Song He'er shook her head. "No need. I can walk back. Let the driver take you back."

Jiang Huaifu's face instantly turned ugly. "If you walk back, it's quite a distance from here to the manor. I'm afraid you won't get there even if you walk until dark."

"But if the coachman takes me away, how will you get back to your own place?"

“I’m a man, and I have Aqing and Alu by my side. How can I not leave? Hurry up and get in the car. If we get back late, your mother will worry again.”

Song He'er didn't continue to refuse and had no choice but to jump into the car to go home. She was really tired after a long day, and if there was a bed right now, she could fall asleep immediately.

Song He'er lifted the carriage curtain and looked back, seeing that Jiang Huaifu and the others had also turned and left. As the sun set, the afterglow of the setting sun cast long shadows of the three of them.

As darkness fell, when Song He'er arrived at the estate, Qin Xiaoniang and the others had already eaten dinner.

"Hey, Fifth Sister is back! Mother! Look, it's Fifth Sister in the yard!" Nianjie skipped and hopped out of the house.

When Song He'er saw her, she couldn't help but pinch her chubby little cheeks. "Little Nian, what's making you so happy?"

"My parents came back today and said there was a happy occasion at the shop, so they were in a good mood and cooked a lot of dishes for us kids, including meat! Sister He'er, come and try some! We haven't had so much meat in so long. We never found meat this delicious back in the General's Mansion!"

Xiao Nian said she was feeling much better, and Song He'er was genuinely happy for them.

Having endured the hardships, we can now taste a little bit of sweetness!

"Since you like it, then Nian-jie, eat more!"

"Yes! I asked my mother to save a lot for you, go and eat!"

Song He'er wasn't very hungry. On the way back, Jiang Huaifu had bought some pastries from Jiangning, and she was still feeling a bit greasy and indigestion from eating them. Right now, she couldn't eat anything else.

Qin Xiaoniang came out from inside, holding a lamp. "Since you're back, let's go inside and talk. It's chilly at night, so don't catch a cold."

"Um!"

Song He'er responded and followed Qin Xiaoniang into the inner room.

Ruizhen and Chundi, along with a few of the younger children, went to sleep in the east room first, while the rest of them stayed here to discuss the shop's affairs.

Song Xiaoyu put down the account book in her hand, looked up, and said to Song He'er:

"This afternoon, a man named Alu, who was with Young Master Jiang, came over and discussed something with us. He said he would help us rent the steamed bun shop across the street. Although I was happy, I was also worried about the money. We need to settle things quickly and do something to earn more money to pay off our debts!"

"Hmm... Third Uncle, you're right. We need to earn more money to pay off Young Master Jiang's debt."

"So, what do you think we should do?"

After thinking it over, Song He'er felt that doing something ordinary was meaningless, so she might as well try something new.

“I do have an idea, but you’ve never eaten this kind of thing before. I’ve only seen it occasionally in some miscellaneous books.”

"What?"

"It's made by using sesame seeds, chili peppers, and other seasonings to make the broth, then cooking some vegetables and meats, and finally pouring the broth over them. This way of eating is called 'mala tang'."

"Malatang?? What is that? Is it something that's scalding hot?" Zhang Xiue asked rhetorically.