Grace Winslow started calculating her finances as soon as she got back from the hospital.

She had bought quite a few properties recently, so her available funds weren’t particularly high.

However, she had sold some stones from her gem-gambling venture, recouping several thousand yuan. She now had sixteen thousand on hand.

"Grace, what are you doing? Balancing your books?" Joanne Chase happened to be passing by and glanced over curiously at the dense columns of numbers Grace was writing.

Grace nodded. "Yeah. Grandma Forrest wants to sell her house, but it costs thirty thousand. I only have sixteen thousand, so I’m still short by more than half."

Joanne thought for a moment before saying, "Grace, I have a little over a thousand here. It’s my share from the stones you sold the other day. I haven’t spent any of it. If you’re short on cash, you can borrow it from me. I don’t really need any money right now anyway."

"I don’t need it for now. I’ll ask my sister-in-law in a bit," Grace said, shaking her head.

She wouldn’t touch the money Joanne had saved. Business at Hayley’s shop had been good recently, and there should be a portion of the profits she hadn’t received yet. If that didn’t work, she could also ask Irene Lynch for some. Scrounging up thirty thousand shouldn’t be a huge problem.

"Grace, I..." Joanne thought Grace was rejecting her help out of disdain, and her expression immediately fell.

Grace glanced at her and couldn’t help but chuckle at her expression. "Silly girl, what are you thinking? I’m not looking down on you. It’s just... my professor told me there’s an opportunity to study abroad next semester. Our class has two spots, and if nothing unexpected happens, you should be selected. You and I will go together, so you need to keep some money on hand for yourself."

Joanne was stunned. "Really? But Mr. Dunn never told me."

"You and I have the best English skills in our class. Plus, on the final exams, I came in first and you came in second. Mr. Dunn told me he’s already submitted our names. The official announcement will be made at the start of the term, and it’s highly likely to go through without any problems," Grace explained with a nod.

Joanne’s eyes immediately reddened, her face filled with excitement.

When she had gotten into university, she never imagined that she would one day have the chance to study abroad. An opportunity like this was incredibly precious to her.

"My family isn’t short on money. If I don’t have enough, I can always ask my mom. You just hold onto your money. Buy yourself some nice clothes and some study materials," Grace said, patting Joanne’s shoulder.

Early that morning, Hayley and Nolan Winslow had moved all the stones from the courtyard. She’d said she was going to find a reliable master to cut them open and see what treasures were inside, but they hadn’t returned yet.

Grace and Joanne did some cleaning around the house.

The New Year was just around the corner, which meant it was time for the annual big clean-up. There was certainly a lot to do at home.

The two of them were busy as bees, one moment stripping the duvets to wash the bedsheets, the next wiping tables and sweeping the floor.

By the time they finished, the sky was already growing dark.

Irene Lynch had returned home briefly to make some food to take to Old Mrs. Forrest at the hospital.

But Hayley and the others still hadn’t come back.

Grace remembered the incident with Eugene Aldridge and worried they might have run into some other trouble. Since Archer Rhys was conveniently hanging around her house and refusing to leave, she decided to get him and go check on them.

But just as they reached the door, they ran into the group returning home.

Hayley’s face was beaming. The moment she saw Grace, she pulled her into a bear hug. "Grace! You’re seriously your sister-in-law’s lucky star!"

"That whole courtyard of stones—it’s all top-grade jadeite! Several pieces are even Imperial Green! The master who cut them said this stuff is worth at least a million, maybe even more."

"For our shop’s future jewelry and whatnot, we won’t need to source any more materials. Just using up all these stones will take a long, long time."

"Tomorrow, your brother and I will go back to our place and see if we have any treasures like this in our yard."

Grace was happy to hear Hayley’s news.

"That’s great."

"By the way, Sis, I actually have something to discuss with you."

"What is it? Tell me," Hayley said, not paying it much mind.

Grace told her about her plan to buy Old Mrs. Forrest’s courtyard house.

Hayley thought for a moment, then nodded. "That’s a great idea! I’ve been to that courtyard; it’s huge and quite grand. If you want to buy it, go for it. Don’t worry if you’re short on money. Your sister-in-law here has cash. I’ll take all these stones of yours, though I can’t pay you back all at once. Tomorrow, I’ll take you to the bank to withdraw fifty thousand. You can take it and spend it."

"Thank you, Sis! You’re the best!" Grace beamed.

Fifty thousand. After buying the house, she’d still have twenty thousand left. She was suddenly flush with cash again.

’Indeed, a man never gets rich without a little windfall,’ she thought.

Irene Lynch wasn’t home, so Grace and Hayley made dinner together.

That evening, Hayley dragged Brandon Winslow home, presumably to check their own courtyard for stones.

Early the next morning, Hayley came to find Grace. She brought some people with her, and they went to the bank to withdraw the money.

Withdrawing fifty thousand yuan all at once wasn’t so simple; they had to go to several different banks before they managed to get it all.

Once Grace had the money, she went straight to the real estate agency to find Andrew Aldridge.

Andrew Aldridge had also been to the hospital the previous night and knew Old Mrs. Forrest wanted to sell the house to Grace. He had originally thought Grace would accept a lower price, but he didn’t expect her to buy it at the full asking price without haggling. Plunking down thirty thousand yuan in one go was a clear sign that Grace’s family was indeed wealthy.

Everyone in the agency couldn’t help but exchange stunned glances.

Andrew Aldridge walked Grace through the process, managing to complete the ownership transfer just before the property bureau closed for the holidays.

After seeing Grace home, Andrew returned to the office. Someone immediately sidled up to him, a fervent look on his face. "Abbott, that lady who just bought the house... is she married? Does she have a boyfriend?"

Andrew Aldridge narrowed his eyes at him and snapped, "What are you getting at? What? See a young, beautiful, rich woman and feel like skipping a few years of hard work?"

The man scratched his head and gave a sheepish grin, not denying it. That was clearly what he was thinking.

A rich woman who could casually drop thirty thousand on a house was a rare sight anywhere.

In this day and age, even a "ten-thousand-yuan household" was uncommon, let alone someone as young and beautiful as Grace. It was an even rarer find.

He had been smitten at first sight.

If he weren’t afraid that a rash move would ruin his chances, he would have gone straight to her house to pursue her.

Andrew Aldridge saw right through him. "Stop dreaming. She already has a boyfriend, and he’s incredibly handsome. On top of that, he’s a military officer—young, good-looking, and from a wealthy family. She wouldn’t be interested in you."

The man’s face fell, and he sighed. "Ah, of course, a woman that outstanding would already be taken. Abbott, don’t tell anyone else I asked you about this."

Andrew Aldridge shooed him away, only for five of the seven men in the agency to come and ask about Grace.

Some were asking for themselves, others for their relatives. All of them were dreaming of latching onto a rich woman to cut ten years off their struggle. It left Andrew utterly speechless.

’If Grace were that easy to pursue, I would’ve made a move myself long ago. As if I’d need them to worry about it,’ he thought.