Feeling Song Xizhi's ever-changing expression, Wu Mama's head throbbed with pain at the thought of that annoying young couple.

She shook her head with obvious disdain: "I didn't know before that it was Song Ruoan and He Yunze who came to ask. If I had known, I would have just refused them. The shop is still profitable even if it's empty. Who would want to sell it to them?"

Song Xizhi smiled faintly: "I was the one who gave him this idea, to open an incense shop and compete with me. I didn't expect him to actually take it to heart, and so quickly."

Such a quick path to self-destruction.

Upon hearing this, Granny Wu paused slightly, knowing that her clever young lady still had a backup plan: "So what do you plan to do? Are you really going to sell the shop to them?"

Song Xizhi glanced one last time at Song Ruoan's retreating figure, then silently lowered the carriage curtain.

"Why not make money if there's money to be made? Granny, you can have the servants tell Song Ruoan that all the shops on Yong'an Street that are not open belong to the same owner. There's no need for her to go and ask about each one individually."

“If she wants to open a shop, those shops are just sitting idle anyway. They’re not for sale, but they can be rented out.”

Upon hearing this, Granny Wu knew that Song Xizhi was up to no good. Although she remained silent, she had probably been plotting this elaborate scheme since early morning.

"So, how would you like to rent it?"

Song Xizhi stroked his chin and smiled slyly: "Rent by the month, minimum six months, five hundred taels of silver per month."

When Granny Wu heard this, she was stunned: "You mean the rent starts at six months? Then the Second Miss will have to pay at least three thousand taels of silver? When we bought the shops with the Second Miss's dowry, each shop cost a thousand taels of silver."

Song Xizhi chuckled: "Things are different now. Yong'an Street is what it is today, all thanks to our Xianglou."

Who told her to be in a bad mood today, and then Song Ruoan just walked right in front of her?

If we don't bully her, who else can we bully?

Now, she doesn't care about a few thousand taels of silver; she wants to squeeze every last drop of silver from Song Ruoan, He Yunce, and even the entire Song family and put it into her own pocket.

Seeing Song Xizhi effortlessly earn a huge sum of money with a mere wave of her hand, Granny Wu was both impressed and horrified: "Now that the Second Miss has lost her dowry and her private savings, can she still be fooled?"

Song Xizhi said leisurely, "They spread the word that Pinxianglou was making a fortune every day, earning a month's rent in a single day. Relying on their incense, they thought they could replicate Pinxianglou's success, so they readily agreed."

Granny Wu couldn't help but exclaim, "So dark! It really is dark!"

Song Xizhi raised an eyebrow: "The worst is yet to come. When his shop opens, you should send some employees in. If anything goes wrong, the opening will have to be postponed..."

If it's delayed, it'll just be a waste of money!

After the two got off the carriage, Song Xizhi went to the incense shop to make incense, and Wu Mama hurriedly carried out Song Xizhi's instructions.

None of the shops on Yong'an Street were open, so each shop usually had only one clerk and one manager overseeing the seven or eight shops.

Besides the key points Song Xizhi instructed, Granny Wu also told the shop manager to be arrogant when negotiating business with them, and to look like someone who would ask for an exorbitant price and be greedy for money.

If you probe further by asking what their shop sells, you'll immediately tell they're not good people.

The words should be designed to instill fear in the person, making them feel that if the business succeeds, the shop will no longer be rented, and the person will simply take it over and run it themselves.

Upon hearing this, the shopkeeper's eyes lit up, as if he had suddenly understood, and he immediately went to inform Song Ruoan.

When Song Ruoan heard the shop owner's reply, she was initially excited and happy. However, when she heard that the shop could only be rented and not sold, and that the rent for six months would be three thousand taels of silver, she almost screamed.

"What?"

Song Ruoan looked at the person in charge in disbelief: "Three thousand taels of silver is only enough for a six-month rent! Your entire shop isn't even worth that much!"

Why don't you just rob it?

The manager put one foot on the stool, touched his nose, and looked Song Ruoan up and down with a sidelong glance: "Haha, that's funny. Did I beg you to rent the shop?"

Song Ruoan was both ashamed and angry at his blatant gaze, and couldn't speak for a long time.

Why did she feel like those words sounded familiar?

"These seven shops on Yong'an Street that haven't opened for business yet all belong to my master. Go and ask around, besides us, who else would be willing to rent a shop to you?"

Hearing this, Song Ruoan swallowed hard.

Yes, apart from these seven shops, all the other shops are making a fortune thanks to the success of Pinxianglou. They look like thriving businesses, and no one is willing to sell their shops at this critical juncture.

Thinking of this, Song Ruoan felt a little annoyed again: "But you only paid three thousand taels for a six-month rental. Don't you feel ashamed to say that? You should rent it for at least two or three years!"

“In the past, not a single shop here could cost a thousand taels!”

She regretted not using her dowry to buy some items.

Upon hearing this, the person in charge gave Song Ruoan another sleazy look, his nostrils practically pointing to the sky: "What kind of shop are you trying to open? If I knew how to make incense, I would be opening an incense shop myself!"

Song Ruoan's eyes deepened as she subtly probed, "You're also thinking of opening an incense shop? Is the incense business really that good?"

The manager nodded seriously: "Do you know that Pinxianglou can earn a thousand taels a day? If I were to rent it to you at the original price during such a good period, wouldn't I be a fool?"

"You can earn a thousand taels a day?" Song Ruoan's eyes widened in surprise.

To be honest, when she first heard that the rent for six months was three thousand taels, she thought it was a pipe dream, but now she was really tempted.

She and Song Xizhi ran the same shop, selling the same incense. If she earned a thousand taels a day, she could earn back the money from the shop in three days!

Song Ruoan swallowed hard, her eyes sparkling with golden light: "Alright, alright, I will rent your shop. I'll go back to the manor now and discuss it with my husband."

The manager frowned at her: "We still need to discuss it? When will you give us an answer? Do you know that since Pinxianglou started making a fortune every day, countless people have come to ask me about this. Time waits for no one!"

Song Ruoan clenched her fists: "Tomorrow! I'll give you news tomorrow!"

This is her best chance to make money. She is so short of money right now, she can't afford to miss this opportunity.

Even if it means selling everything she owns, she is determined to rent this shop!