Yunling understood the unexpected situation, so she didn't say much, only stating:

"Have a safe journey,镖头 (镖头 is a term used in martial arts novels, meaning someone who is a镖头)."

Chen Jie nodded reluctantly. He naturally wanted to stay with Yun Ling, but he had other things to do and the future of the entire escort agency was on his shoulders, so he had no choice but to do so.

However, according to Lu Yinghuai, this trip to Jiangnan should be enough for them to return to Bianjing and go back to Pingcheng together.

Thinking of this, Chen Jie's disappointment gradually dissipated, and he smiled instead:

"When I come back, I will bring my great-aunt the best pastries from Jiangnan."

"I knew it, the head镖师 (bodyguard/escort) is the best."

Chen Jie lowered his head shyly, glancing at Yun Ling every now and then, and then scratching the back of his head in a flustered manner.

Gangzi was also reluctant to part with Chen Jie. These days, since Yunling didn't take him with her, he and Chen Jie would go out to eat, drink, and have fun with the other brothers from the escort agency, as if they had returned to those wonderful times.

It's a pity that everyone has their own ambitions. They were willing to work hard, and he was willing to follow Yunling. But no matter what, they were still good brothers.

Gangzi was going to see Chen Jie off, and Lu Yinghuai also had to go to the dock to hand over matters, so only Pei Lin, Yun Ling, and Tang Ling remained.

Pei Lin was overjoyed and forgave their tactless interruption. He then looked at Yun Ling and said:

"Let's go, or the good food will be gone."

Yunling called Tangling over, and after locking the doors, they walked out together. Tangling, being sensible, simply followed quietly behind Yunling, thus avoiding Pei Lin's sarcastic remarks.

Pei Lin picked out a small shop. It wasn't very big and didn't look very clean, but the storefront was full of people. It must be one of those "fly restaurants" that locals frequent.

Pei Lin found a seat and called out:

"Hey shopkeeper, give me a serving of stuffed lungs, and a pot of fragrant tea. If the tea isn't strong, you don't have to pay."

"Okay."

Yunling searched every nook and cranny of the small shop, but couldn't find a menu. She glanced at the next table and then ordered:

"Hey shopkeeper, give me a serving of lamb intestines and two flatbreads."

Tang Ling didn't know what to eat, so she simply ordered the same thing as Yun Ling, except she didn't have a flatbread.

Pei Lin glanced at Yun Ling and said:

"You little rascal, you really don't know how to eat. Coming to a small shop like this and not eating stuffed lungs is like coming to Bianjing and not going to Jinming Pond. It's just that Jinming Pond only opens in the spring, and it's not the right time yet. But we can take a walk in Jieshen Alley nearby later."

As soon as he finished speaking, Pei Lin's lung-filled soup and fragrant tea were served, followed closely by Yun Ling and Tang Ling's two servings of sheep intestines.

Pei Lin quickly picked up a piece of stuffed lung and placed it in Yun Ling's bowl, saying warmly:

"Try it, it's delicious."

Looking at the whitish piece in front of her, Yunling felt uneasy. Could this thing really taste good?

"Hurry up, hurry up."

Yunling hesitated as she picked up the small piece of lung. Just bringing it to her lips, her nose felt as if it were soaking in blood. It smelled so fishy that she wondered if this person had a problem with their sense of smell. How could they not smell something so fishy?

"I,"

"What do you mean, 'you'?"

Taking advantage of the moment Yunling opened her mouth, Pei Lin pushed her hand away, and the small piece of lung on the chopsticks naturally fell into Yunling's mouth.

It was fishy, ​​very fishy, ​​and biting into it felt like biting into a mouthful of mutton fat, but adhering to the principle of not wasting anything, Yunling still swallowed it hard and then ate a few more bites of the flatbread.

"How is it? Isn't it delicious?"

"I don't like it. I'd rather eat my sheep intestines."

Pei Lin scoffed and began to savor his stuffed lung. It was incredibly delicious, with a unique aroma and a tender yet chewy texture. He could eat several pieces in one go.

Yunling watched him empty the bowl of stuffed lungs and couldn't help but give him a thumbs up. Ruthless, truly ruthless.

Pei Lin then enthusiastically offered her the fragrant tea, which had a precedent of being used for lung irrigation. Yun Ling refused to taste the fragrant tea, and instead gulped down the clear broth in the bowl.

After breakfast, the three of them headed to Jieshen Alley, which Pei Lin had mentioned. As soon as they entered the alley, Yunling felt as if she had fallen into a gold and silver mine.

These shops are magnificent buildings with wide facades. At the entrance, various styles of gold and silver utensils and clattering cash are piled up. Looking at them, they resemble a graceful and flirtatious golden snake, which is quite an eye-opener.

Further along, you'll see many pawnshops run by wealthy families, where you can pawn your money or borrow it. Just looking at the pawnshops makes you feel so grand and imposing; it's hard to imagine how rich and luxurious they are inside.

Yunling was completely stunned, especially when she saw the shopkeeper pull out a large gold ingot; her jaw almost dropped to the ground.

Pei Lin quickly caught her chin, giving her a disapproving look.

"No matter how wide you open your mouth, the gold dust inside won't float into it."

"I know that, but this is the first time I've ever seen such a large gold nugget."

Pei Lin was also seeing this for the first time, but he couldn't show it, so he straightened his back and pretended to be an experienced old man.

"To be able to exchange for such a large piece of gold, I wonder how many silver coins or copper coins they must have brought. I estimate that before we arrived, there were already carriages carrying boxes of copper coins."

The scene was so shocking that Yunling couldn't even imagine it. However, gold has been a currency since ancient times. Paper money and paper money are just numbers, but gold is real gold and silver, which is useful no matter where you go, and its price will continue to rise.

Yunling thought of getting some gold for each of Yun Chu and the others to hold, so that no matter what life would be like in the future, they would have gold as a safety net and always have more options.

However, she hasn't finished the important matter of buying wool yet, so she can't easily move the money she has on her. This matter should be put on hold for now.

"The intermediary shop is just ahead, but it's not really relevant to you, so you might as well skip it."

"Eh, what... what is this 'exchange shop'?"

Pei Lin had finally encountered something Yun Ling didn't understand, so he naturally wanted to show off. He coughed twice to clear his throat before speaking:

"In our dynasty, tea and salt are under the control of the government. If someone wants to sell tea or salt, they have to go to the government-established institutions to buy tea permits or salt certificates, and then use these certificates to pick up the goods from the tea fields or salt fields for sale."

Yunling gave a thoughtful "Oh."

"So you mean that only tea permits or salt certificates can be exchanged for tea and salt, but you don't necessarily have to exchange them for tea and salt. You can sell these tea permits or salt certificates and make a profit from the price difference."