Li Zheng couldn't bear to see his wife suffer. He wanted to get close to Gu Xiaoran, but the girl was afraid of him and didn't feel close to him.

Gu Xiaoran's aversion to Li Zheng stemmed from the fight he witnessed in the mountains that day.

That day, he witnessed his master hitting his father.

Upon hearing that Qiu Yan was going to Baiyang County today, Madam Ye hurriedly advised, "That's not a good idea. It's better to wait until your Uncle Li returns before going to Baiyang. You're a young lady; what if that buyer, Gu Xiaoran, asks you for money?"

For some reason, Ms. Ye has been feeling somewhat unsettled and overthinking lately.

This is a question... Qiu Yan really hadn't thought about it. "Auntie, if that person wanted money, they would have asked for it last time."

"Perhaps, she was hesitant because your Uncle Li was there." Madam Ye was still worried and told Qiu Yan not to take any chances, as anything could happen.

Since Qiu Yan insisted on going, Ye Shi did not insist anymore. However, for Qiu Yan's safety, she found a brand new dress at home and had Qiu Yan change into it.

The clothes were not made of top-quality material, but rather of medium-grade cotton and linen.

She even personally changed Qiu Yan's hairstyle.

She wanted Qiu Yan to become completely different from before. Now, anyone who sees her would never imagine what she looked like before.

Qiu Yan looked at herself in the mirror. Above her hair bun, only a wooden hairpin was inserted diagonally, making her look clean and elegant.

"So beautiful! Qiu Yan, remember to keep your head down on the road so no one recognizes you." Madam Ye praised Qiu Yan as she adjusted her dress.

She made this outfit by hand after her daughter left, but her daughter never returned.

Qiu Yan nodded, "Auntie, you're so kind. With this outfit, I'm sure no one will recognize me."

Qiu Yan brought a total of twelve wild rabbits and six pheasants with her today's trip. Three of the rabbits were hers.

She weighed all of these beforehand.

Also, there were the mountain goods and newly dug herbs that she had traded with the old lady last time.

Without Li Zheng by her side today, she didn't slow down at all.

Instead of going to Xingyue Tower first, she went to the wonton shop to find Qiu Yumei.

The wonton shop opens for business at 5:00 AM and closes at 1:00 PM.

When Qiu Yan arrived, it was exactly Chen Shi (7-9 AM). After she arrived, she parked the donkey cart outside, where it was clearly visible.

When Qiu Yumei saw her niece coming over, she quickly cooked her a bowl of wontons.

Seeing that Qiu Yan's outfit was quite different today, he couldn't help but ask her a few questions.

Qiu Yan, of course, couldn't tell the truth, so she just gave a few simple words to brush it off.

"Xiaoyan, are you here in Baiyang County again to sell herbs?"

"We also sell herbs. This time I also brought some mountain products, including wild game and mushrooms."

Qiu Yan had intended to leave some for Qiu Yumei, but Qiu Yumei knew her niece had worked hard and refused to accept it. "Xiao Yan, did you gather all those mountain produce yourself? Also, what kind of wild game did you bring? When did you learn to hunt?"

Qiu Yan told the truth, "I traded a pheasant for the mushrooms with an old lady. The wild game was mostly hunted by Uncle Li, including pheasants and rabbits."

"It's really not easy for someone so young to have to do business." Qiu Yumei felt a little sorry for her. She was just about to hear Qiu Yan talk about how she traded pheasants for mushrooms when she heard the female shop owner shout: "Hurry up and get to work! All you've been thinking about this morning is slacking off."

"Yes, yes, I'm coming right away." Qiu Yumei glanced apologetically at Qiu Yan and quickly went to clear the dishes and wipe the table. "Xiao Yan, come find me after you finish work."

She had a lot to say to Qiu Yan, but she decided to wait until Qiu Yan finished work.

Qiu Yan sighed. "Whoever pays the bills for you, you have to obey them. Your aunt doesn't earn those thirty coins a day with ease."

After leaving the wonton shop, Qiu Yan went to Xingyuelou.

Ever since Qiu Yan left, Zhou Zifang has been actively recruiting chefs.

Quite a few people came, but none of them stayed.

When Zhou Zifang saw Qiu Yan return, he was stunned. "Are you Qiu Yan?"

Qiu Yan: "Absolutely genuine!"

Previously, Qiu Yan always wore coarse linen clothes and had her hair tied up in a high bun. She had never dressed up so carefully before.

Zhou Zifang teased her, "You've dressed up so carefully, could it be to see me?"

Qiu Yan is slender and clean-cut, with no makeup on her face, but her natural temperament makes her stand out from the crowd.

Qiu Yan rolled her eyes at Zhou Zifang. "Manager Zhou, stop joking around and get down to business. How's the chef selection going?"

Speaking of this, Zhou Zifang said somewhat sullenly, "None of them are good enough, and none of them are as delicious as Qin Wu's. In my opinion, those people just think that my Xingyuelou restaurant is not doing well and want to slack off."

Qiu Yan: "Then let's take our time looking. We'd rather have nothing than something bad. The quality of the food at the restaurants is the most important thing. Only when the quality is up can we take the next step."

"Qiu Yan, are you selling mountain produce or wild game today?"

"I'll sell everything. I also brought some wood ear mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms, and oyster mushrooms, which are better than the ones I brought last time. I'll save some for you, and I'll sell the rest."

"Qiu Yan, although Xingyue Tower's business isn't very good, with your small amount of mountain produce, it's only a few pounds at most." Zhou Zifang's words were completely different from his dejected attitude when Qiu Yan first came.

Business has improved recently, as many merchants and locals know that Xingyuelou sells wild game, and some customers have come to visit.

Fearing that Qiu Yan and her group might run out of wild game, Zhou Zifang even went to the grass market to buy some from other hunters.

But he only wanted living creatures, not dead ones, so it was really difficult to collect them.

Qiu Yan unloaded the wild game and mushrooms from the donkey cart, and also unloaded the herbs for fear of losing them.

With Qin Wu's help, these items were successfully weighed.

There weren't many kinds of fungi in total. Mushrooms were priced at five coins per pound, totaling one hundred and fifty coins.

The wild rabbits and pheasants sold for a total of 570 coins, of which 80 coins went to Qiu Yan. She kept one of the rabbits; her aunt hadn't accepted it yet, but she would give it to her later.

Qiu Yan had just stepped out of the back door of the restaurant, intending to go to Renai Hall, when she suddenly heard cries for help coming from not far away.

"Help!"

Who is calling for help?

Qiu Yan looked closely and saw a masked thug in black chasing a woman in red with a knife.

"Help!"

The people around him were terrified, and not one dared to step forward to help.

Qiu Yan frowned slightly. Baiyang County was full of human traffickers and thugs, which showed that the public security was extremely chaotic.

Zhou Zifang followed closely behind Qiu Yan. When he saw the kidnapped woman walking towards him from the distant street, he glared at her angrily. "These thugs are too audacious! They dare to commit violence in broad daylight! Is there no law left?"

Qiu Yan stared intently at the woman pleading for help, who was approaching from a distance. "I never expected the shopkeeper to be such a righteous person."

“What’s the use of justice…” Zhou Zifang said, then quickly went to call Lin Shu and Qin Wu. The two of them, having also heard the cries for help outside, had already started running out.