Song Ning looked over, and the lady's expression remained unchanged as she smiled and looked her up and down.

He walked gracefully towards her and asked with a smile, "Young lady, we just came from out of town and are looking for an inn, but we're not familiar with this area. Could you give us directions?"

She realized the woman was asking for directions; for a fleeting moment, she had mistakenly thought she knew her.

Song Ning smiled and said, "No problem, you two come with me."

As she walked, she thought to herself, "These two are pretty bold. Aren't they afraid that she's a bad person? They just followed her like that."

The two looked to be from a wealthy family, as they were accompanied by some attendants, making them prime targets for thieves.

Princess Jianing followed behind Song Ning, taking a liking to her no matter how she looked at her, and asked, "Little girl, what's your name? Do you live here?"

"My name is Song Ning, and I live in Tianxiang County."

"Oh, so why are you here alone, a young girl like you?"

“I came with my family to Jiangning County to do business, but they are all busy.”

Princess Jianing exclaimed, "Wow, you're so young, yet you already know how to do business. That's truly remarkable!"

The old nanny beside her chimed in, "Yes, Miss Song is truly capable."

The two of them didn't rest for a moment along the way, asking one question after another, making Song Ning start to doubt whether these two were good people at all.

Is Miss Song eligible for marriage?

Sure enough, the conversations of these aunties inevitably revolved around finding a partner.

Song Ning patiently replied, "Not yet. I'm still young, so there's no rush."

"Thirteen is indeed too young, but we can settle it first, and it will be about right in two years."

Song Ning: ......

Is it reasonable for a stranger to start worrying about her marriage?

Song Ning quickly changed the subject: "Madam, what brings you to Jiangning County?"

Upon hearing this, Princess Jianing exclaimed with delight, "I've come to find my son."

"Oh, I see."

"Speaking of which, my son is a few years older than you and lives in Jiangning County. You might have even met him."

Song Ning simply smiled and did not reply.

She certainly hadn't seen this woman before; she had an extraordinary air about her, and judging from what she'd heard along the way, she must be from the capital.

If a mother is such a graceful and elegant person, her son must be no less so. If she had ever met such a person, she would definitely be able to tell at a glance.

Upon arriving at an inn, Song Ning pointed and said, "This is the inn. You two must be tired from your journey, so please go in and rest."

"Thank you, Miss Song. We will stay in Jiangning County for a while. Please come and visit me next time you come."

"good."

As Song Ning turned around, she sensed that something was off about the two of them.

But I didn't think much of it; maybe I was just naturally outgoing.

No sooner had Song Ning left than Xie Linzhou arrived.

"Mother, why didn't you call me when you came out? Where do you want to go? I'll take you."

Princess Jianing glanced at him sideways: "I want to go to my daughter-in-law's house, can you take me there?"

Xie Linzhou choked and fell silent.

Granny Qi smiled and said, "Young master, you don't need to worry. When we came out just now, we met a girl who gave me directions."

Princess Jianing sighed, "Yes, it's such a pity. He just left, otherwise you could have met him."

How could Xie Linzhou not be the one with his mother's scheme?

"Then we'll give her some silver next time we see her."

Princess Jianing went out today with Granny Chang and her attendants.

However, not long after they came out, they saw Song Ning standing in front of the county government office.

After Song Ning met with Granny Chang, Princess Jianing, fearing that the truth would be revealed, sent Granny Chang and the rest of her entourage back.

"That girl is such a good girl. We asked her all sorts of questions along the way, but she never got annoyed and even took us to the inn. If you meet her, just giving her money won't be enough."

"Okay, whatever you say."

As evening fell, Magistrate Xu of the county government learned that Her Highness the Princess had arrived in Jiangning County.

According to the rules, a visit in person is required.

This Magistrate Xu was promoted by Xie Linzhou's father and has been serving as magistrate of Jiangning County for quite some time.

Since they were old acquaintances, Princess Jianing let them in.

Magistrate Xu entered and knelt in obeisance: "Greetings, Your Highness."

"No need for formalities, please get up."

"I was unaware of Her Highness's arrival; this is my dereliction of duty."

"It's alright, I didn't make a fuss about it, so it doesn't matter if you don't know about it."

A gift is naturally required when visiting someone's home. Magistrate Xu took out a box from the servant behind him, knowing that Princess Jianing was there, and hurriedly brought it over.

"This is a small token of my appreciation; I hope Your Highness will accept it."

The Rongguo Duke's Mansion has always been highly sought after in the capital. In order to avoid causing trouble for her son, Princess Jianing has always refused to accept anything from outside.

However, the gift that Magistrate Xu sent today was different from what others had given him.

Princess Jianing's eyes lit up: "What is this?"

"Your Highness, this is called soap. It is a cleaning product. I happened to come across a few bars and thought I would present them to Your Highness."

Magistrate Xu didn't dare to say it because he had heard that the princess had arrived and hadn't prepared any gifts. He suddenly saw the soap that his youngest son had brought back during the day, thought it looked nice, and brought it along.

Whether they're good or not, they're rare items and presentable.

"It looks quite novel."

The soaps that Song Ning asked Xu Feng to bring home were still half-wrapped in paper. They were all light-colored and refreshing, and they were indeed eye-catching.

Granny Qi took a bar of soap out of the box, and Princess Jianing brought it to her nose to smell it: "It even smells nice, it really does look good."

He handed the items to Granny Qi, saying, "Thank you for your trouble. Please keep them."

"I'm glad Your Highness is pleased."

Magistrate Xu did not linger. After leaving the house, he went to pay his respects to Xie Linzhou before departing.

Princess Jianing was very satisfied with the soap that Magistrate Xu had sent today, and even instructed Granny Chang to send two bars to Xie Linzhou.

"Let's use this to shower tonight."

"yes."

Song Ning didn't go out the next day; she stayed home and tinkered with her homemade oven.

Of the three kitchens in the yard, only two are needed for making braised dishes. Song Ning plans to use the remaining one to make something different.

Xu Feng has been clamoring for his birthday for half a month now. He really treats himself like a member of the Song family, and he's not polite at all. He even asked her to prepare for his birthday celebration.

Song Ning initially ignored it, but considering the money she had already spent, she thought she might as well give it a try.

If it succeeds, I can make money.

So Song Ning locked herself in the kitchen early in the morning, afraid of being seen.

Early in the morning, I took out fine flour, eggs, milk, sugar, salt, and oil from my spatial storage.

Before it officially started, everyone in the yard was forbidden from peeking, or the good food would be gone.

Song Ning wrapped a floral cloth around her head, washed her hands, and officially began work.