Even though they only signed a contract for a short period, she couldn't just break her promise like that.
After refusing the shopkeeper's offer, she quickly went upstairs. Seeing the children sleeping soundly, she couldn't bear to disturb them. She had seen their hard work over the past few days and felt a pang of heartache for them.
She decided to go out and look for a place by herself, and luckily, she fell in love with that small workshop at first sight!
The shop is small, just like a small kitchen. Inside is an inner room, which is placed in such an inconspicuous place that it seems superfluous!
"Excuse me, is this place for sale?"
As soon as she finished speaking, an old man looked up, as if he had just woken up! He looked at her with surprise and delight after realizing what was happening.
"Sell! Sell! Sell!"
Then he quickly took out a piece of paper, his face crinkling with laughter.
“This lady has excellent taste. My shop only costs fifty taels of silver. The location is superb, with high foot traffic, and it's fully equipped. If my wife hadn't fallen ill, I wouldn't have had to sell the shop…”
The old man had a 'you got a good deal' look on his face, which made Qin Qing's lips twitch. She looked up and glanced around. There were people, but not many. The surrounding area was almost entirely other shops, but this place was unusually deserted...
Not to mention the Qianqiu Inn not far away; there probably won't be any guests around here!
Thinking of this, she held up three fingers! Her gaze remained firm.
"Thirty taels is the most I can accept, otherwise I won't take it!"
Upon hearing this, the old man's face lit up with an excited smile.
"Deal! Thirty taels! Come on, sign it!"
Seeing how readily he agreed, Qin Qing's expression changed drastically as she realized what had happened, inwardly exclaiming that she had been cheated! She hadn't expected this old man to be such a master!
However, she was too lazy to haggle over the price, so she quickly signed the papers. Just as she was about to pay, she suddenly remembered something. She looked at the old man and noticed a fleeting glint of cunning in his eyes.
"Doesn't transferring a shop require notification to the government and registration with the authorities?"
After all, modern houses require property ownership certificates and such. Doesn't she need to go through any registration or reporting procedures when she buys a house?
The old man was startled upon hearing this, seemingly not expecting that this seemingly rustic peasant woman would know this, and then he suddenly realized what she meant.
"Oh dear, you see, getting old makes you forgetful. Yes, yes, you need to report to the government."
Qin Qing rolled her eyes. Luckily, she had bought a house before, otherwise she would have really been ripped off!
After everything was settled, she finally breathed a sigh of relief, holding the official contract stamped with the government seal.
The next morning, the whole family came to the small workshop and quickly began cleaning.
Qin Qing looked up at the children's earnest expressions, feeling as if she were in a dream. In the blink of an eye, half a year had passed since she arrived. From fleeing famine to searching for people, she seemed to have never stopped for a moment, and her life was far from the smooth sailing of a novel's heroine! Indeed, the heroine's halo didn't belong to her!
Although the shop is not big, it looks quite presentable thanks to their hard work in renovating it.
Subsequently, a small workshop called Qin's Cake Shop opened...
Qin Qing sent Shaoyao to the Grand Tutor's residence to inform Liu Piaorou of her new address, while she herself went to the pleasure boat.
When looking for someone, the first thing you need is a sketch!
Looking at the enormous pavilion before him, Qin Qing couldn't help but be slightly surprised...
The painted boat was decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations, with its top painted yellow and its pillars carved with phoenixes. As it approached, one could see that even the figures on the lanterns were depicted with lifelike detail.
Just as she was engrossed in watching, a young man walked over and impatiently shooed her away.
"Hey, hey, hey, where did this old woman come from? This is a place for scholars and literati to compose poems, not a vegetable market. Get out of here!"
Qin Qing frowned upon seeing this and retorted.
"I'm here to find an artist, not to buy groceries. What kind of attitude is this?"
Upon hearing this, the young man looked at Qin Qing with a scrutinizing gaze and spoke with great disdain.
"Someone like you? Do you know how much our painters charge? It's probably enough to cover your annual wages! Go away, don't tarnish our image."
Qin Qing was caught off guard and was pushed. She stumbled and almost fell to the ground. Before she could get angry, a sigh came from inside.
"A poetry competition stage, a competition of poetic talent; a competition of poetic talent on the poetry competition stage; the poetry stage is unparalleled, the poetic talent is unparalleled."
Is there really no one who can come up with a matching second line?
A gasp of surprise rippled through the room, followed by a flurry of discussion. Since the door was open, Qin Qing could see everything clearly: the young man before him looked on with disdain, while the group of scholars inside were deep in thought, their faces filled with difficulty…
Qin Qing instantly had an idea, quickly stood up, and took a deep breath! The young man looked on as if facing a formidable enemy, and then he heard her shout into the room.
"Looking out from Wangjiang Tower, gazing at the flowing river; from Wangjiang Tower, gazing at the flowing river; the tower stands eternally, the river flows eternally."
She finished speaking in one breath and immediately took a deep breath, almost choking on her own breath!
Inside the pleasure boat, the group of talented scholars suddenly turned around, their eyes filled with excitement as they looked towards the door…
A middle-aged woman, dressed in very simple clothes, stood at the entrance of the pleasure boat. Her long hair was casually tied back, and she looked old and disheveled...
The scholars froze! They couldn't believe that the woman in front of them had just uttered such an absolute statement! But looking around, it really was just her and the boatman at the door.
The servant beside Qin Qing was also stunned. After realizing what had happened, he stared at her intently.
"I didn't realize you were even somewhat educated, ma'am. Did you find this couplet somewhere?"
Qin Qing wasn't annoyed, and just snorted coldly.
"So what if you have! You haven't even read this simple couplet, so your painting skills must be mediocre. I don't care!"
There's more than just this one pleasure boat; if all else fails, she could always find a painter from the government office to paint it.
Thinking this, she strode away from the painted boat, and by the time everyone came to their senses, she had already disappeared! However, the grand echo of "The river flows eternally" lingered for a long time!
Qin Qing arrived at the second pleasure boat, which was crowded with scholars. She couldn't get in at all, so she had no choice but to go to the government office to find a painter.
After everything was settled and she paid, it was already quite late…
Walking down the deserted street, Qin Qing felt utterly lost. If things continued like this, when would she ever find Zhang He?
Just then, footsteps echoed through the dark night sky, startling her so much that she looked around warily.
"Ta-da!"
She whirled around, and everything went black as a pair of large hands covered her mouth. The two of them huddled together in a corner…
Qin Qing stared wide-eyed, never expecting that this cliché scene, a staple of transmigrated female protagonists, would actually happen!
Soon, soft footsteps were heard outside, and a group of men in black quickly flashed by!
She realized what was happening, her brows furrowed, and a flash of silver light appeared in her hand. If this person dared to make any move, she would turn him into a eunuch!
Once the man in black had gone far away, the man breathed a sigh of relief and said in a low voice.
I'm sorry!
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