Chapter 1427 Strange Phenomena

After buying everything, Meng Yunzheng planned to return to Chenggu County the next day to pay respects to Song Xin.

Shu Yu decided not to go. After all, they weren't married yet, and it wouldn't be appropriate to go to the Meng family's ancestral graves. Besides, there had just been an unpleasant incident with the Tao family there, and she didn't want to have any more contact with them.

So the two agreed that Shuyu would wait for him to return in this small courtyard.

However, she was still a little worried, so before Meng Yunzheng left, she carefully instructed him, "You must take good care of yourself."

Meng Yunzheng chuckled, "Don't worry, I can protect myself. Stay home and I'll be back by tomorrow afternoon at the latest."

Although he didn't plan to stay at the Meng family's house for long, now that he had passed the imperial examination and become a scholar, he still needed to visit his fellow candidates from the same cohort. He also needed to thank the scholar who had vouched for him, so he probably wouldn't be able to return today.

Shu Yu watched Meng Yunzheng and Xia Yan leave. Once they were completely out of sight, she called Ying Xi and they went out shopping.

Come to think of it, she hasn't had a proper chance to explore Changjin Mansion in the few days she's been here.

I arrived in the evening on the first day, and on the second day I went to Zhongjia Village to find my master. On the way back, I ran into Uncle Meng's family again. Yesterday, I accompanied Meng Yunzheng to buy things, and we went with a purpose and a specific route.

Therefore, she really didn't know how this huge Changjin Prefecture compared to Dong'an Prefecture.

Shu Yu told Aunt He, "We might eat out for lunch, so Aunt He doesn't need to prepare any food for us."

"Alright, young lady, take your time browsing. Our Changjin Mansion is quite lively."

Shu Yu and Ying Xi went out for a stroll, exploring all the nearby alleys before finally venturing onto the main street.

Changjin Prefecture was indeed much more prosperous than Dong'an Prefecture, and she began to consider opening a shop there.

Meng Yunzheng had told her before that the instant noodles she prepared for him attracted a lot of attention during his exams, and many candidates had asked him about them.

Meng Yunzheng did introduce it, but everyone was busy continuing their exams. They heard that it wasn't available in Changjin Prefecture yet, and since it was fresh food, they were afraid they wouldn't be used to it, so they didn't pay attention for the time being.

However, now that he has achieved the "Three Excellences" in the imperial examinations, his every move will likely become the focus of attention, especially what he eats and wears during the exams.

Instant noodles are perfect for exams; you can eat them dry or mix them with hot water. I bet they'll become all the rage in a few days.

Shu Yu thought that opening a noodle shop here would be a good business opportunity.

However, she was not familiar with Changjin Prefecture at all. If she wanted to do business here, she would at least need to do some market research.

But she won't be staying here for long this time; she'll probably be leaving in a couple of days.

Never mind, let's see how things go in the next couple of days.

Shu Yu began to purposefully observe the surrounding shops and stalls, go to inns and restaurants to listen to gossip, and even visited the vegetable market.

Then she inadvertently discovered a strange phenomenon: Changjin Mansion... did not seem as prosperous and bustling as it appeared on the surface.

The gap between the rich and the poor here is quite large; the rich are very rich, and the poor are very poor.

The rich spend money like water; even Shu Yu felt it was extravagant and wasteful to see the silver notes they casually tossed out.

In order to get a bite to eat, poor people would sell themselves in pairs at the brokerage, becoming slaves or servants.

Shu Yu frowned and returned to the courtyard, lost in thought.

Aunt He noticed that she seemed distracted while eating dinner and couldn't help but ask her, "Young lady, is the food not to your liking?"

(End of this chapter)