Seeing the young lady's shy and delighted expression, Old Zhu understood and smiled.
"If it's him, then congratulations, Miss. This young master is called Gu Qingcheng and should be from a prominent family. He's generous with his spending, owning a rice shop and a pharmacy on Chaliao Street, named Phoenix Rice Shop and Phoenix Pharmacy respectively.
The businesses of both shops are doing very well.
This young master also has a good business sense. When I visited the rice shop, I was surprised they only sold millet and not rice. I thought they lacked the capital, so I pretended to buy rice and inquired with the shopkeeper.
As it turns out, the shopkeeper told me they deliberately didn't sell rice. Millet is unique on Chaliao Island, with no comparable prices, so they could set the price of millet lower, making it affordable for the poor.
The shopkeeper said their intention wasn't to make a fortune, but to help the common people.
Such great benevolence shows this young master has a good character.
I then went to the Phoenix Pharmacy, and found they sold ready-made medicines at very low prices. All pills and ointments were priced openly and transparently.
Many common people come to buy medicine. According to them, it's quite effective. Usually, after taking it for three to five days, headaches, colds, backaches, and leg pains are all cured. Word spread, and now when common people have a cold or headache, they come here to buy affordable ready-made medicine."
Listening to Old Zhu's narrative, the two girls were lost in thought, speechless for a moment.
Seeing Old Zhu fall silent, Du Lanxing said,
"Uncle Zhu, is there anything else? Tell us quickly."
"Haha, don't be impatient. I inquired, and this young Master Gu only arrived on the island a few days ago. Although he comes from a superior background, he has no other women with him besides his guards, and he hasn't frequented any pleasure districts on the island recently.
Moreover, I know for sure that he is not yet engaged."
"Oh? How did you find that out?"
Seeing her elder sister shy to ask, Lanxing asked on her behalf.
"Ha, I heard it from the pharmacy assistants. They are all trusted confidantes of Young Master Gu and know him very well!
I pretended to chat casually. Otherwise, these people are quite vigilant. When asked about their origin, they wouldn't say anything, only that it was not far from here.
However, in times of chaos, everyone has their secrets. I didn't press further, fearing they would become suspicious. The most important thing is that I found out Young Master Gu is not yet married!"
Lanxing smiled, "That's true. Sister isn't engaged either. If we consider his character based on what we've investigated so far, this Young Master Gu seems like a decent person! Worth entrusting oneself to."
Old Zhu offered his conclusion.
"Uncle Zhu, but how can we approach him?"
Lanxing boldly asked.
Anyway, their purpose in inquiring about Young Master Gu was very clear, so they didn't mind saying it in front of Uncle Zhu.
"Miss, in a few days it will be Qiqiao Festival, which will be very lively. I think this Young Master Gu, being young and unmarried, will surely be pleased to hear about this custom and attend. You can then find an opportunity to interact with him then.
And even if there isn't an opportunity, we can create one!"
"Hmm, that makes sense. Everyone will go to such a lively event. Uncle Zhu, can you keep an eye on him for us? Do you know where he's staying now?"
Lan Yue seemed to read her sister's mind, voicing exactly what she was thinking.
"Well, I've found out he hasn't bought a house on the island yet and is currently staying at the Inn of All Nations."
"Oh? Young Master Gu has considerable wealth! Although the Inn of All Nations has good accommodation, it's incredibly expensive, and they don't negotiate prices. It costs one tael of silver per night!"
Lan Yue teased.
"Haha, this accommodation fee is a small matter for Young Master Gu. You two don't know how good his rice shop and pharmacy business is. Although the prices are not high, he sells in large volumes with small profits, so he definitely won't be short of money.
Moreover, I heard from the pharmacy assistants that their Young Master Gu plans to open pharmacies and rice shops on all surrounding bustling islands, which indicates his financial strength is indeed considerable."
The two girls showed looks of shock.
The Du family was already considered one of the top families on this island, but they had to admit they couldn't afford to splurge like Young Master Gu.
This further increased Gu Qingcheng's standing in their hearts.
At this moment, Old Zhu recounted what the master had noticed about his recent unusual busyness and good fortune.
"The master asked about my whereabouts, and I said I went to find your jewelry. If the master asks again, you'll say the same. We must coordinate our stories and not slip up.
"Thank you, Uncle Zhu,"
Du Lan Yue finally said with a blushing face.
"What's there to thank? It's my duty. However, you two will have to tell the master about this sooner or later. You can't make decisions on your own.
You must know that a woman who pursues a man becomes a concubine. At the very least, Young Master Gu should come to propose marriage himself, and it should be a formal, recognized marriage."
"Uncle Zhu, you're right. Don't worry, we will strictly adhere to the rules."
Du Lan Yue quickly pledged.
Without Uncle Zhu's help, they wouldn't have been able to leave the courtyard. How could they "pursue" him?
Besides, they hadn't even interacted with Young Master Gu yet, and they didn't know if he had any feelings for them.
Du Lan Yue and Du Lan Xing were both attractive and had been praised since childhood. They knew they were beautiful.
Although there was a moment of wavering, when it came to attracting Gu Qingcheng with their looks, Du Lan Yue felt somewhat confident.
The current priority was how to get acquainted with Gu Qingcheng and strike up a conversation with him.
Recalling how Gu Qingcheng had politely returned the Zhu fruit that day, Du Lan Yue's heart skipped a beat.
There were still five days until the Qiqiao Festival. It felt like an eternity.
However, she suddenly realized that they had too many things to do in these five days, and perhaps there wouldn't even be enough time. For example, they needed to care for their skin, get new jewelry, and have new clothes tailored.
After Uncle Zhu left, Du Lan Yue quickly discussed the tasks with her sister, and Du Lan Xing became flustered.
"Sister, you've thought of everything. I hadn't even considered these things."
They already had a good foundation, but to meet the man of their hearts and make Young Master Gu fall in love at first sight, they certainly needed to pay attention to the details.
From that day on, they began applying pearl powder to their faces, bathing in milk and rose petals, having bird's nest once regularly, and summoning a tailor to make them new clothes, offering double wages to ensure the tailor worked day and night to finish within four days, leaving one day for fittings and alterations.
As for jewelry, they coincidentally asked Uncle Zhu to buy a few new stylish pieces, which would also serve as an explanation to their father.
Otherwise, if Uncle Zhu said he was ordering custom jewelry for them, and their father asked and they didn't have anything new, wouldn't they be exposed?
Although they had to tell their parents sooner or later, it was best not to reveal anything until success.
Du Lan Yue and her sister had always worried that their father would betroth them to a new friend he had made on Chaliao Island.