Chapter 31 Part 1

“This… how did you tell?”

Qin Yushu did not speak. The one who asked was Housekeeper Nangong. In fact, she probably wanted to know even more—

What standard did the lady use to determine the authenticity of these items?

Lu Ningshuang said, “Look at the packaging! See how this one is wrapped so securely with Fugui—clearly a good item!”

Everyone: ???

Could it be that simple?

That casual?

Something packed in a rundown cardboard box was one hundred percent fake, while something wrapped tightly was the real deal? Was that how you judged it?

It seemed… it really was!

As they pondered and were about to be convinced by Lu Ningshuang’s line of thinking, they heard her chuckle again.

“I’m just kidding~!”

Everyone: “…”

Madam/Lu Miss, you didn’t have to leave us hanging like that!

Qin Yushu’s gaze also fell on her, and Lu Ningshuang rubbed her chin. “Mainly, I never saw this thing at home before.”

“…”

There it was!

A brand-new way to judge authenticity! So anything she’d seen with her own eyes was fake?

Amazing!

Lu Ningshuang continued, “Lady Ning—that’s my mom—once said that after I got married and started a family, she would pass down a family heirloom to me.”

That was something Lu Ningshuang had heard when she was very young.

So much time had passed that she could not remember clearly whether it was after she became an adult or started a family, whether it was one heirloom or several, or if there had even been a specific number.

She could not recall.

But it should have been after marriage and starting a family, right?

After all, she had just turned eighteen and differentiated as an Alpha, and neither Old Lu nor Lady Ning had given her anything valuable. She definitely had not gotten it wrong!

Housekeeper Nangong was stunned for a moment. “Heir… heirloom?”

“Mm-hmm~”

Lu Ningshuang looked up to see faces full of shock and doubt: ???

The Alpha in front of her was extremely good-looking, and the occasional details in her behavior revealed excellent upbringing and family education.

Even upon first meeting, being around her felt extremely comfortable, and conversations flowed naturally.

But if one said her demeanor showed she was particularly wealthy… that was not the case either.

This was also why, after the initial shock at the vase’s magnificence, when Lu Ningshuang had rushed out to fight, everyone was numb but accepted it quickly.

With this status, doing these things, and even marrying Qin Yushu… she did not seem rich at all.

She even seemed a bit strapped for cash and down on her luck.

So when a genuine item suddenly appeared among a bunch of fakes, it was… quite shocking and dubious.

Lu Ningshuang blinked. “When I was little, I heard Grandpa Lu say that our Lu Family ancestors had been wealthy.”

So it was understandable if a good item or two had been passed down… right?

When Lu Ningshuang was young, she saw her grandparents often. Back then, the old couple had been fairly generous—buying her snacks, toys, and clothes from time to time.

She listened to Grandpa Lu bragging to the kids.

He said that when he was young, he traveled far and wide doing business and accumulated a tidy fortune. Just as he was about to expand further, an old friend cheated him. Though he did not lose everything down to his underwear, his family wealth shrank rapidly, leaving only enough for retirement and burial money.

Grandpa Lu immediately stopped. He was getting on in years, and his children had already had grandchildren.

He stayed home, enjoying his grandchildren, occasionally scraping a bit from his burial money to give the grandkids treats, and found great joy in it.

Lu Ningshuang loved visiting her grandparents as a child and received plenty of “benefits.”

Once the grandchildren were older and school-age, the old couple packed up their retirement and burial money, joined a senior tour group, and traveled the country.

As for their son and daughter?

They were grown adults with hands and feet—go earn their own money! Still thinking of scamming their parents!!

—To this day, Lu Ningshuang still had no idea how much of Grandpa Lu’s “meager” burial money remained.

Later, she saw her maternal grandparents more often. When the Lu elders were still home, they visited the Ning side frequently too.

Her maternal grandparents’ side was simpler—they said an ancestor had been a xiucai or something—if a xiucai even counted as notable.

In any case, the habit of scholarship persisted. Though no major officials emerged, there were plenty of teachers. Her maternal grandparents were teachers, and their only daughter, Ning Ruosu, grew up immersed in it and developed a love for the field from childhood.

Unfortunately, Lu Ningshuang, the only daughter of Lu Yezhou and Ning Ruosu, did not inherit that trait.

The elders sighed over it but, seeing little Lu Ningshuang uninterested, only taught her the basics and comforted themselves that children had their own fortunes.

Lu Ningshuang wanted to say, did her family raid a nest of teachers or something?

Her two moms, Little Aunt, and Little Aunt-in-law were teachers; her maternal grandparents were too… Was the scholarly atmosphere really that thick?

Thinking about it, whether it was Qi Jingming, her, or Lu Chengyue, their grades from childhood through university were all good. Little Aunt’s youngest, Lu Jiaojiao, was still little, in kindergarten middle class, so it was too early to tell.

Among the three with known grades, Lu Ningshuang was the worst—always mid-tier, though her college entrance exam scores were decent enough for a first-tier university. She got lucky with a minor breakout and just made the cutoff for a neighboring 211 university.

But the other two—whether cousin or cousin—had scholarships from start to finish!

No comparison.

It was this environment, plus the Lu Family’s ancestral good looks—even their in-laws were all extremely attractive—that made Lu Ningshuang always feel she was “perfectly average.”

Fortunately, she was not insecure about it.

Even so, Lu Ningshuang still could not quite figure it out.

When Lady Ning spoke of ancestors, did she mean the “Old Lu” side—where there were still experts before Grandpa Lu went into business!

Or the Ning side that produced a “xiucai”?

But since it had been sent here, it should be real, right?

She could also blame her unreliable parents for not saying more in WeChat, not tightening a few screws—what was the big deal!

As she thought this, Qin Yushu handed her the box containing the Buddha pendant, her elegant brows slightly raised in indication.

Lu Ningshuang: “Huh? What for?”

“Since it’s your family-starting gift, keep it properly.”

Compared to antique paintings, jadeite had the lowest entry barrier and often appeared in web novels, TV shows, and movies.

Even celebrities endorsed it and wore it on red carpets.

In the public mind, the most expensive jade was Imperial Green—the stuff protagonists in stone gambling novels pulled out to win bets!

Not exactly.

Above Imperial Green was Purple Jadeite.

From ancient dynasties, emperors were revered, purple was noble, and the rarer Purple Jade was the most valuable.

But Purple Jade was extremely rare, with varying quality and water clarity. Those on the market often did not meet the “noble purple” standard, so Imperial Green took the spotlight.

Additionally, Fu Lu Shou and Imperial Green were about the same grade. Imperial Green was more translucent and verdant, ideal for simple bangles or gems, while Fu Lu Shou’s three colors suited intricate jade carvings based on their patterns.

Its auspicious name also made it perfect for gifting.

Unlike the others, Qin Yushu saw at a glance that this Fu Lu Shou Buddha Pendant was genuine and highly valuable.

She returned the item, but Lu Ningshuang did not even lift a hand. She even resisted quite a bit. “Why give it to me? It’s obviously meant for you!”

Qin Yushu raised her eyes slightly.

“It’s called a wedding gift. Without you, I could not have married, and this thing would not have seen the light of day. So it was meant for you.”

Lu Ningshuang’s tone was firm and logical. “If it were really for me, they would not have held it back until now. Seriously, am I even their biological child? They always hide the good stuff…”

The Alpha’s reluctance was obvious. Qin Yushu looked closely and saw she truly thought that way.

She withdrew her hand.

The Omega’s voice was low and gentle. “Thank you.”

Though the Fu Lu Shou was precious, Qin Yushu was not at the point of coveting it.

She did not know what her little dog had told her parents. Had she not explained clearly? They had even dug out this treasured heirloom and given it to her, a mere contractual wife.

But since that was the case, she would just pay a bit more attention to her little dog in the future.

“You’re welcome.”

Lu Ningshuang waved it off. “If it’s given, keep it. It was at the bottom of the chest gathering dust anyway…”

She looked up again and saw that Qin Yushu, dressed casually at home today, wore a high-neck sweater of some soft material that looked extremely plush.

The beauty’s neckline was so graceful that even with the high collar, a small section peeked out, making one salivate.

It was awfully cold this season—wearing a jade pendant might seem odd too.

And while the Fu Lu Shou’s three colors were beautiful, for Qin Yushu, who was just over twenty-five, it seemed a tad old-fashioned?

So Lu Ningshuang added, “If it does not match your outfits, you can just stash it in any cabinet…”

“How could that be?”

Qin Yushu interrupted her, a hint of alluring smile at the corners of her eyes. “I like it very much. I’ll wear it tomorrow with a new outfit.”

In public, President Qin was reserved and restrained, but just a tiny glimpse of her charm was enough to send the young Alpha over the edge.

Lu Ningshuang: “O-okay…”

With that.

The gifts from Lu Ningshuang’s parents were all unpacked. Housekeeper Nangong directed the staff to clean up the express boxes and packaging debris, while the commentator Little Lu finally returned to her post.

Back upstairs to try on the new dress beautifully~!

She came down again, lifting the skirt hem—it was so long—and heard another round of hisses.

The downstairs heating was cranked too high; the cobras were reviving!

Qin Yushu returned to her seat too, but when she looked over again, her gaze gradually darkened.

“Is it weird?” Lu Ningshuang asked.

It was her first time wearing a dress this revealing and this long.

“No.”

Qin Yushu answered, but said no more. “Try on the next few sets too and pick the most suitable one.”

“Okay.” The Alpha was perfectly obedient.

Once Lu Ningshuang went upstairs again, Qin Yushu asked the designers, “Do you usually take everyday clothing commissions too?”

Lucas: “We do custom gowns…”

“Before you leave, leave her measurements recorded.” Qin Yushu said this to the housekeeper.

Housekeeper Nangong: “Yes.”

Lucas swallowed, seeming about to say more, but Rebecca quickly covered his mouth with a beaming smile.

“President Qin, we can do it. We actually know some friends in that field too…”

As long as the money was right!

“That’s good.”

Qin Yushu said, “After altering these gowns, design twenty or thirty everyday outfits for her. Ones suitable for this season, for daily office wear.”

She paused.

Thinking of Lu Ningshuang’s current workplace, “Make twenty of them plain. Do not let anyone with a bit of knowledge spot at a glance whose handiwork they are.”

She flipped another page.

“Choose comfortable fabrics as much as possible.”

Her Alpha partner was a bit… delicate.

Having accepted so many benefits from her parents, it was only right to treat her little dog a little better and return the favor somewhat.

Though she would have done it anyway.

This just accelerated it a bit.

However, what Qin Yushu did not know was—

No matter who Lu Ningshuang ultimately married, the gifts from her parents would probably be about the same.

They had plenty to spare!