After He Tiantian left, Cheng Shi, unwilling to give up, slowly circled around the stall and tugged at the sleeve of a little maid.

He asked quietly, "Hey, how much is this?"

"A headscarf costs two taels of silver, and a gauze scarf costs four taels of silver..." The maid looked at her; she was dressed in shabby clothes, clearly unable to afford them.

Therefore, there was a hint of disdain in his tone.

Upon hearing the price, Cheng was so frightened that she grabbed Tiezi's mother and left.

Goodness, that's so expensive, she really can't afford it. She'd better just go and work to earn money.

He Tiantian followed the bustling crowd, strolling and looking around until she arrived at the entrance of Bailu Academy.

Perhaps because it wasn't time for school to end yet, there wasn't a single student at the gate.

Only the small vendors who set up stalls at the entrance of the academy.

He Tiantian bought a set of writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone from a stall. Of course, this wasn't for her children at home.

Because they still can't write calligraphy well.

This was bought for Zhao Yan. Last time she passed by Zhao Yan's house, she accidentally saw the child writing in the sand just like the other children.

It must have been to save paper; it's heartbreaking to see. So He Tiantian plans to have the children take it to thank their teacher.

Before noon, He Tiantian saw that some shops nearby were already busy picking and washing vegetables.

The shops near Bailu Academy are mostly food stalls.

She inquired about the rent of several shops, and it was almost always around fifty taels of silver per month.

He Tiantian was so shocked her jaw almost dropped. Fifty taels... that meant she could only rent for three or four months with the cash she had on hand.

How much food would I have to sell, and how high would the prices have to be, to cover the rent?

After making inquiries around, He Tiantian had completely given up.

She turned into several alleys, trying to find one that was a little further away.

There aren't many food shops on this street, but there are candy shops, pastry shops, clothing shops, and general stores.

He Tiantian stood there for a while and thought the foot traffic was pretty good.

At the very end of this street stands the renowned "Wanchun Tower," a landmark in the entire Changning County.

After walking around for a while, she actually found a shop for rent.

He Tiantian went up and looked inside. It was empty except for a young boy of about ten years old sweeping the floor.

He Tiantian knocked on the door, and the young waiter, hearing the sound, quickly came forward.

"Sir, are you here for a meal? I'm sorry, this shop just closed down today..."

He Tiantian raised an eyebrow. "Why aren't you doing it anymore? Where's your manager?"

The young shop assistant smiled sheepishly, "Our manager isn't planning to keep the shop here anymore; he's going to sell it."

Sold out... He Tiantian looked around and found the interior quite spacious.

Moreover, it was a small two-story shop, which met her expectations.

However, this price must be quite high; she probably can't afford it.

He Tiantian didn't want to give up so easily. After a pause, she said, "Is your manager here? I'd like to talk to him."

The young man didn't think He Tiantian couldn't afford it because of her clothes. On the contrary, he enthusiastically went inside to call the shopkeeper.

A short while later, a man dressed in fine clothes came out from inside.

Manager Tong glanced at He Tiantian standing at the door and spoke with a non-local accent.

"Madam, are you looking to buy the shop?"

He Tiantian nodded.

Shopkeeper Tong was delighted and quickly invited the man in, asking the young man to pour tea.

The tables and chairs in the lobby were still painted a dark red, looking brand new, indicating that they were well-maintained.

"This is my first day running the shop. I want to sell some small food items," He Tiantian said frankly.

Shopkeeper Tong quickly replied, "Then you've come to the right place, Madam. I bought this shop three years ago and have been selling home-style dishes ever since. Business has been pretty good."

The young man next to him nodded in agreement.

He Tiantian took a sip of water and glanced at Manager Tong.

"If business is doing so well, why did the shopkeeper quit?"

Shopkeeper Tong rubbed his hands excitedly, his eyes shining, and said, "I'm moving my whole family to the capital. To be honest, I've lived in the capital since I was a child. Changning is my hometown, but I only came back after I got married and had children."

“Now that the elders in my family have passed away, I really have no relatives or friends here, so I’m thinking of moving back.”

Looking at Manager Tong's serious expression, He Tiantian didn't think he was lying.

Three or four years ago, Manager Tong brought his whole family back to his hometown, simply because his elderly grandmother was left without anyone to take care of her.

The old man passed away a few days ago. After fulfilling his filial duty, Manager Tong was thinking of going back home.

After all, some of his family and relatives are still in the capital.

He Tiantian nodded, thinking that this Manager Tong was a kind and righteous person.

She stopped beating around the bush and said frankly, "Manager Tong, I really want your shop, but I might not have that much money on hand right now."

Manager Tong wasn't exactly short of money; his family had been skilled cooks for generations, so they never had trouble making money wherever they went.

“I bought this shop three years ago for four hundred and fifty taels of silver. I won’t raise the price, but can you at least let me break even?”

Moreover, they plan to return to Beijing in the next couple of days. If the shop can't be sold, there's no one to help them deal with the aftermath.

If you can't sell it, then keep it. Of course, it would be even better if you could sell it.

Anyway, Manager Tong was quite indifferent to this matter. Mainly because his wife had spoken up: they would sell at break-even and he would never be able to return to this small county town.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!