Shen Xingmian stared at Xu Ce for a while with a slightly impolite look, but no matter how she looked at him, she couldn't see any trace of him being handsome.

This was hidden so well!

The young ladies in the capital who wanted to marry him must have been so captivated by his appearance that their hearts probably stopped beating.

The little deer in her heart fainted and died from her injuries.

Imagining this scene, she almost couldn't control her expression and burst out laughing.

However, she didn't forget her business and quickly asked, "Tomorrow I will go into the city with the officials to make purchases. You should think quickly about what we need."

Shen Zhiheng knew his granddaughter's secret, and knew that no matter how much she wanted, she could bring it back, but the other two didn't know that.

Xu Ce and Xiao Yanyue both shook their heads, indicating that they did not need it.

Shen Xingmian knew that these two people had just arrived and not only hadn't integrated into the community, but they also saw her as a burden, so they wouldn't ask for anything.

So she considerately spoke up again: "It's alright, I still have some money hidden away. I'll buy another car tomorrow, and there will be enough room for everything. You won't have to squeeze in like this."

Xu Ce quickly declined, "I don't need to. After I finish communicating with His Highness and General Shen, I can go down for a walk. I promise I won't go far, I'll stay close to you and be ready to deal with any danger at any time."

Shen Xingmian was both amused and exasperated by his words.

Why were the loyal and righteous people of ancient times so sensible? Compared to those people in the capital, they were like two extremes.

However, Xu Ce's voice is actually quite pleasant.

When he's silent, he's like a wild man who just came out of the mountains, but as soon as he opens his mouth, he exudes that handsome aura.

She suddenly felt a greater liking for this person.

Yes, it arrived so simply and suddenly.

Such an upright person is worthy of respect, not to mention he might also be a handsome man.

Actually, she should have guessed it long ago. If her mother, with her discerning eye, could give Xu Ce such a high evaluation, how could he really be a rough, uncultured man from the mountains?

She had initially been indifferent to whether or not this person existed, but now, suddenly she does care.

She has to do everything she can to keep them here.

"If you really can't come up with a solution, I'll just make the arrangements myself. I'm just a young girl this age, so even if I spend money recklessly, I don't think anyone will blame me."

Towards the end, it started to sound like I was talking to myself.

It was precisely this nonchalant attitude that successfully made the two people, who were initially being polite, start to think seriously.

Shen Zhiheng quietly gave his granddaughter a thumbs up, and Shen Xingmian returned the gesture with a somewhat smug smile.

"Alright, you can take your time to figure it out. Anyway, we're not leaving until tomorrow morning, so there's plenty of time."

After she finished speaking, she lowered the curtain, giving the space back to the three people.

She also needed to think carefully about what she needed to buy. Most of the things she had stored in her space were treasures, which were priceless but not very practical. She needed to exchange them for more edible and usable items.

With no rain for so long, the harvest is hard to guarantee, but since there's still space, it doesn't really affect their family much.

It would be strange if we didn't buy some to ensure we always had enough food.

Especially someone as perceptive as my aunt, she'll definitely notice something amiss after a while. And if she asks, how will I explain it?

Although Shen Xingmian felt that even if her aunt knew, she wouldn't ask her, but would silently accept the situation.

We also need to be careful not to let outsiders find out.

Therefore, food is still essential.

She also plans to buy a carriage, otherwise there will be nowhere to put the things she leaves out to be seen.

We can't possibly distribute them all to everyone to carry, can we?

Even if it were possible, how to bring it back from the city would be a problem.

Another thing is to keep warm. Even though it's late summer and the weather is still hot, it will get colder as they move north.

Once you reach the North, all warm clothing will be much more expensive than here.

The same cotton-padded coat might cost a few hundred coins here, but in the northern border, it might not even be enough for two taels of silver.

Therefore, it is essential to prepare in advance.

However, it seems unlikely that you can buy cotton-padded clothes and quilts in the middle of summer. It's not like modern times where you can easily buy off-season goods online. They may not be available here.

If all else fails, buy some cotton fabric first, then ask if they have any cotton. It's best to check each shop in turn. If they have any unsold inventory from last year, you can buy it all.

As for charcoal, it's probably not needed. The North is sparsely populated, but it has many mountains and even more trees, so it's unlikely to lack firewood.

I wonder if the people here know how to build a kang (heated brick bed). If they do, it must be quite comfortable at home in winter.

If you don't have any, you can only put a charcoal brazier in the house, which is really hard to endure.

Shen Xingmian had experienced the winters in the north. If there was no heating at home, even the blankets were cold. Trying to warm the bed with body heat would probably result in freezing to death.

She used to be lazy and didn't turn on the electric blanket beforehand. As soon as she got into bed, she would shiver from the cold and then tremble for a long time, waiting for the electric blanket to slowly warm up.

She had experienced that kind of silly thing once, and she never wanted to do it again.

Another very important category to buy is ready-to-eat food. Not the kind of ready-to-eat food that's all braised meat like modern ready-to-eat food, but all cooked food that can be eaten directly.

Buy all the steamed buns, pastries, and candies you can find, and store them in your storage space for emergencies.

She knew that sugar production was very low in ancient times, and it was unlikely that she could buy good sugar, but something was better than nothing.

Once she settles down, she can look up information on sugar making, teach some of her own people the craft, and open a large workshop.

When the time comes, she can eat whatever kind of candy she wants.

One good thing about ancient times is that all food was made from raw materials with minimal processing before it was available on the market; there was no advanced technology involved.

Because science and technology, the primary productive force, have not yet been developed.

There's no need to worry about the food you want being too sugary and making you fat, as most of the food here isn't sweet at all.

The pastries that were looted only had a faint sweetness, even those in the imperial harem.

In this situation, developing a sugar production industry chain would definitely be very profitable. Shen Xingmian was very excited by this idea, but she didn't tell anyone, including her quick-witted father.

She deeply understood the principle that "things are accomplished in secrecy and ruined by leaks," and knew that having only one idea was not the right time to discuss it.

We should wait until we have a stable and easily defensible stronghold, and our lives gradually settle down, before discussing expansion.