Xu Zhi was actually still a little worried about the problems with her store in Tongzhou.
Xu Di frowned after hearing Xu Zhi's account of the situation in Tongzhou and said, "Xiao Jiu, the situation in Tongzhou is very complicated. Don't underestimate it just because it's a small county town. The forces involved are very complex. My opinion is that you should put things in Tongzhou aside for now and wait until things in the capital improve before going to Tongzhou. Since people think you've already left Tongzhou, you might as well go back to the capital as well. That way, your house purchase will go smoothly."
Xu Zhi considered it for a moment and thought it made sense, so she didn't say anything more. After lunch, Xu Di led his men back to the capital, while Xu Zhi went back to the Shen family's estate with Shen Mingwan.
The two estates were not actually far apart; Xu Zhi and the others arrived in a carriage in about half an hour.
There was nothing to see outside the gate, but once inside, all that could be seen was the burned-out walls of the house in the front yard. Xu Zhi and Shen Mingwan stood in front of the house, looking at each other. Xu Zhi sighed deeply and said, "We should fix this house as soon as possible, before it gets too cold and the ground freezes. We need to fix whatever needs fixing. It's really unpleasant to look at like this."
Shen Mingwan nodded, and the two walked through the hanging flower gate towards the backyard. Xu Zhi asked Shen Mingwan, "Where did Young Master Chu go?"
Shen Mingwan said irritably, "Who knows where they went? Go wherever they want, you ungrateful wretch!"
Seeing that Shen Mingwan was angry, Xu Zhi smiled and said, "Good sister, don't be angry. It's not worth getting angry over someone like that. Besides, he didn't get anything out of you, did he?"
Shen Mingwan's expression was unfriendly, but she responded to Xu Zhi with a perfunctory tone, saying, "Yes, yes, he tried to scheme, but he couldn't escape your grasp. Xiao Jiu, don't you think he's quite pitiful?"
In the end, Shen Mingwan even seemed a little gloating. Xu Zhi smiled and said, "Okay, as long as you're happy, Mingwan, you can say whatever you want, alright?"
They had already reached the entrance of the courtyard where Shen Mingwan lived in the backyard. A maidservant who served Shen Mingwan ran out of the house, saw Shen Mingwan and Granny Lin, ran over and hugged Granny Lin and started crying.
Granny Lin nudged her and said, "You silly girl, why are you crying? The young lady and I are back now, aren't we? Hurry up and go prepare dinner. After dinner, everyone should tidy up. We're going to the capital with the young lady tomorrow."
The two maids accompanying Shen Mingwan were brought from Yuezhou. They had long admired the capital and considered it a great honor to be able to visit it. Hearing what Lin Mama was saying, they were naturally overjoyed to be able to stay in the capital. They wiped away their tears and quickly went about their business.
Xu Zhi looked at the backyard, which seemed no different from usual, and then went inside to check the rooms that hadn't been damaged. She said, "That's good, they didn't come over to wreak havoc."
Shen Mingwan said, "They were trying to harm me, so they naturally didn't care about these things. Besides, I just came from Yuezhou and didn't bring much with me. I was planning to buy some useful things when I got there."
Granny Lin had already started packing Shen Mingwan's things with her. They were all things she had brought with her when she came, and they were packed into a few boxes. When Xu Zhi saw this, she said, "Sister Mingwan, if there's anything you don't like, just tell me."
Shen Mingwan quickly smiled and took Xu Zhi's hand, saying, "What are you saying? My mother converted all my dowry into banknotes and gave them to me. Besides, I am now my uncle's child, and all of my uncle's assets have been left to me. I am very well-off."
Children from wealthy families start saving for their dowries from a very young age. The dowry that the Shen family gave to Madam Feng was quite substantial. Madam Feng was also a very shrewd businesswoman, and over the years, the dowry she had accumulated had grown very well. She had saved up a large sum of money. The Feng family was not an ordinary family, and every girl in the family would receive a dowry. Shen Mingwan's share was probably taken from the Feng family by Madam Feng.
Shen Mingwan sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), looking at the teacup on the kang table, and said to Xu Zhi, "Xiao Jiu, I still plan to buy a house in the capital in the future. I've been in Yuezhou for a while now, and I feel that I'm not suited to that place. After all, the capital is where I grew up. I'm familiar with it, and I like it here."
Xu Zhi sat down next to Shen Mingwan and said, "If you like it, then stay here. Everything will pass, Mingwan. You should have confidence in the future."
Shen Mingwan smiled bitterly after hearing Xu Zhi's words and said, "Future? Xiao Jiu, what future can I have? I'm already a dead person. I can't even be outside. If someone sees me, they will inevitably find out about the scheme my parents helped me with. If that really happens, our conflict with the Third Prince will be exposed, and my parents might be abandoned by my grandfather."
Seeing Shen Mingwan's expression, Xu Zhi felt very sad and said, "Sister Mingwan, don't be like this. You should think about the good things. Since we want to buy a house, let's buy a good one. It would be best if it had a big garden, and a big pond in the garden. We can plant lotus flowers, water chestnuts, and raise fish in it. Sister Mingwan, we can fish in the pond and then build a fire by the pond to grill the fish."
Shen Mingwan knew perfectly well that Xu Zhi was just trying to cheer her up. Thinking about it, she was actually quite lucky. After such a thing happened, she was still able to meet Xu Zhi, such a good friend and kindred spirit, in Yuezhou, so far away. Most people wouldn't be this lucky.
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