Entering Beijing

The next day, as dawn broke, the three of them set off on their journey once again.

The journey over the past few days went even more smoothly than they had anticipated. They did not encounter any roaming bandits, nor were they stopped and repeatedly questioned by gatekeepers. Thus, six days later, they successfully entered the city gates of Kyoto and headed straight for their lodgings.

Zhu Ying had already found two properties for them and was now asking Xu Ruoyan for the money before leaving to complete the handover. Xu Ruoyan and Pei Jue then decided to go and see their new place first.

Throughout history, it has never been easy for ordinary people to settle down and make a living in the capital. Therefore, they were unable to buy a spacious courtyard, but it was still enough for the three of them to live in.

As soon as Xu Ruoyan got out of the car, she couldn't wait to run into the yard, ignoring the luggage in the two cars.

“It is indeed a bit small,” Xu Ruoyan pushed open the door of her room and stood outside looking around. “It’s only a little bit bigger than that dilapidated courtyard in the mountains.”

Pei Jue followed behind her, walking slowly with his cane: "We need to save the money for other uses, so we can only ask for your help, Madam."

Xu Ruoyan didn't mind too much. After all, they could live in any size house. Besides, Pei Jue was right. Their expenses would definitely be high in the future, so they should be more frugal now.

Soon Zhu Ying returned, handed the land deed and key to Pei Jue, and then went out to busy himself with moving the luggage.

“Madam,” Pei Jue pulled Xu Ruoyan’s hand, “you shall keep the house deed and the key.”

After all, she paid for it, so it wouldn't be unreasonable for her name to be on the property deed. Xu Ruoyan then took the land deed as a matter of course and put it into her locked little box.

They hadn't brought much with them, and they settled in quickly. Xu Ruoyan sat on the edge of the bed, with her two large chests, which she used to store silver, spread out in front of her.

Prices in the capital are high, and they would need a lot of money to win over those poor scholars. She needs initial capital to open a pharmacy, and several precious medicinal herbs are needed to treat Pei Jue's eyes. All of this requires money, and now that she has the financial power in the family, she must keep track of every single expense.

She spent fifty taels of silver to buy this house, and another five hundred taels to buy a shop in a good location; these were the major expenses. She also planned to tidy up her shop later, and if she could hurry, she could find a herbal medicine dealer in the afternoon, or perhaps take a trip to the herbal medicine market.

Xu Ruoyan stroked the empty chest of silver, tears streaming down her face.

This is all the hard-earned money she made every day by climbing mountains to collect herbs! And half of it is already gone!

But as the saying goes, you can't catch a wolf without risking your cub. Xu Ruoyan sighed deeply and closed the box with a heavy heart.

She thought about it and decided to buy two more locks in the afternoon, as she was still somewhat worried about the security situation in Beijing.

After roughly planning her afternoon itinerary, she intended to inform Pei Jue before leaving.

She pushed open the door and found Pei Jue making his bed.

"I came to let you know that I'm going to the pharmacy this afternoon, so I won't be home. If you want to go anywhere, ask Zhuying to go with you."

Pei Jue looked up: "Then lunch...?"

Xu Ruoyan waved her hand and said, "Oh, don't worry about me. There are so many delicious foods outside, what can't I eat?"

Pei Jue paused for a moment, then said, "I meant my lunch."

Xu Ruoyan slapped her forehead: She had forgotten about her original job.

However, cooking for Pei Jue is no longer as important as her career.

"Why don't you ask Zhuying to go to the street and buy some for you? I'll go to the market this afternoon to buy a few servants to take care of you. You'll have to make do with this lunch for now."

After saying that, as if afraid of being stopped and questioned by Pei Ju, she ran out of the house in a flash.

The streets of Kyoto were bustling with activity, and even the cold weather couldn't dampen people's enthusiasm for strolling around. It was midday, and the noisy shouts of vendors and the steaming aroma of food mingled together, making Xu Ruoyan's eyes light up.

She's been on the road all day these past few days, eating nothing but flatbread and steamed buns, to the point that she feels nauseous whenever she sees white steamed buns.

She moved to a less crowded stall, and as soon as she sat down, the waiter greeted her warmly.

"What would you like to eat, sir?"

Xu Ruoyan ordered a bowl of crystal wontons, and after only a few minutes, a large bowl of wontons was served.

"Sir, eight coins."

Xu Ruoyan took out a few copper coins from her small purse and placed them in his hand. The waiter then bowed and scraped as he withdrew.

These wontons are crystal clear, with thin wrappers and generous fillings. Most importantly, a bowl of ten only costs eight coins! Xu Ruoyan's eyes lit up, and she wiped her drool before devouring them with gusto.

After eating and drinking her fill, Xu Ruoyan stepped back onto the street as the waiter called out, "Please take care, sir."

The midday sun was blinding, so she raised her hand to shield her forehead and took out a small piece of paper from her pocket to examine it closely.

The small note had several addresses written on it, which were the locations of the medicine market and clothing store that she had asked Zhuying to find out, as well as the location of her own pharmacy.

Xu Ruoyan lowered her head and tugged at the tattered clothes she was wearing, frowning in disgust. She decided to go and buy herself some better clothes first. After all, the owner of a pharmacy couldn't dress like a beggar.

On her way to the clothing store, she casually bought a box of face powder, two boxes of rouge, and a box of lip balm from a street vendor.

She had never used ancient cosmetics before, but they should all be similar. She didn't aspire to be a stunning beauty; she just wanted to look somewhat energetic.

After living in the mountains for two months, her skin became rough and her face became dull. She touched her cheek with heartache as she thought about it.

When she walked into the clothing store carrying a basket of cosmetics, she was truly shocked.

The huge storefront was lavishly decorated, and inside, groups of elegantly dressed young men and women strolled among the clothes racks, chatting and laughing. The clothes inside were even more dazzling, with a bewildering array of colors and styles; just looking at them from the entrance, one was almost blinded by the bright gold embroidery.

Xu Ruoyan swallowed hard, weighed her purse in her hand, and walked inside, wondering if she could keep her wallet safe today.

Unexpectedly, she caught the attention of most people present as soon as she entered the room.

"Where did this beggar come from? And nobody cares about her?" A young woman in front of her frowned and covered her mouth and nose, as if she was really bothered by the smell on her.

As the young lady spoke, the crowd in front of Xu Ruoyan suddenly scattered and fled, clearing the space around her.

Xu Ruoyan listened to their whispers without caring at all; in fact, she was quite pleased.

That way, no one will bump into her when she's picking out clothes.

She casually walked to a row of clothes, her eyes immediately drawn to a bright pink one. Just as she was about to pick it up to take a look, someone suddenly appeared and blocked her way.

“This…Miss,” the person who looked like a shop assistant looked Xu Ruoyan up and down with great displeasure, “the clothes here are not something you can afford. You should look elsewhere.”

"Yeah, yeah, who would want to buy clothes she's dirtied?" A girl wearing a gold hairpin and holding a silk fan sneered at her sister.

Xu Ruoyan glanced at them indifferently, took out fifty taels of silver from her bag and threw it into the hand of the waiter: "I want this one, is it enough? If not, I have more."

The waiter's eyes lit up instantly. He changed his expression in a flash, holding the silver and following Xu Ruoyan with a fake smile: "Miss, do you need anything else? I'll recommend something for you."

Xu Ruoyan had just picked out a peach-colored floral-patterned jacket, but she still needed a skirt and shoes to match. After browsing around, she chose a white jade-embroidered gold horse-face skirt and a pair of cloud-embroidered shoes. After changing in the back room, she quickly applied some powder she had just bought to her face, paid the bill readily, and then left while everyone in the shop was still dumbfounded.

Xu Ruoyan was already naturally beautiful and exquisite, and after a simple makeover, she looked even more outstanding. Without much makeup, she had a captivating beauty that could topple kingdoms.

Soon, she found the shop she had taken over based on the address given by Zhu Ying. The shop was originally a struggling pharmacy, but now that it had been transferred to Xu Ruoyan's hands, it had become a great help to her. The shop was fully equipped with counters and medicine cabinets, and was divided into inner and outer rooms for convenient diagnosis and treatment.

Xu Ruoyan went inside and took a look around. She was very satisfied and decided to give Zhuying a bigger reward when she got back.

With a general plan in mind, she immediately got busy. First, she went to the human market and bought five people with a wave of her hand.

"Three of you will go home to take care of your grandfather, and the other two will come with me to work at the pharmacy. Is there anyone willing to volunteer?"

“Sister, I can go to the pharmacy,” a girl who looked to be about thirteen or fourteen years old said in a clear voice, timidly raising her hand. “My family says I’m smart and learn things quickly.”

“Madam, I would also like to go to the pharmacy. I can read and write, and I can help you.” It was a young man who looked to be about the same age as the girl from before.

Xu Ruoyan patted their heads with satisfaction, one in each hand: "Alright, you two can come with me then. As for the rest of you, I'll have someone take you home. The patriarch should be home; he'll assign you tasks."

The three men all answered "Yes," got into the carriage, and left.

Xu Ruoyan called to the remaining two, "Come with me, the pharmacy isn't far from here."

She held one in each hand and asked, "What are your names?"

The girl told Xu Ruoyan that her name was Zhao Di, and the boy's name was Cui Sheng.

"What lousy names!" Xu Ruoyan rolled her eyes.

"Since you'll be following me from now on, how about I give you names?"

The two boys looked up at her, their eyes full of expectation.

Xu Ruoyan pondered for a moment, then tapped the little girl's head: "Your name will be Banxia (半夏)." Then she turned to the boy: "How about you be Rendong (忍冬)? It's a perfect combination of summer and winter."

The two boys beamed with joy, happily accepting their new names.

Xu Ruoyan patted the girl's head and smiled with satisfaction.

A new name also signifies a new beginning.