On Suining's inner city main street, Gu Baozhu linked arms with Song Shixue as they walked into a ready-made clothing shop.
"The clothes in this shop are even nicer than those in Songzhou City. What do you think of this one?"
Gu Baozhu picked up a set of light green long dress and held it up against herself.
Song Shixue nodded. "If you like it, go try it on. There are fitting rooms in the back."
Gu Baozhu turned her head and indeed saw several curtained fitting areas set up behind the clothing racks. Several women stood at the entrance, all wearing identical outfits.
"It seems this shop has no male staff?"
Song Shixue explained, "This store only serves female customers. With fitting rooms inside, it's inconvenient to hire male attendants."
Gu Baozhu nodded with some understanding and took the dress into a fitting room.
The space was spacious and clean. The shop owner must be quite skilled.
After changing into the new dress, Gu Baozhu stretched out her arms and spun around, a look of delight on her face.
"How does it look? Is it pretty?"
Song Shixue pressed her lips into a gentle smile.
"It looks good. You can pick out a few more pieces."
Gu Baozhu looked down, spun around once more, and nodded with satisfaction.
Since the clothes here were so beautiful, she certainly wanted to buy several pieces.
The female attendant waiting nearby let her eyes wander between Gu Baozhu and Song Shixue.
She wondered which young lady's daughter it was that the second young lady herself would accompany.
Gu Baozhu picked out two more outfits, and the female attendant stepped forward enthusiastically to take them.
"The shop has new jewelry pieces that are unique to other places. Would you like me to bring some over to match with the young lady's clothes?"
Gu Baozhu paused her hand from selecting clothes. "Unique to other places?"
The clothes were special, and the jewelry was unique too?
The female attendant smiled and nodded. "They were all drawn by our owner herself. I guarantee there's nothing like them anywhere else."
She led them up to the second floor. The display cases were filled with various gold and silver jewelry, their dazzling brilliance nearly blinding the eyes.
Song Shixue looked through each piece one by one. The medical clinic kept her busy, and this was her first time on the second floor as well.
She had to admit the pieces were beautifully crafted. Every style was stunning, none lacking in beauty, all truly eye-catching.
With three dresses in different colors and two pieces of jewelry, Gu Baozhu was still asking questions as they went downstairs.
"Why would such a wonderful shop be opened in Suining City? If it were opened in Songzhou City, business would definitely be booming."
They had been inside for about half an hour. The number of customers who came in wasn't very large, but no one who entered left empty-handed.
The female attendant walked to the counter and packed up the clothes and jewelry.
"The shop has just recently opened. It might expand to Songzhou City after some time."
Song Shixue said, "No need to settle the bill. Just have it delivered directly to the government office."
The attendant's hand, which had been reaching for the abacus, stopped, and she turned to close the box instead.
Gu Baozhu quickly untied her coin pouch to pay. "Don't put it on the account. I'll pay for this myself."
Song Shixue smiled and stopped her hand. "No need. This shop was opened by my elder sister. Consider it a gift to you."
Last night, Song Jinzhao had instructed Song Shixue that if Gu Baozhu came to this shop to buy things, and the amount wasn't too much, she shouldn't accept payment.
Gu Baozhu's hand holding the pouch froze.
Her mouth fell open, her eyes filled with surprise. "County Princess Linghui?"
Song Shixue nodded and pulled her out of the shop.
"Elder sister opened it on a whim, but there aren't enough wealthy people in Suining City. Next month, she plans to open another branch in Songzhou City."
Recalling what the female attendant had said earlier, Gu Baozhu asked, "That attendant said the jewelry was drawn by their owner herself. Was that County Princess Linghui too?"
For one person to excel at everything, it was truly unbelievable.
Song Shixue said, "Not just the jewelry. Some of the dress designs were also thought up by elder sister."
"But she only sketched a few lines. The tailors and craftsmen perfected the rest."
Gu Baozhu bit her lip tightly as she walked, and the words of Madame Gu urging her to marry popped into her head.
She glanced at Song Shixue and finally couldn't hold it in any longer.
She stepped forward, linked arms with her, and covered her mouth as she whispered, "Shixue, when do you plan to get married?"
Song Shixue's steps came to a sudden halt like brakes being applied. Her cheeks flushed red, and she secretly glanced at Lanxi following behind them.
She quickly pulled away. "Why are you asking about that?"
Gu Baozhu let out a long sigh. "It's all my mother's doing."
"In the past few months when I was cooped up at home, she kept nagging me day after day, saying I'm at the right age and should get married."
"Later, she even found over a dozen portraits for me to choose from. I had no choice but to drag Jinghong along to Suining City, using the excuse of finding you and the county princess to play."
Song Shixue raised an eyebrow. "You're only sixteen this year, right?"
Gu Baozhu nodded, her tone very low.
"My mother said to get engaged this year and marry next year, so I'd just turn seventeen."
She hugged Song Shixue's arm tightly and stared at her with burning eyes.
"Has the county princess ever urged you?"
Song Shixue lowered her voice so that only the two of them could hear.
"Neither my elder brother nor my elder sister are married yet. How could I possibly get married?"
"A woman's optimal childbearing age is twenty-four. Elder sister and I don't want to marry too early. We're both going to marry into the family and have our husbands take our surname."
Gu Baozhu's eyes flew wide open, her eyebrows shot up, and her voice burst out from her throat.
"Marry into the family! Doesn't your family have two sons?"
What about Song Qiming and the younger Song Anhao? Did they still need to marry into the family?
Song Shixue hurriedly covered her mouth, looking around to see people staring. She was both embarrassed and flustered.
She quickly moved away. Only when the surroundings were clear did she let go.
With a sheepish expression, she said, "Why are you shouting so loud?"
Gu Baozhu quickly apologized, hugged her arm, and pressed her face against it.
"I was just too shocked earlier. Usually, it's only families with only daughters who want sons-in-law to take the wife's surname."
Song Shixue explained, "All of us siblings—me, my brother and sister, and Anhao—were raised by our eldest sister. Our parents are gone, and we've never thought about leaving home."
Gu Baozhu blinked, the shock still churning in her chest.
The relationship among the four Song siblings was truly unexpectedly good.
She hesitated and asked, "What if your elder brother's future wife doesn't agree?"
Song Shixue fixed her gaze on her. "If she doesn't agree, then she won't set foot through the Song family's door."
Gu Baozhu stared at her firm expression, her heart jolting.
Song Shixue was serious.
If she herself wanted to marry a man into her family, would her parents agree?
Once the thought emerged, she couldn't stop pondering it.
Gu Baozhu walked a dozen or so steps in a daze, then suddenly stopped and asked, "You said earlier that a woman's optimal childbearing age is twenty-four?"
Song Shixue nodded. "Twenty-four to twenty-nine is the best."
"A woman's full skeleton, especially the pelvis, usually doesn't fully develop until eighteen to twenty years old. In the womb, the fetus takes the nutrients the mother needs."
She raised her hand to indicate height. "You could have grown a bit taller, but if nutrients are taken by the child, you won't grow anymore."
"If the pelvis hasn't fully developed and is relatively narrow, it can easily cause difficult labor during childbirth."
Gu Baozhu stared at her blankly. The mere thought of difficult labor sent shivers down her spine.
This was actually a good excuse to refuse marriage.
"Did County Princess Linghui tell you all this?"
Song Shixue nodded.
"It's a pity that women in the world marry too young and have children too early. Even if you tell people, very few pay attention."
Gu Baozhu fell silent.
Everyone says to marry at sixteen or seventeen, at the latest by eighteen, and if there's no son within a year, you have to find a concubine for your husband.
Even if she were twenty-four, let alone twenty, he already has several concubines.
