Zhang Zhaoci smiled sheepishly and said, "Granny, you know that's good. I'm really impatient with these things."

Granny Lu sighed and said, "I didn't intend to hand over the household affairs to you. I've already discussed it with Ninth Miss and the two young ladies from the Li family. During the two months I'm away, the three of them will discuss how to handle the household affairs, which will also be a chance for them to gain experience."

Zhang Zhaoci said, "I'll have Xu Di prepare some gifts for you as soon as possible. We still have some things from Hexi that we can give back to the capital as gifts. We'll also ask the merchants in the city if they're going back to the capital recently. We'll feel at ease if you travel with us."

Granny Lu patted Zhang Zhaoci's hand and said, "I've already found out that the Li family's fur trading company in the city is going to send a batch of furs to the capital soon. I'll go with them. You, just stay home and rest well. I'll go back for a bit and then come right back."

Zhang Zhaoci said, "Since you are going back, then tell the old lady what we mean. From now on, we will take over all her maids. If they want to serve in the inner quarters, they can come to the inner quarters. If they want to farm, we also have farms. If they want to join the army, with our family's relationship with the Marquis of Jingbei's mansion, isn't that a pretty easy thing?"

Granny Lu said, "Don't worry, I will definitely talk to the old lady about this matter. You are already aware of the old stories of the Marquis's mansion. You will understand what's going on if anything happens. There are some things that even the Marquis doesn't know."

Zhang Zhaoci said with a smile, "It's still my nanny who loves me the most; she told me these secret things."

Granny Lu said, "Some things still need to be known by others. Even though so many years have passed, sometimes those small things from the past can have a big impact on the present."

That's true; otherwise, there wouldn't be a saying like "a snake's thread in the grass can lie hidden for a thousand miles."

While Granny Lu was preparing her luggage, Xu Di went to deal with the Li family's fur trading company, asking them to take good care of Granny Lu on the road. Although the Li family's trading company was just a small branch of the Li family in Hexi, it brought the Li family a lot of revenue every year. The people of the Li family's trading company were very happy to take this opportunity to befriend the magistrate's son.

Xu Rao specially prepared some local specialties for Granny Lu. It was already autumn, and many nuts, wood ear mushrooms, walnuts, and chestnuts on the mountain had been picked and dried. Xu Di packed them in several burlap sacks and sent them, along with Granny Lu, to a place dozens of miles away from the county town.