In the morning, Li Lanzhen stayed in bed and didn't get up.
She felt very tired!
From the moment I opened my eyes and came into this world, I led my children and grandchildren to escape famine.
It was either a natural disaster or a war; if they relaxed even slightly, every little thing that happened along the way could cost the whole family their lives.
Her body and mind were both tense.
I'm tired now and want to rest for a while!
She didn't want to know what became of Gu Yuli and that warlord!
If in the end their outcome is not what they wanted.
Then I'll just have to achieve the result I want in my own way.
Lost in thought, I drifted off to sleep again...
She only slowly woke up when Xuan Shen knocked on the door.
He sat up but didn't answer.
Xuan Shen stood outside the door and asked, "Auntie, I have something to tell you."
"Wait a moment." After saying that, Li Lanzhen quickly got up, dressed, washed up, and went downstairs to the lobby on the first floor.
The younger brother told her that the Scrophularia was in the backyard.
When they arrived at the backyard, Xuan Shen was standing in the yard talking to An Yi.
Upon seeing her come out, the two of them quickly came over to greet her.
"Auntie, last night the commander of the Youzhou city defense battalion died on the body of the thirteenth concubine."
Thirteenth concubine had her limbs broken by the First Madam, was given a drug to make her mute, and was thrown into a beggar's den.
General Qi of the city defense battalion received intelligence that the military governor was a corrupt official who had committed murder and disregarded human life.
His son was a ruthless bully in the capital, harassing men and women.
So by daybreak, General Qi had already sent troops to surround the governor's mansion.
"We just confiscated tens of thousands of catties of grain and countless gold and silver treasures from the governor's mansion."
Seeing that Li Lanzhen remained silent, Xuan Shen looked at her and continued.
"Most importantly, a considerable number of weapons made of fine iron were found in the governor's mansion's warehouse."
Therefore, General Qi wrote this news into a memorial and sent it to the imperial palace in the capital as quickly as possible.
Li Lanzhen nodded. "You've all worked hard. Have you had breakfast yet?"
After saying that, he looked up and saw that the sun was high in the sky. He smiled.
Xuan Shen and An Yi also laughed.
To avoid embarrassing Li Lanzhen, Xuan Shen said, "Auntie, we're hungry right now, let's go have lunch."
The three of them entered the lobby on the first floor of the Sifang Restaurant and then went up to a private room on the second floor.
Soon, the food was served.
The three of them ate in silence for a while, until they were full.
Xuan Shen took out a handkerchief and wiped his mouth.
Watching Li Lanzhen leisurely eat the drunken duck, he asked her, "Auntie, are you going back to Peach Blossom Spring?"
Li Lanzhen was silent for a moment and then shook her head. "No, I want to take a walk around Youzhou City."
Let's see if there are any other suitable shops we can buy.
Xuan Shen raised the corners of his lips and twitched his eyebrows; he knew it.
Aunt Lanzhen never bows to difficulties; she always faces them head-on!
This incident did not break her; instead, it fueled her fighting spirit.
Even though three of her shops were vandalized, she still went on to buy even more shops.
Thinking of the news he had received from the capital a couple of days ago, he said to Li Lanzhen.
“Auntie, don’t be fooled by the fact that Youzhou City is far from the capital.”
However, within three years, the population of Youzhou City will quadruple.
With more people, there will be more business coming from all directions.
So buy as many shops as you can; you'll only make more money, you won't lose.
Li Lanzhen's eyes lit up instantly—this was business information!
It seems that Xuan Shen received some news from the palace. Well then, Li Lanzhen will accept this favor!
He nodded and smiled, "Thank you for telling me this. I'll take a look around in the next couple of days."
Xuan Shen noticed that although Li Lanzhen had gotten up late today, the fatigue on her face was obvious.
He stood up and prepared to leave with An Yi.
"Auntie, you should rest more and then go for a walk."
You can also go to a dental clinic to take a look first.
Regarding the vandalism of the three shops, I will keep you informed if there are any further issues.
Li Lanzhen didn't say anything, but simply waved her hand to indicate that she understood.
After they left, Li Lanzhen sat for a while longer, drank half a cup of tea, and then got up and leisurely went out for a stroll.
She didn't call for a carriage and walked instead.
They strolled leisurely through the streets and alleys.
It's been a long time since I've had such a leisurely stroll.
The city of Youzhou has three main east-west streets and two main north-south streets.
The other alleys and smaller streets are all branches of these main streets.
The Sifang Restaurant and the family's general store were both located on this bustling street in the middle of the southeast direction.
The furniture store and embroidery store are located on the southernmost street in the East-West Alley.
So Li Lanzhen turned off Sifang Jiulu and headed towards the east-west North Street.
She had never been to this street before.
I'm not very familiar with the other two streets either, but I only know a part of them because my three shops are there.
North Street, the main street, is lined with shops on both sides.
The tallest shops have three floors, some have two floors, but most are single-story.
The shop signs and banners displayed by the merchants are all very old.
The feeling that Li Lizhen experienced this was from a very long time ago.
She went into a grocery store to ask about the situation.
Inside the grocery store, an old man was standing behind the cash register, rapidly calculating with his abacus.
He didn't say anything when she came in, and just went about his own business.
Li Lanzhen didn't say anything, but walked around the entire grocery store.
This little general store is half the size of their Peach Blossom Spring General Store.
This is truly a general store.
From large items like baskets, carrying poles, and kitchen utensils, to farm tools...
They have everything from needles and thread to food and daily necessities.
She saw that they were selling brown sugar, so she took two pre-packaged packets and placed them on the counter.
"Shopkeeper, I'd like to buy two packets of brown sugar."
Li Lianzhen still has a lot of brown sugar in her space.
But she wanted to chat with the shopkeeper and ask him about the business situation in the shops on North Street.
"Shopkeeper, I've walked through these streets, and it seems like there are quite a few shops on North Street."
But the plaque looks quite old.
Business at the shops isn't doing very well.
The shopkeeper looked up at Li Lanzhen and saw that she had a kind face and didn't seem like someone who wanted to cause trouble.
He sighed and said, "Alas, back in the day, the most prosperous street in Youzhou City was our North Street!"
A full decade of glory!
At that time, a shop on this street could earn more than twice as much in a day as those on the other streets.
Shops here are extremely hard to come by!
But now…
The old shopkeeper shook his head, his expression heavy with unspoken words.
"Why is this? Both are main streets in Youzhou City, so why is business gradually declining?"
The old shopkeeper glanced at Li Lanzhen, then at the passersby outside the shop, and muttered, "It's all thanks to that damned uncle!"
Li Lanzhen nodded when she saw that he wasn't going to continue.
"Oh, okay, I understand."
Seeing that Li Lanzhen was a sensible and understanding person, the old shopkeeper didn't mind talking to her a few more times.
"That guy, in just over two years, has ruined our business on North Street!"
The most bustling street in Youzhou City right now is the central avenue.
Business on both South Street and North Street isn't as good as it used to be.
"Old shopkeeper, what kind of shops are on North Street? What kind of business do they do?"
"Sigh, on our North Street, there are restaurants, snack shops, grocery stores, fabric shops... all kinds of shops."
Now, heading west from here, these shops are doing pretty well.
Because it's right next to the north gate of Youzhou City, and there are several small docks right outside, business is quite good.
But what you don't know is that the shops east of North Street are experiencing increasingly poor business.
More than a dozen shops have already closed down. Some shop owners have even moved their businesses to the streets ahead.
Some have moved their businesses to the capital.
Upon hearing this, Li Lanzhen thought it was good news.
"Old shopkeeper, do you know if they're selling the shop, or just leasing it out?"
"I know a few shops that are already listed for sale at the brokerage, and some that are for rent, right? You'd better ask the brokerage and tell them about the shops on the east side of North Street. They should know."
After saying these words, the old shopkeeper looked at Li Lanzhen again.
"What's up, young lady? You want to buy this shop?"
After asking, he shook his head again, "Young lady, I advise you not to buy it on this street, but to go to one of the other streets ahead."
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