"Taozi is too stubborn. He says he wants to earn more money and doesn't want to get married so early. Sigh, we can't do anything about it, so let him be." Aunt Zhang couldn't help but get angry when she mentioned Taozi. The child is not young anymore, but he still acts like a child.

"Yes, he said he felt too restricted in this county town, and with my mother here, he had no freedom and wanted to go out and make his own way in the world." Qiangzi couldn't do anything about it, but considering that he was already an adult, it wasn't good to control him.

“If you can agree to let him go, I have no problem with that. It’s good for him to go out and broaden his horizons. I’ll ask someone to put in a good word for him. As long as he’s not bullied, that’s fine. As for how well he makes it, that’s his business.”

When Xichun heard about Taozi's ambition, she didn't stop him. Anyway, she was now more confident, and as long as Taozi was still within the Guangming Prefecture, she could still take care of him.

"Alright, this child has probably been waiting for you to say that. I'll talk to him about it later."

Sure enough, Taozi jumped for joy after hearing about it.

"Look at you, can't you be more mature? You're so old, yet you're still like a child. Tell me, how can we feel at ease letting you go out alone?" Aunt Zhang looked at him like this and wished she could slap him.

"Mom, brother, don't worry. I've worked with Sister Xichun for so many years. Do you still want to treat me like a child? I will definitely make something of myself. Don't worry."

Unlike them, Taozi was very excited. He was thinking about his upcoming trip and how he would have to take on responsibilities on his own, and he felt an immense surge of passion within him.

He found Xichun and told her about his preparations. It turned out that he was not a person without a plan. On the contrary, he had secretly found out about the situation in the county town he was going to beforehand.

“Sister Xichun, I’m planning to open a branch of our store in Weibei County this time. I’ve looked into Weibei County before and even visited it once. It’s more prosperous than here and closer to the prefectural city, so I think business there should be good.”

“Alright, since you already have an idea, just go ahead and do it. Calculate how much silver you need, and I’ll have someone bring it to you. But I’m also worried that if you go alone, people might take advantage of you because you’re young. Why don’t you find a few friends you know well to go with you? You’ll need to hire people wherever you go anyway.”

"Okay, that's what I was planning to do too, Sister Xichun. Actually, I've already found a few other villagers who also want to go out and make a living, and we're going to go together." Taozi only revealed this after they agreed.

"If anything happens, don't try to tough it out. Have someone send a message and ask your brother-in-law to back you up. That should be fine."

Taozi took the money he had planned and set off with a few of his friends from the village. One of them was Aunt Liu's son. Aunt Zhang was naturally reluctant to see Taozi, who had grown up by her side, suddenly go on a long trip. However, she did not show any sadness and add to Taozi's burden.

After Taozi left, Xichun, the shop manager, decided to let Aunt Zhang take over. Originally, Aunt Zhang was only in charge of the kitchen, but now she was suddenly put in charge of the entire shop, which caught Aunt Zhang off guard.

"Xichun, I... I'm afraid this isn't right. How could I possibly have that ability?" The thought of becoming the manager of such a large shop made Aunt Zhang a little timid. Historically, very few women have been able to become managers. Apart from the embroidery workshop, which has someone as capable as Xichun, there is no other shop in the entire county managed by a woman.

“Aunt Zhang, you have to believe in yourself. I think you are very capable. You have seen us manage this shop all these years. You have seen what kind of situations might arise on a daily basis. There is no need to worry too much. Just do your job with confidence. If you encounter any problems, just ask someone to come and find me to solve them.”

Xi Chun thought it over and over before deciding to let Aunt Zhang manage the place. Aunt Zhang was one of the veterans who had worked with her for many years. She was also a reliable person who had never had any other thoughts over the years. In addition, everyone in the county was already familiar with her. Even if Aunt Zhang, a woman, was to manage the place, no one would gossip.

Moreover, as Xichun's family status changed, Xichun realized that she was destined not to stay here forever. Once Fu Changfeng passed the imperial examination, he would be assigned to another place as an official, and these shops would need someone she could trust to manage them.

Aunt Zhang and the others also need to rely on her to ensure their family's wealth will continue to grow, so naturally they will not betray her rashly. Therefore, Xichun, adhering to the principle of "trusting those you employ and not employing those you don't trust," never thought of abandoning them. On the contrary, she wanted to bind them together with their interests.

"I'll give it a try. If it doesn't work, you should find someone else quickly so as not to delay the business." After hesitating for a long time, Aunt Zhang finally agreed.

Besides studying at home, Fu Changfeng also listens to Grandpa Hu's advice and goes out to socialize with friends from time to time. Now, he mainly associates with scholars and those who have passed the imperial examinations. Sometimes he even goes to the prefectural city. He only manages to take a break to accompany Xichun home.

It was still harvest season, and Xichun returned to the village to check on the harvest of the land she had bought later. Now she owned 200 mu of land and was a veritable small landowner.

Xi Chun loved watching the harvest. Seeing the grain brought home filled her with joy. Grain was the foundation of survival in ancient times, so she invested most of her earnings in buying land, and the rest in buying shops.

At first, Xichun only rented the shops in the prefectural city, but after having enough funds, she bought them directly with silver.

"Master, have all the grains been stored? Should they be kept in the granary as in previous years?" A servant approached and bowed to ask.

"Yes, pack out three hundred catties for me, and leave the rest at the estate for now."

This 300 jin of grain was Xichun's tribute to the Wang family. Every year, she would have people from the village drive a cart to deliver it to the Wang family as a way of thanking Uncle Ma and the Wang family for taking care of them.

"Xichun, why did you send so much grain over again? We already have enough to eat at home." Wang had advised her last year not to send so much grain every year, as she needed capital for her business.

“Mother, Uncle Ma, these are what I should take. You often help me keep an eye on things at the estate, so the tenants and the people at the estate don’t dare to do anything reckless. This is how I thank you.”

"Hehe, we're all family, no need for formalities. Xichun, Scholar Fu, you're too kind. Don't bring any more. We've made our own money now. Come in and sit down." In front of Fu Changfeng, Ma Dawei's family was still quite reserved, only Xiaofeng wasn't afraid of him.