It only takes half an hour to travel across the wide river to the other side.
Song He'er felt like she had only been on the boat for a blink of an eye before it was time to disembark.
After landing, Jiang Huaifu found a carriage and took the two of them to the market of Nanzhao.
The prosperity of Nanzhao reminded her of the capital city.
When she was little, because she was born out of wedlock, she couldn't go out with her stepmother. Even during the Lantern Festival, when they returned and the mansion was quiet, she would only dare to sneak out with the maid to catch a glimpse of them...
To be honest, those days weren't very good. It wasn't as carefree as it is now. Although the food and lodging weren't as luxurious as in the General's Mansion, and the public and private life wasn't as respectable as in the General's Mansion.
But for her, a modern person with supernatural abilities, this unrestrained life is more pleasant.
"what's on your mind?"
The sudden words startled Song He'er.
Jiang Huaifu had already put on his cloak and was waiting for her to get out of the car.
"Oh, it's nothing, I was just thinking about what to buy later."
Jiang Huaifu smiled and extended his hand to her, "Since you don't lack money, why don't you just come to me to buy things instead of taking the job and going back to work to earn money before coming to me?"
“I’ve already answered that question. My mother and the others don’t know I have money. Do you want them to think I’m a thief who steals things? In the end, I’d steal some of the General’s mansion’s money. How shameful would that be?”
Jiang Huaifu was rendered speechless by the rebuttal and had no choice but to stop talking.
The main street of Nanzhao was wide and bustling. The two of them changed into Nanzhao clothing and walked on the street without attracting much attention.
"Sir, would you like to see some silk? This is the most famous silk from our Nanzhao region."
As he spoke, the vendor casually picked out a brightly colored piece of silk and handed it to Jiang Huaifu.
He would occasionally glance at Song He'er, as if he regarded her as Jiang Huaifu's lover, his eyes still lingering with desire.
Song He'er would occasionally roll her eyes at him, as if to warn him to stop staring at her up and down.
"Do you like it? It suits your skin tone very well." Jiang Huaifu suddenly blurted out this sentence.
When Song He'er looked up, she met his affectionate gaze.
"Me?? We're not here to buy clothes..."
Jiang Huaifu didn't seem to listen to Song He'er's words; instead, he remained in the same state as before.
He took the silk and made a comparison with Song He'er without permission.
"Your skin is as white as snow. When next summer comes, we'll make clothes out of this silk, and they'll look wonderful."
Hearing Jiang Huaifu's words, the merchant chimed in, "This lady has fair skin and a beautiful face. She will definitely look good in this red. Your husband has excellent taste!"
Song He'er blushed and immediately stopped him, "You scoundrel, how can you speak so rudely? How can you be so sure that I am his wife and not his sister? Besides, I am wearing a veil, so you have not seen my true face. It is clear that what you are saying is not true and is just a perfunctory excuse."
Jiang Huaifu simply smiled and remained silent.
Seeing this, the vendor realized he had misspoke and quickly apologized to Song He'er.
"I'm sorry, young lady, I was blind and misjudged you. Please don't take offense."
Feeling angry, Song He'er turned her head away and left without saying a word.
Jiang Huaifu couldn't refuse, so he gave the merchant a few taels of silver and bought the half-piece of silk.
"Why are you buying these? I can't wear them. Do you expect me to wear red and green to work every day in this remote place? People might call me a monster."
Jiang Huaifu breathed a sigh of relief and replied slowly and deliberately, “You only think that I bought silk that you can’t wear, but you didn’t expect that these samples are indeed top-notch goods from Nanzhao. Don’t you want to take them back and study them carefully, and then open your own workshop? With your attitude, you still boast about doing business all day long. If you don’t even have this much brain, then what are you doing?”
After being scolded, Song He'er's cheeks turned even redder. However, she admitted that she hadn't thought of that. She was just a little annoyed by the vendor's words and hadn't been paying attention for a moment...
"Okay, I admit I was wrong this time. But the business you're talking about is too big to start with. It's impossible to reach the top in one step. You have to start from the bottom, like tailoring, measuring, mending, and washing. Only by growing the shop day by day will you avoid arousing suspicion."
Jiang Huaifu slowed his pace and quietly observed Song He'er's expression.
"Just look at the hairpin you gave me yesterday. I can tell you that you could easily open ten workshops in Nanzhao. If you don't want to attract attention, you can just hire people to make them."
Although Song He'er also wanted to do the same, this business model, in modern terms, is capital. You don't have to put in any effort yourself, and the money will obediently go into your pocket. You use cheap labor to produce efficiency, squeezing and exploiting layer by layer. This method is the most comfortable way to make money, but she still wanted to experience it for herself.
"If I do something, I will definitely do it well. I will never be perfunctory. Moreover, I will do it myself. Your Highness is used to being a noble in the Western Continent. Naturally, the more relaxed you are, the better. You have completely lost the joy of life."
Song He'er only wanted to vent her frustrations and give a good lecture, but she ended up saying things she shouldn't have.
Jiang Huaifu's attendant immediately coughed lightly and reminded her, "Miss, are you tired? Why don't we find a teahouse to rest for a while?"
Just as she expected, Jiang Huaifu's face darkened again, but he didn't say anything. He just pursed his thin lips, cold and without a trace of a smile.
"I'm so sorry... I accidentally revealed your identity again. I won't do it again..."
Song He'er pretended to be clever and ingratiating. She had begged Jiang Huaifu to come today, and if she offended him now, wouldn't she never have such a good opportunity again?
Jiang Huaifu didn't speak, but his expression softened slightly, indicating that his sweet and yielding approach was effective.
The two men, accompanied by their entourage, casually found a quiet and elegant teahouse.
Song He'er chose a room on the second floor by the window, so that she could clearly overlook half of the long street.
"This Nanzhao is truly prosperous. We haven't even reached the capital yet, and it's already so lively on the border. I wonder if the ruler here enjoys delicacies like abalone, sea cucumber, shark fin, and other rare seafood every day?"
"Even a fifth-rank official can live a life of luxury, let alone the imperial family. Do you think only the emperors of the Central Plains deserve this kind of life?"
Song He'er rolled her eyes at him, "I didn't mean that!"
......
There was a lot of house cleaning to do before the New Year, so today's update is late and there's no extra update. Please don't mind.
Also, remember to take care of your health while doing the pre-New Year's cleaning; don't overexert yourself!
Good night~~
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