The waiter came in to clear the plates, looking somewhat surprised to see them empty.
"Good heavens, these two guests are too much of eaters."
Shen Yun didn't feel anything, after all, two-thirds of these dishes were finished by Su Xiaoqi.
But soon he heard Su Xiaoqi say to the waiter, "Oh, don't be surprised. My husband just looks thin, but he's actually a very big eater. You mustn't be astonished."
Shen Yun's thin lips twitched. Well, he had now gained a reputation for having a large appetite.
After lunch, there was a knock on the door, and Du Yiyi arrived with her young maid, He Bao.
She had come to invite Su Xiaoqi to go shopping and look at shops with her.
Su Xiaoqi was a bit worried about Shen Yun, fearing he might faint again when she wasn't there.
But she learned that he wouldn't be going out today.
He would be at the inn, chatting with some scholars from the same city.
Shen Yun was quite relieved to let Su Xiaoqi spend time with Du Yiyi.
After all, with Du Yiyi's status in the prefectural city, who would dare not give her face?
As for shopping, Su Xiaoqi, being a woman, was quite enthusiastic.
Moreover, she went with the intention of surveying the market, so she followed Du Yiyi with considerable interest.
They strolled from the north of the city where the inn was located, to the east, then to the west, then to the south, and finally back to the north.
The sky was getting dark.
All along, they were riding in a carriage, browsing.
Except for the four shops owned by Du Yiyi, which they got off to look at closely, they didn't really explore much.
"The prefectural city is truly too big," Su Xiaoqi said, feeling a bit tired from riding in the carriage.
Fortunately, the cushions in Du Yiyi's carriage were very thick, which saved her from the hardship of the carriage ride.
"How is it, Sister Xiaoqi? You've seen the shops. Which one do you think is suitable for opening a pastry shop?"
Of Du Yiyi's four shops, the two in the east and west of the city were already rented out.
The clothing shop in the south was managed by herself. The one in the north was completely empty.
It was said that her father had only recently bought it for her.
She hadn't yet decided what to do with it.
"The west and east of the city are market towns, where merchants gather.
Generally, shops in those places are definitely easier to make money.
However, for our pastries, it doesn't really matter.
Su Xiaoqi pointed to the empty shop not far from the inn and said, "Why don't we renovate this one?"
The north of the city was where the prefectural government and wealthy and powerful people lived.
Pastries, for ordinary people, were fine for a taste of novelty.
But for them to eat them long-term, it was certainly not feasible.
After all, they were not cheap.
Therefore, the largest consumer group would be families with status, background, and financial resources.
Opening in the north of the city would be ideal.
After explaining these reasons to Du Yiyi, she looked at Su Xiaoqi with an expression of admiration again.
"Wow, you know so much."
Who doesn't like to be praised?
Su Xiaoqi also liked it, and she smiled, "Let's not talk about this now. I'll draw you a blueprint, and you can take it to someone to renovate according to this blueprint later."
The two were standing at the entrance of the shop, talking.
Suddenly, a group of refugees in tattered clothes rushed over.
Su Xiaoqi thought they were going to receive porridge somewhere again.
But soon she saw them walking in the opposite direction of the porridge stall.
"Oh dear, they are going to the prefectural yamen!" Du Yiyi exclaimed.
Soon, they heard the sound of drums.
"Dong, dong, dong..." The sounds were like thunder, striking everyone's bodies.
Su Xiaoqi's heart felt as disturbed as the sound of the drums.
She asked in a low voice, "Are these refugees here to report that matter you mentioned last time?"
"Presumably, it's just that Magistrate Liu is too hateful.
It is said that he did the wicked deed of replacing the grain seeds, causing everyone to fail to grow grain. To prevent them from filing a lawsuit, he framed the leading family and arrested them." Du Yiyi whispered.
These matters were what she had heard her parents discussing after returning home yesterday.
"Then will Lord Du handle it?" Su Xiaoqi asked.
Du Yiyi said she didn't know. Her father was also having a headache now.
The main reason was that the county magistrate named Liu was a ruthless person. Even though her father knew that he had done all these things, he couldn't produce evidence and was helpless.
Speaking of this, Du Yiyi also felt a sense of helplessness.
She pulled Su Xiaoqi and said, "Forget it, let's not bother. My father doesn't want me to inquire about these matters.
He says the subsequent implications are too great and fears danger."
Su Xiaoqi watched them disappear around the street corner and could only sigh.
If she encountered such a situation in modern times, she could expose it to the news media.
With public opinion and mass influence, they could find someone to resolve the matter.
But here, what could she do?
Offer condolences.
Su Xiaoqi's mood became somewhat heavy.
She lost all interest in opening the pastry shop.
Instead, she pulled Du Yiyi and asked, "Can the clothing shop in the south of the city be converted into a grain store?"
Yes, she couldn't do anything about the case, nor could she seek justice for them.
But she had to use her strength to do something for them.
Du Yiyi didn't understand her intention.
As they were talking, another group of people ran past them, causing more commotion.
Soon, yamen runners from the prefectural government came out.
Su Xiaoqi felt that this was not a place to talk and pulled Du Yiyi towards the inn room.
Upon entering, she thought Shen Yun was still outside talking with his classmates.
To her surprise, he had already returned.
He was looking at the chaos below from the window.
Su Xiaoqi greeted him.
She pulled Du Yiyi to sit down.
Since everyone knew each other, there was no need to be reserved.
Su Xiaoqi explained her original intention of opening a grain store to her.
She wanted to give out some seeds for them to take for free.
And they could return them after they harvested.
Du Yiyi had never heard of such a way of opening a shop and was immediately so surprised that her mouth was agape.
"Sister Xiaoqi, aren't you worried that they will never return?"
Su Xiaoqi smiled and shook her head, "Since I dare to give, I am not afraid that they will not return." In fact, it didn't matter if they returned them or not.
Although her spatial dimension was still at level fifteen, after her research, she had greatly increased the yield per mu.
Previously, one mu of land produced three shi of rice, but now it could reach five shi.
As for corn and potatoes, they were even more so. In one day, one mu of land could yield a thousand catties of corn and over three thousand catties of potatoes.
She really didn't lack those few seeds.
"Alright, if Sister Xiaoqi provides the seeds, then I'll provide the shop.
My father doesn't want me to inquire blindly, so I want to let him know that his daughter hasn't been raised in vain."
Du Yiyi stood up abruptly, her delicate face filled with vitality, heroic and valiant.
Su Xiaoqi high-fived her, saying it was a deal.
In fact, the clothing shop didn't have to close. They just needed to clear out half of it and sell it together.
Du Yiyi readily agreed, finally finding something to do, and quickly ran off.
She said she wanted to clear out the place before curfew.
And try to open for business tomorrow.
Shen Yun listened to the two delicate women discussing this matter and looked at them with a momentary flash of strangeness in his eyes.
He couldn't help but sigh in his heart.
If the officials of this Daliang Dynasty could be as concerned about the world and the people as these two women, then there would be no problems at all.