The border town of Nanzhao was not as prosperous and bustling as Jiangning, which I visited last time. Although there were merchants doing business there, it was not as wealthy and bustling as Jiangning.

Chun Di was visiting Nanzhao for the first time, and she was naturally quite excited, finding everything she saw fascinating.

“He’er, these sugar figurines are really unique. I used to go out and about when I was in the capital, but I never saw them so colorful.”

Chun Di was, after all, Song Xiaoqi's younger sister in the General's Mansion, and her status was much higher than Song He'er's. Therefore, she had many opportunities to leave the mansion and often went to the market in the capital.

"Fourth Aunt, even you say this place is good, so it seems we made the right choice."

Chun Di smiled. "But we've rashly entered someone else's territory. Are we really sure nothing will happen?"

As soon as she finished speaking, Song He'er quickly made a shushing gesture, signaling her to speak more quietly.

"Fourth Aunt, this place is not like Xinzhou. We must speak quietly so that no one can tell what's going on."

"But our accent is different from theirs. Won't they be suspicious?"

Song He'er shook her head. "In Nanzhao, there are many people who travel all over the country. They come from all walks of life and have different accents, so no one will pay attention. We just need to avoid emphasizing the name Xinzhou."

"Okay, I understand. Good thing you reminded me."

"There's a grain store up ahead, let's go take a look."

"good."

After saying that, the two went into a shop that sold rice, flour, and cooking oil.

The waiter inside greeted them warmly, "What would you two merchants like to order? We have glutinous rice, black rice, millet, and white rice!"

Song He'er and Chun Di each wore a cap, so the waiter couldn't tell what they looked like and could only judge their age by their voices.

"I only need one bushel each of millet and white rice. Also, I'd like to ask if you deliver rice, flour, and cooking oil here?"

While weighing the items, the waiter replied with a smile, "That depends on how much the two ladies need. If it's a lot, we can hire a cart to deliver it to you. If it's a little... to be honest, we don't even earn enough to rent a donkey cart."

“Of course I know that. If there were only a few bushels of rice, I wouldn’t need to ask.”

Seeing that a big customer had arrived, the waiter hurriedly asked, "So, madam, how much do you want?"

"We don't need too much today, just enough for a few days. Weigh it first, calculate the cost, and I'll have someone settle the bill."

"Alright then."

After buying the rice, the two headed to the next shop.

Compared to the Jiangning City that Song He'er had seen before, most of the shops here are small and run small businesses. There are not many restaurants or teahouses; they are all small shops that solve some livelihood problems.

If you're thinking of starting a business in silk, clothing, or restaurants, you should go to Jiangning.

However, the household registration issue remains unresolved, making it impossible for so many people to move to Jiangning.

When Jiang Huaifu and I went there before, the soldiers guarding the city blocked our way, let alone a dozen or so people going in.

Why not find Zhang Xiu'e a small shop in the border town and let them start by selling some noodle products, such as steamed buns and noodles? Once things are more stable, they can go to Jiangning later.

The two of them were carrying a lot of things, and they had almost spent all the money they had. If they didn't find a way out, they would be eating dirt.

"Fourth Aunt, I'm thinking of starting a small business around here. What do you think?"

Chun Di walked along, panting, "Anything is fine, but there's one problem: we don't have any capital. Are we going to have to borrow from that Young Master Jiang?"

"People who don't have capital to start a business still have to borrow money from all over the place, so there's nothing shameful about it. As long as we can pay it back, then we're all set!"

"Hmm... I have no objection. Your third aunt is quite skilled; she can make anything. You should go back and discuss it with them."

"good."

The two chatted and laughed, and soon returned to Xiaoyangzhuang.

Zhang Xiue had been tidying up the yard all day and was so tired that she could barely stand up straight, so she simply sat down on the ground to rest.

"You're back. Come inside and have some water and rest for a while. How's it going? Do you have enough money?"

Song He'er nodded. "We have enough money, but it won't last for many days. Third Aunt, do you know how to make steamed buns or noodles?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Xiue laughed and said, "What's wrong? You want to eat?"

"No, I was thinking we could start a small business, like selling steamed buns and noodles."

"I know how to make it, but buying a stall would cost a lot of money, wouldn't it?"

"Don't worry about the money. We'll borrow it from someone and pay the interest. Besides, it's not a purchase, it's a rental stall. We can't afford to buy it!"

“That works too. I turned over the land next to the house today. When we first came to Xinzhou, didn’t we get some seeds from those soldiers? We can plant them in the spring and harvest some vegetables in the summer. If we open a steamed bun shop, we can also sell some side dishes!”

"good!"

Song He'er enjoyed talking to Zhang Xiu'e; she was cheerful and quick-witted.

Dinner was simple: just two stir-fried dishes and some porridge. We shared it and planned to go to the market tomorrow to see if there were any suitable stalls to rent.

Song He'er wasn't short of money, but it wasn't good to always be spending it in deficit. The silkworm breeding workshop in Jiangning hadn't officially started operating yet, so she had to find some time to go and urge them to start.

Zhang Xiue strolled around and saw a small stall on the busiest street. There was a kitchen in the back, a canopy in the front, and several tables and chairs for people to rest.

"He'er, I think this is pretty good. It's not very big, but it's lively."

For Song He'er, who is usually very clean, this place was not the best choice, because it didn't have a small enclosed kitchen or a clean countertop. It was an open-air shed, so it was bound to be dusty.

But nowadays, renting a large shop would definitely require a lot of money.

It's better to start small and grow gradually, taking things one step at a time...

"It looks pretty good, but it will be hard on you. Auntie San in the kitchen will have to suffer under the scorching midday sun."

"As long as we can make money, what's a little hardship? You're so young, don't feel sorry for us, just focus on whether the position is good or not..."

......

My darlings, this is the second update today! Don't forget to send some votes!

It snowed again in the north today. Springtime makes it easy to catch a cold, so please take care of yourselves!