Xu Zhi smiled and said, "Auntie, of course, but please don't think I'm being a nag."
Xu Di had been waiting impatiently. Seeing Ning Shi talking to Xu Zhi, he went over and pulled Xu Zhi aside, saying to Ning Shi, "Aunt, I haven't seen my Ninth Sister for quite some time. Please have pity on me and let my Ninth Sister go over there and talk to me first."
Upon hearing this, Madam Ning burst into laughter and said, "It's truly rare to see our young master so rude."
Inside the side hall, everyone gathered around, chatting and laughing. While eating, they listened to Xu Zhi talk about the local customs and culture she had experienced in Qionghai. When they heard something interesting, everyone kept asking Xu Zhi questions, which made her throat dry from talking so much.
Granny Lu did not come back with them; she stayed in Yuezhou to help Zheng Yuanyuan manage the household.
After dinner, Xu Zhi stayed in the old lady's room for a while and whispered some words to her. Then, Granny Shen sent two senior maids and a few junior maids from the old lady's courtyard to deliver her to Xu Rao and Chen Zhaoci's courtyard with lanterns.
Xu Zhi lived in the side room of this courtyard. The side room had been cleaned, and Bai Guo and Bai Shu had prepared bath water for Xu Zhi. After Xu Zhi washed up, she returned to her room and found that Xu Di and Li Yuexi had come.
Xu Zhi was naturally very excited to see her older brother and sister-in-law.
Li Yuexi took Xu Zhi's hand and said, "Ninth Sister, it's getting late, but your brother and I really wanted to talk to you a little longer, so we came over."
Xu Zhi couldn't stay in the capital for long. Tomorrow she would visit the Zheng family to meet the old lady and pay her respects to the Marquis of Pingxi and Madam Chen. The day after tomorrow she would have to hurry north. Therefore, Xu Di and Li Yuexi didn't care that it was already late.
Xu Zhi said, "Sister-in-law, even if you don't come over, I was thinking of sending Bai Guo to check if you've rested. If you haven't, I'll come over and talk to you. We haven't seen each other for several months, and I really miss you all."
Xu Di waved his hand and said, "Xiao Jiu, tell me what you've seen these past few days and what your thoughts are."
Xu Zhi thought for a moment and said, "Brother, I know what you want to ask. I think the most profitable business is ocean shipping, but the risks are too great. I'm afraid of accidents. There's also the option of transporting goods from the south to the north and vice versa. That's something we can do, but I don't think it's the most profitable."
Xu Di nodded and said, "Xiao Jiu, what you said makes a lot of sense. Shipping is indeed profitable, but it is also the riskiest. I don't recommend you do it. I have an idea here, let me tell you about it."
When Xu Zhi heard Xu Di say this, her eyes lit up immediately. Xu Zhi had watched Xu Di cause trouble since she was a child, so she naturally knew that her brother really had a golden touch. Everything he did was profitable. The aunts and uncles in the mansion had made a lot of money over the years thanks to her brother. Otherwise, how could the atmosphere in the mansion be so harmonious?
Xu Zhi understood perfectly that the reason why everyone in the Yongning Marquis's mansion was so united was because the Ning family and their sisters-in-law all had profitable businesses. Regardless of how much these businesses earned, they brought in a considerable income for the ladies of the mansion every month. With money in hand, and seeing their shops and estates thriving like golden goose laying eggs, what more could they ask for?
In fact, people are often like this: money emboldens them. When they have money in their hands, they don't care about many things. Even minor daily conflicts are just laughed off.
Thinking a bit too far ahead, Xu Zhi looked at Xu Di's serious and earnest expression and couldn't help but straighten her posture.
Xu Di smiled and waved his hand, saying, "Xiao Jiu, you don't need to do that. I just had this idea."
Xu Zhi thought of a word and said with a smile, "It should be planning."
Xu Di couldn't help but laugh. He had come to this strange world with his parents and had been living with Xu Zhi for more than ten years. Xu Zhi already understood the meaning of some modern terms.
Seeing Xu Di laughing happily, Xu Zhi said reproachfully, "Brother, why are you laughing at me like that? Am I wrong?"
Xu Di laughed a few more times before shaking his head and saying, "No, no, Xiao Jiu is right."
After finishing speaking, Xu Di straightened his expression and said, "People live in this world, and they need food, clothing, shelter, and transportation. If you want to make money, you have to focus on these things. Xiao Jiu, food is the most important thing for people. Have you ever thought about doing something in the food industry?"
Xu Zhi thought for a moment, shook her head, and said, "Brother, I've thought about it. Making food can make money, but some things are not easy to preserve or transport, like some pastries. Every place has its own special pastries. In winter, the weather is cold, so the pastries can be kept for a while. But what if the weather is hot? They will spoil in a couple of days."
Xu Di was surprised that Xu Zhi could think of such things, and said with a smile, "Xiao Jiu, have you ever thought about opening pastry shops in different places?"
After Xu Di said that, Xu Zhi couldn't help but start to think about it.
Xu Zhi is no longer the naive little girl she once was. In the past six months, she has traveled to many places and seen many things, and she has developed her own ideas.
The more Xu Zhi thought about it, the brighter her face became. Finally, Xu Zhi smiled and said to Xu Di, "Brother, this really is a good idea. Although there are already many local specialty snacks in the capital, what if I could make a snack that is different from others?"
Xu Di actually wanted to develop cream cakes. As for baked goods, many young girls and children probably can't resist the temptation of those exquisite desserts.
In Xu Zhi's room, there was a desk with writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone on it, but the inkstone was empty.
Xu Di got up, walked to the desk, carefully ground ink in the inkstone, and said to Xu Zhi, "Xiao Jiu, come here, I'll tell you my plans in detail."
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