After Lan Yamei signed and sealed the document, she took the banknote and headed out to Mule and Horse Market.

As soon as we arrived at the entrance of Luomashi Street, we saw Aunt Guan waiting dejectedly by the roadside.

After comparing the jade pendant with the picture on the secret letter several times, the old shopkeeper wrote a letter, put it away, waved his hand, whispered something to the shop assistant inside the door, and the shop assistant, carrying the letter, rode away on horseback.

Seeing Aunt Guan looking dejected, Lan Ya Mei knew she had lost everything again. She stepped forward and deliberately asked, "So fast! How much did you win? We still don't have enough money to buy a carriage. Can you lend us some?"

Aunt Guan sighed deeply and said awkwardly, "How about I pull the cart instead?"

“You’re pulling a cart? Sure, I’m planning to revamp our stall tonight. Here’s what we’ll do: go ahead and buy five pounds of pork, a fat duck, three pounds of tofu, ten pounds of tender peanuts, and ten pounds of tender edamame. Take them home first.”

Aunt Guan was hardworking, but she didn't have a single copper coin on her at the moment, so she could only make excuses, "Am I alone? What about you? Where are you going?"

"I'm the boss, I need to go shopping and buy a couple of clothes before I go back. Don't be late for setting up your stall tonight, hurry up!"

"But I don't have a single copper coin. Why don't you give me some money?" Aunt Guan didn't dare look Lan Yamei in the eye. When she got into gambling, she forgot to leave any money for the food.

Lan Yamei suppressed a laugh, took out four taels of loose silver from her pocket, and placed it in Aunt Guan's hand.

Knowing she was in the wrong, Aunt Guan quickly went to buy the supplies.

After seeing Aunt Guan walk away, Lan Ya Mei went into the mule and horse market.

The pony was still there. When the horse dealer saw the little girl turn back, he hurriedly grabbed her and tried to sell her the horse, "Miss, this horse is a great deal. You won't find a cheaper one in the whole market. It eats little but is quite strong. Do you want to ride it yourself or buy it to pull a cart?"

"Buy it to pull a cart. Do you have a cart?" Lan Yamei wanted to get everything she needed. The old, broken cart at home was too heavy and made a lot of noise. She wanted to replace it. After all, a good tool is essential for a good job!

"Yes, yes, we have both big and small carriages. If you want this little horse, I'll provide you with a carriage; you can add 20 taels of silver for it."

It wasn't too expensive, and after buying this set, she would still have a lot of money left over. Led by the horse trader, Lan Ya Mei looked around at the carriages again before finally paying her dues. She then hitched up the horse and rode off to wander the streets.

Driving a horse-drawn carriage wasn't difficult, even easier than learning to ride a bicycle. These horses were trained and not wild at all. After just two laps, I was able to handle them with ease.

Now let's get down to today's main task. First stop: the cloth shop. This linen outfit looks so poor. Even small vendors need to look presentable to project an air of authority.

There happened to be a large fabric shop by the roadside, with a horse-drawn carriage tied up at the door. I strode inside.