As they were speaking, an angry, delicate shout rang out.

Sarah Sullivan, who was already fuming from an argument, saw her own sister being teased and stormed over beneath the window, looking up and saying angrily, “You go inside! This scholar is not a good person, be careful not to be tricked by him.”

Olivia Miller gave William Carter an apologetic smile and closed the window.

William Carter looked completely innocent—he was the one who was wronged!

He hadn’t even revealed his true colors yet, so how was he “not a good person”?

Sarah Sullivan put her hands on her hips like a shrew, and said angrily, “What are you trying to do, scholar? This is the territory of my Hundred Treasures Shop—do you know who my father is?”

How would I know who your father is? Surely it can’t be Shen Wansan!

That’s what he thought, but on his face he remained polite, opening his folding fan to reveal four large characters, and said apologetically, “Miss, you misunderstand. I, Su, was just curious and came to have a look.”

Sarah Sullivan frowned slightly, staring at the four large characters on the fan, her expression very odd, her gaze growing fiercer.

He glanced down and saw that the four large characters “do as one pleases” were glaringly obvious on the fan.

Uh... it was upside down.

He hurriedly put the fan away, giving an awkward laugh, “As the sage said: ‘If one’s conduct is upright, others will follow without being told; if not, even with orders, they will not obey.’ One should act according to one’s heart. I, Su Taibai, have studied for ten years in the cold window, and the words ‘do as one pleases’ are the foundation of my conduct...”

“All right, all right!”

Sarah Sullivan most dreaded running into poor scholars who spouted lofty principles. Her scalp tingled, and she waved her sleeve, “I’m annoyed, go ponder your tofu shop.”

He performed a scholar’s bow with great formality and turned to leave.

Outside the Hundred Treasures Shop, Anna Turner, who had overheard the conversation, now walked over and picked up the thread, “Brother, your words are reasonable. For merchants, honesty is the foundation. This Hundred Treasures Shop does business with its doors open, yet engages in shady dealings—truly a disgrace to the teachings of the sages.”

“Li, are you done yet?”

Sarah Sullivan was furious, being caught and criticized relentlessly—anyone would be angry. She snapped, “I’ll refund your money, all right? Why be so aggressive—what kind of man are you?”

Anna Turner shook his head lightly, “I am not short of money. You don’t need to refund the money for this hairpin—just consider it a lesson I paid for.”

He was determined to make the Hundred Treasures Shop lose face.

Sarah Sullivan mulled it over, gritting her teeth, “Since you think there’s a problem with the hairpin but don’t want a refund, then according to the rules, I’ll have it repaired for you. What’s the big deal?”

Anna Turner smiled even more at this. Repair it? If jade ware could be repaired, why would the Imperial Seal of State need a gold patch on its corner?

“Fine. If you can remove that extra bit on the jade hairpin, I’ll admit I was making trouble for nothing. But if you make it worse, don’t blame me for being sharp-tongued. We’re all in business—you have to be able to take criticism.”

Anna Turner wasn’t stupid—his words were blunt but not unreasonable. After all, the Hundred Treasures Shop was in the wrong.

Sarah Sullivan snorted, took the wooden box, and went back into the shop.

William Carter was quite interested in how the repair would be done, and followed a group of ladies into the shop, craning his neck to watch.

The Hundred Treasures Shop was a large establishment. Inside, the manager was anxiously explaining to a noble lady who wanted to return goods, while a clerk fetched a craftsman from the back.

The craftsman, about fifty years old, with graying hair and dressed in fine clothes, was called Jack Wood, the most skilled artisan in the Shen family.

Sarah Sullivan whispered a few words to Jack Wood, who then took the jade hairpin and examined it carefully.

As everyone expected, even Jack Wood, famed for his extraordinary skills, could do nothing. Jade is not like gold or silver—once it’s damaged, it’s ruined. Other than shaving off a layer, there’s no way to restore the engraving. The hairpin was already slender; shave off another layer and it would be a needle.

Sarah Sullivan’s face was ashen. Her shop on Yanglou Street relied on its reputation, and her customers were wealthy and influential. If she couldn’t fix it and Anna Turner spread the word, who would still buy jewelry from her shop?

But she’d been caught out, and even the best craftsman in her family was helpless—what else could she do? After thinking it over, she decided to swallow her anger and prepare to compensate Anna Turner with a large sum of silver.

“Miss Shen, may I have a look?”

At that moment, a voice sounded.

Everyone turned to look—a scholar in white robes with a handlebar mustache walked over, smiling.

Sarah Sullivan frowned, “You’re a scholar—what could you possibly see?”

As a fellow scholar, Anna Turner thought he was here to help, so he smiled and said, “Shopkeeper Shen, you do business with your doors open—how can you refuse to let people look?”

Sarah Sullivan was stung by this remark, hesitated a moment, but still handed the jade hairpin to William Carter.

William Carter casually examined it in his hand, frowning. The material was decent, but on closer inspection, the workmanship was indeed rough. He beckoned to the old craftsman standing nearby, “May I borrow your carving knife?”

Jack Wood was an expert—just from the way he held the hairpin, he could tell William Carter was a craftsman. Only artisans would deliberately grip the unadorned part to facilitate observation and fine work.

Since it was already a ruined hairpin, Jack Wood didn’t hesitate and handed over the slender carving knife.

Sarah Sullivan’s face darkened, and she wanted to say something, but saw the white-robed scholar in front of her didn’t even examine it closely before starting to work with the knife.

“What are you doing!”

Sarah Sullivan was already angry and became anxious at once, wanting to stop him, but was held back by the old man beside her.

Everyone was puzzled, but Jack Wood was full of astonishment.