Before Song He'er came, Jiang Huaifu had already told her that the night market in Jiangning was the most beautiful. Since she couldn't go back to Xinzhou tonight anyway, she might as well go and have a stroll around.

"Regarding the workshop's name change, I'll need you and my entourage to make a few trips in person. I live in the border town most of the year and don't come to Jiangning often. As you know, we businessmen who travel all over the country have many rules, so there are some things I can only trouble you with," Jiang Huaifu suddenly said.

Zhao Ru was a very polite and grateful person. When he heard Jiang Huaifu give such an instruction, he agreed without hesitation.

"I will naturally take care of these matters, my benefactor. But tonight, would you two like to stay overnight in Jiangning?"

"Um."

"Would it be alright to stay at a regular inn? Or should we find a secluded place and stay at a farmhouse?"

Without hesitation, Song He'er replied, "An inn will do. Farmhouses are too far from here. Firstly, it's troublesome, and secondly, it's always awkward to bother farmers."

"Alright then, please let me arrange this matter."

Jiang Huaifu didn't speak, but simply nodded in agreement with Song He'er.

The two servants behind him were also alert, afraid that Zhao Ru would run away, and kept their eyes fixed on him without blinking.

As darkness fell, the group found a quiet, secluded tavern to sit down and prepare for dinner.

Song He'er sat by the window, gazing absently at the figures of people coming and going outside.

Jiang Huaifu seemed to see through Song He'er's thoughts at a glance. After a long while, he suddenly said, "I'll have someone go and let your mother know you're safe, so you won't be so distracted and worry her."

Song He'er was slightly taken aback. "That won't be necessary. We don't have many people around us. If we send one away, we'll only have A-Qing left."

Aqing and Alu were Jiang Huaifu's most capable and skilled fighters. They were not only highly skilled in martial arts, but also quick-witted and good at reading people. Therefore, Jiang Huaifu only allowed the two of them to accompany him whenever he went out.

"Aqing and I are enough to protect you alone."

Song He'er didn't speak, but glanced at Zhao Ru's expression and saw that she was a little restless and seemed flustered.

But then again, which ordinary person wouldn't grumble inwardly when they see such a wealthy merchant with martial arts masters by his side?

They were either princes or noblemen, or prominent merchants, and were not to be trifled with.

"Madam Zhao, what's wrong? Isn't the food and drink here delicious?"

Zhao Ru almost choked on her tea. After a long pause, she finally stammered, "It's nothing, I'm just too tired today."

As the two were talking, A-Lu, who was beside Jiang Huaifu, had already received her errand and left the tavern...

As night slowly fell, Jiangning became increasingly lively.

There were flower vendors going from street to street, sugar figurine makers hawking their wares, acrobatic performances, and poems written at lantern festivals. These things weren't uncommon in the capital, but you could only see them during the Lantern Festival or the Mid-Autumn Festival in August.

Unlike the Nanzhao Kingdom, which was bustling with revelry every night, this place was far from chaotic.

"My benefactor, if you continue forward, you'll find various trading houses and workshops, specializing in brewing, rice pounding, sugar making, silk production, and more..."

Song He'er smiled and replied, "You don't need to call me benefactor anymore, it sounds strange. I'm quite young, just call me Miss."

"Alright, young lady."

Song He'er slowed her pace and shifted her gaze to Jiang Huaifu. "Hurry up, shall we go in and take a look?"

"I'll listen to you."

"Listen to me? Weren't you just now so enthusiastic about showing me around Jiangning? Why do you seem so uninterested now?"

"..." Jiang Huaifu was speechless for a moment, then took a step and hurriedly walked forward.

Zhao Ru covered her mouth and chuckled, then leaned closer to Song He'er and joked, "Your husband has quite a temper!"

Song He'er felt a chill run down her spine and quickly interrupted her, "He is my elder brother, not my husband. I am not yet of marriageable age, so you should watch your words, madam."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Ru felt quite apologetic, so he exchanged a few polite words and then fell silent.

"Are there many people in Jiangning who are in the silkworm farming business?" Jiang Huaifu, who was walking ahead, suddenly stopped and turned to ask Zhao Ru.

"...Not many. There are many people doing silk business here, but most of the semi-finished products are sourced from Fulu. There are not many silkworm farms in Jiangning. To be honest, when I first started this business, I was also aiming to make money. But who would have thought I would run into Hutougui and his group? Actually, if this business is done well, the income in terms of money is no less than that of a tavern."

Song He'er actually found it difficult to estimate how much a tavern would earn each month, but in a prosperous city like Jiangning, there were countless merchants and wealthy families passing by, so a tavern that could be run well would certainly make a lot of money.

"Then take us to the silk shop first."

Song He'er was a little puzzled, so she walked over to Jiang Huaifu and asked in a low voice, "Didn't we already visit the silk-making workshop a few days ago? Why do we need to go again?"

"You went to a processing area. Do you know the market price of a bolt of silk in Jiangning? Do you know how many grades it is divided into?"

Song He'er was speechless, realizing that Jiang Huaifu's words made some sense.

"Then... let's go take a look together."

Zhao Ru was a very straightforward woman. After entering the shop, she went ahead to talk to the proprietress, and then left the rest of the time to Jiang Huaifu and Song He'er, so that they could free up their hands to ask the shop assistants.

"Can you also make clothes here?" Song He'er asked one of the shop assistants through her cap.

"We don't make clothes in this shop, we do it in another shop. We only sell silk and various fabrics here."

"So if I choose your tailor, do I still need to come here to select the fabric?"

"Yes, or we have finished products in our shop that we can make exactly the same ones according to the proportions shown."

Song He'er nodded and continued to ask, "Your business is so good, your shop must be quite big."

Upon hearing this, the shop assistant was secretly delighted and instantly became proud. "Our shop is much bigger than this one, and we have more customers. It's the largest clothing store in Jiangning City, with a counter, accountant, tailors, embroiderers, and master needleworkers, totaling no less than twenty people."

The waiter spoke with smug satisfaction, but the boss, who was talking to Zhao Ru, saw him and immediately interrupted, sternly scolding, "Get to work! What are you babbling about? I'll sew your mouth shut with a needle!"

"yes......"

The waiter quickly nodded, turned around, and went to the back room.