high price. It was so well-preserved and rare that for various reasons, it was hyped up in price to tens of billions. She had researched it a bit back then and found it shocking. Even the most average ‘Imperial Green’ jade—even ‘snow and ice’ types—could sell for millions. A tiny ring stone could fetch tens of millions, while bracelets or necklaces could easily reach the billions. In this world, though, she had heard from Nurse Ma, who worked for Tingyu, that jade was something monopolized by the elite class. While not as overpriced as in her past life, it was still certainly out of reach for someone of her ‘commoner’ status.

“With jade of this quality,” Xiao Cao exclaimed, “I bet few even exist in the royal palace, let alone among the noble families. And if it went up for sale, the price for just one of these wouldn’t be less than 300,000 taels.” Han Shi, though appearing calm on the surface, was equally shaken. “Your father, who holds a rank of Third Grade official, only earns an annual salary of 420 shi.”

Xiao Cao didn’t know what to say. She estimated that in this life, one tael of silver was roughly equivalent to 660 yuan in her previous life. 300,000 taels would be close to 200 million yuan (TL: approx. 28 million USD), which seems much cheaper compared to several hundred million. Her father’s annual salary of 420 shi, roughly equivalent to 210 taels of silver, meant a monthly salary of over 10,000 yuan, which was actually not bad, although this large family didn’t rely on just his salary. However, it would take her father over a thousand years of saving his entire salary to buy such a bracelet, not to mention a pair of them.

While the truly rich wouldn’t blink at such sums, among the Wenren family or even her family’s relatively wealthy situation, nobody could afford something like this.

“Mother, where exactly did these come from? They can’t possibly be part of the gifts from today, right?”

Han Shi gave her a meaningful look: “What do you think?”

“No way… You’re telling me they really are part of today’s gifts?” Xiao Cao almost lost her mind. “W-who would give such a thing?”

“We don’t know,” Han Shi rubbed her temples. “We carefully went over the gift inventory, checking and matching everything received. The other items all line up, but this pair of bracelets wasn’t recorded anywhere. The people in charge of receiving the gifts have been with me for a long time and never made a mistake, though none of them seem to know where these came from either. If we claim this is an accidental mix-up of a priceless item, no one would believe it.”

What was going on, then? Who would gift such a rare and valuable thing so mysteriously?

“Xuan’er, how do you want to handle this?”

“Me handle it?”

“Yes. Today’s banquet at the Wenren family was in celebration of your return. At least half the gifts were intended specifically for you. Something as unusual and valuable as this has never been seen before. If it’s not meant for you, then who else?”

Xiao Cao furrowed her brow. “Does Father know about this?”

“As of now, only the two of us do. The moment I realized something was off, I quickly closed the box, and nobody saw it. Your father has been busy, and I planned to tell him later.”

“Mother, were there any particularly ‘special’ guests today? For the years I spent in Kaiping, I didn’t interact with anyone from the wealthy or noble circles. While traveling with my adoptive father, we helped many people, but I’ve never encountered anyone who would be capable of giving something of this caliber. Moreover, if someone wanted to repay me after ten years with such a grand gift, they would have no reason to be so discreet. As for the past few years with Tingyu…” Xiao Cao’s voice trailed off suddenly, and her brow tightened.

“Xuan’er…” Han Shi grasped her daughter’s hand, her heart aching to see her like this.

Xiao Cao looked up, panic and confusion in her eyes.

“The only somewhat special guest today was probably the heir to the Marquis of Pingyang, Wei Shizi. The others were all familiar faces, nothing particularly noteworthy. However, Wei Shizi’s gift came along with the presents from your maternal family, most likely arranged by them, and just listed separately. He only had one servant with him, a large and noticeable figure, and the people collecting the gifts didn’t see anything suspicious.”

“Mother, is there any way for me to see Wei Shizi? Maybe he’s related to Tingyu somehow. If we have suspicions, we need to investigate, right?” Xiao Cao asked more anxiously, her voice speeding up, abandoning her usual calmness.

“Xuan’er, don’t rush. Wei Shizi is in poor health, and he usually keeps a low profile. Our family has no connections with the Marquis of Pingyang, so it wouldn’t be appropriate to visit them out of the blue. Moreover, the Marquis household is currently run by a concubine with ties to the inner palace. Don’t worry, dear child; let me think about this. If it’s truly necessary, there will be a way to arrange a meeting. Give me some time, and I’ll see if I can find someone to help make introductions.”

Xiao Cao took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. “Mother, it’s my fault. There’s no need to rush. After waiting nearly three years, I can bear to wait a little longer.”

Han Shi sighed internally. At first, she had thought her son-in-law had died suddenly from unexpected causes. But her daughter had recently shared more details, casting doubt on whether it was truly a sudden death—or if there had been some foul play involved. In a world without power or influence, her daughter was left to scrape together fleeting clues, still with no solid information. It seemed like an impossible mission.

Claiming “waiting longer isn’t a problem” was just a way for Xiao Cao to bury her growing despair. Yet, once even the tiniest glimmer of hope appeared, how could one easily suppress the tide of mounting expectations?