When everyone was getting restless, they finally arrived at Southeast Town.

Dongnan Town is a town surrounded by mountains. Due to the underdeveloped transportation, the people in the town are not rich.

As time was tight and they had to go to the county town, Li Yun had no intention of wandering around the town. He asked Uncle Chen where he could rent a horse carriage, said goodbye to Uncle Chen, and headed straight for the car rental shop in the south of the city.

The person who received Li Yun was a man in his early thirties named Zhang Xiaofei, the owner of the car dealership.

When I heard that Li Yun wanted to rent a horse-drawn carriage to go to the county town, I explained the rental rules to her. A day's rental cost one tael of silver. If the carriage couldn't be returned on the same day, an additional day's rent would be charged. The carriage couldn't be damaged during the rental period; any damage would be fully compensated, and a day's worth of feed for the horses would also be provided.

If you rent a carriage with a groom, the groom's daily wage is three hundred coins, and he also provides a day's food.

After hearing so many rules, Li Yun initially considered giving up the rental and simply walking to the county town. But then he looked at his feet and wondered if he could really walk. He wondered if his legs would be crippled. He could sell the beads in the county town and earn money anyway, so why bother? After figuring it out, Li Yun told the shopkeeper he wanted to bring a groom along.

Shopkeeper Zhang called over a man in his forties and introduced him to Li Yun, saying that his name was Lao Chengjun, and he was the best coachman in the carriage shop. He was very familiar with the county town and anyone who had any questions about the county town could ask him.

Li Yun looked at the man in front of her. He was dark-skinned and looked a bit silly. He was a loyal and honest man. She felt safe going to the county town with such a man. It seemed that the shopkeeper had some good judgment. He knew that she was going to the county town and knew to arrange a loyal and honest man. If it was those fancy ones, she really wouldn't dare to sit.

Li Yun thanked Manager Zhang, and Lao Chengjun went to the stable to drive the carriage.

The carriage stopped at the door. Li Yun got on the carriage, sat in the carriage, and set off for the county town.

Along the way, Li Yun said to Lao Chengjun: "Uncle Lao, I heard from Shopkeeper Zhang that you are very familiar with the county town. What shops are there in the county town? Are there any other interesting places?"

“Qingshan County is a very large city, divided into four directions: east, south, west, and north.

The wealthy families live on the east side of the county town, and most of the people living there are the richest people in the county.

The south side was the place for scholars, housing two academies. One, Chengshi Academy, housed teachers who were both Tongsheng and Xiucai (literati). The dean was a Juren (juren) scholar. His surname was Deng, and his name was Deng Jingkai, known to everyone as Deng Xiaoren. Because his father was elderly, frail, and in need of care, he gave up studying for the imperial examinations and opened an academy with his elderly father. The students who studied there were all young masters from wealthy families. Every year, many of his students passed the imperial examinations, becoming Xiucai and Tongsheng.

Another academy was called Shuren Academy. Its president was a retired scholar named Ma Guanyao, who had come here to open the academy. To enter the academy, one simply had to pass an exam. Whether one was a poor commoner or a young master from a wealthy family, as long as one had good character and passed the exam, the academy would accept them.

The rules of Shuren Academy are very strict. If anyone is found stealing or fighting with classmates, they will be expelled.

The shops on both sides of the academy are study rooms where people buy writing brushes, ink, paper and inkstones.

The west side of the county town is home to people from poor families, and they live a very difficult life there.

To the north of the county town is the county government office. It's the busiest street in the county, lined with businesses on both sides. Behind the county government office is a river with a dock. Every morning, many porters are working the dock to move goods.

Lao Chengjun talked incessantly about the county town to Li Yun.

"Uncle Lao, you're such a know-it-all! I wonder what kind of shops there are in the county town? Where are they located? For example, grocery stores, jewelry stores, cosmetics stores, and restaurants."

"To the east of the county town, there's a grocery store called Huimin Grocery Store. It has a complete range of goods and is the largest grocery store in the county. I heard the owner is from Beijing, and the shopkeeper is an honest and loyal man who never cheats his customers. The goods there are relatively cheap, and the people in the county town prefer to buy things there.

Next to the grocery store, there was a rouge and powder shop that had a complete range of rouge. The prices were quite high, so only the ladies and daughters of wealthy families went there to buy them; ordinary people couldn't afford them.

At the end of the street, there's a pharmacy called Huimin Pharmacy. It has a complete selection of medicinal herbs at reasonable prices, making it a place where ordinary people can afford to go for medical treatment and medication. Huimin Pharmacy also has a very famous doctor named Guo Yuhao. His superb medical skills and acupuncture skills are well-known throughout Qingshan County, and even patients from other counties come to see him.

Li Yun had already arrived at the gate of Qingshan County before Lao Chengjun finished talking about how many shops there were in the county.

To enter the city of Qingshan County, one had to pay an entrance fee of five coins per person. Li Yun paid ten coins to the soldiers guarding the city gate and followed Lao Chengjun into the city.

"Uncle Lao, let's go get something to eat!"

Li Yun looked at Wang Kong and said to Lao Chengjun, "It's probably noon now (around 11 o'clock).

"No, Madam, you can go and eat. I brought some dry food, so just eat some."

Lao Chengjun raised the steamed bun in his hand and rejected Li Yun's invitation.

"Uncle Lao, Manager Zhang said he'll cover your meals. You don't have to be polite with me. I need to go eat too, and we can eat together and have company. Don't worry, I have money, so don't be polite with me. I'll need you to take me back later. Now, go park the carriage, I'll wait here for you, and we'll go over and get some wontons."

"Okay! Madam, wait for me here. I'll be back soon and take you to a stall that sells delicious white wontons. You'll like it."

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