Chapter 32

Chapter 32

"Father, the pharmacy you used to work at is still in business. The Emperor has returned it to me. Since we're in the capital now and you have nothing pressing to do, how about returning to that pharmacy once you've settled in? There's currently an opening for an assistant shopkeeper. Once you've fully adapted, you can take over as the head shopkeeper."

After exchanging pleasantries, the family sat in the hall, sipping tea, as Shen Anning began to arrange their new lives in the capital.

It turned out that Wu Youcai was formerly the third shopkeeper at one of the Shen family's pharmacies. The Shen ancestors were physicians, a respected medical family. Later generations abandoned medicine for scholarly pursuits, and by Shen Zhong's time, though they no longer practiced, they still held a measure of reverence for their ancestral trade.

Wu Youcai, being from the same hometown as Steward Meng, was entrusted with a crucial task during the Shen family's calamity. On the night of the great fire, Steward Meng, fearing for the safety of the Shen family's last bloodline hidden in the capital, had no choice but to place the infant into Wu Youcai's arms. He instructed Wu Youcai to flee south through the night with the family heir, to assume a new identity, and to go as far away as possible.

Later, Wu Youcai settled in Lingshui Village with Shen Anning. When Shen Anning was two years old, he married Hao Shi, and they always presented Shen Anning to outsiders as their daughter.

Initially, Wu Youcai worked in a town shop, helping to dispense medicines and earning a meager living. Later, he was squeezed out and dared not seek work in the county town for fear of exposing the young lady's identity. Eventually, he resorted to foraging for wild herbs in the mountains, relying on selling them to support his family.

Now, after more than a decade away from the trade, it was perfectly reasonable for him to return to the shop for some experience.

Hao Shi had arrived with grand expectations of enjoying a life of luxury and becoming a lady of leisure. She never imagined that her foster daughter, who had risen to prominence like a phoenix, would assign her husband to work as a shop assistant. The stark contrast between her hopes and reality was too great, and she instantly deflated.

Shen Anning noticed her expression but paid it no mind, continuing calmly, "You two elders can stay in this old residence for now. There are maids, servants, and Grandpa Meng here. If you need anything, just tell them. If anything important arises, send someone to report it to the Marquis's residence. As for Gui Geer, I'll find him a martial arts instructor another day and select two servant boys his age. You just focus on settling in properly."

Shen Anning meticulously arranged every detail.

Hearing this, and seeing her foster daughter's thoughtful and thorough arrangements, Hao Shi's dissatisfaction gradually faded.

In contrast to Hao Shi's lofty ambitions, Wu Youcai was immensely pleased and excited by this arrangement. He had grown up as a shop assistant in a pharmacy. He might not recognize gold and silver, but any medicinal herb placed under his nose would be instantly and accurately identified.

He never imagined that after so many years, he could return to the old shop and resume his former trade. He was momentarily overwhelmed with excitement.

"Alright, if I have time another day, Gui Geer, I'll take you to explore the capital. Now that we're in the city, it's not like Lingshui Village. You can't fight and brawl every day. You've grown up now, you're a young man. For now, you'll have to help your sister shoulder the responsibilities of this household, understand?"

Shen Anning held Wu Gui's hand and spoke to him earnestly, a rare occurrence.

She spoke to Gui Geer as if he were an adult, her tone full of respect and formality, which made Gui Geer feel quite honored. Immediately, Gui Geer puffed out his little chest and declared to Shen Anning with determination, "I will protect my sister well!"

After a pause, he waved his small fist, pursed his lips, and said with rare fierceness, "If anyone dares to bully my sister, whether in Lingshui Village or the capital, I'll beat one if one comes, and two if two come!"

Shen Anning was amused by his bull-headed appearance and pinched his fierce-looking face again. Then she said to Wu Youcai, "I need to go to the shop to get some medicine. Father, why don't you come with me for a walk?"

Upon hearing they were going to the shop, Wu Youcai instantly sprang from his stool, as if eager to sprout wings on his feet.

At the doorway, Shen Anning asked the Lu family's servant to rest at the Shen residence for a while and assigned four Shen family guards to accompany them.

Once in the carriage, she instructed the driver to head towards the south of the city and the moat.

The shop from back then was actually in the north of the city.

Just as Wu Youcai was looking puzzled, Shen Anning signaled to Bai Tao. Bai Tao retrieved an old pearwood box carved with a wintersweet pattern from the carriage, hesitated for a moment, and handed it to Wu Youcai.

Wu Youcai, unsure of the reason, hesitantly took the box. Encouraged by Shen Anning's gaze, he opened it. Inside was a thick stack of silver notes, all in denominations of five hundred or one thousand taels, totaling twenty or thirty notes—altogether ten to twenty thousand taels of silver in the box.

Wu Youcai, having been only a small third shopkeeper, had mostly dealt with a few copper coins or strings of coins in his shop days. He had never seen so much money.

He was so startled that his hands trembled, nearly dropping the entire box.

Bai Tao, seeing this, quickly helped steady it and said with a laugh, "Don't worry, Uncle Wu. Even I would be scared holding so much money."

Wu Youcai, recovering slightly, wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve and looked at Shen Anning with lingering fear. "Young... young lady, what... what is this for?"

Wu Youcai, originally a servant of the Shen family, now that their status was restored, no longer dared to call Shen Anning by her personal name and addressed her as "young lady."

Shen Anning, knowing his stubborn nature, let it be. She pressed a finger to her lips, signaling for silence, then lowered her voice and said, "There's something I can't trust to anyone else. I can only feel at ease entrusting it to you, Father."

Wu Youcai, seeing her serious expression, immediately straightened up.

Shen Anning said, "You'll understand when we get there."

Half an hour later, Shen Anning first had the carriage take them for a stroll along the moat, then to several remote and inconspicuous places. Some areas were quite dilapidated, others very desolate.

It turned out that when the Huo family was in power, the court was unstable, and the capital was in turmoil every day. Many officials and wealthy merchants fled the capital, leaving behind desolate areas.

After Emperor Wei ascended the throne, he implemented benevolent policies, reformed taxes, punished corrupt officials, rooted out the remnants of the Huo family in one sweep, won back the people's hearts, and restored peace to the world. Soon, the world gradually became peaceful, and wealthy individuals flocked to the capital, causing land prices to rise daily. Mansions especially increased in value day by day. Some famous residences of wealthy officials in the capital could fetch astronomical prices, and those properties were highly sought after but rarely available.

Now, although Shen Anning had some assets, if she wanted to support the Shen family's old residence and establish a Shen family school in the future, she would likely have to spend money like water. Eventually, it would run out. Moreover, the assets she held were mostly from her biological mother's dowry or the Shen family's property. After more than a decade of depletion, many had become empty shells.

Additionally, in her previous life, Shen Anning neglected management, allowing a group of cunning servants to ruin many shops.

Now, having the advantage of foresight, Shen Anning naturally wanted to strike first.

In the future, shops near the moat could fetch monthly rents of tens to hundreds of taels for good locations. A small shop could be worth thousands of taels, while good, large ones could even be worth tens of thousands. Now, before the area developed, they were only a few hundred taels each.

"Father, go find a reliable property agent to inquire about shops in this area. Find out how many are for sale and at what price. As long as the price is right, buy as many as we can."

"And the wine shops at these intersections, the shops on that street..."

Among them, several streets would soon be planned into the busiest streets in the capital. During the Lantern Festival and Mid-Autumn Festival, the lantern fairs there would be more lively and spectacular than elsewhere. Especially the wine shops on those streets would be overcrowded, making a fortune daily. Even the Lu family would have to book seats months in advance back then.

That day, Shen Anning personally took Wu Youcai to four or five streets and districts.

After looking at the shops, she finally took him to a residential area. This area hadn't yet taken off, but soon it would be highly sought after, with prices increasing tenfold or even dozens of times. Of course, these were things she vaguely remembered from her previous life, hearing Madam Xiao regret not buying a few properties, mentioning it several times.

Now, it was urgent.

Shen Anning instructed Wu Youcai in the carriage, "You can check with several property agents, but don't say too much to the agents. Don't leak any information, and it would be best not to reveal our identity."

"If we run out of money, Father, send someone to the Marquis's residence to let me know. I'll gather more funds in the coming days."

Although Wu Youcai obeyed Shen Anning's words without question, after hearing and seeing so much, he couldn't help but break into a cold sweat. "Young lady, are you sure you want to buy all these? What if... what if they end up left unsold?"

Shen Anning smiled and said, "Just trust me, Father. In the future, when the world is at peace, we will all get better and better."

Wu Youcai, after all, had worked in shops for over a decade. With Shen Anning's hint, he immediately understood. He had heard that decades ago, when the capital was prosperous, the entire capital could accommodate over a million people. If such times returned, these shops would be highly sought after, far from being left unsold.

Immediately, Wu Youcai assured her, "I will be very careful and compare prices properly."

Shen Anning trusted him in this regard, as even when selling medicinal herbs, Wu Youcai would always shop around and compare prices.

After this tour, it was already quite late. Just as the group was about to depart, they saw two people emerging from one of the residences—a man and a woman. The man appeared to be around forty, wearing a scholar's headscarf and dressed decently, looking shrewd and worldly, talking animatedly, likely a property agent.

The woman, though dressed ordinarily, carried herself with a certain grace in her walk and speech. Those in the know could tell she came from a respectable family.

The two parted ways at the intersection. After the man left, the woman removed the patterned headscarf from her head and sneakily made her way to the alley entrance. There, a carriage was waiting—of unusually high-quality, with the character "Lian" marked on it, indicating it was from Duke Lian's manor.

Shortly after the woman boarded the carriage, someone inside lifted the curtain to look out. Coincidentally, Shen Anning also lifted her carriage curtain to look from a distance.

The two caught sight of each other through the curtains, both surprised. Seated in the opposite carriage was actually Madam Zhang.

Upon seeing Shen Anning, Madam Zhang was also slightly taken aback. Soon after, she sent the woman from earlier to step out of the carriage and, from behind the curtain, gracefully bowed to Shen Anning with impeccable etiquette, saying, "Madam Shen, my mistress finds it inconvenient to speak here and specially invites you to her residence tomorrow for a gathering."

Realizing the other party intended to keep their movements discreet, Shen Anning immediately responded, "Please convey to your mistress that I will certainly pay her a visit tomorrow." After a brief pause, she added, "Today, I was merely passing by and saw nothing."

Hearing this, the maid breathed a long sigh of relief, gave Shen Anning a grateful look, and promptly returned to relay the message.

The two carriages passed each other, maintaining a tacit understanding without further words.

The next morning, Shen Anning went to the Lian residence for the visit.

The Duke's estate, founded on military achievements, was imposing and majestic, quite different from the refined elegance of the Lu and Shen families, which were known for their scholarly grace. Two stone lions at the gate exuded a formidable presence, and a row of guards outside, each holding spears and clad in armor, made the place even more solemn and dignified than a government office.

The plaque bestowed by the previous emperor above the gate further highlighted the family's supreme honor.

As soon as Shen Anning stepped out of her carriage, Sujin, Madam Zhang’s personal maid from the previous day, was already waiting outside. Upon seeing Shen Anning, she greeted her warmly and kindly, saying, "My mistress has been eagerly talking about you and is finally delighted to have you here."

Shen Anning followed Sujin into the Duke’s estate. In both her past and present lives, this was one of the few times she had ventured out to visit another household. In her previous life, just as she had mustered the courage to step out and socialize with Madam Xiao, she soon fell seriously ill.

Now, it was a fresh start.

The Duke’s estate was grand and majestic, with a training ground inside and various areas for military drills. It stood in stark contrast to the Lu family’s estate, which was adorned with exotic plants and rare rocks, featuring a scenic view every ten steps and a wonder every hundred.

It exuded more might and authority, with less of the refined classical elegance.

Truly befitting a family of distinguished merit.

Madam Zhang’s residence was located in the southernmost Nanyuan, which, as Sujin explained, was named for the many nanmu trees planted there.

Shen Anning looked around admiringly; indeed, the trees within the Duke’s estate were centuries old.

After passing through a grove of nanmu trees, they finally reached Nanyuan. Madam Zhang personally greeted her at the entrance of the courtyard and, as if they were old friends, naturally took Shen Anning’s hand and said with familiarity, "Would you like to stroll through the garden with me?"

Noticing the many maids and servants in the garden, Shen Anning nodded cheerfully to Madam Zhang.

As they walked, they entered a pavilion where incense was burning and tea and snacks were laid out. Madam Zhang dismissed all the maids to the periphery and then got straight to the point: "Sister, were you at Xifeng Street yesterday to look at properties?"

Madam Zhang was straightforward and direct.

Instead of answering directly, Shen Anning countered, "Sister, were you at Xifeng Street yesterday to sell properties?"

With that, the two exchanged a smile, and the answer was clear without another word.

Then, with curiosity, Shen Anning asked, "Sister, why are you selling the properties there for no apparent reason?" After a pause, she added, "How many properties do you have there?"

Madam Zhang replied, "I have three properties there, originally part of the dowry my mother prepared for me."

At this, Madam Zhang’s expression turned somewhat bitter as she continued, "To be frank, I won’t hide or deceive you, sister. If you venture out more in the future, you’ll learn that my Zhang family is not wealthy. Over the past decade, under the suppression of the Huo clan, it has been a struggle just to survive. Our ancestral assets have been nearly depleted over these years. By the time I married, aside from the dowry added by the palace, there wasn’t much of value left. So, most of the dowry was more for show than practical use."

For instance, the three properties on Xifeng Street were in the cheapest part of the southern city.

Madam Zhang was willing to share this with Shen Anning because she knew the Shen family faced similar circumstances, and Shen Anning’s situation was even more tragic, evoking a sense of mutual understanding.

"As for why I’m selling those properties—"

At this point, Zhang-shi did not rush to answer but instead looked up at Shen Anning and asked in return, "Sister, since you married into the Lu family half a year ago, have you been running the household?"

Shen Anning shook her head and said, "Not yet."

She spoke frankly, "I hardly know how to read, and I still can't find my way around the capital. If I were to take charge, I might end up running the household into the ground."

Shen Anning's witty remarks made Zhang-shi chuckle. After a pause, she said, "You truly see things clearly, sister."

Then, without hiding anything, she added with a hint of bitterness, "To be honest, managing such a large estate is no easy task—"

The Duke's household is vast and prosperous. Previously, the sister-in-law from the second branch, Lady You, was in charge. After Zhang-shi married into the Duke's mansion, Lady You readily handed over the household management to her.

Zhang-shi thought that since she was the eldest daughter-in-law of the main branch of the Lian family, she would eventually take over the household anyway, so she took it on without a second thought. However, she soon realized that managing a household involved many tricks to it. With the same income and expenses, following the same standards, her spending turned out to be three times what was in Lady You's books. Within half a year, the mansion's finances were already in the red.

Over the past few months, she had to quietly make up the difference with hundreds of taels of silver each month just to barely keep things stable. It was only recently that she discovered Lady You had been playing tricks behind her back, taking advantage of her humble background and trying to force her to relinquish her authority.

The Zhang family was no longer what it used to be; they were now the emperor's in-laws through Empress Zhang. To save face for the family and avoid bringing shame to Empress Zhang, she could not afford to fail.

But the consequence of struggling to maintain appearances was that she was strapped for cash. With limited funds of her own, she had no choice but to discreetly sell off a few properties, doing so secretly to avoid becoming a joke.

This was why they had pretended not to know each other when they met on West Phoenix Street the day before.

Hearing Zhang-shi speak so bitterly, Shen Anning was taken aback. She sat motionless for a long time, unable to process her thoughts.

She never imagined Zhang-shi's situation would be so difficult. After all, she was the sister of the Empress!

Unexpectedly, they not only shared similar family backgrounds and past hardships but were also both given in arranged marriages, and even their post-marital circumstances were strikingly similar.

The two of them were like two peas in a pod.

In her previous life, what was Zhang-shi's fate? The Lian family announced that she died of illness, but rumors circulated that she had taken her own life by swallowing gold.

Yes, Zhang-shi's fate in her previous life was not much better than Shen Anning's. She had even passed away before Shen Anning.

Why is life so difficult?

In humble households, there are humble hardships.

In noble households, there are noble hardships.

Life is full of difficulties everywhere.

Or perhaps it is women who face hardships everywhere. Why do women everywhere have it so hard?

For some reason, at this moment, Shen Anning suddenly felt a pang of sadness, her heart felt heavy, and she was choked up.

After a long while, she finally took Zhang-shi's hand and said earnestly, "Don't worry, sister. Everything you've told me today, I will never reveal to anyone. As for the properties you wish to sell, I am willing to take them off your hands at 30% above the market price—"

Hearing this, Zhang-shi was deeply moved.

In the six months since she married into the Lian family, only she knew the mixed feelings she had endured. The hardships were hers alone to bear, with no one to confide in. Today, she felt an unexpected connection with Shen Anning, as if they had known each other in a past life. Without any reservations, she naturally laid bare all those hard-to-speak matters before her.

"But—"

Before Zhang-shi could respond, Shen Anning suddenly grasped her hand tightly and said, "If I were you, sister, and if there were any other options, I would leave those properties untouched if possible—"

Shen Anning stared intently into Zhang-shi's eyes, her expression dead serious.

Zhang-shi was taken aback and asked, "Why... why?"

Shen Anning did not answer directly but instead asked, "Do you trust me, sister? If you do, then don’t sell them!"

Perhaps it was the unwavering determination in Shen Anning's eyes that made Zhang-shi nod involuntarily.

-----------------------

Author's Note: Everyone, the adoptive parents were originally surnamed Yuan, but now it's changed to Wu. I kept accidentally typing Wu out of habit, so I decided to change it officially.

Thank you all so much for your support. I will continue to work hard!